by Teresa C.
According to Billboard’s year end Boxscore chart, U2 accounted for 11 of the Top 25 concerts in 2005. A Boxscore is a single event by a headliner at a single location, not necessarily a single performance. If an artist plays more than one show at a venue, the totals from all of the performances are added together to count as one Boxscore. The shows do not have to be on consecutive nights, but they must be from the same tour, same year, and share one “on-sale” date for tickets. Boxscore stats are comprised of the total box-office gross, combined number of tickets sold, tickets available for sale, ticket prices, and show dates.
Paul McGuiness said in a recent Billboard interview, “Playing to over a quarter of a million people in our hometown was quite a kick.” McGuiness further added, “Croke Park is the finest stadium in the world for a big rock’n’roll show, if you can fill it, and we did it three times.”
U2’s 11 entries on the Top 25 Boxscore chart are:
#1 $21.1 million Croke Park, Dublin, June 24-25, 27
Attendance 246,743 (sellout)
Ticket prices $96.34/$65.63
#2 $13.6 million Twickenham, London, June 18-19
Attendance 110,796 (sellout)
Ticket prices $155.55/$64.05
#4 $13.1 million Amsterdam Arena, Amsterdam, July 13, 15-16
Attendance 165,516 (sellout)
Ticket prices $85.71/$64.89
#5 $11.8 million Stade De France, Paris, July 9-10
Attendance 160,349 (sellout)
Ticket prices $143.54/$50.24
#6 $11.1 million City of Manchester, Manchester, July 14-15
Attendance 107,671 (sellout)
Ticket prices $153.56/$90.33
#9 $9.6 million Madison Square Garden, New York, Oct 7-8, 10-11, 14
Attendance 93,275 (sellout)
Ticket prices $165/$49.50
#16 $7.6 million Air Canada Centre, Toronto, Sept. 12,14,16-17
Attendance 82,572 (sellout)
Ticket prices $148.62/$42.04
#17 $7.5 million Stadio San Siro, Milan, July 20-21
Attendance 137,427 (sellout)
Ticket prices $98.75/$48.17
#18 $7.5 million United Center, Chicago, May 7, 9-10, 12
Attendance 77,173 (sellout)
Ticket prices $165/$49.50
#22 $6.4 million Millennium Stadium, Cardiff, June 29
Attendance 63,677 (sellout)
Ticket prices $154.32/$72.62
#25 $5.8 million Hampden Park, Glasgow, June 21
Attendance 53,395 (sellout)
Ticket prices $154.97/$91.16
Other artists in the Top 25 include: Cream, Eagles, Paul McCartney, Jimmy Buffett, Kylie Minogue, and Bette Midler.
(c) @U2, 2006.