Neil Diamond ticket sales reach the number one spot

The legendary Neil Diamond has edged the hit musical Wicked out of the number one position in TicketNews’s exclusive top events rankings for the week of April 28 – May 4, 2008. Diamond rose up from his second place finish last week to oust “Wicked” from its month-long run in the top slot. Diamond’s 9.16 power score, which was nearly triple his score from last week, was more than double “Wicked”‘s 4.67 score this week.

Other Top Events this week included the ever competitive New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox in third and fourth place with power scores of 3.10 and 2.54, and the second most popular musical, Jersey Boys, in fifth place with a score of 2.15.

This week was also an exciting week in sports, with many hot events represented on the Top Sports Events chart. The Yankees, who clinched the top position with a power score of 9.86, currently stand with a record of 17-16 after series against the Detroit Tigers and Seattle Mariners this past week. The Red Sox, who trailed the Yankees in the top events rankings with a power score of 8.00, have nonetheless risen to a 20-13 record after winning a total of 5 games against the Toronto Blue Jays and Tampa Bay Rays this week. The Chicago Cubs came in third place on the chart with a power score of 3.61, and the Kentucky Derby came in fourth with a power score of 2.57. Favorite horse Big Brown won the race, but the victory was overshadowed by the euthanasia of Eight Belles after breaking two ankles.

In theater news, “Wicked” still remains the play to beat. The hit show dominated both the Top Theater and Top Broadway charts with power scores of 37.09 and 35.36, respectively. “Jersey Boys” earned a solid second place on both charts, with scores of 17.46 and 15.74, and South Pacific held strong in third with power scores of 6.80 and 11.33. Lion King, Little Mermaid, and Young Frankenstein also performed well this week, as the three musicals finished in fourth through sixth place on both charts.

Diamond continues to top the Top Concert Events chart with a power score of 17.09. Country superstar Kenny Chesney climbed a position to second place this week with a score of 3.08, and Jimmy Buffett rounded out the top three with a 2.58 power score. Other popular concerts this week included The Eagles in fourth place with a score of 2.48, the Jonas Brothers in fifth with 2.45, and Kanye West in sixth with a 2.36 power score.

The Top Las Vegas Events chart also featured a familiar line up, with Cher‘s 42.37 power score dominating the chart. Bette Midler ranked second with a score of 21.39, and Cirque du Soleil – “O” placed third with a 14.88 power score. Some newcomers to the chart this week included Jubilee! in sixth, Chippendales in eighth, and Carrot Top in tenth with scores of 1.28, 1.01, and 0.97, respectively. Join us again next week to see how your favorite events will fare.

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