Pollstar Ranks Coldplay Top Touring Artist of 21st Century

Concert trade publication Pollstar has ranked Coldplay as the top touring artist of the 21st century so far, based on ticket sales from January 1, 2001, through the end of 2025. The band's cumulative total of 24.8 million tickets sold across 731 shows worldwide places it ahead of other major acts in a list that highlights the endurance of live music over the past 25 years.

The ranking, drawn from reported and estimated box office data, emphasizes volume of attendance over revenue alone. U2 follows in second place with 20.2 million tickets sold during 594 performances, generating a gross of $2.19 billion. Ed Sheeran ranks third, having sold 19.6 million tickets over 641 shows for $1.75 billion in revenue. The Dave Matthews Band takes fourth with nearly 19.6 million tickets across a record 1,171 concerts, earning $1.13 billion. Taylor Swift rounds out the top five with 18.9 million tickets sold in 575 shows, though her total gross stands at a leading $3.13 billion, driven largely by her Eras Tour from 2023 to 2024.

Swift's Eras Tour set multiple records, becoming the first to surpass $1 billion in 2023 and ultimately grossing $2.2 billion from 10.2 million tickets. This...