KISS, Garth Brooks Top Tour Attractions

KISS and Garth Brooks were the nation’s top concert attractions during 1996, according to Pollstar magazine’s annual survey of the concert business.

In an elaborate tour that was complete with pyrotechnics and its trademark costumes and makeup, KISS, the ‘70s heavy-metal powerhouse, grossed an estimated $43.6 million in tickets, based on 92 shows in 75 cities, the magazine reports in its Jan. 6 issue.

But even more impressive was Brooks’ second-place finish. Brooks, the most successful recording artist in country music history, actually sold more tickets than KISS: 1.9 million to 1.2 million.

The reason he finished second in total gross ($34.5 million, drawn from 121 shows in 41 cities) is that he generally charges under $20 for tickets, about half of what KISS and most pop acts charge these days.

“Garth tickets were the bargain of the year, especially when considering the value of the ticket with how hot he is,” said Gary Bongiovanni, editor of Pollstar.

While 1996 lacked shows from many of the superstars who toured in recent years, including the Grateful Dead, U2 and Rolling Stones, the year’s box-office gross of $1.05 billion was up about 10% from 1995.

The busiest pop performer of the Top 50 acts was Tori Amos, who stepped on stage 151 times, grossing $10.1 million. The act that grossed the most money per city was the Eagles, whose average box-office take in 9 cities was $1.1 million.

One of the more notable tours of the year was “Smokin’ Grooves,” which was sponsored by the House of Blues and featured such hip-hop acts as the Fugees, Busta Rhymes, a Tribe Called Quest and Cypress Hill. Although the rap-dominated shows grossed only $6 million in 34 dates, it was considered a success because it was the first major rap tour in years.

“ ‘Smokin’ Grooves’ was successful in that it established a new market,” Bongiovanni said. “Even though in some markets they sold 8,000 out of 15,000 tickets, with the right pricing the shows still made money.”

Generally, it was veteran acts that dominated the Top 50. Except for Brooks, Alanis Morissette and Hootie & the Blowfish, all the Top 10 acts started their careers in the ‘60s and ‘70s. Besides KISS, they included Neil Diamond, Rod Stewart, Bob Seger, Jimmy Buffett, Reba McEntire and Ozzy Osbourne.

Brooks and McEntire were joined on the Top 50 by six other country artists: George Strait, Alan Jackson, Brooks & Dunn, Vince Gill, Tim McGraw and Wynonna.

Here are the 50 biggest-grossing pop tours of 1996, according to Pollstar.

1. KISS, $43.6 million based on 92 shows in 75 cities; 2. Garth Brooks, $34.5 million, 121 shows, 41 cities; 3. Neil Diamond, $32.2 million, 72 shows, 49 cities; 4. Rod Stewart, $29.1 million, 65 shows, 62 cities; 5. Bob Seger, $26.3 million, 64 shows, 57 cities.

6. Jimmy Buffett, $26.2 million, 44 shows, 28 cities; 7. Reba McEntire, $26.1 million, 86 shows, 83 cities; 8. Alanis Morissette, $23.2 million, 98 shows, 88 cities; 9. Hootie & the Blowfish, $21.4 million, 80 shows, 73 cities; 10. Ozzy Osbourne, $21.3 million, 100 shows, 100 cities.

11. AC/DC, $21.1 million, 81 shows, 74 cities; 12. Dave Matthews Band, $20.6 million, 81, 78 cities. 13. George Strait, $20.3 million, 58 shows, 53 cities; 14. Sting, $18.9 million, 56 shows, 51 cities; 15. The Smashing Pumpkins, $18.4 million, 79 shows, 68 cities.

16. The H.O.R.D.E. Festival, $18.1 million, 42 shows, 40 cities; 17. The Who, $17.3 million, 31 shows, 22 cities; 18. Phish, $16.5 million, 50 shows, 42 cities; 19. Lollapalooza ‘96, $15.9 million, 22 shows, 20 cities; 20. Alan Jackson, $15.8 million, 71 shows, 71 cities.

21. Brooks & Dunn, $15.6 million, 83 shows, 83 cities; 22. Vince Gill, $15.5 million, 88 shows, 79 cities; 23. Tim McGraw, $15.4 million, 101 shows, 100 cities; 24. Gloria Estefan, $14 million, 35 shows, 29 cities; 25. Bush, $11.7 million, 67 shows, 66 cities.

26. James Taylor, $11.5 million, 52 shows, 45 cities; 27. Styx, $10.9 million, 69 shows, 68 cities; 28. Neil Young, $10.3 million, 40 shows, 38 cities; 29. The Eagles, $10.2 million, 10 shows, 9 cities; 30. Tori Amos, $10.1 million, 151 shows, 122 cities.

31. Rush, $10 million, 34 shows, 33 cities; 32. The Allman Brothers, $9.9 million, 60 shows, 43 cities; 33. Melissa Etheridge, $9.8 million, 74 shows, 74 cities; 34. R. Kelly, $9.5 million, 54 shows, 51 cities; 35. Steely Dan, $9.4 million, 30 shows, 30 cities.

36. Furthur Festival, $8.9 million, 31 shows, 31 cities; 37. The Moody Blues, $8.2 million, 61 shows, 42 cities; 38. Celine Dion, $7.8 million, 49 shows, 43 cities; 39. Wynonna, $7.6 million, 77 shows, 61 cities; 40. Steve Miller Band, $7.5 million, 50 shows, 49 cities.

41. The Cure, $7.3 million, 48 shows, 46 cities; 42. Lynyrd Skynyrd, $7.2 million, 44 shows, 44 cities; 43. k.d. lang, $7 million, 68 shows, 59 cities; 44. Crosby, Stills & Nash/Chicago, $6.8 million, 45 shows, 42 cities; 45. Red Hot Chili Peppers, $6.3 million, 24 shows, 24 cities.

46. The Tragically Hip, $6.1 million, 93 shows, 88 cities; 47. Smokin’ Grooves Tour, $6 million, 34 shows, 33 cities; 48. Stone Temple Pilots, $5.6 million, 29 shows, 29 cities; 49. Scorpions/Alice Cooper, $5.5 million, 49 shows, 49 cities; 50. Michael W. Smith, $5.4 million, 65 shows, 65 cities.