Prince Heads List of Concert Moneymakers

1 hour ago

By JAKE COYLE, Associated Press Writer

NEW YORK - Prince is the concert tour king. He's in the No. 1 spot on Pollstar's Top 25 tours chart for 2004, grossing $87.4 million.

His 69-city/96-show tour was "by far the biggest tour he has ever done," Gary Bongiovanni, editor-in-chief of Pollstar, the concert industry trade publication, told The Associated Press. "It's kind of a renaissance for him."

Celine Dion, who's been appearing at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas for a long string of shows, was in second place, coming in at $80.4 million, followed by Madonna, $79.5 million; Metallica, $60.5 million; and Bette Midler, $59.4 million.

Other acts in the top 10: Van Halen, Kenny Chesney, Sting, Toby Keith and Elton John.

It was a good year for country music. Chesney's tour had a total gross of $50.8 million and Keith's grossed $43.7 million. Tim McGraw, Shania Twain and Alan Jackson's tour with Martina McBride were also among the top 25.

Bongiovanni said he wasn't surprised that most of the top acts were familiar faces.

"Just because baby boomers are older now doesn't mean that they turn into Glenn Miller band fans," he told the AP Thursday. "They are a large population base of people that have the funds."

Usher and John Mayer were two of the younger acts to gross over $20 million.

"I don't know if today's kids look at music the same way the aging baby boomers do," Bongiovanni said. "We don't seem to be developing the long-term headliners."

Another factor could be the cost of tickets, which for the top 100 acts came at a record average of $52 each.

The most expensive concert ticket? Elton John, at an average of $158 per ticket.

source: www.comcast.net/News/Entertainment