All of the tours in the list have grossed more than $600 million each.
While Billboard Boxscore’s list of top 10 tours consists exclusively of white male artists, an influx of world tours post-pandemic may eventually diversify the roster.
Beyoncé’s Renaissance tour and Taylor Swift’s Eras tour are predicted to earn over $1 billion each. These could be the most lucrative concert tours for both artists, which would also launch them to the top of the list.
READ ALSO: Making It Rain: Taylor Swift’s “Eras” Tour Could Become The First To Reach $1 Billion
From newer artists to legends in the music industry, here are the current highest-grossing tours of all time.
Harry Styles’ Love on Tour
Harry Styles is the latest artist to join the list, jumping straight to fifth place. Earning over $600 million across 173 shows attended by five million fans in total, the tour wrapped up on July 22, 2023 in Italy.
By the end of the world tour, Styles had also raised $6.5 million to benefit various charities.
Coldplay’s Music of the Spheres World Tour
With its biggest tour to date, Coldplay followed The Rolling Stones and became the second act with multiple $500 million tours. While the band still has show dates until February 2024, their tour has grossed $617.8 million so far.
U2’s 360° Tour
For eight years, U2 held the title of highest-grossing world tour, having been the first to earn $700 million. Its unique set design was notable because it allowed fans to see the band from every angle (thus the name of the whole tour).
Ed Sheeran’s The ÷ (Divide) Tour
In 2019, Ed Sheeran broke U2’s record with his tour that grossed $776 million and held it for more than three years.
Though Sheeran opted for more intimate venues (compared to U2’s stadium shows), the English artist sold almost nine million tickets, which is still more than any other tour on this list.
Elton John’s Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour
Elton John’s world tour ended in July 2023 but the artist already secured the title of highest-grossing tour in January with his Australia and New Zealand shows.
The tour began in 2018 and was supposed to end in 2021 but was postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
With over 300 shows, the Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour earned $939.1 million. During the tour, John’s career earnings grew to $1.98 billion. This makes him the highest-grossing solo artist of all time as well.
Banner image via Instagram @coldplay.
