Beyoncé is back, in case you hadn’t heard. Across 12 shows in May, the Cowboy Carter Tour grossed $157.4 million and sold 567,000 tickets, according to figures reported to Billboard Boxscore.
It’s the second biggest reported monthly gross in Boxscore history – second only to herself. Beyoncé brought in $179.3 million in August 2023, in the heat of the Renaissance World Tour. Since the monthly charts launched in 2019, there have only been seven instances of nine-digit grosses, and Beyoncé is responsible for four of them.
After kicking off the Cowboy Carter Tour with one show on April 28, Beyoncé continued her Los Angeles run with four more shows at Inglewood’s SoFi Stadium on May 1, 4, 7, and 9. Then she hit Chicago, with three shows at Soldier Field before rounding out the month with five shows at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J. (New York area).
Those runs grossed $44.6 million ($55.7 million including the April 28 show), $42.5 million, and $70.3 million, respectively, running the table at Nos. 1, 2, and 3 on Top Boxscores. As previously reported, the L.A. batch became 2025’s biggest reported single-venue engagement and went down as the fifth biggest ever. And as predicted, Beyoncé outdid herself in New York. Now, the MetLife dates reign – not only as the biggest of 2025, but as the biggest stadium engagement in Boxscore history.
May marks Beyoncé’s fifth month at No. 1 on Top Tours, out of seven total appearances on the chart. She ties Trans-Siberian Orchestra for the second-most time on top, behind a three-way tie between Bad Bunny, Coldplay, and Elton John, each with seven.
The Cowboy Carter Tour has grossed $269.8 million and sold 1.1 million tickets in its first 22 shows, including L.A.’s opening night in April and nine shows in June, in London and Paris. It has already out-earned all of Beyoncé’s previous tours except for the Renaissance World Tour, which brought in $579.8 million over 56 shows in 2023.
Ten shows remain as Beyoncé returns stateside, playing hometown shows this weekend (June 28-29) in Houston, before hitting Landover, Md. (Washington, D.C. area), Atlanta, and Las Vegas. American shows have averaged $13 million so far. Even if business dips a bit from L.A. and New York highs, the Cowboy Carter Tour will challenge a $400 million finish.
It’s rare for any artist to gross more than $100 million in one month, but it’s unprecedented for two to do it. In a nail-biter, Kendrick Lamar and SZA log a second consecutive month at No. 2. The Grand National Tour matched Beyoncé’s 12-show run in May, grossing $150.4 million from 615,000 tickets sold. Lamar and SZA fall 4% short of Beyoncé’s May earnings but score the month’s most-attended tour.
Like Beyoncé, Lamar and SZA played multiple nights at MetLife Stadium and SoFi Stadium. Those stops brought in $24.8 million (May 8-9) and $40.4 million (May 21, 23-24), respectively, lining up at Nos. 5-6 on Top Boxscores. Those tours, plus Shakira at MetLife and Stray Kids at SoFi, push them to the top two spots on the Top Stadiums ranking.
But while Beyoncé consolidated her tour to select key markets, Lamar and SZA hit seven other cities. Shows in Seattle (Lumen Field, May 17) and Las Vegas (Allegiant Stadium, May 31) grossed $15.4 million and $14.6 million, respectively. All nine stops on the Grand National Tour appear on Top Boxscores, with three in the top 10, and another five in the top 20.
With four shows in April and another seven in June, Lamar and SZA wrapped the North American leg of the Grand National Tour with $256.4 million and 1.1 million tickets sold. That makes it the highest-grossing reported co-headline tour in Boxscore history, narrowly surpassing – who else – Beyoncé and Jay-Z’s On the Run II Tour from 2018.
Post Malone follows, solidly at No. 3 with $96.9 million and 569,000 tickets sold. He trails Lamar and SZA by more than $50 million and leads Metallica at No. 4 by almost another $50 million. His first stadium tour, with an assist from special guest Jelly Roll, is hitting baseball fields like Chicago’s Wrigley Park and football fields like Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass. (30 miles from Boston).
The former are typically smaller, yielding 30,000-45,000 tickets per show, while the latter typically move more than 50,000. His most-attended show of the month was his May 3 show at Allegiant Stadium with 52,900 tickets.
From the top three and beyond, summer stadium season is off and running. The only non-stadium engagements on Top Boxscores are residency runs in Las Vegas from Kenny Chesney, Dead & Company, and Bruno Mars.
And even though the weather has begun to permit outdoor shows in North America, the sun is still shining on international concerts. Lady Gaga’s four-night run at Singapore’s National Stadium grossed $40.8 million off 193,000 tickets, at No. 4 on Top Boxscores. They were Gaga’s only shows of the month but still power her No. 6 rank on Top Tours.
June is Black Music Month, and while this month’s Boxscore report won’t publish until July, the May recap shines a spotlight on some of the summer’s biggest tours by Black artists. Beyoncé, Lamar and SZA dominate the Top Tours chart, and they are joined in the top 10 by The Weeknd and Tyler, the Creator.
The Weeknd is No. 7 on Top Tours with $34.5 million from just five shows. His double-header at Chicago’s Soldier Field is No. 7 on Top Boxscores from $16.7 million and 94,500 tickets sold over May 30-31. Two shows at Detroit’s Ford Field follow at No. 28 with $9.1 million and 71,100 tickets.
Tyler, the Creator is No. 9 on Top Tours with $22.8 million from the European leg of Chromakopia: The World Tour. Also across the pond, Usher is No. 23 with $9.8 million as he wraps up in Berlin and London.
