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More than a dozen of the most in-demand headlining tours this summer testify to a refusal to burn out or fade
away, including The Rolling Stones, Paul McCartney, Fleetwood Mac, Kiss/Def Leppard, Journey/Steve Miller Band, Billy Joel, Tom Petty, Elton John, The Eagles, Aerosmith, Motley Crue/Alice Cooper, Cher and Prince.
For nearly 25 years, acts that first broke in the 1970s or early '80s have dominated the Billboard Boxscore year-end charts. The list of the 25 highest-grossing touring artists from 1990 through 2014 includes just three acts that released their first albums in the '90s - Dave Matthews Band and Toby Keith (both of whom released debut albums in 1993), and Kenny Chesney (who debuted in 1994). Only one act that broke through in this century makes the list: Coldplay (which released its first album in 2000). Among the top 10 earners since 1990, the average age of vocalists - upon whom touring takes the hardest toll - is 56-and-a-half, and not one is younger than 46.
Meanwhile, the old guys aren't ready to pass the baton just yet. The road offers lucrative income when other revenue streams dry up, and the sweat equity they earned through relentless touring when they were young hitmakers continues to pay dividends at the box office, as original fans (many now blessed with sizable discretionary income) return again and again and new generations turn out to hear classic songs.
Fleetwood Mac and Stevie Nicks make the list... their boxscore numbers combined for both band and solo touring.
24. Fleetwood Mac/Stevie Nicks
Gross: $349,906,931
Attendance: 4,906,995
Shows: 483
Continue to the full article at Billboard along with the stats for the Top 25.
