U2’s “360°” tour — the most expensive touring production in rock history — has passed the Rolling Stones’ “Bigger Bang” as the biggest-grossing rock tour of all-time.
Following U2’s sold-out show in Sao Paulo, Brazil on Monday, Live Nation says the Irish rockers' “in-the-round” stadium tour will dethrone the Stones, who grossed $558 million on “Bigger Bang" between 2005 and 2007.
With 26 shows left before the 110-date, 30-country tour finishes in Canada on July 30, U2's “360°” will set the new record as the top grossing tour of all time, with final ticket sales estimated to surpass $700 million.
U2’s tour — which launched in 2009 — is also expected to set record for tickets sold with 7 million, passing the Stones’ previous record of 6.3 million for their “Voodoo Lounge Tour.”
Given the high production costs of U2’s “360°,” I’d bet that the Stones netted a much bigger profit than Bono and co.
Paul McGuinness, U2’s manager, hinted as much on Monday.
“That dollar figure for the gross looks enormous,” McGuinness said. “Of course I can’t tell you what the net is, but I can tell you that the band spend enormous sums on production for their audience.”
Each show has grossed an average of $6.4 million for U2, with 63,600 tickets sold, according to Boxscore.
