List of highest-grossing concert tours#2000s
{{For|the most-attended concert tours|List of most-attended concert tours}}
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File:Taylor Swift The Eras Tour Lover Set (53109384226).jpg by Taylor Swift is the highest-grossing tour of all time.]]
The following is a list of concert tours that have generated the most gross income. The data and rankings come largely from reports made by trade publications Billboard and Pollstar. Billboard, which launched the boxscore ranking in 1975 through Amusement Business, has featured the ranking on its own magazine since October 3, 1981.{{Cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iCQEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PT32|title=Box Office Information|magazine=Billboard|date=October 3, 1981|access-date=August 25, 2023|via=Google Books}} Pollstar began reporting data on November 29, 1981,{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WNYUkbEdzVUC&pg=PA56|title=This Business of Concert Promotion and Touring|publisher=Billboard Books|year=2007|first1=Ray D.|last1=Waddell|first2=Rich|last2=Barnet|first3=Jake|last3=Berry|page=56|isbn=978-0-307-87500-6 |access-date=August 25, 2023|via=Google Books}} but it has relatively little information about pre-2000 tours. In the 21st century, tour revenue skyrocketed, as record sales collapsed and musicians began relying on live shows for their income.{{cite news |author=Bloomberg |date=September 12, 2019 |title=Why concert tickets cost four times as much as 20 years ago, and why we're happy to pay for them |url=https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3026692/why-concert-tickets-cost-four-times-much-20-years-ago-and |access-date=August 25, 2023 |work=South China Morning Post}}
The first tours to surpass $100 million were Michael Jackson's Bad World Tour and Pink Floyd's Momentary Lapse of Reason Tour, both running from 1987 until 1989. Tina Turner became the first female act to achieve the feat, with her Wildest Dreams Tour (1996–1997). Pollstar estimated that Taylor Swift's Eras Tour was the first to collect $1 billion in 2023,{{cite news|url=https://news.pollstar.com/2023/12/08/taylor-swift-sets-all-time-touring-record-with-billion-dollar-gross/|title=Taylor Swift Sets All-Time Touring Record With $1 Billion Gross|last=Gensler|first=Andy|magazine=Pollstar|date=December 8, 2023|access-date=December 8, 2023|archive-date=December 8, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231208150250/https://news.pollstar.com/2023/12/08/taylor-swift-sets-all-time-touring-record-with-billion-dollar-gross/|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/news/2023/12/taylor-swifts-eras-tour-breaks-record-as-highest-grossing-music-tour-ever-762285|last=Atwal|first=Sanj|title=Taylor Swift's Eras Tour breaks record as highest-grossing music tour ever|date=December 12, 2023|access-date=December 12, 2023|work=Guinness World Records|archive-date=December 12, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231212174200/https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/news/2023/12/taylor-swifts-eras-tour-breaks-record-as-highest-grossing-music-tour-ever-762285|url-status=live}} though Coldplay's Music of the Spheres World Tour became the first to officially report the number in August 2024.{{Cite magazine |date=August 29, 2024 |title=Coldplay Tops July Boxscore Report As Tour Surpasses $1 Billion in Grosses |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/chart-beat/coldplay-tour-1-billion-dollar-grosses-1235762768/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20241018203402/https://www.billboard.com/music/chart-beat/coldplay-tour-1-billion-dollar-grosses-1235762768/ |archive-date=October 18, 2024 |access-date=October 18, 2024 |magazine=Billboard}} The Eras Tour concluded in December 2024 with $2.07 billion, becoming the first tour to reach $2 billion.{{Cite news |last=Friedman |first=Vanessa |date=December 9, 2024 |title=Taylor Swift's Eras Tour Grand Total: A Record $2 Billion |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/09/arts/music/taylor-swift-eras-tour-ticket-sales.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20241209183704/https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/09/arts/music/taylor-swift-eras-tour-ticket-sales.html |archive-date=December 9, 2024 |access-date=December 9, 2024 |newspaper=The New York Times}}
The Rolling Stones set the all-time record for touring revenue three times (1990, 1995 and 2006), more than any other act. Their Voodoo Lounge Tour remained the highest-grossing tour of all time for 11 years (1995–2006), longer than any other record-holder. They are the only musicians to achieve the highest-grossing tour of the decade twice, in the 1990s and the 2000s. The Rolling Stones and U2 have mounted the highest-grossing tour of the year eight times each, more than any other act. Some of the highest-grossing tours had extensive schedules. Inside the Top 20, Elton John's Farewell Yellow Brick Road is the longest (330 shows in five years), while Beyoncé's Renaissance World Tour is the shortest (56 shows in a single year).
Highest-grossing tours
| class="wikitable" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; font-size:90%;"
|+Key | style="background:#BFFFC0;"| † | Indicates ongoing tour |
| style="background:#FAEB86;"| *
| Indicates tour with dates split between two different calendar decades |
File:ColdplayManch030623 (92 of 118) (52950415874).jpg|Coldplay on the Music of the Spheres World Tour
File:Elton John and rain in Sydney Jan 18 2023.jpg|Elton John on the Farewell Yellow Brick Road
File:Ed Sheeran at Bank Stadium Minneapolis.jpg|Ed Sheeran on the ÷ Tour
| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;" width=100%
|+Top 20 highest-grossing tours of all time ! Rank ! Peak ! Actual gross ! Adjusted gross ! width=23% |Artist ! width=25% |Tour title ! Year(s) ! Shows ! Average ! class="unsortable"|{{Abbr|Ref.|Reference}} |
| 1
| 1 | $2,077,618,725 | $2,077,618,725 | style="text-align:left" | {{sortname|Taylor|Swift}} | style="text-align:left" | {{sort|Eras Tour|The Eras Tour}} | 2023–2024 | 149 | ${{round|2077618725/149}} |
|---|
| 2
| 2 | $1,269,044,120 | $1,269,044,120 | style="text-align:left" | Coldplay | style="text-align:left; background:#BFFFC0;" | Music of the Spheres World Tour † | 2022–2025 | 194 | ${{round|1269044120/194}} |
| 3
| 1 | $939,100,000 | ${{formatnum:{{inflation|US|939100000|2023}}}} | style="text-align:left" | {{sortname|Elton|John}} | style="text-align:left" | Farewell Yellow Brick Road | {{nowrap|2018–2023}} | 330 | ${{round|939100000/330}} |
| 4
| 1 | $776,200,000 | ${{formatnum:{{inflation|US|776200000|2019}}}} | style="text-align:left" | {{sortname|Ed|Sheeran}} | style="text-align:left" | ÷ Tour | 2017–2019 | 255 | ${{round|776200000/255}} |
| 5
| 1 | $736,421,586 | ${{formatnum:{{inflation|US|736421586|2011}}}} | style="text-align:left" | U2 | style="text-align:left" | 360° Tour | 2009–2011 | 110 | ${{round|736421586/110}} |
| 6
| 6 | $649,529,567 | $649,529,567 | style="text-align:left" | {{sortname|Ed|Sheeran}} | style="text-align:left; background:#BFFFC0;" | +–=÷× Tour † | 2022–2025 | 165 | $5,675,257 |
| 7
| 6 | $630,792,517 | $630,792,517 | style="text-align:left" | {{sortname|Bruce|Springsteen}}{{·}}E Street Band | style="text-align:left; background:#BFFFC0;" | 2023–2025 Tour † | 2023–2025 | 110 | ${{round|630792517/110}} | {{efn-ua|name=bruce2325}} |
| 8
| 4 | $617,325,000 | ${{formatnum:{{inflation|US|617325000|2023}}}} | style="text-align:left" | {{sortname|Harry|Styles}} | style="text-align:left" | Love On Tour | 2021–2023 | 169 | ${{round|617325000/169}} |
| 9
| 8 | $584,700,000 | $584,700,000 | style="text-align:left" | Pink | style="text-align:left; | Summer Carnival | 2023–2024 | 97 | ${{round|584700000/97}} |
| 10
| 7 | $584,200,000 | ${{formatnum:{{inflation|US|584200000|2019}}}} | style="text-align:left" | Guns N' Roses | style="text-align:left" | Not in This Lifetime... Tour | 2016–2019 | 158 | $3,697,468 |
| 11
| 7 | $579,879,268 | ${{formatnum:{{inflation|US|579879268|2023}}}} | style="text-align:left" | Beyoncé | style="text-align:left" | Renaissance World Tour | 2023 | 56 | ${{round|579800000/56}} |
| 12
| 12 | $537,428,920 | ${{formatnum:{{inflation|US|537428920|2023}}}} | style="text-align:left" | {{sort|Rammstein|Rammstein}} | style="text-align:left" | {{sort|Stadium Tour|Rammstein Stadium Tour}} | 2019–2024 | 135 | ${{round|537428920/135}} | |
| 13
| 1 | $558,255,524 | ${{formatnum:{{inflation|US|558255524|2007}}}} | style="text-align:left" | {{sort|Rolling Stones, The|The Rolling Stones}} | style="text-align:left" | {{sort|Bigger Bang Tour|A Bigger Bang Tour}} | 2005–2007 | 144 | ${{round|558255524/144}} |
| 14
| 5 | $546,500,000 | ${{formatnum:{{inflation|US|546500000|2021}}}} | style="text-align:left" | {{sort|Rolling Stones|The Rolling Stones}} | style="text-align:left" | No Filter Tour | 2017–2021 | 58 | ${{round|546500000/58}} |
| 15
| 3 | $523,033,675 | ${{formatnum:{{inflation|US|523033675|2017}}}} | style="text-align:left" | Coldplay | style="text-align:left" | {{sort|Head Full of Dreams|A Head Full of Dreams Tour}} | 2016–2017 | 114 | ${{round|523033675/114}} |
| 16
| 3 | $459,000,000 | ${{formatnum:{{inflation|US|459000000|2013}}}} | style="text-align:left" | {{sortname|Roger|Waters}} | style="text-align:left" | {{sort|Wall|The Wall Live}} | 2010–2013 | 219 | ${{round|458673798/219}} |
| 17
| 3 | $441,900,000 | ${{formatnum:{{inflation|US|441900000|2010}}}} | style="text-align:left" | AC/DC | style="text-align:left" | Black Ice World Tour | 2008–2010 | 165 | ${{round|441900000/165}} |
| 18
| 8 | $430,000,000 | ${{formatnum:{{inflation|US|430000000|2019}}}} | style="text-align:left" | Metallica | style="text-align:left" | WorldWired Tour | 2016–2019 | 143 | ${{round|430000000/143}} |
| 19
|18 |$424,000,000 |${{formatnum:{{inflation|US|424000000|2025}}}} | style="text-align:left; |G.E.M. | style="text-align:left; background:#BFFFC0;" | I Am Gloria World Tour † |2023–2025 |86 |${{round|424000000/86}} |
| 20
| 2 | $411,000,000 | ${{formatnum:{{inflation|US|411000000|2009}}}} | style="text-align:left" | Madonna | style="text-align:left" | Sticky & Sweet Tour | 2008–2009 | 85 | ${{round|411000000/85}} |
=Timeline of the highest-grossing tour=
| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"
|+ Timeline of the highest-grossing tour record ! scope="col" |Established ! scope="col" |Artist ! scope="col" |Tour title ! scope="col" |Record-setting gross ! scope="col" class="unsortable" |{{Abbr|Ref.|References}} |
| 1984
| style="text-align:center;" | $75,000,000 |
|---|
| 1985
| Bruce Springsteen{{·}}E Street Band | style="text-align:center;" | $90,000,000 |
| rowspan=2 | 1989
| style="text-align:center;" | $125,000,000 |
| Pink Floyd
| A Momentary Lapse of Reason Tour | style="text-align:center;" | $135,000,000 |
| 1990
| Steel Wheels/Urban Jungle Tour | style="text-align:center;" | $175,000,000 | style="text-align:center;" | {{cite web|url=https://www.musicweek.com/talent/read/remembering-legendary-rolling-stones-drummer-charlie-watts/084001|title=Remembering legendary Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts|author=MusicWeek Staff|date=August 24, 2021|work=Music Week|access-date=September 3, 2023}} |
| 1994
| style="text-align:center;" | $250,000,000 |
| 1995
| style="text-align:center;" | $320,000,000 |
| rowspan="2"| 2006
| U2 | style="text-align:center;" | $333,000,000 | style="text-align:center;" | {{cite news|url=https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/u2-roars-back-with-help-from-pearl-jam-kanye-57766/|title=U2 Roars Back With Help From Pearl Jam, Kanye|author=Billboard Staff|date=July 21, 2006|magazine=Billboard|access-date=September 8, 2021}} |
| rowspan="2"| The Rolling Stones
| rowspan="2"| A Bigger Bang Tour | style="text-align:center;" | $437,000,000 | style="text-align:center;" | {{cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2006-dec-15-et-quick15.4-story.html|title=Stones tour is highest grossing|work=Los Angeles Times|first=Geoff|last=Boucher|date=December 15, 2006|access-date=August 27, 2023}} |
| 2007
| style="text-align:center;" | $558,255,524 |
| 2011
| U2 | style="text-align:center;" | $736,421,586 |
| 2019
| ÷ Tour | style="text-align:center;" | $776,200,000 |
| rowspan="2" | 2023
| style="text-align:center;" | $939,100,000 |
| rowspan="2"| Taylor Swift
| rowspan="2"| The Eras Tour | style="text-align:center;" | $1,039,263,762 |
| 2024
| style="text-align:center;" | $2,077,618,725 |
Highest-grossing tours by decade
=1980s=
File:Pink Floyd (1989).jpg | Pink Floyd on the Momentary Lapse of Reason Tour
File:Michael Jackson1 1988.jpg | Michael Jackson on the Bad World Tour
File:David Bowie (1987) (cropped).jpg| David Bowie on the Glass Spider Tour
=1990s=
File:The Rolling Stones.jpg | The Rolling Stones on the Voodoo Lounge Tour
File:U2 PopMart Tour, Belfast, August 1997 (18).jpg | U2 on the PopMart Tour
File:Michael Jackson Lausanne 20 juin 1997.jpg | Michael Jackson on the HIStory World Tour
=2000s=
File:Rolling stones - 11 luglio 2006 - san siro.jpg | The Rolling Stones on the Bigger Bang Tour
File:-i---i- (2942753176).jpg | Madonna on the Sticky & Sweet Tour
File:2005-11-21 U2 @ MSG by ZG.JPG | U2 on the Vertigo Tour
=2010s=
File:Guns n´Roses Palacio de los Deportes 30-11-2016 (31366316670).jpg | Guns N' Roses on the Not in This Lifetime... Tour
File:ColdplayParis160717-7 (35938478112) (cropped).jpg | Coldplay on the Head Full of Dreams Tour
File:Roger Waters - The Wall in Ottawa (7451689766).jpg| Roger Waters during the Wall Live
=2020s=
File:SpringsteenCardiff050524 (105 of 166) (53705261118).jpg|Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band on the 2023–2025 Tour
File:HarryStylesWembley170623 (22 of 93) (52982679381).jpg|Harry Styles on the Love On Tour
File:PinkSpurs160624 (105 of 156) (53798474266).jpg | Pink on the Summer Carnival tour
| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;" width=100%
|+Top 10 highest-grossing tours of the 2020s (as of {{Currentmonth}} {{Currentyear}}) ! class="unsortable"| Rank ! Actual gross ! Adjusted gross ! width=22%| Artist ! width=25%| Tour title ! Year(s) ! Shows ! Average ! class="unsortable"|{{Abbr|Ref.|Reference}} |
| 1
| $2,077,618,725 | $2,077,618,725 | style="text-align:left" | {{sortname|Taylor|Swift}} | style="text-align:left" | {{sort|Eras Tour|The Eras Tour}} | 2023–2024 | 149 | ${{round|2077618725/149}} |
|---|
| 2
| $1,269,044,120 | $1,269,044,120 | style="text-align:left" | Coldplay | style="text-align:left; background:#BFFFC0;" | Music of the Spheres World Tour † | 2022–2025 | 194 | ${{round|1269044120/194}} |
| 3
| $630,792,517 | $630,792,517 | style="text-align:left" | {{sortname|Bruce|Springsteen}}{{·}}E Street Band | style="text-align:left; background:#BFFFC0;" | 2023–2025 Tour † | 2023–2025 | 110 | ${{round|630792517/110}} | {{efn-ua|name=bruce2325|Bruce Springsteen grossed $379,496,085 from 66 shows in 2023 and $251,296,432 from 44 shows in 2024.}} |
| 4
| $617,325,000 | ${{formatnum:{{inflation|US|617325000|2023}}}} | style="text-align:left" | {{sortname|Harry|Styles}} | style="text-align:left" | Love On Tour | 2021–2023 | 169 | ${{round|617300000/169}} |
| 5
| $584,700,000 | $584,700,000 | style="text-align:left" | Pink | style="text-align:left; | Summer Carnival | 2023–2024 | 97 | ${{round|584700000/97}} |
| 6
| $584,551,454 | $584,551,454 | style="text-align:left" | {{sortname|Ed|Sheeran}} | style="text-align:left; background:#BFFFC0;" | +–=÷× Tour † | 2022–2025 | 103 | ${{round|584551454/103}} |
| 7
| $579,800,000 | ${{formatnum:{{inflation|US|579800000|2023}}}} | style="text-align:left" | Beyoncé | style="text-align:left" | Renaissance World Tour | 2023 | 56 | ${{round|579800000/56}} |
| 8
| $471,400,000 | ${{formatnum:{{inflation|US|471400000|2023}}}} | style="text-align:left" | {{sortname|Elton|John}} | style="text-align:left" | Farewell Yellow Brick Road | style="background:#FAEB86;" | 2020–2023 * | 136 | ${{round|471400000/136}} | style="text-align:center" | {{efn-ua|Within the 2020s decade, Elton John's Farewell Yellow Brick Road grossed $87.1 million in 2020, $274 million in 2022,{{cite web|url=https://news.pollstar.com/2022/12/12/2022-year-end-biz-analysis-record-setting-year-marked-by-bad-bunny-ed-sheeran-stadiums/|title=2022 Year-End Biz Analysis: Record-Setting Year Marked By Bad Bunny, Ed Sheeran & Stadiums|first=Andy|last=Gensler|date=December 12, 2022|work=Pollstar|access-date=August 27, 2023}} and $110.3 million in 2023.{{cite web|url=https://news.pollstar.com/2023/06/26/mid-year-top-tours-elton-john-goodbye-yellow-brick-road-tour/|title=Mid-Year Top Tours: No. 4 Elton John's 'Goodbye Yellow Brick Road Tour'|work=Pollstar|first=Gideon|last=Gottfried|date=June 26, 2023|access-date=August 27, 2023}}}} |
| 9
|$424,000,000 |${{formatnum:{{inflation|US|424000000|2025}}}} | style="text-align:left; |G.E.M. | style="text-align:left; background:#BFFFC0;" | I Am Gloria World Tour † |2023–2025 |86 |${{round|424000000/86}} |
| 10
| $390,800,000 | $390,800,000 | style="text-align:left" | Red Hot Chili Peppers | style="text-align:left; | Unlimited Love Tour | 2022–2024 | 119 | ${{round|390800000/119}} |
Highest-grossing tours by year
This list represents the top-grossing tour of each year according to either Pollstar or Billboard Boxscore (formerly Amusement Business). The two publications may differ on their annual figures due to different total of dates reported or different year-end tracking period. For example, Pollstar listed Madonna's Sticky & Sweet Tour as the top tour of 2008 with $281.6 million, but Billboard ranked it third on their year-end chart whose tracking period ended on November 11, 2008, thus excluding 20 shows by Madonna.{{cite web|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/entertainment/madonna-queen-of-the-road-pollstar-1.820298|title=Madonna queen of the road: Pollstar|publisher=Canadian Broadcasting Corporation|date=January 2, 2009|access-date=September 11, 2023}}{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/bbcom/yearend/2008/charts/top25-tours.shtml|title=Top 25 Tours 2008|magazine=Billboard|date=2008|access-date=August 31, 2023|author=Billboard Staff|url-status=dead|archive-date=December 14, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081214070150/https://www.billboard.com/bbcom/yearend/2008/charts/top25-tours.shtml}} In 2019, Billboard listed Ed Sheeran's ÷ Tour as the top tour of the year ($223.7 million), instead of Pink's Beautiful Trauma World Tour ($215.2 million) as reported by Pollstar. However, Billboard{{'}}s figure included Sheeran's gross from November 2018 shows; therefore, Pollstar{{'}}s figure is closer to accurate for the 2019 calendar year.{{cite news|url=https://www.billboard.com/pro/ed-sheeran-rolling-stones-2019-touring-charts/|title=The Year in Touring Charts 2019: Ed Sheeran Meets The Rolling Stones in Boxscore History|date=December 5, 2019|last=Frankenberg|first=Eric|magazine=Billboard|access-date=September 11, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211225205156/https://www.billboard.com/pro/ed-sheeran-rolling-stones-2019-touring-charts/|archive-date=December 25, 2021}}
File:U2 at Bonnaroo on Joshua Tree Tour 2017 6-9-17.jpg | U2 on the Joshua Tree Tour 2017, the most recent of their eight that achieved highest-grossing tour of the year
File:Rolling Stones bow post-show, London, 22 May 2018 (41437870545).jpg | The Rolling Stones on the No Filter Tour, the most recent of their eight that achieved highest-grossing tour of the year
File:Vogue (7581412062).jpg | Madonna on the MDNA Tour, the most recent of her three that achieved highest-grossing tour of the year
See also
Notes
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