Taylor Swift, Beyoncé lead highest-grossing tours of 2023

The highest-grossing tours of 2023 have been revealed, with Taylor Swift and Beyoncé in the first and second spots.

Swift this year performed 66 shows in the US, Mexico and South America on The Eras Tour, generating more than US$900 million in ticket sales, according to estimates from Billboard.

While no official numbers have been reported yet, Swift’s tour should pass Elton John’s Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour ($939.1m) as the highest-grossing concert tour of all time.

Moreover, this year’s gross for The Eras Tour is expected to nearly double in 2024, becoming the first concert tour in history to gross more than US$1 billion.

Beyoncé meanwhile grossed $579.8m and sold 2.8 million tickets on her Rennaisance World Tour between 10 May and 1 October, according to figures reported to Billboard Boxscore.

Beyoncé and Swift are the only two women and only American solo artists in the top 10 tours in Boxscore history

During Billboard‘s tracking period of 1 November 2022 and 30 September 2023, the Renaissance World Tour earned $570.5m and sold 2.7 million tickets, plus another $9.3m and 53,200 tickets in Kansas City on 1 October.

That makes it the biggest one-year sum for an artist in Boxscore history, dating back to the mid-1980s. Both Bad Bunny and Ed Sheeran grossed more than $434m in 2022 and 2018, respectively.

The Renaissance World Tour is the seventh highest-grossing tour in the Boxscore archives. Swift joins her as the only two women and only American solo artists in the top 10. Beyoncé is also the only Black artist on the all-time ranking.

Beyoncé and Swift lead a touring boom in 2023, with more tours than ever grossing above $300m (three), $200m (seven) or $100m (17).

Also in the top 10 highest-grossing tours for 2023 is Coldplay ($342.5m for 55 shows), Harry Styles ($338.2m for 69) and Morgan Wallen ($260.4m for 44).

In the bottom half of the top 10 is Ed Sheeran ($256.9M for 46), P!nk ($226.6m for 37 shows), Elton John ($210m for 65), The Weeknd ($192.5m for 35) and Depeche Mode ($175.2m for 47).

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Beyoncé scores top-grossing European gigs of ’23

Beyoncé’s multi-night stand at London’s Tottenham Hotspur Stadium has been crowned as the highest-grossing European concert run of 2023.

According to Pollstar, the singer’s five-show residency from 29 May to 4 June grossed $38,986,169 from 240,330 ticket sales to head this year’s pack. General ticket prices ranged from £50-200.

The UK concerts edged out Harry Styles, who finishes a close second on the list after his four Wembley Stadium dates, held from 13-17 June, generated $37,341,665. More tickets (335,394) were sold for Styles’ gigs, but at lower prices (£46.25-140.25).

Coldplay’s Music of the Spheres Tour occupies the No.3 to No.6 slots with the band’s four concerts at each of Johan Cruyff Arena in Amsterdam, Netherlands ($30,322,573); Milan’s San Siro Stadium in Italy ($29,439,180); Barcelona’s Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys ($27,262,896) and Ullevi Stadium in Gothenburg, Sweden ($26,242,821) from May to July. The top 6 engagements were all promoted by Live Nation.

Beyoncé’s record-breaking Renaissance World Tour officially wrapped at the start of this month

Elton John’s nine-date Farewell Yellow Brick Road residency at The O2 in London, promoted by AEG Presents/Marshall Arts between 2-17 April checks in at No.7, having earned $25,263,019.

Coldplay feature again at No.8 and No.9 with their four-show stops at Manchester UK’s Etihad Stadium ($24,164,085) – staged by SJM/Live Nation/Metropolis – and Coimbra Stadium in Portugal ($21,473,885) – presented by Live Nation – respectively, with the top 10 rounded off by FKP Scorpio’s Hurricane Festival in Germany ($20,065,948). The top 25 can be viewed in full here.

Beyoncé’s Renaissance World Tour officially wrapped at the start of this month after earning more than $579 million worldwide at the box office. The 56-date 2023 tour saw the star perform for over 2.7 million fans around the globe and set numerous records, including overtaking Madonna’s 2008/09 Sticky & Sweet trek to become the highest-grossing tour by a female artist ever.

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