In Pictures: U2 in Denver

"Even Better Than the Real Thing" filled the air over Denver on Saturday night (5/21) as a little quartet from Dublin called U2 kicked off the North American leg of their "360 Tour" at a packed Invesco Field stadium. Less than 24 hour later, the band took the stage at the 2011 Billboard Music Awards in Las Vegas to accept the Top Touring Artist Award for their 2010 tour of the same name.

In a story published today on Billboard.com, U2's longtime manager, Paul McGuinness, talked about the epic proportions of the tour, both in scale and scope: "By the end of this tour it will have grossed 3/4 of a billion dollars, but the really important figure for me is the number of people who will have seen it, which is well over seven million. In each case that figure is bigger than anything anyone has ever done before." McGuinness also revealed that the group will be performing during the finale of "American Idol" Season 10, to be broadcast live this Wednesday (5/25).

SoundSpike photographer Denise Chambers was among the guests in attendance at the aforementioned tour kickoff on Saturday, and here are some highlights.