A Head Full of Dreams show in Buenos Aires completes 114-concert series that is the third highest-grossing in history

This article is more than 2 years old

This article is more than 2 years old

Coldplay generated more than $500m on their just completed global tour, the band’s promoters have said, making it the third highest-grossing in history.

The English band played the 114th and final show of their A Head Full of Dreams tour on Wednesday night in Buenos Aires, completing a haul of $523m in ticket sales, Live Nation announced.

Only two other acts have ever amassed more: the Irish rockers U2, who grossed $784m on their elaborate, in-the-round 360 tour from 2009 to 2011, and The Rolling Stones, who grossed slightly above Coldplay with their A Bigger Bang shows a decade ago.

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Coldplay went hi-tech for the tour, with fans given interactive wristbands that change colour to the music and eye-popping displays with lasers and confetti.

The band, led by Chris Martin, who broke through in the early 2000s with a mixture of dark ballads and pop anthems, earlier hinted that A Head Full of Dreams would be their last full-length album, although they released a new EP in July.

The tour started in March 2016, also in Buenos Aires, and reached nearly 5.4 million fans, according to Live Nation.

The band sold out multiple dates at stadiums in London, Paris, Los Angeles, Chicago and New Jersey and set a new attendance record of 67,451 at Mexico City’s Foro Sol.

Coldplay’s huge profit pushes Roger Waters and his marathon 2010-13 The Wall Live tour into fourth place on the highest-grossing list.