Bon Jovi, Springsteen tours are tops so far in '08 |
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Los Angeles Times article
While much of the record business is singing a sad song, musicians and fans apparently can't wait to get on the road again, according to a midyear look at the concert business just released by Pollstar magazine.
Despite skyrocketing gas prices and a generally sluggish economy, Pollstar reports that the combined gross from the top 100 tours during the first six months of this year held steady at $1.05 billion, identical to the figure for the same period last year.
"The concert industry did far better in the first half of 2008 than it should have," Pollstar editor Gary Bongiovanni noted in the report. "Despite the worsening economic climate, whatever it is that triggers the off-switch on consumer spending for tickets doesn't appear to have happened yet."
Bon Jovi and Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band were No. 1 and 2; Bon Jovi grossed $56.3 million and Springsteen pulled in $40.8 million.
Following them in Pollstar's top 10 are Van Halen ($36.8 million), Kenny Chesney ($35.3 million), Michael Bublé ($32.5 million), Kanye West ($31.6 million), Jay-Z/Mary J. Blige ($30.7 million), Rascal Flatts ($25.4 million), and the Spice Girls and the Police (virtually tied at about $23.3 million each).
Among the other highlights:
* Each of the top four tours grossed more than $1 million per night, on average, with Bon Jovi surpassing $2 million from night to night through 39 shows.
* Another four acts -- Bon Jovi, Chesney, the Dave Matthews Band and the Eagles -- averaged more than 20,000 fans per night, with the Eagles' average topping 30,000.
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