By the numbers

[susep]

Here's a look at '03:

Top 20 Concert Tours
Rank Gross in millions Artist Average ticket price No. of cities/shows

1. $115.9 Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band $71.36 30/47
2. 80.5 Celine Dion 135.81 1/145
3. 69.3 Eagles 107.57 47/55
4. 69.0 Fleetwood Mac 83.37 66/71
5. 68.2 Cher 65.91  98/102
6. 64.5 Simon & Garfunkel 136.90 28/39
7. 64.0 Aerosmith/KISS 76.08 56/58
8. 60.5 Dixie Chicks 56.00 56/65
9. 50.9 Billy Joel/Elton John 109.24 23/27
10. 48.8 "Summer Sanitarium Tour"/Metallica 70.32 19/19
11. $47.1 Dave Matthews Band $44.09 41/53
12. 44.2 Toby Keith 37.95 104/104
13. 40.8 Shania Twain 60.56 39/43
14. 38.5 The Rolling Stones 158.17 12/14
15. 35.8 Phish 46.62 28/39
16. 34.5 Kenny Chesney 35.76 83/83
17. 32.7 Tim McGraw 52.25 50/52
18. 31.8 Justin Timberlake/Christina Aguilera 61.59 40/44
19. 29.3 Jimmy Buffett 52.10 26/28
20. 29.1 Pearl Jam 37.62 50/59

NOTE: All figures are for North American dates only.

[susep]

1995

Top 10 Grossing Acts
December 27, 1995 - San Diego Union Tribune
by George Varga

The Eagles were rock's highest-flying -- and highest-grossing -- concert act in 1995, earning a whopping $63.3 million from just 58 U.S. shows. That's $20.1 million more than R&B vocal group Boyz II Men, the year's second-highest-grossing pop concert act, earned from its 134 U.S. shows. And it's $43 million more than Vince Gill, the year's 14th-biggest earner, grossed from his 90 concerts in '95.

The third-biggest domestic concert act for '95 was R.E.M., according to the annual earnings tally by Pollstar, a leading concert industry magazine. The Georgia quartet, which performed Oct. 30 at the San Diego Sports Arena, grossed $38.7 million from its 81 concerts.

The now-defunct Grateful Dead came in fourth, earning $33.5 million from 45 concerts, while former Led Zeppelin mainstays Jimmy Page and Robert Plant placed fifth, with a $33.4 million gross from 68 concerts. They were followed by:

Van Halen -- $32.7 million from 94 shows
Tom Petty -- $27.5 million from 89 shows
Reba McEntire -- $27.4 million from 101 shows
Elton John -- $22.5 million from 41 shows
Elton John and Billy Joel -- $22 million from 12 shows (including one at Jack Murphy Stadium)
Alan Jackson -- $20.6 million from 97 shows
Jimmy Buffett -- $19.9 million from 52 shows
Yanni -- $18.2 million from 59 shows
Phish -- $15.7 million from 79 shows

[susep]

Top 10 North American Concert Grosses
December 26, 1997 - Atlanta Journal and Constitution
By Staff

1. Three Tenors in Concert. $ 8,089,051. Toronto, Jan. 4.

2. The Rolling Stones, Foo Fighters. $ 6,823,242. East Rutherford, N.J., Oct. 16-17.

3. U2, Fun Lovin' Criminals, the Longpins. $ 6,499,131. East Rutherford, N.J., May 31, June 1, 3.

4. The Rolling Stones, Blues Traveler. $ 6,260,600. Chicago, Sept. 23-25.

5. U2, Fun Lovin' Criminals. $ 5,956,587. Chicago, June 27-29.

6. Three Tenors in Concert. $ 5,544,099. Vancouver, British Columbia, Dec. 31. 7. The Rolling Stones, the Wallflowers. $ 5,338,429. Los Angeles, Nov. 9-10.

8. The Rolling Stones, Sheryl Crow. $ 4,839,760. Foxboro, Mass., Oct. 20.

9. U2, Fun Lovin' Criminals. $ 4,789,124. Foxboro, Mass., July 1-2.

10. The Great Went: Phish. $ 4,337,184. Limestone, Maine, Aug. 16-17.



Article © 1997 The Atlanta Constitution

[susep]

Music '97 rich in diversity
December 26, 1997 - USA Today
By Edna Gundersen

The bad news? Of the 10 top-grossing acts, none has emerged in the past decade. The newest is Metallica, launched in 1981. "The real question is, where are tomorrow's headliners coming from?" Cohen says.

Waddell notes that no new acts are poised to replace the Stones or the defunct Grateful Dead. The likeliest candidate is hippie jam band Phish, ninth in the Performance list with a 43-show take of $ 20.3 million.

"Phish had little radio support but built a loyal following from the ground up by kicking butt live," he says. "They almost live up to the Dead."