3. Madonna’s Sticky and Sweet Tour
Cost per set-up: $2 million
Every diva needs her stage, and Madonna speared no expenses when it came to her Sticky and Sweet tour in 2009, which became the highest-grossing tour by a female artist with $408.6 million in earnings. The stage, which included a gigantic screen to hold the virtual appearances of Justin Timberlake, Britney Spears, Pharrell Williams, and Kanye West, as well as a T-shaped catwalk on which the queen of pop made her grand entry sitting on a white Rolls Royce. The flanks of the stage featured two M’s encrusted with diamonds, which alone cost over $2 million. But given the end result, it seems the $261 million investment was worth it.
