List of highest-grossing concert tours

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The 360 Tour by U2 is the highest-grossing concert tour of all time

This is an incomplete list of the highest-grossing concert tours. Only tours using reliable references and having grossed over $100 million (adjusted for inflation) have been added to the list. Some of the gross may be higher than reported on this list because not all concerts are reported. Billboard and Pollstar regularly provide the official figure of concerts' gross revenue worldwide.

Tours that span multiple decades are included in the decade that they concluded.

In bold, the tours which, when completed, became the highest-grossing of all time.

Highest-grossing tours of all time[edit]

This list represents the top 20 grossing tours (by actual gross, not adjusted for inflation) of all time.

Rank Actual gross Inflation
(adjusted 2017 gross)
Artist Tour name Year(s) Shows Attendance Average
gross (millions)
Average
attendance
Ref.
1 $736,421,584 $784,027,536 U2 U2 360 Tour 200911 110 7,272,046 6.7 66,110 [1]
2 $558,255,524 $644,802,601 The Rolling Stones A Bigger Bang Tour 200507 144 4,680,000 3.8 32,500 [1]
3 $458,673,798 $471,582,189 Roger Waters The Wall Live 201013 219 4,129,863 2.09 18,858 [2]
4 $441,121,000 $484,472,430 AC/DC Black Ice World Tour 200810 167 4,846,965 2.6 29,023 [3][4][5]
5 $430,380,000 $430,380,000 Guns N' Roses Not in This Lifetime... Tour 2016present 98 3,988,463 4.39 40,699 [6][7][8]
6 $413,637,518 $413,673,518 Coldplay A Head Full of Dreams Tour 201617 88 4,370,956 4.02 44,607 [9]
7 $408,000,000 $455,463,937 Madonna Sticky & Sweet Tour 200809 85 3,545,899 4.79 41,716 [10]
8 $389,047,636 $462,194,757 U2 Vertigo Tour 200506 131 4,619,021 2.96 35,259 [11]
9 $362,000,000 $402,676,043 The Police The Police Reunion Tour 200708 156 3,300,912 2.3 21,160 [12]
10 $355,600,000 $396,968,078 Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band Wrecking Ball World Tour 201213 136 3,650,535 2.8 18,744 [13][14]
11 $320,000,000 $502,956,978 The Rolling Stones Voodoo Lounge Tour 199495 124 6,336,776 2.6 51,103 [15]
12 $316,000,339 $316,000,339 U2 The Joshua Tree Tour 2017 2017 51 2,713,136 6.3 53,198 [16]
13 $311,000,000 $404,896,346 The Rolling Stones Licks Tour 200203 115 3,470,945 2.6 30,182 [17]
14 $310,900,000 $310,900,000 Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood The Garth Brooks World Tour with Trisha Yearwood 2014present 333 4,743,727 0.96 14,669 [18][19][20][7]
15 $306,500,000 $306,500,000 Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band The River Tour 2016 201617 89 2,667,775 4.0 29,020 [6][7]
16 $305,158,363 $318,339,577 Madonna The MDNA Tour 2012 88 2,212,345 3.47 25,140 [17]
17 $290,178,452 $293,564,003 One Direction Where We Are Tour 2014 69 3,439,560 4.2 49,848 [21]
18 $279,200,000 $416,542,786 Celine Dion Taking Chances World Tour 200809 132 2,200,000 2.1 21,667 [22][23]
[24]
19 $275,700,000 $278,564,215 Paul McCartney Out There! Tour 201315 84 1,958,754 3.28 23,319 [14][18]
[19]
20 $274,000,000 $402,608,820 The Rolling Stones Bridges to Babylon Tour 199798 108 [17]
21 $259,500,000 $266,803,071 Bon Jovi Because We Can 2013 102 2,657,502 2.67 27,397 [14]

Highest-grossing tours by decade[edit]

1980s[edit]

Rank Actual gross Inflation
(adjusted 2017 gross)
Artist Tour name Year(s) Shows Attendance Average
gross (millions)
Average
attendance
Ref.
1 $135,000,000 $260,830,872 Pink Floyd A Momentary Lapse of Reason Tour 198790 199 4,250,000 0.68 21,250 [25][26]
2 $125,738,964 $254,626,709 Michael Jackson Bad 198789 123 4,498,300 1.02 36,571 [27][28]
3 $98,000,000 $189,343,893 The Rolling Stones Steel Wheels Tour 198990 115 3,253,563 0.85 28,291 [29][30]
4 $86,000,000 $181,295,255 David Bowie Glass Spider Tour 1987 86 3,000,000 1.0 34,884 [31][32]
5 $85,000,000 $189,277,537 Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band Born in the U.S.A. Tour 198485 156 0.55 [33]
6 $75,000,000 $172,893,978 The Jacksons Victory Tour 1984 55 2,750,000 1.36 50,000 [34]
7 $56,278,095 $118,638,972 U2 The Joshua Tree Tour 1987 109 3,176,952 0.5 29,146 [35]

1990s[edit]

Rank Actual gross Inflation
(adjusted 2017 gross)
Artist Tour name Year(s) Shows Attendance Average
gross (millions)
Average
attendance
Ref.
1 $320,000,000 $502,956,978 The Rolling Stones Voodoo Lounge Tour 199495 124 6,336,776 2.6 51,103 [15]
2 $274,000,000 $402,608,820 The Rolling Stones Bridges to Babylon Tour 199798 108 [17]
3 $250,000,000 $403,962,730 Pink Floyd The Division Bell Tour 1994 120 6,000,000 2.3 45,000 [36]
4 $171,677,027 $256,127,604 U2 PopMart Tour 199798 93 3,936,841 1.8 42,332 [35]
5 $165,000,000 $246,166,045 Michael Jackson HIStory World Tour 199697 83 4,500,000 2.01 54,878 [37]
6 $151,000,000 $250,344,851 U2 Zoo TV Tour 199293 157 5,350,554 0.96 34,080 [35][38]
7 $142,700,000[a] $224,287,377 Eagles Hell Freezes Over Tour 199495 [39][40]
8 $133,000,000 $180,000,000 Cline Dion Let's Talk About Love World Tour 199899 97 2,300,000 [41]
9 $105,000,000 $154,284,402 Garth Brooks The Garth Brooks World Tour 199698 220 5,500,000 0.49 25,346 [42][43]
10 $80,000,000 $110,000,000 Cline Dion Falling into You: Around the World 199697 148 2,200,000 [44]
11 $74,000,000 $135,654,101 New Kids on the Block The Magic Summer Tour 1990 3,291,987 [30]
12 $70,000,000 $116,053,905 Madonna The Girlie Show 1993 39 1.79 [45]
13 $65,000,000 $119,155,629 Janet Jackson Rhythm Nation World Tour 1990 1990 117 2,000,000 [46][47]
14 $62,700,000 $114,939,353 Madonna Blond Ambition World Tour 1990 57 1.1 [48]

2000s[edit]

Rank Actual gross Inflation
(adjusted
2017 gross)
Artist Tour name Year(s) Shows Attendance Average
gross (millions)
Average
attendance
Ref.
1 $558,255,524 $644,802,601 The Rolling Stones A Bigger Bang Tour 200507 144 4,680,000 3.8 32,500 [1]
2 $408,000,000 $455,463,937 Madonna Sticky & Sweet Tour 200809 85 3,545,899 4.79 41,716 [10]
3 $389,047,636 $462,194,757 U2 Vertigo Tour 200506 131 4,619,021 2.96 35,259 [11]
4 $362,000,000 $402,676,043 The Police The Police Reunion Tour 200708 156 3,300,912 2.3 21,160 [12]
5 $311,000,000 $404,896,346 The Rolling Stones Licks Tour 200203 115 3,470,945 2.6 30,182 [17]
6 $279,200,000 $310,572,241 Celine Dion Taking Chances World Tour 200809 132 2,600,000 2.1 19,697 [3][4][24]
7 $250,000,000 $306,568,410 Cher Living Proof: The Farewell Tour 200205 326 3,500,000 0.6 10,800 [49]
8 $235,000,000 $261,405,719 Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band Magic Tour 200708 100 2,198,353 2.4 21,983 [50]
9 $221,500,000 $288,374,729 Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band The Rising Tour 200203 120 3,232,384 1.8 31,081 [51]
10 $210,650,974 $234,320,720 Bon Jovi Lost Highway Tour 200708 99 2,157,675 2.1 21,794 [50]
11 $194,754,447 $231,371,369 Madonna Confessions Tour 2006 60 1,210,294 3.2 20,171 [52]
12 $167,000,000 $186,427,641 Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band Working on a Dream Tour 2009 80 1,831,770 2.1 22,897 [4]
13 $142,844,463 $193,206,465 U2 Elevation Tour 2001 112 2,162,282 1.3 19,306 [53]
14 $141,000,000 $162,859,413 Tim McGraw and Faith Hill Soul2Soul II Tour 200607 117 1,673,667 1.2 14,304 [54]
15 $132,500,000 $147,914,146 Tina Turner Tina!: 50th Anniversary Tour 200809 90 1,176,199 1.47 13,068 [3][4]
16 $131,800,000 $147,132,713 Britney Spears The Circus Starring Britney Spears 2009 97 1,500,000 1.4 15,488 [4]
17 $131,388,461 $156,091,574 Bon Jovi Have a Nice Day Tour 200506 89 1,823,834 1.7 23,382 [55]
18 $129,059,653 $149,067,938 Genesis Turn It On Again: The Tour 2007 46 1,262,393 2.8 27,443 [56][57]
19 $126,800,000 $146,457,968 Justin Timberlake FutureSex/LoveShow 2007 119 1,600,000 1 13,445 [58]
20 $126,165,542 $167,995,080 Paul McCartney Driving World Tour 2002 58 988,077 2.2 17,036 [59][60]

2010s[edit]

Rank Actual gross Inflation
(adjusted 2017 gross)
Artist Tour name Year(s) Shows Attendance Average
gross (millions)
Average
attendance
Ref.
1 $736,421,584 $784,027,536 U2 U2 360 Tour 200911 110 7,272,046 6.7 66,110 [1]
2 $458,673,798 $471,582,189 Roger Waters The Wall 201013 219 4,129,863 2.09 18,858 [2]
3 $441,121,000 $484,472,430 AC/DC Black Ice World Tour 200810 167 4,846,965 2.6 29,023 [3][4][5]
4 $430,380,000 $430,380,000 Guns N' Roses Not in This Lifetime... Tour 201617 98 3,988,463 4.39 40,699 [6][7][61]
5 $413,637,518 $413,673,518 Coldplay A Head Full of Dreams Tour 201617 88 4,370,956 4.02 44,607 [62]
6 $355,600,000 $365,607,600 Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band Wrecking Ball World Tour 201213 127 3,650,535 2.8 28,744 [13][14]
7 $316,000,000 $316,000,000 U2 The Joshua Tree Tour 2017 2017 51 2,713,136 0.6 53,198 [16]
8 $310,900,000 $310,900,000 Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood The Garth Brooks World Tour with Trisha Yearwood 201417 333 4,743,727 0.96 14,669 [18][19][20][7]
9 $306,500,000 $306,500,000 Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band The River Tour 2016 201617 89 2,667,775 4.0 29,020 [19][20]
10 $305,158,363 $318,339,577 Madonna The MDNA Tour 2012 88 2,212,345 3.47 25,140 [17]
11 $290,178,452 $293,564,003 One Direction Where We Are Tour 2014 69 3,449,560 4.2 49,848 [21]
12 $275,700,000 $278,564,215 Paul McCartney Out There! Tour 201315 84 1,958,754 3.28 23,319 [14][18][19]
13 $259,500,000 $266,803,071 Bon Jovi Because We Can 2013 102 2,657,502 2.67 27,397 [14]
14 $256,500,000 $256,500,000 Justin Bieber Purpose World Tour 201617 149 2,757,368 1.8 20,484 [6][7]
15 $256,084,556 $256,084,556 Beyonc The Formation World Tour 2016 49 2,242,099 5.2 45,757 [63]
16 $251,112,882 $275,791,151 Eagles Long Road Out of Eden Tour 200811 155 2,001,773 1.6 12,915 [3][4][5][64]
17 $250,733,097 $253,337,933 Taylor Swift The 1989 World Tour 2015 85 2,278,647 3.02 33,477 [65]
18 $243,100,000 $243,100,000 Billy Joel Billy Joel in Concert 201417 105 2,065,755 2.2 22,205 [18][19][6][7]
19 $231,700,000 $234,403,275 Justin Timberlake The 20/20 Experience World Tour 201315 134 1,986,386 1.81 15,765 [66][67]
20 $229,727,960 $232,408,227 Beyonc The Mrs. Carter Show World Tour 201314 132 2,082,848 1.7 15,779 [14][18]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ Figure for Hell Freezes Over Tour only includes North American dates. Official data for the rest of the world tour is unavailable.

References[edit]

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  51. ^ Total gross for The Rising Tour
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  67. ^ Billboard boxscore: