CHICAGO — The Grateful Dead's three days of performance at Soldier Field this summer grossed $30.6 million, tops for shows globally in 2015, Billboard reported Friday.
The Fare Thee Well 50th Anniversary concerts here on July 3rd, 4th and 5th drew 210,283, Billboard said, calling the Dead weekend "the biggest show in a big year for the touring industry."
By reuniting for the three shows, the band was "able to tap into the sleeping giant that is the Deadhead Nation," Billboard said.
Show producer Peter Shapiro told Billboard, "The intermixing and overlapping of so many tribes of people who came from across America to Chicago was huge...That kind of depth in an experiential, real-life form doesn't happen enough, so when it does occur, it really has impact."
The number two grossing concert gross globally was Billy Joel at $26.3 million for a dozen shows at New York's Madison Square Garden.
Other Chicago shows making the Billboard "Top 25 Boxscores" were:
• Taylor Swift with Haim, Vance Joy and Shawn Mendes at Soldier Field July 18 and 19. The shows grossed $11.4 million on 110,109 tickets sold. Her gross for the year, $217 million on 1.9 million tickets for 71 shows, was tops in the world.
• U2 and United Center, June 24-25, 28-29, July 2. The five shows grosses 11.3 million on 95,070 tickets sold.
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