Classic rockers continue to dominate the concert business with 10 acts among the Top 20 of 2015’s biggest tours on Pollstar‘s annual year end list, with AC/DC, U2 and Foo Fighters earning spots in the top five.
AC/DC may have placed second to Taylor Swift in earnings, but the hard rock band did have a slight edge on the pop star when it came to turnout – 2,310,061 tickets versus Swift’s 2,273,328. U2, Foo Fighters and Fleetwood Mac placed just after English-Irish boy band One Direction. Other classic rock biggies who made the cut were the Rolling Stones, Madonna, Paul McCartney, Elton John, Billy Joel and Neil Diamond.
It was a big year for AC/DC on the 2015 touring circuit. Not only did they kick off the 57th annual Grammy Awards and headline Coachella, but they played 28 shows in Europe, 14 shows in North America and 11 shows in Australia and New Zealand. The trend will continue this year as the band embarks on a two-month U.S. tour beginning February 2nd and running through April 4th followed by European dates in May and June as part of their ongoing “Rock or Bust” world tour. Click here for a complete list of tour dates.
Meanwhile, the Foo Fighters brought a whole other meaning to the phrase, “The show must go on,” carrying on their mid-October U.S. tour despite Dave Grohl breaking his leg at a previous concert in Sweden. Grohl performed atop a specially designed throne festooned with stage lights and equipped with a support to keep his lower right leg encased in a cast.
The Stones earned 10th place on the list, but led in one category: highest average ticket price ($174.50). On the heels of a flurry of activity – the English rock band’s North American “Zip Code” tour, the release of guitarist Keith Richards’ first solo LP in 23 years, Crosseyed Heart, and the premiere of the Morgan Neville-directed documentary, Keith Richards: Under the Influence – the Stones announced that they’ll be touring Latin America for the first time in 10 years with a stadium tour that kicks off in Santiago, Chile on February 3rd. The band will make stops from Buenos Aires to Rio to Mexico City with dates in Peru, Colombia, Uruguay and the Brazilian city of Porto Alegre for the very first time.
Click here for more details about Pollstar‘s list of top 20 tours.
Pollstar’s 2015 Year End Top 20 Worldwide Tours:
1. Taylor Swift
2. AC/DC
3. One Direction
4. U2
5. Foo Fighters
6. Fleetwood Mac
7. Ed Sheeran
8. Kenny Chesney
9. Garth Brooks
10. The Rolling Stones
11. Madonna
12. Kevin Hart
13. Paul McCartney
14. Elton John
15. Violetta
16. Maroon 5
17. Luke Bryan
18. Billy Joel
19. Shania Twain
20. Neil Diamond
