The 30th Annual Pollstar Awards, a night to honor the concert and touring industries, gave out the night’s biggest awards to tours by Ed Sheeran, Foo Fighters, Taylor Swift and Beyoncé & Jay-Z on Wednesday. In addition, Paradigm won booking agency of the year and Marty Diamond was named agent of the year.
Founded in 1981, Pollstar is a trade publication dedicated to covering the global concert industry and its box office data is a leading resource. This year’s annual conference, called Pollstar Live!, occurred over three days at the Beverly Hilton Hotel and was hosted by comedian Bert Kreischer. The Pollstar Awards took place on the final day and awarded the 2018’s best tours, promoters, agents, venues, artists and managers.
Normally decided by industry voters, Pollstar used box office performance for the first time to help determine the winners. This year also debuted the Music Unites award, which was founded by rock band Linkin Park. Speakers at the event included Foo Fighters’ Dave Grohl, Khalid, George Clinton and Nikki Sixx.
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See the full list of winners below.
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Major Tour of the Year: Ed Sheeran | ÷ Tour
Best Rock Tour: Foo Fighters | Concrete and Gold Tour 2018
Best Hip-Hop/R&B: Beyoncé & Jay-Z | On The Run II Tour
Best Pop Tour: Taylor Swift | Reputation Stadium Tour
Best Country Tour: Chris Stapleton | Chris Stapleton’s All-American Road Show Tour
Best Latin Tour: Shakira | El Dorado World Tour
Best Comedy Tour: Kevin Hart | The Kevin Hart Irresponsible Tour
Best Support/Special Guest: Kacey Musgraves | Harry Styles – Harry Styles: Live
Best Residency: Bruce Springsteen | Walter Kerr Theatre
Best Attraction: America
Best Non-Music Tour of the Year: Becoming: An Intimate Conversation With Michelle Obama
Best New Headliner: Greta Van Fleet
Music Festival Over 30K Capacity: Coachella | Indio, CA
Music Festival Under 30K Capacity: Newport Folk Festival | Newport, RI
Nightclub of the Year: 9:30 Club | Washington, D.C.
Theatre of the Year: Ryman Auditorium | Nashville, TN
Arena of the Year: Madison Square Garden Arena | New York, NY
Best Outdoor Concert Venue: Red Rocks Amphitheatre | Morrison, CO
Best New Concert Venue: The Rooftop at Pier 17 | New York, NY
Venue Executive of the Year: Laurie Jacoby, Madison Square Garden
Talent Buyer of the Year: Stacy Vee, Goldenvoice
Bill Graham Award-Promoter of the Year: Louis Messina, Messina Touring Group
International Promoter of the Year: Barrie Marshall, Marshal Arts Ltd
Bobby Brooks Award – Agent of the Year: Marty Diamond, Paradigm Talent Agency
International Booking Agent of the Year: Emma Banks, Creative Artists Agency
Booking Agency of the Year: Paradigm Talent Agency
Rising Star: Lesley Olenik, Live Nation
Personal Manager of the Year: Coran Capshaw, Red Light Management
Road Warrior: Gus Brandt | Foo Fighters, Pharrell Williams/NERD, Conan O’Brien
Best Production/Transportation Company: Upstaging, Inc.
Best Brand Partnership/Live Campaign: Nationwide Insurance w/Brad Paisley
Best Touring Musician: Elton John
Marketing/PR Exec: Allison McGregor, Creative Artists Agency
Best Hang: Austin City Limits Music Festival
The Lifer: Frank Riley, High Road Touring
The Unavailable Award: Bob Roux, Live Nation
Most Frequently Name-Dropped: Michael Rapino, Live Nation
The Back In My Day: Ron Delsener, Live Nation
Most Dreaded Phone Call: Irving Azoff, Full Stop Management
Most Terrifying Agent: Marsha Vlasic, Artist Group International
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