Concert ticket sales keep Madison Square Garden at top of venues rankings

TicketNews has released its exclusive venues rankings for the week ending Sunday, September 21, and Madison Square Garden (MSG) displayed staying power as TicketNews’s Top Venue for the second week in a row. MSG can thank strong ticket sales for artists such as AC/DC, Madonna, Tina Turner and Neil Young for its place at the top. MSG power scores a respectable 3.31 this week.

At number two is the first of this week’s top football venues, Texas Stadium. With the week’s sales for Dallas Cowboys tickets at number two in TicketNews’s Top Sports Events rankings, the stadium maintains a solid perch in the top three venues again this week, with a power score of 2.49. The Gershwin Theatre moves up one to the number three position this week, as “Wicked” continues to top both TicketNews’s Top Broadway Events and Top Theater Events rankings. The Gershwin finishes with a power score of 2.45 this week. Giants Stadium comes in this week at number four, with a power score of 2.09. As the 2008 season begins, the home field to the New York Giants and New York Jets is once again enjoying strong ticket sales.

The Wachovia Center in Philadelphia, PA jumps one to number five in this week’s rankings on sales of top acts like Coldplay, AC/DC, Madonna, Metallica and the Trans-Siberian Orchestra. The Wachovia Center power scores a 1.89 this week. Up two to the number six slot is another top performers’ venue, the TD Banknorth Garden in Boston, MA, power scoring a 1.68. Continued robust ticket sales for a similar list of artists, including Madonna, AC/DC Coldplay, Metallica and Tina Turner are fueling the Garden’s rise in the rankings this week.

Yankee Stadium bolts back into the top ten this week, up six places to the number seven slot with a power score of 1.59. The historic stadium will say its final goodbye to fans in a blockbuster closing ceremony scheduled for November 9.

The fourth concert venue in our rankings this week is General Motors Place in Vancouver, British Columbia. Its appearance in eighth place this week is the first top ten showing for General Motors Place since the venues rankings began in May of this year. As with other top ten performance venues on our list, General Motors Place is benefiting from strong sales for top acts like Celine Dion, Neil Young, AC/DC, Metallica and the Trans-Siberian Orchestra. General Motors Place power scores a 1.44 this week.

The Vivian Beaumont Theatre at Lincoln Center drops two slots to the number nine position this week. The home to the hit revival of “South Pacific” has a power score of 1.39. Next, Caesar’s Palace Colosseum takes a precipitous fall to number ten, down five from last week. Despite the drop, sales for Cher, Bette Midler, and Elton John take the top three in this week’s TicketNews’ Top Vegas Events rankings, maintaining this Las Vegas venue’s popularity. Caesar’s Palace Colosseum shares a power ranking of 1.26 with this week’s number 11, Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, PA. The third football venue on the list can thank strong ticket sales for its Philadelphia Eagles for this near-top-ten finish.

TicketNews Exclusive Rankings and Power Scores are based on ticket sales for venues from the TicketNetwork Exchange™, the world’s largest secondary market exchange. A Power Score illustrates a given venue’s category-specific significance. Two factors are used to calculate a power score: total ticket sales for a venue, and total ticket sales within the category. As such, power scores should only be used to compare venues within a particular category.

Top VenuesWeek Ending 09/21/2008