Well, when we (well, Billboard really) declared U2 the most successful touring band of 2005 at the end of last year, we did point out that the Rolling Stones were yet to report on ticket sales from their Bigger Bang tour. We've not done any maths on this, but I am guessing that if they had then they would probably have come out top.
Either way, the Stones have been the most successful touring band so far this year, despite Keith Richards' tree related shenanigans. Their tour grossed $147.3 million between November 2005 and May 2006 (again, according to Billboard), making it the biggest live music operation during that period.
U2 came in second, though to be fair they did have to postpone a number of dates during that time period due to family illness, though it is unlikely that even with a full touring schedule they would have surpassed the Stones in terms of ticket sales. Not that they have anything to be down about - they did gross $73 million in those seven months. Following them in terms of tour revenues were Bon Jovi ($65 million), Billy Joel ($47.4 million), Cirque du Soleil's Delirium ($38.7 million), Aerosmith ($35 million), Coldplay ($29 million), Luis Miguel ($25 million), Trans Siberian Orchestra ($24 million) and Paul McCartney ($17.6 million).
Commenting on their successes, Stones tour producer Michael Cohl said that the last six months had not only been a good time for the band in terms of ticket sales. He told Billboard: "This [period] includes the tail end of the American tour, plus the Superbowl, which was the biggest television audience the band had ever played to. Then two weeks later we played to two million people at a free concert on the beach in Copacobana which was the biggest live audience anyone's ever had. It's kind of astounding when it keeps improving 43 years later."
Despite concerns that rising ticket prices could threaten recent successes in the live sector, Billboard reports that ticket revenues from live music events in the US between January and June this year were up 24.6% - though attendance was up just 5.4% with those rising ticket prices adding to the overall revenue rise. Worldwide revenues were up 13.3%, with a 2% attendance rise. The top ten grossing world tours played a significant role in the overall increases in both revenue and attendance.