Prior to his sold-out show on Jan. 23, Eric Church is greeted by Lee Zeidman, president, Staples Center; Christy Castillo Butcher, VP of Events & Booking, Staples Center; and Louis Messina, president, The Messina Group.
Male vocalists were out in force, coming in hot on this week’s Hot Tickets. Billy Joel brought his classic tunes to Amway Center in Orlando, Fla. with a Live Nation-promoted concert to 15,556 people that brought in $1,704,019 on Dec. 31. Joel will perform next at American Airlines Arena in Miami, Jan. 31. Paolo Nutini drew 16,352 people to his Jan. 12 Metropolis Music concert at The O2 Arena in London, grossing $983,361 with ticket prices ranging from $51.13 to $60.15. The Scottish singer heads to Sydney next for a sold-out show at Enmore Theatre on March 31. Eric Church’s country crooning earned him three spots on the chart with The Messina Group and AEG Live bringing the hoedown to 8,440 people at Save Mart Center in Fresno, Calif., on Jan. 22, grossing $396,595 with tickets starting at $28 up to $67.50. The next day, Church headed to Staples Center in Los Angeles for a 14,955-person concert that brought in $677,145 with tickets from $25 to $69.50. Church’s last stop on the Hot Tickets chart was at Talking Stick Resort Arena in Phoenix on Jan. 24, again attracting over 14,000 people with the same ticket prices for a gross of $636,618. Church travels north for his next show at Spokane Arena on Jan. 29. Sam Smith’s soulful stylings were on display Jan. 19 during his concert at Bell Centre in Montreal. Attendance reached 11,442, with tickets ranging from $36.29 to $60.48, grossing $612,833. Smith will perform next at The Forum in Inglewood, Calif. on Jan. 29 and 30.
World Wrestling Entertainment also had a strong showing in this week’s chart, grossing $275,415 from its WWE Live show at State Farm Arena in Hidalgo, Texas, that was attended by 5,556 people on Jan. 4. Tickets ranged from $20 to $100 for that show and $15 to $100 for the WWE Smackdown at Laredo (Texas) Energy Arena. The Jan. 6 show attracted 3,947 people and grossed $130,450. WWE Smackdown is headed to XL Center in Hartford, Conn., on Jan. 29, while WWE Live goes to Pan American Center in Las Cruces, N.M., on Jan. 30.
HOT TICKETS is a weekly summary of the top acts and ticket sales as reported to VT PULSE. Following are the top 20 concerts and events, the top 5 in each seating capacity category, which took place between Dec. 30, 2014-Jan. 27.
15,001 or More Seats | 10,001-15,000 Seats | 5,001-10,000 Seats | 5,000 or Fewer Seats |
1) Billy Joel 2) Paolo Nutini 3) Eric Church 4) Eric Church 5) Sam Smith | 1) Die Fantastischen Vier 2) Cirque du Soleil Varekai 3) Eric Church 4) Winter Jam, Skillet 5) Harlem Globetrotters | 1) Cirque du Soleil Dralion 2) WWE Live 3) Bowzer 4) WWE Smackdown 5) PBR: Velocity Tour | 1) Cirque du Soleil Kurios 2) Cirque du Soleil Totem 3) Jeff Dunham 4) Camelot 5) Miami City Ballet: Hear the Dance |
| The Weekly Hot Tickets chart is compiled by Daniel Gray. To submit reports, e-mail HotTickets@venuestoday.com or fax to (714) 378-0040. | |||