After playing a number of sold-out shows in Seattle, Lovemongers cut Led Zeppelin's "Battle of Evermore" for the triple platinum soundtrack from the movie Singles, which was one of Nancy Wilson's first musical collaborations with her husband, filmmaker (and Singles writer/director) Cameron Crowe. In the mid-'90s, Ann and Nancy returned to Seattle and formed The Lovemongers, with long-time collaborator Sue Ennis and performer Frank Cox. Along the way, Heart sold more than 30 million records, had 21 top 40 hits, sold out arenas worldwide, and had a profound influence on rock music. They continued topping the charts through the ‘80s and into the ‘90s with huge hits like "These Dreams," "Alone," "What About Love," "If Looks Could Kill," "Never," and a string of other hits that showcased the sisters' enormous talents as both musicians and singers. “And that’s just tip-of-the-iceberg-ing it.”Īn edited version of this article first appeared in the March 14 issue of Billboard.Ann Wilson and her younger sister, Nancy Wilson first showed the world that women can rock when their band Heart stormed the charts in the '70s with hits like "Crazy on You," "Magic Man," "Barracuda," ‘Straight On," "Even It Up," "Kick It Out" and so many more. Acts such as Louis CK, Daniel Tosh, Amy Schumer, Brian Regan, Hannibal Buress, Patton Oswalt, Bill Burr and Aziz Ansari are “making real waves,” Wills says. Still, Hart’s success makes a statement about the overall health of live comedy. He sold out 10 Radio City Music Hall shows - 60,000 tickets - in 2014 “in his sleep,” Wills says, for a gross of $5 million, according to Boxscore. (Decades ago, Steve Martin and Eddie Murphy put up big numbers, but abandoned concert tours relatively early.)Īnd while Wills says What Now? is “without question” the biggest comedy tour he’s seen in more than 20 years of concert promotion, he notes that other elite comedians could meet Hart’s numbers “if they really wanted to - they just don’t.” Dave Chappelle can crush the box office but usually opts for a residency model. Jeff Dunham owns the Guinness world record for ticket sales, with nearly 2 million for his 2007-2010 Spark of Insanity tour. In 2009, Dane Cook grossed $26,570,000with attendance of 436,000 from 45 shows - a feat already trounced by Hart projections. Still, the “biggest-ever comedy tour” is a relative term. ‘SNL’ Slams Justin Bieber’s Calvin Klein Ads in Kevin Hart-Hosted Episode Numerous film roles, an active social media presence, and the non-polarizing nature of Hart’s comedy continue to boost the comic’s popularity. On his last tour in 2012, Hart stepped up to arenas in “quite a few markets,” Wills says. Hart, who is booked by Mike Berkowitz at APA, has been touring nationally since 2009, and began adding arenas to his route a few years ago when doubles at performing arts centers and theaters were selling out quickly. While other comics often focus films and television at the expense of full-scale tours, Hart “wants to do the films, the specials and the concerts,” says Wills.
“The tour is truly remarkable,” says Geof Wills, president of Live Nation Comedy (promoter of 60 of the nearly 70 shows on Hart’s tour), citing the $70 average ticket price and the multiple shows in arenas - often two sellouts in one night. But even by that standard, Hart is in a league of his own.
30 - making him the first comedian ever to headline a stadium.Īrcade Fire’s Win Butler Shines in NBA Celebrity Game, Kevin Hart Wins MVPīy every metric - ticket sales, festival appearances, venue size and the sheer volume of comics doing strong business - live comedy is at its highest-ever level, pulling in annual revenues of more than $300 million, Billboard estimates. To top it off, Hart, 35, will wrap the tour at Lincoln Financial Field in his hometown of Philadelphia on Aug. a trio of metro-area plays that only the most confident pop or rock stars would even attempt (and he’s already booked a fourth area venue in Wantagh, N.Y. In New York alone, Hart quickly sold out two shows at Madison Square Garden, along with Barclays Center in Brooklyn and the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. Yet it may come as a surprise to learn that his upcoming What Now? tour, which begins April 9 in Texas, is on track to become the highest grossing comedy tour ever reported to Billboard Boxscore, selling more than 600,000 tickets and grossing $35 million to date - and it’s only March. Kevin Hart is an enormously popular comedian, with hit movies, albums and television appearances, a huge fan base and global name recognition.
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