Eric Church Returns To Top Of Pollstar’s LIVE75, Local Natives Named Chart’s Breakthrough Artist

Eric Church makes his third appearance at No. 1 on Pollstar’s LIVE75 thanks to the popularity of his sold-out Double Down tour that has already drawn more than half a million fans during the first half of the year. After scoring the top ranking in the last week of April and the first week of May, he jumps to the top of the chart again this week with an average sold ticket count of 27,706 from three concerts. 

Falling during the most recent 30-day period of eligibility are the last two arena appearances during the first leg of his tour, along with his headlining event at Nashville’s Nissan Stadium. The arena shows at Staples Center in Los Angeles prompted ticket sales reaching 26,597 during the weekend of May 17-18, and his stadium date in Music City the following Saturday scored 56,521 sold seats.

Boxoffice counts from the ongoing tour include an overall gross of $52 million from 545,845 total tickets sold at two-night arena dates in 17 North American cities capped by the Nashville stadium show. He has one more two-show engagement planned for the end of this month at The Gorge Amphitheatre in Washington state, but he will return for more Double Down North American performances in the fall.

Sir Paul McCartney appears at No. 2 with the HOT SHOT designation as the highest-charting new entry based on a 21,821 average ticket count from three arena shows as well as the first of five stadiums booked on his summer tour. Concerts at Smoothie King Center in New Orleans; Allen County War Memorial Coliseum in Fort Wayne, Ind.; and Kohl Center in Madison, Wis.; came early in his Freshen Up tour’s summer leg that began with the New Orleans show on May 23. Following the Madison concert on June 6 he remained in Wisconsin for a stadium event at Lambeau Field, historic home venue of the NFL’s Green Bay Packers. Attendance was logged at 49,416 with a total gross in Green Bay of more than $6.5 million June 8.

The BREAKTHROUGH artist is indie rock band Local Natives with a 95% sellout average from 10 concerts at six venues stateside. Two-show sellouts were reported at Seattle’s Columbia City Theater (May 16-17), Thalia Hall in Chicago (May 23-24), Paradise Rock Club in Boston (May 30-31) and Washington, D.C.’s 9:30 Club (June 3-4), while Portland’s Roseland Theater hosted one sold-out show May 18. Meanwhile, First Avenue in Minneapolis filled 69% of the house May 21 with 1,030 sold tickets. The Los Angeles-based band, on the road for the first time in two years, kicked off their Spiral Choir tour May 15 with dates booked through the end of June.

Singer-songwriter Josh Ritter (No. 57) earns the NOISE MAKER moniker with an upward jump of 13 positions from his 70th-ranked appearance last week. The folk artist, touring this year in support of his April 26 release, Fever Breaks, is one of two artists with a 13-slot jump. Insane Clown Posse at No. 59 is the other, but Ritter scored the higher ticket average of 789 from three shows.