The following is a list of concert tours that have generated the most gross income. The data and rankings come largely from reports by trade publications Billboard and Pollstar. Billboard, which launched the boxscore ranking in 1975 through its spin-off magazine Amusement Business, has featured the ranking in its own magazine since the issue date of October 3, 1981.[1] Pollstar began reporting box office data on November 29, 1981,[2] but it has relatively little information about pre-2000 tours.[3] In the early 21st century, tour revenue skyrocketed as record sales collapsed and musicians began relying on live shows for their income.[4]
The first tours to surpass $100 million in revenue, according to reports, were Michael Jackson's Bad World Tour and Pink Floyd's A Momentary Lapse of Reason Tour, which both ran from 1987 to 1989.
In 2023, Taylor Swift's Eras Tour allegedly became the first tour to collect US$1 billion in revenue, based on estimates by Pollstar.[5][6] In October 2024, Forbes estimated the tour's gross at US$1.93 billion from 121 shows, though Swift has yet to officially report the gross.[A] In 2024, Coldplay's Music of the Spheres World Tour became the first to gross over US$1 billion in revenue based on officially reported boxscores.[9][10]
While the touring industry is largely dominated by bands and male soloists of rock music,[11] some of the highest-grossing tours have featured pop stars such as Swift, Ed Sheeran, Harry Styles, Beyoncé, Pink, and Madonna, as well as country singer Garth Brooks. The Rolling Stones set the all-time tour-revenue record three times (1990, 1995, and 2006); their Voodoo Lounge Tour held the record for 11 years (1995–2006), longer than any other record-holder. They are the only act to have the highest-grossing tour of the decade twice, in the 1990s and the 2000s. U2 has mounted the highest-grossing tour of the year at least eight times, more than any other act.
† | Indicates ongoing tour |
* | Indicates tour dates are split between two different calendar decades |
Rank | Peak | Actual gross | Adjusted gross (in 2023 dollars) |
Artist | Tour title | Year(s) | Shows | Average gross |
Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 1 | $1,930,000,000 | $1,930,000,000 | Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour † | 2023–2024 | 121 | $15,950,413 | [A] |
2 | 2 | $1,059,060,322 | $1,059,060,322 | Coldplay | Music of the Spheres World Tour † | 2022–2025 | 164 | $6,457,685 | [10] |
3 | 1 | $939,100,000 | $939,100,000 | Elton John | Farewell Yellow Brick Road | 2018–2023 | 330 | $2,845,758 | [12] |
4 | 1 | $776,200,000 | $925,014,604 | Ed Sheeran | ÷ Tour | 2017–2019 | 255 | $3,043,922 | [13] |
5 | 1 | $736,421,586 | $997,437,284 | U2 | 360° Tour | 2009–2011 | 110 | $6,694,742 | [14] |
6 | 4 | $617,325,000 | $617,325,000 | Harry Styles | Love On Tour | 2021–2023 | 169 | $3,652,811 | [15] |
7 | 7 | $584,551,454 | $584,551,454 | Ed Sheeran | +–=÷× Tour† | 2022–2025 | 103 | $5,675,257 | [16] |
8 | 7 | $584,200,000 | $696,203,983 | Guns N' Roses | Not in This Lifetime... Tour | 2016–2019 | 158 | $3,697,468 | [16] |
9 | 7 | $579,879,268 | $579,879,268 | Beyoncé | Renaissance World Tour | 2023 | 56 | $10,353,571 | [17] |
10 | 1 | $558,255,524 | $820,315,772 | The Rolling Stones | A Bigger Bang Tour | 2005–2007 | 144 | $3,876,774 | [18] |
11 | 5 | $546,500,000 | $614,485,325 | The Rolling Stones | No Filter Tour | 2017–2021 | 58 | $9,422,414 | [19] |
12 | 3 | $523,033,675 | $650,135,260 | Coldplay | A Head Full of Dreams Tour | 2016–2017 | 114 | $4,588,015 | [20] |
13 | 13 | $469,300,000 | $469,300,000 | Pink | Summer Carnival † | 2023–2024 | 61 | $7,693,443 | [21] |
14 | 3 | $459,000,000 | $600,372,000 | Roger Waters | The Wall Live | 2010–2013 | 219 | $2,094,401 | [22] |
15 | 3 | $441,900,000 | $617,432,687 | AC/DC | Black Ice World Tour | 2008–2010 | 165 | $2,678,182 | [23] |
16 | 8 | $430,000,000 | $512,440,453 | Metallica | WorldWired Tour | 2016–2019 | 143 | $3,006,993 | [24] |
17 | 2 | $411,000,000 | $583,700,326 | Madonna | Sticky & Sweet Tour | 2008–2009 | 85 | $4,835,294 | [3] |
18 | 10 | $397,300,000 | $473,471,144 | Pink | Beautiful Trauma World Tour | 2018–2019 | 156 | $2,546,795 | [25] |
19 | 12 | $390,778,581 | $485,741,065 | U2 | The Joshua Tree Tours 2017 & 2019 | 2017, 2019 | 66 | $5,920,888 | [26] |
20 | 1 | $389,000,000 | $587,930,670 | U2 | Vertigo Tour | 2005–2006 | 131 | $2,969,466 | [27] |
Established | Artist | Tour title | Record-setting gross | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
1984 | The Jacksons | Victory Tour | $75,000,000 | [28] |
1985 | Bruce Springsteen · E Street Band | Born in the U.S.A. Tour | $90,000,000 | [29] |
1989 | Michael Jackson | Bad World Tour | $125,000,000 | [30] |
Pink Floyd | A Momentary Lapse of Reason Tour | $135,000,000 | [31] | |
1990 | The Rolling Stones | Steel Wheels/Urban Jungle Tour | $175,000,000 | [32] |
1994 | Pink Floyd | The Division Bell Tour | $250,000,000 | [33] |
1995 | The Rolling Stones | Voodoo Lounge Tour | $320,000,000 | [34] |
2006 | U2 | Vertigo Tour | $333,000,000 | [35] |
The Rolling Stones | A Bigger Bang Tour | $437,000,000 | [36] | |
2007 | $558,255,524 | [18] | ||
2011 | U2 | 360° Tour | $736,421,586 | [14] |
2019 | Ed Sheeran | ÷ Tour | $776,200,000 | [13] |
2023 | Elton John | Farewell Yellow Brick Road | $939,100,000 | [12] |
Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour | $1,039,263,762 | [5] | |
2024 | $1,930,000,000 | [A] |
Rank | Actual gross | Adjusted gross (in 2023 dollar) |
Artist | Tour title | Year(s) | Shows | Average gross |
Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | $135,000,000 | $331,828,188 | Pink Floyd | A Momentary Lapse of Reason Tour | 1987–1989 | 197 | $685,279 | [31] |
2 | $125,000,000 | $307,248,322 | Michael Jackson | Bad World Tour | 1987–1989 | 123 | $1,016,260 | [30] |
3 | $98,000,000 | $240,882,685 | The Rolling Stones | Steel Wheels Tour | 1989 * | 60 | $1,633,333 | [37] |
4 | $90,000,000 | $254,962,871 | Bruce Springsteen · E Street Band | Born in the U.S.A. Tour | 1984–1985 | 156 | $576,923 | [29] |
5 | $86,000,000 | $230,643,234 | David Bowie | Glass Spider Tour | 1987 | 86 | $1,000,000 | [38] |
6 | $75,000,000 | $219,955,157 | The Jacksons | Victory Tour | 1984 | 55 | $1,363,636 | [28] |
7 | $60,000,000 | $160,913,884 | Genesis | Invisible Touch Tour | 1986–1987 | 111 | $540,541 | [39] |
8 | $60,000,000 | $154,575,127 | Tina Turner | Break Every Rule World Tour | 1987–1988 | 220 | $272,727 | [40] |
9 | $56,000,000 | $150,186,292 | U2 | The Joshua Tree Tour | 1987 | 109 | $513,761 | [41] |
10 | $50,000,000 | $167,569,546 | The Rolling Stones | The Rolling Stones American Tour 1981 | 1981 | 50 | $1,000,000 | [42] |
Rank | Actual gross | Adjusted gross (in 2023 dollar) |
Artist | Tour title | Year(s) | Shows | Average gross |
Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | $320,000,000 | $639,860,231 | The Rolling Stones | Voodoo Lounge Tour | 1994–1995 | 129 | $2,480,620 | [34] |
2 | $274,000,000 | $512,197,632 | The Rolling Stones | Bridges to Babylon Tour | 1997–1998 | 108 | $2,537,037 | [43] |
3 | $250,000,000 | $513,920,072 | Pink Floyd | The Division Bell Tour | 1994 | 110 | $2,272,727 | [33] |
4 | $173,610,864 | $325,844,705 | U2 | PopMart Tour | 1997–1998 | 93 | $1,866,783 | [44] |
5 | $165,000,000 | $313,171,642 | Michael Jackson | HIStory World Tour | 1996–1997 | 83 | $1,987,952 | [45] |
6 | $152,900,000 | $297,040,611 | Eagles | Hell Freezes Over Tour | 1994–1996 | 122 | $1,274,107 | [B] |
7 | $151,000,000 | $318,487,906 | U2 | Zoo TV Tour | 1992–1993 | 157 | $961,783 | [48] |
8 | $133,000,000 | $243,257,691 | Celine Dion | Let's Talk About Love World Tour | 1998–1999 | 97 | $1,371,134 | [49] |
9 | $130,000,000 | $246,741,294 | Tina Turner | Wildest Dreams Tour | 1996–1997 | 255 | $509,804 | [50] |
10 | $105,000,000 | $196,280,114 | Garth Brooks | The Garth Brooks World Tour | 1996–1998 | 220 | $477,273 | [51] |
Rank | Actual gross | Adjusted gross (in 2023 dollar) |
Artist | Tour title | Year(s) | Shows | Average gross |
Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | $558,255,524 | $820,315,772 | The Rolling Stones | A Bigger Bang Tour | 2005–2007 | 144 | $3,876,774 | [18] |
2 | $411,000,000 | $583,700,326 | Madonna | Sticky & Sweet Tour | 2008–2009 | 85 | $4,835,294 | [3] |
3 | $389,000,000 | $587,930,670 | U2 | Vertigo Tour | 2005–2006 | 131 | $2,969,466 | [27] |
4 | $358,825,665 | $507,791,003 | The Police | The Police Reunion Tour | 2007–2008 | 146 | $2,457,710 | [52] |
5 | $311,637,730 | $442,586,483 | U2 | 360° Tour | 2009 * | 44 | $7,082,676 | [C] |
6 | $311,000,000 | $515,107,815 | The Rolling Stones | Licks Tour | 2002–2003 | 117 | $2,658,120 | [43] |
7 | $279,200,000 | $394,814,332 | Celine Dion | Taking Chances World Tour | 2008–2009 | 129 | $2,164,341 | [D] |
8 | $264,100,000 | $375,073,616 | AC/DC | Black Ice World Tour | 2008–2009 * | 127 | $2,079,528 | [E] |
9 | $250,000,000 | $390,015,335 | Cher | Living Proof: The Farewell Tour | 2002–2005 | 325 | $769,231 | [F] |
10 | $235,000,000 | $332,559,505 | Bruce Springsteen · E Street Band | Magic Tour | 2007–2008 | 104 | $2,259,615 | [61] |
Rank | Actual gross | Adjusted gross (in 2023 dollar) |
Artist | Tour title | Year(s) | Shows | Average gross |
Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | $776,200,000 | $925,014,604 | Ed Sheeran | ÷ Tour | 2017–2019 | 255 | $3,043,922 | [13] |
2 | $584,200,000 | $696,203,983 | Guns N' Roses | Not in This Lifetime... Tour | 2016–2019 | 158 | $3,697,468 | [16] |
3 | $523,033,675 | $650,135,260 | Coldplay | A Head Full of Dreams Tour | 2016–2017 | 114 | $4,588,015 | [20] |
4 | $459,000,000 | $600,372,000 | Roger Waters | The Wall Live | 2010–2013 | 219 | $2,094,401 | [22] |
5 | $430,000,000 | $512,440,453 | Metallica | WorldWired Tour | 2016–2019 | 143 | $3,006,993 | [24] |
6 | $424,783,856 | $575,343,341 | U2 | 360° Tour | 2010–2011 * | 66 | $6,436,119 | [C] |
7 | $415,600,000 | $495,279,656 | The Rolling Stones | No Filter Tour | 2017–2019 * | 44 | $9,445,455 | [62] |
8 | $397,300,000 | $473,471,144 | Pink | Beautiful Trauma World Tour | 2018–2019 | 156 | $2,546,795 | [25] |
9 | $390,778,581 | $485,741,065 | U2 | The Joshua Tree Tours 2017 & 2019 | 2017, 2019 | 66 | $5,920,888 | [26] |
10 | $367,700,000 | $446,151,763 | Bruno Mars | 24K Magic World Tour | 2017–2018 | 196 | $1,876,020 | [G] |
Rank | Actual gross | Adjusted gross (in 2023 dollar) |
Artist | Tour title | Year(s) | Shows | Average gross |
Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | $1,930,000,000 | $1,930,000,000 | Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour † | 2023–2024 | 121 | $15,950,413 | [A] |
2 | $1,059,060,322 | $1,059,060,322 | Coldplay | Music of the Spheres World Tour † | 2022–2025 | 164 | $6,457,685 | [H] |
3 | $617,325,000 | $617,325,000 | Harry Styles | Love On Tour | 2021–2023 | 169 | $3,652,663 | [15] |
4 | $584,551,454 | $584,551,454 | Ed Sheeran | +–=÷× Tour † | 2022–2025 | 103 | $5,675,257 | [65] |
5 | $579,800,000 | $579,800,000 | Beyoncé | Renaissance World Tour | 2023 | 56 | $10,353,571 | [66] |
6 | $471,400,000 | $471,400,000 | Elton John | Farewell Yellow Brick Road | 2020–2023 * | 136 | $3,466,176 | [I] |
7 | $469,300,000 | $469,300,000 | Pink | Summer Carnival † | 2023–2024 | 61 | $7,693,443 | [70] |
8 | $379,496,085 | $379,496,085 | Bruce Springsteen · E Street Band | 2023 Tour † | 2023 | 66 | $5,749,941 | [5] |
9 | $350,985,529 | $350,985,529 | The Weeknd | After Hours til Dawn Tour | 2022–2023 | 61 | $5,753,861 | [71] |
10 | $320,513,439 | $320,513,439 | Drake | It's All A Blur Tour | 2023-2024 | 80 | $4,006,418 | [72] |
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.[73][74] 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.[75][76]
Year | Actual gross | Adjusted gross (in 2023 dollars) |
Artist | Tour title | Shows | Scope | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1987 | $35,100,000 | $94,134,622 | U2 | The Joshua Tree Tour | 79 | North America | [77] |
1989 | $98,000,000 | $240,882,685 | The Rolling Stones | Steel Wheels Tour | 60 | North America | [37] |
1990 | $74,100,000 | $172,811,921 | New Kids on the Block | The Magic Summer Tour | 152 | Unknown | [78] |
1991 | $34,700,000 | $77,623,552 | Grateful Dead | Grateful Dead Summer Tour | 76 | North America | [79] |
1992 | $67,000,000 | $145,471,188 | U2 | Zoo TV Tour | 73 | North America | [80] |
1993 | $45,600,000 | $96,179,129 | Grateful Dead | Grateful Dead Tour 1993 | 81 | North America | [81] |
1994 | $121,200,000 | $249,148,451 | The Rolling Stones | Voodoo Lounge Tour | 60 | North America | [82] |
1995 | $63,300,000 | $126,572,352 | Eagles | Hell Freezes Over Tour | 58 | Unknown | [46] |
1996 | $43,600,000 | $84,702,228 | Kiss | Alive/Worldwide Tour | 92 | Unknown | [83] |
1997 | $138,500,000 | $262,874,378 | U2 | PopMart Tour | 78 | Global | [84] |
1998 | $193,350,000 | $361,435,811 | The Rolling Stones | Bridges to Babylon Tour | 82 | Global | [85] |
1999 | $89,200,000 | $163,147,263 | No Security Tour | 45 | Global | [86] | |
2000 | $122,500,000 | $216,736,232 | Tina Turner | Twenty Four Seven Tour | 108 | Global | [87] |
2001 | $143,000,000 | $246,064,274 | U2 | Elevation Tour | 113 | Global | [88] |
2002 | $126,100,000 | $213,611,767 | Paul McCartney | Driving World Tour | 58 | Global | [89] |
2003 | $299,520,230 | $496,093,927 | The Rolling Stones | Licks Tour | 115 | Global | [90] |
2004 | $125,000,000 | $201,638,478 | Madonna | Re-Invention World Tour | 56 | Global | [91] |
2005 | $260,000,000 | $405,615,948 | U2 | Vertigo Tour | 90 | Global | [92] |
2006 | $425,100,000 | $642,491,845 | The Rolling Stones | A Bigger Bang Tour | 110 | Global | [93] |
2007 | $212,227,302 | $311,852,540 | The Police | The Police Reunion Tour | 66 | Global | [94] |
2008 | $281,600,000 | $398,505,348 | Madonna | Sticky & Sweet Tour | 58 | Global | [56] |
2009 | $311,637,730 | $442,586,483 | U2 | 360° Tour | 44 | Global | [53] |
2010 | $201,100,000 | $280,981,474 | Bon Jovi | The Circle Tour | 80 | Global | [95] |
2011 | $293,281,487 | $397,231,553 | U2 | 360° Tour | 44 | Global | [55] |
2012 | $305,158,363 | $404,990,574 | Madonna | The MDNA Tour | 88 | Global | [43] |
2013 | $259,500,000 | $339,426,000 | Bon Jovi | Because We Can | 102 | Global | [96] |
2014 | $290,000,000 | $373,241,496 | One Direction | Where We Are Tour | 69 | Global | [97] |
2015 | $250,733,097 | $322,295,695 | Taylor Swift | The 1989 World Tour | 85 | Global | [98] |
2016 | $268,300,000 | $340,620,466 | Bruce Springsteen · E Street Band | The River Tour | 76 | Global | [99] |
2017 | $316,990,940 | $394,022,407 | U2 | The Joshua Tree Tour 2017 | 50 | Global | [100] |
2018 | $432,400,000 | $524,656,030 | Ed Sheeran | ÷ Tour | 94 | Global | [64] |
2019 | $215,200,000 | $256,458,571 | Pink | Beautiful Trauma World Tour | 68 | Global | [76] |
2020 | $87,100,000 | $87,100,000 | Elton John | Farewell Yellow Brick Road | 38 | Global | [67] |
2021 | $115,500,000 | $129,868,353 | The Rolling Stones | No Filter Tour | 12 | Global | [101] |
2022 | $342,192,313 | $356,278,465 | Coldplay | Music of the Spheres World Tour | 64 | Global | [102] |
2023 | $1,039,263,762 | $1,039,263,762 | Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour | 60 | Global | [5] |