Biggest Grossing Tours Of All Time

[fedeu2]

Actually, my 6.5 million estimate is conservative compared to several reports stating that the Use Your Illusion tour sold 7 million tickets. But regardless, it had to have been at least 6.5 million.]

Oh yeah? How come the Use your illusion tour is not considered the highest attendance tour in history then?

It will probably be broken, but it won't be "smashed." I don't considering selling 7.1 million tickets a huge difference from selling 6.5 million tickets. Not to mention, you'd have to subtract the 360 tour's 7.1 million attendance to roughly 6.4 million, if you want to find out how many tickets U2 sold because of their openers...

This has to be the most ludicrous claim I´ve read in this forum or elsewhere for that matter. You sure know how the music business work.

Please, stop making a fool of yourself.

 

[robbrecon72]

openers!? seriously!? what a lame and annoying factor to add into the success of the 360 tour..lol sure opening bands have an influence, but such a minor one it's completely irrelevant. if you're going to do that then subtract for all the other tours mentioned here as well. would i do it? heck no because it's a waist my time. wow... besides, how can you come up with any sort of accuracy by this!? lol i can smell desperation here..lol

 

[CosmoKramer]

openers!? seriously!? what a lame and annoying factor to add into the success of the 360 tour..lol sure opening bands have an influence, but such a minor one it's completely irrelevant. if you're going to do that then subtract for all the other tours mentioned here as well. would i do it? heck no because it's a waist my time. wow... besides, how can you come up with any sort of accuracy by this!? lol i can smell desperation here..lol

Moggio mathematics say that what ever U2 grosses, you subtract what ever number you have to so that your predictions don't appear to be as absurd as they really are.

Example: Typically Muse plays roughly 20 songs at one of their own shows and charge $40 per ticket. On 9/24/09, Muse played 8 songs at Giants stadium and the avg ticket price for Giants stadium was roughly $100. So Moggio mathematics state that there were roughly 10% of the Giants stadium crowds that were there just for Muse and that they thought it was reasonable to pay 150% MORE money to hear 150% LESS songs...LOL.

 

[cathalmc]

Yes - LN are claiming a 100% sellout of all the dates so far. We all know that there could have been more folk in the stadiums at some of the shows. The promoters argument is that if all tickets that were put on sale were sold - then its a sellout. Regardless of whether that is 60,000 in a 70,000 capactiy stadium or 69999.

Thanks hedge. It's also blatant lie that all the tickets that have been put on sale were sold, tickets could be bought for many shows on the night of the show itself. That "78 Sellouts" stat is very naughty.

 

[Maoilbheannacht]

Actually, my 6.5 million estimate is conservative compared to several reports stating that the Use Your Illusion tour sold 7 million tickets. But regardless, it had to have been at least 6.5 million.



It will probably be broken, but it won't be "smashed." I don't considering selling 7.1 million tickets a huge difference from selling 6.5 million tickets. Not to mention, you'd have to subtract the 360 tour's 7.1 million attendance to roughly 6.4 million, if you want to find out how many tickets U2 sold because of their openers...

Well, Guns N Roses had their own openers as well which you neglect to SUBTRACT from the total you estimated! Not a surprise though since you selectively apply this reduction only to U2 typically which naturally demonstrates your anti-U2 bias.

Then lets not forget that 25 of the 192 shows that are included in this list are just as much METALLICA SHOWS which means really that 1,172,375 in attendance needs to be subtracted from what ever one considers to be the GNR total.

I saw the first show of the GNR/METALLICA stadium tour at RFK stadium in Washington DC and it was just as much a METALLICA show as a GNR show if not more of a METALLICA show. Large numbers of the crowd started to leave the stadium during GNR's performance.

So removing attendance from the shows played with METALLICA plus attendance derived from other openers per MOGGIO's new famous rules, that would take MOGGIO's GNR figure down to about 4.6 million in attendance, 1.2 million for the METALLICA shows and 700,000 thanks to all their openers.

There would have been NO stadium tour done in North America without METALLICA who at the time was surging past GNR in popularity in the United States.

METALLICA / Guns N Roses Stadium tour
with Faith No More and Motorhead as openers

GROSS: $32,286,625
ATTENDANCE: 1,172,375
Average Gross: $1,291,465
Average Attendance: 46,895
Average Ticket Price: $27.54
SHOWS: 25
SELLOUTS: 11

 

[Maoilbheannacht]

Thanks hedge. It's also blatant lie that all the tickets that have been put on sale were sold, tickets could be bought for many shows on the night of the show itself. That "78 Sellouts" stat is very naughty.

Its an industry standard, and EVERY artist from RADIOHEAD to Lady GAGA has done it!

 

[Maoilbheannacht]

.



It will probably be broken, but it won't be "smashed." I don't considering selling 7.1 million tickets a huge difference from selling 6.5 million tickets. ...

WELL MOGGIO, using your own formula formula for true comparisons, you need to be looking at the GROSS. U2 is on course to GROSS almost $750 million on 360, perhaps over $800 million if Euro 3 is added, while Guns Roses grossed according to your estimates $125 million from their tour.

Lets see, $750 million VS $125 million. Yes, that more than fits the definition of "smashed".

 

[Moggio]

Faith No More, Motorhead, Soundgarden and most of the other acts GNR had as openers on their Use Your Illusion tour were NOWHERE NEAR level A arena draws. They were level B and C draws at the time. So, reducing GNR's draw from the Use Your Illusion tour by nearly 2 million is hilarious. In reality, GNR's draw out of the at least 6.5 million in attendance on their Use Your Illusion tour, was in the 5.5-6 million range. Maoil never disappoints with his pure comic gold routine!

Also, it looks as though CosmoKramer and most of the others still aren't gettin' it (btw, Muse currently gross an average of well over $500,000 per show). And I'm not going to explicitly go over how it works AGAIN...

 

[Maoilbheannacht]

Faith No More, Motorhead, Soundgarden and most of the other acts GNR had as openers on their Use Your Illusion tour were NOWHERE NEAR level A arena draws. They were level B and C draws at the time.

That is true.

So, reducing GNR's draw from the Use Your Illusion tour by nearly 2 million is hilarious. In reality, GNR's draw out of the at least 6.5 million in attendance on their Use Your Illusion tour, was in the 5.5-6 million range. Maoil never disappoints with his pure comic gold routine!

Your forgetting METALLICA! 1.2 million of this attendance comes from touring with METALLICA! Without Metallica, the stadium tour of North America would not of happened.

If you take the raw factual boxscore information that we do have on this tour from North America and extrapolate out the average attendance for arena's and the average attendance for Stadiums over the whole tour for those types of venues, you would get a total attendance of

ATTENDANCE: 5,846,901

Remember, the average attendance for the stadiums comes form shows done with METALLICA which might well overstate attendance levels for stadiums that Guns N Roses did without Metallica.

In fact, the small number of stadium level shows GNR did do without Metallica in the United States and Canada had an average attendance of 35,000 based on known boxscore info.

In all reality, 5,846,901 is probably closer to any estimate so far made since the estimate is based on an extrapolation of KNOWN average attendance for arena's and stadiums derived from boxscore information that was posted in Billboard Magazine.

Without the tour with Metallica, that number falls to:

4,555,436

If you want to include the Metallica tour, the only way you could accurately estimate that is to give Guns N Roses half of the attendance figure. So that would give you a total of:

5,141,624


Also, the tour actually only had 187 shows, NOT 192.

Playing at Rock In Rio Festival in January 1991 should not be counted as shows on the tour, nor should "warm up" shows at a couple of theaters and the Ritz.

 

[U2FanPeter]

While U2 will be filling stadiums, in 360, in both Utah and Colorado, the Stones were unable to sellout arena's in both these states in a 270 configeration! Take a look:

November 22, 2005
Salt Lake City Utah
Delta Center
GROSS: $1,854,465
ATTENDANCE: 13,897
CAPACITY: 14,731
SHOWS: 1
SELLOUTS: 0
Average Ticket Price: $133.44

November 24, 2005
Denver Colorado
Pepsi Center
GROSS: $2,707,590
ATTENDANCE: 15,091
CAPACITY: 15,385
SHOWS: 1
SELLOUTS: 0
Average Ticket Price: $179.42

I think it is safe to say that it is unlikely that Colorado or Utah will be seeing the Stones play a stadium there again in a 270 configeration let alone a 360 configeration given that they FAILED to sellout much smaller arena's in both states.

While these Stones numbers are very telling:

Keep in mind U2 have failed to completely fill an arena in markets where they've played stadiums before and after. St. Louis Elevation? Vegas Elevation? Seattle Elevation/Vertigo were soft sell outs as were some other markets. Some double arena U2 markets had tickets that were $20 day of on the street.

 

[U2FanPeter]

Yes - LN are claiming a 100% sellout of all the dates so far. We all know that there could have been more folk in the stadiums at some of the shows. The promoters argument is that if all tickets that were put on sale were sold - then its a sellout. Regardless of whether that is 60,000 in a 70,000 capactiy stadium or 69999.

I've never believed that when the 360 tour shifted dates at Giants Stadium 2009 on relative short notice that all returned tickets found a new buyer. Too many people with bungled travel/babysitter/off day plans. Plus, I think it was moved from a weekend to a weekday.

Bono announced one show having thousand of more attendees than the shifted show. Yet it's still an official sell out.

 

[U2FanPeter]

The Black Eyed Peas have grossed $2,865,889 in the markets where they opened for U2. Keep in mind that this was AFTER they had been able to increase their popularity in these markets by opening for U2. Keep also in mind, that demand is a lot higher for them because it was their OWN show, their own stage, a full setlist...

BEP mosty played to similar numbers on previous arena shows that numbers they did in 2010. In other words, they did not receive a noticable "u2 bump" in their business.

Also, Florence just booked some decent sized venues in North America this summer bumping them up slowly to a mid level act stateside.

 

[robbrecon72]

Also, it looks as though CosmoKramer and most of the others still aren't gettin' it (btw, Muse currently gross an average of well over $500,000 per show). And I'm not going to explicitly go over how it works AGAIN...[/QUOTE]

What isn't there to get!? lol how many Muse fans will pay U2's average ticket price of over $100 to see their band play 6-8 songs when they can see Muse play a full set list for less than half U2's average ticket price!? The only thing here to GET is someone around here is desperate and full of crap as usual.

 

[U2FanPeter]

Also, it looks as though CosmoKramer and most of the others still aren't gettin' it (btw, Muse currently gross an average of well over $500,000 per show). And I'm not going to explicitly go over how it works AGAIN...

What isn't there to get!? lol how many Muse fans will pay U2's average ticket price of over $100 to see their band play 6-8 songs when they can see Muse play a full set list for less than half U2's average ticket price!? The only thing here to GET is someone around here is desperate and full of crap as usual.[/QUOTE]

U2/LN spend A LOT of money getting some of those opening acts because they know it's value added and can put bums in seats for those on the fence. I'm sure u2 would love to do the Bruce model and keep the money not given to an opening act, but they realize the marketing potential openers add to the equation.

 

[robbrecon72]

openers!? seriously!? what a lame and annoying factor to add into the success of the 360 tour..lol sure opening bands have an influence, but such a minor one it's completely irrelevant.

i guess i have to quote myself..lol like i said before openers have some influence, but not the influence some people are making it out to be. all i am trying to do is stop another long drawn out retarded debate over something totally stupid before this thread will end up being closed too!

 

[robbrecon72]

I also think they realize that openers add to the not being bored factor while 99% of the people in the stadium are waiting around for U2 to start.

 

[Moggio]

LOL out Maoil thinking that GNR's Brazilian HEADLINING shows at Rock in Rio in 1991 and theatre "warm up" shows shouldn't be considering for their Use Your Illusion tour gross/attendance totals. GNR are very popular in South America and apparently will be performing STADIUM shows there again in the fall (and without the classic line-up). And I'm perfectly aware Metallica co-headlined with GNR in 1992.

Like I said, GNR's attendance total from their Use Your Illusion tour was in the 5.5-6 million range, out of the at least 6.5 million tickets sold on the tour...

 

[Maoilbheannacht]

LOL out Maoil thinking that GNR's Brazilian HEADLINING shows at Rock in Rio in 1991 and theatre "warm up" shows shouldn't be considering for their Use Your Illusion tour gross/attendance totals. GNR are very popular in South America and apparently will be performing STADIUM shows there again in the fall (and without the classic line-up). And I'm perfectly aware Metallica co-headlined with GNR in 1992.

Like I said, GNR's attendance total from their Use Your Illusion tour was in the 5.5-6 million range, out of the at least 6.5 million tickets sold on the tour...

Well Moggio, U2 has played warm up shows for both the Elevation tour and the Vertigo tour but they were NEVER counted by YOU or anyone else.

Do you think Van Halen's headlining performance at the US Festival in 1983 should be counted in the tour totals for their 1984 tour? I mean after all it only took place 7 months before the release of the album and the "real" start of the 1984 tour compared to the GNR case of 8 months before the release of the album and 4 months before the start of the tour.

Also, how many tours do you know have shows played nearly 4 months BEFORE the warm up shows for the the tour take place? Do you understand what a warm up show is?

Have you included U2's performance at Glastonberry this summer in your estimates for the tour?

Also, you should make estimates based on known facts. The average attendance for GNR arena shows is a little under 16,000, and the stadium shows they did with Metallica are a little under 47,000. Extrapolate that out to the other stadiums and Arena's on the tour, the final total is well bellow 6.5 million.

You only get to 6.5 million by imagining something that may not of happened at another stadium or arena with no boxscore info. The formula I used at least has some basis in fact.

 

[robbrecon72]

Here are Bon Jovi's The circle tour up to date stats so far..

Bon Jovi Tour Juggernaut Continues, Gross $30 Million So Far In 2011 | Billboard.biz

 

[Moggio]

Maoil's at it again.

What Maoil doesn't seem to realize is that even if you subtract the totals from GNR's South American and "warm up" shows from the Use Your Illusion tour gross/attendance totals (which is ridiculous to consider because they were part of the tour), GNR themselves would've still played to well over 5 million people. Not to mention, the fact that almost all of GNR's shows in South America, Australia, New Zealand, Japan and the UK/Europe on this tour were STADIUM shows, where they were mostly playing to between 40,000-80,000 fans per night. This of course means that Maoil's overall average attendance estimate based on GNR's North American Use Your Illusion tour shows, HAS NO PLACE IN REALITY, when considering their overall estimates/stats for the Use Your Illusion tour.

 

[Maoilbheannacht]

Maoil's at it again.

What Maoil doesn't seem to realize is that even if you subtract the totals from GNR's South American and "warm up" shows from the Use Your Illusion tour gross/attendance totals (which is ridiculous to consider because they were part of the tour), GNR themselves would've still played to well over 5 million people.

How can you consider Rock In Rio Festival shows to be a part of the Use Your Illusion Tour when the Warm Up shows for the Use Your Illusion tour did not occur until 4 months after the Rio Festival?

How come you have never considered U2's warm up shows for Elevation and Vertigo as part of those tours, but yet do so in the case of GNR's Use Your Illusion Tour?

Not to mention, the fact that almost all of GNR's shows in South America, Australia, New Zealand, Japan and the UK/Europe on this tour were STADIUM shows, where they were mostly playing to between 40,000-80,000 fans per night. This of course means that Maoil's overall average attendance estimate based on GNR's North American Use Your Illusion tour shows, HAS NO PLACE IN REALITY, when considering their overall estimates/stats for the Use Your Illusion tour.

Well, perhaps if you would take the time to read and understand what I said, you would know that my estimate does not use an arena attendance average to estimate attendance at a stadium date for which we have no data for.

Again, I extrapolated the average attendance at the stadium dates on the GNR/Metallica stadium tour on all of the international stadium dates for which there is no data. Definitely imperfect way of estimating the attendance but its far better than just pretending that an 80,000 capacity stadium in fact had 80,000 people in attendance for a particular GNR show.

Thats true that most of the shows outside of the North America were in stadiums and that why I use the 47,000 average derived from REAL Boxscore information to estimate attendance at these stadium dates for which there is no data.

What hard data do you use to make your estimate?

Some of these international stadium dates may have had as little as 25,000 people in attendance. Some could have in fact had as much as 70,000 or more. But without boxscores for each of those shows, its really difficult to know.

You once boasted that GNR played two big stadium shows at the CNE Stadium in Toronto with 50,000 people in attendance each night. I then reported the actual boxscore which showed there were only 20,652 people per show. Yes, 50,000 was indeed possible given the capacity for concerts at the stadium, but that did not happen. Thats something to think about when blindly pretending that a GNR stadium show outside of North America with no hard data, had x attendance simply because it has x capacity.

 

[U2FanPeter]

I also think they realize that openers add to the not being bored factor while 99% of the people in the stadium are waiting around for U2 to start.

IMO, there's been a couple instances where U2 openers were responsible for upwards 10,000 extra tickets being sold for a show. Rage Against the Machine in their LA hometown on Popmart and Pearl Jam Hawaii. For PJ/U2 the difference was reported in the press with the postponements and stadium reconfiguration.

Oasis at Popmart 1997 in San Fran were world exclusive appearance that summer. Definitely worth mid 4 figures in number of tickets sold.

 

[robbrecon72]

If I'm not totally correct that's cool with me it doesn't matter, but how do they get these numbers? Do they ask everyone buying tickets whether it's for U2 or for the opener? Or, is there some special tab you click for which artist you are going to see when they purchase the ticket? Just asking because i've never seen it.

 

[CosmoKramer]

If I'm not totally correct that's cool with me it doesn't matter, but how do they get these numbers? Do they ask everyone buying tickets whether it's for U2 or for the opener? Or, is there some special tab you click for which artist you are going to see when they purchase the ticket? Just asking because i've never seen it.

There is no way of really knowing. Anyone who claims to know is just guessing.

Moggio only brings openers up because he makes an initial prediction that U2 360 would gross $475 million, which is a joke. Then he makes the following statement "ANYONE who thinks U2 will gross more than $600 million on their 360 tour (based on 90-100 shows AND ONLY because of strategic scheduling), is completely out to lunch."

Notice that he mentions nothing about "openers" but rather "strategic scheduling" (aka a business model). The reason he mentions "openers" now as opposed to strategic scheduling (aka a business model) is because in the above statement he pinned himself down saying $600 WITH strategic scheduling. So, he needs to make people think he was right all along, so now he says:

"let's wait and see how long it takes for CosmoKramer to figure out the quote of mine above in his previous post, where I stated nearly two years ago, that U2 won't have a ticket sales gross of more than $600 million within 90-100 shows and what I just stated a few hours ago, which is that U2 will have a ticket sales gross of $600 million by show 100 of the 360 tour in Nashville, are virtually the SAME THING. Also, in case this is not completely obvious, a ticket sales gross from 90-100 shows ($600 million) is different than from 110 shows ($650 million)"

So originally he was wrong because of "strategic scheduling" now its "openers"...

But when mentioning any other artist he will never deduct 10% of the gross when quoting their total tour gross because THERE IS NO WAY OF KNOWING how much an opening act contributes to overall sales.

Remember, he has these "formulas" (aka Moggio Mathematics) that can determine an artists grossing capabilities yet he has been wrong over and over and by a wide margin when it comes to U2's grossing abilities. Its also funny that he refers to a "90-100 date schedule" when his "formulas" are supposed to tell him an artists demand (i.e. how many shows they can play and where). So they can't predict gross or demand

Also, if anyone can find a list that Pollstar or Billboard (two of the most reputable companies in the touring industry) put out that lists the top tours by year adjusted for openers or for different types of business models, please post the link here because I would love to see it.

One last thing for Moggio, the $600 million you say U2 will gross (not U2 360 because they are different ) just because of openers/strategic scheduling/90-100 dates, was that adjusted for inflation being that they grossed $311 million in 2009 and $192 million in 2010? or does Moggio Mathematics state that inflation only applies to artists who are not brought to you by the letter U and the number 2.....

 

[robbrecon72]

Exactly, there is no way of knowing and that's what I’ve been trying to get at all along which therefore makes this debate about openers kinda silly. Well at least we have something to talk about now..haha I just fear the worst and that'll lead to this thread being closed..lol As far as "strategic scheduling" goes doesn’t any promoter with any kind of common business sense use some sort of strategic scheduling? See, this kind of makes that topic silly to debate about as well. But, oh well whatever floats people's boats. When U2 holds the title of biggest grossing tour and most tickets sold ever, nobody is going to give a rats rear about openers and strategic scheduling..lol

 

[CosmoKramer]

When U2 holds the title of biggest grossing tour and most tickets sold ever, nobody is going to give a rats rear about openers and strategic scheduling..lol

Well said because that's the bottom line!

 

[Moggio]

Maoil keeps at it ONCE AGAIN by denying GNR's popularity and thinking just because there aren't necessarily boxscores for GNR's STADIUM shows overseas on the Use Your Illusion tour, it means that the strength of GNR's draw is automatically in question. Read and enjoy, Maoil :

USE YOUR ILLUSION TOUR FACTS - N.I.R.


As for CosmoKramer: when the hell are you going to get it through your head that I WAS RIGHT, regarding my predictions for the 360 tour, once the dates were announced? My $475 million from 100 shows prediction had NOTHING to do with how the 360 tour wound up being what I call "strategical scheduled" (which again, is the FIRST TIME any major world tour has been scheduling in this way). It had to do with what U2 would've currently drawn without "strategic scheduling", since it obviously hadn't existed in this form before. This changes things. If Live Nation hadn't utilized "strategic scheduling", U2's $600 million from 90-100 shows on the 360 tour would've been roughly $475 million. And I didn't include U2's ARENA-sized openers in my predictions at all - it was only based on what U2 would draw on the 360 tour.

Also, if you had been reading this thread carefully for the past few pages, you'd know that I have subtracted tour attendances/grosses for other artists' tours because of openers and not just for U2's 360 tour.

Also, if you're even half decent at mathematics, 9 out of 10 times, all you'd have to do to determine an openers' draw in relation to who they're opening for, is to add their CURRENT ticket sales grosses to the headliner's and then you'd get the total figure. Pretty simple, eh?!

Lastly, promoters do calculate what an artists' draw is based on one of a half dozen formulas (in U2's case, it's mainly based on accumulative overall album sales and inflation), depending on who the artist in question is. I know Maoil also knows this too. Don't believe me? Ok, then, why else were Maoil and my predictions at the beginning of the 360 tour nearly dead on?

 

[coolian2]

and my dick is bigger than your dick

 

[robbrecon72]

Also, if you're even half decent at mathematics, 9 out of 10 times, all you'd have to do to determine an openers' draw in relation to who they're opening for, is to add their CURRENT ticket sales grosses to the headliner's and then you'd get the total figure. Pretty simple, eh?!


Please do not tell me you believe this equation Moggio..lol For example here is Muse's boxscore for Ft Worth at the convention center.
Mar 17, 2010
Attendance-9,836/11,011
Gross-$494,607
Average ticket price-$48

Now U2's boxscore with Muse as their opener in Arlington.
Oct 12, 2009
New Cowboys Stadium
Attendance-70,766/70,766
Gross-$6,664,880
Average ticket price-$94

So you're saying because Muse played with them you need to subtract 9,836 from 70,766 and $494,607 from $6,664,880? Please do not make me laugh out loud on this one..lol You seriously believe 9,836 Muse fans paid basically double the ticket price to watch Muse play 1/3 as many songs (they only played 6 songs at the cowboys stadium as U2's opener, I know because I was there) at the U2 show in Dallas??? I WAS AT THE CONCERT THERE WERE NOT MANY MUSE FANS FROM WHAT I SAW. THE FEW I DID SEE WERE TEENS DRESSED IN DARK CLOTHING WITH MUSE SHIRTS..LOL

Once again an opener doesnt make that much of a difference and there is really no way of telling what minor influence they do make..this stupidy is baffling!!!

 

[bono_212]

I am definitely not defending the idea that for every opening act there are that many people there to see them over the headliner, but definitely at that Dallas show at least, there were a LOT of people there just to see Muse. A lot of my friends from school went to the show just to see Muse, and some even left without bothering to see any of U2's set. It definitely just seemed in general like a lot of people I chatted with throughout the day in the GA line were almost more excited about Muse than U2. That's just my perception of the events though.