Most successful music tours worldwide 2021

The Rolling Stones topped the ranking of most successful music tours in 2021. The North American leg of their “No Filter” tour, which had initially been postponed due to the pandemic, grossed 115.5 million U.S. dollars in total and translated to an average of 9.6 million U.S. dollars per show.

Live music revenues took a tumble

The live music sector was heavily impacted by the outbreak of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. As concerts, tours, and festivals had to be canceled or postponed across the globe, live music revenues dropped by nearly 75 percent and reached a record low of 7.32 billion U.S. dollars in 2020. That year, even the highest-grossing music tour in North America, Celine Dion’s “Courage” tour, generated only 71 million U.S. dollars. By comparison, The Rolling Stones brought in over 177 million U.S. dollars in 2019.

Concerts are making a comeback

Revenues from live music shows nearly doubled in 2021 as governmental restrictions were loosened in many parts of the world and fans finally got to see their favorite acts perform on stage again. While a full financial recovery is not forecast until 2023, artists are eager to go on the road again to make up for lost time. One performer who played a substantial number of shows and drew an even more impressive number of concertgoers is Harry Styles. The singer was the most sought-after live act based on ticket sales that year, generating the second-highest tour revenue after The Rolling Stones and selling more tickets than any other performer worldwide. “Love on Tour” was his second concert tour and featured supporting acts such as Wolf Alice, Arlo Parks, and Orville Peck.