OT: 5 biggest bands ever?

[colin fishwick]

Taking everything into account, sales , concerts , longevity of their music. Who are the five biggest bands ever?

 

[spurspinter1]

 

[WhoopWhoop]

How's fizz?

 

[ArcspacE]

I'd assume this will soon be moved so I'd go with a personal (in no particular order)

- Pearl Jam
- The Boss!
- Pink Floyd
- Led Zeppelin
- Queen

 

[Jordinho]

Beatles
Metallica
AC DC
Led Zeppelin
Guns N' Roses

Honorable metions: Rolling Stones, Bon Jovi, Aerosmith, Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden, U2, Queen, Pink Floyd

 

[Papercut]

An absolute disgrace

 

[spasm]

take that

 

[Klinsmania]

The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, Guns N Roses, Queen

 

[Jordinho]

By the amount of money raked in on merchandise: KISS

 

[chicken_badge]

1. U2

Best band in the world, ever, by a mile.

Don't care about the others, irrelevant.


[EDIT - Actually, after a quick rethink

2. Chas and Dave with 1981 FA Cup Final squad
3. Chas and Dave with 1982 FA Cup Final squad
4. Chas and Dave with 1987 FA Cup Final squad
5. Chas and Dave with 1991 FA Cup Final squad]

 

[Superted]

Beatles
Stones
U2
Bon Jovi
AC/DC

 

[The Moonlit Knight]

Are people listing their favourite 5 bands? The biggest from their nation's perspective? Or the world in general?

In terms of history and globally (people often disregard the rest of Europe in these discussions):

1) The Beatles
2) The Rolling Stones
3) Pink Floyd
4) Queen
5) Genesis

Led Zep possibly should be in there but in terms of album/single sales, longevity and concert attendances those are the big 5. The Police and Dire Straits were also massive for periods in the 80's and The Police comfortably sold out their stadium re-union tour (as did Genesis 5 years ago). The Eagles were also huge but had more localised fandom. The Who are apparently massive too, and yet I can never find hardly anyone who listens to them and I certainly felt they were over rated.

The last true super band for me was Guns N' Roses between 87 to 93. Bands like U2, Bon Jovi, Metallica.....all did their best stuff in the 80's and very early 90's (the same time many of the aforementioned bands were still functioning and pumping out superior stuff to those three). It just goes to show how poor music has been in the last 20 years that average bands like that are now regarded as the world's biggest.

I've always found it strange that the States has churned out some amazing artists over the years but very few great bands. Personally love GNR, Aerosmith and The Eagles though.

Because they are now regarded as cheese (and as a gay anthem band, must to their writers chagrin because they never were) and aren't taken seriously people always disregard ABBA. But they were huge at the time and have sold millions of records.

 

[Superted]

Changed my Eagles to ACDC. You're right about the lack of big US bands. Genesis is an odd choice though.

Although their best work was undoubtedly late 80's early 90's, U2 are quite comfortably the biggest active band in the world right now. Coldplay and Foo Fighters would be up there. I'm a huge Pearl Jam fan, and they have a massive fan base and sell out concerts worldwide, but they dont have the current commercial appeal of those 3.

I think the current music scene is too hipster, indie such that any band with a charismatic lead singer (a prerequisite for a super group) is not seen as cool by the kids.

 

[spasm]

rem

 

[Jordinho]

According to Billboard these were the biggest tours in 2011. Americans have mostly brick taste in music 8-[

1 U2 
 
Total Gross: $293,281,487     Number of Shows: 44 
Total Attendance: 2,887,972   Number of Sell-Outs: 44

2 Bon Jovi 
 
Total Gross: $192,947,951     Number of Shows: 68 
Total Attendance: 1,851,385  Number of Sell-Outs: 68 

3 Take That 
 
Total Gross: $185,175,360    Number of Shows: 29 
Total Attendance: 1,806,473   Number of Sell-Outs: 29

4 Roger Waters 
 
Total Gross: $149,904,965     Number of Shows: 92 
Total Attendance: 1,362,993   Number of Sell-Outs: 92

5 Taylor Swift 
 
Total Gross: $97,368,416      Number of Shows: 89 
Total Attendance: 1,356,720   Number of Sell-Outs: 87

6 Kenny Chesney 
 
Total Gross: $84,576,917      Number of Shows: 55 
Total Attendance: 1,160,132   Number of Sell-Outs: 37

7 Usher 
 
Total Gross: $74,954,681        Number of Shows: 73 
Total Attendance: 922,327   Number of Sell-Outs: 58

8 Lady Gaga 
 
Total Gross: $71,900,434      Number of Shows: 45 
Total Attendance: 745,735   Number of Sell-Outs: 43

9 André Rieu 
 
Total Gross: $67,104,756     Number of Shows: 102 
Total Attendance: 657,757   Number of Sell-Outs: 15

10 Sade 
 
Total Gross: $53,178,550        Number of Shows: 59 
Total Attendance: 588,693   Number of Sell-Outs: 21

11 Michael Bublé 
 
Total Gross: $49,856,921        Number of Shows: 57 
Total Attendance: 520,242   Number of Sell-Outs: 36

12 Eagles 
 
Total Gross: $49,759,190        Number of Shows: 24 
Total Attendance: 286,684   Number of Sell-Outs: 3

13 Katy Perry 
 
Total Gross: $48,851,454        Number of Shows: 98 
Total Attendance: 1,002,656   Number of Sell-Outs: 54

14 Lil Wayne 
 
Total Gross: $46,300,000      Number of Shows: 69 
Total Attendance: 712,000   Number of Sell-Outs: 14

15 Justin Bieber 
 
Total Gross: $44,124,922     Number of Shows: 35 
Total Attendance: 567,544   Number of Sell-Outs: 27

16 Glee Live! In Concert! 
 
Total Gross: $40,854,811      Number of Shows: 40 
Total Attendance: 485,852   Number of Sell-Outs: 40

17 NKOTBSB 
 
Total Gross: $40,415,307    Number of Shows: 51 
Total Attendance: 609,426   Number of Sell-Outs: 22

18 Journey 
 
Total Gross: $39,069,939        Number of Shows:73 
Total Attendance: 688,871   Number of Sell-Outs: 17

19 Britney Spears 
 
Total Gross: $37,100,000         Number of Shows: 39 
Total Attendance: 396,000   Number of Sell-Outs:14

20 Iron Maiden 
 
Total Gross: $33,085,671      Number of Shows: 33 
Total Attendance: 473,285    Number of Sell-Outs: 17

21 Kylie Minogue 
 
Total Gross: $32,559,439         Number of Shows: 41 
Total Attendance: 307,135   Number of Sell-Outs: 2

22 Neil Diamond 
 
Total Gross: $31,303,070      Number of Shows: 20 
Total Attendance: 239,723   Number of Sell-Outs: 4

23 Enrique Iglesias 
 
Total Gross: $30,811,001      Number of Shows: 38 
Total Attendance: 397,857   Number of Sell-Outs: 32

24 Jason Aldean 
 
Total Gross: $27,768,963      Number of Shows: 58 
Total Attendance: 790,530   Number of Sell-Outs: 47

25 Toby Keith 
 
Total Gross: $27,313,132      Number of Shows: 52 
Total Attendance: 673,668   Number of Sell-Outs: 19

 

[parklane1]

Rolling Stones
Pink Floyd
Led Zepplin
Springsteen
AC/DC

 

[Baleforce]

Stones, Beatles, U2

can't be any argument about those 3, trickier after that though

for me it's Aerosmith and Metallica

 

[The Moonlit Knight]

Changed my Eagles to ACDC. You're right about the lack of big US bands. Genesis is an odd choice though.

Although their best work was undoubtedly late 80's early 90's, U2 are quite comfortably the biggest active band in the world right now. Coldplay and Foo Fighters would be up there. I'm a huge Pearl Jam fan, and they have a massive fan base and sell out concerts worldwide, but they dont have the current commercial appeal of those 3.

I think the current music scene is too hipster, indie such that any band with a charismatic lead singer (a prerequisite for a super group) is not seen as cool by the kids.

That wasn't the criteria

 

[Superted]

That wasn't the criteria

I didn't say it was :-k

 

[Jurgen the German]

The Beatles
Rolling Stones
The Who
Led Zeppelin
Pink Floyd

U2 rip their fans off so that probably accounts for a big percentage of their tour grosses.