Just as quickly as the Internet can denounce Beyonce and Jay Z's On the Run Tour as an impending flop, Forbes uses some actual data to refute that claim.
The tour is on track to sell 1 million tickets, which would result in around $100 million in grosses. That figure isn't all that gigantic, comparatively, as U2, The Rolling Stones and Madonna are among the artists who've crossed the $400 million mark. But those numbers don't factor in how those grosses compare to the amount of concerts per tour. When calculated under the rubric of how much each individual tour date earns, Jay and Bey are slated to embark on the second highest-grossing tour in history.
Because On the Run comprises 20 shows -- compared, for example, to U2's 100, Roger Waters' 219 and The Police's 156 -- the tour will gross about $5 million per show. That figure is second only to U2's 360 Tour, which promoted the group's 2009 album, "No Line on the Horizon," and earned nearly $7 million per show.
Forbes' forecast must be a relief for the Jay/Bey press camp, which hasn't seen its best days over the past couple of months. With news of the potential disappointment in ticket sales came a bundle of rumors about the duo's crumbling marriage. But if we really want to talk about why people might not buy tickets to On the Run, how about the fact that premium seats are going for a whopping $500 and, thanks to HBO, you can now watch Beyonce concert footage from the comfort of your living room? Oh well. Congrats, Bey and Jay. You've done it again.
Highest-Grossing Tours
| TOUR | TOTAL GROSS | NO. OF SHOWS | GROSS PER SHOW |
|---|---|---|---|
| U2 - 360 | 736,421,584 | 110 | 6,694,742 |
| Beyonce and Jay Z - On the Run | 100,000,000 | 20 | 5,000,000 |
| Madonna - Sticky & Sweet | 407,713,266 | 85 | 4,796,627 |
| The Rolling Stones - Bigger Bang | 558,255,254 | 114 | 3,876,773 |
| U2 - Vertigo | 389,047,636 | 131 | 2,969,829 |
| Bruce Springsteen - Wrecking Ball | 314,000,000 | 112 | 2,803,571 |
| AC/DC - Black Ice | 441,713,636 | 167 | 2,644,992 |
| The Police - Reunion | 358,825,665 | 124 | 2,580,645 |
| The Rolling Stones - Voodoo Lounge | 320,000,000 | 156 | 2,300,165 |
| Roger Waters - The Wall | 458,673,798 | 219 | 2,094,401 |
All of the above figures come from Forbes. Head there to read more about the On the Run Tour's grosses.