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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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What are the Top 10 highest grossing tours of all time?

11 October 2023, 09:13

Taylor Swift announces The Eras Tour concert film with trailer

By Sam Prance

Here are all the highest grossing tours of all time - but do they include Beyoncé, Harry Styles and Taylor Swift?

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Every year has its fair share of iconic tours but what are the top 10 highest grossing tours ever? Did your fave make the cut?

In 2023 alone, we've seen huge artists like Beyoncé , Taylor Swift , Coldplay, Harry Styles and Ed Sheeran put on some of the biggest tours of their careers to date. How much have they grossed though and how do they compare to tours by legends like Madonna, Elton John and The Rolling Stones? Who ranks among the top 10 highest grossing tours of all time?

We've put together a full breakdown of the 10 highest grossing tours in music history. We've also included details like how many shows they did and how much they've made on average per show.

Bookmark this page and we'll update it as and when new artists enter the ranking. Is Beyoncé part of it? What about Taylor Swift? Here's what we know.

How much did Taylor Swift make on The Eras Tour?

Before we get into the top 10, it's worth mentioning that Taylor Swift is yet to reveal any data for her ongoing Eras Tour . With 146 sold out stadium dates with recording breaking attendance figures at almost every date, it seems all but certain that Taylor will enter the top 10 highest grossing tours of all time by the time that the tour ends.

10) How much did Coldplay make on the A Head Full of Dreams Tour?

Coldplay - A Head Full of Dreams Tour - $523,033,675

When Coldplay went on tour in 2016 and 2017 in support of their seventh studio album A Head Full of Dreams , they sold out stadiums all around the world. Over the course of 114 shows, the band had an average gross of $4,588,015 per show and it isn't even their highest grossing tour to date.

9) How much did The Rolling Stones make on the No Filter Tour?

The Rolling Stones - No Filter Tour - $546,500,000

With just 58 shows, The Rolling Stones' No Filter Tour truly made history when it became one of the top 10 highest grossing tours of time. The band only performed in Europe and North America between 2017 and 2021 but still grossed an amazing $546,500,000 with a huge average gross of $9,422,414 per show.

8) How much did The Rolling Stones make on the A Bigger Bang Tour?

The Rolling Stones - A Bigger Bang Tour - $558,255,524

As it stands, The Rolling Stones' highest grossing tour is their 2005-2007 A Bigger Bang Tour. Together Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Ronnie Wood and Charlie Watts performed 146 shows with an average gross of $3,876,774 per show. The tour setlist included all of The Rolling Stones biggest hits alongside tracks from their A Bigger Bang album.

7) How much did Guns N' Roses make on the Not in This Lifetime... Tour?

Guns N' Roses - Not in This Lifetime Tour - $584,200,000

Beating The Rolling Stones are Guns N' Roses with their Not in This Lifetime... Tour. Featuring many of their most beloved songs, the tour ran for 158 shows between 2016 and 2019 and it had an average gross of $3,697,468 per show.

6) How much did Beyoncé make on the Renaissance World Tour?

Beyoncé - Renaissance World Tour - $592,388,129

Beyoncé grossed a huge total of $592,388,129 across all 56 Renaissance World Tour shows. This makes it the sixth highest grossing tour ever with a record-breaking average gross of $10,578,359 per show. Beyoncé has doubled the record she set with the Formation World Tour as the highest grossing tour of all time by a Black artist.

READ MORE: Beyoncé Renaissance Tour setlist: Every song Beyoncé plays on the Renaissance World Tour

5) How much did Harry Styles make on the Love On Tour?

Harry Styles - Love On Tour - $617,300,000

Harry Styles's Love On Tour is one of the most recent additions to the highest grossing tours of all time list and it's one of the only tours on the list that started out as an arena tour before expanding to stadiums due to overwhelming demand. Between 2021 and 2023, Harry performed 169 shows with an average gross of $3,652,663 per show.

4) How much did Coldplay make on the Music of the Spheres World Tour?

Coldplay - Music of the Spheres World Tour - $617,822,656

Coldplay are currently yet to finish their Music of The Spheres World Tour so this position is far from fixed. For the moment, the band has reported data for 107 shows out of 165 with an average gross of $5,774,044. With concerts until September 2024, it's possible that it will become the first tour to gross over $1 billion but Taylor Swift may outgross them.

3) How much did U2 make with their U2 360° Tour?

U2 - U2 360° Tour - $736,421,586

U2 currently sit at number 3 on the list with their infamous U2 360° Tour. Held between 2009 and 2011, it was the highest grossing tour of all time for almost a decade. Together with his band, Bono sold out 110 shows with an average gross of $6,694,742 per show. The tour was in support of U2's 12th studio album No Line on the Horizon.

2) How much did Ed Sheeran make on the ÷ Tour?

Ed Sheeran - ÷ Tour - $776,200,000

Like Harry Styles' Love On Tour, Ed Sheeran's ÷ Tour initially took place in arenas. However, the ÷ era was so big that it was not long before Ed was selling out stadiums in North America, Europe, Asia, Oceania, South America and Africa. Over the course of three years, Ed performed 255 concerts with an average gross of $3,043,922 per show.

1) How much did Elton John make on the Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour?

Elton John - Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour - $939,100,000

In first place is Elton John's historic Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour, which ran from 2018 to 2023. The show acted as the ultimate greatest hits tour featuring all of Elton's most famous songs alongside his recent hits with Dua Lipa and Britney Spears. Over the course of the tour, Elton did 330 shows with an average gross of $2,845,758 per show.

Will Elton add another leg to the Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour? Will Taylor and Coldplay beat him? Only time will tell.

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These Are the 15 Highest Grossing Tours Ever

For those familiar with the landscape of the music business , you are likely familiar with the notion that touring is the biggest money-maker for artists, especially those signed to major labels. Well, it's true. Today, we'll be covering the highest grossing tours in the history of music.

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While this list is sure to change in the future, as of right now, these are currently the fifteen highest grossing tours ever. You might not guess who found their way to the number one spot.

15. Bruno Mars - 24K Magic World Tour

Tour Profit: $367.7M

Years Active: 2017 - 2018

Bruno Mars' 24K Magic World Tour had a very impressive run in the late 2010's. It boasted over three million attendees total, and averaged over $1.8M in gross revenue per show. Anderson .Paak opened for his future Silk Sonic partner on the European leg of this world tour.

14. U2 - Vertigo Tour

Tour Profit: $389M

Years Active: 2005 - 2006

U2's Vertigo Tour was built out to further push their album, How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb , and it succeeded, to say the least. The legendary Irish band averaged nearly three million dollars per show across 131 appearances.

13. U2 - The Joshua Tree Tours

Tour Profit: $390.7M

Years Active: 2017, 2019

Next up on our list is U2's The Joshua Tree Tours, which ran in 2017 and 2019, celebrating the 30th anniversary of their 1987 album, The Joshua Tree . They averaged almost $6M in gross revenue per show across 66 shows, not to mention over three million total attendees.

12. Pink - Beautiful Trauma World Tour

Tour Profit: $397.3M

Years Active: 2018 - 2019

The Beautiful Trauma World Tour was Pink's seventh tour, which was in support of her seventh studio album, Beautiful Trauma . Across 155 shows, Pink averaged $2.5M per show in front of three million total fans.

11. Madonna - Sticky & Sweet Tour

Tour Profit: $411M

Years Active: 2008 - 2009

In 2008 and 2009, Madonna toured the world with her Sticky & Sweet Tour. This was her 11th time leading a tour, which promoted her 8th studio album, Hard Candy . In 85 shows, Madonna averaged almost $5M per show in gross revenue and played in front of 3.5 million total fans.

10. Metallica - WorldWired Tour

Tour Profit: $416.9M

Years Active: 2016 - 2019

Metallica's WorldWired Tour ran for three years from 2016-2019, and put up some impressive numbers: 128 shows, over $3M per show on average, and over 4,000,000t total attendance.

9. AC/DC - Black Ice World Tour

Tour Profit: $441.1

Years Active: 2008 - 2010

AC/DC has made a huge impact on rock since their start in Australia, and their Black Ice Tour is nothing short of legendary: almost 5 million total attendees across 167 shows, averaging nearly $3M in gross revenue per event.

8. Roger Waters - The Wall Live

Tour Profit: $458.6M

Years Active: 2010 - 2013

Roger Waters and his The Wall Live tour had a great three-year run starting in 2010. $2M per show on average for 219 shows, with over 4 million total attendees. This one has gone down in the books for good reason.

7. Coldplay - A Head Full of Dreams Tour

Tour Profit: $523M

Years Active: 2016 - 2017

In 2016, Coldplay kicked off their A Head Full of Dreams Tour, which would prove to be a massive success. Over 5 million fans showed up throughout the tour, scoring the band a gross revenue of roughly $4.5M per show across 114 different shows worldwide.

6. The Rolling Stones - No Filter Tour

Tour Profit: $546.5M

Years Active: 2017 - 2021

In 2017, The Rolling Stones kicked off their No Filter Tour: 58 shows across the globe in front of nearly 3 million fans total. This tour helped the legendary rockers score very big - roughly $10M per show big. That's the highest average gross revenue per show that you'll find on this list. It took a lot to get to this point.

5. The Rolling Stones - A Bigger Bang Tour

Tour Profit: $558.2M

Years Active: 2005 - 2007

Before the Stones could pull in the historic numbers we mentioned in the previous spot on our list. Over a decade prior, they kicked off their A Bigger Bang Tour, which thanks to their hard work across 147 shows, pulled in over $550 million in total gross revenue.

4. Guns N' Roses - Not In This Lifetime Tour

Tour Profit: $584.2M

In 2016, Guns N' Roses began what would become the fourth-highest grossing tour of all time. 158 shows in front of over five million people for a three-year span netted them over $580 million dollars - $3.7 million per show on average.

3. U2 - U2 360 Tour

Tour Profit: $736.4M

Years Active: 2009 - 2011

With this being their third appearance on our list today, it's truly unfathomable to think about just how much revenue U2 has brought in over the course of their iconic career. In 2009, they started what would be the third-highest grossing tour ever, U2 360. In 110 shows, they drew over 7 million fans to attend, who'd end up putting nearly $7 million in the band's pocket per show.

2. Elton John - Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour

Tour Profit: $750M

Years Active: 2018 - Present

Since 2018, Elton John has been touring the world on his appropriately named final tour, The Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour. Though it's still ongoing, he's pulled in roughly $75o million in gross revenue so far in 278 shows around the world. 5 million fans per show helped score the legend almost $3 million per show.

1. Ed Sheeran - ÷ Tour

Tour Profit: $776.2M

Years Active: 2017 - 2019

At number one on our list is Ed Sheeran for his ÷ Tour. This set the record for the highest grossing tour ever, at almost $780 million in gross revenue. It brought in almost 9 million fans total, who helped Ed Sheeran bring in over $3 million per show across 255 events.

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28 of the highest-grossing concert tours of all time.

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. And after months of stay-at-home orders, fans will be even more hyped to get back to their favorite venues.

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: June 2, 2020

David Bowie's Glass Spider Tour: $86 Million

Gross adjusted for inflation: $193.9 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: $161.6 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: $159.7 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: $210 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: $260.5 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: $279.4 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: $259.5 million

Hip-hop power couple Beyoncé 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: $307.1 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.

The Rolling Stones' Voodoo Lounge Tour: $300 Million

Gross adjusted for inflation: $519.4 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.

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The Rolling Stones' Licks Tour: $311 Million

Gross adjusted for inflation: $443.3 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: $333.1 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: $354.5 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: $399.9 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: $449.1 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: $394 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: $388.3 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: $519.1 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.

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Pink's Beautiful Trauma World Tour: $397.3 Million

Gross adjusted for inflation: $410.7 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: $480.4 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: $434.4 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 will kick off in May in San Diego and run through early July, wrapping up in Atlanta.

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

Gross adjusted for inflation: $458.9 million

Metallica kicked off its WorldWired Tour in October 2016 in support of their album “Hardwired…To Self-Destruct.” The tour has continued into 2020, with the final date set for Oct. 11 in Sacramento, California. 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: $525.3 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: $543.3 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: $566.6 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: $732.9 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: $629.9 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: $880.7 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: $820.7 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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All concert gross adjusted for inflation was determined by using the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ CPI inflation calculator and adjusted for January 2020.

This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com : 28 of the Highest-Grossing Concert Tours of All Time

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Top 20 Global Concert Tours from Pollstar

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The Top 20 Global Concert Tours ranks artists by average box office gross per city and includes the average ticket price for shows Worldwide. The list is based on data provided to the trade publication Pollstar by concert promoters and venue managers. Week of April 29, 2024:

TOP 20 GLOBAL CONCERT TOURS

For free upcoming tour information, go to www.pollstar.com

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Live music revenues took a tumble

Concerts are making a comeback, most successful music tours worldwide in the first quarter of 2022, based on average gross revenue (in million u.s. dollars).

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These Are the 15 Highest Grossing Tours Ever

For those familiar with the landscape of the music business , you are likely familiar with the notion that touring is the biggest money-maker for artists, especially those signed to major labels. Well, it's true. Today, we'll be covering the highest grossing tours in the history of music.

RELATED: The Best Concert Merch from Recent History

While this list is sure to change in the future, as of right now, these are currently the fifteen highest grossing tours ever. You might not guess who found their way to the number one spot.

15. Bruno Mars - 24K Magic World Tour

Image credit: Bruno Mars

Tour Profit: $367.7M

Years Active: 2017 - 2018

Bruno Mars' 24K Magic World Tour had a very impressive run in the late 2010's. It boasted over three million attendees total, and averaged over $1.8M in gross revenue per show. Anderson .Paak opened for his future Silk Sonic partner on the European leg of this world tour.

14. U2 - Vertigo Tour

Image credit: U2

Tour Profit: $389M

Years Active: 2005 - 2006

U2's Vertigo Tour was built out to further push their album, How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb , and it succeeded, to say the least. The legendary Irish band averaged nearly three million dollars per show across 131 appearances.

13. U2 - The Joshua Tree Tours

Tour Profit: $390.7M

Years Active: 2017, 2019

Next up on our list is U2's The Joshua Tree Tours, which ran in 2017 and 2019, celebrating the 30th anniversary of their 1987 album, The Joshua Tree . They averaged almost $6M in gross revenue per show across 66 shows, not to mention over three million total attendees.

12. Pink - Beautiful Trauma World Tour

Image credit: Pink

Tour Profit: $397.3M

Years Active: 2018 - 2019

The Beautiful Trauma World Tour was Pink's seventh tour, which was in support of her seventh studio album, Beautiful Trauma . Across 155 shows, Pink averaged $2.5M per show in front of three million total fans.

11. Madonna - Sticky & Sweet Tour

Image credit: Madonna / Live Nation

Tour Profit: $411M

Years Active: 2008 - 2009

In 2008 and 2009, Madonna toured the world with her Sticky & Sweet Tour. This was her 11th time leading a tour, which promoted her 8th studio album, Hard Candy . In 85 shows, Madonna averaged almost $5M per show in gross revenue and played in front of 3.5 million total fans.

10. Metallica - WorldWired Tour

Image credit: Metallica

Tour Profit: $416.9M

Years Active: 2016 - 2019

Metallica's WorldWired Tour ran for three years from 2016-2019, and put up some impressive numbers: 128 shows, over $3M per show on average, and over 4,000,000t total attendance.

9. AC/DC - Black Ice World Tour

Image credit: AC/DC

Tour Profit: $441.1

Years Active: 2008 - 2010

AC/DC has made a huge impact on rock since their start in Australia, and their Black Ice Tour is nothing short of legendary: almost 5 million total attendees across 167 shows, averaging nearly $3M in gross revenue per event.

8. Roger Waters - The Wall Live

Image credit: Roger Waters / Live Nation

Tour Profit: $458.6M

Years Active: 2010 - 2013

Roger Waters and his The Wall Live tour had a great three-year run starting in 2010. $2M per show on average for 219 shows, with over 4 million total attendees. This one has gone down in the books for good reason.

7. Coldplay - A Head Full of Dreams Tour

Image credit: Coldplay / Atlantic Records

Tour Profit: $523M

Years Active: 2016 - 2017

In 2016, Coldplay kicked off their A Head Full of Dreams Tour, which would prove to be a massive success. Over 5 million fans showed up throughout the tour, scoring the band a gross revenue of roughly $4.5M per show across 114 different shows worldwide.

6. The Rolling Stones - No Filter Tour

Image credit: The Rolling Stones

Tour Profit: $546.5M

Years Active: 2017 - 2021

In 2017, The Rolling Stones kicked off their No Filter Tour: 58 shows across the globe in front of nearly 3 million fans total. This tour helped the legendary rockers score very big - roughly $10M per show big. That's the highest average gross revenue per show that you'll find on this list. It took a lot to get to this point.

5. The Rolling Stones - A Bigger Bang Tour

Image credit: The Rolling Stones / Ticketmaster

Tour Profit: $558.2M

Years Active: 2005 - 2007

Before the Stones could pull in the historic numbers we mentioned in the previous spot on our list. Over a decade prior, they kicked off their A Bigger Bang Tour, which thanks to their hard work across 147 shows, pulled in over $550 million in total gross revenue.

4. Guns N' Roses - Not In This Lifetime Tour

Image credit: Guns N' Roses

Tour Profit: $584.2M

In 2016, Guns N' Roses began what would become the fourth-highest grossing tour of all time. 158 shows in front of over five million people for a three-year span netted them over $580 million dollars - $3.7 million per show on average.

3. U2 - U2 360 Tour

Tour Profit: $736.4M

Years Active: 2009 - 2011

With this being their third appearance on our list today, it's truly unfathomable to think about just how much revenue U2 has brought in over the course of their iconic career. In 2009, they started what would be the third-highest grossing tour ever, U2 360. In 110 shows, they drew over 7 million fans to attend, who'd end up putting nearly $7 million in the band's pocket per show.

2. Elton John - Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour

Image credit: Elton John

Tour Profit: $750M

Years Active: 2018 - Present

Since 2018, Elton John has been touring the world on his appropriately named final tour, The Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour. Though it's still ongoing, he's pulled in roughly $75o million in gross revenue so far in 278 shows around the world. 5 million fans per show helped score the legend almost $3 million per show.

1. Ed Sheeran - ÷ Tour

Image credit: Ed Sheeran

Tour Profit: $776.2M

Years Active: 2017 - 2019

At number one on our list is Ed Sheeran for his ÷ Tour. This set the record for the highest grossing tour ever, at almost $780 million in gross revenue. It brought in almost 9 million fans total, who helped Ed Sheeran bring in over $3 million per show across 255 events.

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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!

Want more? Follow us on Google News  and across our social media channels to stay up-to-date with all things Guinness World Records! You can find us on Facebook , Twitter/X , Instagram , Threads ,  TikTok , LinkedIn , and Snapchat Discover . Don't forget to check out our videos on YouTube  and become part of our group chat by following the Guinness World Records  WhatsApp channel . Still not had enough? Click here  to buy our latest book, filled to the brim with stories about our amazing record breakers.

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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.

28/03/24 | 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.

All amounts in USD.

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10 of the Highest-Grossing Tours of All Time

by Alex Hopper May 21, 2023, 1:18 pm

It seems tours are getting bigger and bigger these days—both in length and in stature. Some tours will go on for years on end, amassing incomprehensible amounts of money.

Videos by American Songwriter

Find out which artists have had the biggest turn-out for their shows in this list of the highest-grossing tours all of time —as ranked by Forbes .

10. Love on Tour – Harry Styles ($418 million)

It seems Harry Styles may never be off the road at the rate he is going. His Love on Tour began in September of 2021 and is scheduled to continue until this July when he will wrap things up in Italy.

So far, the tour has racked up $418 million in profits.

The tour has seen Styles promote two different albums: His 2019 record Fine Line and his latest release, Harry’s House . With the release of Harry’s House , Styles updated his stage set-up and his setlist to better reflect the album’s aesthetic.

9. Black Ice World Tour – AC/DC ($442 million)

The Black Ice World Tour saw AC/DC return to the stage for the first time in eight years. The tour had a sprawling eight legs and lasted more than 20 months – length seems to be a unifying factor between these high-grossing tours.

The time AC/DC spent away from the road drummed up a significant amount of yearning for the Australian rockers, producing a turn-out of fans that summed up to $442 million.

8. The Wall Live – Roger Waters ($459 million)

Roger Waters originally called it quits with Pink Floyd around the time of The Wall Tour in 1981. The tour was a relatively small endeavor for the band back then, so it made it all the more enticing when Waters brought back the album in 2010 for a solo tour.

The tour lasted for more than three years, four continents, and amassed $459 million.

7. A Head Full of Dreams Tour – Coldplay ($524 million)

Looking to more contemporary bands, Coldplay earned the accolade of the highest-grossing tour in 2016 with the A Head Full of Dreams Tour.

The tour earned Coldplay a reputation for being a can’t-miss touring act around with grandiose stage set-ups, stadium-sized production, and killer anthems.

All in all, the tour brought in $524 million.

6. No Filter Tour – The Rolling Stones ($547 million)

The No Filter Tour is one of the smallest tours on this list, but that makes it all the more impressive that The Rolling Stones garnered $547 million in the process. The tour was made up of four quick summer treks between 2017 and 2021.

The Stones are obviously one of the biggest bands in the world so it’s no surprise they were bringing in that kind of cash, but the next stop on this list saw an even bigger turn-out for the group.

5. A Bigger Bang Tour – The Rolling Stones ($558 million)

The Rolling Stones pulled off an even bigger bang with their 2005-2007 tour. The trek was in support of their A Bigger Bang album and grossed $558 million across its duration.

The tour was so pivotal to the group’s career that they released an album’s worth of live recordings from a stop in Rio de Janeiro in 2021.

“It was amazing,” Mick Jagger told Rolling Stone of the show . “It was a really good audience. They know how to enjoy themselves on those occasions.”

The Stones have always known how to pull in an audience and their two appearances on this list only add further proof to that claim.

4. Not in This Lifetime Tour – Guns N’ Roses ($584 million)

It’s no surprise a comeback tour would make it onto this list. After all, absence makes the heart grow fonder.

Guns N’ Roses gave their comeback trek a tongue-in-cheek name: The Not in This Lifetime Tour. Luckily for all the GnR fans out there, the group shockingly did decide to reunite in their original form for this trek in 2016.

The wanting GnR fans came out in droves to the tune of $584 million.

3. U2 360° Tour – U2 ($736 million)

Coming in at No. 3 is U2’s 360° Tour. As made evident by the name, the tour features a massive stage that gave fans a 360° view of the Irish rockers. The technological innovations paired with U2’s seminal catalog made this their biggest tour to date.

Every date on the tour sold out, resulting in $736 million in revenue.

2. The ÷ (Divide) Tour – Ed Sheeran ($776 million)

Though he has now been usurped by the No. 1 tour on this list, Ed Sheeran held on to the title of the highest-grossing tour for quite some time. By the time the final curtain was drawn, Sheeran amassed a gross loot of $776 million.

That feat is made all the more impressive when you consider Sheeran’s relatively simple live show. The singer-songwriter forgoes an excess of flashy production or costume changes and instead boils live music down to its basics: a guitar, a singer, and a host of incredible songs.

1. Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour – Elton John ($853 million)

It’s hard for a trek to not become the highest-grossing tour of all time when it has been rolling on for years and it features one of rock’s most iconic performers.

Elton John kicked off his Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour back in 2018 and is slated to wrap it up this July in Stockholm. Over the year-long tour, John has grossed a whopping $853 million.

A major draw for the tour is the fact that John has announced his retirement from touring.

“I want to be with my family,” John told CBS . “I mean, I’ve been touring since I was 17 in the back of a van. I’ve had the most incredible life. I’ve been so lucky, and I’ve loved every single minute of it. But I’ve had enough of that applause, and I really want … I’ll be 76 years of age when I stop touring in 2023. I want to do something different with the rest of my life.”

Photo by Simone Joyner/Getty Images

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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.

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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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Your one-stop shop for data visualizations that explain complicated and cool stuff in digestible ways.

no love for pink floyd, huh

The Top Ten Highest-Grossing Concert Tours Of All Time, Ranked

The always excellent Twitter account StatsPanda tweeted out a fascinating chart with data from Pollstar about the highest grossing music tours of all time.

This doesn't account for inflation, so take that into consideration, but the sheer amount of buzz Taylor Swift has generated with her ongoing Eras Tour has to cement her at the top of the all-time money-making list for concert tours. People even thought she turbocharged the economy by visiting so many cities.

What's interesting is that older artists are on this list, but only for recent tours. There's no Michael Jackson or Prince at the height of their powers in the '80s or '90s, and we suspect it has to do with the price of tickets skyrocketing in the Ticket Master monopoly era .

Click to enlarge image

Taylor Swift — "Eras Tour" (2023-2024)

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

Ed Sheeran — "Divide Tour" (2017-2019)

U2 — "360° Tour" (2009-2011)

Coldplay — "Music of the Spheres World Tour" (2022-2024)

Harry Styles — "Love on Tour" (2021-2023)

Guns N' Roses — "Not in This Lifetime Tour" (2016-2019)

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

The Rolling Stones — "No Filter Tour" (2017-2021)

Coldplay — "A Head Full of Dreams Tour" (2016-2017)

[Image: YouTube ]

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I had a front row ticket to Led Zepplin in 1979 in Minneapolis. The ticket was $13.00. Guessing that same ticket today would be in the thousands. Even more on the secondary market. No idea if this means anything, but there is a difference today than in the past.

I should think that a more informative list could be made from numbers of tickets sold/attendance. The comments about using the inflation rate to adjust the monetary gross values is misleading as the ticket prices themselves have far outstripped inflation so using money as a metric for success or demand or popularity (because, ultimately, that's what everyone perceives this to be...a popularity comparison) isn't going to be accurate. Sellouts and how quickly the shows sold out compared to the number of shows for the tour overall would also be interesting to see.

Everyone calm down a bit. The chart says “highest grossing” music tours of all time. No act had ever grossed 1.4 Billion dollars until Taylor Swift came along. You can feel free to make your own chart “adjusted for inflation” … which would be very interesting, but it’s hypothetical. Economists and Accountants can’t ever completely agree on the ideal approximations and subjective strategies that can accurately predict the way a market will behave. I don’t ever listen to Taylor Swift on purpose, but many have. She’s “grossed” more money than any tour in history. Just because I don’t really like her music doesn’t make the graph and associated dollar figures from the top 10 acts any less true. I can agree that music was better in the days of Elvis, Led Zeppelin, The Moody Blues, Jimi Hendrix, etc. That’s subjective. The dollar figures are not according to pollstar.com.

There is inflation calculator all over internet where you simply input amount of $ and year when is earned and you get how much is that worth today. For example 2005-2007 rolling stones tour was $558mil in todays $$ that would be over $873mil and that's not even 20 years ago. It would be interesting to see the actual list including inflation.

Sure first off ticket prices are through the roof. If you had a band like Led Zeppelin doing the same tour they’d make more money as would Jimi Hendrix, the Beatles. It’s relative

STUPIDEST COMPARISON EVER!! Who is the idiot that comes up with these, "Comparisons", anyway? No way can you "compare" ticket sales today compared to the 70's or 80's. The Moody Blues were the first to sell out Madison Square Garden for two shows in history. So they don't "qualify" as the "Highest Grossing" of their time? You guys are a a FARCE!

Where's Garth?

If this survey comes in 20 years, Taylor Swift's tour willl probably be at number 10 or not at all. Try putting the $$ in terms of 1950 dollars. Elvis, The Beatles, etc might be in the top 10.

Where is Metallica?

Where's Waldo?

These numbers don't mean anything without allowing for inflation and the time value of money. There are quite a few tours from prior to 2009 that would be on here.

Absolutely correct. It would have been fairly simple to adjust for inflation but they didn't. This is just lazy.

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Hell yeah...the KISS Army would like to know!

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These 20 Rappers Are the Top-Grossing Hip-Hop Touring Acts of All Time

From Jay-Z to Nicki Minaj and beyond, here are the highest grossing artists, according to Billboard Boxscore.

By Eric Frankenberg

Eric Frankenberg

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Billboard Boxscore has been tracking touring data and ranking the top live acts around the world across various musical genres since the mid-1980s. We’ve already run down the biggest live artists in country and Latin music, and now it’s time to present the 20 highest grossing rappers in the Boxscore archives.

Hip-hop was still in its adolescence when Boxscore charts started in the mid-’80s. But in the nearly 40 years since, rap has exploded, becoming a (or the ) dominant force in popular music. What began in a community rec room of a Bronx apartment complex has graduated to theaters, arenas and stadiums.

This list is based on global figures reported to Billboard Boxscore as of Nov. 2. Final numbers are based on headline engagements only – no festivals – plus 50% of any co-headline grosses.

That last part is important. As in the studio, collaboration has been key on the road for the rappers on our list and beyond. From Jay-Z and Kanye West to Eminem and 50 Cent , hip-hop acts have co-headlined in various arrangements over the last few decades, using one another’s shared star power to sell out venues worldwide.

A note about eligibility for this list: We’re including rap artists who have charted on Billboard ’s Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. That means that artists who rap instead of sing, but don’t fall within the genre of hip-hop, are excluded. For acts that have straddled the line, we’ve made splits — tours supporting pop or alternative albums for Post Malone or Machine Gun Kelly don’t count toward their totals.

Nicki Minaj

Gross: $26.9 million

Attendance: 472K

Total Shows Reported: 42

First Reported Show(s): $491K at Hordern Pavilion in Sydney, Australia, on May 16, 2012

Biggest Reported Show(s): $1.4 million at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y., on July 26, 2015

Chance the Rapper

Gross: $28.1 million

Attendance: 577K

Total Shows Reported: 64

First Reported Show(s): $18K at Club Soda in Montreal, Quebec, on Nov. 3, 2013

Biggest Reported Show(s): $2.2 million at U.S. Cellular Field in Chicago on Sept. 24, 2016

$uicideboy$

Gross: $32.3 million

Attendance: 423K

Total Shows Reported: 60

First Reported Show(s): $83K at Palladium in Hollywood, Calif., on Nov. 11, 2017

Biggest Reported Show(s): $1.4 million at Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Morrison, Colo., On Oct. 31-Nov. 1, 2022

Beastie Boys

Gross: $36.1 million

Attendance: 1.2 million

Total Shows Reported: 148

First Reported Show(s): $31K at Celebrity Theatre in Phoenix, Ariz., on Feb. 10, 1987

Biggest Reported Show(s): $3.4 million at Robert F. Kenedy Memorial Stadium in Washington, D.C., on June  13-14, 1998

Gross: $44.7 million

Attendance: 838K

Total Shows Reported: 73

First Reported Show(s): $23K at Newport Music Hall in Columbus, Ohio, on May 27, 2014

Biggest Reported Show(s): $1.9 million at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Mich., on Jan. 29, 2023

Gross: $45.1 million

Attendance: 705K

Total Shows Reported: 61

First Reported Show(s): $105K at Express Live! in Columbus, Ohio, on Dec. 29, 2018

Biggest Reported Show(s): $1.7 million at American Airlines Center in Dallas on July 29, 2023

Wiz Khalifa

Gross: $45.2 million

Attendance: 2 million

Total Shows Reported: 226

First Reported Show(s): $18K at 9:30 Club in Washington, D.C., on March 28, 2010

Biggest Reported Show(s): $670K at Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Morrison, Colo., on April 22, 2023

Tyler, the Creator

Gross: $56.8 million

Attendance: 812K

Total Shows Reported: 108

First Reported Show(s): $28K at Newport Music Hall in Columbus, Ohio, on March 12, 2013

Biggest Reported Show(s): $2.9 million at Madison Square Garden in New York, N.Y., on March 13-14, 2022

Travis Scott

Gross: $65.9 million

Attendance: 910K

Total Shows Reported: 78

First Reported Show(s): $42K at The Fonda Theater in Los Angeles on Sept. 15, 2015

Biggest Reported Show(s): $3.2 million at O2 Arena in London on Aug. 6-7, 2022

Gross: $73.7 million

Attendance: 2.6 million

Total Shows Reported: 343

First Reported Show(s): $21K at Cane’s in San Diego on Dec. 9, 2000

Biggest Reported Show(s): $2.9 million at Tacoma Dome in Tacoma, Wash., on Dec. 16-17, 2022

Gross: $81.7 million

Attendance: 1.9 million

Total Shows Reported: 174

First Reported Show(s): $153K at Constant Center in Norfolk, Va., on Feb. 15, 2003

Biggest Reported Show(s): $3.1 million at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y., on Aug. 9-10, 2023

Gross: $91.7 million

Attendance: 1.4 million

Total Shows Reported: 146

First Reported Show(s): $9K at Newport Music Hall in Columbus, Ohio, on Nov. 3, 2010

Biggest Reported Show(s): $2.3 million at Staples Center in Los Angeles on Aug. 24-25, 2018

Gross: $111.7 million

Total Shows Reported: 234

First Reported Show(s): $18K at House of Blues in New Orleans on Sept. 17, 2004

Biggest Reported Show(s): $2.2 million at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Uniondale, N.Y., on March 27-28, 2011

Black Eyed Peas

Gross: $119.4 million

Total Shows Reported: 193

First Reported Show(s): $17K at Toad’s Place in New Haven, Conn., on Feb. 15, 2001

Biggest Reported Show(s): $4.8 million at O2 Arena in London on May 5-6 and 27-28, 2010

Gross: $151.7 million

Attendance: 2.3 million

Total Shows Reported: 103

First Reported Show(s): $19K at The Odeon in Cleveland on April 8, 1999

Biggest Reported Show(s): $10.4 million at Sydney Football Stadium in Sydney, Australia, on Dec. 2 and 4, 2011

Gross: $161.2 million

Total Shows Reported: 240

First Reported Show(s): $61K at House of Blues in Chicago on Feb. 11, 2004

Biggest Reported Show(s): $8.3 million at The Forum in Inglewood, Calif. on Oct. 25-27 and Nov. 1-3, 2016

Kendrick Lamar

Gross: $164.5 million

Attendance: 1.7 million

Total Shows Reported: 142

First Reported Show(s): $26K at The Regency Ballroom in San Francisco on March 27, 2012

Biggest Reported Show(s): $8.1 million at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on Sept. 14-17, 2022

Post Malone

Gross: $245.7 million

Attendance: 3.4 million

Total Shows Reported: 225

First Reported Show(s): $16K at Emo’s in Austin, Texas, on Sept. 20, 2016

Biggest Reported Show(s): $5.3 million at the O2 Arena in London on May 4 and 6-7, 2023

Gross: $430.5 million

Attendance: 7.4 million

Total Shows Reported: 402

First Reported Show(s): $205K at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit on July 27, 2001

Biggest Reported Show(s): $7.4 million at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y., on Sept. 28-Oct. 1 and Oct. 3-6, 2012

Gross: $472.9 million

Attendance: 3.9 million

Total Shows Reported: 304

First Reported Show(s): $191K at Bryce Jordan Center in University Park, Penn., on April 9, 2010

Biggest Reported Show(s): $13.5 million at the O2 Arena in London on April 1-2, 4-5, 8-9 and 11, 2019

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The World's Highest Grossing Tours of 2023

2023 was a serious year for live music . (Although more accurately, it was a huge year for several major headliners. Many smaller acts have faced a different story entirely).

According to analysts at Pollstar, total grosses for the top 100 tours that year were up 46 percent from $6.28 billion in 2022 to $9.17 billion last year. Attendance figures were also up, rising from 59 million to 70 million - an increase of 18.4 percent.

The following chart is based on data collected by Pollstar on the world’s highest grossing tours of 2023. It reveals that at the top of this list, comes Taylor Swift with her record-breaking “ Eras Tour ” - the first ever to break the $1 billion mark - which visited 60 stadiums in total. It was followed by Beyoncé’s “Renaissance Tour”, which grossed some $579,813,546 in 56 shows and Bruce Springsteen’s “Springsteen and E Street Band 2023 Tour” which grossed $379,496,085 across 66 venues.

Ticket prices for the top 8 grossing worldwide tours ranged between an average of $105.16 for an Ed Sheeran ticket to more than double that for Taylor Swift - $238.95.

This chart shows the box office gross of the highest-grossing music tours worldwide in 2023.

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)