This study says that Toronto gets picked the most for music tours

When it comes to concerts, Toronto is the “world tour capital” | Photo by Anthony Delanoix on Unsplash

Possible remarks on exaggeration aside, among the major events that surround music lovers’ lives include album releases, surprise collaborations, and concert tour announcements. But the last one, in particular, can also create a dent in the parasocial relationship between the audience and their favorite artist when certain destinations get skipped.

Some fans seem to be in the favor of concert gods, though. If you’re wondering if you’re living in a city that carries the perk, Radical Storage has tried cracking the code. 

In an analysis published by the travel company-slash-luggage storage platform in October, co-founder Giacomo Piva tried to find out the cities that often get chosen during musicians’ world tours. 

The top pick? Toronto, Canada.

Aside from Toronto, which cities have the luckiest concertgoer fans? 

Exploring 707 concert tour dates from 21 of the most massive music artists (based on Spotify streams) that have had their world tours since 2015, plus checking which cities landed in the visited, canceled, or scheduled for 2024 groups, Toronto topped the list “with 85.1 percent of world tours attending the Canadian city by music elite since 2015,” and it has been hosting 40 world tour dates since the year. 

Among the big names that graced its stages this 2023 are Beyoncé (“Renaissance” world tour), Ed Sheeran (“+–=÷×” tour), and TWICE (“Ready To Be” world tour). Taylor Swift’s record-breaking “Eras Tour” also features five dates in the destination in 2024. 

The city boasts a good mix of large-scale and intimate venues, including the Massey Hall, Dakota Tavern, Rogers Centre, and the multi-purpose Scotiabank Arena—which can hold 19,800 people—among other hangout places. 

On Radical Storage’s list of popular concert stops, after the “world tour capital” Toronto comes London (83 percent), Chicago and Houston (tied at 80.9 percent), Philadelphia (70.2 percent), and Manchester (66 percent). The only other Canadian city in the top 10 is Montreal, tied with New York at 55.3 percent in the eighth spot.

Which cities often get snubbed?

While some spots appear as frequent music tour go-tos, there’s also a long list of those that get overlooked (and you’d probably catch the fans flooding artists’ Instagram Lives, persuading them to make a reconsideration on their tour stops). 

Ranking first is the Greek capital Athens.. Piva claims that “musicians have tended to avoid Greek cities in recent years, with high taxes and smaller venues limiting earning potential for star performers.” In 2024, Coldplay will hold its first concert in the historical destination.

Other cities often ignored include Bogota, Fort Worth, Fortaleza, Gold Coast, Guangzhou, Istanbul, Medellin, Newcastle, Puebla, and more.

Meanwhile, Manila, Philippines is mentioned once in the study, particularly under the roster of cities most skipped by Western acts. It ranks sixth together with Shanghai, China.