Summer may be winding down, but several ongoing concert tours prove to be sizzling hot. Ticket Club has analyzed sales data regarding various artists’ tours, venues, and single-date performances to find out who has dominated the concert circuit over the past few months. Check out who has been behind some of the top summer tours below.
Don Henley and The Eagles truly prove to be “the boys of summer,” as their ongoing tour stands alone as the best-selling summer trek. In the aftermath of founding member Glenn Frey’s 2016 death, The Eagles have performed sporadically but entered a new era when surviving members Henley, Joe Walsh and Timothy B. Schmit recruited Vince Gill and Frey’s son Deacon to join them for special concert appearances. This reconfigured lineup proved to be quite popular as the band rolled out nearly 40 tour dates across North America. A collection of special stadium gigs featuring a rotating crop of special guests (Jimmy Buffett, James Taylor, Zac Brown Band and the Doobie Brothers, to name a few) have catapulted The Eagles to the number one tour on our list.
The band’s resurgence on the road has also led to similar success in streaming and record sales. The Eagles’ album Their Greatest Hits 1971-1975 has recently reached 38x Platinum-certification to make it the best-selling album of all time, according to the Recording Industry Association of America. It surpassed Michael Jackson’s Thriller (33x Platinum) for the title, while the rockers also claim the third best-selling album for 1977’s Hotel California (26x Platinum).
Following closely behind are fellow rockers Journey and Def Leppard, who joined forces for a massive trek totaling 59 dates from May through October. That extensive itinerary led the 80s rock giants to clinch the No. 2 best-selling tour according to Ticket Club data. However, even with a fraction of the tour dates, the unmatched star power of Beyoncé and Jay-Z puts their On the Run II stadium tour in a close third. The couple only enhanced their tour buzz when they dropped their first joint album, Everything Is Love, which credits them as The Carters.
Other stadium-only treks from Kenny Chesney, Taylor Swift and Ed Sheeran followed suit, with a string of country artists like Jason Aldean and Luke Bryan rounding out the Top 10.
See the full breakdown the top summer tours below.
Ticket Club’s Top 20 Summer Tours
| Rank | Performer |
|---|---|
| 1 | The Eagles |
| 2 | Journey & Def Leppard |
| 3 | Beyonce & Jay-Z |
| 4 | Kenny Chesney |
| 5 | Taylor Swift |
| 6 | Ed Sheeran |
| 7 | Chris Young |
| 8 | Luke Bryan |
| 9 | Keith Urban |
| 10 | Jason Aldean |
| 11 | U2 |
| 12 | Billy Joel |
| 13 | Lynyrd Skynyrd |
| 14 | Dave Matthews Band |
| 15 | Chris Stapleton |
| 16 | Imagine Dragons |
| 17 | Pearl Jam |
| 18 | James Taylor |
| 19 | Paul Simon |
| 20 | Post Malone |
While these artists may have pulled the most rank in terms of overall tour sales, the best-selling single events paint a different picture. Coming out on top this summer is Pearl Jam, whose hometown August 10 gig at Safeco Field saw staggering sales figures. Their position as the best-selling single event continues a four-year trend in which rock groups dominate major concert sales, with U2, Metallica and The Rolling Stones each earning the top concert of the previous three summers, respectively.
Original King of Country George Strait secured impressive sales for his back-to-back shows in Austin and Tulsa, which earned the Nos. 4 & 5 position. Festival passes to CMA Fest, Lollapalooza and the Bayou Country Superfest all landed within the Top 10, while the latter half of the Top 20 was shared between The Eagles, Ed Sheeran, Kenny Chesney and Beyonce & Jay-Z.
Top 20 Single-Date Event Sales of Summer 2018
| Rank | Date | Performer | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 8/10/2018 | Pearl Jam | Safeco Field – Seattle, WA |
| 2 | 6/7/2018 | 2018 CMA Music Festival: Luke Bryan, Keith Urban, Carrie Underwood & Brothers Osborne – 4 Day Pass | Nissan Stadium – Nashville, TN |
| 3 | 6/28/2018 | The Eagles, Jimmy Buffett and The Coral Reefer Band | Coors Field – Denver, CO |
| 4 | 6/3/2018 | George Strait | Frank Erwin Center – Austin, TX |
| 5 | 6/2/2018 | George Strait | BOK Center – Tulsa, OK |
| 6 | 8/8/2018 | Pearl Jam | Safeco Field |
| 7 | 8/2/2018 | Lollapalooza: The Weeknd, Bruno Mars, Jack White & Arctic Monkeys – 4 Day Pass | Hutchinson Field Grant Park – Chicago, IL |
| 8 | 5/27/2018 | Bayou Country Superfest: George Strait, Chris Stapleton, Little Big Town & Kacey Musgraves | Mercedes-Benz Superdome – New Orleans, LA |
| 9 | 6/23/2018 | The Eagles & Chris Stapleton | AT&T Stadium – Dallas, TX |
| 10 | 6/30/2018 | The Eagles, Jimmy Buffett and The Coral Reefer Band | Target Field – Minneapolis, MN |
| 11 | 8/25/2018 | On The Run II: Beyonce & Jay-Z | Mercedes-Benz Stadium – Atlanta, GA |
| 12 | 8/18/2018 | Ed Sheeran | Rose Bowl – Pasadena, CA |
| 13 | 7/28/2018 | The Eagles & James Taylor | Citizens Bank Park – Philadelphia, PA |
| 14 | 7/28/2018 | On The Run II: Beyonce & Jay-Z | FedexField – Landover, MD |
| 15 | 7/26/2018 | The Eagles & James Taylor | Nationals Park – Washington, DC |
| 16 | 8/25/2018 | Kenny Chesney, Dierks Bentley, Brothers Osborne & Brandon Lay | Gillette Stadium |
| 17 | 7/30/2018 | On The Run II: Beyonce & Jay-Z | Lincoln Financial Field – Philadelphia, PA |
| 18 | 6/9/2018 | Kenny Chesney, Thomas Rhett, Old Dominion & Brandon Lay | Lincoln Financial Field – Philadelphia, PA |
| 19 | 6/15/2018 | The Eagles & Chris Stapleton | Minute Maid Park – Houston, TX |
| 20 | 7/14/2018 | Kenny Chesney, Thomas Rhett, Old Dominion & Brandon Lay | Arrowhead Stadium – Kansas City, MO |
Philadelphia’s Lincoln Financial Field was the site of two of the biggest events of the summer when it hosted Kenny Chesney’s Trip Around the Sun Tour and The Carters’ On The Run II Tour. However, the stadium missed the cut as one of the top-selling venues this concert season. In fact, Nashville’s Nissan Stadium was the only stadium to make the Top 10 venue list, while Safeco Field represented major ballparks. Outdoor venues making the cut include DTE Energy Music Theatre, Northwell Health at Jones Beach Theatre, the famed Red Rocks Amphitheatre, and top pick, Xfinity Center.
Top 10 Best-Selling Concert Venues of Summer 2018
| Sales Rank | Venue Name | City/State |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Xfinity Center | Mansfield, MA |
| 2 | Red Rocks Amphitheatre | Morrison, CO |
| 3 | Madison Square Garden | New York, NY |
| 4 | Caesars Palace Colosseum | Las Vegas, NV |
| 5 | Northwell Health at Jones Beach Theater | Wantagh, NY |
| 6 | DTE Energy Music Theatre | Clarkston, MI |
| 7 | Nissan Stadium | Nashville, TN |
| 8 | Wells Fargo Center | Philadelphia, PA |
| 9 | Safeco Field | Seattle, WA |
| 10 | BOK Center | Tulsa, OK |
Summer may be coming to a close, but tickets to some of the season’s hottest concerts are still available. Find yours to an upcoming show featuring The Eagles, Taylor Swift, Ed Sheeran and more here.