_Pollstar_ has compiled its list of the ‘25 Most Popular Touring Artists of the Millennium.’ The list is based on worldwide ticket sales reported to _Pollstar_ from 2001 through the end of 2025.
Top sellers:
Coldplay tops the list, with 24.8 million tickets sold across 731 concerts since 2001.
U2 comes in at Number 2, selling 20.2 million tickets.
Third is Ed Sheeran, with 19.6 million tickets.
At fourth, Dave Matthews Band is the highest ranked American group, with 19.5 million tickets sold.
Taylor Swift rounds out the top five, with 18.9 million tickets sold, 10.2 million of which came from her 2023-2024 ‘Eras’ tour.
The full list is here.
Other facts:
In 2001, the average ticket price for all events reported was $36.68. By 2025 it had risen to $90.27, a 146% increase.
The average ticket price across the top 25 artists was $104.83, with Swift’s the highest at $165.54.
Dave Matthews Band, Elton John and orchestra conductor André Rieu are the only three acts on the list with more than 1000 shows recorded in the box-office archives.
Kenny Chesney is the highest ranked country artist at Number 7 with 18.2 million in ticket sales; at Number 13, Beyoncé is the highest ranked R&B artist with 11.8 million tickets sold.
_Pollstar_ has compiled its list of the ‘25 Most Popular Touring Artists of the Millennium.’ The list is based on worldwide ticket sales reported to _Pollstar_ from 2001 through the end of 2025.
Top sellers:
Coldplay tops the list, with 24.8 million tickets sold across 731 concerts since 2001.
U2 comes in at Number 2, selling 20.2 million tickets.
Third is Ed Sheeran, with 19.6 million tickets.
At fourth, Dave Matthews Band is the highest ranked American group, with 19.5 million tickets sold.
Taylor Swift rounds out the top five, with 18.9 million tickets sold, 10.2 million of which came from her 2023-2024 ‘Eras’ tour.
The full list is here.
Other facts:
In 2001, the average ticket price for all events reported was $36.68. By 2025 it had risen to $90.27, a 146% increase.
The average ticket price across the top 25 artists was $104.83, with Swift’s the highest at $165.54.
Dave Matthews Band, Elton John and orchestra conductor André Rieu are the only three acts on the list with more than 1000 shows recorded in the box-office archives.
Kenny Chesney is the highest ranked country artist at Number 7 with 18.2 million in ticket sales; at Number 13, Beyoncé is the highest ranked R&B artist with 11.8 million tickets sold.
_Pollstar_ has compiled its list of the ‘25 Most Popular Touring Artists of the Millennium.’ The list is based on worldwide ticket sales reported to _Pollstar_ from 2001 through the end of 2025.
Top sellers:
Coldplay tops the list, with 24.8 million tickets sold across 731 concerts since 2001.
U2 comes in at Number 2, selling 20.2 million tickets.
Third is Ed Sheeran, with 19.6 million tickets.
At fourth, Dave Matthews Band is the highest ranked American group, with 19.5 million tickets sold.
Taylor Swift rounds out the top five, with 18.9 million tickets sold, 10.2 million of which came from her 2023-2024 ‘Eras’ tour.
The full list is here.
Other facts:
In 2001, the average ticket price for all events reported was $36.68. By 2025 it had risen to $90.27, a 146% increase.
The average ticket price across the top 25 artists was $104.83, with Swift’s the highest at $165.54.
Dave Matthews Band, Elton John and orchestra conductor André Rieu are the only three acts on the list with more than 1000 shows recorded in the box-office archives.
Kenny Chesney is the highest ranked country artist at Number 7 with 18.2 million in ticket sales; at Number 13, Beyoncé is the highest ranked R&B artist with 11.8 million tickets sold.
Pollstar
Coldplay
U2
Ed Sheeran
Dave Matthews Band
Taylor Swift
Elton John
André Rieu
Kenny Chesney
Beyoncé
Record-Breaking Tour Revenues
Live Sector Economic Health
Live Entertainment Market Trends
Rising Ticket Prices
Sustained Growth In Live Entertainment
Industry Polls
Chart Analysis
Ticketing
Awards & Milestones
Tour Grosses
United Kingdom
Ireland
United States
Netherlands
👋 Disclosures & Transparency Block
This story was written with information from Pollstar.
We covered it because it’s news of the most popular tours of the past 25 years.
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