The top grossing tours of all time are U2’s 360° Tour, The Rolling Stones’ A Bigger Bang Tour, Ed Sheeran’s Divide Tour, AC/DC’s Black Ice World Tour and Madonna’s Sticky & Sweet Tour. U2’s 360° tour earned the most money with a total of $736 million in revenue over 110 shows. This is followed by The Rolling Stones’ A Bigger Bang tour which made an estimated $558 million from 162 shows.
Third on this list is Ed Sheeran’s Divide tour which brought in approximately $544 million from 255 shows. Fourth place goes to AC/DC’s Black Ice World Tour that earned around $441 million from 108 concerts and finally Madonna’s Sticky & Sweet made roughly $408 million dollars during its 86 show run.
The top grossing tours of all time is a fascinating topic to explore. Some of the biggest names in music have had some of the most successful tours, raking in millions (and sometimes billions) of dollars. From The Rolling Stones’ Voodoo Lounge Tour to U2’s 360° Tour, these world-renowned acts have achieved incredible success through their live performances and are sure to continue doing so for years to come.
Top 10 Highest Grossing Music Tours of All Time
Top-Grossing Concert Tours 2022
The upcoming year of 2022 has some highly anticipated concerts and events that are sure to bring in huge crowds. Many of the top-grossing tours for 2022 include Taylor Swift’s Reputation Stadium Tour, BTS’ MAP OF THE SOUL TOUR, Ed Sheeran’s No.6 Collaborations Project Tour and Justin Bieber’s Justice World Tour.
These four musical acts alone should be enough to draw massive audiences at their respective venues as they embark on their respective tour dates – making them some of the highest grossing concert tours in 2022!
Highest-Grossing U.S. Tour of All Time
The highest-grossing U.S. tour of all time is the Rolling Stones’ A Bigger Bang Tour, which grossed over $558 million in ticket sales from 2005 to 2007. The tour was the band’s most successful yet and included 147 shows across North America and Europe, as well as additional dates in Asia, Australia, and Latin America. With this success came numerous accolades such as being named the number one concert tour by Pollstar magazine for three consecutive years (2005-2007) and reaching a total attendance of more than 4 million fans worldwide.
Highest-Grossing Touring Artist of All Time
The highest-grossing touring artist of all time is the British rock band, U2. They have sold over 8 million tickets and grossed more than $1.67 billion from their live performances since their formation in 1976. Their most successful tour was The Joshua Tree Tour 2017, which grossed an impressive $316 million in ticket sales alone.
Furthermore, U2 has also been listed among the Top 10 Grossing Tours for six consecutive years by Pollstar Magazine – a testament to the enduring popularity of their music and live shows.
Highest Grossing Female Tour of All Time
The highest grossing female tour of all time is Taylor Swift’s 1989 World Tour. The tour ran from May 5th, 2015 to December 12th, 2015 and grossed an impressive $250 million dollars in ticket sales. The tour featured performances by special guests such as Justin Timberlake, Selena Gomez, and Nick Jonas.
Thousands of fans attended the show across North America, Europe, Asia Pacific and Latin America creating a lasting memory for both Swift and her fans alike.
Top Touring Artists of All Time
When it comes to touring artists, few can compare to the iconic acts of the past. The Rolling Stones and U2 have been two of the most successful touring bands in history, with each having sold out stadiums around the world for decades. Other top touring acts include Bruce Springsteen, Elton John, and Madonna, who all have had lengthy careers full of memorable performances.
Each one has left an indelible mark on music culture—and on our collective memories—with their live shows.
Highest-Grossing Stadium Tour of All Time
U2’s 360° Tour, which ran from 2009 – 2011, was the highest-grossing stadium tour of all time with a total revenue of $736 million. In just 110 shows over the two year period, U2 performed in front of 7.3 million fans at stadiums across Europe, North America, South America and Oceania. The tour set records for attendance and gross income for many venues around the world including London’s Wembley Stadium, Mexico City’s Estadio Azteca and Dublin’s Croke Park.
Highest-Grossing Tour Taylor Swift
Taylor Swift’s Reputation Stadium Tour is the highest-grossing tour of all time, earning over $266 million across its North American and European legs. The tour took place between May 2018 and November 2018, playing 38 shows in stadiums around Europe before concluding with a four night residency at Tokyo Dome in Japan. It was the most successful leg of Swift’s career to date, drawing an audience of over 2 million people worldwide.
Beyoncé Highest-Grossing Tour
Beyoncé’s Formation World Tour (2016) was her highest-grossing tour to date, grossing over $256 million and drawing in more than 2.2 million attendees across 49 shows in North America, Europe, South America and Oceania. The tour earned Beyoncé the Guinness World Record for Highest Grossing Female Tour of All Time.

Credit: en.wikipedia.org
What is the Highest Selling Tour of All Time?
The highest selling tour of all time is the Rolling Stones’ 1989/1990 Steel Wheels Tour. The tour was an absolute success, grossing over $400 million in total ticket sales alone! It smashed records and made history by becoming the first-ever concert series to sell out stadiums across North America and Europe.
From August 1989 to August 1990, the band performed a staggering 169 concerts in 27 countries worldwide. Over 5 million people attended these shows, making it one of the most successful music tours ever staged. In addition to smashing box office records, this tour also marked a musical milestone for the legendary rockers as they released their 25th studio album ‘Steel Wheels’, which went on to become a huge commercial success with over 10 million copies sold worldwide.
Since then, many other artists have come close but no one has been able to break their record for highest selling tour of all time!
Who Has the Highest Grossing Debut Tour of All Time?
The highest grossing debut tour of all time belongs to the Irish rock band U2. The tour, which ran from March 1985 to December 1987, earned an estimated $62 million dollars and was seen by over 2 million people in 21 countries across Europe, North America, Japan and Australia. During their two-and-a-half year journey they played 87 shows in total with each show lasting an average of 2 hours and 30 minutes long.
Not only did this make it the highest grossing debut tour ever but also one of the longest tours in music history. With a setlist that featured songs from their first two albums – Boy (1980) and October (1981) – as well as some covers from artists such as Elvis Presley, Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen; U2 had firmly established themselves as an iconic rock band during this period of time. It’s no surprise then that even after 35 years since its completion, the ‘Unforgettable Fire Tour’ is still remembered fondly by both fans old and new alike!
What is the Highest Grossing Tour on Billboard?
The highest grossing tour on Billboard is Taylor Swift’s “Reputation Stadium Tour”. It earned over $266 million, making it the highest-grossing U.S. tour in history by a female artist and one of the most successful tours of all time. The tour consisted of 53 dates across four continents and included two performances at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, which attracted an audience of over 100,000 people.
Swift performed to sold out arenas throughout North America as well as Europe where she also made history with five consecutive nights at Wembley Stadium becoming the first female artist ever to do so. With over 2 million tickets sold worldwide and countless memories made along the way, Taylor Swift’s “Reputation Stadium Tour” will surely go down in music history as one of the greatest tours ever!
Who Has the Top Grossing Hip-Hop Tours of All Time?
There is no denying that hip-hop has become one of the most popular genres in music today. As a result, many of the genre’s biggest stars have gone on to have some of the highest grossing tours in history. So who exactly has had the top grossing hip-hop tours of all time?
According to Billboard, Jay Z and Kanye West’s “Watch The Throne Tour” tops this list with an impressive $75 million earned. This was followed by Drake’s “Would You Like A Tour?” tour which earned $46 million and then Eminem & Rihanna’s “The Monster Tour” which raked in $36 million dollars. Other notable names on this list include Nicki Minaj, Kendrick Lamar and J Cole who each made it into the Top 10 for their respective tours.
No matter how you look at it, these artists are truly exceptional when it comes to putting together memorable shows that fans want to see over and over again – making them some of the highest earning performers out there!
Conclusion
This blog post has provided an overview of the top grossing tours of all time. From U2’s 360 Tour to Ed Sheeran’s Divide Tour, these performers have captivated audiences around the world and earned big money for their efforts. It is clear that when it comes to live music performances, there are some artists who stand out from the rest and make a huge impact on the entertainment industry.
With ticket prices rising every year, these tours continue to draw in massive crowds and rake in hundreds of millions of dollars each year.