Welcome back my friends to the flamboyance that never ends, as Fabulously Flamboyant Friday proudly delivers yet another light-loafered, groin-polished googly from the gasworks end of musical magnificence.
Tonight, as we respectfully mark Inflammatory Bowel Disease Day and World Schizophrenia Day (which should probably be held over two completely separate days), we’ll consider the current stratospheric pricing of concert tickets and (as a direct result) the growing problem of curtailed and cancelled tours. And we’ll also take a fond look back at some of the happier fiscal times, when tour accountants skipped with joy, dealers racked and stacked, and promoters delivered some of the most popular and profitable tours in rock and pop history – Not Arf!
Keen Friday night aficionados will doubtless have been heartbroken by the recent news that The Pussycat Dolls have become the latest popular beat combo to cancel a substantial number of their planned 2026 concert dates. The primary driving force behind this sad and dispiriting news seems to be nothing other than surprisingly low ticket sales.
Now before any of the cruel meanies out there in Friday land say “well, it’s the Pussycat Dolls! Waddaya expect?”, falling (and in fact plummeting, to be brutally honest) ticket sales seem to be part of a widespread pandemic the music industry is now calling “blue dot fever” (and that’s not a Ted Nugent b-side, it’s named after the blue dots that represent unsold seats on Ticketmaster’s booking website).
In the US, a number of high profile 2026 tours have been abandoned, pushed back or substantially reduced in both scope and scale. Publicly, a number of reasons have been put forward (illness, delayed album release, work/life balance, birth of new baby, etc.). However, within the industry, the real driving force behind the curtailments and cancellations is said to be an outbreak of blue dot fever, driven by the harsh economic reality that ticket prices are way too high for the average punter and, to put it quite simply, bums are not being placed upon seats.
Although Blue Dot Fever has become the preferred music industry term for any face-saving excuse used for concert cancellations that are actually caused by poor ticket sales, some artists have been honest and open about the issue. The Pussycat Dolls have been upfront about their disappointingly low ticket sales, saying (in an online post a few weeks ago) “after taking an honest look at the North American run, we’ve made the difficult and heartbreaking decision to cancel all but one of the North America dates”; and Kiefer Sutherland announced he’s been forced to cancel the entire US leg of his upcoming tour, saying (in a recent statement issued via Instagram) “with great disappointment I am going to have to cancel the US leg of my tour due to very low ticket sales”.
Others, however, although making similar tactical adjustments, are apparently doing so for a variety of different reasons: Post Malone’s team (start date of his tour pushed back and a number of shows dropped) claim his new album not being ready is the reason; Meghan Trainor’s team (entire tour scrapped) suggest her work-life balance is the reason for the cancelled shows. However, many industry insiders are simply not buying it and are pointing the fickle finger of blame at very low ticket sales and muttering the dread phrase, blue dot fever.
Quite simply, sharply rising costs seem to be the issue. The average concert ticket price in North America is now at an eye-watering high of $144 per ticket – and that’s before the equally outrageous “booking fees” and “service fees” are added on by the various agencies and sundry hangers-on that populate the industry. This figure is substantially up from an already steep $115 average in 2025. So, when you add in the substantial fears of economic recession that currently stalk the psyche of the western world, the sharp fall in ticket demand is perhaps not all that surprising.
Additionally, of course, punters have to factor in the high costs of transport, food, a few Campari & sodas and the possibility of overnight accommodation. As a result, the prospect of seeing our favourite crooner perform a selection of hot hits from their latest wax platter is no longer the simple pleasure it once was, but is in fact a substantial outlay for a luxury outing.
For balance, I should probably point out that Joe Berchtold, the President & CFO of Live Nation, has utterly dismissed the notion that ticket sales for concerts and tours are currently in a bit of a slump. He recently described blue dot fever as “a nice catchy phrase that is absolutely devoid of facts” and stressed that ticket sales are absolutely fine.
A few months back, I posted (within the confines of this very organ, in the comments wot no one reads) that I had recently found my tatty old gig diary from the mid 1970s in a box of attic detritus earmarked for the local landfill site. That document revealed that in a period of just 18 months I had attended concerts by The Who, Yes, The Rolling Stones, Deep Purple, Black Sabbath, Rory Gallagher, Thin Lizzy, 10cc, Cockney Rebel, Slade, Hawkwind, Jethro Tull, Steeleye Span, Status Quo, Uriah Heep, Supertramp, Tangerine Dream, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Roxy Music, The Sensational Alex Harvey Band, Van Der Graff Generator, Wishbone Ash, Elton John, Rick Wakeman, Camel, Caravan, Gong, Jeff Beck and, to be frank, a fair few others as well.
That really is quite the list. But here’s the thing – back then I was a poverty Puffin. I was always skint, but going to gigs in the 1970’s was a reasonably cheap night out. These days, in very stark contrast, to see that many artists of similar status perform live over a similar period of time, I would probably need to remortgage my home and flog a kidney to the Ukrainian Organ Transplant, Pet Food, Pie & Pasty Corporation.
However, if gigs and tours really are starting to struggle, as many are now claiming, which artists have been the lucky purveyors of some of the most lucrative tours in history? Well, the figures (all adjusted for inflation, naturally) seem to differ (sometimes quite substantially) according to the site and source selected. However, our Puffin Top Twenty of blimey! that’s a nice little earner guv’nor seems to be as follows (cue Brass Incorporated with At The Sign Of The Swinging Cymbal) – Not Arf!
- Celine Dion kicks things off in our poptastic hit parade with her 2008/9 Taking Chances world tour of 129 shows that pulled in a pretty decent $418 million. This is the kind of show to which ‘er indoors will frequently drag me (kicking and screaming, I might add), but I have survived a night at the audience participation version of Mama Mia, so musical hell holds no fears for me.
- Bruno Mars with his 24K Magic World Tour, which racked up very creditable earnings of $509million over 191 shows in 2017/18.
- Pink Floyd – The Division Bell Tour – $534 million.
This was the final world tour from the legendary psychedelic rockers who played to more than five million punters (including your humble scribe, who was deeply impressed) over 111 shows. Roger Waters had long since quit the band, but the absence of their primary songwriter didn’t hinder the Floyd’s roaring financial success in the slightest.
- The Police Reunion Tour – $536 million.
The 2007/8 Police tour really did seem to come out of nowhere. For my money, they were a band that split up just as their output was getting interesting. So I was pleased to see them back on the road, but my hopes of a new studio album were soon dashed as, sadly, there would be no follow-up to 1983’s rather splendid Synchronicity.
Their reunion tour marked the 30th anniversary of the band and was the first time the trio had toured together in more than 20 years. Tickets sold out within minutes and raked in mountains of filthy lucre. 151 shows, 5 continents and solid confirmation that The Police were one of the most successful bands of all time.
- Metallica – WorldWired Tour – $538 million.
I saw one show on this tour, when the band played as headliners at a 3-day festival at which I was working. Sadly, I caught them on what was clearly a very bad night and I would politely describe their performance as somewhat lacklustre, m’lud. This was shortly before the entire Australian leg of their tour was cancelled (due to a band-member’s unfortunate struggles with addiction), so perhaps I shouldn’t have been overly surprised at just how poor their performance was. Nevertheless, 143 shows, 4 continents, 4 million punters and the highest-grossing tour in the band’s career. Kerching!
- Pink – Summer Carnival Tour: $584 million.
Between June 2023 and November 2024, Pink embarked on her eighth tour, performed 97 shows across 3 continents, including an appearance at the BST festival in Hyde Park, which remains the quietest concert I have ever experienced.
- Madonna – Sticky & Sweet Tour: $603 million.
Madonna’s 2008 Sticky & Sweet Tour (85 shows, 3.5 million punters) was, at the time, the record-breaking highest-grossing tour for a solo artist. Madge remains, to this day, the only female musician to rack up six consecutive world tours that each grossed over $100 million – that’s a pretty decent effort.
- Beyonce – Renaissance World Tour: $606 million.
Another favourite of ‘er indoors. Happily, I’ve been able to avoid witnessing any performances by Beyoncé. However, there’s no denying her 2023 tour was a mahoosive success, landing her a Guinness World Record for the highest-grossing tour by a Black artist in history. Pleasingly, it might also be a case of couldn’t happen to a nicer person, guv’nor, as one of the chaps who worked on a string of her European shows described her to me as an astonishingly charming and thoroughly decent human being. It also gives me an excuse to reproduce one of my favourite Morrissey quotes: “The rhino is now more or less extinct, and it’s not because of global warming or shrinking habitats. It’s because of Beyoncé’s handbags”.
- Roger Waters – The Wall Live: $623 million.
The Floyd done good without Roger, but not as good as Roger done without the Floyd. Mr. Waters kicked off his The Wall Live tour in 2010 and it remains, to this day, the most staggeringly impressive concert production I have ever witnessed. It was jaw-droppingly good and I seriously doubt I’ll ever attend anything as impressive. In terms of holding folding, the tour surpassed Madonna’s Sticky & Sweet tour to set a new record for the highest-grossing tour by a solo artist.
When you consider the individual earning power of Rog and the Floyd, lord knows how much they could have earned if they’d ever managed to bury the hatchet and complete a reunion tour. The proposed 2007 Led Zeppelin reunion tour could probably have matched it, but I seriously doubt many others could.
However, Rick Wright is sadly no longer with us and Polly Samson (Pink Floyd’s lyricist and the current Mrs. Gilmour) has described Waters (via X) as “anti-Semitic to your rotten core, a Putin apologist and a lying, thieving, hypocritical, tax-avoiding, lip-synching, misogynistic, sick-with-envy, megalomaniac”. Blimey! C’mon, luv – get off the fence. Anyway, with Gilmour adding “every word demonstrably true”, I strongly suspect the Pink Floyd reunion ship has long-since set sail, hit the rocks and gone down with all hands.
- The Weekend – After Hours ’til Dawn: $635 million.
The Weeknd’s After Hours ’til Dawn Tour is still on the road, but it’s already racked up $635 million. With a seriously impressive 5.1 million tickets sold, this one’s gonna set a few records, methinks.
- AC/DC – Black Ice World Tour: $637 million.
The recent tottering live footage of AC/DC has not been fun to watch. Nevertheless, back in 2008 the lads could still kick bottom with the best of ’em and their globetrotting Black Ice Tour (168 shows, 5 continents and more than 5 million punters) remains the band’s most financially successful tour to date.
- Harry Styles – Love on Tour: $645 million.
Blimey! This one took me by surprise. I knew young ‘Arry was popular, but I honestly didn’t think he was this popular. Originally one-fifth of One Direction, Styles’ second world tour attracted over 5 million fans to 169 shows across 5 continents. Lady Cutlery worked with One Direction back in the day and assures me they were lovely, if somewhat mischievous, lads.
- Guns N’ Roses – Not in This Lifetime… Tour: $725 million.
When Guns N’ Roses embarked on their 2016 reunion tour, it marked the first time a proper line-up of the band had performed together on stage since 1993. I saw them live just once, around 1991, at Wembley Arena in London. Sadly, due to advanced inebriation, I have almost no memory of the event. I remember being hugely impressed with the support band (Nine Inch Nails), but I fear a surfeit of Campari overcame me before the headliners took to the stage.
- The Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band 2023–2025 Tour: $729 million.
2023-25 saw The Boss and his band perform 130 shows to around 5 million punters across Europe and North America. Springsteen is undoubtedly one of the most successful touring artists of all time, having grossed well over $2 billion on the road. I’ve worked on a few of his shows over the years and he really is a consummate performer who delivers tremendous value to his fans (his shows seem to go on for ever). However, although I am always hugely impressed by his professionalism and performance, I’ve sadly never managed to engage with his output on an emotional level.
- Rolling Stones – A Bigger Bang Tour: $861 million.
Perhaps the ultimate rock ‘n’ roll touring machine, The Rolling Stones and their A Bigger Bang Tour (2005 to 2007) is their highest-grossing tour to date. Additionally, their covid-disrupted No Filter Tour earned them $653 million and their legendary 1994/5 Voodoo Lounge Tour racked up $665 million. Them boyz makes profitable noize.
- Ed Sheeran – (Divide) ÷ Tour: $962 million.
Ed Sheeran lands the first of our Top 5 slots with his whoppingly successful ÷ Tour (2017-19), shifting almost 9 million tickets across six continents. He followed this up with his irritatingly named +–=÷× Tour (2022) and promptly raked in another $875 million. I still remember the industry shock when he sold out Wembley Stadium for 4 consecutive nights (no other solo artist has ever achieved this feat) and the feeling was that if it had been logistically possible to add a fifth night, he probably would have sold that one out as well.
- Elton John – Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour: $980 million.
Elton John’s epic Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour has certainly raked in an astonishing amount of cash, but it does feel like a bit of a cheat. The tour began in 2018, didn’t wrap up until 2023 and there were lots of substantial breaks in between. It (allegedly) marked Reg’s farewell to life on the road, with 330 shows across all corners of the world that were watched by well over 6 million punters.
- U2 – 360° Tour: $1 billion.
U2’s 360° Tour ran from 2009 to 2011 and (for a while) held the title of the highest-grossing concert tour of all time by a band. Their previous tour – The Vertigo Tour (2005/6) – also did rather well: $613 million. The combined ticket sales for the two tours were apparently nudging the 12 million mark. Nice earnings, shame about songs.
- Coldplay – Music of the Spheres Tour: $1.38 billion.
Oh dear, this is deeply depressing: first U2 and now Coldplay. I can’t say you couldn’t pay me to watch one of their shows as I have, in a professional capacity, attended performances by both. It is not, however, an experience I would voluntarily repeat.
Nevertheless, Coldplay’s ongoing Music of the Spheres Tour recently set the record as the most attended tour in history, with over 13 million tickets sold, and is expected to become the highest-grossing tour of all time. But it’s not there yet…
And so, with all due reverence, much rejoicing and fanfares of exuberance and delight, we reach our number one artist in our number one spot – and of course there can be only one: our all-time Puffin favourite, GP’s Friday night Princess of Pop, the magical, magnificent, musical Goddess known to us mere and thoroughly unworthy mortals as The Blessed Tay-Tay.
- Taylor Swift – The Eras Tour: $2 billion.
Our favourite poptastic megastar played over 150 shows across five continents and – in just the UK alone – our Friday Night Goddess played to around 1.2 million Swifties and apparently boosted the British economy (by the power of her gracious and glorious presence) by an estimated and astonishing £1 billion.
Fittingly, Her Most Fabulousness was the very first artist to complete the world’s very first $2 billion tour. Depressingly, however, the musical snorefest known as Coldplay are now catching up fast – and what a sad and unsuitable note on which to end our Friday night musings that news is.
Nevertheless, I see the pineapple quiche has been consumed, the Babycham quaffed and my nuts have been nibbled. So for now, dear Puffins, I think that’s probably quite enough of my random ramblings for this evening. So I shall say TTFN to one and all and wish you a very hot and sweaty weekend.
Have a happy Inflammatory Bowel Disease Day and may all your pillows be tasty, your gardens inclined and your puddles well jumped.
Goodnight, and may your frog go with you – Not ‘arf!
Featured Image: Taylor Swift by Dwight McCann / www.dwightmccann.com CC BY-SA 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons
Hat tip to Grok and Wikipedia for all the interesting facts and figures that were used and abused to create this evening’s frivolous article.
© Ivory Cutlery 2026
