I
N EACH LIVE-MUSIC YEAR,
festivals and stadium shows make
the most noise, especially in to-
day’s ultracompetitive live market.
But arenas have always represent-
ed the lifeblood of the global concert
industry. Indoor venues accommodating
10,001 or more fans accounted for 40% of
total attendance and 46% of total ticket
grosses reported to Billboard Boxscore
during a recent 12-month period.
Since a terrorist bombing outside an
Ariana Grande concert at the Manchester
Arena in England killed 23 people in 2017,
venues around the world have beefed up
their security with measures that include
behavioral analysis training, increased
perimeter surveillance on CCTVs, facial
recognition software and “magnetome-
ters” — metal detectors that don’t require
TSA measures, like emptying pockets and
removing shoes — for fans.
This year, arenas have embraced a
new trend: sustainability. “Like a lot of
businesses, we have seen a massive shift
in the way that consumers are thinking
about environmental concerns,” says The
O2 London vp/gm Steve Sayer, who set
up a “green team” 18 months ago to test
reusable plastic cups at the venue and
has committed to reduce its electrical
consumption by 2 million kilowatts per
year. Waste management is also part of
the “green” equation, with many venues
using “landfill-diversion” techniques,
nixing straws and choosing recyclable
materials on-site.
The venues included here commanded
Billboard Boxscore’s worldwide ranking in
two categories: capacities of 15,001-plus
The Arena Power List 2019
MADISON SQUARE GARDEN LEADS THE 20 HIGHEST-GROSSING VENUES IN THEIR CLASS
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Interior of Madison
Square Garden in New
York; (inset) Streisand
at MSG on Aug. 3.
SEPTEMBER 28, 2019 • WWW.BILLBOARD.COM 7 7