Is Bono the Most Popular Man in the World?

The money results are in from Pollstar, the concert industry tracking publication, about the financial success of bands touring the United States in 2009. And the numbers are mind-boggling. In just 20 days, U2, led by the compelling front man and world-wide personality brand Bono, brought in $123 million at the box office, selling 1.3 million tickets in huge stadiums in just 16 cities. So each night, the U2 360° concert raked in an average of $7.7 million. If you do the math, that works out to about $95 a ticket (of course, that's before the massive reselling and scalping).

The U.S. tour was but one piece of a larger "360-degrees" global tour that will continue well into 2010, and will likely surpass the $389 million that U2 raked in from its 2005-2007 Vertigo tour, which is second only to the Rolling Stones' "A Bigger Bang" trek. Billboard reports that U2 "toured Europe in July and August, the U.S. in September and October for a total of 40-45 shows this year." There are plans for "more stadiums in America in June and July next year, then August and September in Europe. The trek then tentatively will hit South America in the fall of 2010, for potentially as many as 90-100 shows over the next two years."

Bono and U2 blew other U.S. touring groups out of the water. Theirs was the only tour going over the $100 million mark, as concert revenue increased across the board, despite the recession. It seems that no matter what, music fans will find the dough to hear live music. Second on the Pollstar list was Bruce Springsteen and the E. Street band, which took in almost $95 million, but that was in 58 shows, under $2 million a show compared to the $7.7 mil for U2. Third, if you really want to know, was the irresistible combo of Billy Joel and Elton John, grossing $88 million; the Piano Man meets "Candles in the Wind."

Is there any other human being/band who could attract the kind of attention and money in the U.S. as Bono and U2 did over such a short period of time? The only possibility that comes to mind is the Pope, who of course draws huge crowds to stadiums in his very infrequent visits to the States.

Of course, those people can see the Pope for free. Could the Pope fill 82,000-seat stadiums at almost $100 a head and often much more? I doubt it. But we'll probably never find out, since it would be un-Popelike to charge big bucks.

So, absent any other competitive nominees, I have to conclude that Bono and his three U2 cohorts sit at the pinnacle of global visibility and popularity. Since the Bono brand is wrapped up in political and social messaging, what does U2's popularity mean? Does it translate to the ability to exercise power and create change? What is the relationship between fame and influence? Needless to say, I don't have the answers to those questions, which will be debated for a long time.

On the Front Lines

Thanks to my friend Erin, I was fortunate to see U2 in action at the ancient Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, in late October and even to be front-row in the stands (a real privilege, I know, and I am humble). I felt the awe of the spectacle. I loved hearing many classic U2 songs. And the show was impressive -- by far the most ambitious construction of a rock concert site, with giant screens and stage innovations designed to blow one's mind. As noted on the band's Web site, "With a cylindrical video system of interlocking LED panels, and a steel structure rising 150 feet from the floor over a massive stage with rotating bridges, the band has truly created a intimate 360 experience for concert goers." The whole shebang reportedly required 200 trucks and some 330 people to construct, and presumably a lot of those millions of dollars were paid out in expenses to produce the monster. Bono probably had more success in putting Americans to work than the TARP funds. But the sheer enormity of the thing also made U2 vulnerable to criticism ... more about that in a second.