Over the past few decades, we have seen many terrific entertainers come and go from every genre of music. It's not easy to keep up with such high levels of entertainment, let alone repeating the same success for years. In addition to the good quality of music, a fantastic and unique stage presence, like never-before-seen, is required to make an artist truly great on tour.
With this list, we're taking a look back at some of the most bankable and desired music tours the world has ever seen. From Madonna's controversial Sticky & Sweet Tour to Ed Sheeran's long-running Divide Tour, here are the world's top ten highest-grossing world tours, ranked.
10 Madonna - Sticky & Sweet Tour ($411 Million)
Madonna's longevity in the music industry should never be put into question. The Queen of Pop, who made her debut in the 1980s, scored her highest-grossing world tour with the Sticky & Sweet Tour to propel her 11th studio album, Sweet Candy. The powerhouse singer toured from the U.S., Canada, France, Austria, Montenegro, Germany, Italy, Brazil, Argentina, Israel, Romania, and many others.
9 The Rolling Stones - No Filter Tour ($415 Million)
The Rolling Stones started in the 1960s, but even today, the band is still as relevant as ever. According to Billboard, the legendary rock band has amassed a whopping $415 million from this world tour alone. Beginning in 2017, The Rolling Stones' No Filter Tour, unfortunately, had to be delayed due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
8 Metallica - WorldWired Tour ($416 Million)
Another old-time group, heavy metal Metallica proved their longevity with the WorldWired Tour, which is still ongoing. Started in 2016, the tour supported the band's tenth studio album, Hardwired ... To Self Destruct, and attracted a fantastic record of $416 million in gross, according to Billboard. The tour will end in October 2021 in the U.S.'s Sacramento, CA.
7 AC/DC - Black Ice World Tour ($441 Million)
From 2008 until 2010, AC/DC toured the U.S., Canada, Norway, France, Germany, Italy, Ireland, England, Netherlands, Brazil, Argentina, New Zealand, and their home country Australia to support their 15th studio album Black Ice. While the album itself wasn't the band's most successful masterpiece, the world tour did exceptionally well with an approximate gross figure of $441 million.
6 Roger Waters - The Wall Live ($458 Million)
Although Roger Waters left Pink Floyd a long time ago in 1985 due to creative disputes, the 77-year-old English singer still found solo success. From 2010 to 2013, the What God Wants singer embarked on The Wall Live journey to bring the band's album The Wall back to the mainstream. The singer performed two sets during the show on some of the biggest stages in the world from every continent.
5 Coldplay - A Head Full of Dreams Tour ($523 Million)
Coldplay always brings the best visual experience when it comes to on-stage performances. Chris Martin and co went on a worldwide odyssey to promote their A Head Full of Dreams album on the world tour of the same name. Supporting acts like Alessia Cara, Lianne La Havas, Tove Lo, Izzy Bizu, and Dua Lipa served as the tour's opening performers. According to Billboard, the tour amassed an amazing $523 million in fortune. That's not bad for a band that started in the '90s.
4 The Rolling Stones - A Bigger Bang Tour ($558 Million)
Another one from The Rolling Stones, A Bigger Bang Tour gathered more than half a billion dollars for the band. From 2005 to 2007, the worldwide concert tour supported the band's 22nd studio album of the same name. All four members, from Mick Jagger to Charlie Watts, were present to perform some of the biggest and newest hits of the band, including "Paint It Black," "Streets of Love," "Rain Fall Down," and more.
3 Guns N' Roses - Not In This Lifetime Tour ($584 Million)
For the first time since the band's Use Your Illusion tour in 1993, Guns N' Roses featured its classic line-up of Axl Rose, Slash, and Duff McKagan, with help from others during the Not in This Lifetime Tour. From 2016 until 2019, the hard rock band performed on various stages in North America, Europe, Asia, and South America.
2 U2 - U2 360° Tour ($736 Million)
Despite touring during the transitioning era from physical sales to streaming services, U2's 360° Tour was still a fantastic success. Until now, only one musician managed to pull more than $736 million in gross from a world tour. Staged in support of their No Line on the Horizon album, U2 won Billboard Touring Awards for Top Tour and Top Draw in 2010 and 2011.
1 Ed Sheeran - ÷ Tour ($776 Million)
Lastly, it may come as a surprise for many, but it's Ed Sheeran's ÷ (Divide) Tour that scored the record of the highest-grossing worldwide tour. From 2017 until 2019, the "Shape of You" singer went on 255 shows from a total of fourteen legs in South and North America, Europe, Africa, and Asia.
