Coldplay, U2 & Ed Sheeran Rule the Millennium… According to Ticket Sales 🎟️🤯

Turns out, the kings of touring aren’t who you might expect in the year of our lord 2025. Sure, billion-dollar tours are suddenly a thing — thanks to Taylor Swift and now The Weeknd — but when you look at actual tickets sold since 2001?
The charts tell a different story…
🎟️ The Top Touring Artists of the Millennium
(aka: Who convinced the most people to leave their house)
1️⃣ Coldplay — 24.8 million tickets
(Chris Martin has evangelized more glow sticks than anyone alive)
2️⃣ U2 — 20.2 million
(Bono stays winning)
3️⃣ Ed Sheeran — 19.6 million
(Just a guitar, some looping pedals, and 20 million best friends)
Rounding out the Top 5:
4️⃣ Dave Matthews Band — just under 19.6 million
(Jam band fans really roll deep)
5️⃣ Taylor Swift — 18.9 million
(Considering she only started in 2006? Insane.)
Pollstar tallied all shows — reported and estimated — from 2001 to the end of 2025.
Which means this list is a marathon, not a sprint.
Where Are the Women? 😑
In the Top 10, Swift is the only woman.
The rest are dudes like:
🧾 Bruce Springsteen
🧢 Kenny Chesney
🎸 Metallica
🎤 Bon Jovi
🕶 Elton John
Women finally show up again here:
- Pink — #11 (13M tickets)
- Beyoncé — #13 (11.8M, bow down)
- Madonna — #15 (nearly 11M, queen behaviour)
Only four women in the entire Top 25. Shocking no one… yet still annoying.
RELATED: Madonna Celebrates 20 Years of Confessions on a Dance Floor — And Announces a 2026 Sequel 🪩💗
And Before You Swifties Riot…
This is ticket count, NOT money earned.
On the cash side? Taylor AND Beyoncé are running the entire economy. 💅✨
In Summary
🥇 Coldplay: kings of wholesome stadium sob-singing
🥈 U2: sunglasses at night remain undefeated
🥉 Ed Sheeran: cardigan-energy supremacy
🌎 Taylor Swift: printing money like the Bank of Canada
So yes — millennials may be broke… But at least we spent our money screaming lyrics loudly with strangers. 🎶🍻
Photos from AP...
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