Springsteen, Backstreet Boys Win Pollstar Concert Industry Awards

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band beat out Backstreet Boys for "Major Tour of the Year" at Pollstar's Concert Industry Awards, voted by concert promoters, artists' managers, venue managers and others who subscribe to Pollstar, the concert industry magazine.

The Boys didn't go wanting, however, capturing the award for "Most Creative Stage Production" for their "Millennium" tour, which is about to play eighteen more cities starting Feb. 11.

Kid Rock won "Best New Artist Tour," while Sting topped him and Tom Waits for the "Small Hall Tour" award. Nebraska's alt-ska group 311 took the prize for "Club Tour of the Year;" the band's "Soundsystem" tour continues this month.

In the "Most Creative Tour Package" category, last summer's Bob Dylan/ Paul Simon tour won over the Family Values Tour, Lilith Fair, OZZfest '99 and the Vans Warped Tour. However, the industry wasn't completely blind to large-scale festivals that presented diverse, contemporary rock: Voters handed the "Music Festival of the Year" award to last October's Coachella Valley Music Festival, promoted by "Independent Promoter of the Year" Goldenvoice.

The awards were held on Feb. 3 at the Las Vegas House of Blues.