7 Rock Tours That are Among the Highest-Grossing Tours of All Time
The concert industry is now back in full swing after a hiatus due to the coronavirus pandemic. With that in mind, Billboard Boxscore has gone through its data archives to…
The concert industry is now back in full swing after a hiatus due to the coronavirus pandemic. With that in mind, Billboard Boxscore has gone through its data archives to see which are the highest-grossing tours of all time. Unsurprisingly, the top ten is dominated by some of the biggest acts in rock history.
Among the top ten are the likes of AC/DC, Guns N' Roses, Elton John, The Rolling Stones, Roger Waters and U2. Also among the top ten are pop superstars Harry Styles, Ed Sheeran and Coldplay.
To see the breakdown of rock acts on the list, keep scrolling.
To see this list in its entirety, head over to Billboard.com.
AC/DC: Black Ice World Tour ($442 million)
Kevin Mazur/Getty ImagesAC/DC's "Black Ice World Tour" ran from 2008-2010. It included 107 shows and sold 2.8 million tickets. It's the ninth highest-grossing tour of all time.
Roger Waters: The Wall Live ($459 million)
Kevin Winter/Getty ImagesAC/DC's "The Wall Live" tour ran from 2010-2013. It included 219 shows and sold 4.1 million tickets. It's the eighth highest-grossing tour of all time.
The Rolling Stones: No Filter Tour ($547 million)
Chris McGrath/Getty ImagesThe Rolling Stones's "No Filter" tour ran from 2017-2019 and in 2021 following a break due to the coronavirus pandemic. It included 58 shows and sold 2.9 million tickets. It's the sixth highest-grossing tour of all time.
The Rolling Stones: A Bigger Bang Tour ($558 million)
Scott Gries/Getty ImagesThe Rolling Stones's "A Bigger Bang" tour ran from 2005-2007. It included 111 shows and sold 3.5 million tickets. It's the fifth highest-grossing tour of all time.
Guns N' Roses: Not in This Lifetime... Tour ($584 million)
Kevin Winter/Getty Images for CoachellaGuns N' Roses's "Not in This Lifetime..." tour ran from 2016-2019. It included 158 shows and sold 5.4 million tickets. It's the fourth highest-grossing tour of all time.
U2: U2 360° Tour ($736 million)
Kevin Winter/Getty ImagesU2's "U2 360°" tour ran from 2009-2011. It included 110 shows and sold 7.3 million tickets. It's the third highest-grossing tour of all time.
Elton John: Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour ($853 million and climbing)
Scott Dudelson/Getty ImagesElton John's "Farewell Yellow Brick Road" tour began in 2018 and is set to end in 2023. (There was a two-year break between 2020 and 2022 due to the pandemic.) Current figures have the tour at 293 shows and 5.5 million tickets sold. It's is the highest-grossing tour of all time. Billboard also noted, "While on tour, John's career earning have grown to $1.898 billion, making him the highest grossing solo artist of all time."
