In the midst of daily play at the popular U.S. Open Tennis Championship, the Arthur Ashe Stadium in Corona, NY claimed the title of number one venue, according to TicketNews’s exclusive venues rankings for the week ending Sunday, September 6. Ticket sales for the multiple sessions of this annual event, which runs from late August to mid September, have helped the venue to make a stellar performance this week, power scoring an impressive 4.79.

Madison Square Garden (MSG) was bumped from its number one perch of last week, falling to number two with a power score of 2.44. MSG is home to popular hometown teams the New York Knicks and New York Rangers, who are preparing for their upcoming seasons of play. On MSG’s schedule of musical guests performing at the venue in the coming months is an October date from KISS, who again came in at number two in this week’s Top Concert Events rankings, and a November stop on the Metallica tour, at number nine in this week’s Top Concerts.

The Gershwin Theatre in New York City held steady this week in the number three position, power scoring a 2.28. The Gershwin benefits from continued strong sales for its blockbuster musical, Wicked, which for the seventh week topped TicketNews’s Top Broadway Events, Top Theater Events, and Top Combined Events rankings.

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Also keeping its spot in the top ten this week was Giants Stadium in Rutherford, NJ. Currently NFL’s home to the New York Giants (at number six in this week’s Top Sports Events rankings) and New York Jets, the Stadium will close its gates forever at the end of the 2009 football season. The venue has some impressive acts in its final roster of musical acts, including two September dates from U2, (who again took the lead in this week’s Top Concert Events rankings), and five performances from late September to early October from Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band (retaining their number seven slot in Top Concerts). Giants Stadium power scored a 2.13 this week.

Next in the rankings, holding its number five position from last week, was Dallas Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, TX. Power scoring a 1.95, the Stadium is home to Dallas Cowboys football, which moved up to number four in this week’s Top Sports Events rankings. On December 19, the venue will see a match up between the Texas Longhorns (at number one this week in Top Sports Events) and the North Carolina Tar Heels. Dallas Cowboys Stadium also will play host to the Cotton Bowl on January 2, 2010. On the Stadium’s musical roster this season is an October date from U2.

The new Yankee Stadium took a fall this week, down four spots to number six and power scoring a 1.83. Still atop the AL East standings, the park’s resident New York Yankees had ticket sales strong enough to take number two in Top Sports Events this week.

Heinz Field in Pittsburgh, PA moved up one spot to take the number seven position this week. The stadium benefited from strong ticket sales for its Pittsburgh Steelers (at number three in this week’s Top Sports Events), who are preparing for their home opener against the Tennessee Titans on Thursday. Heinz Field power scored a 1.45 this week.

Debuting at number eight this week, the Paramount Theatre in Seattle, WA has a number of top selling productions on its schedule this season, including the currently running musical “Wicked”, “August: Osage County” in late October and early November, and the Radio City Christmas Spectacular, which has a December-January run. The Paramount power scored a 1.36 in its first week in the top ten.

The Imperial Theatre in New York City held firm in the rankings this week, coming in at number nine and also power scoring a 1.36. The Imperial is home to the 2009 Tony Award winning musical Billy Elliot, which continues to bring in solid box office receipts, taking it to second place in this week’s Top Broadway Events, third in Top Theater Events rankings, and seventh in Top Combined Events.

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Finally, the Virginia/August Wilson Theatre in New York City dropped three this week to land in the number ten position. The theater continues to enjoy robust sales for its own Tony Award winning musical, Jersey Boys, which this week took second in TicketNews’s Top Theater Events and third in both the Top Broadway and Top Combined Events rankings. The Virginia/August Wilson Theatre also finished the week with a power score of 1.36.

A total of four theater venues made it into the top ten this week, as high a number as has ever hit the top ten. Football stadiums also start to crowd the list as NFL season begins.

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.

Top Venues

Week Ending 09/06/2009

      Venue Score
1 Arthur Ashe Stadium Tickets 4.79
2 Madison Square Garden Tickets 2.44
3 Gershwin Theatre Tickets 2.28
4 Giants Stadium Tickets 2.13
5 Dallas Cowboys Stadium Tickets 1.95
6 New Yankee Stadium Tickets 1.83
7 Heinz Field Tickets 1.45
8 Paramount Theatre – WA Tickets 1.36
9 Imperial Theatre – NY Tickets 1.36
10 Virginia/August Wilson Theatre – NY Tickets 1.36
11 Orpheum Theatre – San Francisco Tickets 1.36
12 Soldier Field Stadium Tickets 1.33
13 Gillette Stadium Tickets 1.16
14 Cotton Bowl Stadium Tickets 1.08
15 Lambeau Field Tickets 1.04
16 Metrodome Tickets 1.03
17 MGM Grand Garden Arena Tickets 0.98
18 Fenway Park Tickets 0.94
19 Darrell K. Royal – Texas Memorial Stadium Tickets 0.94
20 LandShark Stadium Tickets 0.94