The live concert industry’s leading publication, Pollstar, has released its list of the Most Popular Touring Artists of the Millennium, crowning Coldplay, U2, and Ed Sheeran as the top touring acts based on box office data from January 1, 2001, through the end of 2025. The rankings are primarily measured by the staggering volume of tickets sold over the past two-and-a-half decades, showcasing the artists with the widest cumulative audience reach. Coldplay secured the top spot by selling 24.8 million tickets and generating nearly $2.5 billion in gross revenue since 2001, but the list highlights the monumental commercial power of Taylor Swift, who, despite starting later, has the highest total gross revenue at over $3.1 billion, driven by her record-breaking $2.2 billion Eras Tour.
Rounding out the Top 10 are road warriors and legends including Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band, Kenny Chesney (the only country artist on the list), Metallica, Bon Jovi, and Elton John, illustrating the enduring appeal of rock and country acts. The data also vividly reflects the exponential growth of the live concert industry, with premium pricing in recent years dramatically increasing the overall financial power of top acts, as shown by the difference between ticket volume and total gross revenue. When informed of the news, Chesney was shocked, stating, “To think we played to over 18 million people since 2001… is mind-blowing for a kid from East Tennessee. But it says everything about the passion No Shoes Nation brings to this music.”
The full Top 25 list confirms the ongoing dominance of established touring acts like The Rolling Stones, Guns N’ Roses, and Paul McCartney, but also features a select group of high-grossing female headliners, with Taylor Swift at No. 5, P!NK at No. 11, Beyoncé at No. 13, and Madonna at No. 15. The chart serves as a perfect prelude to Pollstar’s 2025 year-end special issue, reflecting a quarter-century of monumental growth in both the volume of tickets sold and the resulting box office revenue, solidifying the monumental scope of live entertainment in the new millennium.
POLLSTAR TOP 5 (Based on Tickets Sold):
- Coldplay
- U2
- Ed Sheeran
- The Rolling Stones
- Taylor Swift