Legendary performers in the twilight of their careers were in high demand this year. Famed rockers Elton John, the Rolling Stones and Bob Seger were the best-selling touring artists of 2019, according to Ticket Club data.
John’s Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour outsold the rest for the second consecutive year. He added dozens of shows to his itinerary as he continues to sell out each venue he headlines. In addition, Sir Elton had various media projects to boost his overall relevance in 2019. His life played out on the big screen in the acclaimed musical-fantasy film Rocketman. To a greater extent, he opened up to fans in his new autobiography Me.
Following closely behind at No. 2 are the Rolling Stones. However, their wildly successful No Filter tour nearly didn’t happen as Mick Jagger underwent a heart procedure weeks before the tour’s scheduled launch. They did eventually headline several North American stadiums, albeit a few weeks later than originally promised.
Seger earned the No. 3 ranking for his farewell tour. Fellow rockers Paul McCartney and Queen finished at No. 5 and 7, respectively. Ariana Grande earned the most pop prowess at No. 6. Meanwhile Cher’s ever-extending Here We Go Again Tour brought her up to No. 8. See the 50 best-selling touring artists below.
Top 50 Best-Selling Touring Artists of 2019
| Sales Rank | Artist | Average Ticket Price |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Elton John | $265 |
| 2 | The Rolling Stones | $298 |
| 3 | Bob Seger | $172 |
| 4 | Garth Brooks | $155 |
| 5 | Paul McCartney | $250 |
| 6 | Ariana Grande | $180 |
| 7 | Queen & Adam Lambert | $257 |
| 8 | Luke Combs | $133 |
| 9 | Cher | $182 |
| 10 | KISS | $138 |
| 11 | Florida Georgia Line | $100 |
| 12 | Trans-Siberian Orchestra | $107 |
| 13 | Michael Buble | $184 |
| 14 | Billy Joel | $208 |
| 15 | Jason Aldean | $102 |
| 16 | Fleetwood Mac | $208 |
| 17 | BTS | $215 |
| 18 | Celine Dion | $169 |
| 19 | Jonas Brothers | $141 |
| 20 | Jennifer Lopez | $165 |
| 21 | Carrie Underwood | $132 |
| 22 | Pink | $194 |
| 23 | Chris Stapleton | $142 |
| 24 | Luke Bryan | $105 |
| 25 | Shawn Mendes | $147 |
| 26 | Andrea Bocelli | $270 |
| 27 | Justin Timberlake | $188 |
| 28 | Hugh Jackman | $144 |
| 29 | Eric Church | $140 |
| 30 | Metallica | $240 |
| 31 | Phil Collins | $201 |
| 32 | Hootie & the Blowfish | $91 |
| 33 | Thomas Rhett | $99 |
| 34 | Post Malone | $170 |
| 35 | Billie Eilish | $224 |
| 36 | Zac Brown Band | $108 |
| 37 | Jimmy Buffett | $120 |
| 38 | Iron Maiden | $108 |
| 39 | The Who | $126 |
| 40 | Dead & Company | $141 |
| 41 | Twenty One Pilots | $118 |
| 42 | Khalid | $111 |
| 43 | Lynyrd Skynyrd | $94 |
| 44 | Pentatonix | $83 |
| 45 | John Mayer | $173 |
| 46 | Kenny Chesney | $143 |
| 47 | Miranda Lambert | $114 |
| 48 | Travis Scott | $112 |
| 49 | Peter Frampton | $108 |
| 50 | Mary J. Blige & Nas | $90 |
Best-Selling Touring Artists by Genre
With legacy rockers like Elton John, Bob Seger, Queen, Paul McCartney, KISS and the Rolling Stones at the top of the list, it’s no surprise that the genre was adequately represented in tour ticket sales. But rock’s influence was felt throughout the year with Fleetwood Mac, Metallica, The Who, Billy Joel, Dead & Company and more making the cut.
Rock musicians accounted for nearly half of the overall sales garnered by the 50 best-selling touring artists, claiming 46 percent of the total. Pop artists, from Shawn Mendes to JLo and even Billie Eilish, fared well but could not catch the rockers with only 26 percent of sales. Country acts closely followed, bolstered by top 10 fixtures Garth Brooks and Luke Combs, plus Florida Georgia Line, Carrie Underwood, Jason Aldean and Chris Stapleton. On the other hand, hip-hop artists struggled to make a sales impact. The genre snagged 3 percent of the total, largely thanks to Post Malone and Travis Scott.
Average Concert Ticket Prices by Genre
Each musical genre differed in concert sales figures this year. However, they faced similar pricing trends. Rock and pop concerts garnered average ticket prices upwards of $170. On the other hand, country and hip-hop shows cost roughly $50 less. Classical crossover giant Andrea Bocelli – the only year-end bestseller to not fit the four main genres – had some of the highest ticket prices of his own. Fans paid roughly $270 to see the Italian tenor in concert this year.
Want to see more posts like this? Check out the rest of our 2019 Year in Review series here.