U2 Tops Forbes Highest Paid Musicians List

U2 performs during the band's "Experience + Innocence" tour at The Forum in Inglewood, California, May 16, 2018.

Irish rock band U2 topped the 2018 Forbes magazine list of the highest-paid musicians on Tuesday thanks in part to the group’s successful “Joshua Tree” world tour celebrating their classic 1987 album, reports Reuters.

That tour helped the band collect $118 million in pre-tax earnings from June 1, 2017 to June 1, 2018, the magazine said. The performances featured well-known hits from “The Joshua Tree” album including “Where the Streets Have No Name,” “With or Without You” and “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For.”

The band’s earnings also included revenue from a new tour, “Experience + Innocence.”

British band Coldplay finished second on the Forbes list with $115.5 million, mostly from its “A Head Full Of Dreams” tour.

Billions of streams helped 27-year-old British singer Ed Sheeran finish third with $110 million. He was followed by Bruno Mars with $100 million and Katy Perry with $83 million.

Top 25: The World’s Highest-Paid Musicians 2018

1. U2 ($118 million)
2. Coldplay ($115.5 million)
3. Ed Sheeran ($110 million)
4. Bruno Mars ($100 million)
5. Katy Perry ($83 million)

6. Taylor Swift ($80 million)
7. Jay-Z ($76.5 million)
8. Guns N' Roses ($71 million)
9. Roger Waters ($68 million)
10. Diddy ($64 million)

11. Beyoncé ($60 million)
12. Kendrick Lamar ($58 million)
13. The Weeknd ($57 million)
14. The Eagles ($56 million)
15. Depeche Mode ($53 million)

16. Pink ($52 million, tie)
16. Luke Bryan ($52 million, tie)
18. Jimmy Buffett ($51 million)
19. Lady Gaga ($50 million)
20. Calvin Harris ($48 million)

21. Paul McCartney ($47.5 million)
22. Drake ($47 million, tie)
22. Jennifer Lopez ($47 million, tie)
22. Foo Fighters ($47 million, tie)
25. Elton John ($46 million, tie)