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Rolling Stones post 2006's top-grossing tour
Big-name, veteran acts helped the concert industry rake in a record $3.6 billion in ticket revenue this year, according to year-end figures from trade publication Pollstar.
The Rolling Stones ' "A Bigger Bang" tour racked up the biggest numbers, with a North American gross of $138.5 million. The group earned that total by selling just over 1 million tickets, which bore an average price of $136.63.
Barbra Streisand , who came out of retirement for her first tour in a decade, follows in the second-place slot with gross sales of $92.5 million, thanks largely to a hefty average ticket price of $298.36.
Husband-and-wife duo Tim McGraw and Faith Hill scored big with their first co-headlining tour since 2002, which took in $88.8 million and bore an average ticket price of $80.92.
Closely trailing McGraw and Hill is Madonna , whose outing tallied $85.9 million in gross ticket sales. Average price for the Material Girl's ducats: $183.76.
Country sensation Kenny Chesney sold the most tickets, with fans snapping up a total of 1.13 million. That translated into gross receipts of $66 million.
Other acts listed among the year's top 25 touring acts were Coldplay, Barry Manilow, Celine Dion and The Who.
The combined ticket revenue for all 2006 North American tours totaled $3.6 billion, which is a 16-percent increase over last year, according to Pollstar. Of that, the top 100 tours represent a combined total of $2.3 billion in ticket sales, up 12.6 percent from last year.
The top 100 accounted for a combined 37.8 million tickets sold, up from 36.3 million in 2005. The average ticket price across all 100 tours clocked in at $61.45, an 8-percent increase over last year, Pollstar reported.
