Madonna's Nipple-Flashing, Gun-Waving MDNA World Tour Cashes In

madonna Come at me, Gaga / Photo by Getty Images

Madge has 2012's highest grossing tour

Madonna's massive, controversy-skirting MDNA tour has paid off: the Material Girl raked in $228 million from the live shows, making her muscular jaunt around the world the year's highest grossing tour, Billboardreports. Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band were a somewhat distant second, claiming a total of $199 million after playing to a little more than two million people. The rest of the top five: Roger Waters at$186 million; Cirque Du Soleil's "Michael Jackson: THE IMMORTAL World Tour" with$147 million; and Coldplay, clocking$147 million. Out of those elite five, only Waters placed on last year's list the founding member of Pink Floyd filed close to $150 million as 2011's tour revenue.

On the whole, 2012 belonged to legacy acts. Music industry staples such as Van Halen, Barbra Streisand, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Elton John, Rod Stewart, Neil Diamond and Pearl Jam outnumbered and out-earned younger acts, including Justin Bieber, and Taylor Swift.

Billboard's highest grossing tours of 2012:

1. Madonna ($228 million)2. Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band ($199 million)3. Roger Waters ($186 million)4. Michael Jackson: THE IMMORTAL World Tour by Cirque Du Soleil ($147 million)5. Coldplay ($147 million)6. Lady Gaga ($124 million)7. Kenny Chesney and Tim McGraw ($96 million)8. Van Halen ($54 million)9. Jay-Z & Ka! nye West ($46 million)10. Andre Rieu ($46 million)11. Dave Matthews Band ($41 million)12. Barbra Streisand ($40 million)13. Jason Aldean ($39 million)14. Lady Antebellum ($38 million)15. Red Hot Chili Peppers ($33 million)16. Brad Paisley ($33 million)17. Nickelback ($33 million)18. Trans-Siberian Orchestra ($33 million)19. Elton John ($32 million)20. Justin Bieber ($30 million)21. Rod Stewart ($30 million)22. Neil Diamond ($29 million)23. Pearl Jam ($27 million)24. Taylor Swift ($26 million)25. Rascal Flatts ($26 million)