A feature on the Pollstar website, titled “Tour & Destroy: The Case for Metallica as the World’s Biggest Touring Act”, makes a strong argument for the thrash legends as the top dog among touring artists, using statistics and other metrics to back up the claim.

Pollstar utilizes stats that date back to METALLICA’s beginnings, asserting that the metal icons have sold 22.1 million tickets and have grossed $1.4 billion on tour since 1982. Those numbers put METALLICA ahead of such acts as Guns N’ Roses, AC/DC, and other big-time bands.

 

And while the all-time ticket total is actually second to U2, Pollstar argues that other factors propel METALLICA to the top of the heap. Among those considerations is the fact that METALLICA has performed in 48 countries and all seven continents, including Antarctica. Furthermore, the metal band is a leader in merch sales, having sold $125 million worth of t-shirts and other concert memorabilia in North America since “The Black Album” was released in 1991.

 

METALLICA show no signs of slowing down, either, as their current “WorldWired Tour” has grossed $430 million on sales of 4.1 million tickets, including the band’s recent “S&M2” concerts in San Francisco.

 

METALLICA’s “WorldWired Tour” will continue to gross additional millions as the band is set to hit Australia and New Zealand with Slipknot this fall, as well as South America with Greta Van Fleet in the spring.