U2's 360 Tour: Big Stage, Big Energy
Band also mixing up set list, keeping prices low
Brian Hiatt, Rolling Stone
U2
Openers On Select Dates: Snow Patrol,
Muse, Black Eyed Peas
Tickets $30-$253
WHAT TO EXPECT:
Other artists may be scaling down for the recession, but not U2: Their first U.S. stadium tour since 1997's PopMart will be dominated by the largest set ever built for a rock concert, a monstrous stage nicknamed the Claw that will allow them to play in the round. "The crowd will be all around us," says the Edge, on a break from tour planning. "That energy will just make the performances fly." The band is selling some seats for as cheap as $30, as a nod to tough times and to make the shows accessible to young fans.
"We're talking about resurrecting songs we haven't played in a long time," Edge says. "I have a list of every U2 song -- some I can't remember anymore -- even some of the B sides that we've never played live. We were thinking how much fun it would be to play something like [Joshua Tree outtake] 'Luminous Times.' Certain songs from the last couple of tours, we may not play again. We want to find songs that feel fresh and valid."