Luke Bryan Notches Year’s Most Successful Country Tour
Luke Bryan was the top country artist for 2014 when it came to selling concert tickets. Yet the country superstar only managed to land in 14th place on the list of Top 25 Tours as tabulated by Billboard magazine’s Boxscore charts. With 72 of his shows represented, Bryan pulled in a total gross of $61,910,170 for the year. That places him on the list just ahead of pop superstar Elton John, and one spot behind legendary rockers Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band.
In 16th place is George Strait, whose Cowboy Rides Away Tour, consisting of just 24 shows, grossed more than $58 million for the year. Strait’s final show, which took place June 7th at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, earned just over $18 million in gross ticket sales, putting it at Number Six on the publication’s list of Top 25 Boxscores. Jason Aldean‘s 2014 tally added up to $53 million in ticket sales for 70 shows, putting him in 19th place for the year, just behind pop icon Cher.
The year’s top-grossing act, British boy band One Direction, raked in more than $290 million, selling 3.4 million tickets for 69 shows throughout the year — including a stadium show at the home of CMA Music Festival, Nashville’s LP Field. Other top touring acts included Justin Timberlake, the Rolling Stones and Paul McCartney.