The Trans-Siberian Orchestra (TSO) dominates again. Advertising signthe monthly Top Tours chart in December, with the act now ringing the No. 1 bell for the final month of the year in 2023, 2022, 2021 and 2019. (Note, there was no chart in 2020 due to COVID-19 impact on touring.) Over 73 shows between Dec. 1 and 30, the classic holiday collective grossed $51.5 million and sold 657,000 tickets, according to figures reported to Billboard Boxscore.
With ensembles on both the East and West Coasts, the TSO was able to play at least two shows a day — and used the added bandwidth to its advantage, packing more shows into this December than it has in any year since in 2016. Despite a 6% drop in attendance compared to last year, revenue increased by 1%, marking the highest grossing month for TSO in its illustrious 25-year touring history.
In total, TSO earned $68.2 million and sold 873,000 tickets on the 2023 tour. The group saw steady increases in its annual grosses through the late 2010s, up 10%, 13% and 18% in 2017, in 2018 and 2019, respectively.
The 2021 season, framed by Omicron's first wave of COVID-19, is down 18%, while last year's tour is down half a percentage point from its 2019 peak. Finally, with the impact of COVID in the rearview mirror, this year's review sets a new high dating back to the collective's 1999 touring debut.
TSO hit 21 markets in November and another 42 in December. As always, the big markets favorable to doubles are saved for mid-to-late December, when the seasonal hype reaches its peak. Average gross income by city in November was $835,000, while December's pace increased to $1.2 million.
Cleveland and Tampa were standout markets and the first to gross more than $2 million in TSO history. Two shows at the former's Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse earned $2.02 million from 26,000 tickets and a doubleheader at the latter's Amalie Arena earned $2.08 million from 25,600 tickets.
Including the Y2K release (December 10, 1999, to be exact), TSO has grossed $802.4 million and sold 15 million tickets from 1,893 performances. While this places him just outside the top 20 grossers in Boxscore history, his attendance ranking makes him one of the top 10 artists since Boxscore's inception in the late 80s.
TSO's fourth month at No. 1 ties Bad Bunny and Beyoncé. Only Elton John has spent more time at the top, having reigned for seven months between 2019, 2020, 2022 and 2023. While his annual touring season is limited to holiday months, his reign is reliable and likely to be repeated in subsequent Decembers.
Given the abundance of shows on TSO's calendar throughout December—compared to most tours that wrap halfway through the month—the group's victory this season might seem inevitable. However, the No. 1 spot was claimed by just 3%, narrowly fending off U2's eight-show performance at Las Vegas' Sphere.
U2 earned just over $50 million and sold 133,000 tickets during the Dec. 1-16 leg of their Sphere residency, claiming the No. 1 spot on Top Boxscores. Combined with the first leg, which ran from late September to early November, the rock legends have earned $159.8 million at the groundbreaking Vegas arena. Starting this weekend, Bono & Co. they are scheduled for 15 more performances through March 2.
U2 isn't the only Vegas residency act to make an impact on December's recap. Bruno Mars is No. 4 on Top Boxscores with a five-show return to MGM's Dolby Live. The pop-R&B chart-topper earned $10.3 million by the end of the month, including the New Year's Eve performance. At the same venue, Usher is No. 30 with the final two shows of a 12-date stretch that began in early November. At Resorts World Theatre, Carrie Underwood debuts at No. 22, with $4.1 million from eight of nine shows beginning Nov. 30.
While Vegas leads the way, half of the 30-place Top Boxscores chart took place outside of continental America, from Latin America (RBD) and Europe (Madonna) to Asia (SEVENTEEN) and Australia (50 Cent). Paul McCartney takes up the most real estate with four shows, all of which were in Brazil. Shows in São Paulo, Belo Horizonte, Rio de Janeiro and Curitiba are ranked 3rd, 12th-13th and 18th, respectively. Three shows at Allianz Parque lead the pack with $16.2 million and 149,000 spectators over three shows.
And while the Sphere enjoys a commanding lead over the Top Venues chart (15,001+ capacity), it's a New York theater that dominates all concert halls in December. Radio City Music Hall tops the list of top venues (capacity 5,001-10,000) with $80.6 million and 133 performances. Even more effective than TSO, The Radio City Rockettes headlined this year's annual Christmas Spectacular, earning a whopping $116.7 million in 193 shows between November 17th and January 4th.
from our partners at https://www.billboard.com/pro/trans-siberian-orchestra-number-1-december-boxscore-report-fourth-year-consecutive/