Concert ticket sales on the rise

Hot tours by Elton John and Billy Joel, the Rolling Stones and the Dixie Chicks helped push North American concert ticket sales for the 50 highest-grossing concert tours to 13.1 million during the first half of 2003, up almost 24% over the same period last year. And with the average ticket price up about $1 from the 2002 figure, to $52, revenue also increased about 26% to a record $678 million, according to the concert industry tracking magazine Pollstar.

The joint John-Joel tour generated the most money, at $52.7 million, after coming in at No. 2 for the first half of 2002 behind Paul McCartney. Country singer Kenny Chesney sold the most tickets in the first six months of 2003: 628,000.

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Randy Lewis