Summer is the unofficial concert season, when major artists hit the road, taking advantage of the good weather, long daylight hours, and breaks from school. Post-COVID-19 pandemic, music fans seem more eager than ever to stand next to thousands of strangers and scream their favorite songs in front of the artist who wrote them.
Summer 2023 is set to be one of the biggest for concerts yet, with demand causing Ticketmaster shutdowns and the emergence of premium seating leading to soaring ticket prices. Live Nation reported a in the first quarter of 2023 compared to the previous year, and The Wall Street Journal dubbed 2023 "."
Though many artists are performing this summer, a select few drive the lion's share of ticket sales. Of course, many have read about the unprecedented demand to see Taylor Swift and Beyonc茅, but they're not the only ones fans are clamoring to see this summer. To identify the most in-demand artists of summer 2023, looked at data from , based on global ticket sales, and dug further into news reports on the numbers behind the most sought-after shows.
Read on to see who else is bringing in the big bucks at arenas and concert halls this summer and how ticket prices and revenue compare.
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1 / 10础蹿迟别谤听 due to the pandemic, the Weeknd began his "After Hours til Dawn" tour in July 2022. He renamed the tour to promote 2020's "After Hours" and 2022's "Dawn FM." The meshing of the artist's fourth and fifth albums proved a success: The first four shows alone听, with tickets costing $155 on average, according to Touring Data. This triumph听 with a European and Latin American leg,听.
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2 / 10Ed Sheeran is busy this summer with his "Mathematics" and "Subtract" tours. The former will hit stadiums globally; the latter will be a more intimate experience for smaller venues.
The English pop star听 toward the end of 2022. After five years, he'll return to the U.S. and Canada to promote the 2021 album "=" and 2023's "-" with 35 shows. As of June 21, the tour has听, even with 15 more shows to go, according to Touring Data.
In April, Sheeran announced a set of small theater performances for his ". The tour's听 kicked off in May and ends in September, along with his "Mathematics" jaunt. The first six shows alone听, as reported by Touring Data. Tickets for the more intimate tour have also been more expensive, with "Mathematics" costing fans $88 on average versus the "Subtract" tour's $107 average price.
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3 / 10Metallica's been touring for 40 years since听" in 1983, but fans are still coming out in droves. The ""鈥攏amed after the band's most recent album, "72 Seasons"鈥攕tops at 22 cities worldwide, with dates from April 2023 through September 2024.
Each city has two shows featuring different set lists that dive deep into the metal band's catalog. The set design is also unique, featuring a听 and a mosh pit (dubbed the "Snake Pit") at its center. Playing two nights at some of the biggest stadiums in the world means lots of seats to fill鈥攁nd, according to Touring Data, as of June 25, they're about听.
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4 / 10Pink is known for putting on a show. Her unique pop and punk rock sound, incredible acrobatics, and gymnastics numbers have been听.
Her two tours this summer鈥攖he "Summer Carnival" stadium tour and the North American "Trustfall" tour鈥攁re among the most popular, according to StubHub data. As of June 25,听, and it just kicked off in early June, according to Touring Data. It's set to听 around the globe until March 2024. Meanwhile, tickets for "Trustfall"鈥攈er听 running in October and November鈥攚ere already听.
With this growth, Pink is on the path to breaking her听: In 2019, her "Beautiful Trauma World Tour" became the #10 highest-grossing tour in Billboard Boxscore's history and the second biggest ever for a woman.
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5 / 10With less听 announced in 2023, some might be surprised to see George Strait on this list鈥攂ut no one performs like the King of Country Music. In 2014, Strait planned to retire from touring after performing at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. According to Billboard's Boxscore, it was the听, with nearly 105,000 people crowding in to see him live one more time.
But it turns out Strait isn't done yet. He occasionally does shows in Las Vegas, and in October 2022, he announced a handful of stadium shows with fellow country singer Chris Stapleton, kicking off in 2023. His first show in May grossed听, according to Touring Data. As of June 21鈥攁nd just three of 10 shows in鈥擲trait's tour has听, with tickets costing fans $264 on average.
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6 / 10When Coldplay announced their "Music of the Spheres" world tour, with just six dates in Europe in late 2021, the band sold more than听 in 24 hours, prompting an expansion that has them still on tour nearly two years later. After a couple of听 in the western part of the U.S., Coldplay began its U.S. leg on May 6 at Dallas' Cotton Bowl Stadium.
The tour has received praise for its听 and innovation, including a live hologram of BTS听. Coldplay ended 2022 as the听, according to Billboard, and they're going strong in 2023. According to Touring Data, the听 as of April 17, which means nearly 40 shows are not yet accounted for.
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7 / 10After a stint on Broadway, Bruce Springsteen announced in February 2022 that he'd be reunited with the E Street Band to perform 19 European shows in 2023. He , prompting "The Boss" to add eight more shows. In April, attendees in Barcelona even join the group onstage for "Glory Days"鈥攚ith a tambourine to boot.
Springsteen later announced听, which had a series of problems. Experimenting with Ticketmaster's verified ticketing system to avoid scalpers鈥攜es, the same one that听鈥攍eft some Springsteen lovers to spend up to听. Then, COVID-19 made the rounds within the band, forcing the crew to . Despite the high cost and the delays, fans have appreciated the careful selection of songs from听 rather than a "greatest hits'' setlist.
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8 / 10Country music fans got an early Christmas gift last year when Morgan Wallen听 in 30 cities across the U.S., Canada, Australia, and New Zealand cities. Days later, he added听 due to high demand.
The controversial country artist, who was arrested for intoxication in 2020 and caught using a racial slur in 2021, has remained popular despite his misdoings. This new stadium tour comes off the heels of his Dangerous Tour, which听. The "One Night at a Time" world tour听, and it will run until June 2024. As of May 15, the tour has听, with tickets averaging $172 a pop.
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9 / 10The BeyHive launched their queen to the #2 spot on StubHub's list of the most in-demand artists of the summer. When Beyonc茅 in February,听. Forbes estimated听 when the 57-show tour wraps in September. For those keeping track鈥攁nd at the risk of reigniting an old rivalry鈥攖hat'd be $500 million more than the $1.6 billion Taylor Swift expects to bring in from her Eras Tour this summer.
Beyonc茅's tour kicked off in May, and the set list includes听 补苍诲听. But what has her fans talking most is that her 11-year-old daughter, Blue Ivy, has been听 and has gone viral several times on TikTok. Beyonc茅's 36-song set list clocks in at three hours, but fans aren't complaining (even though they're to see her). It's their first opportunity to see her onstage since her last solo tour in 2016.
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10 / 10The "Eras" tour started with a Ticketmaster crash heard 'round the world, which eventually launched a听. So, suffice it to say, the demand to see Taylor Swift has been intense in 2023. Despite the technical difficulties, Swift sold听 the first day they went on sale, breaking the single-day record. (Interestingly enough, there isn't data available on the听, but needless to say,.)
The "Eras" tour, Swift's first since 2018, spans her 19-year career, with segments devoted to each of her 10 albums, from her 2006 self-titled debut to her latest, 2022's "Midnights." She famously performs two surprise songs during each show, including covers and deep cuts from her catalog. At one performance in New Jersey,听 and brought out featured artist Ice Spice to perform their remixed track. The tour even has its own subculture, with fans dressing up as听 补苍诲听 featuring insider acronyms and jokes only true Swifties can decode.
The fandom for Swift is so passionate that it's helping boost听 nationwide. According to Fortune, a report from research company QuestionPro estimated the "Eras" tour鈥攚hich kicked off in May and ends in August鈥攃ould听 nationwide.
Data reporting by Lucas Hicks. Story editing by Jaimie Etkin. Copy editing by Paris Close. Photo selection by Clarese Moller.
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