For the first time since October of 2008, New York’s Madison Square Garden (MSG) claims the title of number one venue, according to TicketNews’s exclusive venues rankings for the week ending Sunday, March 1. Power scoring a 2.50, MSG will host a number of top-selling tours in the coming months, including Taylor Swift and Kellie Pickler, Jimmy Buffett and the WWE, and of course is home court to the ever popular New York Knicks.
George Strait’s scheduled performance on June 6 at the new Dallas Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, TX, seems to have shot this venue directly to the number two spot this week. Strait’s show will be part of the opening event for the 100,000 seat stadium, the new home to the Dallas Cowboys. The stadium has a power score of 2.41.
Up one this week to the number three slot is the Gershwin Theatre. Power scoring a 2.37, the theater’s consistent top five showing is due to consistently brisk ticket sales for the blockbuster musical Wicked. New arrival Nationals Park in Washington, DC makes it to the number four spot this week. The home of the Washington Nationals baseball team seems likely to have zoomed to its new position on ticket sales for the Elton John and Billy Joel tour, which continues to top both TicketNews’s Top Concerts and Top Combined Events rankings. Nationals Park power scores a 2.12 this week. Next, down two to the number five position is Wrigley Field in Chicago, IL. Wrigley stays in the top five on strong ticket sales for the upcoming season of Chicago Cubs baseball, as well as for continued solid sales for the Elton John/Billy Joel tour. Wrigley Field has a power score of 1.94 this week.
Moving up one to number six this week is TD Banknorth Garden in Boston, MA. The Garden hosts two very popular home teams, the Boston Celtics and the Boston Bruins, at numbers eight and nine, respectively, in TicketNews’s Top Sports Events rankings this week. The Garden also will see a number of dates on top tours this season, including Britney Spears and the WWE. TD Banknorth Garden finishes this week with a power score of 1.81. Next on the list at number seven is the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia, PA. In the coming months, the Center is scheduled to host Nickelback, Eric Clapton and Steve Winwood, and the WWE. The Wachovia Center has a power score of 1.74.
Down two to the number eight slot this week is the Orpheum Theatre in San Francisco, CA. With a power score of 1.67, the theater is currently showing a long-running production of top-seller “Wicked”. Falling two to the number nine spot is Reliant Stadium in Houston, TX. Power scoring a 1.61, the stadium plays host to Taylor Swift this month and the WWE tour in April. Rounding out the top ten this week is newcomer Gillette Stadium. At number ten and power scoring a 1.55, the stadium will see dates by Elton John and Billy Joel and by Kenny Chesney on his Sun City Carnival tour.
TicketNews Exclusive Rankings and Power Scores are based on ticket sales for venues from the TicketNetwork Exchange™, the world’s largest secondary market exchange. A Power Score illustrates a given venue’s category-specific significance. Two factors are used to calculate a power score: total ticket sales for a venue, and total ticket sales within the category. As such, power scores should only be used to compare venues within a particular category.
| Venue | Score | |
| 1 | Madison Square Garden Tickets | 2.50 |
| 2 | Dallas Cowboys Stadium Tickets | 2.41 |
| 3 | Gershwin Theatre Tickets | 2.37 |
| 4 | Nationals Park Tickets | 2.12 |
| 5 | Wrigley Field Tickets | 1.94 |
| 6 | TD Banknorth Garden Tickets | 1.81 |
| 7 | Wachovia Center Tickets | 1.74 |
| 8 | Orpheum Theatre Tickets | 1.67 |
| 9 | Reliant Stadium Tickets | 1.61 |
| 10 | Gillette Stadium Tickets | 1.55 |
| 11 | New Yankee Stadium Tickets | 1.53 |
| 12 | Toyota Center Tickets | 1.53 |
| 13 | Scottrade Center Tickets | 1.46 |
| 14 | Key Arena Tickets | 1.41 |
| 15 | Staples Center Tickets | 1.27 |
| 16 | Citizens Bank Park Tickets | 1.24 |
| 17 | Pepsi Center Tickets | 1.13 |
| 18 | Fenway Park Tickets | 1.07 |
| 19 | Jobing.com Arena Tickets | 1.05 |
| 20 | Verizon Center Tickets | 1.03 |
