U2 has the edge: Band had 2011's highest-grossing tour

U2 is No. 1 when it comes to touring. The band had the highest-grossing tour both in North America and worldwide in 2011.

Bono, the Edge and company grossed $156 million in North America on the strength of 1.7 million tickets sold, according to Pollstar, which covers the concert industry. They grossed $231.9 million worldwide off 2.39 million tickets.

Rounding out the top five highest-grossing touring acts in North America were Taylor Swift ($97.7 million), Kenny Chesney ($84.6 million), Lady Gaga ($63.7 million) and Bon Jovi ($57.1 million).

As for the worldwide top five, U2 were followed by the reunited Take That ($224 million), Bon Jovi ($148.8 million), Swift ($104.2 million) and Roger Waters ($103.6 million). Tickets on U2's 360 Degrees tour sold for an average of $97.15 worldwide and $91.67 in North America.

The year's top 25 biggest tours grossed a combined $2.1 billion worldwide, which is roughly the same as in 2010. In North America, there was a 4 percent dip among the top 25, which grossed $1.19 billion.

Still, the entire concert industry had a 15 percent increase in ticket sales compared with 2010, despite 20 percent fewer reported shows, according to Billboard.

U2's success in 2011 was bolstered by the rescheduling of postponed concert dates from 2010 due to a back injury frontman Bono suffered that year.