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Danny North; Dave Hogan

Danny North; Dave HoganSince the end of this year marks the end of the 2010s, every publication is creating a retrospective list. The latest is the touring trade publication Pollstar, which has rounded up a list of the Top 20 Touring Artists of the Decade, based on box office gross. Finishing at #1 and #2, respectively, on the tally are U2 and The Rolling Stones.

The Irish rockers are the only act whose tours over the last 10 years grossed over a billion dollars. The band’s recent treks include the U2 360° tour, which ran from 2009 to 2011 and at the time was the top-grossing trek of all time. U2’s total for the 2010s doesn’t include their full The Joshua Tree 2019 Tour, which hasn’t wrapped up yet.

The Rolling Stones grossed nearly $930,000 on tour during the 2010s. The British rock legends were on the road for part of every year from 2012 to 2019, with their most recent trek being a North American leg of their No Filter Tour that ran from June to August.

Other classic-rock artists in the top 10 of the list include Bon Jovi at #6, with about $837 million in gross earnings; Paul McCartney at #7, with almost $814 million earned; Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band at #9, with just under $730 million; and Roger Waters at #10, with more than $702 million in gross earnings.

The top 20 of the tally also features Elton John at #11, Metallica at #12, Guns N’ Roses at #13 and the Eagles at #14.

Here’s the full list:

1. U2, $1,038,104,132
2. The Rolling Stones, $929,196,083
3. Ed Sheeran, $922,361,663
4. Taylor Swift, $899,627,048
5. Beyoncé, $857,405,819
6. Bon Jovi, $836,661,584
7. Paul McCartney, $813,811,559
8. Coldplay, $731,805,591
9. Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band, $729,789,815
10. Roger Waters, $702,231,419
11. Elton John, $675,886,369
12. Metallica, $661,907,247
13. Guns N’ Roses, $648,112,698
14. Eagles, $630,066,670
15. One Direction, $628,242,521
16. Pink, $626,026,122
17. Jay-Z, $611,837,214
18. Kenny Chesney, $608,693,967
19. Justin Bieber, $554,229,462
20. Bruno Mars, $545,585,346

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