The most photographed artists at Madison Square Garden

Words by Georgina Groom-Rietschy

Ask a successful musician where their favourite place to perform is and they’ll most likely show you a photograph of New York’s Madison Square Garden. Its drum-like, circular glass form stands as a landmark in the heart of Midtown Manhattan at the crossroads of 7th and 8th Avenue, directly above Penn Station. While the venue has hosted some of the most era-defining moments in music history – from John Lennon’s final performance to Elvis Presley’s New York debut and Marilyn Monroe’s legendary birthday rendition for JFK – it is equally renowned for its headline-making residencies. This summer, British pop icon Harry Styles arrives for a 30-night takeover as part of his Together, Together tour, and 5 Seconds of Summer and Phish are set to return for multi-night shows too. 

With live music increasingly documented through our phone cameras, we analysed millions of customer photos using a rigorous, data-led approach to identify the artists that were most frequently photographed at Madison Square Garden between 2022 and 2025. Billy Joel leads the ranking by a significant distance, followed by appearances from Madonna and Mariah Carey in the top five. Further down the list, Elton John, Billie Eilish and Sabrina Carpenter also feature.

To learn more about how the data was analysed and ranked to determine the photo index scores, check out the methodology at the end of this article.

The most photographed artists at Madison Square Garden

1. Billy Joel 

Photo index score: 100

Celebrated American singer-songwriter Billy Joel played a decade-long residency at Madison Square Garden – the first in the venue’s history – selling out 20,000 seats night after night with a career-spanning setlist featuring “Piano Man”, “Just the Way You Are”, “Vienna” and “New York State of Mind”. His performances became synonymous with orange strobe lights and a stripped-back stage centred around a grand piano. Memorable moments included Jerry Seinfeld helping to raise a banner to the rafters during Joel’s 100th show, while Olivia Rodrigo joined him in 2022 to perform “Uptown Girl”. The residency ended in July 2025 with Joel’s 150th show, when Axl Rose delivered a crowd-rocking “Live and Let Die” before Joel brought the night to a close with the high-energy “You May Be Right”. Across the residency, Joel shared the stage with music legends including Paul McCartney, Bruce Springsteen and John Mayer.

2. Harry Styles

Photo index score: 62

Harry Styles made history with 15 consecutive sold-out nights at Madison Square Garden in 2022 with his Love on Tour residency – a feat that earned him a permanent banner in the rafters alongside Billy Joel and Phish. The Garden was transformed into Harry’s House for the takeover, complete with custom photo booths and a merchandise pop-up stocked with caps, tees and totes. Styles wore a series of dazzling custom Gucci looks designed by Harry Lambert, including a sequin tank and trousers, a striped tracksuit, a polka-dot co-ord, and a light-wash denim set, while fans were decked out in feather boas and sequins. Between eye-watering performances of “As It Was”, “Watermelon Sugar”, “Adore You” and “Matilda”, Styles engaged playfully with the crowd – reading signs aloud, calling a fan’s ex-boyfriend mid-show, and joyfully revealing the gender of one pregnant attendee’s baby.

3. Phish 

Photo index score: 38

Phish has been ringing in New Year’s Eve at Madison Square Garden since 1994, so it’s no surprise they’ve made the podium. Each year, they perform three full sets across the NYE run, and no two shows are ever the same. Think improvised jams accompanied by cutting-edge lighting design courtesy of longtime collaborator Chris Kuroda. It’s the annual midnight spectacle that dominates camera rolls. In previous years, a Tom Hanks lookalike has descended from the rafters as naked dancers burst from a giant cake on stage; and robed golden figures have appeared as a giant face descended from the ceiling piece by piece, assembling itself as the clock struck midnight – all set to the feel-good strains of “Auld Lang Syne”. Part of the fun is that fans never know what’s coming next, which is precisely why cameras are never put away.

4. Madonna 

Photo index score: 26

During Madonna’s three-night takeover at Madison Square Garden in 2024, the Queen of Pop glided above the crowd inside an illuminated glass box for a soul-stirring rendition of “Live to Tell”, while friends and artists lost to Aids were honoured in a moving tribute. The setlist swept through four decades of hits, with Madonna moving between the in-the-round stage and multi-tiered catwalks as she journeyed from club classics to tracks from The Immaculate Collection and Like a Virgin. The highlight of each night came during “Like a Prayer” when she performed atop a spinning carousel before segueing into a Vogue ballroom sequence complete with celebrity guest judges including Amy Schumer, Kelly Ripa and Jose Gutierez Xtravaganza. Madonna showcased Versace and Jean Paul Gaultier in a series of archive-inspired costumes that reflected her career.

5. Mariah Carey

Photo index score: 16

Mariah Carey’s Merry Christmas to All! show is a staple for New Yorkers and tourists alike, with her sold-out Garden takeover in 2023 proving a particular highlight as it marked the 30th anniversary of “All I Want for Christmas Is You”. Each night unfolds like a theatrical production, complete with a gospel choir, dancers and elaborate costume changes – from a shimmering snow angel gown to a red mermaid dress – while Carey’s children regularly join her on stage, including her daughter, who opens the show with a reading from a storybook. It’s a festive spectacle that blends Christmas classics with her biggest hits. The finale, of course, is “All I Want for Christmas Is You” – enough to even send Scrooge into meltdown. Special guests have included Ariana Grande, Jennifer Hudson and Billy Porter.

6. Lady Gaga

Photo index score: 14

Native New Yorker Lady Gaga transformed Madison Square Garden into a gothic opera house during her six-night Mayhem Ball residency in 2025. The show unfolded across four acts against an elaborate set design by Es Devlin – picture balconies, theatre boxes and a pendulum-shaped catwalk stretching into the crowd. Gaga delivered 15 dramatic costume changes – from sculptural metallic gowns to towering statement silhouettes – while 22 dancers and light-up bracelets worn by fans transformed the arena into a sea of shifting colour. The setlist covered “Just Dance” and “Poker Face”, as well as “Shallow” – performed atop a gondola – and the Bruno Mars duet “Die with a Smile”.

7. Queen & Adam Lambert 

Photo index score: 14

Brian May and Roger Taylor joined forces with Adam Lambert for a 27-song spectacle, delighting fans with Queen classics including “Radio Ga Ga”, “Killer Queen”, “Somebody to Love” and “Another One Bites the Dust”. The production honoured the band’s theatrical legacy, with chrome staging, animated robots crawling across screens, confetti cannons and a glittering disco ball. One of the most photographed moments came during an intimate acoustic rendition of “Love of My Life”, when May sang to the crowd before screens above the stage revealed a projection of Freddie Mercury, whose vocals then took over in a moving effect. Bohemian Rhapsody closed the main set, before an encore of “We Will Rock You” and “We Are the Champions” brought the night to a thunderous finish.

8. P!nk

Photo index score: 13

If you’re a P!nk fan, you’ll know her shows have a circus-like edge, with the pop star taking to the air mid-set, suspended from silks and harnesses as she soars above the crowd. During her two sold-out nights at Madison Square Garden on the Trustfall Tour in 2023, she flew across the arena backflipping through a medley featuring “So What”, “Sweet Dreams” and “Gonna Make You Sweat” – prompting plenty of gasps and a surge in photos. A mix of material from her new album and fan favourites such as “Get the Party Started” – which opened the show with P!nk suspended from a chandelier without missing a beat – alongside “Raise your Glass” and “What About Us”, kept the entire arena singing throughout.

9. KISS

Photo index score: 12

The final stop of the End of the Road Tour felt fitting at Madison Square Garden, just a few blocks from where the iconic rock band formed on 23rd Street more than 50 years earlier. Highlights included Gene Simmons breathing fire and spitting blood, Paul Stanley zip-lining to a B-stage during “Love Gun”, and an explosion of confetti, balloons and flames throughout. The setlist tore through all the classics before “Rock and Roll All Nite” brought the show to a feel-good close. The band signed off with a digital film featuring on-screen avatars delivering a cryptic farewell message, signalling that the end of the road may not be the end after all.

10. Dua Lipa

Photo index score: 10

Dua Lipa shut down what felt like all of NYC with her Radical Optimism Tour last September. The four-night takeover had an aquatic theme, with waves rippling across curved screens and an infinity-shaped ring of light arching over the stage. Meanwhile, a floating platform lifted her into the upper tiers during “Levitating”, while the runway to the B-stage burst into flames during “Love Again”. The setlist delivered a spectacular run-through of hits with nightly surprises including Lenny Kravitz joining for “It Ain’t Over ‘Til It’s Over” and Nile Rodgers energising crowds with Chic’s “Le Freak”. In true Dua Lipa style, her outfits were worth buying tickets for alone, with a custom Balenciaga wardrobe featuring lace designs, sheer slip dresses and oversized faux fur.

11. Elton John 

Photo index score: 10

“Bennie and the Jets”, “Tiny Dancer”, “Rocket Man”, “Crocodile Rock” and “Candle in the Wind” are just a handful of the hits that Elton John performed across his two-night run at Madison Square Garden in 2022. The British icon has famously called the Garden his favourite stage on Earth, so when the Yellow Brick Road tour made a pit-stop, the show was nothing short of spectacular. He swapped his embellished glasses twice and left the stage just once, promptly returning for a spine-tingling “Your Song”. The atmosphere was electric, with John at the piano, colourful confetti flying through the air, and a star-studded crowd featuring Billy Joel, Donatella Versace, Eminem and Britney Spears. The finale, “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road”, played against a powerful backdrop of photographs and footage spanning five decades.

12. Andrea Bocelli 

Photo index score: 10

Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli has twice sold out Madison Square Garden, in 2022 and 2024, transforming the venue into an unlikely cathedral of operatic sound. Backed by a symphony orchestra and choir conducted by Maestro Steven Mercurio, Bocelli guided audiences through sweeping arias and crossover classics including “Nessun Dorma”, “The Prayer” and “Time to Say Goodbye” – plus “Ave Maria”, which he famously performed at the wedding of Kim Kardashian and Kanye West. The emotional peak of both evenings came when his son Matteo and daughter Virginia joined him on stage for a heartfelt family duet. Each show closed with “Con te partirà”, as the Garden was bathed in a warm glow of phone lights.

13. John Mayer

Photo index score: 10

Few artists have made Madison Square Garden feel quite as intimate as John Mayer. Between 2022 and 2023 he played the venue five times – twice on the Sob Rock Tour in 2022, and three times on his first-ever Solo Tour in March and October 2023 – the latter marking a milestone moment in his career, his first full solo acoustic run in more than 20 years. Mayer kept it simple, with a cushioned seat, a guitar and a 25-song setlist that included detours to piano and a rare double-headed acoustic. Standout moments included “Shouldn't Matter But It Does”, when fans raised their phone torches across the arena, and a surprise appearance from Steve Miller for an acoustic rendition of “The Joker”.

14. Dave Matthews Band

Photo index score: 9

Dave Matthews Band are one of the most reliably sold-out acts at Madison Square Garden, returning for two-night stands in November from 2022 to 2024. The latter was just weeks after the band’s induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, when they were introduced by superfan Julia Roberts at the ceremony in Cleveland. With that in mind, the shows carried extra weight for fans who had long campaigned for their recognition. Shows featured “Crash Into Me”, “Ants Marching”, “Two Step” and “Warehouse”, while the band’s signature extended arrangements were driven by longtime collaborators including Jeff Coffin on saxophone, Rashawn Ross on trumpet and Tim Reynolds on guitar.

15. Billie Eilish 

Photo index score: 9 

Billie Eilish played two nights at Madison Square Garden on the Happier Than Ever World Tour in February 2022, before returning for three sold-out nights in October 2024 for the Hit Me Hard and Soft Tour. The 2024 shows were built around a 360-degree in-the-round stage, an enormous LED video floor and a floating platform from which Eilish delivered “The Greatest” suspended above the crowd. A large LED cube descended and rose throughout the night, shifting from screen to structure. The setlist moved from “Ocean Eyes” and “Happier Than Ever” through to “Lunch” and “Birds of a Feather”, with her brother and producer Finneas joining her on stage for a closing guitar duet that brought the house down.

16. Sabrina Carpenter

Photo index score: 9

Sabrina Carpenter arrived at Madison Square Garden in September 2024 having spent the summer turning “Espresso” and “Please Please Please” into the songs of the year – before returning for another five sold-out nights in autumn 2025. The show’s eye-popping set design resembled a TV studio where Carpenter played a character getting ready for a night out, each act unfolding in a different room of her house. Costume standouts included Victoria’s Secret bodysuits coated in 150,000 Swarovski crystals, feather boas and heart-cutout mini dresses, while fan interactions featured a Spin the Bottle segment where she covered a different song chosen at random. The setlist swept through all her hits, while opening guests included Amaarae, Olivia Dean and Amber Mark.

17. Olivia Rodrigo 

Photo index score: 9

On the morning of Olivia Rodrigo’s debut headline show at Madison Square Garden, a 4.8 magnitude earthquake rattled New York City – with the Garden quick to joke that it was the city preparing for her residency. The GUTS World Tour played four sold-out nights in 2024, closing out the North American leg in style. Fans arrived in purple sequins ready for a setlist that featured “Drivers License”, “Brutal through Vampire, Bad Idea Right?” and “Get Him Back!”, all backed by an all-female band. The standout moment came on opening night when Noah Kahan strode out for a duet on “Stick Season”, a chart-topper that sent the crowd wild.

Methodology

To determine the most photographed artists at Madison Square Garden, Popsa’s data science team analysed millions of photos uploaded by customers between 2022 and 2025. Using location metadata, we identified images taken within the boundaries of the stadium and ranked them by total photo volume. 

Each artist was assigned a photo index score reflecting its relative share of images within the dataset. Scores were then normalised on a scale of 0-100, with the most photographed artist set as the benchmark. The result is a ranking that reflects real fan behaviour, highlighting not just the artists people saw live, but where they were most inspired to capture their memories.