Pollstar recently rounded up a list that shows how many tickets the biggest touring rock band sold this millennium.
The publication’s Most Popular Touring Artists of the Millennium list shows data for the Top 25 artists ranked by the number of tickets sold since 2001. There’s a mix of artists from all different genres, but there are quite a few rock and metal acts that made the cut.
In fact, over half of the artists noted in the data are rock, metal or are associated with either of the two. See a breakdown of what the findings tell us below.
Which Rock Band Sold the Most Concert Tickets Since 2001?
Coldplay came in at No. 1 with a whopping 24.8 million tickets sold since the year 2001, according to Pollstar’s report. The total gross amount they earned was over $2.48 billion, with an average ticket price of $100.23 over 731 shows.
Even though they came in at No. 1 for the amount of tickets sold, a few other artists actually played more shows than they did. Dave Matthews Band played over 1,100 concerts since 2001, Elton John played over 1,200 and Dutch vocalist and composer André Rieu played 1,700.
Which Other Rock + Metal Artists Made the List?
In addition to Coldplay, Dave Matthews Band and Elton John, the other rock and metal-leaning artists featured on the list are U2, Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band, Metallica, Bon Jovi, The Rolling Stones, Guns N’ Roses, Eagles, Phish, Iron Maiden, Roger Waters, Paul McCartney and Depeche Mode, respectively.
READ MORE: 2 Metal Acts Rank Among the 25 Biggest Touring Acts of the Millennium
The Rolling Stones played the smallest number of concerts since 2001 — 341 — and still managed to come in at No. 12 after selling 12.5 million tickets. They also had the second-highest average ticket price ($162.96) after Taylor Swift ($165.54).
Swift also had the highest total gross for tickets sold at over $3.1 billion. That’s pretty impressive considering her first headlining tour didn’t take place until 2009.
Here’s to seeing more rock shows in 2026!
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Gallery Credit: Lauryn Schaffner
