Who Made the Big Bucks in 2010?

Welcome to 2011; glad you could make it.

As always, we start out the new year by looking at who made all the money last year................and as is often the case, there are a few surprises.

But let's begin by making some comparisons:

The Top 50 Tours Worldwide grossed a combined $2.93 billion which was down about 12% from last year's $3.34 billion. Total tickets sold was 38.3 million which was down about 15% or 7 million from 2009's 45.3 million. Total show count was down about 8% to 2,650. The only number to increase was the average ticket price which went up $2.86 or about 4%.

The Top 50 Tours in North America grossed a combined $1.69 billion which was down about 15% from last year's $1.99 billion. Total tickets sold was 26.2 million which was down about 12% from 2009's 29.9 million. Total show count was down about 3% to 2,114. Unlike the Worldwide chart, the average ticket price in North America dropped $1.55 or about 2%.

We'll leave you to draw your own conclusions, but we can say that in general, the international concert business was stronger than in North America where overbooked and overpriced shows at outdoor amphitheatre venues made it an especially difficult year.

OK, now on to the winners. In the Number #1 slot for North America was Bon Jovi, which played 51 shows on this continent and 80 overall, grossed $108 million here and $201 million total. The BJ tour knocked out all competition by a wide margin.

Roger Waters and AC/DC take up the No. 2 spots.

AC/DC, which has been on a rock ‘n’ roll train since 2008, put on 40 shows worldwide; its $177 million income became the second-highest grossing tour worldwide. Waters launched the phenomenal Wall tour in Toronto and spent 2010 Stateside, landing the No. 2 slot for North America. And even with a midyear start, that tour has grossed almost $90 million playing multiple nights in 35 cities. (Waters could be globetrotting through 2012, we're told.)

Rounding out the top 10 North American tours are Dave Matthews Band ($72.9 million), Paul McCartney ($61.8 million), Michael Bublé ($65.7 million), Eagles ($64.5 million), Lady Gaga ($51 million), James Taylor / Carole King ($50.7 million), The Black Eyed Peas ($50.5 million) and John Mayer ($49.9 million).

Worldwide it’s Bon Jovi and AC/DC, then U2 ($160.9 million), Lady Gaga ($133.6 million), Metallica ($110.1 million), Michael Bublé ($104.2 million), McCartney ($93 million), Eagles ($93.3 million) and Roger Waters, whose $89.5 million stateside still made The Wall Live one of the top-grossing tours worldwide.

Who'll tear up 2011? We'll have to wait and see. But if you want to be a part of the backstage action, you'll have to be a member. Go to BackstagePassDirect and join today!

Member Review: Roger Waters/The Wall

BPD member Miasma files this report:

Welcome to the 30th Anniversary tour of The Wall, Pink Floyd's seminal 1979 double album which the British prog-rock act originally toured in 1980.


Certainly, Roger Waters, now 67, spared no expense in terms of theatrics and pyrotechnics which must have been mind-blowing for those in an altered state.


There was a large circular video screen, oversized inflatables representing the album's character "Pink," a school teacher, and others, and, of course, the large white brick wall on the stage and leading up into the stands on either side onto which words, images, video of the band, animation and graffiti were projected throughout two dazzling hours of music - basically The Wall's track listing from start to finish.


The wall also grew in size as the show progressed with workers adding small pieces of it like a puzzle all night long until the show's second half where it remained fully erect until, well, the very dramatic ending complete with red confetti.


A concept album/rock opera, The Wall was based on Waters' own childhood and early adulthood in England, losing his dad during WWII, abuse at the hands of his school teachers, an overprotective mother, and being deserted by his first wife.


Waters also showed pictures of people - soldiers, activists, and children - who had been killed in Iraq, along with firefighters who perished in 9-11. ("I would like to thank of all you have sent in your photos of your loves ones," said Waters in a printed statement that went up on the wall during a 20-minute intermission.)


NOW CHECK THIS OUT!! Before the concert began, Waters had me dress up as a homeless man wandering through the concert floor with a grocery cart carrying a placard that said, "No Thought Control," a line from Another Brick In The Wall as in "we don't need no thought control," as a police officer seemed to be ordering him off the premises.


To be a part of a production of The Wall was a highlight of my life. Nuff said.


After the intermission, during which a bagpipe version of Amazing Grace and other instrumental music was performed while more pictures of lost loved ones were projected, Waters and his musicians returned to perform the album's second disc in its entirety leading off with Hey You followed by Is There Anybody Out There?


But Waters only reappeared again during Nobody Home, on a living room set which sprang out of of the wall which saw him seated and watching TV while he sang.


The most political song of the night was Bring The Boys Back Home, during which images of war torn countries, starving children, and ravaged countryside were projected, while singer Wyckoff appeared perched on the top of the wall during Comfortably Numb, the stoner anthem from The Wall, which ended with more psychedelic visuals.


By the time the entire band - all dressed in black hoodies - finally came out from behind the wall for The Show Must Go On, In The Flesh and set highlight, Run Like Hell, there was so much fascist imagery, pictures of leaders like Adolf Hitler, Mao Tse-Tung and George Bush Jr., coupled with a remote-controlled black pig covered in slogans like “Trust Us,” and “Them Not Us,” floating over the audience, paranoia must have set in.


But not for me. I hadn't come down off of my cloud.


Thank you BPD. Watta night to remember.

Happy to make it happen for you, Miasma. That's what we do for members.

Want some? Join BackstagePassDirect today.

Rebuilding The Wall

Commemorating the 30th anniversary of the release of Pink Floyd’s epic album “The Wall”, Roger Waters launches a new tour in September.

For many fans of The Wall, the upcoming tour will be their first chance to experience the aural masterpiece in its entirety. Although Pink Floyd played more than 30 shows on the 1980-81 “The Wall Tour,” all dates were multiple runs with the band playing only two U.S. cities.

The tour promises state-of-the-art production as well as Rogers performing with a full band while the Wall is put up and torn down.

To date, this is the hottest announcement of the year and we're so pleased to be able to make passes available, albeit in limited numbers.

Here are the venues and dates.

Mon 09/20/10 Chicago, IL United Center
Tue 09/21/10 Chicago, IL United Center
Sun 09/26/10 Pittsburgh, PA Consol Energy Center
Tue 09/28/10 Cleveland, OH Quicken Loans Arena
Thu 09/30/10 Boston, MA TD Garden
Tue 10/05/10 New York, NY Madison Square Garden Arena
Fri 10/08/10 Buffalo, NY HSBC Arena
Sun 10/10/10 Washington, DC Verizon Center
Tue 10/12/10 Uniondale, NY Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum
Fri 10/15/10 Hartford, CT XL Center
Fri 10/22/10 Columbus, OH Schottenstein Center
Sun 10/24/10 Auburn Hills, MI The Palace Of Auburn Hills
Tue 10/26/10 Omaha, NE Qwest Center Omaha
Wed 10/27/10 Saint Paul, MN Xcel Energy Center
Fri 10/29/10 St. Louis, MO Scottrade Center
Sat 10/30/10 Kansas City, MO Sprint Center
Wed 11/03/10 East Rutherford, NJ Izod Center
Mon 11/08/10 Philadelphia, PA The Wachovia Center
Tue 11/09/10 Philadelphia, PA The Wachovia Center
Sat 11/13/10 Sunrise, FL BankAtlantic Center
Tue 11/16/10 Tampa, FL St. Pete Times Forum
Thu 11/18/10 Atlanta, GA Philips Arena
Sat 11/20/10 Houston, TX Toyota Center
Sun 11/21/10 Dallas, TX American Airlines Center
Tue 11/23/10 Denver, CO Pepsi Center
Fri 11/26/10 Las Vegas, NV MGM Grand Garden Arena
Sat 11/27/10 Phoenix, AZ US Airways Center
Mon 11/29/10 Inglewood, CA The Forum
Mon 12/06/10 San Jose, CA HP Pavilion At San Jose
Sat 12/11/10 Tacoma, WA Tacoma Dome
Mon 12/13/10 Anaheim, CA Honda Center

Come and get'em!!