Korean boyband BTS outsold superstars including Drake, Take That and Shawn Mendes as the Spice Girls topped the list of the UK’s biggest live acts of the year so far, according to ticket sales data.
The K-pop band was the third biggest-selling live act in the UK, ahead of all other boybands including Westlife, Take That and Backstreet Boys, according to ticket selling site StubHub.
They were beaten only by the Spice Girls and Pink on the live events index, which was created using sales data from the year-to-date.
The reunion tour of the British girl band sold double the number of tickets of the second most popular artist Pink, StubHub said.
Meanwhile, BTS, who announced a hiatus this month, had two of the top five best-selling gigs of the year with their appearances at London’s Wembley Stadium in June.
Also featured on the list of best-selling live acts are Post Malone, Hugh Jackman, Panic! At The Disco, Twenty One Pilots, Michael Buble, Fleetwood Mac, Bon Jovi, Tears For Fears, Childish Gambino, Eric Clapton, Billie Eilish and Elton John.
Roisin O’Shea of StubHub UK said: “Girl Power was back with unstoppable momentum this year, so it’s no surprise to see the Spice Girls at the top of this list.
“Westlife, Take That and Fleetwood Mac also sold huge numbers of tickets, showing that nostalgic fans remain a big driver of live ticket sales.
“K-pop is certainly having its moment in the music scene and is rising in popularity at an unstoppable rate.
“BTS’s powerful ‘Army’ fanbase travelled from across the world – including India, Romania, Singapore, the US and Japan – to see the band’s UK shows.
“According to our data, they have surpassed the likes of Drake, Post Malone and Shawn Mendes when it comes to ticket demand.”
Here are the Top 10 best-selling live acts as determined by ticket sales for gigs:
1 – Spice Girls
2 – Pink
3 – BTS
4 – Drake
5 – Post Malone
6 – Take That
7 – Hugh Jackman
8 – Panic at the Disco
9 – Shawn Mendes
10 – Twenty One Pilots
