U2 in BB again
u2mad25 said:
Soundscan numbers are up across the board this week (saw this on another artist's forum) so U2 will (hopefully) benefit - hope Soldati has the figures soon...
I don't have the album figures yet, but here is an article from the front page of BB that appeared in this week's magazine:
December 24, 2005
U2'S VERTIGO TOUR: DIZZYING SUCCESS
BY RAY WADDELL
The magnitude of U2's Vertigo tour is undeniable from the rankings on Billboard's year-end Top 25 Boxscores chart.
U2 accounts for 11 of the year's top 25 concerts. Next in line is the Eagles, who are responsible for five.
The year-end Boxscores chart reflects information reported to Billboard for the period from Nov. 17, 2004, through Nov. 15, 2005.
Tops among U2's mega-concerts was a June 24-27 stand at Dublin's Croke Park, which grossed more than $21.1 million and attracted 246,743 passionate Dubliners to three sellouts.
"Playing to over a quarter of a million people in our hometown was quite a kick," says Paul McGuinness, U2's manager. "Croke Park is the finest stadium in the world for a big rock'n'roll show, if you can fill it, and we did it three times."
U2 is responsible for four of the top five concerts this year, including $13.7 million in grosses at London's Twickenham Stadium, $13 million at the Amsterdam Arena and $11.8 million at the Stade De France in Paris.
Many of U2's 11 entries are from European stadiums, but multiple dates at North American arenas are also evident. Among them are five of the band's eight concerts at Madison Square Garden in New York ($9.6 million), four sellouts at Air Canada Centre in Toronto ($7.6 million) and four sellouts at the United Center in Chicago ($7.5 million).
The only non-U2 date among the top five Boxscores is the Bonnaroo Music Festival. The massive event grossed $13.4 million and drew 76,049 people to rural Manchester, Tenn. In just four years, Bonnaroo has become the top-grossing festival in the world.
"I believe our team and the internal festival organization jelled at a new level" in 2005, festival co-producer Ashley Capps says. "And many fans told us that for them it was the best Bonnaroo yet. Plus, it's great to be in the company of U2, isn't it?"
Conspicuously absent from the Top 25 Boxscore recap are the Rolling Stones, whose Bigger Bang tour sold out theaters, arenas and stadiums heading into the fall. Stones tour producer Michael Cohl always report his numbers to Billboard when a tour concludes, as A Bigger Bang will next fall. The Stones will likely top the touring charts in 2006 behind what will likely be a record-setting tour.