This past year had its ups and downs – but in times of trouble, live music consistently proves a popular refuge from the real world. As it comes to a close, TicketNews is taking a look back at the best selling concerts of 2017.
As is evident from just a glance, U2 rocked this chart. They fully embraced this idea of a concert as a means of temporary mental transport, reliving their iconic 1987 album “The Joshua Tree” on a 2017 30th Anniversary Tour. They played 51 shows across the U.S., Europe, and Latin America this summer, and an impressive eight shows made the TicketNews Top 20.
The only non-U2 show that made Top 5 is The Classic East, the New York leg of an annual, cross-country festival that this year featured Eagles, Steely Dan and The Doobie Brothers on Day 1 and Earth, Wind and Fire, Fleetwood Mac, and Journey on Day 2 – a legendary lineup that speaks for itself as to how it scored the No. 3 spot.
In fact, the music festival made a strong showing on the best-sellers list, which also included Coachella, The Classic West (the LA leg of the aforementioned show), CMA Music Festival, and Lollapalooza.
Check out the full Top 20 below, based on ticket revenue and according to sales data from TicketNetwork’s marketplace.
TicketNews 2017 Top Selling Concerts
- U2 & One Republic – June 11 at Hard Rock Stadium, Miami, FL
- U2 & The Lumineers – May 20 at Rose Bowl, Pasadena, CA
- The Classic East – July 28-29 at Citi Field, New York, NY
- U2 & The Lumineers – May 26 at AT&T Stadium, Arlington, TX
- U2 & The Lumineers – June 3 at Soldier Field, Chicago, IL
- Linkin Park & Friends – October 27 at Hollywood Bowl, Hollywood, CA
- Tool – June 17 at The Gorge Amphitheatre, Gorge, WA
- U2 & The Lumineers – June 18 at Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, PA
- Coachella Weekend 1 – April 14-16 at Empire Polo Club, Indio, CA
- U2 & Mumford and Sons – May 14 at CenturyLink Field, Seattle, WA
- U2 & Mumford and Sons – May 17 at Levi’s Stadium, Santa Clara, CA
- U2 & The Lumineers – June 25 at Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, MA
- Metallica & Avenged Sevenfold – June 16 at AT&T Stadium, Arlington, TX
- The Classic West – July 15-16 at Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles, CA
- Lollapalooza – August 3-6 at Grant Park, Chicago, IL
- Garth Brooks & Trisha Yearwood – November 4 at Tacoma Dome, Tacoma, WA
- CMA Music Festival – June 8-11 at Nissan Stadium, Nashville, TN
- Kenny Rogers & Dolly Parton – October 25 at Bridgestone Arena, Nashville, TN
- Metallica & Avenged Sevenfold – June 18 at Soldier Field, Chicago, IL
- Lady Gaga – August 25 at Wrigley Field, Chicago, IL
Below are the Top 5 concerts of 2017 by average price per ticket. The top three all went for an average of over $1,000 per seat.
The Met is, well, The Met, and Foo Fighters and Bruno Mars are both popular performers that had great years, career-wise. Harry Styles rose quickly to ultra-fame after breaking free from former boy band One Direction; in his first ever solo tour, Styles opted for smaller venues, making for higher demand and thus, higher prices.
Top 5 Concerts by Average Price
- The Met 50th Anniversary Gala – May 1 at Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
- Foo Fighters – October 12 at The Anthem, Washington, DC
- Harry Styles & Muna – September 25 at Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, TN
- Bruno Mars – March 11 at The Park Theater at Monte Carlo Resort and Casino, Las Vegas, NV
- Harry Styles & Muna – September 26 at Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, TN
TicketNews is counting down to 2018 with a look back at how the secondary market shook out in 2017.
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