Posted by Emily Exton on 12/30/2011 at 12:21 PM News

The Popdust Files: katy perry, rihanna, taylor swift, tours

Failing to drop a new album within the calendar year, 2011 featured no shortage of accomplishments for Taylor Swift. Touring behind 2010′s Speak Now, her numerous covers, surprise guest stars and that purple dress helped her worldwide tour amass $104.2 million worldwide across 78 cities and 100 performances, landing her at No. 2 on Pollstar‘s list of Top 25 Worldwide tours. Rihanna’s breakneck pace this year helped her gross 90 million worldwide, landing at No. 7 with almost identical number of cities and shows at Swift (78, 100) at a slightly average higher ticket price ($74.95). Fans get a lap dance, while RiRi gets a big paycheck: it’s a win-win!

While Katy Perry ruled the Hot 100 charts in 2011, her year-long California Dreams tour failed to produce anywhere close to the total profit of her peers. At an average ticket price of just $49.28, Perry’s 119 shows in 102 cities grossed a total of 59.5 million, landing her at No. 16 among the year’s worldwide tours, and No. 22 among North American dates. Stretching their luxury theme beyond Watch the Throne‘s tracklisting, the hefty price ($121.34) to watch Kanye West and Jay-Z perform “Ni–as in Paris” countless times helped the 28-city show land at No. 8 among North American tours. Jon Bon Jovi may have been the recent victim of a death hoax, started by a concerned fan worried that his extracurricular activities threatened to thwart his music career. But fear not, Jeffrey Goho! Bon Jovi’s tour landed at No. 3 on the Worldwide list, raking in $148.8 million, safely above his latest film endeavor, New Year’s Eve. Rounding out the lists are some expected favorites: U2 topped both the the North American and worldwide tours with 231.9 million overall, while Take That, Roger Waters, Elton John and Paul McCartney cracked the Top 10 Worldwide list, proving that artists with lengthier catalogs—and higher ticket prices—still can bring in the big money.

Check out the lists below and head to Pollstar for the full Top 25.

Top Worldwide Tours
1. U2, 231.9 million
2. Take That, 224 million
3. Bon Jovi, 148.8 million
4. Taylor Swift, 104.2 million
5. Roger Waters, 103.6 million
6. Elton John, 102.7 million
7. Rihanna, 90 million
8. Kenny Chesney, 84.6 million
9. Sade, 83.3 million
10. Paul McCartney, 79.2 million

Top North American Tours
1. U2, 156 million
2. Taylor Swift, 97.7 million
3. Kenny Chesney, 84.6 million
4. Lady Gaga, 63.7 million
5. Bon Jovi, 57.1 million
6. Elton John, 51.8 million
7. Sade, 48.6 million
8. Kanye West & Jay-Z, 48.3 million
9. Lil Wayne, 44.4 million
10. Celine Dion, 41.2 million