With dates still left to play, U2’s Vertigo tour is easily the top-grossing concert tour of 2005. As reported to Billboard Boxscore through Nov. 15, the Irish band brought in upwards of $260 million from more than 3 million concertgoers, including 90 sellouts.
As for the rest of the top 10, it’s mostly about aging white rockers. The Eagles quietly put together one of the biggest tours in the band’s history, much of it within its home state of California. They took in almost $117 million from 77 shows.
Neil Diamond also posted some career-milestone numbers: $71 million and attendance of more than 1 million. Rod Stewart grossed nearly $49 million; Elton John raked in more than $45 million from touring dates and an additional $30.6 million from his residency at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. Jimmy Buffett margarita-ed his way to $41 million.
On to the relative youngsters: country superstar Kenny Chesney snagged $63 million, while rockers Green Day, riding the heels of their Grammy-winning “American Idiot,” cracked the top 10 for the first time, grossing $36.5 million from 76 shows.
The rest of the best include Toby Keith ($32 million) Rascal Flatts ($26 million) and the Dave Matthews Band ($45 million).
Comments are no longer available on this story