Not wanting to derail too much but that's the funny thing with saying "when a group gets to that size", and I'm not disagreeing with you.
On the Wish tour they were possible at the very height of their career, just had their biggest album yet, Disintegration, and were touring the even bigger follow up album with the biggest hit Friday I'm In Love.
So were they bigger then than now? They've certainly not had albums that sold like Disintegration and Wish since. But could they have filled arenas back then like now? Probably not.
So why can they now?
Or is it just that the way of doing things now seems to be more about five sell out arenas rather than thirty sell out smaller venues.
Maybe it's just that going to a rock concert is more acceptable today, whereas years ago it was more rebellious.
Who knows, I just know I long for big bands doing tours of lots of the small venues over a handful of arenas or stadiums.
I shall now take my grumpy old man hat off. 😁