BILLBOARDS HOTTEST TOURS - U2 , USHER JANET,PRINCE DID YOUR FAV MAKE THE LIST ?

Rank Artist/Event
Total Gross
Show Dates
Show Venue/City (Shows/Sellouts)
Total Attendance (Capacity)
1 U2
$60,854,813
March 25-April 13
Estadio Nacional, Santiago, Chile (1/1)
Estadio Único Ciudad de La Plata, Buenos Aires, Argentina (3/3)
Estádio do Morumbi, São Paulo, Brazil (3/3)
519,285 (519,285)


2 ELTON JOHN
$4,482,658
March 16-April 8
Madison Square Garden, New York (2/2)
Spokane Arena, Spokane, Wash. (1/1)
47,942 (47,942)


3 ROD STEWART & STEVIE NICKS
$2,959,585
April 5-9
Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia (1/1)
United Center, Chicago (1/1)
27,166 (27,166)



4 JANET JACKSON$2,717,628
March 18-April 10
Radio City Music Hall, New York (3/3)
Santa Barbara Bowl, Santa Barbara, Calif. (2/1)
26,820 (27,014)


5 OZZY OSBOURNE
$2,400,093
March 26-30
Estadio GEBA, Buenos Aires, Argentina (1/0)
Movistar Arena, Santiago, Chile (1/0)
Gigantinho, Porto Alegre, Brazil (1/0)
30,957 (46,499)


6 KID ROCK
$2,359,639
Feb. 8-March 11
CenturyTel Center, Bossier City, La. (1/0)
Verizon Arena, North Little Rock, Ark. (1/0)
KFC Yum! Center, Louisville, Ky. (1/1)
North Charleston Coliseum, North Charleston, S.C. (1/1)
B.J.C.C. Arena, Birmingham, U.K. (1/1)
Mississippi Coliseum, Jackson, Miss. (1/1)
56,252 (60,053)


7 IRON MAIDEN
$2,037,580
March 18
Foro Sol, Mexico City (1/0)
47,489 (52,036)


8 BOB SEGER & THE SILVER BULLET BAND
$1,730,330
April 2-16
Van Andel Arena, Grand Rapids, Mich. (1/1)
Atlantic City Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, N.J. (1/1)
21,913 (21,913)


9 USHER
$1,681,740
March 26
Brisbane Entertainment Centre, Brisbane, Australia (1/1)
11,482 (11,482)


10 PRINCE
$1,649,468
Feb. 7
Madison Square Garden, New York (1/0)
16,147 (18,203)

SOURCE

U2 - 360 TOUR - ABOUT TO BE THE HIGHEST GROSSING TOUR IN HISTORY!

When the doors open Sunday night for U2's second show at Morumbi Stadium in Sao Paulo, Brazil, the band's 360 tour will become the highest grossing tour in history.

In Sao Paulo, U2 360 will pass the $558 million gross mark set by the Rolling Stones for their A Bigger Bang tour of 2005-2007. U2 will go on to shatter the record at about $700 million by the time it wraps in North America July 30 at Magnetic Hill in Moncton, N.B., and when all the numbers come in be recorded in Billboard Boxscore as the biggest trek ever. The tour returns to North America May 21 in Denver.

360 will also have moved more than 7 million tickets to 110 shows, enough to capture the "highest attended tour ever" mantle, as well. The Stones are also the band to vacate that title, as their Voodoo Lounge tour of 1994-1995 had held the attendance record at 6.4 million tickets, according to Boxscore.

Owning the "biggest tour ever" record is "something we're very proud of having set," band manager Paul McGuinness tells Billboard. "And to set it with a further 20-plus shows to go on the tour is kind of mind-blowing. It means that it's a record that will probably never be outstripped."

Michael Cohl, producer of Rolling Stones tours from 1989 through A Bigger Bang (and currently lead producer on Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark), called U2 capturing the title "an incredible achievement, a great group, [360 is] an amazing tour. Congrats." 

Topping all previous tours at the box office is the culmination of a career effort by a band that built its foundation around live performance. "We were always very conscious that we had two parallel careers, as recording artists and as live performers, and each was absolutely vitally important," McGuinness says. "In our own kind of quiet way we were all somewhat military about it. We would talk about territories and conquering them, and if there was somewhere that was slower to come along, we would go back there and work it again. Bono is kind of a closet General Patton. So, for us, this is a real victory."

This time around, no areas were slow for U2. On the average, both gross and attendance are staggering numbers at about $6.4 million and 63,600 per show, respectively, surely in itself a record, though as-of-yet unquantified by Boxscore.

For tour producer Arthur Fogel, chairman of Live Nation Global Touring, and his Toronto-based team, there is still work to be done. "It's great to break the record, but after that there are still 26 shows left," Fogel says. Even so, breaking the gross record is "an amazing accomplishment," Fogel says. "I don't think the average person can really relate to the whole thing, it's hard enough for us to come to terms with it. More than the dollars, when you think in terms of when this thing does wrap it will be over 7 million tickets on 110 shows, it's just mind-blowing on an average per show."

The success of 360 is more a statement about the band's global popularity and the unique 360-degree staging and its resulting capacity increases of 15%-20% than it is about ticket prices, which ranged from as low as $30 to a top end of $250. The attendance mark is "absolutely the bigger accomplishment," Fogel says. "There are so many factors that play into it: the unique nature of the production, the ticket pricing model, the strategy of where to play and how many tickets are in the market," he says. "It all comes in to play, and when it actually unfolds as you would want it to, then I guess it's the perfect storm."

Launching the most expensive touring production in history with huge capacities in an uncertain global economy was ambitious, to say the least. Staged as it is, 360 risked looking ridiculous if it played to half-houses. "It was a bold move on behalf of everybody, because the reality is, with this production, you're kind of naked out there, there's nowhere to hide," Fogel says. "So when you undertake that kind of production, sightlines and staging, you better be pretty confident you can pull it off."

360 was the first tour under a 10-year multirights agreement between the band and Live Nation, and beyond the staging configuration the tour's "360" banner is a sly reference to that deal, according to McGuinness, who calls the tour name "a little private joke to amuse myself at one point." When it's all said and done, U2 360 will have visited more than 30 countries, dating back nearly two years ago to the opening show in Barcelona, Spain on June 30, 2009. Sidelined last summer by back surgery for the band's Bono, 360 never missed a beat when it resumed. The tour visited Australia/New Zealand, South Africa, South America, Europe, North America, and Mexico.

Going forward, there is a new champ in the Billboard Boxscore records. "Frankly, if anyone else said it was the biggest tour in history it wouldn't count," says McGuinness. "You guys are the journal of record."

Given the unique capacities that the 360 production allows and the band's massive popularity all over the world (as well as the uncertainty of the Rolling Stones' touring future and the fragmented nature of music today) this is a record that will likely stand for many years if not forever. "This is one of those things that is so special and unique that, in this form, it probably only comes around once," says Fogel, who has now produced four of the top five highest grossing tours of all time. "And I think that's OK. It accomplished everything that everyone set out to accomplish, and I think that's the way it should end."(BILLBOARD)

Our Top 5 Favorite Super Bowl Performances!

We've gone over past Super Bowl Performances in the last week and have picked our top 5 favorites.

Our all time favorite, favorite halftime performance is from Michael Jackson in 1993!

Everything this man did had meaning - even here, he was attempting to heal the world!!

The Lovely Ms. Diana Ross - 1996

Areosmith NSYNC - 2001, along with Nelly, Mary J and Britney Spears!

This performance from U2 in 2002 is my second favorite...well is actually tied with MJ's 1993 act.

Less than five months after the tragedies of September 11, U2 brought the heart-shaped stage from their Elevation tour to the gridiron. The band kicked off with "Beautiful Day," but it was their 9/11 tribute that captured the most attention. As they played "Where the Streets Have No Name," a scrolling backdrop featured the names of all of the victims who perished in the attacks and Bono finished the song by opening his jacket to reveal the stars and stripes in its lining.

The Rolling Stones - 2006! LOVE their stage!!

What's Your Favorite Super Bowl Halftime Performance??

BONO MAKES MILLION$ OFF OF FACEBOOK!

Bono's decision to invest in Facebook.com has paid off.

The U2 frontman's share in the social networking site is now worth $728 million.

The rocker purchased 1.5 per cent of the company for $195 million last year as the managing director of Elevation Partners, the investment firm he co-founded in 2001.

Now his slice of Facebook, co-founded by Mark Zuckerberg, is worth a staggering $728 million after the popular site's value rocketed to $50 billion earlier this month.

Bono will be able to cash in his share once the privately-held site is floated on the stock exchange.

TOP 25 TOURS OF 2010...LADY GAGA,JUSTIN BIEBER,MILEY, NO RIHANNA???LOL

Concert attendance may have hit a low and tour cancelations may have been common this summer, but in 2010, many touring bands and soloists still made it work. Rock, pop, country, oldies, international -- artists of all genres hit the road and came back with full pockets to prove it. Watch videos from the year's top 25 tours, and relive your moment in the front row. (Artists are ranked by total gross earnings, according to Billboard Boxscore, from Nov. 22, 2009 through Nov. 20, 2010.)

1

BON JOVI

Total Gross: $146,507,388      Number of Shows: 69
Total Attendance: 1,591,154  Number of Sell-Outs: 69

Setlist Essential: "It's My Life"

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2

U2

Total Gross: $131,502,369      Number of Shows: 22
Total Attendance: 1,312,784  Number of Sell-Outs: 22

Setlist Essential: "Beautiful Day"

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3

AC/DC

Total Gross: $122,633,027      Number of Shows: 28
Total Attendance: 1,155,998  Number of Sell-Outs: 19

Setlist Essential: "Back in Black"

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4

LADY GAGA

Total Gross: $116,227,987      Number of Shows: 122
Total Attendance: 1,362,993  Number of Sell-Outs: 101

Setlist Essential: "Telephone"

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5

BLACK EYED PEAS

Total Gross: $81,579,114      Number of Shows: 82
Total Attendance: 1,263,625  Number of Sell-Outs: 82

Setlist Essential: "I Gotta Feeling"

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6

JAMES TAYLOR &CAROLE KING

Total Gross: $62,326,410     Number of Shows: 54
Total Attendance: 693,271  Number of Sell-Outs: 23

Setlist Essential: "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow?"

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7

EAGLES

Total Gross: $62,166,344       Number of Shows: 40
Total Attendance: 587,165  Number of Sell-Outs: 12

Setlist Essential: "Life's Been Good" (With Joe Walsh)

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8

METALLICA

Total Gross: $61,947,556     Number of Shows: 33
Total Attendance: 700,219  Number of Sell-Outs: 13

Setlist Essential: "Fade to Black"

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9

DAVE MATTHEWS BAND

Total Gross: $61,247,906     Number of Shows: 57
Total Attendance: 1,052,312  Number of Sell-Outs: 25

Setlist Essential: "Crash Into Me"

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10

PAUL McCARTNEY

Total Gross: $55,760,403       Number of Shows: 21
Total Attendance: 394,186  Number of Sell-Outs: 20

Setlist Essential: "Live and Let Die"

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11

MICHAEL BUBLE

Total Gross: $52,887,642       Number of Shows: 60
Total Attendance: 650,223  Number of Sell-Outs: 47

Setlist Essential: "Haven't Met You Yet" 

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12

TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA

Total Gross: $47,395,108       Number of Shows: 134
Total Attendance: 1,061,120  Number of Sell-Outs: 51

Setlist Essential: "Christmas Canon"

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13

TIM McGRAW

Total Gross: $44,782,598        Number of Shows: 71
Total Attendance: 880,688  Number of Sell-Outs: 29

Setlist Essential: "Live Like You Were Dying"

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14

TOM PETTY & THE HEARTBREAKERS

Total Gross: $44,696,605     Number of Shows: 46
Total Attendance: 657,610  Number of Sell-Outs: 16

Setlist Essential: "Free Fallin'"

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15

TAYLOR SWIFT

Total Gross: $40,312,810     Number of Shows: 47
Total Attendance: 643,168  Number of Sell-Outs: 45

Setlist Essential: "You Belong With Me"

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16

ANDRÉ RIEU

Total Gross: $39,992,285     Number of Shows: 86
Total Attendance: 444,996  Number of Sell-Outs: 10

Setlist Essential: "The Second Waltz"

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17

BRAD PAISLEY

Total Gross: $38,638,839    Number of Shows: 62
Total Attendance: 842,679  Number of Sell-Outs: 32

Setlist Essential: "Tick"

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18

GEORGE STRAIT &REBA McENTIRE

Total Gross: $36,666,304      Number of Shows:27
Total Attendance: 439,698  Number of Sell-Outs: 13

Setlist Essential: "Troubadour," George Strait

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19

JUSTIN BIEBER

Total Gross: $35,600,276        Number of Shows: 62
Total Attendance: 739,533  Number of Sell-Outs:57

Setlist Essential: "Baby"

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20

NICKELBACK

Total Gross: $35,035,196     Number of Shows: 41
Total Attendance: 497,072  Number of Sell-Outs: 16

Setlist: Essential: "How You Remind Me"

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21

PHISH

Total Gross: $33,240,962        Number of Shows: 43
Total Attendance: 658,243  Number of Sell-Outs: 21

Setlist Essential: "Prince Caspian"

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22

MILEY CYRUS

Total Gross: $33,126,226     Number of Shows: 23
Total Attendance: 337,408  Number of Sell-Outs: 13

Setlist Essential: "Party in the U.S.A."

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23

RASCAL FLATTS

Total Gross: $31,465,481     Number of Shows: 54
Total Attendance: 630,126  Number of Sell-Outs: 14

Setlist Essential: "What Hurts the Most"

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24

CARRIE UNDERWOOD

Total Gross: $29,743,522     Number of Shows: 81
Total Attendance: 608,319  Number of Sell-Outs: 39

Setlist Essential: "Before He Cheats"

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25

TIËSTO

Total Gross: $28,626,366     Number of Shows: 110
Total Attendance: 525,894  Number of Sell-Outs: 45

Setlist Essential: "Sweet Dreams"

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