Las Vegas Raiders’ Allegiant Stadium World’s Top Stadium Concert Venue in 2022

Posted on: December 13, 2022, 01:41h. 

Last updated on: December 13, 2022, 04:12h.

Devin O'Connor @CasinoorgDevinO Read More
Expertise: Asia Pacific Gaming, Commercial Gaming, Legislation, Politics.

The 2022 Las Vegas Raiders season appears to be a bust, as the 5-8 team is an NFL postseason long shot. But the franchise’s home venue had an unforgettable year.

Allegiant Stadium concert sales tickets Las Vegas Raiders
A sold-out Allegiant Stadium during one of BTS’ Las Vegas shows in April 2022. Allegiant Stadium sold more concert tickets than any other stadium in the world this year. (Image: Getty)

Allegiant Stadium was built just west of the Las Vegas Strip and I-15 at a cost of $1.9 billion. The partially tax-funded development is paying off for the Las Vegas Stadium Authority, the stadium’s owner that’s controlled by the Clark County Government.

According to Pollstar, a leading publication in the live music industry, no stadium generated more concert ticket revenue than Allegiant did in 2022. The media outlet says Allegiant concert sales totaled approximately $178.8 million this year, easily besting the runner-up, California’s SoFi Stadium in Inglewood at $121.2 million.

Clark County set aside $750 million in taxes for the construction of Allegiant Stadium, which was used to lure the NFL Raiders away from Oakland to Las Vegas. Allegiant Stadium opened amid the pandemic in July 2020.

Clark County raised three-quarters of a billion dollars in public financing by slightly increasing the nightly hotel occupancy tax the county levies on room stays. The tax was increased by 0.88% for hotels on the Strip and elsewhere in Las Vegas. The rate was elevated by 0.5% for all other hotels within 25 miles of the Clark County Government Center.

Marquee Destination

Though its home NFL team has struggled this year, Allegiant Stadium has stayed busy with numerous high-profile concerts that have packed the domed venue.

Customizable to accommodate almost 93K people for a concert, notable acts to play Allegiant Stadium this year included BTS, Bad Bunny, Metallica, Billy Joel, Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Weeknd, Motley Crue, Def Leppard, Imagine Dragons, and Elton John. Confirmed shows for 2023 include Taylor Swift, Ed Sheeran, Pink, and a return of the Chili Peppers.

Pollstar says global stadium concert sales from the world’s top 100 tours totaled roughly $6.3 billion in 2022. More than 59.2 million tickets sold generated the record stadium concert revenue at an average ticket cost of $106.

Higher ticket costs because of demand and inflation were cited for the record global revenue.

2022 Stadium Concert Revenue (USD)

  1. Allegiant Stadium (NV) — $178.8M
  2. SoFi Stadium (CA) — $121.2M
  3. Foro Sol (Mexico) — $90.8M
  4. MetLife Stadium (NJ) — $83.2M
  5. Ullevi Stadium (Sweden) — $61.2M
  6. Stade de France (France) — $60.3M
  7. Soldier Field (IL) — $53.4M
  8. Wembley Stadium (UK) — $53.3M
  9. Nissan Stadium (TN) — $51.7M
  10. Fenway Park (MA) — $50.9M

Raiders Struggles

Allegiant Stadium’s first year in operation was far from the grand opening that state, county, and team officials envisioned during construction. COVID-19 kept Allegiant’s stands empty during the Raiders’ inaugural campaign in Southern Nevada, during which the team went a disappointing 8-8 to miss the postseason.

The Raiders’ 2021 campaign was better, as the team improved to 10-7 and made the playoffs. But Jon Gruden’s firing amid reports that he made homophobic, misogynistic, and racist comments in emails, followed by the Raiders’ quick wild-card playoff loss to the Cincinnati Bengals, overshadowed the winning season.

The Raiders will need a strong second half of the regular season to play extra games. The team’s struggles under new coach Josh McDaniels have led to the Raiders enduring one of the worst average home attendance rates in the entire NFL.

Each Raiders home game has averaged just 62K fans per contest this season. That ranks No. 30 of the league’s 32 teams. The Dallas Cowboys lead the way with more than 93,400 fans per home game.