And, even more so than usual, the top 25 list is dominated by acts that first achieved success a quarter century ago or more, including Madonna, Tina Turner, AC/DC, Bruce Springsteen, Billy Joel, Elton John, Fleetwood Mac, Metallica, the Dead, Neil Young, Iron Maiden and Leonard Cohen. That said, there's still a freshness to the chart, with some names not typically associated with the box-office elite.

The time period for the midyear numbers is Dec. 6, 2008, through June 20, 2009. When tardy reporting is factored in, overall numbers stack up favorably to the same time period last year. In the period covered, global concerts grossed $1.8 billion and drew 30.6 million attendees from 8,744 shows reported. - more on this story

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