Best 2015 Concerts Tours

Taylor Swift spent a majority of 2015 shaking it off in various arenas and stadiums around the country, and it paid off. According to StubHub, the online ticket reseller, Swift’s “1989 World Tour” was the service’s No. 1 selling act for the year. The pop star was on tour from May through October in the U.S. and the U.K., averaging $237 for an individual ticket.

“She was definitely the star of the year, ” says Jessica Erskine, StubHub’s head of entertainment communications.

But pop acts only made up a handful of the Top 10. The most tickets sold were by “legacy acts, ” older rock acts that have a vast catalog of hits and typically charge a premium to get in the door. Billy Joel, the Grateful Dead, U2 and the Rolling Stones all made the list, with bands such as AC/DC and Rush also being popular sellers.

Male country artists also fared well during the year, with Garth Brooks coming in at No. 2 overall, while Luke Bryan and Kenny Chesney both cracked the Top 10.

Although there are many variables that can go into looking at top tours – such as number of shows played, number of seats available, and face value for tickets — the rankings below were determined by total sales in dollars throughout the year on StubHub. The company declined to release the specific dollar amounts.

StubHub did, however, release a few isolated numbers that yield interesting data about the year’s top concerts. The Grateful Dead were able to make it into the Top 10 with just five shows and commanded the highest average ticket price at $360. Swift and Joel averaged the most tickets listed daily, at 67, 000 and 48, 000 per day, respectively.

Below, a breakdown of StubHub’s top 10 tours of 2015.

1. Taylor Swift

Number of Shows Listed: 67
Average Ticket Price: $237
Average Tickets Listed Per Day: 67, 000

2. Garth Brooks

Number of Shows Listed: 123
Average Ticket Price: $128
Average Number of Tickets Listed Per Day: 15, 000

3. Billy Joel

Number of Shows Listed: 29