By Ray Waddell

NASHVILLE (Billboard) - The list of the top tours for the first half of 2006 is predictably weighted toward veteran rockers, but the lineup also yields a few surprises from developing acts and new arena productions.

At the top of the list, compiled from figures reported to Billboard Boxscore from November 1, 2005, through mid-May, as they have been virtually every time they are on the road for the past three decades, are the Rolling Stones.

The Stones’ Bigger Bang tour reported $147.3 million in grosses from 45 shows in U.S. arenas and international stadiums.

Though not without its drama — including brain surgery for guitarist Keith Richards following a bizarre accident in Fiji, and another rehab stint for Ron Wood — the Stones lurched back into gear July 11 for a European stadium run that could make Bigger Bang the top-grossing tour ever.

The Stones just announced that they will return to North American in the fall. "It’s kind of astounding when it keeps improving 43 years later," says Michael Cohl, the band’s promoter.

While it’s doubtful it would have passed its elder brethren, U2 would have improved its already hefty take of $73 million for the period had it not postponed dates in New Zealand, Australia, Japan and Hawaii because of a family illness.

Still, U2’s mega-trek is unarguably one of the most successful tours ever. "The Vertigo tour was an absolute success worldwide," says Vertigo producer Arthur Fogel, music chairman of Live Nation and head of TNA, the firm’s international touring division.

Most of the U2 dollars in the midyear report come from Latin American Vertigo stops.

"The shows in Mexico and South America continued the incredible feat of not one unsold ticket," says Fogel.

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