Concerts are here to stay, that is apparent no matter the economy. People love to be entertained, and concerts showcase performing artists better than any other avenue. Making money is what every band would love (along with creative control over all their music), and this band is definitely not short of it.
2011 was a great year for concert tours, and topping the list is one of the longest touring bands in the world. Not only have they been together longer than almost any other working band, but are still putting on the best shows in the world, and people are still paying big money to see them. It’s no wonder they are the number one grossing band for a concert tour in 2011.
#1 money-maker is U2… with their 360° tour that began June 30, 2009 in Barcelona, Spain and ended on July 30, 2011 in Moncton, “Hub City” in Atlantic Canada making it one of the longest running tours in history. Others that have set amazing records in the concert touring list is Ryland Bouchard (formerly known as the Robot Ate Me) in the 2004-2007 On Vacation Tour (doing close to 600 shows), and Aerosmith’s Nine Lives Tour (May 8, 1997 – July 17, 1999) performed 204 shows , as well as Bon Jovi’s New Jersey Syndicate Tour (October 30, 1988- February 17, 1990) did 232 Shows, and Leonard Cohen World Tour (May 11, 2008 – December 11, 2010) performed 246 shows. Guns N’ Roses Use Your Illusion Tour ran from January 20, 1991 to July 17, 1993. It was not only the band’s longest tour, but one of the longest concert tours in rock history, consisting of 194 shows in 27 countries.
U2 won Billboard Touring Awards for highest-grossing tour in 2009 and 2010, and for the best box score at a single venue in 2009 for shows at Croke Park in Dublin. By its conclusion, U2 360° had set records for the highest-grossing concert tour with $736 million in ticket sales, and for the highest-attended tour with over 7.2 million tickets sold. The tour concluded in July 2011 with a final gross of $736,137,344, and a total attendance of 7,268,430. More from wikipedia here.
Ok… over $700 million is a lot of green, U2. If you’re looking to give any away, ummmm, I’m available to work or can even be a great charity. ?
U2 special guests on 360° tour
Amadou & Mariam Arcade Fire Carney Florence and the Machine Interpol Lenny Kravitz Moonalice Muse Snow Patrol Springbok Nude Girls The Fray
MORE U2 articles written by me:
U2.Com’s Audio Player No Line on the Horizon is Schizophrenic but Worth the Wait
It’s Time to “Get on Your Boots”; U2 is Changing the World, Again.
U2’s Timely Lyrics Are a Wake-Up Call to “Breathe”
Also see the Top 10 Best New Albums of 2011 in Pop / Rock
Thanks for reading!
Resources & More Reading;
U2.com www.u2.com/ Official site of the rock group from Dublin, Ireland. Get the latest band news and events. Also offers: streaming audio and video clips, archived articles, band …
U2 360 tour: http://u2nt.com/category/u2-360-tour-2/full-coverage/7th-leg-north-america/u2-360-tour-moncton/
www.pollstar.com
U2 360 Tour Moncton | U2 Now and Then
U2 360tour wiki: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U2_360%C2%B0_Tour
wiki answers: longest running concert tour: http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Discuss:What_is_the_Longest_concert_tour#ixzz1ZGFQNmOI
http://www.dailylocal.com/articles/2011/09/04/entertainment/srv0000013556565.txt?viewmode=fullstory
Top 10 highest grossing concert tours: http://cleveland.metromix.com/music/standard_photo_gallery/top-10-highest-grossing/2556224/photo/2556221
Top 10 Concert Tours in North America 2011 http://www.top10evrything.com/entertainment-top-10/item/88-top-10-concert-tours-in-north-america-2011.html#ixzz1ZGW9XscS
Top 50 Worldwide Concert tours 2010 http://www.pollstarpro.com/files/Charts2010/2010YearEndTop50WorldwideConcertTours.pdf