doctorwho said:
It's tough to compare the Stones' and U2's respective tours because not only is there vastly different pricing (meaning, the Stones would gross a lot more even if they sold less tickets), but also because the Stones are hitting more stadiums around the world. U2 did arenas and smaller stadiums because they like that more intimate setting. There were exceptions (like the 80,000 seat Croke Park), but overall, this is true. Stones are doing stadiums, so there's more tickets to be sold at a higher ticket price.
Now, if U2 and the Stones were on equal footing in terms of price and venues, it might very well be a draw.
Actually its not true that U2 played mainly smaller stadiums. In fact, when it came to playing stadiums, U2 played the biggest stadiums in the world or at least in Europe. U2's 32 date Stadium tour of Europe in the summer of 2005 was the HIGHEST GROSSING TOUR ever in European History! The GROSS for the tour topped all of the Big Rolling Stones tours of Europe from Voodoo Lounge, Bridges To Babylon and Licks.
Whats more, the band seriously underbooked Europe. Every show soldout the day it was put on sale. The average number of people per show was 62,000! That is the highest average U2 has ever had for a stadium tour and perhaps the highest anyone else has ever had either. The band could have played another 32 shows in Europe last summer if they had the time.
Here are the results of the European Tour:
2ND LEG OF VERTIGO WORLD TOUR: EUROPE
29. Brussels, Belgium : June 10, 2005 : Koning Boudewijn Stadion : GROSS $4,864,554 : ATTENDANCE 60,499 : SHOWS 1 : SELLOUTS 1
30. Gelsenkirchen, Germany : June 12, 2005 : Arena AufSchalke : GROSS $4,203,947 : ATTENDANCE 59,120 : SHOWS 1 : SELLOUTS 1
31, 32. Manchester, England : June 14-15, 2005 : City Of Manchester Stadium : GROSS $11,119,740 : ATTENDANCE 107,671 : SHOWS 2 : SELLOUTS 2
33, 34. London, England : June 18-19, 2005 : Twickenham Stadium : GROSS $13,677,410 : ATTENDANCE 110,796 : SHOWS 2 : SELLOUTS 2
35. Glasgow, Scotland : June 21, 2005 : Hampden Park : GROSS $5,819,053 : ATTENDANCE 53,395 : SHOWS 1 : SELLOUTS 1
36, 37, 38. Dublin, Ireland : June 24-25, 27, 2005 : Croke Park : GROSS $21,163,695 : ATTENDANCE 246,743 : SHOWS 3 : SELLOUTS 3
39. Cardiff, Wales : June 29, 2005 : Millennium Stadium : GROSS $6,406,073 : ATTENDANCE 63,677 : SHOWS 1 : SELLOUTS 1
40. Vienna, Austria : July 2, 2005 : Ernst Happel Stadion : GROSS $4,200,416 : ATTENDANCE 55,645 : SHOWS 1 : SELLOUTS 1
41. Chorzow, Poland : July 5, 2005 : Stadion Slaski : GROSS $3,127,416 : ATTENDANCE 64,711 : SHOWS 1 : SELLOUTS 1
42. Berlin, Germany : July 7, 2005 : Olympiastadion : GROSS $4,725,530 : ATTENDANCE 70,443 : SHOWS 1 : SELLOUTS 1
43, 44. Paris, France : July 9-10, 2005 : Stade De France : GROSS $11,822,645 : ATTENDANCE 160,349 : SHOWS 2 : SELLOUTS 2
45, 46, 47. Amsterdam, The Netherlands : July 13, 15-16, 2005 : Amsterdam Arena : GROSS $13,022,200 : ATTENDANCE 165,516 : SHOWS 3 : SELLOUTS 3
48. Zurich, Switzerland : July 18, 2005 : Stadion Letzigrund : GROSS $3,574,993 : ATTENDANCE 44,260 : SHOWS 1 : SELLOUTS 1
49, 50. Milan, Italy : July 20-21, 2005 : Stadio San Siro : GROSS $7,565,264 : ATTENDANCE 137,427 : SHOWS 2 : SELLOUTS 2
51. Rome, Italy : July 23, 2005 : Stadio Olimpico : GROSS $4,010,779 : ATTENDANCE 67,002 : SHOWS 1 : SELLOUTS 1
52. Oslo, Norway : July 27, 2005 : Valle Hovin : GROSS $3,765,136 : ATTENDANCE 40,000 : SHOWS 1 : SELLOUTS 1
53. Goteborg, Sweden : July 29, 2005 : Ullevi Stadion : GROSS $4,081,864 : ATTENDANCE 58,478 : SHOWS 1 : SELLOUTS 1
54. Copenhagen, Denmark : July 31, 2005 : Parken Stadion : GROSS $3,650,294 : ATTENDANCE 50,000 : SHOWS 1 : SELLOUTS 1
55. Munich, Germany : August 3, 2005 : Olympiastadion : GROSS $5,343,379 : ATTENDANCE 77,435 : SHOWS 1 : SELLOUTS 1
56. Nice, France : August 5, 2005 : Parc des Sports Charles-Ehrmann : GROSS $3,548,702 : ATTENDANCE 51,900 : SHOWS 1 : SELLOUTS 1
57. Barcelona, Spain : August 7, 2005 : Camp Nou : GROSS $5,130,437 : ATTENDANCE 81,269 : SHOWS 1 : SELLOUTS 1
58. San Sebastian, Spain : August 9, 2005 : Estadio de Anoeta : GROSS $2,936,571 : ATTENDANCE 43,720 : SHOWS 1 : SELLOUTS 1
59. Madrid, Spain : August 11, 2005 : Estadio Vicente Calderon : GROSS $3,679,354 : ATTENDANCE 57,040 : SHOWS 1 : SELLOUTS 1
60. Lisbon, Portugal : August 14, 2005 : Estadio Jose Alvalade : GROSS $4,492,762 : ATTENDANCE 55,362 : SHOWS 1 : SELLOUTS 1
2ND LEG OF VERTIGO WORLD TOUR TOTALS
GROSS: $155,932,214
ATTENDANCE: 1,982,458
AVERAGE GROSS PER SHOW: $4,872,882
AVERAGE ATTENDANCE PER SHOW: 61,952
AVERAGE TICKET PRICE: $78.66
SHOWS: 32
SELLOUTS: 32
In general, GROSS is an accurate way to compare two touring artist who are touring around the same time. The price of tickets directly impacts the level of attendance. The artist not selling out at x ticket price may have soldout at a lower ticket price. In general, artist usually charge the market price based on number of shows played and size of venue in addition to overall demand for the particular artist.
The problem with comparing the two tours comes from the fact that U2 is NOT satisfied demand almost anywhere they have played. There has always been enough demand to add more shows in most places. Time restrictions though have prevented this. U2 could play dozens of shows this summer across North America and Europe bringing in another $200 million dollars plus, but the band has decided to end the tour in mid-April in order to rest and then start working on the next album.
With the Vertigo Tour ending with 130 shows in mid-April and all the shows essentially selling out on the first day they were put on sell, its obvious that the band could have charged a higher ticket price and received a higher gross total. But a much higher price may have meant it would take longer to sellout several venues and some shows may not have entirely soldout at all.
This is what the Rolling Stones are experiencing. Many of their shows have struggled to reach sellout and some shows in their own country may not sellout at all. Their average GROSS total per show though is going to be enormous, with or without a sellout. It appears that the Stones may have overcharged a bit in several places, while U2 has definitely undercharged given the number of shows they played.
I think its interesting though that on the floor of a Basketball Arena in the USA, U2 fans all pay 49.50 for the 2,000 GA tickets. With the Rolling Stones in the same Basketball arena, the 2,000 floor seats will each cost an average of over $300 dollars with many tickets at the $400 dollar mark. These are the best seats in the house and the Stones are charging market price. U2 is charging well below market value for the same tickets, resulting in enormous profits for Scalpers.