It's been another bang-up year on the road for the Rolling Stones.
For the second year in a row, the World's Greatest Rock 'n' Roll Band lived up to the billing and topped the list of the biggest-grossing North American tours of 2006. The Stones sold $138.5 million worth of tickets for 39 A Bigger Bang shows, per figures released by concert industry trade Pollstar.
The figure ranks third on Pollstar's all-time list, coming in behind the $138.9 million in sales registered by U2 in 2005 and the record $162 million also generated by the Stones last year.
Since launching A Bigger Bang in August 2005, the Stones have sold more than 1 million tickets.
The British rockers helped to push this year's total North American receipts to a record-breaking $3.6 billion, up 16 percent from last year's $3.1 billion.
(By comparison, rival trade Billboard dubbed the Stones' road show the "top grossing tour ever" on the strength of $425 million worth of ticket sales generated by the entire 2006 world tour, including the North American and overseas dates.)
Taking second place was Barbra Streisand. In her first major jaunt in 12 years, the "Evergreen" chanteuse raked in $92.5 million for 20 performances. That number was helped in large part by the $298 average ticket price Streisand charged, more than double the $137 average seat to see the Stones.
"As usual, most of the acts that sold the greatest dollar number of tickets were the ones who've been around for a while," Pollstar editor-in-chief Gary Bongiovanni tells E! Online.
Lassoing the number three spot was the husband-and-wife tandem of Tim McGraw and Faith Hill, who grossed $88.8 million for 73 gigs. They were followed by Madonna, whose North American leg of her Confessions tour rung up $85.9 million for 34 dates. The average ticket price for those top-tier acts was, respectively, $80 and $184.
Flying into fifth was Cirque Du Soleil's blockbuster Delirium Tour, which tallied $82.1 million for 156 shows.
According to Pollstar, the top 100 concert tours sold a combined 37.9 million tickets, a 4 percent increase over 2005's 36.3 million. The average ticket price jumped 8 percent from $56.88 to $61.45, a difference of $4.57, on par with price increases for 2004 and 2005.
"The good news is, in addition to setting record revenues, we sold more tickets," says Bongiovanni, who adds that " '04 was a terrible year, and '05 was pretty decent, and this year compares favorably. It's a different mixture of artists. Last year it was Paul McCartney and U2, and this year, U2 didn't play nearly as many dates, so it was Streisand and Madonna."
Kenny Chesney also had a good year, selling the highest number of tickets (1.13 million) for the relative bargain average of $58.34 apiece, to pull in $66 million in gross receipts.
One performer who didn't have to go very far to fill the coffers was Celine Dion, whose residency at Las Vegas' Caesars Palace nabbed her sixth place, with $78.1 million in ticket sales at an average cost of $135 per ticket.
Also making the list were such established rock acts as Elton John at number 10, Billy Joel at number 11, the Who at number 13, Def Leppard and Journey at number 14, Aerosmith and Mötley Crüe at number 18 and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young at number 20.
While the oldies were still the goodies, not every artist who placed in Pollstar's top 20 was a veteran road warrior.
The American Idols Live! tour raked in $35 million to rank at 19.
As for 2007, expect the same names and similar ticket sales.
"I don't think next year will be any different," says Bongiovanni. "The only huge tour that looks to be unique is the Genesis reunion tour."
Here's a recap of the top-grossing concert acts of 2006, according to Pollstar:
1. The Rolling Stones, $138.5 million
2. Barbra Streisand, $92.5 million
3. Tim McGraw and Faith Hill, $88.8 million
4. Madonna, $85.9 million
5. Cirque du Soleil's Delirium, $82.1 million
6. Celine Dion, $78.1 million
7. Kenny Chesney, $66 million
8. Bon Jovi, $59.7 million
9. Dave Matthews Band, $51.3 million
10. Elton John, $48.9 million
11. Billy Joel, $47.2 million
12. Rascal Flatts, $43.6 million
13. The Who, $40.9 million
14. Def Leppard and Journey, $38.7 million
15. Shakira, $38.6 million
16. Toby Keith, $38 million
17. Trans-Siberian Orchestra, $37.3 million
18. Aerosmith and Mötley Crüe, $35.4 million
19. American Idols Live!, $35 million
20. Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, $33.5 million
21. Nickelback, $30.3 million
22. Barry Manilow, $29.2 million
23. Coldplay, $28.6 million
24. Mariah Carey, $27.9 million
25. Dixie Chicks, $27.1 million