U2 Named Top Tour Earners in 2009; Grossed $123 Million

by Lisa Palladino (RSS feed)
Jan 8th 2010 at 8:02PM

We don't often talk about rock stars on Luxist unless they are in our Estate of the Day category or designing a fashion line. But I think it's worth noting that U2, long known for serious touring, was named the top-grossing North American touring act of 2009. According to concert tracker Pollstar, U2 grossed $123 million, selling more than 1.3 million tickets for its 360 Tour. The tour spanned across the United States in every major city last year, and is now gearing up to cross the ocean for Europe this year. (I saw them at Giants Stadium last fall, and it was worth every penny.)

Pollstar noted that the touring business boomed last year, despite the economy.

Below are the rest of the top 10. You also can read the full Pollstar article for more details, plus the other 40 acts in the top 50.

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band - $94.5 million
Elton John and Billy Joel - $88 million
Britney Spears - $82.5 million
AC/DC - $77.9 million
Kenny Chesney - $71.1 million
Jonas Brothers - $69.8 million
Dave Matthews Band - $56.9 million
Fleetwood Mac - $54.4 million
Metallica - $53.4 million

Sidenote: U2.com has a new selection of lithographs from the 360 Tour. Each runs $100.

[Via Hollyscoop]

Tags: concerts, music, rock star, rock stars, RockStar, RockStars, tour, U2