Top touring bands of 2009

Omaha did well bringing in the big names last year.

Among the top 50 concert tours, Omaha and Council Bluffs brought in 25 of those artists. A few others, such as Bruce Springsteen and the Dave Matthews Band, were in the metro in 2008.

Six of the top 10 tours had shows in the Qwest Center (Elton John/Billy Joel, AC/DC, Kenny Chesney, Jonas Brothers, Fleetwood Mac, Metallica) last year.

What I wonder more about are the things that we missed. U2 and Britney Spears skipped Omaha. So did No Doubt and Beyonce.

There are a variety of reasons why those artists might have missed town. One of those is something that not a lot of fans consider: They've already been here. While fans might wonder why Bruce Springsteen doesn't come here on every tour, the Boss and his crew are more concerned about going to different places and reaching as many fans as possible.

If you do take a look at the full list, you'll notice that there are very few "can't miss" shows that weren't here. We did well in 2009.

So, who's coming in 2010? So far, not a lot. Spring tours that have scheduled stops in O-town include John Mayer, Bon Jovi, George Strait and Norah Jones.