Beyonce grossed over $8 million with six shows at the 02 in London
Massive grosses by superstar performers have made May a very profitable month for the world's largest entertainment venues, including $15 million in combined grosses for the 15,001 or more seating category. The highest per show gross goes to Paul McCartney, whose two sellout gigs at Amway Center in Orlando racked up nearly $1.9 million per gig. McCartney is currently on tour with upcoming stops at Fenway Park in Boston and the Bonnaroo Music Festival in Manchester, Tenn.
In terms of total gross, no one can hold a candle to the pop star whose alter ego is Sasha Fierce. Beyonce clocked in a whopping $8 million with her six-show run at the O2 in London, promoted by U.K. outfit SMJ. Other superstars to bring in big bucks this week included Fleetwood Mac, Taylor Swift, Kenny Chesney and Carrie Underwood, who clocked five shows for a total of $2.5 million.
The sole indie band to make an appearance on this month's chart were the Avett Brothers, who sold over $500,000 in tickets for their May 17 show at Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre at Encore Park, Alpharetta, Ga. The band is slated to play a number of festivals this summer including Forecastle in Lexington, Ky., and a two-night run at Red Rocks in Morrison, Colo.
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 May 1-22.
15,001 or More Seats | 10,001-15,000 Seats | 5,001-10,000 Seats | 5,000 or Fewer Seats |
1) Beyonce 2) Paul McCartney 3) Taylor Swift 4) Fleetwood Mac 5) Carrie Underwood | 1) Tool 2) Carrie Underwood 3) The Avett Brothers 4) Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers 5) Kenny Chesney | 1) Carrie Underwood 2) Carrie Underwood 3) Carrie Underwood 4) The Seekers 5) Motley Crue | 1) Shania Twain 2) War Horse 3) Memphis 4) The Addams Family 5) West Side Story |
| The Weekly Hot Tickets chart is compiled by Josh Huckabee. To submit reports, e-mail HotTickets@venuestoday.com or fax to (714) 378-0040. | |||