It seems tours are getting bigger and bigger these days—both in length and in stature. Some tours will go on for years on end, amassing incomprehensible amounts of money.
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Find out which artists have had the biggest turn-out for their shows in this list of the highest-grossing tours all of time —as ranked by Forbes.
10. Love on Tour – Harry Styles ($418 million)
It seems Harry Styles may never be off the road at the rate he is going. His Love on Tour began in September of 2021 and is scheduled to continue until this July when he will wrap things up in Italy.
So far, the tour has racked up $418 million in profits.
The tour has seen Styles promote two different albums: His 2019 record Fine Line and his latest release, Harry’s House. With the release of Harry’s House, Styles updated his stage set-up and his setlist to better reflect the album’s aesthetic.
9. Black Ice World Tour – AC/DC ($442 million)
The Black Ice World Tour saw AC/DC return to the stage for the first time in eight years. The tour had a sprawling eight legs and lasted more than 20 months – length seems to be a unifying factor between these high-grossing tours.
The time AC/DC spent away from the road drummed up a significant amount of yearning for the Australian rockers, producing a turn-out of fans that summed up to $442 million.
8. The Wall Live – Roger Waters ($459 million)
Roger Waters originally called it quits with Pink Floyd around the time of The Wall Tour in 1981. The tour was a relatively small endeavor for the band back then, so it made it all the more enticing when Waters brought back the album in 2010 for a solo tour.
The tour lasted for more than three years, four continents, and amassed $459 million.
7. A Head Full of Dreams Tour – Coldplay ($524 million)
Looking to more contemporary bands, Coldplay earned the accolade of the highest-grossing tour in 2016 with the A Head Full of Dreams Tour.
The tour earned Coldplay a reputation for being a can’t-miss touring act around with grandiose stage set-ups, stadium-sized production, and killer anthems.
All in all, the tour brought in $524 million.
6. No Filter Tour – The Rolling Stones ($547 million)
The No Filter Tour is one of the smallest tours on this list, but that makes it all the more impressive that The Rolling Stones garnered $547 million in the process. The tour was made up of four quick summer treks between 2017 and 2021.
The Stones are obviously one of the biggest bands in the world so it’s no surprise they were bringing in that kind of cash, but the next stop on this list saw an even bigger turn-out for the group.
5. A Bigger Bang Tour – The Rolling Stones ($558 million)
The Rolling Stones pulled off an even bigger bang with their 2005-2007 tour. The trek was in support of their A Bigger Bang album and grossed $558 million across its duration.
The tour was so pivotal to the group’s career that they released an album’s worth of live recordings from a stop in Rio de Janeiro in 2021.
“It was amazing,” Mick Jagger told Rolling Stone of the show. “It was a really good audience. They know how to enjoy themselves on those occasions.”
The Stones have always known how to pull in an audience and their two appearances on this list only add further proof to that claim.
4. Not in This Lifetime Tour – Guns N’ Roses ($584 million)
It’s no surprise a comeback tour would make it onto this list. After all, absence makes the heart grow fonder.
Guns N’ Roses gave their comeback trek a tongue-in-cheek name: The Not in This Lifetime Tour. Luckily for all the GnR fans out there, the group shockingly did decide to reunite in their original form for this trek in 2016.
The wanting GnR fans came out in droves to the tune of $584 million.
3. U2 360° Tour – U2 ($736 million)
Coming in at No. 3 is U2’s 360° Tour. As made evident by the name, the tour features a massive stage that gave fans a 360° view of the Irish rockers. The technological innovations paired with U2’s seminal catalog made this their biggest tour to date.
Every date on the tour sold out, resulting in $736 million in revenue.
2. The ÷ (Divide) Tour – Ed Sheeran ($776 million)
Though he has now been usurped by the No. 1 tour on this list, Ed Sheeran held on to the title of the highest-grossing tour for quite some time. By the time the final curtain was drawn, Sheeran amassed a gross loot of $776 million.
That feat is made all the more impressive when you consider Sheeran’s relatively simple live show. The singer-songwriter forgoes an excess of flashy production or costume changes and instead boils live music down to its basics: a guitar, a singer, and a host of incredible songs.
1. Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour – Elton John ($853 million)
It’s hard for a trek to not become the highest-grossing tour of all time when it has been rolling on for years and it features one of rock’s most iconic performers.
Elton John kicked off his Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour back in 2018 and is slated to wrap it up this July in Stockholm. Over the year-long tour, John has grossed a whopping $853 million.
A major draw for the tour is the fact that John has announced his retirement from touring.
“I want to be with my family,” John told CBS. “I mean, I’ve been touring since I was 17 in the back of a van. I’ve had the most incredible life. I’ve been so lucky, and I’ve loved every single minute of it. But I’ve had enough of that applause, and I really want … I’ll be 76 years of age when I stop touring in 2023. I want to do something different with the rest of my life.”
Photo by Simone Joyner/Getty Images
