Oasis’ Comeback Outing Wins ‘Major Tour of the Year’ Prize at Pollstar Awards, as Kendrick Lamar/SZA, Benson Boone and the Weeknd Also Score Top Honors

The 37th annual Pollstar Awards, held at the Loews Hollywood Hotel, served as the concluding event for the industry's Pollstar Live! conference, bringing together leading figures from the global concert business. In a major highlight, the iconic Britpop group Oasis secured the top prize for Major Tour of the Year, a testament to the overwhelming success of their 2025 reunion. This global stadium run, their first since a bitter 2009 breakup that lasted 16 years, not only sold out consistently but also reaffirmed the massive commercial power of legacy rock acts, setting a formidable precedent for any future high-profile reunions.

Genre-specific touring excellence was celebrated across the board. Metallica's innovative "M72 World Tour," which presented two entirely different setlists in every city, earned them Rock Tour of the Year. The Hip-Hop Tour of the Year award was jointly presented to Kendrick Lamar and SZA for their "Grand National Tour," while other winners included The Weeknd (R&B), Benson Boone (Pop), and a tie between Chris Stapleton and Lainey Wilson for Country. A notable rise was spotlighted with Olivia Dean winning Support/Special Guest of the Year for her role on Sabrina Carpenter's tour. Dean, whose soulful debut "Messy" earned her the 2023 Brit Award for Rising Star, has rapidly transitioned from opener to headliner, with her own sold-out arena tour launching this spring—a trajectory that underscores how strategic support slots can catalyze an artist's commercial momentum.

The ceremony also honored the physical spaces that host live events. Festival awards were divided by scale, with the massive Austin City Limits (over 30,000 capacity) and the more intimate Ohana Festival in Dana Point, California (under 30,000) each receiving recognition. Venue winners spanned history and cutting-edge technology. The legendary Troubadour in West Hollywood, a 500-capacity club that famously helped launch Elton John and James Taylor in the 1970s, was named Nightclub of the Year. The historic Hollywood Bowl, an amphitheater that first opened in 1922 and is famed for its concentric-arch bandshell, won Outdoor Venue of the Year. Las Vegas further cemented its reputation as a premier destination, with the technologically immersive Sphere winning Arena of the Year and Allegiant Stadium, home to the NFL's Las Vegas Raiders, taking U.S. Stadium of the Year.

Significant accolades were reserved for the executives and companies operating behind the scenes. Promoter of the Year went to Live Nation's Arthur Fogel, a veteran known for managing record-setting global tours for artists like U2 and Madonna. The night, however, belonged to Creative Artists Agency (CAA), which secured a notable sweep. The agency won Booking Agency of the Year, while its executives Darryl Eaton and Allison McGregor were named Agent of the Year and Marketing Executive of the Year, respectively. As industry analyst Maria Chen noted, "CAA's dominance reflects a modern strategy of bundling artist rosters for package tours and executing sophisticated, multi-platform marketing campaigns—tactics that are now essential for cutting through a saturated market."

A new fan-voted category, the iHeartRadio Pollstar Fan Favorite Award for Live Performer of the Year, was introduced and won by country star Morgan Wallen, whose recent tour faced unprecedented demand. Hosted by iHeartRadio's Valentine, the awards ultimately highlighted the dual engines of the live sector: raw fan passion, as captured by Wallen's win, and the complex, professional machinery of promoters, agents, and venue operators honored throughout the evening. This synergy is what successfully translates audience devotion into the large-scale, logistically intricate spectacles that define contemporary entertainment.