According to Billboard Boxscore, the North American concert business looks to be emerging from a recent two year slump, with gross takings of nearly $375 million in this year's first quarter representing a gain of twenty eight percent on last year. Attendance was up 19%, with numbers of 7.3 million.
The upsurge has not occurred as a result of more concerts being staged, but by the higher levels of attendance. The number of gigs which took place in the first quarter of this year is similar to the amount that took place in the same quarter last year, with 2595 concerts taking place in North America between January and March 2006 compared to 2525 in the same period in 2006.
The figures would appear to have been driven up by large scale tours undertaken by artists such as Coldplay, Bon Jovi, Billy Joel, and Aerosmith. Randy Phillips, CEO of international promoter AEG Live commented: "Touring will always be cyclical. The numbers are completely dependent upon who is on the road."