The 2023 summer concert and festival season is in full swing, with major artists bringing blockbuster tours around the globe and massive events presenting packed bills to fields of fans. So what are some of the season’s most sought-after tickets? StubHub has illuminated the question with its annual summer tour preview, unpacking ticket sales data for shows taking place now through Labor Day (September 4th).
It should come as no surprise that women are ruling summer, considering that both Taylor Swift and Beyoncé are out on the road. Those two artists top StubHub’s Top 10 In-Demand Artists of the Summer list, and their ticket sales are leading to this season being “a record-breaking one for live music,” according to StubHub spokesperson Adam Budelli.
A Swift ticket has been a hot commodity longer than some Swifties have even been alive, but “The Eras Tour” is already the singer’s strongest outing yet. Summer dates for the trek have already tripled the total sales of the summer dates for Swift’s 2018 “Reputation Tour”; with new Mexico and South American dates announced, that number is sure to climb higher. Sitting at No. 1, this is the third time Swift has topped StubHub’s list, having previously finished first in 2015 and 2018.
The BeyHive is also out in force, pushing sales for Beyoncé’s “Renaissance Tour” to a 120% increase compared to the final sale numbers for her co-headlining “On the Run II” tour with JAY-Z back in ’18. Even P!NK is getting in on the action, with her 33-date “Summer Carnival” trek earning her a first-time placement in StubHub’s roundup. Together, the three female artists in the top 10 outsell the men by 50%.
Those men include acts like Bruce Springsteen, Metallica, Ed Sheeran, and The Weeknd (making his first appearance on the list). Texas king George Strait is the sixth most in-demand artist despite only having seven shows scheduled, evidence that country is once again a hot summer concert ticket. Of the top 25 global concert events this summer, the George Strait show on June 24 in Denver with Chris Stapleton is the only event that is not a Taylor Swift concert.
via StubHub