Concert tour sales between October and March saw a significant spike compared to the same period a year earlier, according to Billboard. The top 10 tours providing data—including U2, Pink, and Madonna—surpassed $1.5 billion in total combined gross, with U2’s Las Vegas residency leading the way. The Sphere venue in Las Vegas also topped Billboard’s tour gross ranking of large venues with a capacity greater than 15,000.
Notably absent from Billboard’s midyear report was Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour, as Swift did not report data to Billboard Boxscore. The Eras Tour, which is already the highest-grossing tour of all time and surpassed $1 billion in total gross, helped push Swift into the billionaire ranks last year. Last year was a blockbuster year for concert tours overall, with the top 100 global tours surpassing $9 billion in total gross.
Rock and pop acts dominated Billboard’s gross breakdown by genre, with country also seeing an uptick in both streams and tour gross in 2023. The combined gross of the top 10 tours in Billboard’s report is up 83% from last year’s sum, with eight tours surpassing $100 million in gross so far this year. The winter months are typically slower for concertgoing, but this year’s total gross was described as “unprecedented” and exceeded industry expectations.
Looking ahead, it remains to be seen if 2024 can challenge 2023 as the highest-grossing year for touring. Swift’s Eras Tour is ongoing, with dates planned through the end of the year. Other high-grossing artists touring this year include Bad Bunny, Morgan Wallen, the Rolling Stones, and Nicki Minaj. The music industry will be closely watching to see how the rest of the year unfolds in terms of concert tour sales and grosses.
For more information, you can read the full article on Billboard, titled “U2 & Sphere Dominate Billboard Boxscore’s Midyear Recap as Top 10 Tours Gross a Staggering $1.5B.” Additional insights on Swift’s Eras Tour and the historic golden age of touring in 2023 can be found in articles from Forbes and Pollstar.
