U2 named highest grossing touring act of the decade, beating Rolling Stones and Ed Sheeran

According to Pollstar, U2 are the highest grossing touring artists of the 2010s, with over a billion dollars in sales.

Since the beginning of the decade, U2 have sold 9,300,500 tickets across 255 shows – which doesn't include their Joshua Tree 2019 tour currently doing the rounds of Australia and Asia, which is set to add a further 600,000 tickets to that figure.

Artist Of The Decade: U2’s Experience + Dominance https://t.co/9TbtdJ3yk8 @U2 pic.twitter.com/18vLFfBTZa

— Pollstar (@Pollstar) November 22, 2019

The Irish band fought off tough competition to top the list of the highest grossing touring artists of the decade. The Rolling Stones came in second with over $929 million gross, closely followed by Ed Sheeran at $922 million and Taylor Swift at just under $900 million. Also featured in the Top 10 were Beyoncé, Bon Jovi, Paul McCartney, Coldplay, Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band and Roger Waters.

Pollstar, a trade publication for the live concert industry, also revealed that the average price of concert tickets have risen 38% since 2010, with average grosses per concert rising by a phenomenal 87% over the decade.

See the full list of the Top 10 highest grossing touring artists of the 2010s below:

1. U2 – $1,038,104,132 gross
2. The Rolling Stones – $929,196,083 gross
3. Ed Sheeran – $922,361,663 gross
4. Taylor Swift – $899,627,048 gross
5. Beyoncé – $857,405,819 gross
6. Bon Jovi – $836,661,584 gross
7. Paul McCartney – $813,811,559 gross
8. Coldplay – $731,805,591 gross
9. Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band – $729,789,815 gross
10. Roger Waters – $702,231,419 gross

Last week, U2 released their first new track in two years. Listen to 'Ahimsa', featuring A.R. Rahman, below:

https://open.spotify.com/album/5hcU0F24EQjn0KQhf6nEsc