Each year, an uncountable number of recording artists transform their discographies into live shows, going on tour to super-serve their biggest fans around the world. But a select few have the power to bring their fans to them, staging extravagant productions in one city as the masses travel to see a once-in-a-career performance. Here, we’re looking at the biggest residencies in Boxscore history.
Most often, these residencies occur at theaters in Las Vegas. Among the most popular international tourist destinations, Sin City has become a second home for many of the biggest acts in music.
The newest update to the list is the arrival of Garth Brooks’ Plus ONE residency. He recently wrapped his two-year stint at Vegas’ The Colosseum at Caesars Palace, playing to more than 300,000 fans over his 72 shows. That’s an average of 4,244 tickets per show, selling 99% of all available seats. Plus, the Eagles become the third Sphere act on the list.
Some ground rules: As with all Boxscore charts, this list includes only shows that were reported to Billboard Boxscore. The threshold for inclusion on this list is a minimum of 10 shows at a single venue. Some productions, especially those by MGM, will have a home base at a Vegas theater but travel to a handful of other venues, such as The Theater at MGM National Harbor in Oxon Hill, Md. — only the home-venue shows will count toward residency totals.
Further, this list includes only residencies that have their own unique names and productions and setlists — no mini-residencies within a tour. That means that Harry Styles’ 15-show runs at Madison Square Garden and the Kia Forum are excluded, as they were part of Love On Tour. Same goes for the theater stints that made up Madonna’s Madame X Tour in 2019-20.
However, residencies that are broken up by tours do count. That means that Bruno Mars‘ Park MGM residency — interrupted by the 24K Magic World Tour — is eligible, as is Carrie Underwood’s Reflection.
Scroll below for the 25 highest grossing concert residencies of all time, according to figures reported to Billboard Boxscore.
