Garth Brooks has the best-selling country music tour of 2019

Friends in low places? More like friends who sell out stadiums. 

Garth Brooks, the reigning CMA Entertainer of the Year and all-around Nashville juggernaut, leads country acts in Pollstar’s top world tours report for 2019. 

Brooks landed 24th on the year-end list. The industry publication reported the “Friends in Low Places” star grossed $76.1 million on the first year of his expansive stadium tour. The tour kicked off March 9 in St. Louis, drawing capacity crowds in Denver, Minneapolis and Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tennessee. 

Pink, Elton John and Ed Sheeran took the Top 3 spots on the annual list, earning approximately $215 million, $212 million and $211 million, respectively.  

Brooks moved roughly 856,000 tickets and grossed $5.8 million per show, Pollstar reported. He tops country tours despite reporting sales for a total 13 shows, tied with Spice Girls for fewest performances out of any acts in the top 50. 

Garth Brooks performs in Neyland Stadium on Nov. 16, 2019. (Photo: Calvin Mattheis/News Sentinel)

“Mr. Misunderstood” arena powerhouse Eric Church comes in second out of reported country acts and 28th overall. Church grossed $68.6 million on the road in 2019, selling roughly 750,000 tickets in 52 shows – part of Church’s expansive “Double Down” tour that played Nissan Stadium in May.  

Brooks ranked ninth for overall North American tours; Church landed at No. 13. 

Additional artists with Nashville ties in the top 50 include Florida Georgia Line (35), Carrie Underwood (44), Thomas Rhett (45), Zac Brown Band (48) and Hootie & the Blowfish (49). 

Eric Church performs during the CMA Music Festival on June 7, 2019, at Nissan Stadium in Nashville. (Photo: Larry McCormack / Tennessean.com)

The worldwide tours chart reflects a record-selling $5.55 billion gross, Pollstar reported. The tours listed in the year-end ranking sold 57.7 million tickets, third-most in Pollstar history. 

For year-end venue results, Madison Square Garden topped the arena chart, moving 1.6 million tickets. 

The historic Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee, ranked 16th globally in theater ticket sales, welcoming 350,838 reported concertgoers. 

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