Led by Taylor Swift's $1 bil tour, 2023 concerts set new record

Swift's tour broke new ground, becoming the first in history to surpass the symbolic $1 billion mark in ticket sales in 60 dates from March to November 2023.

But Pollstar predicted that the pop megastar, named Time magazine's Person of the Year on Wednesday, could pass the $2 billion mark by the time the tour eventually wraps up.

The only one to have come close to a billion up until now was Elton John, whose marathon "Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour" -- 328 dates over five years -- raked in $939 million.

And this is why she's Time's Person of the Year - it's not often shows of any kind can earn more than a billion US dollars, and may even hit $2 billion before it's done. Not only is her tour earning a lot, it's earning it a lot faster than previous records. People are voting with their wallets - and that's an objective fact

My parents couldn't see the Beatles as a big deal. They did all right. I don't see Taylor Swift as much of anything. I'm just like my parents. Every generation has its own stars. Good for them and good for her. I coulda said, "Why, back my day. . ." but I didn't. I'm not exactly like my parents.