Kenny Chesney, George Strait, and Reba Make Billboard’s Top 25 Tours of 2011
With 2011 more than half over — and the summer concert season winding down — Billboard has tallied up the totals for the year’s biggest tours so far, and a number of country artists are going strong.
U2 leads the list, with a nearly $175 million gross, with the top five rounded out by Roger Waters ($114 million), Bon Jovi ($107 million), Lady Gaga ($72 million), and Usher ($70 million). And the year’s biggest country tours? Kenny Chesney (No. 9, $25 million) and the George Strait/Reba pairing (number 15, $17.5 million).
The numbers, which take into account ticket sales between November 1, 2010 and May 31 of this year, aren’t current enough to include concert crowds through the summer months of June and July, but they still give a picture of each tour’s overall health. For instance, through 25 shows, Chesney sold out 19 performances.