Pollstar (12/08/25) Allen, Bob

Pollstar recently presented its 25 Most Popular Touring Artists of the Millennium, led by Coldplay, U2, Ed Sheeran, Dave Matthews Band and Taylor Swift. Based on global ticket sales reported to Pollstar from 2001 through the end of this year, the 25 headlining acts collectively sold over 340 million tickets during the past 25 years, generating grosses topping $35.7 billion. Coldplay ranked No. 1 with more than 24.8 million tickets sold at 731 concerts since 2001. U2 places second, selling 20.2 million tickets. For his part, third-place Sheeran has completed five tours since his debut, the “+ (Plus) Tour,” 2011-2013, and has just kicked off his sixth. The highest-ranked American headliner in the top 25 was Virginia's Dave Matthews Band, which at No. 4 boasts a 25-year ticket count hitting 19.5 million. Finally, with 18.9 million tickets sold and a $3.1 billion gross, Swift was indeed fifth. Most of her sales came from “The Eras Tour,” which holds the record as the highest-grossing tour of all time with over $2 billion from 10.2 million sold tickets.

Read the full story from Pollstar.