StubHub, the world’s largest ticket marketplace, today released its annual preview of the Canadian summer concert landscape, breaking down the most in-demand touring acts of summer 2018. For the second year in a row, singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran is the most in-demand touring act in Canada, beating out Foo Fighters, Radiohead and Eagles, in the next three spots. Former One Direction vocalist Harry Styles continues to demonstrate his strength as a solo artist claiming StubHub’s number five spot of the summer. Drake, hip-hop star and Toronto’sfavourite son, comes in at number six thanks to the recent announcement of his Aubrey and Three Migos tour. 2018 also marks the official return to the road for Timmins’ own Shania Twain, whose highly anticipated tour has her performing 14 shows in Canada this summer.
(PRNewsfoto/StubHub)
Summer 2018 Top Selling Acts
Based on total sales on StubHub for 2018 Canadian dates from May 21 to September 3, 2018
“The 2018 summer concert season is extremely diverse this year,” said Jeff Poirier, General Manager of Music, Theatre and Performing Arts for StubHub. “Newer pop acts continue to flourish next to older legacy bands, while acts from the ’90s are showing a particularly strong comeback this year.”
BREAKING DOWN THE TOP 10
- The Height of Stardom
- Ed Sheeran is the top selling act in Canada for the second summer in a row, cementing his superstar status across the nation.
- New Year, New Acts
- Other than Sheeran, the only other repeating act from last year in the top 10 list is U2, which placed fourth in 2017, but sixth in 2018.
- The King of the Six and Canada’s Country Queen
- The only Canadians to make the top ten are Drake at number six, and the reigning queen of country Shania Twain at number nine. Last summer, it was The Weeknd, who landed at number eight on StubHub’s list.
TOP TRENDS
- The Nineties are Back!
- ’90s nostalgia reigns supreme this summer with Foo Fighters and Radiohead taking spots two & three on the list. Also, although not in the top 10, Smashing Pumpkins, Weezer, and Bush are all on road this summer.
- This is the first time Foo Fighters have placed in the top 10 since 2015, and the first time Radiohead has appeared in a StubHub summer concert top 10 preview.
- Harry Styles Going in One Direction…Up!
- Breaking away from the boy band has been good for Harry Styles – he placed number five for top selling acts across Canada, and first place in Vancouver, where he performs on July 6.
- The last time Styles cracked the summer top 10 list was in 2015, when One Direction placed number six.
Breakdown by City
Regional differences are alive and well this summer, with different artists topping the list of most in-demand acts for each major Canadian city.
Toronto Top Summer Acts
1. Ed Sheeran
2. Foo Fighters
3. Eagles
4. Radiohead
5. Harry Styles
Montreal Top Summer Acts
1. U2
2. Radiohead
3. Shania Twain
4. Sam Smith
5. Paul Simon
Vancouver Top Summer Acts
1. Harry Styles
2. David Byrne
3. Jack White
4. Tom Jones
5. Erasure
2018 Top Canadian Festivals
With a musically diverse lineup including Foo Fighters, The Weeknd, Lorde, and Neil Young, Quebec City’s Summer Festival tops the list of most in-demand 2018 Canadian music festivals based on ticket sales. The rest of the top five include the always popular Osheaga (number one on last year’s list), Boots and Hearts, and Shambhala festivals:
1. Quebec City Summer Festival
2. Ever After Music Festival
3. Osheaga Music and Arts Festival
4. Shambhala Music Festival
5. Boots and Hearts Music Festival
StubHub offers the widest selection of tickets to events in 48 countries around the world. Tickets for the summer concert season are available now along with thousands of other events in sports and theater. As always, StubHub backs all listings with its market-leading FanProtect™ Guarantee and fans can use StubHub’s best value feature and price alerts technology to find the perfect seats for any event.
About StubHub At StubHub, our mission is simple: help fans find fun. We connect fans with their favorite teams, shows and artists and introduce them to the ones they’ll love next. As the largest ticket marketplace in the world, we enable fans to buy and sell tickets to tens of thousands of events, whenever they want, through our desktop and mobile experiences, including our StubHub app for iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch and Android. Offering a superior fan experience at its core, StubHub reinvented the ticket resale market in 2000 and continues to lead it through innovation. Our industry firsts include the introduction of the first ticketing application, the first interactive seat mapping tool and the first live entertainment rewards program. Our business partners include more than 130 properties in NHL, MLB, NFL, NBA, MLS, CFL and NCAA, plus AEG, AXS and Paciolan. With the acquisition of Ticketbis in August 2016, throughout the world, StubHub provides the total end-to-end event going experience. StubHub is an eBay company (NASDAQ: EBAY). For more information on StubHub, visit StubHub.com or follow @StubHub on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram or YouTube.com/StubHub.
TORONTO, June 6, 2018 /PRNewswire/ — StubHub