Billboard Boxscore’s Top 10 Tours of All Time: Elton John Ascends to the Top
Written by djfrosty on February 3, 2023
Over nearly four decades, Billboard Boxscore has charted the biggest tours in the world. From Whitney Houston and Billy Joel in the ‘80s to Bad Bunny and Billie Eilish in 2022, artists have topped Boxscore charts in Vegas theaters, international stadiums, and everything in between.
Most recently, road warrior Elton John broke the record for the highest grossing tour of all time with the Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour, now at $818 million after a brief leg of Australian shows. His tour began in September 2018, was interrupted by COVID for two years, and has returned stronger than ever — and stronger than everyone else.
The updated top 10 tours of all-time include previous record-holders by Ed Sheeran and The Rolling Stones, as well as live legends like Guns N’ Roses and Madonna.
John’s triumphant farewell tour is one of two in the top 10 with post-pandemic results, but more upheaval could be on the way. Still on the road, Coldplay, Harry Styles and previous record-holder Ed Sheeran are marching past the $200 million and $300 million marks with many shows scheduled for this year. And that’s not to mention newly announced 2023 treks by Beyoncé, Metallica, Taylor Swift, and more.
An influx of tours by these artists would not just help to modernize the top 10 but would add dashes of diversity, breaking up a current roster that includes eight tours by male rock acts from the U.K., Ireland and Australia.
Below are the 10 highest-grossing tours in the Boxscore archives, ranked by total earnings, according to figures reported to Billboard Boxscore. All 10 have grossed more than $400 million – who will be next to join the club?