Two Rolling Stones concerts in Regina last year are being hailed as the top grossing Canadian concert event of all time by a music magazine.

Industry publication Pollstar said the Oct. 6 and Oct. 8 sold-out events brought in $12,011,124, placing the Western city of 200,000 on a top 10 list of North American concerts produced in 2006.

Keith Richards and the Rolling Stones played to a crowd of 40,000 in Regina on Oct. 6, 2006, the first time the band performed in Saskatchewan.
(CBC)

"This is fantastic news," said Mayor Pat Fiacco in a statement. "Everyone involved with the two sold-out shows from the fans to the organizers should be very proud."

The 25-year-old magazine — which provides music business professionals with trade news, tour schedules and ticket sales results — says the two Regina shows combined are the only Canadian events to make the top 40 North American grossing concerts of all time. The Regina gigs were No. 34 on the list.

The concerts marked the first time the aging rockers had played in the province, which proved to be rich with fans — about 80,000 of them attended the two concerts.

"Promoters know that we can do it — that Regina can host world-class events. A success such as this allows us to sell Regina to the world," Neil Donnelly, vice-president of marketing and events for Ipsco Place, told the Regina Leader-Post newspaper.

The concerts reportedly pumped more than $10 million into the province. Fans converged from far and wide including Alberta, British Columbia and Ontario.

The band, comprising Charlie Watts, Keith Richards, Mick Jagger and Ron Wood, quickly decided to add a second date after tickets for the first concert were gobbled up in half an hour.

The two-hour concerts, held in Mosaic Stadium at Taylor Field, both launched with a fireworks display. Concert-goers were treated to giant flames, a colossal inflatable mouth and tongue, and a sliding stage that took the band halfway down the field.

Pollstar also named the Stones' A Bigger Bang tour the top grossing North American tour of 2006, earning an estimated $138.5 million US and selling more than one million tickets. 

Barbra Streisand's tour came in second with $92 million US in sales.