StubHub Reveals The Top 10 Music Tours Of Summer 2017

Stubhub’s Third-Annual Summer Tour Preview Reveals U2 Is the Most In-Demand Act; Justin Bieber and Tool Offer the Best Value; and New Festivals Make the Top Five Music Festivals List

StubHub, the world’s largest ticket marketplace, today released its third-annual preview of the summer concert landscape, breaking down the most in-demand touring acts of summer 2017. U2 unseats last year’s leader, Adele, by taking the #1 spot on the list, which heavily features legacy rock artists for the third year in a row. Top contemporary artists like Ed Sheeran also rank highly, and Kendrick Lamar broke the top 10 list for the first time, only three weeks after his tour was announced.

2017 Top Selling Acts
Based on total sales on StubHub for U.S. dates from Memorial Day to Labor Day

1. U2
2. Ed Sheeran
3. Bruno Mars
4. Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers
5. Lady Gaga
6. Metallica
7. Kendrick Lamar
8. Tool
9. Justin Bieber
10. Roger Waters

By the Numbers: Breaking Down the Top 10 List

• Legacy rock acts have dominated the list for the last three years, demonstrating an ongoing command of the touring landscape throughout the summer
• #1 U2 outsells #2 Ed Sheeran by 65%, even with fewer than half as many shows in the summer months (13 vs. 32), and exceeds last year’s #1, Adele, by 15%, even with eight fewer dates
• Looking at average sales per-show, U2 still dominates, outselling the second highest per-show performer (Lady Gaga) by 118%; eight of U2’s dates are the top in-demand of individual events all summer; the June 3Chicago appearance is the most in-demand concert of the summer
• The only artist to return to the list from 2016 is Justin Bieber
• Tool is the most affordable top 10 act to see this summer based on the lowest average ticket prices overall
• Justin Bieber is a great deal this summer – his tour sold the least expensive ticket of acts in the top 10, and the price of tickets purchased on StubHub this year is down 40% over last summer
• When tickets for Kendrick Lamar’s DAMN. tour went on sale April 28, searches on StubHub quadrupled from the day before and he shot into the top 10 selling summer acts in one week – his position on the list is likely to keep climbing as the summer progresses
• Roger Waters may be the hardest working on the list this summer with the most tour dates (34) of anyone in the top 10 during the summer months; Ed Sheeran (26 years old) is second with 32 tour dates  

Music festivals continue to be a way for an increasing number of fans to see a multitude of acts between independent headlining tours.  Bottlerock, as a relatively newer festival, has been the fastest growing summer music festival over the past three years (demand has nearly tripled since 2015).  Keeping in line with the trending demand of legacy rock acts, two out of three of the top music festivals this summer are devoted to classic rock acts.