U2 takes on North America after Billboard victory
Iconic rockers U2 are officially stateside, spending last weekend kicking off their North American arena tour with a sold-out Denver concert and picking up the Top Touring Artist Award at the Billboard Music Awards.
Bono and crew performed before a crowd 77,000 strong in Denver Saturday (5/21), after which the band headed to Las Vegas to accept the Billboard Music Award for Top Touring Artist, honoring their relentless touring efforts.
Now it's back to work for the legendary rock act, which will work both coasts of the continent over the summer months, beginning with a Salt Lake City gig tonight (5/24). Many of the 19 confirmed stops are rescheduled shows that were canceled last summer after Bono suffered a back injury while preparing for the outing.
"Through the wonders of science, I'm not just fixed, I'm better! Bono 2.0," the singer joked with the Denver audience.
In April, the band learned that their "U2 360" stadium tour swept past the Rolling Stones' "A Bigger Bang" tour's gross record, set during the Stones' 2005-2007 tour. According to Billboard, the high-dollar mark set by the Stones had stood at $558 million, and U2 is expected to gross around $700 million by their final show in Moncton, New Brunswick, on July 30.
Likewise, "U2 360" will ultimately move about 7 million tickets over the course of the tour's multi-year routing through 110 shows, eclipsing another Rolling Stones record of 6.4 million tickets, set during their "Voodoo Lounge" tour.
In related news, many media outlets are incorrectly reporting a U2 performance is set for the season finale of "American Idol" Wednesday (5/25). A message posted on U2's website says that Bono and Edge will instead appear on the show with Reeve Carney, who plays Peter Parker, and other cast members from the "Spider-Man Turn Off the Dark" musical, set to open June 14 on Broadway.
24 - Salt Lake City, UT - Rice Eccles Stadium (formerly June 3, 2010)
29 - Winnipeg, Manitoba - Canad Inns Stadium
June 2011
1 - Edmonton, Alberta - Commonwealth Stadium (formerly June 23, 2010)
4 - Seattle, WA - Qwest Field (formerly June 20, 2010)
7 - Oakland, CA - McAfee Coliseum (formerly June 16, 2010)
17, 18 - Anaheim, CA - Angels Stadium (formerly June 6-7, 2010)
22 - Baltimore, MD - M & T Bank Stadium
26 - East Lansing, MI - Spartan Stadium at MSU (formerly June 30, 2010)
29 - Miami, FL - Sun Life Stadium (previously Dolphin Stadium) (formerly July 9, 2010)
July 2011
2 - Nashville, TN - Vanderbilt Stadium
5 - Chicago, IL - Soldier Field (formerly July 6, 2010)
8, 9 - Montreal, Quebec - Hippodrome (formerly July 16-17, 2010)
11 - Toronto, Ontario - Rogers Centre (formerly July 3, 2010)
14 - Philadelphia, PA - Lincoln Financial Field (formerly July 12, 2010)
17 - St. Louis MO - Busch Stadium
20 - East Rutherford, NJ - New Meadowlands Stadium (formerly July 19, 2010)
23 - Minneapolis, MN - TCF Bank Stadium (formerly June 27, 2010)
26 - Pittsburgh, PA - Heinz Field
30 - Moncton, New Brunswick - Magnetic Hill Music Festival
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