Coldplay’s Music of the Spheres World Tour Is the Biggest Rock Tour of All Time

Coldplay is the midst of the third European leg of the Music of the Spheres World Tour, which has also taken the British quartet to Asia and North and South America, with 11 shows scheduled in Australia and New Zealand later this year. In all of that globe-trotting, the band has made Boxscore history, building the biggest rock tour of all time in Billboard’s touring archives.

According to figures reported to Billboard Boxscore, The Music of the Spheres World Tour has grossed $945.7 million and sold 8.8 million tickets since launching in March 2022. That makes it both the highest-grossing and best-selling trek among rock acts in the almost-40 years that Boxscore has been tracking concert data.

Among high-grossing rock treks, Coldplay sneaks past Elton John’s Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour, which grossed $939.1 million during its run from 2018-23. John took the record in November 2022, dethroning U2’s U2 360 Tour, which earned $736.4 million from 2009-11. Before that, it was The Rolling Stones’ A Bigger Bang Tour with $558 million in 2005-07. The all-time top 10 also features AC/DC, Guns N’ Roses, the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Roger Waters.

Based on ticket sales, Coldplay has held the all-time rock title since January. While the revenue record has turned over more frequently, in part due to inflation and a consistently surging ticketing market, the attendance record has been sturdier.

Coldplay ends U2’s 13-year record, passing the U2 360 Tour’s 7.3 million tickets. Before that, The Rolling Stones held strong for 16 years with 6.4 million tickets during the Voodoo Lounge Tour in 1994-95.

Coldplay has 21 shows – half in Europe and half in Oceania – left on the schedule. Based on their track record this year, the remaining dates could add another million tickets to the tour’s total, ultimately approaching an unprecedented count of 10 million.