(CelebrityAccess MediaWire) — The North American concert business shows signs of emerging from its two-year slump in the first quarter of 2006, with nearly $375 million in grosses and 7.3 million in attendance, according to CelebrityAccess/Billboard box scores.
The success was fueled by major tours by artists such as Bon Jovi, Billy Joel, Coldplay and Aerosmith, who helped raise grosses by 28% over one year ago, and attendance by 19%. International figures, aided by the U2’s monolithic Vertigo tour, are up about half that amount in both categories.
The elevated numbers are not just the product of a higher volume, as the number of shows in Q1 ’06 is nearly the same as the number in ’05 for North America. This year, 2,595 shows were reported from January to March, compared to 2,525 for the same period last year, while the average attendance per show is up nearly 16%.
“Touring will always be cyclical,” Randy Phillips, CEO of AEG Live, told Billboard. “The numbers are completely dependent upon who is on the road.” –by CelebrityAccess Staff Writers
