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On August’s Boxscore recap, Chris Brown became the fourth artist to lead the monthly Top Tours chart in 2025, coming close to the nine-figure mark with $96.8 million. According to figures reported to Billboard Boxscore, he comes even closer on September’s report, logging a second consecutive month at No. 1 with $98.1 million and 580,000 tickets sold.
When Brown topped the charts last month, he became the 10th artist to report monthly earnings of more than $90 million since the lists launched in 2019. By immediately hitting that mark again, he becomes just the third act to do so twice. Beyoncé grossed more than $90 million in six different months, split evenly between 2023’s Renaissance World Tour and this year’s Cowboy Carter Tour. Bad Bunny did it twice, both during 2022’s World’s Hottest Tour.
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Brown’s 13 shows during September were spread across 10 U.S. cities, three of which boasted double-headers. Those – Arlington, Texas (Globe Life Park on Sept. 2-3), Inglewood, Calif. (SoFi Stadium on Sept. 13-14), and Las Vegas (Allegiant Stadium on Sept. 19-20) – broke $10 million each, grossing $14 million, $16.3 million, and $15.8 million, respectively. They all appear in the top 10 of Top Boxscores.
Brown launched Breezy Bowl XX in June and wrapped two weeks ago (Oct. 16). The entire trek earned $295.5 million and sold just under two million tickets (1.983 million) over 49 shows. Of those totals, $47.8 million and 490,000 tickets are from the tour’s European leg, and the remaining $247.8 million and 1.5 million tickets are from North American shows.
On Brown’s first stadium tour, he’s up by 39% from his previous European trek (Under the Influence Tour 2023). In the U.S. and Canada, the leap is more pronounced, up 201% from last year’s The 11:11 Tour.
Brown’s final Breezy Bowl shows push his career earnings over the half-billion mark. Across 322 reported shows, the R&B phenom has grossed $511.4 million and sold 4.9 million tickets. That includes all of his solo headline revenue, plus 50% of co-headline tours like a pair of 2007 tours with Ne-Yo and Bow Wow, 2015’s Between The Sheets Tour (with Trey Songz) and 2022’s One of Them Ones Tour (Lil Baby).
It’s not just Brown who repeats atop the monthly charts: Coldplay is No. 1 for a second straight month on Top Boxscores, with the final four of its 10 shows at London’s Wembley Stadium. The first six topped the August ranking with $78.9 million, and this month’s shows add $52.5 million. Altogether, the three-week run brought in $131.4 million and sold 791,000 tickets.
Both in terms of earnings and attendance, Coldplay’s Wembley Stadium run is the biggest single-venue engagement by a headline artist ever. That record applies to artists on tour, and does not include extended residencies, like Celine Dion at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace or Billy Joel at Madison Square Garden.
The Wembley shows were the only dates on Coldplay’s calendar in September, but they are enough to earn the band the runner-up spot on Top Tours. In addition to a record-tying seven months at No. 1, this is its sixth appearance at No. 2. Brown and Coldplay are the third duo to go back-to-back at Nos. 1-2 this year, following Shakira and Tyler, The Creator in February and March, and Beyoncé and The Weeknd in May and June.
As previously reported, Coldplay is planning more shows on the record-breaking Music of the Spheres World Tour for 2027. It’s already sold more tickets than any tour ever, and by the end of its teased 360-show run, it will likely be the biggest grosser as well.
September marks the first top 10 appearance on Top Tours for three artists. Benson Boone is No. 6 with $29 million and 238,000 tickets. He previously topped out at No. 19 in January with shows in Asia and Australia. Tate McRae is No. 9 with $21.9 million and 175,000 tickets, up from No. 14 last month.
In between, YoungBoy Never Broke Again makes his Top Tours debut, hitting No. 8 on his first chart appearance. The first 17 shows of the Make America Slime Again Tour pulled in $28.3 million from 231,000 tickets sold. He had a packed schedule, stretching from the 1st to the 29th, peaking with two shows each in Dallas ($3.9 million at American Airlines Center on Sept. 1-2) and Los Angeles ($3.8 million at Crypto.com Arena on Sept. 9-10).
Lady Gaga is no stranger to the Top Tours chart but hits a new career high on the September ranking. After bouncing in and out of the top 10 over the last five months, she is No. 3 on the current edition. Eleven shows from The MAYHEM Ball grossed $39.7 million and sold 159,000 tickets, including major-market, multi-national dates in Chicago, London, Miami, New York, and Toronto.
Just beneath her, former chart-topper Shakira is No. 4 with $33.9 million from eight shows in Mexico. Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran World Tour is already the highest-grossing Latin tour by a woman, and 17 yet-to-be-reported shows in South America could push its all-time status even further before its Dec. 11 Buenos Aires.
Rounding out the top five, Zach Bryan earned $29.4 million and sold 192,000 tickets from just two shows in September. First, he performed at Notre Dame Stadium, welcoming 79,300 fans to the South Bend, Ind. stadium. But his second date, a Sept. 27 show at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, upped the ante with 112,000 tickets sold. It is reported to be the largest ticketed concert in U.S. history.
Billboard‘s Live Music Summit will be held in Los Angeles on Nov. 3. For tickets and more information, click here.
Trending on Billboard New Edition have announced that they’ll be hitting the road in 2026 with Boyz II Men and Toni Braxton. The legendary group announced via a press release that they’ll kick off The New Edition Way Tour at the Oakland Arena in California on Jan. 29. From there, all three acts will head […]
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Halle Bailey and DDG have temporarily agreed to share custody of their son and drop domestic violence claims against each other, putting a halt to the musicians’ messy legal battle after months of back and forth.
Bailey and DDG (Darryl Dwayne Granberry Jr.) had been fighting in family court since this summer over custody of their nearly two-year-old child, Halo. The proceedings got ugly, with Bailey accusing the 28-year-old streamer and rapper of physical abuse and DDG claiming the 25-year-old singer and actress is mentally unstable.
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But the two artists have put their differences behind them, at least for now. A settlement docketed on Monday (Oct. 27) sets forth a temporary custody arrangement lasting for the next four months, and Bailey and DDG agree to mediate in “good faith” to reach a more permanent plan afterwards.
The settlement also sees both Halle and DDG dropping their competing requests for domestic violence restraining orders (DVROs) against each other. However, both sides reserve their rights to revive these allegations “upon a further incident of abuse.”
“Each party further agrees that should a future incident of abuse occur that postdates the dismissal of the instant DVRO requests, the fact that the parties dismissed her/his DVRO request shall not be prejudicial to the party seeking new orders,” reads the agreement. “The dismissal is for settlement purposes only and may not be used as evidence against the party(s) seeking new orders.”
Reps for Bailey and DDG did not immediately return requests for comment on Tuesday (Oct. 28). This is not surprising, as the settlement mandates that “the parties shall not publicly discuss the terms of this stipulation or the litigation between them.”
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Bailey and DDG dated between 2022 and 2024, and Halo was born at the end of 2023. Their court dispute began this past May, when Bailey filed a petition claiming DDG had physically attacked her multiple times in Halo’s presence. In one such instance, Bailey alleged that DDG pulled her hair, slammed her face on a car steering wheel and chipped her tooth.
DDG denied these claims and brought a counter-petition of his own in June, alleging that Bailey was actually the abusive one and had repeatedly threatened self-harm as a means of emotional manipulation. Bailey responded that she struggled with her mental health in the past but now has these issues under control.
Bailey was given court-ordered custody of Halo while the litigation played out. She’s retaining primary custody under Monday’s settlement agreement, while DDG gets the child twice a week and two weekends a month. They will split holidays.
The former couple agrees in the settlement not to post any photos or videos of Halo online. There are also a number of guardrails to govern their relationship; neither one is allowed to disparage the other in the child’s presence, they can only communicate via a special co-parenting app, and Halo should always be dropped off with the other parent at a public park.
“All exchanges shall be peaceful and polite, with the custodial parent handing the child to the non-custodial parent. (A polite hello and goodbye is acceptable),” reads the settlement.
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“I work for every bit of applause I get,” Usher told Billboard on the eve of his first Las Vegas residency in 2021. “I try my hardest to give people an incredible experience.”
That philosophy has propelled Usher’s 28-year touring career, which has taken him to arenas, residencies and the world’s largest stage: the Super Bowl. As a 19-year-old wunderkind in the late ’90s, he scored his first opening gigs for Mary J. Blige, Sean “Diddy” Combs and Janet Jackson. Fast forward to this year, when the 47-year-old superstar completed his most recent arena tour, Usher: Past Present Future.
The eight-time Grammy winner’s latest outing was the highest-grossing and best-selling tour of his career, according to Billboard Boxscore, grossing $183.9 million and selling 1.1 million tickets over 80 shows. All told, Usher has a reported career gross of $422.6 million from 3.3 million tickets over 334 shows. That’s a whole lot of singing and dancing — both of which are an innate part of Usher’s DNA.
Usher will appear in conversation during Billboard‘s Live Music Summit, held Nov. 3 in Los Angeles. For tickets and more information, click here.
Drawing comparisons to Michael Jackson while honing lithe dancing skills and his supple tenor, Usher graduated from opener to solo headliner in 2002 with his 8701 Evolution Tour in support of his third studio album, 8701. Two years later, The Truth Tour, in support of his smash-hit album Confessions, became one of the period’s highest-grossing outings, with $31.4 million earned. Usher more than doubled that return with the 2010-11 OMG World Tour, which grossed $75 million; the trek landed in seventh place on Billboard’s Top Tours chart in 2011.
But it was a post-pandemic foray into Las Vegas’ residency scene — suggested by manager Ron Laffitte well after Usher’s last tour in 2014 — that reintroduced and reinvigorated the R&B star’s musical legacy this decade. The first residency, Usher: The Las Vegas Residency, at Caesars Palace, did $18.8 million and sold 84,000 tickets over 20 shows (2021-22). The second, My Way: The Vegas Residency, staged at the Dolby Live theater at Park MGM, garnered $95.9 million and sold 394,000 tickets over 80 shows (2022-23). Those successes sparked a chain reaction that culminated in Usher’s critically acclaimed Super Bowl LVIII halftime performance and Past Present Future.
Usher performs during the Apple Music Super Bowl LVIII Halftime Show at Allegiant Stadium on Feb. 11, 2024 in Las Vegas.
Kevin Mazur/Getty Images
Usher performs at the grand opening of Usher’s My Way: The Vegas Residency at Dolby Live at Park MGM on July 15, 2022 in Las Vegas.
Denise Truscello/Getty Images
Usher’s singular status as a dynamic performer has led to his recognition as Billboard’s 2025 Legend of Live. For him, however, it’s the connection with his audience that counts most — and fuels his ongoing passion for performing.
“When it all comes together — the song, the connecting message to the audience, the dance — it almost feels like classical music,” Usher said ahead of his Super Bowl performance last year. “I just want to love what I do, make what I love, allow people to come to my space and see what I have to offer.”
This story appears in the Oct. 25, 2025, issue of Billboard.
Trending on Billboard Grammy-winning artist Kali Uchis, five-time Grammy nominee Kehlani, and KPop Demon Hunters’ songwriter, lead vocalist and rising star EJAE will be honored at the 17th annual ASCAP Women Behind the Music. The event is set for Wednesday, Nov. 12, in Los Angeles. Kehlani, a five-time Grammy nominee, received the Rule Breaker Award […]
Trending on Billboard “Take your time, what’s the rush?” The lyric from Leon Thomas‘ 2024 hit “Mutt” couldn’t be more fitting to describe the song’s yearlong journey to the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100, which it finally reaches this week. To be exact, “Mutt” took 38 chart weeks to reach its current position […]
Trending on Billboard After Pharrell Williams and the Jonas Brothers performed at the first two games of the 2025 World Series — the first time in 32 years Canada hosted the annual baseball championship — the MLB has unveiled its next slate of performers for games three and four in the matchup between the Toronto […]
Listen to new must-hear songs from emerging R&B/hip-hop artists like The BLK LT$ and María Isabel.
10/27/2025
Trending on Billboard Justin Bieber showed Odeal nothing but love and respect when the Nigerian-British star visited L.A. last week for his sold-out show at The Roxy. Both artists were seen casually hanging out in the video from Odeal’s The Shows That Saved Me tour vlog series posted Friday (Oct. 24) on YouTube, where Odeal […]
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Muni Long’s former managers are suing the singer for refusing to pay more than $600,000 worth of promised fees, though the Grammy-winning R&B star’s team calls the claims “unfounded.”
Long (Priscilla Renea Hamilton) is facing breach of contract claims from Ebony Son Entertainment, the Atlanta-based management company run by Chaka Zulu and Jeff Dixon. The duo is best known for managing Ludacris, with whom they started the record label Disturbing Tha Peace in 1998.
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Ebony Son claims in a Thursday (Oct. 23) federal court complaint that Zulu and Dixon’s hard work was instrumental to Long’s success, including her win for Best R&B Performance at the Grammy Awards this year. But Long fired her managers in January and now owes hefty commissions from live shows and recording and writing gigs, according to the complaint.
“Defendant Priscilla Renea Hamilton is publicly known as the musical artist ‘Muni Long’ but her less well-known performances are as a serial grifter,” reads the lawsuit. “After taking the benefit of plaintiff’s elite and highly sought-after management services for more than a year, Muni Long shamelessly reneged on her promises to pay plaintiff the agreed-upon, customary percentage of revenue she earned, and only earned because plaintiff assisted in obtaining those engagements.”
Long’s team denies the claims as “unfounded” in a statement to Billboard on Friday (Oct. 24). The team says it’s “deeply unfortunate that the matter could not be resolved privately and professionally,” claiming Long made “good faith” settlement offers even though “no formal contract ever existed” with Ebony Son.
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“The situation has been particularly distressing, as it involves the same team that took possession of the artist’s phone and sought to have her involuntarily committed to a mental health facility, despite medical confirmation that she was suffering from a Lupus flare-up,” says Long’s team in the statement. “All appropriate avenues are being pursued to ensure that the truth is fully and fairly defended. The artist hopes this underscores the importance to all those in creative fields to safeguard their personal and professional boundaries and be discerning about those they trust to represent them.”
Zulu and Dixon have been battling with Long in court since July, when the managers first leveled allegations over the unpaid commissions in a California state court complaint. That state court case was withdrawn just days before Ebony Son took the claims to federal court.
Long broke onto the R&B scene in 2022 with her hit single “Hrs and Hrs,” which spent 20 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 and peaked at No. 16 on the chart. She signed with Def Jam Recordings that year, and “Hrs and Hrs” won the Grammy for Best R&B Performance at the 2023 ceremony.
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According to Thursday’s lawsuit, Long had her first meeting with Zulu and Dixon at New Orleans’ ESSENCE Festival of Culture in July 2023. During this meeting, the managers say, Long allegedly agreed to pay the duo 20% of all her gross revenue and reimburse all management-related expenses.
Zulu and Dixon say they began putting in work for Long “within days of being hired,” ensuring that her 2024 album Revenge was released before the Grammys cutoff date. This made it possible for Long to win another Best R&B Performance Grammy that year for her song “Made for Me,” the lawsuit claims.
The managers allege Long paid her required commissions and reimbursements for over a year, but that she “purportedly became unhappy” with the amount of the fees and ultimately stopped all payments in October 2024. In January, they say she officially cut ties with Ebony Son.
“Plaintiff, who worked tirelessly to advance Muni Long’s career, [has] secured over $5 million in revenue for defendants to date,” says the complaint. “But as to a significant percentage of this revenue, defendants have failed to pay plaintiff the corresponding commission payments as required by the agreement.”
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Zulu and Dixon claim Long owes more than $600,000 worth of commissions and expenses from the money she made via live shows, a $1 million ASCAP publishing deal, songwriting agreements with Shenseea and Tiwa Savage, and features on tracks by Teddy Swims and Toosi.
The lawsuit says Long also owes fees on other sources of revenue that Zulu and Dixon have not yet been able to fully audit, including the money she made opening for Chris Brown on the 11:11 Tour in 2024.
Unrelatedly, Zulu was criminally charged with murder in 2022 for shooting a man during an altercation in Atlanta. The charges were later dropped after prosecutors determined that Zulu was acting in self-defense.
