Pollstar’s most popular touring artists of the new millennium

NEW YORK

Much has been made of the global touring boom in recent years — marked by the emergence of $1 billion–grossing tours from Taylor Swift and The Weeknd — but a new Pollstar ranking looks beyond revenues to reveal the top ticket-selling artists of the past two decades.

On Dec. 8, ahead of its 2025 year-end issue, the concert industry publication announced its top 25 “Most Popular Touring Artists of the Millennium,” based on ticket sales from Jan. 1, 2001 through the end of 2025. Leading the list is Coldplay, which sold 24.8 million tickets during the period. U2 follows with 20.2 million tickets sold, and Ed Sheeran ranks third with 19.6 million.

Dave Matthews Band takes the fourth spot with nearly 19.6 million tickets, while Swift places fifth with about 18.9 million — notable given that her debut album was released in 2006. Pollstar says its chart reflects reported and estimated box office data from events staged between 2001 and 2025.

Swift is the only woman in the top 10. Behind her are Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, Kenny Chesney, Metallica, Bon Jovi and Elton John. In fact, only four women appear in the entire top 25: Pink at No. 11 with nearly 13 million tickets sold; Beyoncé at No. 13 with 11.8 million; and Madonna at No. 15 with almost 11 million.

Pollstar also stresses that ticket sales and box office grosses are separate measures. In 2023, Swift’s Eras Tour became the first tour to cross the billion-dollar threshold, according to the publication’s year-end charts. She later broke her own record: In December 2024, Pollstar announced the tour had generated $2.2 billion across its nearly two-year run, extending its lead as the highest-grossing tour in history.

According to Monday’s chart, Swift has grossed more than $3.1 billion in the new millennium. Coldplay, while topping the list in total tickets sold, follows with nearly $2.5 billion in grosses. Pollstar reported in September that cumulative revenues from Coldplay’s Music of the Spheres Tour reached $1.39 billion. The tour began in 2022 and continued through 2025.

Last month, The Weeknd’s After Hours ’Til Dawn Tour officially surpassed the $1 billion mark, according to Live Nation.