List of highest-grossing concert tours

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List of highest-grossing concert tours

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.[1] Pollstar began reporting data on November 29, 1981,[2] but it has relatively little information about pre-2000 tours.[3] In the 21st century, tour revenue skyrocketed, as record sales collapsed and musicians began relying on live shows for their income.[4]

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The Eras Tour by Taylor Swift is the highest-grossing tour of all time.

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,[5][6] though Coldplay's Music of the Spheres World Tour became the first to officially report the number in August 2024.[7] The Eras Tour concluded in December 2024 with $2.07 billion, becoming the first tour to reach $2 billion.[8]

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

Key
Indicates ongoing tour
* Indicates tour dates are split between two different calendar decades
More information Rank, Peak ...
Top 20 highest-grossing tours of all time
Rank Peak Actual gross Adjusted gross
(in 2024 dollars)
Artist Tour title Year(s) Shows Average
gross
Ref.
1 1 $2,077,618,725 $2,077,618,725 Taylor Swift The Eras Tour 2023–2024 149 $13,943,750 [8]
2 2 $1,201,654,283 $1,201,654,283 Coldplay Music of the Spheres World Tour 2022–2025 184 $6,530,730 [9]
3 1 $939,100,000 $969,152,021 Elton John Farewell Yellow Brick Road 2018–2023 330 $2,845,758 [10]
4 1 $776,200,000 $954,615,879 Ed Sheeran ÷ Tour 2017–2019 255 $3,043,922 [11]
5 1 $736,421,586 $1,029,356,149 U2 360° Tour 2009–2011 110 $6,694,742 [12]
6 6 $649,529,567 $649,529,567 Ed Sheeran +–=÷× Tour 2022–2025 165 $5,675,257 [13]
7 6 $630,792,517 $630,792,517 Bruce Springsteen · E Street Band 2023–2025 Tour 2023–2025 110 $5,734,477 [A]
8 4 $617,325,000 $637,079,939 Harry Styles Love On Tour 2021–2023 169 $3,652,811 [14]
9 8 $584,700,000 $584,700,000 Pink Summer Carnival 2023–2024 97 $6,027,835 [15]
10 7 $584,200,000 $718,483,119 Guns N' Roses Not in This Lifetime... Tour 2016–2019 158 $3,697,468 [13]
11 7 $579,879,268 $598,435,911 Beyoncé Renaissance World Tour 2023 56 $10,353,571 [16]
12 12 $537,428,920 $554,627,115 Rammstein Rammstein Stadium Tour 2019–2024 135 $3,980,955
13 1 $558,255,524 $846,566,594 The Rolling Stones A Bigger Bang Tour 2005–2007 144 $3,876,774 [17]
14 5 $546,500,000 $634,149,392 The Rolling Stones No Filter Tour 2017–2021 58 $9,422,414 [18]
15 3 $523,033,675 $670,940,157 Coldplay A Head Full of Dreams Tour 2016–2017 114 $4,588,015 [19]
16 3 $459,000,000 $619,584,429 Roger Waters The Wall Live 2010–2013 219 $2,094,401 [20]
17 3 $441,900,000 $637,191,073 AC/DC Black Ice World Tour 2008–2010 165 $2,678,182 [21]
18 8 $430,000,000 $528,838,995 Metallica WorldWired Tour 2016–2019 143 $3,006,993 [22]
19 18 $424,000,000 $424,000,000 G.E.M. I Am Gloria World Tour 2023–2025 86 $4,930,233 [23]
20 2 $411,000,000 $602,379,246 Madonna Sticky & Sweet Tour 2008–2009 85 $4,835,294 [3]
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Timeline of the highest-grossing tour

More information Established, Artist ...
Timeline of the highest-grossing tour record
Established Artist Tour title Record-setting gross Ref.
1984 The Jacksons Victory Tour $75,000,000 [24]
1985 Bruce Springsteen · E Street Band Born in the U.S.A. Tour $90,000,000 [25]
1989 Michael Jackson Bad World Tour $125,000,000 [26]
Pink Floyd A Momentary Lapse of Reason Tour $135,000,000 [27]
1990 The Rolling Stones Steel Wheels/Urban Jungle Tour $175,000,000 [28]
1994 Pink Floyd The Division Bell Tour $250,000,000 [29]
1995 The Rolling Stones Voodoo Lounge Tour $320,000,000 [30]
2006 U2 Vertigo Tour $333,000,000 [31]
The Rolling Stones A Bigger Bang Tour $437,000,000 [32]
2007 $558,255,524 [17]
2011 U2 360° Tour $736,421,586 [12]
2019 Ed Sheeran ÷ Tour $776,200,000 [11]
2023 Elton John Farewell Yellow Brick Road $939,100,000 [10]
Taylor Swift The Eras Tour $1,039,263,762 [5]
2024 $2,077,618,725 [8]
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Highest-grossing tours by decade

1980s

More information Rank, Actual gross ...
Top 10 highest-grossing tours of the 1980s
Rank Actual gross Adjusted gross
(in 2024 dollar)
Artist Tour title Year(s) Shows Average
gross
Ref.
1 $135,000,000 $342,446,980 Pink Floyd A Momentary Lapse of Reason Tour 1987–1989 197 $685,279 [27]
2 $125,000,000 $317,080,537 Michael Jackson Bad World Tour 1987–1989 123 $1,016,260 [26]
3 $98,000,000 $248,591,141 The Rolling Stones Steel Wheels Tour 1989 * 60 $1,633,333 [33]
4 $90,000,000 $263,121,906 Bruce Springsteen · E Street Band Born in the U.S.A. Tour 1984–1985 156 $576,923 [25]
5 $86,000,000 $238,024,019 David Bowie Glass Spider Tour 1987 86 $1,000,000 [34]
6 $75,000,000 $226,993,914 The Jacksons Victory Tour 1984 55 $1,363,636 [24]
7 $60,000,000 $166,063,269 Genesis Invisible Touch Tour 1986–1987 111 $540,541 [35]
8 $60,000,000 $159,521,666 Tina Turner Break Every Rule World Tour 1987–1988 220 $272,727 [36]
9 $56,000,000 $154,992,384 U2 The Joshua Tree Tour 1987 109 $513,761 [37]
10 $50,000,000 $172,931,918 The Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones American Tour 1981 1981 50 $1,000,000 [38]
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1990s

More information Rank, Actual gross ...
Top 10 highest-grossing tours of the 1990s
Rank Actual gross Adjusted gross
(in 2024 dollar)
Artist Tour title Year(s) Shows Average
gross
Ref.
1 $320,000,000 $660,336,318 The Rolling Stones Voodoo Lounge Tour 1994–1995 129 $2,480,620 [30]
2 $274,000,000 $528,588,403 The Rolling Stones Bridges to Babylon Tour 1997–1998 108 $2,537,037 [39]
3 $250,000,000 $530,365,963 Pink Floyd The Division Bell Tour 1994 110 $2,272,727 [29]
4 $173,610,864 $336,272,021 U2 PopMart Tour 1997–1998 93 $1,866,783 [40]
5 $165,000,000 $323,193,408 Michael Jackson HIStory World Tour 1996–1997 83 $1,987,952 [41]
6 $152,900,000 $306,546,170 Eagles Hell Freezes Over Tour 1994–1996 122 $1,274,107 [B]
7 $151,000,000 $328,679,797 U2 Zoo TV Tour 1992–1993 157 $961,783 [44]
8 $133,000,000 $251,042,149 Celine Dion Let's Talk About Love World Tour 1998–1999 97 $1,371,134 [45]
9 $130,000,000 $254,637,231 Tina Turner Wildest Dreams Tour 1996–1997 255 $509,804 [46]
10 $105,000,000 $202,561,249 Garth Brooks The Garth Brooks World Tour 1996–1998 220 $477,273 [47]
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2000s

More information Rank, Actual gross ...
Top 10 highest-grossing tours of the 2000s
Rank Actual gross Adjusted gross
(in 2024 dollar)
Artist Tour title Year(s) Shows Average
gross
Ref.
1 $558,255,524 $846,566,594 The Rolling Stones A Bigger Bang Tour 2005–2007 144 $3,876,774 [17]
2 $411,000,000 $602,379,246 Madonna Sticky & Sweet Tour 2008–2009 85 $4,835,294 [3]
3 $389,000,000 $606,744,965 U2 Vertigo Tour 2005–2006 131 $2,969,466 [48]
4 $358,825,665 $524,040,759 The Police The Police Reunion Tour 2007–2008 146 $2,457,710 [49]
5 $311,637,730 $456,749,637 U2 360° Tour 2009 * 44 $7,082,676 [C]
6 $311,000,000 $531,591,715 The Rolling Stones Licks Tour 2002–2003 117 $2,658,120 [39]
7 $279,200,000 $407,448,736 Celine Dion Taking Chances World Tour 2008–2009 129 $2,164,341 [D]
8 $264,100,000 $387,076,299 AC/DC Black Ice World Tour 2008–2009 * 127 $2,079,528 [E]
9 $250,000,000 $402,496,166 Cher Living Proof: The Farewell Tour 2002–2005 325 $769,231 [F]
10 $235,000,000 $343,201,700 Bruce Springsteen · E Street Band Magic Tour 2007–2008 104 $2,259,615 [58]
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2010s

More information Rank, Actual gross ...
Top 10 highest-grossing tours of the 2010s
Rank Actual gross Adjusted gross
(in 2024 dollar)
Artist Tour title Year(s) Shows Average
gross
Ref.
1 $776,200,000 $954,615,879 Ed Sheeran ÷ Tour 2017–2019 255 $3,043,922 [11]
2 $584,200,000 $718,483,119 Guns N' Roses Not in This Lifetime... Tour 2016–2019 158 $3,697,468 [13]
3 $523,033,675 $670,940,157 Coldplay A Head Full of Dreams Tour 2016–2017 114 $4,588,015 [19]
4 $459,000,000 $619,584,429 Roger Waters The Wall Live 2010–2013 219 $2,094,401 [20]
5 $430,000,000 $528,838,995 Metallica WorldWired Tour 2016–2019 143 $3,006,993 [22]
6 $424,783,856 $593,754,831 U2 360° Tour 2010–2011 * 66 $6,436,119 [C]
7 $415,600,000 $511,129,038 The Rolling Stones No Filter Tour 2017–2019 * 44 $9,445,455 [59]
8 $397,300,000 $488,622,634 Pink Beautiful Trauma World Tour 2018–2019 156 $2,546,795 [60]
9 $390,778,581 $501,285,204 U2 The Joshua Tree Tours 2017 & 2019 2017, 2019 66 $5,920,888 [61]
10 $367,700,000 $460,429,009 Bruno Mars 24K Magic World Tour 2017–2018 196 $1,876,020 [G]
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2020s

More information Rank, Actual gross ...
Top 10 highest-grossing tours of the 2020s (as of May 2025)
Rank Actual gross Adjusted gross
(in 2024 dollar)
Artist Tour title Year(s) Shows Average
gross
Ref.
1 $2,077,618,725 $2,077,618,725 Taylor Swift The Eras Tour 2023–2024 149 $13,943,750 [8]
2 $1,201,654,283 $1,201,654,283 Coldplay Music of the Spheres World Tour 2022–2025 184 $6,530,730 [9]
3 $630,792,517 $630,792,517 Bruce Springsteen · E Street Band 2023–2025 Tour 2023–2025 110 $5,734,477 [A]
4 $617,325,000 $637,079,939 Harry Styles Love On Tour 2021–2023 169 $3,652,663 [14]
5 $584,700,000 $584,700,000 Pink Summer Carnival 2023–2024 97 $6,027,835 [15]
6 $584,551,454 $584,551,454 Ed Sheeran +–=÷× Tour 2022–2025 103 $5,675,257 [65]
7 $579,800,000 $598,354,107 Beyoncé Renaissance World Tour 2023 56 $10,353,571 [66]
8 $471,400,000 $486,485,212 Elton John Farewell Yellow Brick Road 2020–2023 * 136 $3,466,176 [H]
9 $390,800,000 $390,800,000 Red Hot Chili Peppers Unlimited Love Tour 2022–2024 119 $3,284,034 [70]
10 $350,985,529 $362,217,373 The Weeknd After Hours til Dawn Tour 2022–2023 61 $5,753,861 [71]
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Highest-grossing tours by year

Summarize
Perspective

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.[72][73] 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.[74][75]

More information Year, Actual gross ...
Annual highest-grossing tours
Year Actual gross Adjusted gross
(in 2024 dollars)
Artist Tour title Shows Ref.
1987 $35,100,000 $97,147,012 U2 The Joshua Tree Tour 79 [76]
1988 $27,600,000 $73,379,966 Pink Floyd A Momentary Lapse of Reason Tour 35 [77]
1989 $98,000,000 $248,591,141 The Rolling Stones Steel Wheels Tour 60 [33]
1990 $74,100,000 $178,342,053 New Kids on the Block The Magic Summer Tour 152 [78]
1991 $34,700,000 $80,107,574 Grateful Dead Grateful Dead Summer Tour 76 [79]
1992 $67,000,000 $150,126,393 U2 Zoo TV Tour 73 [80]
1993 $45,600,000 $99,256,945 Grateful Dead Grateful Dead Tour 1993 81 [81]
1994 $121,200,000 $257,121,419 The Rolling Stones Voodoo Lounge Tour 60 [82]
1995 $225,668,374 $465,678,197 84 [83]
1996 $60,300,000 $120,894,271 Eagles Hell Freezes Over Tour 45 [84]
1997 $138,500,000 $271,286,588 U2 PopMart Tour 78 [85]
1998 $193,350,000 $373,002,072 The Rolling Stones Bridges to Babylon Tour 82 [86]
1999 $89,200,000 $168,368,118 No Security Tour 45 [87]
2000 $122,500,000 $223,671,981 Tina Turner Twenty Four Seven Tour 108 [88]
2001 $143,000,000 $253,938,545 U2 Elevation Tour 113 [89]
2002 $126,100,000 $220,447,530 Paul McCartney Driving World Tour 58 [90]
2003 $299,520,230 $511,969,366 The Rolling Stones Licks Tour 115 [91]
2004 $125,000,000 $208,091,085 Madonna Re-Invention World Tour 56 [92]
2005 $260,000,000 $418,596,013 U2 Vertigo Tour 90 [93]
2006 $425,100,000 $663,052,146 The Rolling Stones A Bigger Bang Tour 110 [94]
2007 $212,227,302 $321,832,094 The Police The Police Reunion Tour 66 [95]
2008 $281,600,000 $411,257,867 Madonna Sticky & Sweet Tour 58 [53]
2009 $311,637,730 $456,749,637 U2 360° Tour 44 [50]
2010 $201,100,000 $289,973,127 Bon Jovi The Circle Tour 80 [96]
2011 $293,281,487 $409,943,309 U2 360° Tour 44 [52]
2012 $305,158,363 $417,950,626 Madonna The MDNA Tour 88 [39]
2013 $259,500,000 $350,287,929 Bon Jovi Because We Can 102 [97]
2014 $290,000,000 $385,185,550 One Direction Where We Are Tour 69 [98]
2015 $250,733,097 $332,609,439 Taylor Swift The 1989 World Tour 85 [99]
2016 $268,300,000 $351,520,618 Bruce Springsteen · E Street Band The River Tour 76 [100]
2017 $316,990,940 $406,631,468 U2 The Joshua Tree Tour 2017 50 [101]
2018 $432,400,000 $541,445,481 Ed Sheeran ÷ Tour 94 [63]
2019 $215,200,000 $264,665,469 Pink Beautiful Trauma World Tour 68 [75]
2020 $87,100,000 $105,825,884 Elton John Farewell Yellow Brick Road 38 [67]
2021 $115,500,000 $134,024,254 The Rolling Stones No Filter Tour 12 [102]
2022 $342,192,313 $367,679,687 Coldplay Music of the Spheres World Tour 64 [103]
2023 $1,039,263,762 $1,072,521,110 Taylor Swift The Eras Tour 60 [5]
2024 $1,043,421,552 $1,043,421,552 80 [64]
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See also

Notes

  1. Bruce Springsteen grossed $379,496,085 from 66 shows in 2023 and $251,296,432 from 44 shows in 2024.[5][64]
  2. Eagles' Hell Freezes Over Tour grossed $79.4 million in 1994, $63.3 million in 1995, and $10.2 million in 1996.[42][43]
  3. U2's 360° Tour grossed $311,637,730 in the 2000s decade (2009)[50] and $424,783,856 in the 2010s (2010 and 2011).[51][52]
  4. Celine Dion's Taking Chances World Tour grossed $236.6 million in 2008 and $42.6 million in 2009.[53][54]
  5. Within the 2000s decade, AC/DC's Black Ice World Tour grossed $37.5 million in 2008 and $226.6 million in 2009.[55][54]
  6. Cher's Living Proof: The Farewell Tour grossed $194,683,927 from 280 reported shows according to Billboard, bringing an average gross of $695,000 per show.[56] Total gross for the tour's 325 dates is estimated between $200 million and $250 million.[57]
  7. Bruno Mars' 24K Magic World Tour grossed $200.1 million in 2017 and 167.6 million in 2018.[62][63]
  8. Within the 2020s decade, Elton John's Farewell Yellow Brick Road grossed $87.1 million in 2020,[67] $274 million in 2022,[68] and $110.3 million in 2023.[69]

References

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