analysis: U2 [ tickets ]'s Elevation Tour was the top-grossing North American tour of 2001, taking in close to $110 million in ticket sales over the course of 80 sold-out shows, according to an industry trade magazine. That ranks as the second-highest-grossing tour in history.

The year's No. 2 and No. 3 tours--the outings of 'NSync and Backstreet Boys [ tickets ], respectively--also ranked among the 10 top-grossing North American tours in history, according to Pollstar's annual year-end issue.

The Rolling Stones' 1994 outing, which took in $121.2 million, remains the top-grossing tour.

Pollstar estimated that gross ticket income for the Top 100 tours of 2001 was a record $1.75 billion, up from $1.7 billion in 2000. However, the number of tickets sold for the top tours declined about 7 percent to 34.4 million, a sign that increasing ticket prices are keeping fans away.

The average ticket price for Pollstar's Top 100 acts jumped 8 percent to $43.68 in 2001, marking the fifth straight increase.

"In 1995, the average ticket for one of the Top 100 tours was $26.05," the magazine reported. "In 1996, the price actually dropped slightly to $25.81. The price in 1997 was $29.81 and in 1998, it rose to $32.20. In 1999, the average price jumped to $36.84 and then jumped again in 2000 to $40.74."

A ticket to see Elton John [ tickets ] and Billy Joel [ tickets ] in concert averaged just over $100, and Madonna fans paid an average of nearly $124 for a ticket. Still, both tours sold out.

The average 'NSync ticket sold for $52.22 in 2001, up from $46.36 in 2000. The average Backstreet Boys ticket went for $56.10 in 2001, up more than $10 from 2000.

The real price of seeing a major concert, however, was much higher. Box office reports collected by Pollstar don't factor in taxes, facility fees and ticketing charges, which can, in some cases, add a premium of more than 50 percent to the price of a ticket. In addition, the statistics don't include tickets sold by brokers, which can be priced exponentially higher.

No country acts placed among the Top 10 tours of 2001. In 2000, a Tim McGraw-Faith Hill co-headlining tour ranked at No. 5, while Dixie Chicks were No. 6. The year's top country tour was Tim McGraw's, which grossed $24.9 million and ranked at No. 17 on Pollstar's list.

The year's top-grossing show was the Oct. 20 Concert for New York City at Madison Square Garden, a benefit for Sept. 11 victims that featured Paul McCartney, the Who, Bon Jovi and David Bowie, among many others. Ticket prices ranged from $250 to $10,000, and the ticket gross from the show was neary $12.3 million.

Michael Jackson's Sept. 7 and 10 shows at Madison Square Garden took in a combined $10 million, which was the year's No. 2 ticket gross for a single engagement.

The dominance of promotions firm Clear Channel Communications continued to grow among 2001's top tours. According to Pollstar, 161 of the year's Top 200 shows were promoted by the company.

Pollstar's Top 10 Tours of 2001: