WORLD – Revenues from the global concert touring business, reduced to a trickle due to the Covid pandemic in 2020 and 2021, came roaring back in 2022, with an even bigger surge in 2023. Total ticket sales from the top 100 tours, which reached a high of $5.6 billion in 2019, sank to $1.2 billion in 2020 and $1.7 billion in 2021, according to Pollstar, before chalking up a new record — $6.3 billion — in 2022. Then came 2023’s surge, to a total $9.2 billion. There were big gains in 2023 for the number of total tickets sold — from 59 to 70 million — and the average price per ticket rose as well, from $106 in 2022 to more than $130 in 2023, according to Pollstar’s stats.
The top 10 tours of 2023 played an outsized role in boosting those aggregate results for the top 100 tours, especially Taylor Swift’s 2023/2024 Eras tour, which continues to break all kinds of records for the artist named Time magazine’s Person of the Year. Average ticket sales for each of the 60 stadium shows performed so far topped $17 million, according to Pollstar’s estimates. That makes sales for the Eras trek not just the highest-grossing concert tour for 2023, but for all time, topping the $1 billion mark in total revenues within its first year. (And there are even more Eras shows planned for 2024 than there were in 2023).
Other tours did spectacularly well in 2023. Beyoncé’s Renaissance tour raked in $580 million, according to Pollstar, a sum well above what it would normally take to earn the top slot on the year-end charts — and even topping the record announced by Pollstar last year for Bad Bunny’s $435 million “World’s Hottest Tour” in 2022. With 56 shows in 39 cities, Pollstar also calculated Beyoncé’s average price per ticket at $209 — a per-ticket average exceeded only by Taylor Swift ($239) and Drake ($260) for their 2023 tours.
2023 treks for Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band and Coldplay both topped Beyoncé’s tour results in terms of the number of tickets sold, according to Pollstar, but with ticket prices a little below the industry average, those tours came in at number three and four, respectively. Rounding out our top 10 list, based on 2023 data published by both Pollstar and Billboard, were tours by Harry Styles, Morgan Wallen, Ed Sheeran, P!nk, Elton John and The Weeknd.
Top Tours of 2023: Crew and Gear*
*The Top Tours of 2023 List order and grosses were sourced from Pollstar and Billboard. Data is from Nov. 17, 2022 to Nov. 15, 2023 (Pollstar) and Nov. 1, 2022 to Sept. 30, 2023 (Billboard).
1 Taylor Swift Eras Tour
Sound Company: Eighth Day Sound
Crew
- FOH Engineer: David Payne
- Systems Engineer: Ville Kauhanen
- Assistant System Engineer: Sean Tingle
- Monitor Engineers: Jordan Kolenc (artist/guests), Scott Wasilk (band)
- Monitor Tech: Eoin Collins
- RF Tech: Sam Balk
- Comms: Ron Sharpless
- P.A. Techs: Andy Dudash, Charlie Southward, Jay Butler, Nathan TSE, Natalie Algozino
- Production Manager: Dewey Shepherd
Gear
FOH
- Console: DiGiCo SD7 Quantum
- Speakers: d&b audiotechnik KSL speaker system
MON
- Console: DiGiCo SD7 Quantum
Tour Details
With 60 shows performed so far in 24 cities (each of which gained a measurable boost in economic activity credited to the artist’s presence), Taylor Swift’s 2023/2024 Eras trek has already emerged as the highest-grossing concert tour in history, topping the $1 billion mark in total revenues within its first year, according to Pollstar.
The first tour since Swift’s Reputation trek in 2018, the three-hour Eras extravaganza visited stadiums across the U.S., starting with a two-show stop that began March 17 in Glendale, AZ and continuing on to a six-show run at Los Angeles’ SoFi Stadium that ended Aug. 9. The tour then concluded its 2023 itinerary with a series of concerts in Mexico and Brazil.
Starting in February 2024, the Eras tour heads overseas, with shows in Japan, Australia and Singapore followed by a run through Europe and the UK. The 2024 itinerary is set to conclude with multiple shows planned for five North American stadiums in late 2024.
In addition to surpassing the revenue set by Elton John’s $939 million 2018-2023 Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour in its first year, Taylor Swift’s Eras tour was captured for a concert film during its visit to SoFi Stadium in the Los Angeles area in August. Titled simply Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour, it has already garnered more than $250 million worldwide since its mid-October premiere, making it — you guessed it — the highest-grossing concert film of all time.
2 Beyoncé Renaissance Tour
Sound Company: Eighth Day Sound
Crew
- FOH Engineer: Bill Sheppell
- Monitor Engineers: James Berry, Jim Corbin, Chris Bellamy (Band)
- System Engineer/Crew Chief: Mark Brnich
- System Engineer/Tech: Krysten Dean
- Monitor Techs: John Switzer, Lee Fox-Furnell
- RF Techs: Erick Ruiz, Clinton Reynolds
- Comms: Elmar Dizon, Patrick Taghavi
- P.A. Techs: Chris Jacobs, Ashley Lowe, Jess Scott, Malcom Secright, Dan Buckley
- Sound FX: Tanner Kinny
- Playback Engineer: Demetrius Henry
- Production Manager: Jason Danter
Gear
FOH
- Consoles: (2) DiGiCo SD7 Quantum
- Outboard: Waves, UAD LiveRack, API 2500, Empirical Labs Distressors/Fatso, Bricasti M7’s, M.A.S. Overstayer and Stereo Field Effect
- Speakers: d&b GSL system, including (96) GSL, (32) KSL, (64) J8, (20) Y10P, (66) SL-SUB. Configuration: (24) GSL Main Array, (24) GSL Side Array, (12) SL-SUB flown behind mains, (16) KSL 270 Array, (42) SL-SUB ground stacked, (20) Y10P front fills, (4) delay arrays w/(16) J8 each
MON
- Consoles: (3) DiGiCo SD7 Quantum
- Outboard: Waves, Bricasti, API, Vertigo, Rupert Neve Designs, Universal Audio UAD, (2) KLANG:konductor, directout
- Wireless: Wisycom IEM transmitters and packs & RF over fiber; Sennheiser RF mics and beltpacks
- Mics: Beyoncé Vocal: Sennheiser MD945 on SKM9000 stick; Hardwire mics: DPA (2017 & 4017 Shotgun, 5100, 4099, 4011, 4055 Kick Drum), Earthworks, Mojave, Shure, Audio Technica, Telefunken, Rupert Neve DI’s
Tour Details
Beyoncé’s 2023 tour in support of her seventh album, Renaissance, was a 56-show run in 39 cities from May 10 through Oct. 1, 2023. Grossing $580 million, according to Pollstar, it was her biggest-selling tour to date. The trek began in Sweden and traveled through Europe and the UK through late June, then picked up again with more stadium shows in the U.S., starting July 15 in Nashville and wrapping up with a final show in Kansas City, MO. Averaging more than $10 million in ticket sales per show, it ranks as the eighth biggest moneymaker of all time in terms of total (non-inflation-adjusted) dollar sales. Also notable: the $39 million garnered by the tour’s concert film, Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé, since its Dec. 1, 2023 release, and the singer’s reported $24+ million paycheck for an invitation-only concert in Dubai on Jan. 21, 2023.
3 Springsteen and E Street Band 2023 Tour
Sound Company: Clair Global
Crew
- Tour Director: George Travis
- Production Manager: Sean Macgovern
- FOH Engineer: John Cooper
- Monitor Engineers: Monty Carlo (SL), Troy Milner (SR), Matt Fitzgerald (SL2)
- System Engineer/Crew Chief: Brandon Schuette
- Stage/RF Engineer: Brad Galvin
- Stage Engineer: Calvin Welshans
- P.A. Techs: Bobby Taylor, Abigail Chilton, Telvin Armour, David Garwood, Dylan Gray, Brieuc Labiouse, Lukasz Szatarow
Gear
FOH
- Consoles: (2) Avid S6L; Waves & Sonnox plugins
- Speaker System: Cohesion
MON
- Consoles: (3) DiGiCo SD7 Quantum
Tour Details
Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band kicked off their 2023 tour on Feb. 1, their first big road trip together since 2017. Although the tour’s 2023 schedule was ambitious, with a U.S. leg that ran from Feb. 1 through April 14, a European leg that followed from April 28 through July 25, and a North American leg that was to run from late summer through the fall, some of the band members had to bow out on different dates due to positive Covid-19 test results, and a peptic ulcer forced the Boss himself to postpone a total of 22 shows from late 2023 to early 2024. Despite all that, the tour managed to sell 3.5 million tickets, grossing $380 million in 2023, according to Pollstar.
4 Coldplay Music of the Spheres Tour
Sound Companies: Firehouse Productions (U.S.); Solotech (UK/Europe)
Crew
- FOH Engineer: Dan Green
- Monitor Engineer: Chris Wood
- System Designer/FOH Tech: Tony Smith
- System Tech: Dominic Thorne
- Crew Chief: Nick Mooney
- Audio Techs: Alex Hadjigeorgiou, Nick “Mystic” Davis, Suzy Mucciarone, James Smallwood
- RF Tech: Ali Viles
- Production Manager: Chris Kansy
- Production Coordinator: Eme Boucher
Gear
FOH
- Console: DiGiCo SD7 Quantum
- Speakers: Mains/Side Hangs: d&b GSL, 270 Hangs/Delays: d&b KSL, Subwoofers: d&b SL-SUBs (flown & ground), Fills: d&b XSL
- Processing: Waves, ArrayProcessing; DirectOut Prodigy.MC, Prodigy.MP, Optocore DD2FR; Rupert Neve Designs
MON
- Console: DiGiCo SD7 Quantum
- Wireless/Mics: Shure Axient AD2 handhelds for vocals; Sennheiser 6000 Series for wireless
- Instruments; Wisycom MTK952 and MPR50 IEMs
- Comms: Riedel Artist 1024 Matrix
Tour Details
Coldplay’s production team continued in their mission to make the band sound good while also striving to meet the goal of a 50% reduction in carbon emissions compared to their previous Head Full of Dreams tour in 2016-2017. Along efforts to reduce carbon emissions with bicycle power and the first mobile rechargeable show battery in the world, the crew sought to minimize the need to recycle single-use alkaline batteries for radio mics and IEMs by choosing rechargeable batteries instead — and opting for Nickel Metal Hydride (NiMH) rechargeable batteries as an even more eco-friendly alternative than lithium rechargeable batteries. The band sold 6.5 million tickets in 2023, earning $326 million, according to Pollstar, and the ongoing tour is set to visit Asia, Europe and Australia/New Zealand in 2024.
5 Harry Styles Love on Tour
Sound Company: Britannia Row Productions
Crew
- FOH Engineer: Karl “Snake” Newton
- MON Engineer: Charles “Chopper” Bradley
- Audio Lead: Rod Clarkson
- System Engineer: Michael “Monk” Shear
- Audio Crew Chief: David “Dribble” Poynter
- Audio Crew: Anthony Toneatti, Daniel Ibanez, Jony Santonja, Owen Nagel, Christian Zuniga Zevallos, Isaac Cawte, Charles “Chuck” Wells, Daniel Fathers, Josh Graham, Adam Smith
- Production Managers: Andrew Thornton, Eric “Ski” Piontkowski
Gear
FOH
- Console: Avid S6L
- Speakers: L-Acoustics K1, K1SB, K2, K3, Kara II, A15, A10
- Amps: LA12X
MON
- Console: Avid S6L
- IEMs: Wisycom, L-Acoustics Contour XO
- RF: Sennheiser
Tour Details
One of the first concert tours to overcome Covid hurdles and pack arenas again in 2021, Harry Styles’ Love on Tour traveled through Europe, the U.S. and Latin America in June 2022, with more shows in the U.S., Asia, Australia, the UK and Europe in 2023. FOH engineer Snake Newton mixes from a remote location, not just as a Covid precaution but to escape crowd noise, which has been measured at 118 dB. Along with Styles’ second album, Fine Line, released in 2019, the tour supported the release of his third album, Harry’s House, released in 2022, and the tour proved successful enough to make the top tour lists in 2022 and 2023, with 2023’s $291 million boosting revenues for the two-year tour as a whole past the $600 million mark.
6 Morgan Wallen One Night at a Time Tour
Sound Company: Clair Global
Crew
- FOH Engineer: Aaron Lain
- Monitor Engineer: Beau Alexander
- Systems Engineer/Crew Chief: Thomas Morris
- Systems Engineer: Sean Baca
- Monitor Systems Engineer: Vinnie Aceto
- P.A. Fly Techs: Joel Law, Christian Alfaro, Jordan Mills
- Production Manager: Chad Guy
- Assistant Production Manager: Patrick Murphy
- Stage Manager: Donnie Floyd
- Production Coordinator: Lindsey Edwards, Duncan Johnson
- Backline Techs: Connor McGregory, Matt Kennedy, Cal Long, Sam Jacobs
Gear
FOH
- Console: Yamaha PM7, Yamaha RIO622 Stage Rack
- Speakers: Cohesion CO12 (mains, sides, rear, delay hangs), Cohesion CP218 II+ (flown subs), Cohesion CP218 (ground subs), Cohesion CO8 (front fills)
MON
- Monitor Console: DiGiCo SD10, DiGiCo 32 Bit SD racks
- IEMs: Shure PSM1000
- RF: Shure Axient Digital
- Radios: Motorola XPR3500e
- Comms: Riedel Bolero Wireless Intercom System
- Production IT: Clair Series III Production IT Rack
Tour Details
Morgan Wallen’s One Night at a Time tour, in support of his March 2023 album release One Thing at a Time, also began in March 2023 with shows in Australia and New Zealand, followed by a series of big shows in U.S. and Canadian stadiums and arenas that ran from April through October. In 2024, the One Night at a Time continues with 10 additional stadium dates, starting April 4 in Indianapolis and ending Aug. 8 in Las Vegas. The roster of rotating opening acts has included Jelly Roll, Lainey Wilson, Bailey Zimmerman, Jon Pardi, Nate Smith, Bryan Martin, Lauren Watkins and Ella Langley.
7 Ed Sheeran + — = ÷ x (Mathematics) Tour
Sound Company: Major Tom Ltd
Crew
- Production Director: Chris Marsh
- FOH Sound Engineer: Simon Kemp
- Monitor Engineer: Brian Thorene
- Audio Systems Engineer and System Designer: Adam Wells
- Loop Pedal Tech/RF Engineer: Dave White
- Guitar Tech: Trevor Dawkins
- Band Backline Techs: Dan Knight, Cam Atkinson
Gear
FOH
- Console: DiGiCo Quantum7 w/KLANG:kontroller
- Speakers: (212) Meyer Sound Panther L, M and W loudspeakers, in two rings (six hangs of 14 elements for the “inner” ring; eight hangs of 14 enclosures for the “outer” ring); (60) Meyer Sound 1100-LFC configured as six hangs of 10 elements each; (18) Meyer Sound 1100-LFC ground-stacked in six stacks of three; (20) Meyer Sound Leopard elements around the circular center stage for front-fill
- Networking: Meyer Sound Galaxy (1 x 816 platform; 3 x 408 platforms)
- In-the-Round Sheeran Looper Setup: (1) main pedal-board (center stage), (4) remote pedal-board controllers.
- 5-piece band setup on 4 remote stages (drums, bass, 2 guitarists, keys)
MON
- Wireless: Sennheiser 6000 Digital Wireless w/Wireless System Manager (16ch); Sennheiser 2050 (16ch) for IEMs
- Vocal Mics: Ed Sheeran Vocals: Digital 6000 Series transmitter w/ Sennheiser MM 435 capsule; Loop Vocal Mic: Sennheiser 945 capsule; Band Vocals: Sennheiser 945.
- Instrument Mics: Drums: Sennheiser, Shure, DPA; Guitars (via Fractals) and Keys (direct from Roland keys outputs): all AES into the DiGiCo Q7
Tour Details
Ed Sheeran’s ongoing + — = ÷ x (Mathematics) tour has drawn huge crowds from three continents since it launched in Dublin on April 23, 2022, with 2023 tour legs focused on Australia/New Zealand and North America. Currently pegged at #3 of the top tours of all time with total revenues of $776 million (in non-inflation-adjusted dollars) behind Taylor Swift’s Eras tour and Elton John’s Farewell Yellow Brick Road, this multi-year mega-trek continues into 2024 with shows planned from January through September in Asia and Europe. The tour has been a valuable proving ground for advanced sound reinforcement technologies — the first to carry Milan AVB networked signals from FOH mix through to the individual loudspeaker boxes, according to Meyer Sound. The tour also incorporates Meyer Sound’s Nebra software platform for network configuration and system monitoring along with MAPP 3D prediction software to streamline the task of realigning coverage for varying stadium shapes and sizes.
8 P!nk Summer Carnival and Trustfall Tours
Sound Companies: Britannia Row Productions
Crew
- FOH Engineer: Stephen Curtin
- System Engineer: Arno Voortman
- Monitor Engineers: Jon Lewis (P!nk), Horst Hartman (band)
- Monitor Tech/Audio Valet: Jack Murphy
- Crew Chief: Guillaume Burguez
- RF Tech: Sarah Blakey
- Stage/P.A. Tech: Alison “Ali” Alvarez
- Delays/Comms Tech: Jon Reynolds
- P.A. Techs: Malcolm Secright, Jess Scott
- Production Manager: Malcolm Weldon
Gear
FOH
- Console: DiGiCo SD7 Quantum
- Speakers: d&b KSL, GSL
MON
- Consoles: DiGiCo SD7 Quantum (P!nk), Yamaha PM10 (Band)
- Handheld Mics: Sennheiser SKM 6000
- IEMs: Sennheiser 2000, Wisycom
- Comms: Riedel Bolero
Tour Details
P!nk’s Summer Carnival tour kicked off with a series of shows in the UK/Europe in June and July, followed by shows throughout North America from July to October 2023. The artist then embarked on her Trustfall tour in October and November, 2023. The Summer Carnival tour continues in 2024 with shows in Australia and New Zealand with an assist from JPJ Audio, followed by another swing through UK/Europe before returning to North America in late summer and fall. More Trustfall tour dates are slated for September 2024 as well.
9 Elton John Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour
Sound Company: Clair Global
Crew
- FOH Engineer: Matt Herr
- Systems Engineer: Nick Giameos
- Monitor Engineer: Alan Richardson
- Monitor Tech: Rolf Gerling
- RF/Stage Tech: Simon Matthews
- P.A. Techs: Lucas Kinney, Stephen Tang
Gear
FOH
- Console: Yamaha Rivage PM10
- Speakers: Mains: (32) Cohesion CO12 (16/side); Side Hangs: (32) Cohesion CO12 (16/side); Rear Hangs: (24) Cohesion CO10 (12/side); Subs: (18) Cohesion CP218 (12/flown, 6 ground-stacked)
- Amps: (54) Lab Gruppen PLM 20000Q, PLM 20K44
MON
- Console: Custom monitor console for Elton John
- Speakers: Clair 12AM, 212AM wedges
- Mics: Audio-Technica AE6100 (band vocals), Sennheiser E825 (Nigel vox); AKG 414s, AKG 460s; Sennheiser 609s, E604s, MD421s; Shure SM56s, SM57s, SM58s, Beta 52
Tour Details
Elton John’s Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour, which began back in September 2018 as a final three-year trek, continued with Covid-postponed shows into 2023. According to Billboard, the tour has grossed $939.1 million from 328 shows, making it the second highest-grossing tour of all time, behind Taylor Swift’s 2023 Eras tour, which has already topped $1 billion.
10 The Weeknd After Hours til Dawn Tour
Sound Company: Clair Global
Crew
- FOH Engineer: Derek Brener
- System Tech: Randy Weinholtz
- Monitor Engineer: Lewis Lowder
- RF Tech: Diego Correa
- Monitor Systems Tech: Brian Slevin
- Sound System Crew: Adam Collins, Kas Solomon, Manuel Sperber, Manus Mueller, Toby Boothroyd, Mateusz Strauchman
- Production Manager: Rob DeCeglio
Gear
FOH
- Consoles: Yamaha Rivage PM10 w/CS-R10 control surface, DSP-R10 engine rack; Yamaha PM3; DiGiCo SD11
- Speakers: Mains: (32) Cohesion CO12; Side Hangs: (32) CO12; Subs: (36) CP218 (ground subs); Front Fill: (16) CO10; Delays: (48) CO10
- Amps: (6) Lab Gruppen PLM 20K44 SP
- Outboard: Waves Extreme Server with SuperRack, UAD-2 Live Rack, Rupert Neve Designs 5045 Primary Source Enhancer, Empirical Labs EL-8X Distressors; Empirical Labs EL7 FATSO, Overstayer SFE 3706 compressor
- Processing: Lake LM44s
MON
- Monitor Console: DiGiCo SD5 Quantum
- Outboard: DiGiGrid MGBs; Waves SGS Extreme SoundGrid with SuperRack; Bricasti M7 reverb;
- RF & IEMs: Shure Axient, Shure PSM1000, Sennheiser EM 6000; JH Audio Angie
- RF Test: Owon HSA015-TG spectrum analyzer
- Mics: Sennheiser EM 3732-II receivers, SKM 5200-II handheld with MD 5235 capsule, Shure Beta91A, Telefunken M82, Shure SM57, Telefunken M81-SH, KSM137, Sennheiser e604, Shure VP88, Royer 122, Sennheiser 421
- Direct Boxes: Radial Engineering J48s
Tour Details
The tour, which launched in mid 2022, continued into 2023 with shows running from June through October in Europe and Latin America. A run of shows set for November and December 2023 in Australia and New Zealand were postponed due to unforeseen circumstances, with plans for new dates Down Under to be announced in 2024.
