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The highest-grossing music tours of all time

Music would be meaningless without the support of live events: for a musician or band today, a tour is crucial for its earnings.

Over the decades, there have been memorable tours, even lasting for more than a year, in which singers have toured the world, earning considerable revenues.

Here is a list of the highest-grossing tours ever, as reported by Forbes magazine. This ranking, before inflation, only takes into account official box office data from reliable sources: tours for which there are no reliable sources may not be included.

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The highest-grossing music tours of all time
Music would be meaningless without the support of live events. Over the decades, there have been memorable tours, lasting many years, in which singers have toured the world and received substantial earnings. Here is a list of the highest-grossing tours of all time, as reported by Forbes magazine. This ranking, before inflation, only takes into account official revenue figures from reliable sources: tours for which there are no certified sources may not be included.
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10. Metallica, WorldWired Tour (2016-2019): $416.9 million
The WorldWired Tour of Metallica, made in support of their tenth studio album, "Hardwired... to Self-Destruct", included 75 dates in North America, 5 in South America, 5 in Asia and 68 in Europe.
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9. AC/DC, Black Ice World Tour (2008-2010): $441 million
The Black Ice World Tour had 168 stops around the world. Among the unforgettable moments of this tour were the concerts held in Oceania from 28 January 2010 to 8 March 2010, when the band played 'High Voltage' in tribute to Bon Scott to celebrate him thirty years after his death.
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8. Roger Waters, The Wall Live (2010-2013): $459 million
The Wall Live was the third solo tour by long-time Pink Floyd member Roger Waters. During the tour, the entire album 'The Wall' was performed for the first time since 1990.
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7. Coldplay, A Head Full Of Dreams Tour (2016-2017): $523 million
Coldplay could not be missing from this list. Interestingly, this tour started (31 March 2016) and ended (15 November 2017) in the same place, namely Argentina, more precisely in La Plata.
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6. The Rolling Stones, No Filter Tour (2017-2021): $546.5 million
The Rolling Stones' 48th tour started in Hamburg on 9 September 2017 and ended on 23 November 2021 in Hollywood. This tour had to stop for a number of reasons: first because of Mick Jagger's health problems, then because of the pandemic and finally, sadly, because of the death of Charlie Watts, who was replaced by Steve Jordan on drums on the 2021 stages.
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5. The Rolling Stones, A Bigger Bang Tour (2005-2007): $558.3 million
The Rolling Stones, who during their tour between 2005 and 2007 played host to many internationally renowned artists such as The Black Eyed Peas, Maroon 5, Pearl Jam and Alice Cooper, also featured in the charts.
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4. Guns N’ Roses, Not In This Lifetime… Tour (2016-2019): $584.2 million
The Not In This Lifetime... Tour was a historic event, as for the first time since 1993 Axl Rose, Slash and Duff McKagan performed together again in the classic line-up. In total, the tour included 175 dates on all continents.
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3. U2, U2 360º Tour (2009-2011): $736.4 million
The Irish band's fifteenth tour, the 360º Tour was so named because of the 360° design of the stage structure. The first concert was held on 30 June 2009 in Spain (Barcelona), the last on 30 July 2011 in Canada (Moncton).
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2. Ed Sheeran, Divide Tour (2017-2019): $776.4 million
The ÷ Tour was Ed Sheeran's third tour in support of the album of the same name. The tour started in Italy (Turin) on 16 March 2017, before concluding on 26 August 2019 in Ipswich, a town to which Ed Sheeran is very attached.
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1. Elton John, Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour (2018-2023): $817.9 million
First position for Sir Elton John's very long farewell tour: this should in fact be the last tour of the singer-songwriter, who topped the list of the most profitable tours of all time at the beginning of 2023. In total, 333 live shows are planned and the last one is scheduled to take place on 8 July 2023 in Stockholm, Sweden.
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