They ate up the spectacle of the show, with its costume changes, giant video screens, and sparklers." The Best of Both Worlds Tour was financially successful and was able to sell an abundance of shows throughout the United States in record times. The December 6, 2007 concert at the Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids, Michigan sold out within eight minutes, the third-fastest sell-out in the arena's history. Numerous other concerts, such as the one held on December 1, 2007 at the Sprint Center in North Little Rock, Arkansas and December 11, 2007 at the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio, sold out within approximately twelve and fifteen minutes, respectively. "Absolutely every show sold out within the same amount of time. Whether you were in Moline or Omaha or New York or Los Angeles, it sold out in minutes", stated Debra Rathwell, senior vice president of AEG Live. In total, the Best of Both Worlds Tour had a total attendance of approximately one million people and grossed over US $54 million, according to Billboard Boxscore, becoming the highest-grossing concert tour for a new act in 2007 and 2008. The record was recognized with the award for Breakthrough Act at the 2008 Billboard Touring Awards. Tickets for the Best of Both Worlds Tour sold out quite rapidly. Nevertheless, ticket scalping was one of the primary reasons for it. Many tickets were immediately found for purchase on secondary markets, such as eBay or StubHub, selling for well over the face value of the tickets. Broker prices ranged from $350 to $2,000 for the tickets originally sold for $29 to $66. The shortage of tickets for the tour became so pronounced it gained national attention, with parents frequently expressing their outrage, discontent, and disappointment on behalf of their children. Vice president of Ticketmaster, Joe Freeman commented, "Hell hath no fury like the parent of a child throwing a tantrum. People who have been in this business for a long time are watching what's happening, and they say there hasn't been a demand of this level or intensity since The Beatles or Elvis [Presley]." In an isolated incident, a girl unable to afford an expensive surgery sold her Best of Both Worlds Tour concert tickets to pay for said surgery. Debra Rathwell, senior vice president of AEG Live said the tickets were priced and sold as fairly as possible and assured there as no conspiracy between those who handled the tour and brokers. "We do everything in our power to stop brokers from getting tickets, but it's impossible", she concluded.