December 29, 2016
While most people seem to agree that 2016 has brought a handful of ups and downs, few people can argue that this year wasn't a major success for live music across the country. Some of the biggest musical acts in the world took to the road this year, from huge pop stars like Justin Bieber and Adele to classic acts who brought out revival tours like The Who and Guns N' Roses. With 2017 just around the corner, TicketIQ has compiled a list of the top-priced resale tickets of the year, as well as a handful of major projections for big tours in the upcoming year.
Adele lead the 2016 charge by a longshot, garnering sold out shows and hugely expensive resale ticket prices for the majority of the year. The British singer launched into 2016 with a record-breaking album and an enormous tour to boot, and no matter what city Adele took to the stage, tickets were not cheap. Collectively, Adele tickets averaged a whopping $566 for all of her U.S. dates, and her priciest show, which was a stop in Austin, Texas, averaged a massive $1,013, with the cheapest ticket clocking in at $433.
Right behind Adele was 22-year-old Justin Bieber, whose Purpose World Tour commanded massive attention. Tickets to see the Biebs averaged an impressive $429 for the entirety of his run, with multiple concerts pushing well over the $900-ticket average. The good news for fans of the "Sorry" singer is that he's already announced plans to hit the road next summer with a massive stadium tour. Fans are encouraged to act now, as Justin Bieber tickets are expected to be some of the priciest of the upcoming year.
Drake was not far behind either top performer, as his Summer Sixteen trek alongside rapper Future was a top contender this summer and fall. Tickets for the tour averaged an impressive $300, and for good reason -- the rapper also won the accolade of being Spotify's most streamed performer in 2016.
Music fans across the globe probably best remember the start of 2016 from Coldplay and Beyonce's epic Super Bowl Halftime show, where both performers rocked the stage to an audience of 111.9 million viewers. Both artists hit the road for respective tours -- Beyonce found huge success with her Formation World Tour, and Coldplay embarked on a hugely popularly A Head Full of Dreams jaunt. While both tours have officially wrapped for good this year, Coldplay will continue their tour in the summer of 2017, hitting U.S. stadiums towards the end of the summer. Already, tickets to see Coldplay are averaging $334.
80s rock band Guns N' Roses saw some incredible demand from their longstanding fan base in 2016 as well, as their Not in This Lifetime tour commanded a ticket average of $228. 2017 should be another promising year for Axl Rose & crew, as the band's extended tour dates are already averaging $244 on the secondary ticket market.
