Michael Rapino

Omar Al-Joulani

Bruno Mars

ROSALÍA

Despite any and all talk of post-pandemic corrections, economic headwinds, supply-chain constraints and so on and so forth, the live business is still seeing blockbuster success. Stadiums, in particular, are producing staggering grosses; The Weeknd, Bad Bunny, Luke Combs, Bruno Mars and BTS were among the megastar acts dominating the largest stages. Residency maestro Harry Styles, as well as Lady Gaga, Olivia Rodrigo and ROSALÍA, led a percolating period for arenas—and a flurry of newly successful acts appears likely to have graduated to those venues by this time next year.

At the apex of the pyramid, as usual, is Live Nation. Michael Rapino’s giant continues to smash its own revenue records on a quarterly basis, working the world’s top tours.

During the course of its gangbusters recent run, the behemoth promoter and ticketing engine has withstood a head-on assault from the DOJ and a consortium of states seeking to pry it apart from Ticketmaster, an effort that was egged on by its competitors. It’s war out there, to be certain—and LN has also taken much of the heat over the escalating cost of tickets, despite the fact that it doesn’t set those prices. When the smoke clears, the smart money is on House Rapino to be stronger than ever.

Jay Marciano

Coran Capshaw

jim dolan

Paul Tollett

The biggest festivals, regardless of their headliners, routinely sell out lickety-split; Goldenvoice/AEG’s desert twins, Coachella and Stagecoach, remain the gold standard in the U.S. These are yearly happenings, not just multi-stage music marathons. Some mid-sized and smaller festivals, especially those struggling to establish a strong brand identity in a very crowded marketplace, fared less well, but those with a boutique appeal often exceeded expectations. Increasingly severe weather events precipitated by climate change have also had a deleterious effect on the sector.

MSG’s Sphere, the sort of technically dazzling venue once found only in science fiction, continued to mint money with shows by the Eagles, Metallica, Backstreet Boys, Phish and Carín León, among others, confirming that Jim Dolan’s eye-popping space can entice fans in all genres to spend beaucoup bucks. Enhanced movies in that round room, starting with The Wizard of Oz and progressing to The Rocky Horror Picture Show, have generated astronomical receipts.

2027 will doubtless bring new throngs to their feet. But be sure to check the weather.

Preview image: Charlotte May