2024 Concert Market Rankings: No. 5 Boston

No. 2 Boston
Second Fenway Venue Joins The Club
As Beantown Remains Top 10 For 2024

Reported Market Gross | $346,992,352
Reported Ticket Sales | 3,881,422
Average Ticket Price | $89.40

Boston jumps from No. 6 last year to No. 5, climbing ever so slightly into the 2024 Concert Market Rankings’ Top 5.

While that may sound like a modest jump based on chart position, the numbers are impressive with an increased gross of more than $100 million over last year ($241 million vs. more than $346 million). Those dollars come from 1,843 reported shows in 2023, a modest increase over 2022’s 1,756.

Like much of 2023, the answer comes from blockbuster tours, often at the stadium level, blowing previous records out of the water and leading to monster grosses over a small number of shows. Boston’s 2023 highlights included two- and three-night stadium runs at Fenway Park and Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, from artists including Morgan Wallen, P!NK, Ed Sheeran, Luke Combs and Dead & Co., which all grossed more than $10 million per engagement. Beyoncé’s single night at Gillette Stadium grossed $13.8 million, while three nights of Taylor Swift is enough to blow anyone out of the water.

However, the arena level was similarly strong in 2023, with TD Garden, home to the NBA’s Celtics and the NHL’s Bruins, putting up huge grosses from the Eagles (two nights, $7 million), Dave Chappelle (two nights, $4.38 million) and Queen + Adam Lambert (two nights, $4.39 million), helping land TD Garden at No. 6 on Pollstar’s 2023 Year End Top 200 Arenas chart based on gross, with $107.88 million and 846,212 tickets reported for the year.

“Our parent company Delaware North and the Jacobs family have remained committed to keeping TD Garden as a best-in-class arena,” said Amy Latimer, formerly TD Garden president and recently named EVP and COO of Delaware North. “That continued investment is the primary driver of keeping TD Garden front and center in a crowded market.”

Boston remains a strong club market, with the addition of the 5,009-capacity MGM Music Hall at Fenway topping Pollstar’s Year End Top 200 Clubs chart in 2023. The super-sized club venue in its first full year of operation reported $27.7 million grossed on just shy of 450,000 tickets. Other Boston clubs to make the Clubs chart include The Wilbur (No. 6, $10.6 million), Citizens House of Blues Boston (No. 8, $8.8 million) and Big Night Live (No. 14, $5.9 million) — all very different venues despite in the “clubs” category.

Nothing says Boston like Celtic punk hometown heroes Dropkick Murphys, who are once again doing a homestand for St. Patrick’s day, this year with one night at House of Blues followed by three more at MGM Fenway March 14-17.

Another mainstay in the market is the Boch Center, which includes the 3,500-seat Wang Theatre and 1,600-capacity Shubert Theatre in Boston’s theater district. President and CEO of Boch Center Joe Spaulding is stepping down in 2024 after nearly four decades at the organization. Spaulding helped secure bipartisan support and more than $16 billion in federal grant funding for venues during the COVID shutdown.

“I bet on the ranch that live would come back in a very big way,” Spaulding said previously. “Since we’ve reopened, it has been tremendous for us and we’ve had more sold out shows of all genres than we’ve ever had in my 38 years.”

Wang Theatre reported $21.6 million grossed and 238,362 tickets sold in 2023, while the Shubert reported $2.2 million on 24,655 tickets.