NEW YORK — Madonna, U2 and AC/DC are among the finalists for Billboard’s 2009 Billboard Touring Awards, which will be awarded Nov. 5. The awards are based on box office results globally from Oct. 1, 2008, through Sept. 30, 2009. U2’s 360 tour, Madonna’s Sticky & Sweet tour and AC/DC’s Black Ice tour are finalists in both the Top Tour (top grossing) and Top Draw (ticket sales) categories.
Billboard also has a Top Package award for the top-grossing tour with three or more artists. Finalists include Kenny Chesney (with Miranda Lambert, Lady Antebellum, Sugarland and Montgomery Gentry); the Jonas Brothers (with Jordin Sparks, Honor Society and Wonder Girls); and Nickelback (with Hinder, Papa Roach, and Saving Abel).
Billboard’s Breakthrough Award finalists for newer artists are Lil Wayne, Taylor Swift, Kings Of Leon, and Il Divo, and Top Comedy Tour Finalists include Dane Cook, Robin Williams and French & Saunders.
For Billboard’s Top Boxscore award, to the top-grossing show of the year, the finalists are U2 at Croke Park in Dublin, U2 at Stade de France in Paris and the Oxegen fest at Punchestown Racecourse, Naas, Ireland.
Top Festival contenders for 2009 are Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival, Manchester, Tenn., Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival, Indio, Calif. and the Oxegen Festival, Naas, Ireland.
Venue award categories include Top Arena (Acer Arena, Sydney, Madison Square Garden, New York and O2 Arena, London, Top Venue Under 10,000 Seats (Auditorio Nacional, Mexico City, Radio City Music Hall, New York and The WaMu Theater at Madison Square Garden, New York); Top Venue Under 5,000 Seats (The Colosseum at Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, Beacon Theatre, New York and the Fox Theatre, Atlanta); Top Club (9:30 Club, Washington D.C., House of Blues, Boston and The Fillmore, San Francisco); and Top Amphitheater (Comcast Center, Mansfield, Mass., Molson Amphitheatre, Toronto and Susquehanna Bank Center, Camden, N.J.)
Billboard’s Boxcore-related awards announcement also named finalists for top promoter (Live Nation and AEG Live and Sao Paulo promoter Time 4 Fun); international independent promoter (T4F, MCD, Michael Coppel Presents); and U.S. independent promoter (Jam Productions in Chicago, C3 Presents in Austin Frank Productions in Madison, Wis.).
For more information, please visit www.billboard.com.
