The Boss and His Band were BACK in 2003:
- Springsteen and his E Street Band made $115.9m on 47 shows, including 13 stadium shows in the New York area.
The figures put him second only to the Rolling Stones for the most money ever earned in a year. The Stones earned $121.2m in 1994.
....Springsteen's world tour ended in October with two dates at the legendary Shea Stadium in New York.
Industry magazine Pollstar, which compiles the figures, estimates the US concert business will make $2.4 billion in 2003 - its fourth record-setting year in a row.
Editor Gary Bongiovanni said it was down to fans accepting higher ticket prioces for tours.
...."Back in 1994 when the Eagles charged $100 a ticket, there was practically rebellion in the streets," he said.
Celine Dion, the Eagles, Simon and Garfunkel and the Billy Joel-Elton John double bill all charged more than $100 a ticket, on average.
Pollstar Top 10
1. Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band - $115.9m
2. Celine Dion - £80.5m
3. Eagles - $69.3m
4. Fleetwood Mac - $69m
5. Cher - $68.2m
6. Simon and Garfunkel - $64.5m
7. Aerosmith/Kiss - $64m
8. Dixie Chicks - $60.5m
9. Billy Joel/ Elton John - $50.9m
10. Metallica Summer Sanitarium Tour - $48.8m [BBC]
It was heartening to see Springsteen and the E Streeters return to such prominence. I wrote this when the tour ended in October:
- With the benediction, "Till we meet again," the Boss and his band strode off the temporary stage at New York City's Shea Stadium just before midnight Saturday, the final moment of a wondrous 14-month tour, leaving 50,000 celebrants drained, exalted and impervious to the unseasonable cold. The delirious throng now knew what the almost 3 million who had attended the tour's other 119 shows in 82 cities around the world knew: there is still NOTHING like a Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band concert.
In a cynical, fragmented, battered era, the 54-year-old Springsteen and his troupe of New Jersey boyhood friends and family took it as their righteous duty to squeeze three-plus hours of blood, sweat and rock 'n' roll energy out of themselves and their audience until there was nothing left to give. At every show Bruce and the band proved their belief that it's not too late: rock 'n' roll can still inspire, can still unite any number of strangers on the strength of rhythm, melody, the sting of an electric guitar, and the faith that, in the words of the Springsteen classic "Thunder Road," even now there is "magic in the night."
Article comments
1 - James Bondage
Looking at that top ten list, not one of those bands is touring with new, relevant, ground-breaking, great music. They're all living off of their old stuff, some of it 20-30 years old.
Which makes me very proud to be a Neil Young fan. His new album, Greendale, is new, fresh, groundbreaking, relevant, and it's not on anyone's top ten list. Which is fine with Neil, and also fine with me, since I was able to get great seats to 2 of his shows this past summer, which, in 20 years, will be recognized as one of the best records of all time.
2 - BrownBoognish
What about Cher? I thought that new Greatest Hits album was incredibly fresh.
3 - Mac Diva
It is striking that the most lucrative acts are what most of the music market considers old people. Maybe there is a bifurcation, with young acts selling the most current CDs, but old acts making up the difference in touring and backlist CDs.
4 - BrownBoognish
"Maybe there is a bifurcation, with young acts selling the most current CDs, but old acts making up the difference in touring and backlist CDs."
Old people have more money. Therefore older bands can charge more money because the target audience can afford it. Conclusion: older bands make more money in their world tours, despite the fact that they are washed up.
P.S. Bruce Springsteen is not washed up. He is one of the few legitimate song writers in mainstream music today.
5 - Eric Olsen
Brown, I agree on both counts, and james is totally correct about the greatness of Neil Young.