2008 has turned out to be a crazy year for Madonna. First came an amazing new album, then a rumor of a hot affair with Alex Rodriguez. Quickly thereafter was her public divorce to Guy Ritchie. But all the while, Madge was busy working on her world tour. And it paid off, because the Sticky & Sweet tour was the highest grossing tour of the year.
We could have guessed that after Madonna dropped $1 million on her hotel bill while in Buenos Aires. According to Pollster magazine, the tour brought in over $105 in ticket sales in North America alone, and around $208 million worldwide. That makes Madge’s tour the highest grossing tour ever by a solo artist. Not too shabby!
Arthur Fogel, Live Nation’s Chairman of Global Music and CEO of Global Touring, said in a statement, “Not only will this tour be the top selling tour of all time for a solo artist and a female artist (eclipsing her own record), but it will position her as one of the top selling touring artists of all time.â€
Just goes to show, no matter how bad of press you get, it’s still good press. Celine Dion is probably shaking in her boots for getting beat out! Here are the top 10 highest-grossing tours of this year:
1. Madonna ($105 million)
2. Celine Dion ($94 million)
3. The Eagles ($73.4 million)
4. Kenny Chesney ($72.2 million)
5. Bon Jovi ($70.4 million)
6. Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band ($69.3 million)
7. Neil Diamond ($59.8 million)
8. Rascal Flatts ($55.8 million)
9. The Police ($48 million)
10. Tina Turner ($47.7 million)