Top Live Acts 2015
We’re just past the halfway point of 2015, meaning most of the year’s biggest and brightest concert tours have already kicked off (or at the very least have been announced). While we still have ventures from Janet Jackson, AC/DC, and more to look forward to, we decided to tally our numbers and see which artists have thrived the most thus far in 2015.
Taylor Swift and Ed Sheeran Reign as Top Two 2015 Artists
Swift's newest pop album, “1989,” was one of the biggest successes of the last decade, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that Taylor Swift currently has the most ticket sales of any other artist this year. She’s followed on our list by former tourmate Ed Sheeran, who got a huge career boost as opening act on Swift’s Red Tour two years ago.
Both Swift and Sheeran have shows scheduled through the fall, so they could remain Queen and King of 2015 tours.
Country Musicians Make Up a Third of Top 25 Tours of 2015
Following George Strait’s graceful exit from the spotlight in 2014, plenty of country acts have stepped up to fill the gap he left. It helps that Garth Brooks and Shania Twain both came out of retirement within the last year, much to the delight of their devoted fans, to earn the No. 4 and No. 8 spots on this list, respectively. Touring behemoths Kenny Chesney, Luke Bryan, and Jason Aldean also continue to be big draws on the road, as is country-rock fusion act Kid Rock.
Classic Rock Comebacks from Rolling Stones, Rush, and U2 Earn Top Slots
Between the Rolling Stones’ Zip Code Tour, Rush’s 40th anniversary trek, and U2’s iNNOCENCE + eXPERIENCE Tour, 2015 has been a great year to see classic rock live. Fleetwood Mac also made a big showing in the spring with a continuation of its 2014 arena tour, and AC/DC managed to snag a spot in our top 15 even though the Aussie band’s North American tour doesn’t launch until the end of August.
Don't forget to take our new Sporcle quiz to see if you can match the year's top 25 live acts with the names of their tours!
Top 25 Touring Acts of 2015
1. Taylor Swift
2. Ed Sheeran
3. Kenny Chesney
4. Garth Brooks
5. Luke Bryan
6. Rolling Stones
7. One Direction
8. Shania Twain
9. Ariana Grande
10. Maroon 5
11. Fleetwood Mac
12. Foo Fighters
13. U2
14. AC/DC
15. Billy Joel
16. Florida Georgia Line
17. Sam Smith
18. Kid Rock
19. Lady Antebellum
20. Jason Aldean
21. 5 Seconds of Summer
22. Rush
23. Bob Seger
24. Lana Del Rey
25. Fall Out Boy
Based on Vivid Seats sales data for all 2015 events (as of July 14)