NEW YORK (Reuters) - Irish rockers
U2 not only dominated the 2001 year-end touring charts with a North Amercian gross of $109.7 million, but garnered the second largest yearly gross of all time, trailing only the
Rolling Stones' 1994 Voodoo Lounge tour, which grossed $121.2 million, according to touring trade publication
Pollstar.
'NSync, which placed No. 2 last year, once again was runner-up with a gross of 86.8 million, followed by Backstreet Boys (No. 17 last year), Dave Matthews Band (No. 3 in 2000), and Elton John/Billy Joel (John sans Joel also placed No. 28 with another $13.3 million, while Joel remained "retired" as a "solo" artist).
'NSync attracted the most fans with 1.725 million concertgoers, while U2, Backstreet Boys, Dave Matthews Band, and Aerosmith were the only other artists drawing more than a million fans. U2 and Madonna were the only acts who sold out all its concerts.
Opera singer Andrea Bocelli had the highest average ticket price at $161.45, while Madonna had the highest average rock ticket price of $123.91, with many tickets priced at $250. The John/Joel package was the only other tour with an average of over $100 per ticket. At the other extreme of Pollstar's Top 100 acts of 2001 was Poison (No. 94), having the lowest average ticket price of $16.32.
Even though Pollstar's mid-year charts of the top 50 acts showed that gross revenues were down a whopping 12 percent from 2000 and that the predictions were gloomy, the final analysis of the top 100 acts for the year saw an increase in ticket revenues to $1.75 billion from $1.71 billion, while attendance decreased to 34.4 million from 37.1 million. Ticket prices have continued to increase to an average of $43.86, or about eight percent over last year's $40.74 for the Top 100 acts.
Action for 2002 is already in place: Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young and Elton John/Billy Joel have put tickets on sale. There has also been rumblings about a return from the Rolling Stones, the Who, Fleetwood Mac, the Eagles, Paul McCartney, and Michael Jackson. Perhaps they'll all take a cue from U2 who tossed aside the flashy stadium tour and downsized to a "less is more" stage presence in arenas. The Dave Matthews Band and 'NSync have already made that decision and will eschew stadiums next summer for arenas and amphitheaters.
Pollstar?s Top Grossing Tours of 2001:
1. U2, $109.7 million (80 shows)
2. 'NSync, $86.8 million (43 shows)
3. Backstreet Boys, $82.1 million (98 shows)
4. Dave Matthews Band, $60.5 million (51 shows)
5. Elton John/Billy Joel, $57.2 million (31 shows)
6. Madonna, $54.7 million (28 shows)
7. Aerosmith, $49.3 million (64 shows)
8. Janet Jackson, $42.1 million (57 shows)
9. Eric Clapton, $38.8 million (46 shows)
10. Neil Diamond, $35.4 million (46 shows)
11. Matchbox Twenty, $28.4 million (89 shows)
12. Rod Stewart, $27.2 million (66 shows)
13. Jimmy Buffett, $26.9 million (32 shows)
14. Andrea Bocelli, $26.8 million (15 shows)
15. Ozzfest 2001, $26.4 million (31 shows)
16. Sade, $26.2 million (41 shows)
17. Tim McGraw, $24.9 million (45 shows)
18. Britney Spears, $23.7 million (31 shows)
19. James Taylor, $23.0 million (61 shows)
20. Tool, $20.4 million (63 shows)
21. AC/DC - $18.9 million (34 shows)
22. Barenaked Ladies - $17.1 million (74 shows)
23. Destiny's Child - $17.0 million (59 shows)
24. Brooks & Dunn - $16.6 million (63 shows)
25. Depeche Mode - $16.2 million (40 shows)
26. Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers - $14.4 million (31 shows)
27. Stevie Nicks - $14.1 million (38 shows)
28. Elton John - $13.3 million (19 shows)
29. John Mellencamp - $13.2 million (33 shows)
30. Michael Flatley's "Feet of Flames" - $13.1 million (21 shows)
31. Blink-182 - $13.0 million (63 shows)
32. Journey - $12.7 million (61 shows)
33. Bon Jovi - $12.5 million (32 shows)
34. "Warped Tour" - $12.4 million (46 shows)
35. Bob Dylan - $12.3 million (58 shows)
36. Widespread Panic - $12.3 million (77 shows)
37. Sting - $11.8 million (27 shows)
38. Phil Lesh and Friends - $11.6 million (74 shows)
39. Jerry Seinfeld - $11.5 million (62 shows)
40. Luciano Pavarotti - $11.4 million (11 shows)
