Madonna tops Billboard's 2012 highest-grossing tour list

By Randy Lewis

Dec. 19, 2012 12 AM PT

Madonna has something new to cheer about. Her MDNA Tour has been crowned the top-grossing concert attraction of the year worldwide by Billboard, surpassing other highly popular road shows by Bruce Springsteen, Roger Waters, Coldplay and Lady Gaga.

Madonna’s tour grossed $228.4 million over the course of 72 shows (all sold out), according to the magazine’s calculations, which are based on figures reported to Billboard Boxscore from Nov. 9, 2011, to Nov. 13, 2012.

Runner-up Springsteen & the E Street Band finished just under the $200-million mark with $199.4 million, also from 72 shows, 54 of which were listed as sellouts.

In third place, Waters pulled in $186.5 million on his extended tour with “The Wall,” which was also drawn from 72 performances. Rounding out Billboard’s Top 5 are Cirque du Soleil’s “Michael Jackson -- the Immortal World Tour,” which grossed $147.3 million from 183 shows, only nine of which were sold out, and Coldplay, which filled 56 of 67 performances to capacity to tally $147. 2 million.

Finishing out the Top 10, Lady Gaga grossed $124.9 million, Kenny Chesney & Tim McGraw’s Brothers of the Sun stadium tour raked in $96.5 million, Van Halen totaled $54.4 million, Jay-Z and Kanye West combined for $47 million and classical-pop violinist André Rieu scored $46.8 million.

Billboard rival Pollstar will release its figures, based on the calendar year for tours across North America and worldwide, later this month.

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