With two performances at Sydney’s Qudos Bank Arena, Queen + Adam Lambertearns the top ranking on the latest weekly slate of Hot Tours (see list, below) with a $3.3 million gross. The band played the arena on Feb. 21 and 22, the second stop on a trek through Australia and New Zealand that recently wrapped on March 6. Produced by Melbourne-based promoter TEG Dainty, the Oceania leg of the group’s 2017-2018 tour covered six markets beginning with Auckland on Feb. 17 followed by the Sydney shows and dates in Brisbane, Adelaide, Melbourne and Perth.
The iconic band launched its tour last summer in North America, kicking off in Phoenix on June 23. The 25-city run continued through early August and grossed $30 million from more than 300,000 sold tickets at 26 concerts, according to sales figures reported by promoter Live Nation. A European leg through 23 cities followed in November and December, and Queen will return to the continent for a second leg this summer before its finale in Dublin on July 8.
The Hot Tours tally includes several other artists with appearances in Australian markets in recent weeks. Robbie Williams follows at No. 2 in the rankings with his own two-night stint at Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney. The English pop star performed for 21,686 fans, logging more than $2.6 million in sales at the venue on Feb. 28 and March 1 during the Aussie leg of his Heavy Entertainment Show tour. Fall Out Boy lands at No 7 based on a March 2 performance at the Sydney arena attended by a crowd of 11,264.
Two other Sydney venues also impact this recap of Hot Tours beginning with Hordern Pavilion that hosted Macklemore, ranked fourth based on a three-show gross of $1.1 million. The Seattle-born artist performed at the arena during February as part of his Gemini trek. Finally, an orchestral tour – Star Wars: A New Hope – Live In Concert – takes the No. 6 slot on the recap with two performances at the ICC Theatre in Sydney on Feb. 16 and 17.
| HOT TOURS - MARCH 6, 2018 | |
| Ranked by Gross. Compiled from Boxscores reported Feb. 27-March 5 | |
| Rank | ACT |
| Total Gross | |
| Show Date Range | |
| Venue/City (Shows/Sellouts) | |
| Total Attendance (Capacity) | |
| 1 | QUEEN + ADAM LAMBERT |
| $3,357,960 | |
| Feb. 21-22 | |
| Qudos Bank Arena, Sydney (2/0) | |
| 24,791 (25,708) | |
| 2 | ROBBIE WILLIAMS |
| $2,678,930 | |
| Feb. 28-March 1 | |
| Qudos Bank Arena, Sydney (2/0) | |
| 21,686 (23,510) | |
| 3 | BLAKE SHELTON |
| $1,181,966 | |
| March 2 | |
| American Airlines Center, Dallas (1/1) | |
| 13,602 (13,602) | |
| 4 | MACKLEMORE |
| $1,173,970 | |
| Feb. 3-11 | |
| Hordern Pavilion, Sydney (3/3) | |
| 16,472 (16,472) | |
| 5 | LUKE BRYAN |
| $1,091,803 | |
| Feb. 23 | |
| Atlantic City (N.J.) Boardwalk Hall (1/1) | |
| 12,620 (12,620) | |
| 6 | STAR WARS: A NEW HOPE - LIVE IN CONCERT |
| $926,076 | |
| Feb. 16-17 | |
| ICC Sydney Theatre, Sydney (2/0) | |
| 11,406 (13,712) | |
| 7 | FALL OUT BOY |
| $870,800 | |
| March 2 | |
| Qudos Bank Arena, Sydney (1/0) | |
| 11,264 (11,904) | |
| 8 | LITTLE BIG TOWN |
| $839,467 | |
| Feb. 23-March 3 | |
| Mohegan Sun Arena, Uncasville, Conn. (1/0) | |
| The Anthem, Washington, D.C. (1/1) | |
| 11,287 (11,514) | |
| 9 | WIDESPREAD PANIC |
| $771,746 | |
| Feb. 16-17 | |
| Birmingham (Ala.) Jefferson Convention Complex (2/2) | |
| 12,564 (12,564) | |
| 10 | JAMIROQUAI |
| $692,306 | |
| Jan. 11 | |
| Hallenstadion, Zürich (1/0) | |
| 10,181 (13,000) |
