Chart Scene: Nicki Minaj Debuts On Artist Power Index With Tour Launch

Nicki Minaj returns to the Artist Power Index with a top 10 debut following the launch of her “Pink Friday 2 World Tour.” Her opening performance, held at Oakland Arena in California on March 1, was the first of 35 concerts booked at arenas on the North American leg of the tour that is set to run through the middle of May. After the opener, she performed at Denver’s Ball Arena before beginning a string of dates in western U.S. markets leading up to her headlining appearance at the “Rolling Loud Festival” in Los Angeles on March 15.

The tour supports the rapper’s fifth studio album, Pink Friday 2, that was released on Dec. 8 by Young Money Entertainment and Republic Records. It is her first album in five years and was promoted as a sequel to her debut album in 2010. Following the tour’s opening trek through the U.S. and Canada, Minaj will head to Europe for the second leg of the tour that is set to begin on May 23. Along with her headlining dates in arenas, she will also appear at a series of festivals on the continent before wrapping the tour on July 14.

Also making a return appearance on the Artist Power Index is Chris Stapleton who performed at San Diego’s Petco Park on March 2, the first concert this year on his long-running “All-American Road Show” tour booked in North American stadiums, arenas and outdoor amphitheaters through August. The country star’s box-office history shows an average gross of $1.16 million per show, based on ticket sales at his concerts since returning to the road post-pandemic in the summer of 2021. His sold-ticket average, based on 112 reported headlining concerts, comes to 14,023 per show.

Luis Miguel moves up two positions to No. 1 on LIVE75 based on a per-show ticket average of 28,531 from nine concerts at seven stadiums in Latin American countries as part of his ongoing world tour. The Latin pop star performed single shows in Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Venezuela and Ecuador during February, along with two-night engagements in both Colombia and Peru. His two concerts in Bogotá at Coliseo MedPlus drew 28,174 fans and grossed $3.7 million, while his shows at Lima’s Estadio Nacional produced a box-office take of $10.6 million from 82,812 sold tickets. Since beginning the tour last August, Miguel has now racked up $205 million at the box office from more than 1.3 million sold tickets at 84 reported concerts in North, Central and South American venues.

LIVE75’s top debut belongs to blink-182, ranked No. 2 on the chart with a six-show ticket average of 15,881 from six concerts in two Australian cities. The Oceania leg of the band’s ongoing world tour kicked off with two concerts at RAC Arena in Perth, Feb. 8-9, attended by 30,537 fans. Then four performances at Sydney’s Qudos Bank Arena from the 16th through the 24th moved a total of 64,750 tickets.

Following the shows in Australia and New Zealand, the pop-punk band will head to Latin America for shows during March and April, followed by festival dates and arena shows in August.