One Direction Named Top Touring Act: Move Over Madonna And Springsteen

One Direction was named the top touring act of the past year by Pollstar, beating out such heavyweights as Bruce Springsteen, The Rolling Stones, Katy Perry, and many others. To be fair, One Direction played a lot more shows than The Rolling Stones or Springsteen. Madonna, who usually tops these lists, was absent from the road this past year.

Unlike many superstar acts, One Direction isn’t topping this list because of high ticket prices ($82.05 average price). They are on top because of incredible attendance numbers on their Where We Are Tour. According to the Los Angeles Times, One Direction had an average attendance of 78,172 per show. Given that many other superstar acts usually attract about 10,000 to 15,000 per show, the band’s attendance figures are mind-blowing. The newspaper talks about One Direction’s move from arenas to stadiums.

“One Direction’s strong showing — the first time a non-veteran act has led the list — follows its No. 10 finish in 2013, a boost attributable to the group’s move from arenas to stadiums, such as the Rose Bowl, where One Direction played three concerts in September. The giant Pasadena venue also hosted two dates on Beyoncé and Jay Z’s joint tour in August.”

The Pasadena Star gave the One Direction show at the Rose Bowl a rave review, noting the crazy fans.

“But the stadium reached a whole new decibel level when One Direction made their stage debut with a dramatic entrance and fireworks to title track ‘Midnight Memories.'”

The Los Angeles Times thought the show was more subdued than previous One Direction shows.

“Still, given the scale of the Rose Bowl, where One Direction landed after playing four nights last year at Staples Center, you might’ve expected the group to boost the intended wow factor…But although fireworks burst above the stage as the group made its entrance, Thursday’s show actually felt even more laid-back.”

Besides being named the biggest touring act of 2014, One Direction was also recently named the biggest musical act of 2014 by Billboard, who explained how the band came out on top.

“One Direction’s achievement was supported in large part by the success of the vocal group’s ‘Midnight Memories’ album, their massive concert tour grosses as reported to Billboard Boxscore and their performance on social media (they’re No. 9 on the year-end Social 50 recap).”

Like Taylor Swift, One Direction is so hot that many anticipate a backlash. Let’s hope they don’t experience the same backlash previous boy bands have in the past. Did you see One Direction in concert last year? Tell us in the comments section.

[Photo Credit: Billboard]