Photo Credit: Andre Benz
2023 was a massive year for live concerts, even if you look past the $1 billion+ generated by the Taylor Swift ‘Eras Tour.’ Here’s a quick breakdown.
According to Pollstar data, the total grosses for the 2023 worldwide top tours was up 46% from 2022 numbers. The top 100 tours grossed $9.17 billion this year, up from $6.28 billion in 2022. The average gross per show is up 53% to $2.37 million per show, compared to just $1.54 million in 2022. It highlights just how much live entertainment has returned to form following the pandemic years.
Attendance increases were also up with total ticket sales up 18.4% with 70 million tickets sold in 2023 compared to 59 million in 2022. Average ticket prices were also up around 23% from $106 in 2022 to $130 in 2023. After a depressed 2020/21 live event ticketing season, 2023 has taken off like a rocket.
Top touring artists this year include Taylor Swift (‘Eras Tour’), Beyoncé (‘Renaissance Tour’), and Bruce Springsteen (‘Springsteen and the E Street Band 2023 Tour’) accounting for 21.8% of the top 100 worldwide gross. Taylor Swift herself set an all-time record as the first tour to gross over $1 billion. Beyoncé grossed $580 million in 56 shows, while Bruce Springsteen brought in $379.5 million with a relatively low average ticket price. So who were the top grossing touring artists of 2023?
Top Grossing Touring Artists of 2023 — According to Pollstar
- Taylor Swift | $1,039,263,762 billion
- Beyoncé | 579,813,546 million
- Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band | $379,496,085 million
- Coldplay | $325,456,865 million
- Harry Styles | $290,547,352 million
- Morgan Wallen | $284,837,096 million
- Ed Sheeran | $268,017,633 million
- P!NK | $231,681,720 million
- The Weeknd | $220,985,529 million
- Drake | $184,926,733 million
Every available metric points to 2023 being a record-setting year for live concert events, with 2024 poised to carry on the momentum. Taylor Swift, Coldplay, Bruce Springsteen, Drake, and many more are continuing their tours throughout the world. The absence of live music events for two years in (2020/21) has been sorely felt as the world scrambles to see their favorite artists once again.
