AC/DC’s ‘Rock or Bust’ Tour Sold a Ton of Tickets in 2015
Taylor Swift may have topped the concert charts this year, but she faced some pretty stiff competition from AC/DC — and the hard rock legends actually came out on top in one respect.
Concert trade publication Pollstar has released its year-end data for 2015's tours, and Swift leads the list with an impressive $250.4 million worldwide gross — with more than $200 million of that total coming from U.S. dates, breaking the Rolling Stones' record of $162 million. But Swift's total concert attendance, which reached nearly 2.3 million, was outpaced by the 2.31 million fans AC/DC reached during their 'Rock or Bust' trek this year.
AC/DC placed second on the Pollstar list with a $180 million gross, which the band amassed despite an average ticket price just under $78 — well below Swift's $110 average and the $118 average recorded by U2, whose $152.2 gross was good for a fourth-place showing. U2 were followed by the Foo Fighters ($127 million) and Fleetwood Mac ($125.1 million).
The laws of supply and demand are obviously a major component of ticket prices, reflected by the relative scarcity of Rolling Stones appearances in 2015, which helped goose their average ticket price to nearly $175 and left them with a per-show gross over $7.8 million — the highest of any act in the Top 20. Take a look at Pollstar's Top 10 below, and check out the complete list here.
Top 10 Touring Acts in 2015
Taylor Swift ($250.4 million)
AC/DC ($180.0)
One Direction ($158.8)
U2 ($152.2)
Foo Fighters ($127.0)
Fleetwood Mac ($125.1)
Ed Sheeran ($117.3)
Kenny Chesney ($116.4)
Garth Brooks ($114.9)
Rolling Stones ($109.7)
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