Rolling Stones gross $26.9m on first three Aus tour dates

With two dates left on their 14 On Fire Australia and New Zealand jaunt, The Rolling Stones have already grossed A$26.9 million for just three dates in Australia alone.

The feat sees the band top Billboard’s Hot Tours chart with the rescheduled dates, sitting above Mexican Grammy winner Vicente "Chente" Fernández ($7.37m), US rock band Phish ($5.15m), Grammy-winning pop artist James Taylor ($3.32m) and Guatemalan singer-songwriter Ricardo Arjona ($2.2m).

Taking in all major cities as well as the Hunter Valley over eight Australian dates, The Rolling Stones sold out Adelaide Oval performing to 52,910 and grossing US$8.9 million for the October 25 concert. Their show at Melbourne’s Rod Laver Arena drew 12,262, grossing US$4.8 million in ticket sales on November 5 – the arena’s biggest profit from a single concert this year - but their biggest earner was the two-date stop at Perth Arena where they grossed US$9.8 million in ticket sales. According to figures published by Billboard, the grossing figure reports from The Stones' dates in Adelaide, Perth and Melbourne.

Last year The Stones’ had the highest-grossing British tour of 2013. The 23 shows, attended by 326,998 fans, made A$144.28 million and put the band at #6 in the international list of high-grossing tours.

The Stones’ were due to perform Hanging Rock on November 8, but the band were forced to cancel the date due to Mick Jagger’s throat infection.

In related news, The Rolling Stones have settled the compensation lawsuit that followed the band's cancelled Australian tour in March. The Stones' were forced to reschedule all Australian and New Zealand dates when Jagger's partner, model and fashion designer L'Wren Scott took her life. Court documents revealed the band may not receive the $12.7 million they requested in compensation after underwriters said, "Scott's death arose from, was traceable to, or accelerated by, a condition for which she had received or been recommended medical attention." Now, spokeswoman for Jagger Fran Curtis, has said the $12.7 million claim had been resolved prior to details being reported.

The Stones will take in Brisbane tomorrow night at its Entertainment Centre before the final date at Auckland’s Mt Smart Stadium.