A Look Back at the 36th Annual Pollstar Awards

 

On April 16, 2025, Pollstar, the leading voice in live entertainment, brought together the industry’s top talent for an unforgettable evening. As the only peer-voted honors in the business, the Pollstar Awards hold a unique and respected place in the industry. This year’s ceremony honored the most innovative and successful artists, tours, companies, venues, and executives, with award winners including Bad Bunny, Billie Eilish, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, Jelly Roll, Missy Elliott, Taylor Swift, who notably won “Major Tour of the Year” for the second consecutive year for her ongoing "Eras Tour" (having also won at the previous 35th Annual Pollstar Awards), Usher, and more.

Major highlights include Dead & Company's Residency of the Year award, accepted by John Mayer and Bob Weir. Eddie Vedder spoke for The Music Festival of the Year award win for the Ohana Festival. Jelly Roll personally accepted his Country Tour of the Year award, and Missy Elliott took the stage to receive her Hip-Hop Tour of the Year award.

The evening celebrated industry icons with Pollstar Live! Hall of Fame inductions and prestigious award recognitions, honoring those who have made a lasting impact on live entertainment. Stevie Nicks was inducted by presenter Jimmy Iovine, with fellow inductees including Louis Messina, Barrie Marshall (introduced by Brian Ray and Rusty Anderson of Paul McCartney’s band), and the Ryman Auditorium (presented by Bob Weir) were also honored.

The Personal Manager of the Year award was a tie between Irving Azoff (presented by his first client, Kevin Cronin of REO Speedwagon/the Kevin Cronin Band) and Coran Capshaw (presented by The Strokes’ Albert Hammond, Jr.). The Lifetime Achievement award was presented posthumously to Gary Kurfirst by Jerry Harrison of Talking Heads.

In addition, the first-ever Billie Eilish Award for Sustainability was awarded to Mike Sciortino, GM of UBS Arena, as Sustainability Champion. The award also recognized Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, WA, as Sustainable Venue.

See below for a full list of winners.

 

36th Annual Pollstar Awards Recap (April 16, 2025)

36th Annual Pollstar Awards Winners

Major Tour of the Year
Taylor Swift, The Eras Tour

Rock Tour of the Year
Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, 2024 World Tour

Hip-Hop Tour of the Year
Missy Elliott, Out of This World — The Missy Elliott Experience

R&B Tour of the Year
Usher, Usher: Past Present Future

Pop Tour of the Year
Billie Eilish, Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour

Country Tour of the Year
Jelly Roll, The Beautifully Broken Tour

Latin Tour of the Year
Bad Bunny, Most Wanted Tour

Comedy Tour of the Year
Nate Bargatze, The Be Funny Tour

Support/Special Guest of the Year
Chappell Roan (Olivia Rodrigo)

Residency of the Year
Dead & Company, Sphere

Family, Event or Non-Music Tour of the Year
Hot Wheels Monster Trucks Live Glow Party

New Headliner of the Year
Chappell Roan

Music Festival of the Year (Global; over 30K attendance)
Bourbon & Beyond, Louisville, KY

Music Festival of the Year (Global; under 30K attendance)
Ohana Festival, Dana Point, CA

International Music Festival of The Year
Glastonbury Festival, Somerset, UK

Nightclub of the Year
9:30 Club, Washington, DC

Theatre of the Year
Brooklyn Paramount, Brooklyn, NY

Arena of the Year (U.S. Only)
Sphere, Las Vegas, NV

Arena of the Year (Outside of the U.S.)
The O2 – London, London, UK

Red Rocks Award — Outdoor Concert Venue of the Year
Hollywood Bowl, Hollywood, CA

Stadium of the Year (U.S. only)
SoFi Stadium, Inglewood, CA

Stadium of the Year (Outside the U.S.)
Wembley Stadium, London, UK

Casino/Resort Venue of the Year
Hard Rock Live at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, Hollywood, FL

New Concert Venue of the Year (North America)
Intuit Dome, Inglewood, CA

New Concert Venue of the Year (International)
Co-op Live, Manchester, UK

Venue Executive of the Year
Christy Castillo Butcher, SoFi Stadium and Hollywood Park

Talent Buyer of the Year
Stacie George, Live Nation

Small Venue Talent Buyer of the Year (Under 10,000 Capacity)
Donna Busch, Goldenvoice

Bill Graham Award / Promoter of the Year
Rich Schaefer, AEG Presents

International Promoter of the Year
Ricardo Gómez, OCESA

Bobby Brooks Award — Agent of the Year
Kirk Sommer, William Morris Endeavor

International Booking Agent of the Year
Christopher Dalston, Creative Artists Agency

Booking Agency of the Year
Wasserman Music

Independent Booking Agency of the Year (Global)
High Road Touring

Rising Star Award
Kiely Mosiman, Wasserman Music

Personal Manager of the Year
Coran Capshaw, Red Light Management (tie)
Irving Azoff, The Azoff Company (tie)

Maxie Solters Award — Touring Publicist of the Year
Larry Solters, Scoop Marketing

Road Warrior of the Year
Marty Hom

Transportation Company of the Year
Rock-It Cargo

Concert Visuals Company of the Year
Moo TV

Concert Sound Company of the Year
Clair Global

Tour Services Company of the Year
Backline Care

Pollstar Hall of Fame
Barrie Marshall
Louis Messina
Stevie Nicks
Ryman Auditorium

Lifetime Achievement Award
Gary Kurfirst

Visionary Award
Steve Ballmer

Billie Eilish Award for Venue Sustainability - Sustainability Champion
Mike Sciortino, UBS Arena

Billie Eilish Award for Venue Sustainability - Sustainable Venue
Climate Pledge Arena, Seattle, WA

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