The Ultimate 2025 Concert Report

Betway reveals the top concerts for 2025, highlighting the best value gigs, unforgettable performances, and shows guaranteed to make you bop with happiness.

With iconic artists including Charli XCX and Guns N’ Roses hitting the stage this year, 2025 is shaping up to be an unforgettable year for concert-goers. Whether you’re a fan of legendary rock acts or contemporary pop icons, there’s truly something for everyone.

However, with concert ticket prices skyrocketing in recent years, it can take more to impress fans than it used to. To help you navigate the crowded 2025 concert calendar, the team at Betway Casino has analysed ticket prices and setlist lengths for 35 touring artists, revealing which artists are offering the most music for your money.

We’ve also analysed their concert reviews alongside critic and fan album reviews to reveal which artists are likely to put on the best performance. In addition, we also uncovered the happiest concerts of the year, unveiling performances that have the most amount of songs in the scientifically ‘happy’ BPM range.

The best value concerts in 2025

A great concert isn’t just about the artist, it’s also about how much unforgettable music you get for your money. Concert ticket prices have surged in recent years, rising 42% overall since the pandemic, with a 23% jump last year alone. Fans are feeling the pinch. So to determine the best value concerts, we’ve analysed ticket prices and setlist lengths to reveal which artists are offering the most music per pound spent.

Matt Maltese

Topping the list for the best value for money concert in 2025, Matt Maltese fans pay just £1.65 per song, with standard tickets priced at £28 for a 17-song setlist. Although a smaller name than other artists in the study, the artist is touring across the UK, Europe and North America in 2025, delivering his heartfelt, piano-led ballads.

Performing at smaller venues-which are more affordable to rent than massive stadiums-not only keeps ticket prices reasonable, but also creates a more intimate, personal experience for fans who value substance and songwriting over spectacle.

Lil Tracy

In second place is Lil Tracy, with fans paying just £1.66 per track for his upcoming Not Even A Tour shows, based on a £29.90 ticket and an 18-song setlist. Blending emo rap with melodic trap, Tracy’s shows are high-energy and emotionally raw. His cult following appreciates his genre-blending sound and unfiltered lyrics, making his shows a cathartic and wallet-friendly experience for fans.

Fontaines D.C.

Touring the U.S., the UK and Europe this year, Fontaines D.C. takes third place, offering 20 songs for around £3 per song with standard tickets priced at £61. The Dublin post-punk band is known for their intense stage presence and politically charged lyrics.

The best concerts for 2025 based on reviews

To determine the concerts that are set to be the best of 2025, we’ve also analysed previous concert reviews, as well as album critic scores and fan ratings of the artists’ albums to reveal which live music gigs are set to be the most unmissable experiences.

RAYE

RAYE ranks first overall with a concert score of 9.4/10, driven by her exceptional live performance reviews (96%) and strong critical acclaim. Her debut album, My 21st Century Blues, scored an impressive 82/100, praised for its raw honesty, genre-blending style, and powerhouse vocals. Fan reviews are equally high, averaging 9/10, one of the highest of all artists analysed.

With seven Brit awards and three Grammy nominations under her belt, as well as having headlined Glastonbury in 2024, RAYE is quickly becoming one of the biggest stars in the twenty-first century music scene.

Beyoncé

Beyoncé ranks second with a concert score of 9.1/10, earning a perfect 100% for her concert reviews, the highest in the top 10. Her latest album, Cowboy Carter, received a high critic score of 91/100, showcasing her artistic range and bold reinvention through a country-inspired lens. Her enduring influence and loyal fanbase are reflected in a strong 8/10 fan rating, proving that even as she evolves, her live shows remain unmatched in quality and cultural impact.

Bruce Springsteen

With 20 Grammys under his belt, Bruce Springsteen ranks third with a concert score of 8.8/10, powered by high concert ratings (98%) and strong critical recognition for his latest work (81.1/100). His fan score of 7.8/10 may not top the list, but it reflects a loyal audience that continues to connect deeply with his music, even decades into his career.

Now in the midst of a remarkable comeback, Springsteen is enjoying renewed attention in 2025, thanks to the release of two long-awaited lost albums, along with a UK and European tour this summer.

A notable mention in the top 10 includes Charli XCX who earns a fan score of 8.5/10, matching the likes of Iron Maiden and The Maccabees. While her slightly lower critic score of 79.6/100 places her in sixth overall, that number doesn’t fully capture her recent cultural impact, notably her 2024 Brat album which turned her into a full-blown cultural phenomenon.

The happiest concerts in 2025

Some concerts don’t just entertain; they uplift. Music has the power to boost our mood, and scientific studies suggest that songs with a tempo between 140 and 150 BPM are particularly effective at triggering feelings of happiness.

To find out which artists deliver the most feel-good live experiences, we analysed setlists from these artists, counting how many songs in each show fell within the scientifically “happiest tempo” range.

Guns N’ Roses

Guns N’ Roses claim the top spot for the happiest concerts in 2025, with five high-tempo tracks falling in the 140–150 BPM range, the sweet spot most closely associated with happiness according to music psychology research.

While the average BPM of their setlist is slightly lower at 130, the inclusion of these upbeat songs like It’s So Easy and Reckless Life delivers a powerful, mood-boosting experience.

Billy Joel

Billy Joel takes second place, also featuring five songs in the 140–150 BPM range. His average BPM of 127 keeps the pace lively throughout, supported by feel-good anthems like An Innocent Man and Big Shot.  

Bruce Springsteen

Bruce Springsteen ranks third, matching Guns N’ Roses and Billy Joel with five high-BPM songs, though with a slightly more measured average BPM of 120. While his energy leans more anthemic than explosive, Springsteen’s ability to uplift audiences with songs like Hungry Heart and The Rising gives his concerts a warm, enduring feel-good edge.

Elsewhere in the top 10, Post Malone just misses the top three but delivers the highest average BPM overall at 139, making his shows among the most consistently upbeat. Coldplay also land in the top five, pairing their signature emotional crescendos with a lively average BPM of 131.

From legendary icons to boundary-pushing newcomers, 2025 is set to be a blockbuster year for live music. Whether you’re after unbeatable value, rave-reviewed performances, or high-BPM, feel-good energy that gets you moving, this year’s tours are serving something for every kind of fan. So grab your friends, charge your phone, and get ready to sing your heart out.

Methodology and sources

To find out the best value for money for concerts in 2025, we analysed the following factors:

To identify which concerts are the best overall, we analysed:

To rank the happiest concerts, we analysed:

All data was collected in March 2025.