Hot Tours: U2, Elton John, Rod Stewart & Stevie Nicks

U2 tops the Hot Tours rankings with over $60 million in ticket sales from three venues on the South American leg of the band’s ongoing worldwide tour. The 360° Tour that began in June 2009 made its only trek to the continent during March and April, playing markets in three countries. Noteworthy among those performances was the final stop of that leg as the band posted the third-highest gross ever reported to Billboard: a total of $32.7 million from 269,491 tickets sold in São Paulo, Brazil at Estádio do Morumbi on April 9-10 and 13. Only Bruce Springsteen’s $38.6 million from 10 shows at Giants Stadium in 2003 and the Spice Girls $33.8 million from 17 shows at London’s O2 Arena in 2007-08 have historically grossed more.

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The band’s first South America performance was in Chile at Santiago’s Estadio Nacional on March 25. With a crowd of 77,765, U2 broke their own attendance record at the stadium, filling 420 more seats than they did in Feb. 2006 during the Vertigo Tour. Next on the itinerary was Argentina with shows on March 30, April 1 and 2 in Buenos Aires at Estadio Único Ciudad de La Plata. The 53,000-seat soccer stadium was filled to capacity for all three nights with an attendance total of 172,029 and grosses topping $20.5 million US$ (83.2 million pesos).

Elton John ranks No. 2 this week with sold out performances reported in two U.S. markets, part of a string of North American dates booked through mid-May. New York’s Madison Square Garden hosted the veteran entertainer on March 16 and 20 with a total of 36,338 tickets sold for both nights. A single performance on April 8 at the Spokane (Wash.) Arena drew a sellout crowd of 11,604 with box office grosses topping the $1 million mark. Sir Elton wraps his U.S./Canada trek on May 14 in Calgary and will spend most of the summer touring in Europe.

Co-headliners Rod Stewart and Stevie Nicks appear on the Hot Tours list for the third week in a row, posting their best ranking yet. The pair land at No. 3 with $2.9 million in ticket sales reported from two major U.S. markets. The pair performed on April 5 at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, drawing a sellout crowd of 13,127, and on April 9 at Chicago’s United Center with 14,039 in attendance. Seven shows from the tour have been reported so far this spring with grosses topping $10 million.