[caption id="attachment_68948" align="aligncenter" width="600" caption="U2’s The Edge, Bono and Adam Clayton at Croke Park during their 2009 tour."]
U2 were the top touring act of 2011, both here and internationally, according to Pollstar, the concert tracker. The Irish band’s 360 tour took in a gross $156M in 25 shows in 21 North American cities. Country stars Taylor Swift ($97.7 million) and Kenny Chesney ($84.6 million) claimed the No. 2 and No. 3 slots, while Lady Gaga ($63.7 million) had the 4th highest figure and Bon Jovi ($57.1 million) the 5th.
Worldwide, the Dublin area quartet took in $231.9 million from 34 shows in 26 cities. Close behind them were Take That, whose lineup again includes Robbie Williams, grossing at $224 million, also with 34 shows.
Getting the top slot for 2011 represented something of a comeback for the Irishmen, as they had to cancel parts of their 2010 tour due to an back injury sustained by singer Bono.
