The following is a list of concert tours that have generated the most gross income. The data and rankings come largely from reports made by trade publications Billboard and Pollstar. Billboard, which launched the boxscore ranking in 1975 through Amusement Business, has featured the ranking on its own magazine since October 3, 1981. Pollstar began reporting data on November 29, 1981, but it has relatively little information about pre-2000 tours. In the 21st century, tour revenue skyrocketed, as record sales collapsed and musicians began relying on live shows for their income.
The first tours to surpass $100 million were Michael Jackson's Bad World Tour and Pink Floyd's Momentary Lapse of Reason Tour, both running from 1987 until 1989. Tina Turner became the first female act to achieve the feat, with her Wildest Dreams Tour (1996–1997). Pollstar estimated that Taylor Swift's Eras Tour was the first to collect $1 billion in 2023, though Coldplay's Music of the Spheres World Tour became the first to officially report the number in August 2024. The Eras Tour concluded in December 2024 with $2.07 billion, becoming the first tour to reach $2 billion.
The Rolling Stones set the all-time record for touring revenue three times (1990, 1995 and 2006), more than any other act. Their Voodoo Lounge Tour remained the highest-grossing tour of all time for 11 years (1995–2006), longer than any other record-holder. They are the only musicians to achieve the highest-grossing tour of the decade twice, in the 1990s and the 2000s. The Rolling Stones and U2 have mounted the highest-grossing tour of the year eight times each, more than any other act. Some of the highest-grossing tours had extensive schedules. Inside the Top 20, Elton John's Farewell Yellow Brick Road is the longest (330 shows in five calendar years), while Bad Bunny's Debí Tirar Más Fotos World Tour is the shortest (55 shows in less than a year).
Highest-grossing tours +Keys Indicates an ongoing tour Indicates a tour with dates split between two different calendar decades
+Top 20 highest-grossing tours of all time Rank Peak Actual gross Adjusted gross Artist Tour title Year Shows Averagegross 1 1 $2,077,618,725 $ 2023–2024 149 $ 2 2 $1,524,423,018 $ Coldplay Music of the Spheres World Tour 2022–2025 223 $ 3 3 $1,070,000,000 $ After Hours til Dawn Tour 2022–2026 158 $ 4 1 $939,100,000 $ Farewell Yellow Brick Road 2018–2023 330 $ 5 4 $875,700,000 $ 2022–2025 169 $ 6 1 $776,200,000 $ 2017–2019 255 $ 7 1 $736,421,586 $ U2 360° Tour 2009–2011 110 $ 8 6 $729,700,000 $ E Street Band 2023–2025 Tour 2023–2025 129 $ 9 9 $668,400,000 $ Metallica M72 World Tour 2023–2027 86 $ 1010$637,514,422$637,514,422BTSArirang World Tour 2026–202750$12,750,288 11 4 $617,325,000 $ Love On Tour 2021–2023 169 $ 12 8 $584,700,000 $ Pink Summer Carnival 2023–2024 97 $ 13 3 $584,200,000 $ Guns N' Roses Not in This Lifetime... Tour 2016–2019 158 $3,697,468 14 7 $579,879,268 $ Beyoncé Renaissance World Tour 2023 56 $ 15 13 $563,000,000 $ Rammstein Stadium Tour 2019–2024 141 $ 16 1 $558,255,524 $ 2005–2007 144 $ 17 5 $546,500,000 $ No Filter Tour 2017–2021 58 $ 18 3 $523,033,675 $ Coldplay 2016–2017 114 $ 19 18 $479,200,000 $ Shakira Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran World Tour 2025–2026 108 $ 20 18 $477,700,000 $ 2024–2025 92 $
Timeline of the highest-grossing tour +Timeline of the highest-grossing tour Year Record gross Adjusted gross Artist Tour title 1984 $75,000,000 $ Victory Tour 1985 $90,000,000 $ E Street Band Born in the U.S.A. Tour 1989 $125,000,000 $ Bad World Tour $135,000,000 $ Pink Floyd 1990 $175,000,000 $ Steel Wheels/Urban Jungle Tour 1994 $250,000,000 $ Pink Floyd 1995 $320,000,000 $ Voodoo Lounge Tour 2006 $333,000,000 $ U2 Vertigo Tour $437,000,000 $ 2007 $558,255,524 $ 2011 $736,421,586 $ U2 360° Tour 2019 $776,200,000 $ 2023 $939,100,000 $ Farewell Yellow Brick Road $1,039,263,762 $ 2024 $2,077,618,725 $
Highest-grossing tours by decade 1980s
+Top 10 highest-grossing tours of the 1980s Rank Actual gross Adjusted gross Artist Tour title Year Shows Averagegross 1 $135,000,000 $ Pink Floyd 1987–1989 197 $ 2 $125,000,000 $ Bad World Tour 1987–1989 123 $ 3 $98,000,000 $ Steel Wheels Tour 1989 60 $ 4 $90,000,000 $ E Street Band Born in the U.S.A. Tour 1984–1985 156 $ 5 $86,000,000 $ Glass Spider Tour 1987 86 $ 6 $75,000,000 $ Victory Tour 1984 55 $ 7 $60,000,000 $ Genesis Invisible Touch Tour 1986–1987 111 $ 8 $60,000,000 $ Break Every Rule World Tour 1987–1988 220 $ 9 $56,000,000 $ U2 1987 109 $ 10 $50,000,000 $ American Tour 1981 1981 50 $
1990s
+Top 10 highest-grossing tours of the 1990s Rank Actual gross Adjusted gross Artist Tour title Year Shows Averagegross 1 $320,000,000 $ Voodoo Lounge Tour 1994–1995 129 $ 2 $274,000,000 $ Bridges to Babylon Tour 1997–1998 108 $ 3 $250,000,000 $ Pink Floyd 1994 110 $ 4 $173,610,864 $ U2 PopMart Tour 1997–1998 93 $ 5 $165,000,000 $ HIStory World Tour 1996–1997 83 $ 6 $152,900,000 $ Eagles Hell Freezes Over Tour 1994–1996 122 $ 7 $151,000,000 $ U2 Zoo TV Tour 1992–1993 157 $ 8 $133,000,000 $ Let's Talk About Love World Tour 1998–1999 97 $ 9 $130,000,000 $ Wildest Dreams Tour 1996–1997 255 $ 10 $105,000,000 $ 1996–1998 220 $
2000s
+Top 10 highest-grossing tours of the 2000s Rank Actual gross Adjusted gross Artist Tour title Year Shows Averagegross 1 $558,255,524 $ 2005–2007 144 $ 2 $411,000,000 $ Madonna Sticky & Sweet Tour 2008–2009 85 $ 3 $389,000,000 $ U2 Vertigo Tour 2005–2006 131 $ 4 $358,825,665 $ Reunion Tour 2007–2008 146 $ 5 $311,637,730 $ U2 360° Tour 2009 44 $ 6 $311,000,000 $ Licks Tour 2002–2003 117 $ 7 $279,200,000 $ Taking Chances World Tour 2008–2009 129 $ 8 $264,100,000 $ AC/DC Black Ice World Tour 2008–2009 127 $ 9 $250,000,000 $ Cher Living Proof: The Farewell Tour 2002–2005 325 $ 10 $235,000,000 $ E Street Band Magic Tour 2007–2008 104 $
2010s
+Top 10 highest-grossing tours of the 2010s Rank Actual gross Adjusted gross Artist Tour title Year Shows Averagegross 1 $776,200,000 $ 2017–2019 255 $ 2 $584,200,000 $ Guns N' Roses Not in This Lifetime... Tour 2016–2019 158 $ 3 $523,033,675 $ Coldplay 2016–2017 114 $ 4 $459,000,000 $ 2010–2013 219 $ 5 $430,000,000 $ Metallica WorldWired Tour 2016–2019 143 $ 6 $424,783,856 $ U2 360° Tour 2010–2011 66 $ 7 $415,600,000 $ No Filter Tour 2017–2019 44 $ 8 $397,300,000 $ Pink Beautiful Trauma World Tour 2018–2019 156 $ 9 $396,100,000 $ 24K Magic World Tour 2017–2018 191 $ 10 $390,778,581 $ U2 20172019 66 $
2020s
+Top 10 highest-grossing tours of the 2020s Rank Actual gross Adjusted gross Artist Tour title Year Shows Averagegross 1 $2,077,618,725 $ 2023–2024 149 $ 2 $1,524,423,018 $ Coldplay Music of the Spheres World Tour 2022–2025 223 $ 3 $1,070,000,000 $ After Hours til Dawn Tour 2022–2026 158 $ 4 $875,700,000 $ 2022–2025 169 $ 5 $729,700,000 $ E Street Band 2023–2025 Tour 2023–2025 129 $ 6 $668,400,000 $ Metallica M72 World Tour 2023–2026 86 $ 7$637,514,422$637,514,422BTSArirang World Tour †2026–202750$12,750,288 8 $617,325,000 $ Love On Tour 2021–2023 169 $ 9 $599,644,374 $ Farewell Yellow Brick Road 2020–2023 170 $ 10 $584,700,000 $ Pink Summer Carnival 2023–2024 97 $
Highest-grossing tours by year
This list represents the top-grossing tour of each year according to data provided by either Pollstar or Billboard Boxscore (formerly Amusement Business). The two publications may differ on their annual figures due to different total of dates reported or different year-end tracking period. For example, Pollstar listed Madonna's Sticky & Sweet Tour as the top tour of 2008 with $281.6 million, but Billboard ranked it third on their year-end chart whose tracking period ended on November 11, 2008, thus excluding 20 shows by Madonna. In 2019, Billboard listed Ed Sheeran's ÷ Tour as the top tour of the year ($223.7 million), instead of Pink's Beautiful Trauma World Tour ($215.2 million) as reported by Pollstar. However, Billboards figure included Sheeran's gross from November 2018 shows; therefore, Pollstars figure is closer to accurate for the 2019 calendar year.
+Highest-grossing tours annually Year Actual gross Adjusted gross Artist Tour title Shows Averagegross 1987 $35,100,000 $ U2 79 $ 1988 $27,600,000 $ Pink Floyd 35 $ 1989 $98,000,000 $ Steel Wheels Tour 60 $ 1990 $74,100,000 $ New Kids on the Block 152 $ 1991 $34,700,000 $ Grateful Dead Summer Tour 76 $ 1992 $67,000,000 $ U2 Zoo TV Tour 73 $ 1993 $45,600,000 $ Grateful Dead Grateful Dead Tour 1993 81 $ 1994 $121,200,000 $ Voodoo Lounge Tour 60 $ 1995 $225,668,374 $ 84 $ 1996 $60,300,000 $ Eagles Hell Freezes Over Tour 45 $ 1997 $138,500,000 $ U2 PopMart Tour 78 $ 1998 $193,350,000 $ Bridges to Babylon Tour 82 $ 1999 $89,200,000 $ No Security Tour 45 $ 2000 $122,500,000 $ Twenty Four Seven Tour 108 $ 2001 $143,000,000 $ U2 Elevation Tour 113 $ 2002 $126,100,000 $ Driving World Tour 58 $ 2003 $299,520,230 $ Licks Tour 115 $ 2004 $125,000,000 $ Madonna Re-Invention World Tour 56 $ 2005 $260,000,000 $ U2 Vertigo Tour 90 $ 2006 $425,100,000 $ 110 $ 2007 $212,227,302 $ Reunion Tour 66 $ 2008 $281,600,000 $ Madonna Sticky & Sweet Tour 58 $ 2009 $311,637,730 $ U2 360° Tour 44 $ 2010 $201,100,000 $ Bon Jovi 80 $ 2011 $293,281,487 $ U2 360° Tour 44 $ 2012 $305,158,363 $ Madonna 88 $ 2013 $259,500,000 $ Bon Jovi Because We Can 102 $ 2014 $290,000,000 $ One Direction Where We Are Tour 69 $ 2015 $250,733,097 $ 85 $ 2016 $268,300,000 $ E Street Band 76 $ 2017 $316,990,940 $ U2 50 $ 2018 $432,400,000 $ 94 $ 2019 $215,200,000 $ Pink Beautiful Trauma World Tour 68 $ 2020 $87,100,000 $ Farewell Yellow Brick Road 38 $ 2021 $115,500,000 $ No Filter Tour 12 $ 2022 $342,192,313 $ Coldplay Music of the Spheres World Tour 64 $ 2023 $1,039,263,762 $ 60 $ 2024 $1,043,421,552 $ 80 $ 2025 $407,600,113 $ Beyoncé Cowboy Carter Tour 32 $ 2026$637,514,422$637,514,422BTSARIRANG World Tour †50$12,750,288
See also List of highest-grossing live music artists List of highest-grossing concert tours by Latin artists List of highest-grossing concert tours by women List of highest-grossing benefit concerts List of most-attended concert series at a single venue List of most-attended concerts
Notes
References