Billboard announces Touring Awards finalists

Billboard Magazine have revealed the finalist for their annual Touring Awards, which will be given out at a reception in New York City on November 5 to close out the 6th annual Bilboard Touring Conference & Awards. The awards are based on global box office numbers reported to Billboard Boxscore from October 1, 2008, through September 30, 2009.

U2′s 360 tour, Madonna’s Sticky & Sweet tour, and AC/DC’s Black Ice tour were all named finalists to the top two prizes: Top Tour and Top Draw awards, which acknowledge the top grossing and ticket selling tours, respectively. On the local front, the Comcast Center in Mansfield was once again named a finalist in the Top Amphitheatre category. In its first year of business, Boston’s House of Blues was named a finalist in the Top Club category. A complete list of the finalists for each category is available below.

2009 Billboard Touring Awards Finalists:

TOP TOUR
AC/DC, Black Ice tour
Madonna, Sticky & Sweet
U2  360

TOP DRAW
AC/DC
Madonna
U2

TOP PACKAGE
Jonas Brothers, Jordin Sparks, Honor Society, Wonder Girls
Kenny Chesney, Miranda Lambert, Lady Antebellum (Sugarland, Montgomery Gentry)
Nickelback with Hinder, Papa Roach, Saving Abel

BREAKTHROUGH
Il Divo
Kings Of Leon
Lil Wayne
Taylor Swift

TOP COMEDY TOUR
Dane Cook
French & Saunders
Robin Williams

TOP BOXSCORE
Oxegen Festival, Punchestown Racecourse, Naas, Ireland, July 10-12
U2, Croke Park, Dublin, July 24-27
U2, Stade de France, Paris, July 11-12

TOP FESTIVAL
Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival, Manchester, Tenn.
Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival, Indio, Calif.
Oxegen Festival, Naas, Ireland

TOP ARENA
Acer Arena, Sydney
Madison Square Garden, New York
O2 Arena, London

TOP VENUE – UNDER 10,000 SEATS
Auditorio Nacional, Mexico City
Radio City Music Hall, New York
The WaMu Theater at Madison Square Garden, New York

TOP VENUE – UNDER 5,000 SEATS
The Colosseum at Caesars Palace, Las Vegas
Beacon Theatre, New York
Fox Theatre, Atlanta

TOP CLUB
9:30 Club, Washington D.C.
House of Blues, Boston
The Fillmore, San Francisco

TOP AMPHITHEATER
Comcast Center, Mansfield, Mass.
Molson Amphitheatre, Toronto
Susquehanna Bank Center, Camden, N.J.

TOP PROMOTER
AEG Live
Live Nation
T4F

TOP INDEPENDENT PROMOTER (U.S.)
C3 Presents, Austin, Texas
Frank Productions, Madison, Wis.
Jam Productions, Chicago, Ill.

TOP INDEPENDENT PROMOTER (International)
MCD, Dublin
T4F, Sao Paulo, Brazil
Michael Coppel Presents, Australia

HUMANITARIAN AWARD
Kevin Lyman

LEGEND OF LIVE
Ozzy Osbourne