Minnesota Vikings ticket sales help the Metrodome take the lead in venue rankings

In the wake of Brett Favre’s decision to end his retirement and join the Minnesota Vikings, demand for Vikings tickets has surged, taking the Metrodome in Minneapolis, MN to the top of TicketNews’s exclusive venues rankings for the week ending Sunday, August 23. The home field to the Vikings, who also clinched number one in TicketNews’s Top Sports Events rankings, made its top ten debut in the days following Favre’s much publicized announcement that he will play QB for the team this season. The Metrodome finished the week with a power score of 4.21.

Toppled from last week’s number one position, Dallas Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, TX still performed respectably this week, coming in at number two. With a power score of 2.48, the Stadium is in preseason play with its Dallas Cowboys, at number seven in this week’s Top Sports Events. The venue also will host a game between the Texas Longhorns (at number six in Top Sports this week) and the North Carolina Tar Heels in December. Paul McCartney visited the stadium for one date last week, likely helping out its numbers for the week, and U2, who dominated this week’s Top Concert Events rankings, will perform there in October.

Not surprisingly, Lambeau Field also made the top ten this week, as Favre fans await the return of their long-time quarterback in a purple jersey on November 1st. At number three with a power score of 2.44, the Field is home to the Green Bay Packers, whose ticket sales brought them to number two in this week’s Top Sports Events.

The Gershwin Theatre in New York City dropped two spots this week to finish at number four in the rankings, but it remains a powerful top five contender week after week. For the fifth time in as many weeks, ticket sales for the theater’s long running hit musical, Wicked, kept the show at the top of TicketNews’s Top Broadway Events, Top Theater Events, and Top Combined Events rankings. The Gershwin power scored a 2.23 this week.

The new Yankee Stadium fell further this week, down two to land at number five. Power scoring a 2.11, the stadium is of course home to the New York Yankees, who continue to lead the AL East standings and who took third place in this week’s Top Sports Events, trailing only the Vikings and Packers in sales.

Next in the rankings, the MGM Grand Garden Arena made it back to the top ten, finishing at number six on strong sales for Manny Pacquiao’s November 14 bout with Miguel Cotto, an event which hit at number five in this week’s Top Sports Events. The Arena also will host an October date on the AC/DC tour, which made it to number three in this week’s Top Concert Events. The MGM Grand Garden Arena had a power score of 1.97 this week.

Fenway Park recovered a bit in this week’s rankings, moving up one to take the number seven spot. With a power score of 1.86, the Park is home to the legendary Boston Red Sox, who remain at number two in the AL East standings and whose sales placed them in fourth place in this week’s Top Sports Events rankings.

Giants Stadium in Rutherford, NJ dropped four this week to finish in the number eight position. With a power score of 1.86, the Stadium is entering its final season as home to the New York Giants and New York Jets, currently in preseason play. The venue’s last ever musical performance schedule includes two September dates from U2 and five shows from Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band (at number four in this week’s Top Concerts), who will be the last act to play the venue before it closes its doors at the end of the 2009 NFL season.

Madison Square Garden (MSG) also lost some ground in the rankings this week, falling four spots to land at number nine. MSG is home to the New York Knicks and New York Rangers, and it will also host a number of top selling musical acts in the coming months. Britney Spears and Taylor Smith with Kellie Pickler will perform later this week, and Bruce Springsteen will have two dates there in November. MSG had a power score of 1.78 this week.

Finally, the Virginia/August Wilson Theatre in New York City returned to the top ten this week, in at number ten and power scoring a 1.37. The theater is Broadway’s home to the popular Tony Award winning musical Jersey Boys, a show whose receipts this week brought it to number two in Top Broadway and Top Theater Events, and to number three in Top Combined Events.

Favre’s return to the NFL helped to take more football stadiums to the top ten this week, with the number of baseball stadiums dwindling as the season winds down. The Gershwin this week is joined by the Virginia/August Wilson Theatre for a total of two theater venues in the top ten this week.

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 08/23/2009