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Highest-grossing Concert Tours of All Time

Who has hauled the highest-grossing tour total of all time? From Elton John to Harry Styles, find out who made the top 10 of all time.

These days, scoring a ticket to see your favorite music artist has proven to be a Herculean task. With bots replacing scalpers, superfans are struggling more than ever to get a ticket to the show. However, someway, somehow, people are showing up in record numbers.

Looking back on the top 10 highest-grossing tours, the list may surprise you. Harry Styles ‘ most recent marathon Love on Tour propelled him to become the first of his contemporaries to crack the list. However, these numbers are all under fire as Beyoncé and Taylor Swift are expected to shatter tour totals and breaking the billion mark.

As T Swift takes over for Elton John, The Rolling Stones logged the largest sum per show. The British sensations took in an average of $9.4 million per show with 58 performances between 2017 and 2019.

Let’s dive in with the top 10 highest-grossing tours of all time.

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Highest-grossing Tours of All Time: The Top 10

1. taylor swift — eras tour (2023-2024).

• Total Gross: $1.04 billion (via Pollstar )
• Tickets Sold: 4.35 million
• Average Gross per Show: $1.67 million

2. Elton John — Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour (2018-2023)

• Total Gross: $939.1 million
• Tickets Sold: 6 million
• Average Gross per Show: $2.84 million

3. Ed Sheeran — The ÷ (Divide) Tour (2017-2019)

• Total Gross: $776 million
• Tickets Sold: 8.9 million
• Average Gross per Show: $3 million

4. U2 — U2 360° Tour (2009-2011)

• Total Gross: $736 million
• Tickets Sold: 7.3 million
• Average Gross per Show: $6.69 million

5. Coldplay — Music of the Spheres World Tour ( 2022-2023 )

• Total Gross: $617.8 million
• Tickets Sold: 6.3 million
• Average Gross per Show: $5.77 million

6. Harry Styles — Love on Tour (2021-2023)

• Total Gross: $617.3 million
• Tickets Sold: 5 million
• Average Gross per Show: $3.65 million

7. Guns N’ Roses — Not in This Lifetime… Tour (2016-2019)

• Total Gross: $584 million
• Tickets Sold: 5.4 million
• Average Gross per Show: $3.69 million

8. Beyoncé — Renaissance Tour (2023)

• Total Gross: $579 million (via Forbes )
• Tickets Sold: TBD
• Average Gross per Show: $10.34 million

9. The Rolling Stones — A Bigger Bang Tour (2005-2007)

• Total Gross: $558 million
• Tickets Sold: 3.5 million
• Average Gross per Show: $5.02 million

10. The Rolling Stones — No Filter Tour (2017-2019)

• Total Gross: $547 million
• Tickets Sold: 2.9 million
• Average Gross per Show: $9.4 million

10. Coldplay — A Head Full of Dreams Tour (2015-2017)

• Total Gross: $524 million
• Average Gross per Show: $4.56 million

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28 of the Highest-Grossing Concert Tours of All Time

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In the time of digital streaming services, live performances have become an increasingly lucrative space for musicians — especially as ticket prices continue to rise. But even before concert tickets went for hundreds of dollars a pop, some of the most popular groups and solo acts raked in multimillions with their world tours.

Take a look at the bands that have had multiple high-grossing tours — and which solo singer was the highest grossing of them all.

Last updated: Oct. 21, 2021  

David Bowie’s Glass Spider Tour: $86 Million

• Gross adjusted for inflation:  $198 million

Although David Bowie’s Glass Spider Tour was poorly received at the time — it spanned from May to November in 1987 — it was one of the highest-grossing tours when adjusted to today’s dollars. The centerpiece of the tour set was a giant spider that required 43 trucks to transport it between stops, IQ reported.

Justin Timberlake’s FutureSex/LoveShow Tour: $126.8 Million

• Gross adjusted for inflation:  $160 million

Justin Timberlake’s FutureSex/LoveShow Tour grossed $126.8 million and was attended by more than 1.6 million people worldwide, Billboard reported. The tour kicked off in January 2007 in San Diego and featured Pink — who had a high-grossing tour of her own — as a special guest.

Genesis’ Turn It on Again World Tour: $129 Million

• Gross adjusted for inflation:  $162.7 million

Phil Collins, Tony Banks and Mike Rutherford reunited in June 2007 to tour around the world as Genesis. The Turn It on Again Tour grossed in excess of $129 million over 46 performances, Ultimate Classic Rock reported. The group announced on March 4 that they would be reuniting again for a 2020 tour.

Celine Dion’s Let’s Talk About Love Tour: $133 Million

• Gross adjusted for inflation:  $208.8 million

Celine Dion’s Let’s Talk About Love Tour took the Canadian crooner to 11 different countries across 97 shows and grossed $133 million, according to CelineDionCharts.com. The tour kicked off in Boston in August 1998 to promote Dion’s album of the same name. The 1997 album featured the immensely popular hit single “My Heart Will Go On.”

Bon Jovi’s Lost Highway Tour: $210 Million

• Gross adjusted for inflation:  $255.1 million

Bon Jovi’s Lost Highway Tour was the highest-grossing tour of 2008, Reuters reported. The world tour started in October 2007 with 10 sold-out shows in the band’s home state of New Jersey and continued into 2008 with stops in Canada, Japan, New Zealand, England, Ireland, Scotland, Germany, Holland and Austria, according to an AEG Live press release.

The Eagles’ Hell Freezes Over Tour: $253 Million

• Gross adjusted for inflation:  $434.3 million

After performing together in 1980 in what they assumed would be their last show, The Eagles’ Don Henley said that the band would perform together again “when hell freezes over.” Fourteen years later, the band reunited and in a nod to Henley’s comment, recorded the live album “Hell Freezes Over” and embarked on a corresponding tour, originally planned as a six-week trek, Pollstar reported. The tour ended up lasting for two years — from July 2013 to 2015 — and grossed $253 million, with over 2 million tickets sold across 147 shows.

Beyoncé and Jay-Z’s On the Run II Tour: $253.5 Million

• Gross adjusted for inflation:  $264.1 million

Hip-hop power couple Beyonc é and Jay-Z kicked off their joint On the Run II Tour in June 2018 in Cardiff, Wales, and performed a total of 48 stadium dates; the tour ended in October 2018 in Seattle. By the end of the tour, it had grossed $253.5 million, Billboard reported.

One Direction’s Where We Are Tour: $282.2 Million

• Gross adjusted for inflation:  $311.8 million

One Direction’s Where We Are Tour became the first tour to break the $200 million ticket sales barrier in 2014, Billboard reported. It went on to be the highest-grossing tour of the year with a gross of $282.2 million, which was 6 1/2 times more than what One Direction’s previous year tour had grossed, the New York Post reported. The tour kicked off in April 2014, and the band was joined by 5 Seconds of Summer during the North American dates.

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The Rolling Stones’ Voodoo Lounge Tour: $300 Million

• Gross adjusted for inflation:  $514.9 million

When the Rolling Stones’ Voodoo Lounge Tour wrapped, it was the most successful in North American history, Rolling Stone reported. The tour — which started in August 1994 in support of the band’s album of the same name — included 117 dates on six continents, and it grossed $300 million from a combination of ticket sales, T-shirts and television rights.

The Rolling Stones’ Licks Tour: $311 Million

• Gross adjusted for inflation:  $442.1 million

The Rolling Stones topped their own concert gross record with their 2002-2003 Licks Tour, which grossed $311 million, according to Billboard. The tour kicked off in September 2002 and boasted an impressive roster of supporting acts that included No Doubt, The Strokes, Jonny Lang, Sheryl Crow and The Pretenders.

U2’s Joshua Tree Tour (2017): $316 Million

• Gross adjusted for inflation:  $337.2 million

U2 embarked on the Joshua Tree Tour in 2017 in honor of the 30th anniversary of their No. 1 album of the same name. The tour included 50 shows in over a dozen countries, kicking off in May 2017 and wrapping up in October 2017. The tour sold more than 2.7 million tickets and grossed $316 million, Billboard reported.

Taylor Swift’s Reputation Stadium Tour: $345.7 Million

• Gross adjusted for inflation:  $360.1 million

Taylor Swift’s Reputation Stadium Tour broke records when it became the highest-grossing U.S. tour of all time in November 2018, with a gross of $266.1 million and over 2 million tickets sold domestically, Billboard reported. The tour — which spanned from May to November 2018 — grossed $345.7 million in total.

Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band’s Wrecking Ball Tour: $355.6 Million

• Gross adjusted for inflation:  $399.3 million

Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band’s Wrecking Ball World Tour reached fans in more countries than any previous Springsteen tour, Shore Fire Media reported. It started in March 2012 in New York City and included 133 shows in 26 countries across North America, South America, Europe and Australia. The tour ended in September 2013 in Brazil.

The Police’s Reunion Tour: $362 Million

• Gross adjusted for inflation: $439.8 million

The Police reunited for a 2007-2008 tour that spanned 151 shows and earned the band a $362 million gross, Rolling Stone reported. Their May 28, 2007, performance in Vancouver, Canada, was the first time they played together in 23 years, NME reported — and their final show in New York in August 2008 marked the last time The Police ever played together.

Garth Brooks’ Garth Brooks World Tour With Trisha Yearwood: $364 Million

• Gross adjusted for inflation:  $388.4 million

Garth Brooks had been semi-retired for 14 years when he launched his world tour with his wife and fellow country superstar Trisha Yearwood in 2014. He opened his tour in Chicago in June of that year, and it stretched into 2017, with 390 shows played and 6.4 million tickets sold, USA Today reported.

Bruno Mars’ 24K Magic Tour: $367 Million

• Gross adjusted for inflation:  $382.3 million

In support of his 2016 Grammy-winning album “24K Magic,” Bruno Mars embarked on a 200-date world tour that started in March 2017 and ended in November 2018. The tour grossed more than $367 million, Pollstar reported.

U2’s Vertigo Tour: $389 Million

• Gross adjusted for inflation:  $504.7 million

U2 embarked on the Vertigo Tour in March 2005 with a U.S. leg. Throughout the year, the band toured in Europe and North America and wrapped the tour with a fourth leg in 2006 that took them around the world. This is one of three U2 tours that have the distinction of being one of the highest-grossing concert tours of all time.

Pink’s Beautiful Trauma World Tour: $397.3 Million

• Gross adjusted for inflation:  $406.5 million

Pink’s March 2018 to November 2019 tour made history as the highest-grossing tour for a woman in over a decade, Billboard reported.

Madonna’s Sticky & Sweet Tour: $408 Million

• Gross adjusted for inflation:  $497.5 million

Madonna’s Sticky & Sweet Tour spanned three continents and ran from August 2008 to September 2009. At the time the show wrapped, it was the top-grossing tour by a solo artist of all time, Billboard reported.

The Rolling Stones’ No Filter Tour: $415.6 Million (So Far)

• Gross adjusted for inflation:  $425.2 million

The Rolling Stones kicked off their No Filter Tour in September 2017 in Europe. The second leg of the tour, which took place in the summer of 2018, included dates throughout the U.K., Ireland and Europe. The third leg of the tour took the legendary rock band throughout North America during the summer of 2019. By the end of this leg, the band had grossed $415.6 million, Billboard reported. But the tour isn’t over, so millions more will most certainly roll in. The fourth leg of the tour — which will take place in North America — was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Metallica’s WorldWired Tour: $430 MIllion (So Far)

• Gross adjusted for inflation:  $440 million

Metallica kicked off its WorldWired Tour in October 2016 in support of their album “Hardwired…To Self-Destruct.” The tour was slated to continue into 2020, but came to a halt due to COVID-19, as the band was forced to cancel or reschedule all performances. The tour had grossed $430 million as of September 2019, Consequence of Sound reported.

AC/DC’s Black Ice Tour: $441 Million

• Gross adjusted for inflation:  $529 million

AC/DC’s Black Ice World Tour followed the band’s album of the same name and was the group’s biggest tour ever with 169 dates and over 5 million attendees, AC-DC.net reported. The tour kicked off in October 2008 in the U.S. and ended in June 2010 in Spain.

Roger Waters’ The Wall Live Tour: $460 Million

• Gross adjusted for inflation:  $516.5 million

Pink Floyd fans flocked in droves to Roger Waters’ The Wall Live Tour, which ran from September 2010 to September 2013. The tour marked the first time the 1979 album of the same name had been performed live in its entirety by the band or any of its former members in two decades, Pollstar reported. The Wall Live Tour grossed $460 million across 220 performances, with 4.1 million tickets sold.

Coldplay’s A Head Full of Dreams Tour: $523 Million

• Gross adjusted for inflation:  $558.1 million

Shortly after Coldplay performed at the Super Bowl 50 Halftime show, the band kicked off their A Head Full of Dreams Tour in March 2016. The tour, which wrapped in November 2017, included 114 shows in 76 cities and 31 countries. At the time the tour ended, it was the third-highest-grossing global tour of all time with $523 million in ticket sales, Live Nation reported.

The Rolling Stones’ A Bigger Bang Tour: $558 Million

• Gross adjusted for inflation:  $704 million

It remains to be seen if The Stones’ No Filter Tour can beat the band’s high-grossing A Bigger Bang World Tour, which kicked off in August 2005 and ended two years later. Mick Jagger and the rest of the band held the distinction of having the highest-grossing tour of all time until U2 took over that title in 2011.

Guns N’ Roses’ Not in This Lifetime… Tour: $584.2 Million

• Gross adjusted for inflation:  $597.7 million

Guns N’ Roses’ Not in This Lifetime… Tour lasted over three years and included 158 concert dates across six continents. It grossed $584.2 million with nearly 5.4 million tickets sold, Billboard reported. The tour — which kicked off in April 2016 and was extended through November 2019 —  featured a reunion of classic-era members Axl Rose, Slash and Duff McKagan.

U2’s U2 360 Degrees Tour: $736.4 Million

• Gross adjusted for inflation:  $856.4 million

U2’s U2 360 Degrees Tour had three legs that spanned from June 2009 to July 2011. Guests on the epic tour included Lenny Kravitz, Muse and Arcade Fire. When the tour wrapped, it had broken records to become the highest-grossing tour of all time — and held that title until it was dethroned in 2019. However, when adjusted for inflation, it still holds the top title.

Ed Sheeran’s Divide Tour: $775.6 Million

• Gross adjusted for inflation:  $793.6 million

Ed Sheeran holds the record for the highest-grossing concert tour of all time. His Divide Tour started in March 2017 and ended in August 2019, and took him around the world, with 246 shows across Europe, Asia, Australia, Africa, North America and South America. The concert sold over 8.5 million tickets, Billboard reported.

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Jennifer Taylor contributed to the reporting for this article.

All data was calculated using the last year of each tour, for those still ongoing, GOBankingRates calculated figures from 2019. All inflation data was calculated using a CPI inflation calculator. All data was collected and is up to date as of March 8, 2021.

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Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour breaks record as highest-grossing music tour ever

Taylor Swift's Eras Tour is officially the highest-grossing music tour ever, becoming the first to surpass $1 billion dollars in revenue.

The tour, which began in March 2023 and is set to conclude in December 2024 after a total of 151 shows worldwide, has earned $1.04 billion (£840 million) to date, according to Pollstar.

This breaks the record set by Elton John’s five-year farewell tour which ended earlier this year, bringing in $939 million (£749 million) over 328 shows. 

Swift’s sixth concert tour is in fact so popular that it has earned more than this year’s next two highest-grossing tours (Beyoncé’s and Bruce Springsteen’s) combined.

Beyoncé’s 56-date Renaissance World Tour broke Madonna’s 14-year-old record for the highest-grossing music tour by a female artist , earning $579 million (£468 million) between May and October, before The Eras Tour subsequently took the title.

Described by Swift as a journey through all her musical “eras”, each show is over 3.5 hours long with a set list of 44 songs divided into 10 acts.

It has received immensely positive reviews from critics, who have heaped praise on the production’s concept and quality, as well as Swift’s performances.

Her devoted fanbase, the Swifties, have turned out in full force to see their idol, crashing ticketing sites, selling out hotels, and even causing earthquake-like seismic activity at certain shows, as happened in Seattle in July.

With roughly 72,000 people in attendance at each concert, and tickets averaging around $238, the tour is grossing over $17 million per show.

According to Pollstar, 4.3 million tickets have been sold to date, and at this trajectory, the tour could realistically rake in over $2 billion dollars if all the remaining scheduled shows are played.

Merchandise has also proven to be a lucrative source of revenue, with estimates that it has brought in around $200 million so far.

The Eras Tour is just one of Swift’s many successes in 2023. In addition to recently being named Time ’s Person of the Year, and the re-recording of her decade-old 1989 being the best-selling album of the year, she has broken multiple world records.

In June, she was awarded the record for the most simultaneous albums on the US Billboard 200 for a living artist, with 10 of her albums charting at the same time.

She then broke several more records in July : 

• Most US No.1 albums by a female artist – 12 
• Most US singles chart entries (female) – 212
• Most Top 10 debuts on the US Hot 100 (female) – 31
• Most simultaneous new entries on the Hot 100 (female) – 26
• Most cumulative weeks at No.1 on US albums charts (solo female) – 63

And in August, she made history with the most monthly listeners on Spotify (female) , becoming the first female artist to amass 100 million.

With plans to release more music and continue on her record-breaking tour, we’ve no doubt that Taylor Swift will achieve many more Guinness World Records titles in 2024!

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Highest-Grossing Concert Tours of All Time

Old hippies love to brag about the time they paid a mere $6.50 to see Led Zeppelin at Madison Square Garden in 1973. How times have changed. Today, when your favorite marquee act comes to town, you'll plunk down the equivalent of a new car payment (plus those fun processing fees) for a pair of seats you hope are in the same zip code as the concert stage.   

Now more than ever, major concert tours translate to megabucks for superstar artists who otherwise earn only fractions of a cent per digital song download or stream. To help ensure arena and stadium sellouts, today's stage sets and audio-visual razzle-dazzle must go bigger than ever, which means obscenely high production costs that are passed on to ticket buyers.     

The result is box-office numbers that routinely reach into the hundreds of millions of dollars. To give you an idea of how much scratch there is to be made from playing "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" for the thousandth time, we've rounded up the highest-grossing concert tours ever.

47. Depeche Mode 'Global Spirit Tour'

Years: 2017-18

Number of shows: 130

Gross: $202 million

Note: The numbers are from Pollstar and Billboard . Each gross amount is in the original U.S. dollars and hasn't been adjusted for inflation.

Bottom Line: Depeche Mode 'Global Spirit Tour'

Fans just couldn't get enough of this Depeche Mode tour that spanned the globe and mined their back catalog for '80s New Wave gems like "Black Celebration" and "Everything Counts."

The Mode made a mint and in 2020 were welcomed to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

46. Bon Jovi 'Lost Highway Tour'

Years: 2007-08

Number of shows: 99

Gross: $210.7 million

Bottom Line: Bon Jovi 'Lost Highway Tour'

The final full Bon Jovi tour to feature lead guitarist Richie Sambora was originally intended as a greatest hits outing. But the surprise success of the band's "Lost Highway" LP turned it into an album-support affair.

Among the band's faithful, it's remembered as the tour when an over-excited female fan jumped Jon Bon Jovi onstage at a concert in Ireland, smothered him with hugs and kisses, and had to be dragged off stage by security.   

45. Metallica 'World Magnetic Tour'

Years: 2008-10

Number of shows: 187

Gross: $217.2 million

Bottom Line: Metallica 'World Magnetic Tour'

Headbangers celebrated the 2008 release of Metallica's "Death Magnetic."

After years of subpar albums and radio-friendly hits like "Enter Sandman," the LP signaled a return to the band's bone-crunching, thrash-tastic roots.

On the record's supporting tour, arenas packed with longhairs wearing faded "Kill 'Em All" T-shirts helped make this the 12th highest-grossing endeavor of the 2000s.

44. Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band 'The Rising Tour'

Years: 2002-03

Number of shows: 120

Gross: $221 million

Bottom Line: Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band 'The Rising Tour'

In the aftermath of 9/11 and hot off the first new album recorded with the E Street Band since "Born in the U.S.A.," Bruce and company hit the road for a cathartic world tour that had fans in Boss-induced bliss.

Notable gigs included the first concerts held at Boston's Fenway Park since 1973, plus a 10-night stand at New Jersey's Giants Stadium that grossed $38.8 million alone.

43. Justin Timberlake 'The Man of the Woods'

Years: 2018-19

Number of shows: 115

Gross: $226.3 million

Bottom Line: Justin Timberlake 'The Man of the Woods'

The pop superstar's tunes aren't everyone's cup of tea, but like his hero Michael Jackson (Justin Timberlake has called him "untouchable"), there's no question the man puts on one of helluva an entertaining show.

This tour for the 2018 album "Man of the Woods" played to more than 1.75 million fans and won raves from even the snobbiest of music critics.

42. Lady Gaga 'The Monster Ball Tour'

Years: 2009-11

Number of shows: 203

Gross: $227.4 million

Bottom Line: Lady Gaga 'The Monster Ball Tour'

Lady Gaga's "Little Monsters" (as her fans are known) came out of the woodwork for this extensive worldwide arena tour the diva described as "the first-ever pop electro opera."

The high-concept show, with its over-the-top costumes and stage sets, sold so many tickets it set a record for the highest-grossing ever by an artist making their tour-headlining debut. 

41. Justin Timberlake 'The 20/20 Experience World Tour'

Years: 2013-15

Number of shows: 134 

Gross: $231.6 million

Bottom Line: Justin Timberlake 'The 20/20 Experience World Tour'

Bottom line: Smooth as silk, Justin Timberlake knocked 'em dead on this tour that's his biggest moneymaker to date.

If you missed it in person, the final show in Las Vegas was captured by director Jonathan Demme for the highly entertaining concert film "Justin Timberlake + The Tennessee Kids" — available for streaming on Netflix.

40. Bon Jovi 'This House Is Not for Sale Tour'

Years: 2017-19

Number of shows: 95

Gross: $232.1 million

Bottom Line: Bon Jovi 'This House Is Not for Sale Tour'

No Bon Jovi devotee will ever rank the band's 14th studio album "This House Is Not for Sale" up there with the likes of "Slippery When Wet."

Yet that didn't stop the '80s hair-metal stalwarts from selling some 2.26 million tickets on this trek that traveled the globe from Las Vegas to Lima, Peru.

39. Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band 'Magic Tour'

Number of shows: 100

Gross: $235 million

Bottom Line: Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band 'Magic Tour'

The Boss blew away audiences in North America and Europe on this outing that would sadly be the last for founding E Street Band member and organist Danny Federici, who passed away in spring 2008.

Though the shows clocked in at just over two hours (shorter than usual for Springsteen), the band brought it with a mix of greatest hits, tunes from the underappreciated "Magic" album, and covers of rock 'n' roll oldies like "Gloria" and "Wooly Bully."

38. The Eagles 'An Evening With The Eagles'

Number of shows: 87

Gross: $248.6 million

Bottom Line: The Eagles 'An Evening With The Eagles'

Following the 2016 passing of founding band member Glenn Frey, the Eagles' touring juggernaut seemed done for.

"I did say that I thought that was the end of the band," Don Henley told the Los Angeles Times in 2017, "But I reserve the right to change my mind."

Don never met a dollar he didn't covet, and later that year, the group hit the road with a revamped lineup, including Frey's son Deacon and country star Vince Gill.

36. Pink Floyd 'The Division Bell Tour' (Tie)

Number of shows: 110

Gross: $250 million

Bottom Line: Pink Floyd 'The Division Bell Tour'

The last-ever tour under the Pink Floyd banner saw sold-out stadium crowds spacing out to early psychedelic jams like "Astronomy Domine" and, on occasion, "The Dark Side of the Moon" album played in its entirety.

Though chief songwriter and bassist Roger Waters had quit the band nearly a decade earlier, that didn't deter some 6 million fans from turning up to hear guitarist/vocalist David Gilmour play "Comfortably Numb" through a 232,000-watt quadraphonic sound system, blowing their minds — and eardrums.

36. Cher 'Living Proof: The Farewell Tour' (Tie)

Years: 2002-05

Number of shows: 326

Bottom Line: Cher 'Living Proof: The Farewell Tour'

For this marathon retirement tour, the self-dubbed "Cher-est show on earth," the diva pulled out all the stops.

She made a flamboyant, grand entrance atop a giant crystal chandelier; rode a paper-mâché pachyderm on stage; and in her late 50s, wore her infamous fishnet/thong outfit for " If I Could Turn Back Time ."

In 2008, those who believed they'd already seen "Believe" performed for the last time were ecstatic when Cher re-emerged to launch a lengthy Las Vegas residency and, in 2014, embark on yet another farewell tour.

35. Taylor Swift 'The 1989 World Tour'

Number of shows: 85

Gross: $250.7 million

Bottom Line: Taylor Swift 'The 1989 World Tour'

You doubted Tay-Tay's drawing power? Shame! Form a heart with your hands and show love for the country-turned-pop superstar's mega-grossing tour in support of her mega-selling album "1989."

How could your average "Swiftie" afford an average $380-per-ticket price for the tour's North American legs? Only the Visa and Mastercard collections departments know for sure. But no doubt the selfies were worth it.  

34. Eagles 'Long Road Out of Eden Tour'

Years: 2008-11

Number of shows: 161

Gross: $251.1 million

Bottom Line: Eagles 'Long Road Out of Eden Tour'

Like your local classic rock radio station still getting mileage out of spinning "Life in the Fast Lane" for the millionth time, this aptly named Eagles tour had legs for four long years.

Just two years prior, the band had completed its third wildly successful reunion tour and certainly wasn't strapped for cash.

But if fans were willing to pony up for "Desperado" one ... more ... time, Don Henley and the gang were happy to oblige.  

33. The Eagles 'History of the Eagles — Live in Concert'

Number of shows: 147

Gross: $253 million

Bottom Line: The Eagles 'History of the Eagles — Live in Concert'

Bottom line: The last tour to feature guitarist/vocalist Glenn Frey before his death in 2016, this lucrative Eagles' flight was launched not to promote a new album, but rather a DVD documentary chronicling the band's history.

It paid off big-time with more than 2 million fans turning out to hear a nightly setlist of hits and early rarities like "Train Leaves Here This Morning."

32. Beyonce and Jay-Z (aka The Carters) 'On The Run II Tour'

Number of shows: 48

Gross: $253.6 million

Bottom Line: Beyonce and Jay-Z (aka The Carters) 'On The Run II Tour'

The hip-hop/pop power couple — known as The Carters when performing as a duo — played to packed stadiums on this European and North American trek, ringing up one of 2018's most lucrative tours.

Forbes estimates Bey and Jay have a combined worth of $1.255 billion. "My great-great-grandchildren already rich," Beyoncé sings on the track "Boss" from The Carters' latest album "Everything Is Love," adding, "That's a lot of brown children on your Forbes list."

31. Beyoncé 'The Formation World Tour'

Number of shows: 49

Gross: $256.1 million

Bottom Line: Beyoncé 'The Formation World Tour'

Only time will tell, but in the eyes of many Beyonce fans, known as "The Beyhive," this stadium-tour extravaganza to promote the acclaimed "Lemonade" album will go down as her most iconic and visually stunning.

Not only did Queen Bey serve up "Lemonade" songs and greatest hits with intensity, but she did so on a massive stage set featuring a revolving, 60-foot-high video-screen cube nicknamed the "Monolith."

Just as impressive was the conveyor-belt catwalk extending into the audience, where Bey and her dancers stomped and splashed in a pool of water for the encore numbers.  

30. Justin Bieber 'Purpose World Tour'

Years: 2016-17

Number of shows: 162

Gross: $256.5 million

Bottom Line: Justin Bieber 'Purpose World Tour'

Doing his part to crush the spirits of true musical artists everywhere, this two-year Bieb parade proves there's a boatload of bucks to be made from reportedly lip-synching at least half the setlist and pouting like a spoiled teen through every other dance routine.

"Beliebers" were prepared to shovel even more cash into the pop star's coffers, but he canceled the final 14 shows, citing physical and mental exhaustion.

29. Bon Jovi 'Because We Can'

Number of shows: 102

Gross: $259.5 million

Bottom Line: Bon Jovi 'Because We Can'

This list's only 1980s hair metal band, Bon Jovi raked it in on a busy 11-month tour that'd technically be the last for lead guitarist Richie Sambora, who called it quits after a single show — the tour opener in Washington, D.C.

Jon Bon Jovi and the band pressed on, playing "Livin' on a Prayer" to some 2.65 million ticket buyers and winding up with the No. 1 grossing tour of 2013.

Perhaps the tour should've been renamed "Because We Can ... Still Make a Fortune Sans Sambora"?

28. The Rolling Stones 'Bridges to Babylon Tour'

Years: 1997-98

Number of shows: 97

Gross: $274 million

Bottom Line: The Rolling Stones 'Bridges to Babylon Tour'

Fans forever remember this stadium tour for the surprise spectacle of the Stones sprinting over a 150-foot-long telescoping bridge that extended from the main stage to a smaller "B stage' where they'd rock a three-song set of rarities.

Mechanical catwalks are common now, but in the 1990s, it was a fairly new gimmick dreamt up by Mick Jagger, drummer Charlie Watts and the late great stage designer Mark Fisher , who spent his long career creating elaborate concert backdrops for everyone from Madonna to Metallica.    

27. Paul McCartney 'Out There! Tour'

Number of shows: 91

Gross: $275.7 million

Bottom line: In support of the album "New," Sir Paul traveled a long and winding tour road that featured his first-ever performances in Poland, Costa Rica and South Korea.

Another memorable first happened on stage in Goiânia, Brazil, where Macca was swarmed by grasshoppers , one of which he introduced to the audience as "Harold."

Bottom Line: Paul McCartney 'Out There! Tour'

In support of the album "New," Sir Paul traveled a long and winding tour road that featured his first-ever performances in Poland, Costa Rica and South Korea.

26. Celine Dion 'Taking Chances World Tour'

Years: 2008-09

Number of shows: 132

Gross: $279.2 million

Bottom Line: Celine Dion 'Taking Chances World Tour'

Celine Dion temporarily left the comfy confines of her Caesars Palace Las Vegas residency for this worldwide jaunt that hit the box-office jackpot.

Like her Sin City shows, the production razzle-dazzle and chest-thumping vocal thrills were off the charts.

And as sure as the Titanic sits at the bottom of the Atlantic, every performance climaxed with a soaring "My Heart Will Go On."  

25. One Direction 'Where We Are Tour'

Number of shows: 69

Gross: $290.1 million

Bottom Line: One Direction 'Where We Are Tour'

The English boy band made serious bank on this stadium tour that incredibly managed to fill massive venues like London's Wembley Stadium; Foxborough, Massachusetts's Gillette Stadium; and Pasadena's Rose Bowl for three nights each.

Take that, 'N Sync!

24. Madonna 'The MDNA Tour'

Number of shows: 88

Gross: $305.1 million

Bottom Line: Madonna 'The MDNA Tour'

When fans griped that ticket prices for this tour were too high, Madge famously told Newsweek, "So work all year, scrape the money together and come to my show. I'm worth it." Hmm. Has someone forgotten their starving-artist days, working at a New York City Dunkin' Donuts to pay the rent?

Those who saved their pennies saw the Material Girl stage a series of provocative, big-budget production numbers that were at turns violent, campy, political and, of course, sexual.

Fans and critics ate it up. Every date sold out. Madonna was in box-office ecstasy.  

23. Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band 'The River Tour'

Number of shows: 89

Gross: $306 million

Bottom Line: Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band 'The River Tour'

For most (if not all) of the tour's U.S. leg, after opening with an outtake from the "The River" LP, Bruce and cohorts played the much-loved 1980 double album in its entirety — fulfilling the wildest dreams of so-called "Bruce Tramps," as hardcore fans are known.

Along with rarely played gems "Stolen Car" and "Wreck on the Highway," the faithful also rocked out to old faves like "Hungry Heart" and "Out in the Street."

Many gigs ran more than 3-1/2 hours, offering lots of bang for your Bruce bucks.  

22. The Rolling Stones 'Licks Tour'

Gross: $311 million

Bottom Line: The Rolling Stones 'Licks Tour'

This hit parade in support of the Stones' 40th anniversary "Forty Licks" compilation album found "The World's Greatest Rock 'n' Roll Band" rocking a mix of small theaters, indoor arenas and stadiums. Yet no matter the venue's size, then as now, Mick and the gang charged among the steepest ticket prices in the biz.

A treat for Stones freaks, the setlists occasionally featured deep cuts like "Loving Cup" and "Neighbours." And lucky fans at a handful of gigs saw AC/DC's Malcolm and Angus Young join the band for a cover of the blues classic " Rock Me Baby ."   

21. The Rolling Stones 'Voodoo Lounge Tour'

Years: 1994-95

Number of shows: 124

Gross: $320 million

Bottom Line: The Rolling Stones 'Voodoo Lounge Tour'

Following the release of "Voodoo Lounge" — the Stones' first album sans original bassist Bill Wyman — the band embarked on a global trek that would become the highest-grossing tour of the 1990s.

Replacement bassist Darryl Jones (still playing with the Stones to this day) joined drummer Charlie Watts in laying down the beat as Keith Richards riffed and Mick Jagger aerobicized across stages in 31 countries.

Also earning nice tour paychecks were the variety of opening acts (Blind Melon, Spin Doctors, Stone Temple Pilots), now buried in a mid-'90s time capsule.

20. Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band 'Wrecking Ball World Tour'

Years: 2012-13

Number of shows: 133

Gross: $340.6 million

Bottom Line: Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band 'Wrecking Ball World Tour'

This was the first outing after the death of Bruce Springsteen's legendary saxophonist Clarence "The Big Man" Clemons, and the tour was a cathartic experience for the band and fans alike.

With Clemons' nephew Jake taking over sax duties, and backed by a larger-than-usual ensemble — including backup singers and a horn section — The Boss showcased several tracks from 2012's "Wrecking Ball" album, which featured some of his rawest songwriting in years.

During the encore, fans heard classics like " Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out ," performed as a tribute to the late Clemons.

19. Taylor Swift 'Reputation Stadium Tour'

Number of shows: 53

Gross: $345.7 million

Bottom Line: Taylor Swift 'Reputation Stadium Tour'

In the process of topping the take from her own 2015 tour (see this list's No. 35), Tay-Tay traveled to seven countries, averaged an eye-popping $6.5-million gross per show, and solidified her reputation as one of the most bankable acts in the biz.   

18. Elton John 'Farewell Yellow Brick Road'

Years: 2018-present (in progress, on hiatus)

Number of shows: 272 (scheduled)

Gross: $358.6 million (and counting)

Bottom Line: Elton John 'Farewell Yellow Brick Road'

After more than half a century on the road, in 2018 Sir Elton announced he'd be hanging it up, but not before a marathon retirement tour to let fans sing along to "Tiny Dancer" one last time.

Though John shelved his Donald Duck costume back in the '80s, the show is still packed with enough production bombast and greatest hits to ensure his yellow brick tour road is paved with box-office gold.   

17. The Police 'Reunion Tour'

Number of shows: 151

Gross: $362 million

Bottom Line: The Police 'Reunion Tour'

After enduring the band's 21-year hiatus, not to mention Sting's string of snoozer solo albums, Police devotees were ultimately rewarded with a reunion tour that revisited all the hits — from "Roxanne" to "Every Breath You Take."

Early in the tour, it seemed as if old rivals Sting and drummer Stewart Copeland might soon be back at each other's throats, but there's nothing like big box-office bucks to help smooth troubled waters.

16. Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood 'World Tour'

Years: 2014-17

Number of shows: 390

Gross: $364.3 million

Bottom Line: Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood 'World Tour'

After the country superstar's 13-year "retirement," fans again got the chance to hoist a $14 cup of Bud Light and sing along to " Friends in Low Places " on this extensive North American tour co-headlined by Brooks' wife, Trisha Yearwood.

If you're wondering why it took four years of gigs for this tour to gross what others earn in a year or two, it's largely due to Brooks' longstanding policy to charge the same price for every ticket in a given venue, regardless of seat location.

15. Bruno Mars '24K Magic World Tour'

Number of shows: 215

Gross: $367.7 million

Bottom Line: Bruno Mars '24K Magic World Tour'

Channeling the likes of Prince and James Brown, Mars' uber-slick stage show pumped a pretty penny into his treasure chest as it circled the planet, including a penultimate string of stadium concerts in his hometown of Honolulu, Hawaii.

14. U2 'Vertigo Tour'

Years: 2005-06

Number of shows: 131

Gross: $389 million

Bottom Line: U2 'Vertigo Tour'

Bono counting off " Uno, dos, tres, catorce! " kicks off this hugely successful tour's title song, "Vertigo." Want more numbers? The tour sold some 4.6-million tickets across five continents. During Vertigo's Latin American leg, more than 700 hours of footage were shot for the concert film "U2 3D."

Throughout the endeavor, the band played 60 different songs, including rare tracks from their 1980 debut album "Boy." And for concertgoers who arrived early, the tour featured 17 different opening acts, including The Killers, Kanye West and Arcade Fire, who at the time were arguably a hotter band than U2.   

13. U2 'The Joshua Tree Tours 2017 and 2019'

Year: 2017 and 2019

Number of shows: 66

Gross: $390.8 million

U2 'The Joshua Tree Tours 2017 and 2019'

In the aftermath of the 2016 U.S. presidential election, U2 realized the themes of their signature 1987 album, "The Joshua Tree," were as relevant as ever. So the band embarked on a five-month string of stadium concerts that featured the platter played in its entirety, plus some of their early hits.

Snooty critics charged U2 had become a nostalgia act, but those who missed the album's original tour clearly weren't concerned — snapping up more than 2.7-million tickets for a joyous journey through the past.

In 2019, the tour was revived for 15 dates in Oceania and Asia.

12. Pink 'Beautiful Trauma World Tour'

Number of shows: 159

Gross: $397.3 million

Bottom Line: Pink 'Beautiful Trauma World Tour'

The pop diva took her powerhouse vocals and Cirque du Soleil-style acrobatics to arenas for this wildly successful jaunt that did notably huge business Down Under — where Pink's rabid Aussie fan base cheered an impressive run of 27 shows.

11. Madonna 'Sticky and Sweet Tour'

Gross: $408 million

Bottom Line: Madonna 'Sticky and Sweet Tour'

While M maniacs generally agree nothing can ever touch the controversial, legendary heights of 1990's "Blond Ambition Tour," this worldwide jaunt in support of the underrated "Hard Candy" album was no slouch.  

Performing in front of more than 3.5 million fans in 32 countries, Madge underwent countless costume changes and worked a monster stage backed by dazzling video screens and a platoon of dancers.

A sweet treat for longtime fans, the stripped-down "Old School" segment of the show featured Miss Ciccone strapping on an electric guitar for a head-banging version of " Borderline ."   

10. Rolling Stones 'No Filter Tour'

Years: 2017-present (in progress, on hiatus)

Number of shows: 60 (scheduled)

Gross: $415.6 million (and counting)

Bottom line: The Stones keep rolling — rocking stadiums from Dublin to Detroit. In 2019, Mick Jagger underwent a heart-valve surgery that sidelined the tour for months.

But the band made good on the postponed dates, culminating in a Miami show where "Gimme Shelter" was played right on cue as rain began to pour with Hurricane Dorian knocking on Florida's door.

Bottom Line: Rolling Stones 'No Filter Tour'

The Stones keep rolling — rocking stadiums from Dublin to Detroit. In 2019, Mick Jagger underwent a heart-valve surgery that sidelined the tour for months.

9. Metallica 'WorldWired Tour'

Years: 2016-present (in progress, on hiatus)

Number of shows: 178 (scheduled)

Gross: $416.9 million (and counting)

Bottom Line: Metallica 'WorldWired Tour'

The thrash metal legends have come a long way since their live debut in 1982 at a small club in Anaheim, California. The cover charge was $15. Attendance numbered around 200 (mostly the band's friends). And the only Metallica originals played were "Hit The Lights" and "Jump in the Fire."

Flash forward to this monster tour in support of 2016's "Hardwired ... to Self-Destruct" album. The average ticket price is nearly $100, and you're more likely to be sitting in a football stadium's nosebleed seats than crackin' ribs in a mosh pit.

8. AC/DC 'Black Ice World Tour'

Number of shows: 168

Gross: $441.6 million

Bottom line: AC/DC may do dirty deeds done dirt cheap, but when it comes to concert tickets, you'll pay through the nose.

The Aussie rockers averaged a $2.6 million per-show gross on this tour, which would be the last for founding rhythm guitarist Malcolm Young (he passed in 2017) and longtime drummer Phil Rudd. It was also the last full tour for lead singer Brian Johnson, forced to quit the subsequent "Rock or Bust Tour" due to serious hearing damage.

The band's future is up in the air. So consider yourself lucky if you attended, no matter the cost, and played air guitar to "T.N.T." and "Hells Bells" for what may have been the last time.   

Bottom Line: AC/DC 'Black Ice World Tour'

AC/DC may do dirty deeds done dirt cheap, but when it comes to concert tickets, you'll pay through the nose.

7. Billy Joel 'Billy Joel in Concert'

Years: 2014-21 (in progress)

Number of shows: 182 (scheduled)

Gross: $448.2 million (and counting)

Bottom line: Joel hasn't released an album of new pop/rock material in more than 25 years, and hasn't needed to. Not when he continually packs arenas with boomers belting out "Piano Man" in karaoke mass.

This current tour, scheduled to wrap in 2021, birthed Joel's NYC Madison Square Garden residency, in which he plays his hometown venue at least once a month. Since his first MSG gig in 1978, he's headlined the arena more than 100 times. That's a lot of "Scenes from an Italian Restaurant."

Note: Joel's inclusion on this list is subject to debate. This tour is not in support of a specific album and has been extended every year in seeming perpetuity since it began. However Pollstar and Billboard consider it a single tour, hence its inclusion.

Bottom Line: Billy Joel 'Billy Joel in Concert'

Joel hasn't released an album of new pop/rock material in more than 25 years, and hasn't needed to. Not when he continually packs arenas with boomers belting out "Piano Man" in karaoke mass.

6. Roger Waters 'The Wall Live'

Years: 2010-13

Number of shows: 219

Gross: $458.6 million

Bottom Line: Roger Waters 'The Wall Live'

A politically charged concert spectacle showcasing Pink Floyd's landmark 1979 concept album "The Wall," the tour found the band's chief lyricist and bassist traveling to four continents and playing before some 4 million fans to the tune of nearly half a billion dollars in ticket sales.

While that's an unfathomable fortune to the layman, all in all, it's just another brick in Waters' behemoth financial wall.

5. Coldplay 'A Head Full of Dreams Tour'

Number of shows: 122

Gross: $523 million

Bottom Line: Coldplay 'A Head Full of Dreams Tour'

If you gambled this slot would belong to yet another Cher or KISS "retirement tour," you lose.

The winners are Chris Martin and company, who put on a massive laser/pyro extravaganza that sold over half a billion tickets worldwide, including four sellouts at London's 90,000-capacity Wembley Stadium.

4. The Rolling Stones 'A Bigger Bang Tour

Years: 2005-07

Number of shows: 144

Gross: $558.3 million

Bottom Line: The Rolling Stones 'A Bigger Bang Tour

This Stones tour was so hot, even then-California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger was scalping tickets — charging his political donors $100,000 to join "The Terminator" in his VIP box for the opening concert at Boston's Fenway Park.

Mick and Keith were not happy, but by journey's end, it was all smiles as a "Bigger Bang" busted all box-office records and became the top-grossing tour of all time. Until ...    

3. Guns N' Roses 'Not in This Lifetime ... Tour'

Years: 2016-19

Number of shows: 175

Gross: $584.2 million

Bottom Line: Guns N' Roses 'Not in This Lifetime ... Tour'

In the '80s, when up-and-coming GNR was hitchhiking home from their own gigs, they surely never imagined becoming the biggest metal band in the world, let alone splitting up and ultimately regrouping for one of rock history's most lucrative tours.

Sure, Axl Rose has a potbelly, but he's still got the pipes (sort of) to belt out " Welcome To The Jungle ," bringing more than 5 million fans to their sha-na-na-na-na-knees-knees!  

2. U2 '360° 'Tour'

Gross: $736.4 million

Bottom Line: U2 '360° 'Tour'

Behold " The Claw "! That's the nickname given to the gargantuan, 165-foot-high arachnid-like structure that towered over U2's stage on this monumentally successful tour.

Loaded with video screens and stacked with an ear-splitting sound system, The Claw cost an estimated $25 to $30 million, and was so massive it took 120 semi-trucks to move it between stadium concerts where seating was in the round — hence the tour's "360°" moniker.

Over three years, more than 7.2-million fans enjoyed a setlist spanning the band's formidable catalog, including Bono donning a laser-light suit for encore numbers like " Ultraviolet ." And if you're wondering whatever became of The Claw, in 2019 it was permanently installed at the Loveland Living Planet Aquarium in Draper, Utah .

1. Ed Sheeran '÷ Tour'

Number of shows: 255

Gross: $776.2 million

Bottom line: Step back, Bono. After touring six continents, 2019 saw Ed Sheeran leap over U2's "Claw" and land in the top-grossing slot.

"Sheerios" obsessed with the English singer-songwriter's syrupy-sweet ditties bought an estimated 8.9 million tickets, leading to his crowning as the all-time king of concert cash.

What, you thought number one would be another Rolling Stones tour? You're not alone.

Bottom Line: Ed Sheeran '÷ Tour'

Step back, Bono. After touring six continents, 2019 saw Ed Sheeran leap over U2's "Claw" and land in the top-grossing slot.

Related: Richest Singers l Richest Musicians

Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour Is the Highest-Grossing of All Time and First-Ever to Hit $1 Billion

By Ethan Millman

Ethan Millman

Taylor Swift ‘s Eras Tour is the highest-grossing concert tour of all time, according to data from live music trade publication Pollstar , with the tour becoming the first ever to gross at least $1 billion. Swift dethrones Elton John’s years-long Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour for the top spot.

In a monumental, near-unprecedented year for a pop star, the all-time touring record is just one of the major accomplishments Swift has achieved in 2023, and perhaps her most significant financially as concert tours have become the biggest moneymaker for musicians. The Eras Tour was by far the biggest concert tour in the world this year, earning more than the next two highest-ranked tours (Beyonce and Bruce Springsteen) combined, as Pollstar data reflects.

Neil Gaiman Denies Sexual Assault Allegations Made by Two Women

Christina applegate says she wants to do 'shots with cher' with 'days i have left', right-wing think tank leader promises revolution, warns of 'bloodshed', sonic youth's thurston moore on all those 'goo' memes: 'nothing is sacred'.

By the time the shows actually started, each tour date became a major social media moment, and the cities she played celebrated her with honorary mayorships and temporary city name changes . A world leader even implored Swift to set aside dates in their country.

Swift’s dominance has been evident in every aspect of the music business, from concert gross and merchandise to her album sales and streams, and even in the movie theaters, where her Eras Tour film has become one of the top-grossing concert movies of all time . Spotify crowned Swift the most streamed artist of 2023 last month with over 26.1 billion global streams, which amounts to $100 million in earnings . Those streams don’t take into account the other streaming services like Apple Music and Amazon Music, or her over 5 million traditional album sales just in the U.S.

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© Getty Images

0 / 31 Fotos

Actual tour gross: $250 million 

Tour gross adjusted for inflation: $422 million

Year(s): 1994

1 / 31 Fotos

Actual tour gross: $274 million 

Tour gross adjusted for inflation: $491 million

Year(s): 1997-1998

2 / 31 Fotos

Actual tour gross: $279 million

Tour gross adjusted for inflation: $382 million

Year(s): 2008-2009

3 / 31 Fotos

Actual tour gross: $305 million

Tour gross adjusted for inflation: $389 million

Year(s): 2012

4 / 31 Fotos

Actual tour gross: $311 million 

Tour gross adjusted for inflation: $494 million

Year(s): 2002-2003

5 / 31 Fotos

Actual tour gross: $320 million 

Tour gross adjusted for inflation: $631 million

Shows : 134

Year(s): 1994-1995

6 / 31 Fotos

Actual tour gross: $340 million 

Tour gross adjusted for inflation: $446 million

Year(s): 2012-2013

7 / 31 Fotos

Actual tour gross: $345 million

Tour gross adjusted for inflation: $402 million

Year(s): 2018

8 / 31 Fotos

Actual tour gross: $362 million

Tour gross adjusted for inflation: $421 million

Year(s): 2007-2008

9 / 31 Fotos

Actual tour gross: $364 million 

Tour gross adjusted for inflation: $400 million

Year(s): 2014-2017

10 / 31 Fotos

Actual tour gross: $379 million 

Year(s): 2023-ongoing

11 / 31 Fotos

Actual tour gross: $389 million 

Tour gross adjusted for inflation: $564 million

Year(s): 2005-2006

12 / 31 Fotos

Actual tour gross: $390 million 

Tour gross adjusted for inflation: $466 million

Year(s): 2017-2019

13 / 31 Fotos

Actual tour gross: $397 million 

Tour gross adjusted for inflation: $454 million

Year(s): 2018-2019

14 / 31 Fotos

Actual tour gross: $411 million 

Tour gross adjusted for inflation: $560 million

15 / 31 Fotos

Actual tour gross: $493 million 

Year(s): 2022-ongoing

16 / 31 Fotos

Actual tour gross: $430 million 

Tour gross adjusted for inflation: $492 million

Year(s): 2016-2019

17 / 31 Fotos

Actual tour gross: $441 million 

Tour gross adjusted for inflation: $593 million

Year(s): 2008-2010

18 / 31 Fotos

Actual tour gross: $459 million 

Tour gross adjusted for inflation: $576 million

Year(s): 2010-2013

19 / 31 Fotos

Actual tour gross: $523 million 

Tour gross adjusted for inflation: $624 million

Year(s): 2016-2017

20 / 31 Fotos

Actual tour gross: $546 million 

Tour gross adjusted for inflation: $590 million

Year(s): 2017-2021

21 / 31 Fotos

Actual tour gross: $558 million 

Tour gross adjusted for inflation: $787 million

Year(s): 2005-2007

22 / 31 Fotos

Actual tour gross: $579 million

Year(s): 2023

23 / 31 Fotos

Actual tour gross: $584 million 

Tour gross adjusted for inflation: $668 million

24 / 31 Fotos

Actual tour gross: $617 million 

Year(s): 2021-2023

25 / 31 Fotos

Actual tour gross: $735 million

26 / 31 Fotos

Actual tour gross: $736 million 

Tour gross adjusted for inflation: $958 million

Year(s): 2009-2011

27 / 31 Fotos

Actual tour gross: $776 million 

Tour gross adjusted for inflation: $888 million

28 / 31 Fotos

Actual tour gross: $939 million

Year(s): 2018-2023

29 / 31 Fotos

Actual tour gross: $1.04 billion 

Year(s): 2023-ongoing 

Sources: (Billboard) (Stacker)

See also: Concerts that ended in tragedy

30 / 31 Fotos

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The highest-grossing concert tours of all time

Did you go to any of these concerts.

25/06/24 | StarsInsider

D ue to streaming services and the preferences for singles, album sales are down overall. But one thing remains clear: fans are still willing to pay to see their favorite artists in person. Touring has also become even more important to musicians in the streaming era, as many musicians earn more from ticket sales than from record sales. On top of that, ticket prices have gone up, which means that many of the highest-grossing tours of all time have taken place in the past decade or two.

From Taylor Swift to the Rolling Stones and Beyoncé, click on for the highest-grossing music tours of all time.

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These are the 10 highest-grossing tours of all-time: Will Taylor Swift beat them all?

Taylor swift’s eras tour has already broken numerous records and today, an extra 14 shows have been added to the european leg..

Taylor Swift has been on the road since mid-March, taking her Eras show , a three-and-a-half hour career retrospective from coast to coast in the United States before it sets off on another whistle-stop journey to South America , Asia and Europe . Just five months in, the tour has been an overwhelming success - it smashed the record for the most concert tickets sold by an artist in a single day , drew the biggest single-day attendance ever seen in Nashville (71,000) and set the biggest three-day attendance on record twice - 210,607 over three nights in Arlington, Texas then 217,635 at the MetLife in New Jersey at the end of May.

Cincinnati I couldn’t love you more. Had the best two nights with you!! Last night was so special getting to sing ‘I miss you, I’m sorry’ with @gracieabrams in the acoustic set and bringing out @aaron_dessner to play ‘Ivy’ in his hometown. 🥹 See you soon Kansas City, meanwhile… pic.twitter.com/w7oyGn2Mxb — Taylor Swift (@taylorswift13) July 2, 2023

The Eras Tour , which features star guests, celebrity duets, will travel the globe for the next 12 months. Such is the demand for tickets that an additional 14 dates have been added to next year’s itinerary.

Taylor Swift Eras Tour: 14 new dates added

• 12 May Paris (La Défense Arena)
• 19 May Stockholm (Friends Arena)
• 25 May Lisbon (Estádio da Luz)
• 3 June Lyon (Groupama stadium)
• 9 June Edinburgh (Murrayfield stadium)
• 13 June Liverpool (Anfield)
• 23 June London (Wembley)
• 30 June Dublin (Aviva stadium)
• 4 July Amsterdam (Johan Cruiff ArenA)
• 14 July Milan (San Siro)
• 17 July Gelsenkirchen (VELTINS-Arena)
• 19 July Gelsenkirchen (VELTINS-Arena)
• 1 August Warsaw (PGE Narodowy)
• 8 August Vienna (Ernst-Happel stadium)

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Taylor Swift (@taylorswift)

In November last year, when the artist announced details of the Eras Tour , Billboard Boxscore , which compiles concert tour attendance data, estimated that Swift’s tour would gross $590 million. That figure however, was based solely on the initial 52 dates of the US leg and before the tour was extended to Europe, Asia, South America and Australasia. With the additional 14 dates confirmed today, the Eras Tour will complete 120 nights across the globe by the time it ends in August 2024.

Fans must register to apply for tickets which go on general sale in the UK on Monday 17 July but it looks as though most, if not all, of the European dates will also sell out which suggests that the Eras Tour will become the highest-grossing tour of all time, bringing in between $1 billion and $1.4 billion in sales .

Tonight is the night 🚀 The start of my final North American tour shows and the first time back at Dodger Stadium since 1975. See you at 8pm, LA – don’t be late! #EltonFarewellTour 📸: Terry O'Neil pic.twitter.com/5BGKOBSB2X — Elton John (@eltonofficial) November 18, 2022

The record was recently set by Elton John , whose Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour grossed $853 million , according to Billboard Boxscore’ s latest figures . Elton’s farewell tour started in 2018 but many of the dates had to be rescheduled during the Covid-19 pandemic - it reaches its conclusion later this week at the Tele2 Arena in Stockholm .

Glasgow, we had a F'N' blast with you! Thank you for comin' out pic.twitter.com/26rxW8CGxG — Guns N' Roses (@gunsnroses) June 29, 2023

So let’s take a look at the top 10 tours in terms of revenue , according to Billboard Boxscore.

Top 10 highest-grossing tours of all-time

• $853 million Elton John : Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour (2018-20, 22-8 July 2023)
• $776 million Ed Sheeran : The ÷ Tour (2017-19)
• $736 million U2 : 360° Tour (2009-11)
• $584 million Guns N’ Roses : Not in This Lifetime... Tour (2016-19)
• $558 million The Rolling Stones : A Bigger Bang Tour (2005-07)
• $547 million The Rolling Stones : No Filter Tour (2017-19, 21)
• $524 million Coldplay : A Head Full of Dreams Tour (2016-17)
• $459 million Roger Waters : The Wall Live (2010-13)
• $442 million AC/DC : Black Ice World Tour (2008-10)
• $418 million Harry Styles : Love on Tour (2021-present)

Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour Has Already Made History 13 Times

And she’s not even halfway done yet.

Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour is reaching its halfway point, nearly a year after she kicked off her global trek in March 2023. And it’s already made the history books. The singer started breaking records on opening night — literally — and has reached new heights at nearly every stop along the way.

Few world tours have had the same impact as Swift’s. It has been a huge boost for the global economy, with the U.S. Travel Association estimating that the tour has generated more than $5 billion for local economies.

Its success was also a huge factor in making Swift a self-made billionaire . Given that it’s not even over yet, there’s no telling how much more money it could generate.

Here are all of the records that Swift has broken with the Eras Tour... so far.

The First Billion-Dollar Tour

The Eras Tour became the highest-grossing tour of all time before it was even halfway finished. While Swift’s team doesn’t plan to report box office numbers as many artists do, Pollstar estimated she grossed over a billion dollars, making her the first artist ever to hit that milestone in a single tour.

Guinness World Records made it official in December after Swift concluded the 2023 leg. Since she’s playing shows through 2024, Variety estimates that the number could rise to an astounding $2 billion by the tour’s end.

Swift takes the record from Elton John, whose Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour became the biggest tour to date in January 2023. His years-long trek ended in July 2023, and made $939 million over 328 shows. To put Swift’s achievement in context, she broke the record after performing 66 shows out of a planned 152 shows.

Her Concert Movie Broke 2 Records

The Eras Tour domination didn’t end with concert ticket sales — it translated to the movie theater box office. After concluding the first North American leg in August, Swift announced that her Eras Tour concert movie would premiere in theaters that October. The film earned $37 million in presales on its first day alone and broke AMC’s single-day advance ticket sales record before it even came out.

It didn’t take long for Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour to be crowned the highest-grossing concert film of all time, with AMC reporting a week before the film premiered that it had already reached $100 million in advance sales . This was enough to beat the previous record-holder, Justin Bieber: Never Say Never .

An Unprecedented Golden Globe Nomination

At the 2024 Golden Globes, Swift’s Eras Tour movie was nominated for Best Cinematic and Box Office Achievement, making it the first concert film to ever be nominated for a Golden Globe . Sure, it got the nod in a brand new category that was practically tailor-made for a movie like Swift’s.

The Eras Tour film was up against other successful box office movies, like Barbie , Oppenheimer , and The Super Mario Bros. Movie, but it eventually lost out to Barbie .

The Biggest Concert For A Female Artist

When Swift performed her first Eras Tour show in Glendale, Ariz., on March 17, 2023, she broke the record for highest attended concert by a female artist in the U.S., with over 69,000 tickets sold . Naturally, she’s went on to break her own record multiple times over the course of the U.S. leg.

She Shattered 8 Venue Attendance Records

Swift has broken attendance records at multiple stadiums worldwide, another sign of the tour’s demand. In the U.S., she achieved the biggest single-day attendance at Nashville’s Nissan Stadium with 71,000 people, Pittsburgh’s Acrisure Stadium with 73,117 fans, and Seattle’s Lumen Field with 72,171 attendees.

Even more impressively, Swift was able to set three-day attendance records at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, with 210,607 people, and New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium with 217,635 fans.

So far, she’s faring just as well overseas, setting both one-day and three-day attendance records at Sao Paolo’s Allianz Parque, and breaking the three-day record at Melbourne’s Cricket Ground with 288,000 fans, which were the largest shows of her entire career .

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Taylor Swift’s Reputation Stadium Tour Breaks Record for Highest-Grossing U.S. Tour

Taylor Swift closed out her Reputation Stadium Tour in spectacular fashion, breaking the record for the highest-grossing U.S. tour since Billboard Boxscore began tracking touring data in 1990…

By Eric Frankenberg

Eric Frankenberg

Taylor Swift closed out her Reputation Stadium Tour in spectacular fashion, breaking the record for the highest-grossing U.S. tour since Billboard Boxscore began tracking touring data in 1990. Domestically, the tour grossed $266.1 million and sold 2,068,399 tickets, besting The Rolling Stones ‘ $245 million gross from their A Bigger Bang Tour in 2005-07. While The Stones achieved their then-record gross across 70 American shows, Swift stole the title in just 38.

As previously reported , Swift broke her own record for the highest-grossing domestic tour by a woman, when the Reputation trek surpassed The 1989 World Tour’s $181.5 million (2015) in August.

The U.S. leg of Swift’s latest tour ran from May 8 through Oct. 6.

Taylor Swift Shares Reputation Stadium Tour 'Surprise' Songs Playlist

The biggest engagement of the Reputation Stadium Tour, domestic or otherwise, was Swift’s three consecutive performances July 20-22 at Metlife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, where she grossed $22 million and sold 165,654 tickets. Notably, the peak of The 1989 World Tour was at the same stadium, where she grossed $13.4 million and sold 110,015 tickets over two shows (July 10-11, 2015).

Swift’s ascent from massive to even more eye-popping on the road is consistent across the country. Her first trek, the Fearless Tour in 2009-10, grossed $53.6 million in the U.S., a staggering figure for a debut headlining tour. In 2011-12, the Speak Now World Tour grossed $88.5 million, followed by The Red Tour’s $98 million in 2013-14. As Swift expanded further from arenas into stadiums, The 1989 World Tour raked in $181.5 million, an 85 percent increase from The Red Tour. And now, with 2018’s Reputation Stadium Tour, Swift climbed another 47 percent from the 1989 tour to her now-U.S. record $266.1 million gross.

Rewinding the Charts: In 2008, Taylor Swift Scored Her First Billboard 200 No. 1 With 'Fearless'

The unrelenting march forward for Swift’s successive tours is even more impressive considering that she has played fewer dates with each run. The then-country star played 77 dates in support of her 2008 album Fearless . Over time, Swift graduated from theaters and arenas exclusively to stadiums, allowing her to pack all that punch from 38 shows in 2018. Her average gross-per-show has increased tenfold, from $697,000 on the Fearless Tour to $7 million on the Reputation Stadium Tour. On average, Swift was selling 12,964 tickets each night in 2009-10, as compared to the 54,432-ticket average that she logged throughout 2018.

Dating to the Fearless Tour’s first show on April 23, 2009, Swift has grossed $687.7 million in the U.S., over $140 million more than any other artist in that period. She’s most closely followed by Kenny Chesney ($547.4 million), U2 ($470.1 million) and Luke Bryan ($350.8 million).

The Reputation Stadium Tour was promoted by AEG Presents and Messina Touring Group.

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Taylor Swift’s Reputation Stadium Tour highest grossing in US history

Taylor Swift’s Reputation Stadium Tour has toppled The Rolling Stones for the record for highest-grossing US tour in history.

It generated US$266.1 million and sold over 2 million tickets (2,068,399) in the singer-songwriter’s home country, Billboard reported.

The Stones’ A Bigger Bang Tour in 2005-07 grossed $245 million.

While the legendary British band achieved that number across 70 concerts, Swift did it in just 38 between May 8 to October 6.

However, it must be noted that the high prices of her tickets have to be factored in: floor seats started at $500 and VIP tix went for $1,800.

In August, Reputation Stadium Tour became the highest grossing US tour by a female artist.

The previous artist to hold that record was Swift herself, with her The 1989 World Tour which grossed $181.5 million in 2015, Billboard reported.

Swift’s rise as a live drawcard in the US has been staggering.

Her first tour, The Fearless Tour (2009-10) grossed $53.6 million.

The Speak Now Tour (2011-12) brought in $88.5 million, while The Red Tour (2013—14) topped $98 million.

The 1989 World Tour had an 85% leap to $181.5 million, while the most recent trek was a 47% jump.

Last week social media monitoring company Brandwatch reported that Taylor is the most influential person on Twitter .

Swift has 83.1 million followers on that platform.

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• Taylor Swift

Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour Breaks Guinness World Record, Becomes Highest-Grossing Music Tour in History

by Clayton Edwards December 13, 2023, 5:41 pm

It has already been a huge year for Taylor Swift . She’s taken home awards, broken box office records with her concert film, and so much more. Yesterday (December 12), just one day before the megastar’s birthday, she received yet another accolade. Her Eras Tour broke a Guinness World Record.

Videos by American Songwriter

On Tuesday, Guinness World Records announced that Swift’s Eras Tour has become the highest-grossing music tour in history. It is also the first tour to make more than $1 billion. The tour isn’t even over yet. Swift started the trek in March. She’ll wrap things up in December 2024. So, the pop sensation has already raked in more than a billion dollars and stands to double that by this time next year.

[RELATED: Taylor Swift Makes History as She’s Crowned Time’s Person of the Year]

Before The Eras Tour, Sir Elton John’s Farewell Tour was the highest-grossing music tour. When it ended earlier this year, the final total was $939 million. To put things into perspective, the “Rocket Man” singer was on that tour for five years and played 382 shows. The Eras Tour has been rolling for less than nine months. Additionally, the tour only has a total of 151 shows worldwide.

[RELATED: Taylor Swift Was Named One of the Most Powerful Women in the World—Why Is It Important?]

Around 72,000 people show up to every stop on the Eras Tour. Tickets for the shows average about $238. This allows the tour to gross an estimated $17 million per show. At this rate. Swift is on track to pull in more than $2 billion in ticket sales alone before the tour is over.

Taylor Swift Breaks Records Set by Madonna, Beyoncé

Beyoncé embarked on her Renaissance Tour earlier this year. Between May and October, the tour earned $579 million. As a result, it became the highest-grossing music tour by a female artist. Before Beyoncé’ took the title, Madonna held it for fourteen years. Queen Bey only held the record for a short time, though. Swift’s tour far outperformed hers to become the biggest tour in the country.

[RELATED: Christmas Comes Early With ‘Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour’ Available For Rent: How to Watch]

In fact, The Eras Tour is so successful that it outsold the No. 2 and No. 3 highest-grossing tours in the country combined.  Beyoncé and Bruce Springsteen & The E-Street Band hold those slots.

Featured Image by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images

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• Highest grossing music tour each year in North America 2000-2023

In 2023, the title of the highest grossing music tour in North America can be awarded to Taylor Swift, as it generated more than 905 million U.S. dollars. Her "Eras Tour" set new marks in terms of grossing revenue, both worldwide and on home-ground. This is now the fourth year within a decade that a tour by Taylor Swift grossed highest in North America. However, the revenues from all three previous tours combined didn't come anywhere near those from her most recent one.

Highest grossing music tour each year in North America from 2000 to 2023 (in million U.S. dollars)

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December 2023

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Figures prior to 2021 come from earlier reports.

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Taylor swift's 'eras' tour on pace to be highest grossing music tour in history.

Taylor Swift is at the top charts, but could her "Eras" Tour find itself in the record books too? Yahoo Finance Live takes a look at the musician's historic concert tour and discusses whether it's on track to break $1 billion in ticket sales.

Video Transcript

- You'd pay $10 a month for Instagram?

- How much would you pay for a Taylor Swift concert ticket? Another story we're watching today. They're saying she might get over a billion dollars on this concert tour that she's on right now. The Eras Tour. That's the Wall Street Journal coming out today with that projection. Essentially, the projection coming from a former $590 million projection when she had-- I think it was about 52, 56 shows. Now you double that to over 100 shows. That extrapolates that to-- yeah. 106 shows right there.

That extrapolates that number to over-- potentially-- a billion dollars in revenue. Obviously, an eye popping number. I'm wondering if it's sustainable. What it compares to-- I think it would be the biggest concert ever. Right, Allie? It would be the biggest tour ever.

- I mean, if anyone's going to do it it's Taylor Swift, right. But what we were talking about-- is it sustainable? Can you recreate this billion dollar concert tour. I'm not sure if you can because it was sort of the perfect storm for Taylor Swift. She canceled her Lovers Tour due to COVID, then she announced a whole Eras Tour.

So if you're a big Swifty, and you're going to go to this concert and pay for one concert, but have her sing these songs over the past few-- decade or so. I mean, that is really a lucrative value proposition for a lot of these consumers, and I think they were willing to pay up a bit. But I do wonder if that's a sustainable model moving forward. But against all of that is a backdrop that we have live events booming, live concerts booming. You were just at a live concert.

- I was at a live concert on Friday night. Zac Bryan in New York. It was very crowded. Very crowded, but I did not pay $5,000 for the ticket, so I don't know how--

- Great performer.

- I'm not a huge Swift fan but, I'm not-- I do not deny the ensemble nature of her, like, fans and her empire. I mean, 100 shows, billion bucks-- that's $10 million bucks a show, right. That's my loose math there. I mean, this is a mass operation. I think something like 90 semi trucks are needed to go from city to city for all her tour equipment. I mean, it's a massive operation-- deeply impressive.

But I'm like, how do you, sort of, bet on that, right? Is it like-- is it, is it a Live Nation? Can I get a Swift ETF? Like, how do I-- how do I make-- how do I make money off it?

- I wouldn't be Live Nation if they didn't have all the problems with the tickets though, right. That's been part of the story I think as well--

- Is that the only broker for her? Like, is that how--

- I think it was the main broker, right. Allie, you covered that story.

- Yeah, yeah. Ticketmaster-- Live Nation is a parent company of Ticketmaster. That was obviously a huge issue when those tickets came out. But look-- you're looking at your screen now. This was super interesting to me. The top three highest grossing tours of all time, but look at the number of shows, right. If Taylor Swift is able to hit $1 billion with just 106 shows-- Elton John played 293 shows to just get above 850 million. Ed Sheeran the same, 258. U2, 110 shows.

I also thought it was interesting that all of these artists are not from America, right. So Taylor Swift would be the first US based American artist to kind of reach the top there. I think it's interesting too when you think about Taylor, and how I would argue her demographic of fans is wider than the three people we just showed, too. It seems like everyone goes to a Taylor Swift concert. And while I like some of Elton John's music, I'm not sure how much I'm paying to go to that concert as a younger-- as a younger person.

Like, I like Elton John's music. I would maybe go to the concert, but I think Taylor Swift has more of a catchall I guess when it comes to fans.

- The fact that Yahoo Finance's Jared Blikre, Myles Udland were at the Taylor Swift concert just illustrates that point. And if you know who they are, you'll understand why that's a shocker to me.

- I was surprised. Like-- like those guys over there, Elton John, right-- you know, whose other one? I'm not sure--

- U2. Older acts with huge bases of fans, right. You think of like Billy Joel, people like that, right.

- That was U2 in U2's prime, too. I should note. That was like the 2000, 2002 album, but they're pretty big.

- I guess what I'm saying is like, Swift is young. She can tour, like, forever. I mean, she could do like a 500 show tour and it's going to make, like, how many billions of dollars. I mean, it's absolutely insane.

- She can just keep adding dates.

- Yeah. It's absolutely insane. It's a juggernaut. How do you stop it? I mean-- I mean, $10 million a show. I'm just amazed by that take. It's just mind blowing to me.

Iconic play "To Kill A Mockingbird" wraps its record breaking North American tour in Ventura County

With nearly 800 performances, it's the highest grossing touring play in history. It finishes the tour with five weekend performances in Thousand Oaks.

It's a groundbreaking novel which took on racial injustice in America at a time most didn't even want to admit it existed. Harper Lee's 1960 book To Kill A Mockingbird won a Pulitzer Prize, and led to the 1962 movie starring Gregory Peck which was nominated for eight Oscars.

It's a story which still resonates today.

Academy Award winning writer Aaron Sorkin wrote an acclaimed new play based on the book. This weekend, it's wrapping a more than two year long national tour in Thousand Oaks.

Emmy Award winning actor Richard Thomas plays attorney Atticus Finch, the small town Alabama lawyer defending a black man accused of raping a white woman. Tom Robinson is innocent, but Finch is dealing with a town filled with prejudice.

Yaegel T. Welch plays Robinson.

"I'm glad that I'm not living in the reality of what's happening to Tom Robinson," said Welch. "But I get to be a part of an artistic story that tells the story of what Tom Robinson went through. Maybe it's not true for Robinson, but it's true for so many others who were separated from their families, unjustly locked up, or even killed at the hands of the law."

Welch says while the story is set in the 1930’s, in this modern day era with tragedies like the death of George Floyd it is just as relevant.

Most people know the famous movie version of To Kill A Mockingbird, which starred Gregory Peck. Thomas, who plays Finch, said this play which reverts back to the original novel as its source brings new energy to the story.

"It's not like people are just going to come in and see a social studies less. That's not it at all," said Thomas. "He (Sorkin) has also brought the story forward, without changing the time and place. He brought the story forwards so we're thinking about it in terms of how we think about these issues of social justice now. He's laced the play with these arguments, and points of view in these arguments that reflect how were talking about the subject."

Thomas said he hopes audiences are both entertained, but also inspired to think about the issues.

"I wanted people to be entertained, I want them to be moved, I want them to laugh, I want them to cry," said Thomas.

He said he hopes people also walk away thinking about how they as individuals fit in with the larger problem.

The production also features another special nugget. Mary Badham, who was nominated for an Oscar for her role as Gregory Peck’s daughter Scout in the 1962 feature film, plays a role in this stage production.

This weekend’s performances are bittersweet for the cast and crew. This is the final weekend of the tour, which has included nearly 800 performances since March of 2022. It’s the highest grossing play ever to tour North America.

The American Theater Guild presentation of To Kill A Mockingbird has five more performance, all at the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza, to wrap up its national tour. There’s a Friday night performance, followed by matinee and evening performances both Saturday and Sunday.

Top 5 highest-grossing K-pop concerts of all time

K -pop's popularity has been drawing in fans from all around the world, resulting in the biggest concert world tours by K-pop fan favorites like BTS and BLACKPINK. BTS' "Love Yourself: Speak Yourself" Tour from 2018 to 2019 was the highest-grossing K-pop concert of all time till BLACKPINK's BORN PINK world tour surpassed it.

K-pop acts such as BIGBANG, TVXQ, TWICE, TXT, ENHYPEN, and more have generated notable world tour concerts, establishing connections with their fan communities across other regions. This article explores 5 of the highest-grossing K-pop concerts in the industry's history.

The highest-grossing K-pop tours in the history of the Korean entertainment industry

Here are the top 5 K-pop group concerts that raked in large profits and became the highest-grossing K-pop acts of all time:

1) BORN PINK Tour by BLACKPINK

Gross: $281 million

Tickets Sold: 1,852,972

Number of Shows: 66

Duration: 2022-2023

BLACKPINK 's BORN PINK world tour across 24 countries and 34 cities held 66 shows, including double days and counting encores. As the highest-grossing tour by a female artist, Koreaboo revealed that the tour brought in a total sales amount of KRW 350 billion ($265 million).

2) Love Yourself: Speak Yourself Tour by BTS

Gross: $246.5 million

Tickets Sold : 1,930,642

Number of Shows: 62

Duration: 2018-2019

With 62 shows across 14 countries, BTS ' Love Yourself: Speak Yourself Tour brought in $246.5 million globally, making it the second highest-grossing tour in the history of the Korean industry. The world tour averaged ticket sales of 31,139 per show and spanned Europe, Asia, and North and South America.

3) MADE Tour by BIGBANG

Gross: $147.1 million

Tickets Sold : 1,321,096

Duration: 2015-2016

The popular South Korean 2nd generation K-pop band, BIGBANG , from YG Entertainment, made $147.1 million through 66 concerts. Their shows averaged ticket sales of 20,017 per show with an average ticket price of $111.

4) Time: Live Tour by TVXQ

Gross: $110 million

Tickets Sold : 890,000

Number of Shows: 18

Duration: 2013

TVXQ, a South Korean pop duo of U-Know Yunho and Max Changmin, was founded by SM Entertainment and is referred to as Tohoshinki in Japan. Their 2013 tour generated $110 million, with an average ticket price of $124 and 49,444 ticket sales per show.

5) 0.TO.10 Tour by BIGBANG

Gross: $104.5 million

Tickets Sold : 1,009,000

Number of Shows: 24

Duration: 2016-2017

BIGBANG's tenth-anniversary concert tour was called 0.TO.10 Tour and spanned across Seoul, Hong Kong, and four towns in Japan. A third performance was added after the previous two sold out and all performances were live-streamed on Naver's V app, Tencent QQ in China, and across Japanese theaters.

The other highest-grossing K-pop tours of 2023 include Stray Kids , ATEEZ, Le Sserafim, and NCT Dream, among other acts.

Meet the Americans competing at the 2024 Tour de France

A general classification win may be out of reach for the American riders in the Tour de France, but ending a three-year stage win drought is well within their grasp. 

Sepp Kuss, 29, was the last American to win a stage when he took Stage 15 of the 2021 Tour de France. The Durango, Colorado native is the best rider the country has seen in a decade. Last year, Kuss finished as the top American in 12th place at the Tour de France and won the 2023 Vuelta a España to become the first American Grand Tour winner since Chris Horner won the same race in 2013. However, although slated to be ​​Jonas Vingegaard’s top support rider for the 2024 Tour de France, Kuss withdrew from this year’s edition after testing positive for COVID-19 in the lead-up to the race. 

Greg LeMond remains the only American to have ever won the general classification category at the Tour de France, accomplishing the feat in 1986, 1989 and 1990. American Lance Armstrong won the Tour from 1999-2005 but was subsequently stripped of his seven Tour de France titles for doping by the International Cycling Union in 2012 .

So, who is left in this year's race to give the United States a shot at glory — at least for one stage. Here's a look at the three Americans competing at the 2024 Tour de France.

Matteo Jorgenson (UCI WorldTeam Visma-Lease a Bike)

Jorgenson, 25, is having a breakthrough season with an overall victory at Paris-Nice 2024 and a second-place finish at the 2024 Criterium du Dauphine.

Jorgenson is a strong contender in this year's race for the white jersey, which recognizes the best young rider under 26. A versatile rider, Jorgenson — alongside Kuss — is poised to be USA's best hope for a future Tour de France general classification winner. But for now, he will take over from Kuss to play the chief support role for teammate Jonas Vingegaard, who won the 2022 and 2023 Tour de France. 

This year will be Jorgenson’s third Tour de France. The Idaho-raised cyclist finished 20th in the general classification standings in 2022 and had to withdraw in 2023 due to injuries sustained in a crash along the route.

Neilson Powless (EF Education-EasyPost)

A standout mountain biker during his young adulthood in California, 27-year-old Powless transitioned to the road and turned professional in 2018. 

Powless made history in 2020 as the first Native American to compete in the Tour de France. Since then, he has continued to improve and is coming off his strongest season yet with overall victories at the 2023 Grand Prix La Marseillaise and Étoile de Bessèges. 

In Kuss’ absence, Powless is the top American prospect for pulling off a stage win as he is known for his success with breakaways and aptitude at climbing. Last year, Powless led the King of the Mountain classification for the first half of the Tour but was ultimately edged out by Italy’s Giulio Ciccone. This year, he’ll be looking to finally secure the polka-dotted jersey by the end of the Grand Boucle . 

Hailing from Los Angeles, Quinn is a 24-year-old, up-and-coming cyclist riding in his first Tour de France to support Richard Carapaz, team leader of EF Education-EasyPost. Hot off a victory at the U.S. National Road Race Championships in May, Quinn is a strong all-around rider who excels at climbing and can produce strong sprinting kicks. Quinn will certainly be one to watch as he develops in the coming years.

Madonna Scores Highest-Grossing Tour of 2024 So Far as Live Music Growth Settles Down

By Steven J. Horowitz

Steven J. Horowitz

Senior Music Writer

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Madonna has the highest-grossing worldwide tour of 2024 thus far, according to Pollstar’s mid-year report , thanks to the success of her “Celebration Tour.” With average ticket prices of $208.85, the pop icon had an average gross of $2,794,007 with 13,378 average tickets sold, making for a total of 856,247 in ticket sales across 34 reported shows out of 65 dates.

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Not all promoters or tours report their numbers, or all of their numbers, to Pollstar, which was acquired by Irving Azoff and Tim Lieweke’s Oak View Group in 2017, but its statistics certainly reveal a large number of trends.

Bad Bunny trails closely behind Madonna with $174.6 million from his “Most Wanted Tour,” while Luis Miguel follows him with $169.4 million, U2 ranks at No. 4 with $135 million from the band’s Sphere residency and Karol G rounds out the top five with $111 million. The top 10 continues with Bruno Mars ($102 million), Coldplay ($100 million), Seventeen ($74 million), Eagles ($69 million) and Nicki Minaj ($66 million).

On a macro scale, overall global gross in 2024 topped $3 billion for the first time, up from $2.83 billion in 2023. Last year had exponential growth over 2022, which touted a global gross of $1.87 billion. Average gross in 2024 was slightly down from last year, with $1.37 million versus $1.47 million, while ticket sales remained nearly the same (24.1 million in 2024 versus 24.3 million in 2023). Average ticket prices increased from $116 to $127 year over year, even though average tickets sold per show dipped from 12,655 to 10,767.

In North America, Bad Bunny topped the total gross tally with $174.6 million. Madonna sits behind him with $148 million, followed by U2 ($135 million), Luis Miguel ($100 million) and Eagles ($69 million). Overall gross in the region totaled $2.33 billion, a boost of 18.7 percent over last year’s $1.96 billion. Total tickets sold was up 17.6 million compared to 2023’s 16.32 million, while average number of tickets sold dipped from 2023’s 9,071 to 8,252.

The report comes amid a year of strong ticket sales contrasted by reports of major artists canceling their tours. In the past few months, the Black Keys nixed their international arena tour , while Jennifer Lopez followed suit in the wake of rebranding her tour from focusing on her new album to a greatest hits show.

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Just a Few of the Biggest Concert Tours of 2024

From Olivia Rodrigo to Bad Bunny (and more of the Eras Tour), these are some of the most anticipated tours of the year.

Ahead, we rounded up some of the biggest concert tours of 2024, ranging from Taylor Swift's mega-popular Eras Tour to Drake and J. Cole's exciting It's All A Blur Tour - Big as the What? —set to kick off this winter. You can also expect tour dates from classic icons like Stevie Nicks, Billy Joel, Bruce Springsteen, and more.

Taylor Swift

Undoubtedly one of the biggest concert tours ever, Taylor Swift's Eras Tour will continue right through 2024. The international leg of the tour kicked off in Japan, where she played four shows in Tokyo. She'll also stop in Melbourne, Singapore, Paris, Madrid, London, Milan, and more before returning to the States to play in the fall.

There's nothing like seeing T. Swift IRL, but don't fret if you're unable to nab tickets—the Eras Tour movie is now available to stream from the comfort of your home.

Olivia Rodrigo

This is not a drill—"Drivers License" singer Olivia Rodrigo will be hitting the road on tour starting at the end of February. The Guts World Tour runs from February through mid-August and has dates in Nashville, Toronto, Chicago, and New York City, among others. Even cooler? Rodrigo will have a stacked list of special guests—like PinkPantheress, Remi Wolf, The Breeders, and Chappell Roan—with her.

Red Hot Chili Peppers

Did you hear the good news? The Red Hot Chili Peppers have extended their global tour through summer 2024. The buzzy stadium tour, which kicked off in June 2022, will now run until July 2024 and bring the California-based band to places like Los Angeles, Tampa, Toronto, and Salt Lake City.

It's fitting that "Monaco" rapper Bad Bunny titled his tour Most Wanted —it's slated to be one of the year's hottest tours. Planned to help promote his latest studio album, Nadie Sabe Lo Que Va a Pasar Mañana , Most Wanted will kick off in Salt Lake City on February 21 and run through May 26.

If you haven't yet seen Billy Joel perform live, there's still time! The Piano Man has added more tour dates to his schedule, stopping in cities like Tampa, New York, Denver, and St. Louis this year. Even more exciting? He'll share the stage with fellow iconic performers Sting and Stevie Nicks for some of these dates.

Mitski recently announced that she's expanding her North American tour dates , and we couldn't be more excited. The months-long tour, which supports her 2023 studio album The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We, has a long list of stops, including Miami Beach, Philadelphia, Brooklyn, and Paris.

There's nothing quite like a Madonna concert, that's for sure. The singer's Celebration Tour , which started last October, continues straight through the spring with dates in Seattle, San Francisco, Mexico City, and more. Besides her eye-catching sets, chart-topping songs, and impressive choreography, concertgoers also get a glimpse of the performer's fantastic costumes, which include looks from Versace and Jean Paul Gaultier.

The New Jersey-founded rock band, which is fronted by Jack Antonoff—known for producing albums for top acts like Taylor Swift, Lorde, and Lana Del Rey—not only has announced a new album but a new tour , too. The tour will start in the UK in March, ending fittingly in the band's home state of New Jersey in mid-June. Check out their newly released music video for "Tiny Moves" if you need a Bleachers fix in the meantime.

Nicki Minaj

Nicki fans rejoice: the rapper and singer might be coming to a city near you soon as part of her Pink Friday 2 World Tour. The massive tour will include performances in Brooklyn, Oakland, and Baltimore, with stops at Dreamville Festival and Rolling Loud California along the way.

Live out all of your nineties and early aughts pop-punk dreams with one of Blink 182's One More Time Tour dates. The tour, which supports the band's ninth studio album, One More Time..., will bring the trio to cities all over the globe, including Sydney, Santiago, Portland, and Boston. The tour's supporting act is Pierce the Veil, which is also worth checking out.

Stevie Nicks

The oh-so-magical Stevie Nicks continues her touring streak with a bunch of 2024 concert dates . Set to begin in Atlantic City, NJ on February 10, Nicks will visit a dozen cities throughout the U.S. this year, such as New Orleans, Omaha, and Chicago. "Let's keep this party going in 2024," the singer-songwriter posted on her Instagram in September to announce the newly added tour dates.

The 1975 is showing no signs of slowing down. The British band, famous for hits like "Somebody Else" and "Robbers," has extended their 2023 tour through 2024. Titled Still...At Their Very Best , the 22-date tour will open in Glasgow on February 8 and conclude in Amsterdam on March 24.

Drake and J. Cole

Rap greats Drake and J. Cole come together for the It's All a Blur Tour – Big As the What? which is guaranteed to be a good time. Drake, fresh off his 2023 It's All a Blur tour with 21 Savage, is set to hit dozens of cities starting in February, many of which J. Cole will also be in tow for. Scoop up tickets ASAP, as Drake's shows are known to sell out.

Janet Jackson

Superstar Janet Jackson is also extending her 2023 tour, Together Again , into 2024 with dates in Anaheim, Austin, New Orleans, and Hartford. Even cooler? Jackson's supporting act is the 2000s southern rap legend Nelly.

Rolling Stones

If you've ever dreamed of seeing the Rolling Stones perform live in person, now's your chance. The iconic rockers, who released their studio album Hackney Diamonds this past fall, are returning on the road for a 16-date tour with shows throughout the United States and Canada. Concertgoers can expect a mix of new tunes and Stones classics.

Bruce Springsteen

Famous for countless listenable hits like "Born to Run" and "Glory Days," Bruce Springsteen is set to embark on a massive world tour this year with his band, The E Street Band. The much-anticipated tour will take the Boss and his crew to cities such as Phoenix, San Diego, Dublin, and Madrid, from March through November.

Be sure to catch John Mayer's solo tour this year, which will bring the guitarist and crooner to cities throughout Europe. This leg, an extension of his popular 2023 solo tour, will kick off in Stockholm on March 13 and finish in Dublin on March 29.

Shania Twain

Okay, this one is technically a residency , but we're excited nonetheless. Shania Twain, most known for her incredible outfits (her hooded leopard print look, anyone?) and hits like "Man! I Feel Like a Woman!" is setting up shop in Vegas starting May 10. Twain's residency will take place at the Bakkt Theater at Planet Hollywood on and off throughout December 2024.

All good things must come to an end. The Eagles, known for "Hotel California" and other amazing rock songs, began their final concert tour this winter. It launched in Phoenix on January 20, with March 16 as its last date in the United States. Eagles fans won't want to miss this one.

Alanis Morisette: The Triple Moon Tour

Alanis Morisette joins forces with Joan Jett and the Blackhearts for their 2024 Triple Moon Tour , which has dates in North America and Canada. This tour is a great one to catch this summer, as it's slated to run from June through August.

Brittany is a freelance writer based in her hometown of New York City. She writes about everything from fashion and beauty to food and wellness. When she's not writing, she can often be found at her local library, playing with her cats, or exploring the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

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