Stones Roll over Concert Competition

12/30/2005 1:59 PM, E! Online


Mick and the boys will surely get some satisfaction out of this.

The Rolling Stones raked in $162 million in concert ticket sales in 2005, becoming the top-grossing tour both of the year, but of all time, according to year-end data Friday from the concert trade Pollstar.

The dino-rockers took the top spot on the strength of just 42 North American shows, besting bands like Green Day and U2, which played nearly double that amount, by charging steep ticket prices and playing huge venues that packed in more fans. The average fan shelled out nearly $134 to attend one of the Bigger Bang shows.

The Stones shattered their own record--the band's 1994 Voodoo Lounge outing raked in a then-unprecedented $121.2 million.

U2 also made the record books with its Vertigo tour. The Bono-led rockers tallied $138.9 million in 78 shows to rank as the second-highest grossing tour of the year as well as the second-highest grossing tour of all time. While U2 has headlined stadium shows in years past, the band stuck to more intimate venues this time around.

Celine Dion earned the third spot by filling seats at her exclusive Caesar's Palace engagement. She grossed $138.9 million with 155 performances. Proving how lucrative a Vegas run can be, Elton John, who augmented his Sin City dates with a handful of regular concerts, finished sixth on the list, with $65.8 million.

Oldies but goodies Paul McCartney and the Eagles rounded out the top five, with the former Beatle raking in $77.3 million, while the "Hotel California" purveyors pocketed $76.8 million.

Indeed, aging road warriors dominated the list, including the likes of , Neil Diamond (ninth, $47.3 million), Jimmy Buffett (10th, $41 million), Motley Crue (11th, $39.9 million), Bruce Springsteen (15th, $26.3 million), Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers (18th, $23.6 million) and Barry Manilow (19th, $22.7 million).

That left only a few slots for relative youngsters like Kenny Chesney (seventh, $61.8 million), Dave Matthews Band (eighth, $57 million), Green Day (12th, $34.8 million), Gwen Stefani (16th, $24.2 million) and Coldplay (17th, $24.1 million).

Once again, hip-hop proved not to be a huge concert draw, with only the Eminem- and 50 Cent-fronted Anger Management 3 tour just cracking the top 20, with $21.6 million.

According to Pollstar, overall grosses for the top 100 North American shows rose to $3.1 billion from last year's $2.8 billion, but the number of tickets sold again declined, from 37.6 million in 2004 to 36.1 million this year. Gary Bongiovanni, editor of the Fresno-based trade magazine, called the downward trend "a little disconcerting."

The difference was again made up by jacked-up prices, which jumped nearly five bucks a pop from last year to $57. In fact, four of the top five grossers this year charged over $100 for a ticket. U2 was the only hold-out, with an average price of $97.

Among the top 20 acts, Dion charged the most, with a typical seat going for about $136, while country legend Rascal Flatts (14th, $28.2 million) had the cheapest seats on the list, with an average price of just under $35.

Here's a rundown of the top-grossing tours of 2005 (average ticket price in parentheses), per Pollstar:

1. The Rolling Stones, $162 million ($133.98)
2. U2, $138.9 million ($96.92)
3. Celine Dion, $81.3 million ($136.04)
4. Paul McCartney, $77.3 million ($135.46)
5. Eagles, $76.8 million ($104.17)
6. Elton John, $65.8 million ($102.46)
7. Kenny Chesney, $61.8 million ($54.63)
8. Dave Matthews Band, $57 million ($47.09)
9. Neil Diamond, $47.3 million ($63.02)
10. Jimmy Buffett, $41 million ($76.49)
11. Motley Crue, $39.9 million ($46.48)
12. Green Day, $34.8 million ($38.07)
13. Toby Keith, $31.6 million ($46.11)
14. Rascal Flatts, $28.2 million ($34.92)
15. Bruce Springsteen, $26.3 million ($81)
16. Gwen Stefani, $24.2 million ($54.46)
17. Coldplay, $24.1 million ($40.80)
18. Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, $23.6 million ($38.05)
19. Barry Manilow, $22.7 million ($153.93)
20. Anger Management 3 Tour, $21.6 million ($64.03)