As 2011 draws to a close, Billboard has released its list of the year’s top-grossing tours — and while veteran acts didn’t dominate the box office as heavily as they have in recent years, plenty of classic rockers spent the year playing to sold out arenas.
In fact, the two highest-grossing tours of the year also held the top spots in 2010: U2 and Bon Jovi, continuing their treks from last year, reclaimed the No. 1 and No. 2 positions while earning a combined total of nearly $500 million.

Other classic rock artists in the Top 25 include Roger Waters (No. 4, $150 million), the Eagles (No. 12, $50 million), Journey (No. 18, $39 million) and Iron Maiden (No. 20, $33 million).

In the top spot with $293 million — and 44 sold out shows — U2′s 360° tour continued its three-year streak of packing ‘em in, setting a new record for the highest-grossing and most widely-attended tour of all time. Bon Jovi’s $193 million take put the band in a distant second, but that total isn’t bad for a band whose latest studio effort, ‘The Circle,’ is two years old (and failed to launch a Top 40 single).

Take a look at the complete list below. How many of 2011′s top-grossing tours did you see? Let us know in the comments!

The Top-Grossing Tours of 2011
1. U2
2. Bon Jovi
3. Take That
4. Roger Waters
5. Taylor Swift
6. Kenny Chesney
7. Usher
8. Lady Gaga
9. Andre Rieu
10. Sade
11. Michael Buble
12. Eagles
13. Katy Perry
14. Lil Wayne
15. Justin Bieber
16. Glee Live! In Concert
17. NKOTBSB
18. Journey
19. Britney Spears
20. Iron Maiden
21. Kylie Minogue
22. Neil Diamond
23. Enrique Iglesias
24. Jason Aldean
25. Toby Keith

-ultimateclassicrock.com