The post-pandemic thirst for live music is real – and Bad Bunny is cashing in.
According to a mid-year summary of touring data published Thursday, the Top 10 acts grossed $722 million (all figures U.S.) between Nov. 1, 2021 and April 30, 2022, up 20 percent from the same period in 2019.
Bad Bunny’s El Último Tour del Mundo and a pair of stand-alone shows in his native Puerto Rico raked in a whopping $123.2 million, according to Billboard Boxscore. He is the first Spanish-language artist to top the list.
Bad Bunny launches another tour Aug. 5 that runs until December. There are no stops in Canada.
Behind the 28-year-old Latin star on the Boxscore list are Elton John, whose Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour grossed $103.2 million in the same period, and Genesis, whose The Last Domino? tour earned $81.9 million.
BTS ranks fourth with $75.5 million from only 11 shows, followed by The Rolling Stones with $58.6 million from six shows.
The rest of the Top 10 consists of the Eagles ($57.7 million), Billie Eilish ($57.5), Morgan Wallen ($57.2), Trans-Siberian Orchestra ($54.6) and Canada’s Justin Bieber ($52.5).
According to Boxscore, the top-grossing venues with a capacity of more than 15,001 were Madison Square Garden in New York, London’s O2 Arena and Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas (thanks for a run of BTS shows). No Canadian venues are in the Top 25.