2023 Concert Market Rankings: No. 6 Boston

The intimate House of Blues Boston, located next to beloved Fenway Park, is one of the top live venues in Beantown with performances from artists such as DaBaby, The Psychadelic Furs and Silversun Pickups. (Photo by Paul Marotta / Getty Images)

No. 6 BOSTON
Live Entertainment Brings Life to the Old Towne

Reported Market Gross | $241,196,035
Reported Ticket Sales | 3,007,936
Average Ticket Price | $80.19

The other city on the East Coast that shall not be mentioned may grab some of Pollstar’s year-end headlines, but Boston is on the rise and catching up to the larger entertainment markets.

Boston, a sports city accustomed to comebacks, shot up to No. 6 in the Pollstar Concert Market Rankings for 2022, with a reported box office gross of $241.1 million, after finishing outside the Top 20 largely thanks to COVID-19 restrictions not being lifted until late May. Its recent box office spike indicates a return to normalcy for the events in the city, which had an average ticket price of $80.19 over 1,756 reported shows.

House of Blues Boston made a triumphant return this year, ranking No. 2 among Pollstar’s Top Worldwide Clubs, earning $10.3 million.

Gillette Stadium, home of the six-time Super Bowl-winning New England Patriots, accommodated some of the biggest stars such as Kenny Chesney, whose shows earned nearly $13 million. Elton John also paid a visit to the beloved stadium and performed two shows of his farewell tour.

The city was also graced with the presence of Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Van Morrison, who sold out his show at Leader Bank Pavilion, and jam band legend Phish. The group from Vermont proved that the East Coast music scene is alive and well, selling out two shows at Xfinity Center and grossing $3.07 million.

The live entertainment market in Boston continues to grow along with development. The city finished renovating TD Garden in 2021, expanding its capacity to 19,600, and the Hub on Causeway makes Boston an even more desirable destination with bars and restaurants near the venues.

Commitment to all venues, large and small, will only attract more talent and help aspiring artists. Just ask Dropkick Murphys frontman Ken Casey, who continually advocates for Boston’s music scene.

“I always credit the strength of the Boston scene to how we got to get out and tour,” Casey told Pollstar sister publication VenuesNow. “Everybody wanted to play in Boston, because it’s such an important place.”