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U2360° Tour

U2360°: leg one [europe].

• 2009-06-30: Camp Nou, Barcelona, Spain
• 2009-07-02: Camp Nou, Barcelona, Spain
• 2009-07-07: San Siro, Milan, Italy
• 2009-07-08: San Siro, Milan, Italy
• 2009-07-11: Stade de France, Paris, France
• 2009-07-12: Stade de France, Paris, France
• 2009-07-15: Parc des Sports Charles Ehrmann, Nice, France
• 2009-07-18: Olympiastadion Berlin, Berlin, Germany
• 2009-07-20: Amsterdam ArenA, Amsterdam, Netherlands
• 2009-07-21: Amsterdam ArenA, Amsterdam, Netherlands
• 2009-07-24: Croke Park, Dublin, Ireland
• 2009-07-25: Croke Park, Dublin, Ireland
• 2009-07-27: Croke Park, Dublin, Ireland
• 2009-07-31: Ullevi, Gothenburg, Sweden
• 2009-08-01: Ullevi, Gothenburg, Sweden
• 2009-08-03: Veltins Arena, Gelsenkirchen, Germany
• 2009-08-06: Stadion Śląski, Katowice, Poland
• 2009-08-09: Maksimir Stadium, Zagreb, Croatia
• 2009-08-10: Maksimir Stadium, Zagreb, Croatia
• 2009-08-14: Wembley Stadium, London, England
• 2009-08-15: Wembley Stadium, London, England
• 2009-08-18: Hampden Park, Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom
• 2009-08-20: Don Valley Stadium, Sheffield, England
• 2009-08-22: Millennium Stadium, Cardiff, Wales

U2360°: Leg Two [North America]

• 2009-09-12: Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois
• 2009-09-13: Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois
• 2009-09-16: Rogers Centre, Toronto, ON, Canada
• 2009-09-17: Rogers Centre, Toronto, ON, Canada
• 2009-09-20: Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, MA, USA
• 2009-09-21: Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, MA, USA
• 2009-09-23: Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ, USA
• 2009-09-24: Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ, USA
• 2009-09-29: FedEx Field, Landover, MD, USA
• 2009-10-01: Scott Stadium, Charlottesville, VA, USA
• 2009-10-03: Carter-Finley Stadium, Raleigh, NC, USA
• 2009-10-06: Georgia Dome, Atlanta, GA, USA
• 2009-10-09: Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, FL, USA
• 2009-10-12: Cowboys Stadium, Dallas, TX, USA
• 2009-10-14: Reliant Stadium, Houston, TX, USA
• 2009-10-18: Oklahoma Memorial Stadium, Norman, OK, USA
• 2009-10-20: University of Phoenix Stadium, Phoenix, AZ, USA
• 2009-10-23: Sam Boyd Stadium, Las Vegas, NV, USA
• 2009-10-25: Rose Bowl, Pasadena, CA, USA
• 2009-10-28: BC Place, Vancouver, BC, Canada

U2360°: Leg Three [Europe]

• 2010-08-06: Stadio Olimpico di Torino, Turin, Italy
• 2010-08-10: Commerzbank Arena, Frankfurt, Germany
• 2010-08-12: AWD Arena, Hanover, Germany
• 2010-08-15: CASA Arena, Horsens, Denmark
• 2010-08-16: CASA Arena, Horsens, Denmark
• 2010-08-20: Olympic Stadium, Helsinki, Finland
• 2010-08-21: Olympic Stadium, Helsinki, Finland
• 2010-08-25: Luzhniki Stadium, Moscow, Russia
• 2010-08-30: Ernst Happel Stadium, Vienna, Austria
• 2010-09-03: Olympic Stadium, Athens, Greece
• 2010-09-06: Ataturk Stadium, Istanbul, Turkey
• 2010-09-11: Letzigrund Stadium, Zurich, Switzerland
• 2010-09-12: Letzigrund Stadium, Zurich, Switzerland
• 2010-09-15: Olympiastadion, Munich, Germany
• 2010-09-18: Stade de France, Paris, France
• 2010-09-22: King Baudouin Stadium, Brussels, Belgium
• 2010-09-23: King Baudouin Stadium, Brussels, Belgium
• 2010-09-26: Anoeta Stadium, San Sebastian, Spain
• 2010-09-30: Olympic Stadium, Seville, Spain
• 2010-10-02: City of Coimbra Stadium, Coimbra, Portugal
• 2010-10-03: City of Coimbra Stadium, Coimbra, Portugal
• 2010-10-08: Stadio Olimpico, Rome, Italy

U2360°: Leg Four [Australia and New Zealand]

• 2010-11-25: Mt Smart Stadium, Auckland, New Zealand
• 2010-11-26: Mt Smart Stadium, Auckland, New Zealand
• 2010-12-01: Etihad Stadium, Melbourne, Australia
• 2010-12-03: Etihad Stadium, Melbourne, Australia
• 2010-12-08: Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane, Australia
• 2010-12-09: Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane, Australia
• 2010-12-13: ANZ Stadium, Sydney, Australia
• 2010-12-14: ANZ Stadium, Sydney, Australia
• 2010-12-18: Patersons Stadium, Subiaco, Australia
• 2010-12-19: Patersons Stadium, Subiaco, Australia

U2360°: Leg Five [South Africa]

• 2011-02-13: FNB Stadium, Johannesburg, South Africa
• 2011-02-18: Cape Town Stadium, Cape Town, South Africa

U2360°: Leg Six [South America]

• 2011-03-25: Estadio Nacional Julio Martínez Prádanos, Santiago, Chile
• 2011-03-30: Estadio Ciudad de La Plata, La Plata, Argentina
• 2011-04-02: Estadio Ciudad de La Plata, La Plata, Argentina
• 2011-04-03: Estadio Ciudad de La Plata, La Plata, Argentina
• 2011-04-09: Estádio do Morumbi, Sao Paulo, Brazil
• 2011-04-10: Estádio do Morumbi, Sao Paulo, Brazil
• 2011-04-13: Estádio do Morumbi, Sao Paulo, Brazil

U2360°: Leg Seven [North America]

• 2011-05-11: Azteca Stadium, Mexico City, Mexico
• 2011-05-14: Azteca Stadium, Mexico City, Mexico
• 2011-05-15: Azteca Stadium, Mexico City, Mexico
• 2011-05-21: Invesco Field at Mile High, Denver, CO, USA
• 2011-05-24: Rice Eccles Stadium, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
• 2011-05-29: Canad Inns Stadium, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
• 2011-06-01: Commonwealth Stadium, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
• 2011-06-04: Qwest Field, Seattle, WA, USA
• 2011-06-07: O.co Coliseum, Oakland, CA, USA
• 2011-06-17: Angel Stadium, Anaheim, CA, USA
• 2011-06-18: Angel Stadium, Anaheim, CA, USA
• 2011-06-22: M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore, MD, USA
• 2011-06-24: Glastonbury (Pilton Farm), Pilton, England, United Kingdom
• 2011-06-26: Spartan Stadium, East Lansing, MI, USA
• 2011-06-29: Sun Life Stadium, Miami, FL, USA
• 2011-07-02: Vanderbilt Stadium, Nashville, TN, USA
• 2011-07-05: Soldier Field, Chicago, IL, USA
• 2011-07-08: Hippodrome, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
• 2011-07-09: Hippodrome, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
• 2011-07-11: Rogers Centre, Toronto, ON, Canada
• 2011-07-14: Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, PA, USA
• 2011-07-17: Busch Stadium, St. Louis, MO, USA
• 2011-07-20: New Meadowlands Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey, NJ
• 2011-07-23: TCF Bank Stadium, Minneapolis, MN, USA
• 2011-07-26: Heinz Field, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
• 2011-07-30: Magnetic Hill, Moncton, NB, Canada

Related News: U2360° Tour

• "U2 360 Tour Presented by Blackberry: Fastest Sell Out and Largest Concert Attendance in Rose Bowl Hi" (2009-04-07)
• "U2 360 Tour Presented by Blackberry: Fastest Sell Out & Largest Concert Attendance in Rose Bowl Hist" (2009-04-07)
• "U2360 Tour Pre-Show Music" (2009-07-09)
• "U2’s International Brigade Jet in for World Tour’s ‘Main Event’" (2009-07-24)
• "Flowering Rose of Glastonbury" (2010-08-01)
• "I Can’t Wait Any Longer" (2010-08-02)
• "New Songs in U2360" (2010-08-06)
• "Moment of Surrender from Paris" (2010-10-24)
• "McGuinness says new album out “Before North American Tour Dates”" (2011-02-01)
• "Beyond the Horizon: NLOTH Merchandise 10 Years Later" (2019-02-27)
• "U2’s Claw Stage Being Renamed and Erected" (2019-10-01)
• "Achtung! Achtung! Baby turns 30" (2021-11-19)

U2 360° At The Rose Bowl - Review

DEUTSCHE VERSION

Already a week before the official release we've got a copy of the brand new u2 Blu-ray disc. As always at u2tour.de we offer you an in-depth review. All general infos (tracklist etc.) on the release can be found in our DVD-Special .

  Packaging  |  Content  |  Concert  |  Picture, Sound  |  Extras  |  Super Deluxe  |  Technical Infos

The release comes in four formats - standard DVD, limited deluxe edition, limited super deluxe edition, and for the first time also as blu-ray. This review is based on the blu-ray version. Next to the disc, the package contains a 24 page booklet containing tour photos and credits. The concert was filmed in 16:9 format, you can choose between following sound sources: Stereo, DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 und Dolby Digital 5.1. The discs full content, including bonus material, stretches to 4 hours and 11 minutes, the concert itself 2 hours and 17 minutes. The bonus material is available with Dolby Digital Stereo sound. There are subtitles in English, French, German, Spanish and Portuguese for the bonus material.

U2 360° At The Rose Bowl is U2's movie documentary of their 360° tour, shot on 25 October 2009 in Pasadena, California. The concert was the first to be broadcast live on YouTube, and was the largest ever live internet broadcast at the time. The concert is contained in full, though the opening track of the night - 'Breathe' - has been moved into the bonus section, so that the recording kicks off with 'Get On Your Boots'.

Picture, Cutting and Sound

The recording impresses through its sharp, high definition picture and gigantic sounds from the very start. With the right equipment at home you can indeed bring U2 into your living room, with nearly perfect gig atmosphere. And, while the most has been made of audio technology, it is good to see that it hasn't been used to polish the experience too much - Bono's voice can be heard to break at times, and Edge's vocals are crystal clear in the background. Following o the YouTube broadcast, the recording has been re-edited, though of course many camera angles and changes remain the same. That said, those small changes now give the whole recording a more consistent, better flow throughout. Compared to the concert recordings from the last tour, the shots by director Tom Krueger seem far more calm than those of the previous director Hamish Hamilton. But it certainly doesn't get boring! Particularly impressive are the wide overhead shots of the whole stadium, including from a helicopter - which only further underlines how gigantic that 360° stage really is.

Bonus Tracks, Documentaries & Extras (Double-DVD and Blu-ray)

Additional content of Super Deluxe Edition

Right at the moment we don't have a Super Deluxe Edition for review. As soon as we get it we will extend our review in this section. The Super Deluxe Edition will contain following additional content: » 32 page hardback book » Coloured vinyl 7" in sleeve » Three plectrums in embossed wallet » Tourprogram » Claw concept blueprint » Five art prints in embossed wallet

Technical infos Infos

Video format: 16:9, 1080i Audio concert: PCM Stereo, DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 und Dolby Digital 5.1 Audio bonus material: Dolby Digital Stereo

Review by Björn Lampe; Correction and translation by Sebastian Stoye und Malte Gerhold; Technical Realisation by Flo Zerweck and Didi Reicht

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Home › Live Sound

U2 360 Tour Profile

SEEKING INTIMACY ON A GRAND SCALE

By By Kevin BeckaPhotos: Steve Jennings

The 170-foot-tall steel structure and stage at University of Phoenix Stadium (Glendale, Ariz.)

The U2 360° tour that recently ended its first leg in the U.S. has taken the stadium show to a new level. The sheer scope of the production is mind-boggling. It took two years to design and develop, travels on 180 trucks, employs more than 400 people — including 12 system engineer/techs — and uses an astounding amount of audio and video gear. The best thing about the show is the communication and contact between the band and the audience provided by the 170-foot-tall steel structure perched over the stage.

Originally inspired by the Theme Building at Los Angeles’ LAX airport, the four-legged “spider” incorporates all of the lighting, some of the 12 manned cameras and spots, massive speaker arrays and a huge 360-degree vertically expandable LED video screen. And as ridiculous as it sounds, once the show starts, you forget it’s there: Instead of being the elephant in the room, the structure focuses attention on the band and how they interact with the crowd, both near and far. The inner ring nearest the main stage gives more than 3,000 fans close proximity to the band, while the outer ring gives the band access to standing and seated concertgoers farther out. At different times during the show, The Edge, Bono, Adam Clayton and even drummer Larry Mullins Jr. use two moving bridges to perform between the areas and are followed by video and audio all the way.

Of course, you’d expect the audio system used for such a massive setup to be huge — and it doesn’t disappoint. The setup comprises the latest in digital tech offered for live sound and, surprisingly, some tried-and-true analog gear. The tour’s look and systems design was a collaboration between the band and audio director/front-of-house Joe O’Herlihy, show designer Willie Williams, production architect/designers Jeremy Lloyd and Mark Fisher, and Clair Global R&D and engineering teams.

Front-of-house engineer Joe O’Herlihy (left) with senior systems engineer Jo Ravitch

The speakers used are all Clair and comprise FOH left/right hangs of 36 i5 and 36 i5B; 24 i5 and 24 i5B rear; 16 i5 and 16 i5B at house left; and 16 i5 and 16 i5B at house right. Main stage front-fills include 24 FF2 and 24 BT218 subs, while the “B” stage area carries 72 S4 subs. There are also two towers carrying 32 iDL delay cabinets. That’s 336 separate enclosures, all powered by Lab.gruppen PLM 10000Q and PLM 14000s and Powersoft K10 amps that are positioned at each leg of the structure and are fed audio from the stage racks. All EQ and control is via Lake/Dolby I/O software Version 5.3, with most of the processing resident in the Lab.gruppen PLM 10000Q and PLM 14000 amplifiers; system tuning is via EAW Smaart software.

Consoles at FOH are redundant DiGiCo SD7s, each running identical shows. Jo Ravitch, senior systems engineer/Clair Global crew chief, says, “There are two main stage racks, one of them distributes AES to each leg and there’s a backup system of analog feeds to each amp, as well. If we have an issue with anything in this setup, I walk over here and switch to analog and Joe [O’Herlihy] walks over to the other board and picks up the mix.”

The front end for Bono and The Edge’s vocals and some of the compression for the guitars called for some unusual gear choices. Ravitch says, “When the tour started, there wasn’t very much [processing] available on the board so we’re using outboard stuff.” For Bono’s vocals, O’Herlihy calls on the Manley Vox Box; The Edge’s vocals take an Avalon 737. Compression for the guitars is on a Summit Audio DCL-200 comp/limiter, with the rest of the limiting provided by the SD7.

In monitor world, from left: Niall Slevin, Alistair McMillan and Dave Skaff

The system was a game-changer for O’Herlihy, who has been with U2 for more than 25 years. “The approach to the mix in the context of the way the sound is distributed has been enlightening, to be perfectly honest,” he says. “The size of the system has created an experience that is incredibly responsive. We now have something that’s almost touch-sensitive. When you make a move, there’s a large physical element of immediately hearing what you do.”

Because of the staging’s scope and design, the textbooks had to be thrown out and a system designed that would cover everyone. O’Herlihy says, “From the mix perspective, you have to get your head around the whole concept of having an inside column and an outside column, and how you distribute your gain structures accordingly.”

The players’ audio experience onstage was an essential element in the system design. “Any time you do things in 360 degrees, the apex of that circle is right where the drummer is,” O’Herlihy continues. “It would normally be a difficult place to perform while being hammered with all that bass.” This is where the use of the 72 Clair S4 cardioid subs around the outer ring comes in. “The cardioid movement works extraordinarily well in nullifying bass, so it’s a clean, clean stage that is a good performance area,” the FOH engineer adds.

O’Herlihy has seen an exponential evolution in tour sound technology. He had his digital education on the DiGiCo D5, which was innovative at the time. On the Vertigo tour, he had the benefit of the D5 being around for a few years before he took it out. He did not have that luxury with the SD7, but trusted that it was the only console that could get the job done. The SD7 was the only solution that let him put each and every individual channel where he wanted it without using external equipment that would have meant another link in the chain that could possibly fail. Still, the SD7 was a leap of faith and trust in DiGiCo. “We’ve had our glitches along the way with software updates, but like everything else, we’re in virgin territory here and we felt that that the SD7 is what made this whole thing work.”

Underneath It All

Monitor mixers Dave Skaff, Alistair McMillan and Niall Slevin make their home under the massive stage, which is also where offstage keyboardist Terry Lawless plays. Because all three mixers don’t have a view of the stage, they watch what’s going on via TV monitors at each station. And as the band is moving around so much, each station gets a four-camera split specially switched for their benefit, resulting in the band being visible at all times.

Skaff mixes for bassist Adam Clayton, drummer Larry Mullins and Lawless on a Digidesign D-Show Profile. The tour’s redundancy mantra carries on below stage with Skaff mixing on one Profile with another right next to it ready to go. “With just a couple of switches hit at the same time, I’m fully up on the second rig,” says Skaff, who worked for Digidesign on the VENUE console project from the beginning. In his mixes, he uses a variety of plug-ins from Waves, McDSP and the Phoenix plug-in from Crane Song, and also records every show to Pro Tools HD.

Using digital consoles has made it easier to provide specific mixes for each bandmember. The Edge has six guitar amps onstage and two under, while Clayton has five bass guitar feeds, and they rely on the team to provide the specific balances they need for each song. Skaff points out the advantage: “Without digital, it would be a madness of markers and 3×5 index cards. At soundcheck, Bono will do half a song, shout out another song, do 12 bars of that song and shout out another. It would be impossible to get all that to come back without the digital consoles.”

Mixers Slevin and McMillan provide audio for The Edge and Bono on two DiGiCo SD7s, each running dual engines fed via MADI. Each desk runs both mixes, the thought being that if one console quits, the engineer can jump to the second engine on the working console and continue to work until the downed desk can be revived. The stage racks and local racks used for processing are also duplicated and can be quickly switched if needed. McMillan is recording the show to Steinberg Cubase on two independent Apple G5s, which top out at 90 tracks, 20 of which are ambience. “I feed [Bono] quite a bit of ambience,” says McMillan. “He enjoys hearing the audience reaction.”

To help with latency, McMillan keeps Bono’s vocal on an analog path by getting a split from the stage, which he sends through a Rupert Neve-designed Amek preamp and then into a channel on a Midas Verona analog console. The rest of the band and effects are sent to a second channel on the Verona, which all go directly to Bono. For the singer’s reverb, he’s using the Bricasti M7, McMillan’s favorite new toy. “It’s more like glue than a reverb,” McMillan says. For Bono’s delays, he uses a TC Electronic 2290 and a variety of verbs from Lexicon and Yamaha across the rest of the band.

McMillan, who has mixed monitors for Van Morrison, came primarily from a studio background, having worked extensively at Windmill Lane in Dublin. “These guys have made me raise the bar within myself,” McMillan says. “After 20 years, you get set in your ways. Here, I had to start again and I love that.”

For The Edge, Niall Slevin runs 40 inputs per engine into his SD7, sharing the same rack feeds with McMillan. He uses an AMS reverb and a Lexicon PCM 80 for his mixes but duplicates his rack effects with onboard equivalents in case of failure. He also has duplicate analog processors in his rack for McMillan’s mixes should Alistair need to jump over to his console. Slevin feels the SD7 is a big sonic improvement over the SD5, but he is realistic about its abilities. “It still has a few reliability issues, but we’re pushing it to the max, especially with the redundancy. Effectively, we’re throwing it out the top floor and seeing if it will fly. At the moment, it’s gliding, but it’s getting there. No one has had these consoles and pushed it as much as we have. When we find things out, DiGiCo has been very good about fixing it. I can’t imagine a situation at the moment in a rock ‘n’ roll theater or any other audio application that this couldn’t deal with.”

The band is using Future Sonics in-ear systems transmitted over newly upgraded Senn- heiser G3 wireless systems, which the crew credits with adding more definition and top end. With this large of a setup, RF is a big challenge and the team has found themselves going back to old-school techniques of placement using line-of-sight and shorter cables. Skaff says, “The wilder it gets, the more we seem to go back to basics to make things happen.”

A show of this scale being launched during tough times is easy to pick on. But it’s hard to argue with its success both in record-breaking attendance and integration of new technology. At a time when album sales are not driving revenues, live performance has stepped into the spotlight and blazed a trail where other methods have failed. Did the band achieve “intimacy on a grand scale” as Bono proposed during the show? Only you can be the judge, but from my seat, it was dazzling.

Kevin Becka is Mix’ s technical editor .

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The U2 360 concerts are huge by any measure. But on Sunday, with what may have been the largest live-stream ever, the tour got even bigger.

PASADENA, Calif.--If you were one of the 96,000 people packed into the Rose Bowl Sunday night for the U2 concert--said to be the largest concert ever held here--you were sharing the experience with at least a few other fans off-site.

There's no way to know yet how many exactly, but it's safe to say millions of people around the world were also watching the concert live on YouTube, a potentially server-crashing Webcast that may have been the biggest live-stream yet.

For months, the band has been on tour with its U2 360 concerts. And to top off the grand claims, it has been called the biggest rock tour in history , at least as measured by the size and cost of its infrastructure--more than $750,000 per show, according to Rolling Stone.

Only days ago, the band announced that it would share the Rose Bowl concert live , with fans across the globe. Just before the band came on stage, a roadie calling himself Rocco got up in front of the crowd of 96,000 and said, "Tonight, you are the ones making history," shouting out that those in attendance would be joined by viewers in "North America, South America, Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia, and Antarctica."

Photos: U2 goes global via YouTube

For its part, YouTube wasn't sharing much about how it put together the live stream. Before the show started, there was some discussion among reporters on hand at the Rose Bowl about whether YouTube would be up to the task of delivering the show to so many people, live, on so many continents. But if Twitter is any judge , the live-stream went off almost without a hitch. More to the point, a Twitter feed set up on the official YouTube U2 page showcased comments in a wide variety of languages from Webcast viewers.

Back at the Rose Bowl, in an effort to rally the capacity crowd, the concert-goers were told why this show was chosen by YouTube: "Because right here is where the greatest singers of U2 songs are....Tonight, we need to hear your voices, and to hear you sing. Can you do it?"

In response, the crowd roared its agreement, and indeed, throughout U2's approximately two hours on stage, there were several emotional moments when U2 leader Bono stopped singing and let the audience take over the vocals. These were truly beautiful and awe-inspiring moments, as there is very little on Earth like the sound of nearly 100,000 people singing together.

Ironically, no connectivity These days, you can find out what's happening at just about any event by turning to Twitter. But at the Rose Bowl, this wasn't the case. It turned out that there was nearly no connectivity, and so there seemed to be a dearth of tweets sent from inside the concert. Still, because the show was being watched by millions of people around the world, there is certainly no shortage of posts on Twitter about what was happening.

That's an ironic turn of events, though, and not at all what I expected. I thought there would be a steady stream of tweets emanating from the Rose Bowl, and I had expected to send many of them myself. Instead, this highly tech-centric concert was ground zero for a disconnected audience. We were truly "stuck in the moment," to quote one of U2's hit songs, though I doubt anyone wanted to "get out of it."

A YouTube representative did tell me prior to the show that the service was using 24 cameras to film the concert, as well as 24 additional closed-circuit TV cameras. Further, he said YouTube was offering its stream at three different qualities, so that almost anyone could watch, regardless of the speed of their Internet connection.

Having YouTube produce such a major Webcast is fitting, given the size and scope of the U2 360 tour. Among its facts and figures are tidbits like this: the 360-degree stage--which allowed huge numbers of fans to watch from behind--featured a 90-foot-tall steel structure, topped by a center pylon reaching 150 feet in the air; the innovative video screen atop the stage weighs 54 tons, is 4,300 square feet when closed, and is 14,000 square feet when opened; the screen itself is comprised of more than a million pieces, including components to illuminate 500,000 pixels, as well as 320,000 fasteners, 30,000 cables and 150,000 machined pieces.

The incredible expanding screen The video screen, according to information provided by the band's publicists, is "broken into segments mounted on a multiple pantograph system, which enables the screen to 'open up' or spread apart vertically as an effect during different stages of the concerts."

I didn't think I'd ever seen such a thing before, and it just about made my jaw drop when I noticed it. Already, the screen was a sight to behold, but it didn't seem all that big, especially when I thought back to what I'd seen the band do with video during its U2 3D film.

Well, it turns out I was right: I hadn't seen anything like this before, and neither had anyone else who hadn't been to one of the U2 360 shows.

"The video screen is the first LED screen to be based on a geometric system that allows it to expand in two directions simultaneously," U2 360 architect Mark Fisher told CNET News in an e-mail interview. "Video screens are normally flat panels that track like closet doors, or slatted panels that roll up like garage doors. The 360 degree screen uses a scissor-like motion to expand in two directions. It starts as a solid elliptical ring approximately 20 feet deep, and transforms into form a cone-shaped mesh 60 feet tall."

Fisher added that this is the first time such technology--what he called "transforming geometry"--has been used to "change the shape of a video screen."

And while Fisher said that, in general, the technology behind U2 360 isn't in and of itself new, the way it's being used during the tour most certainly is.

"The show employs a large number of computers and electric motors to control the motion of the screen, and there are large numbers of computer-controlled moving lights," Fisher said. "The video on the screen is also created using powerful computers that 'map' the picture onto the transforming screen. All of this automation and programming is possible because the computers available in 2009 and more powerful, and cheaper, than they were when we created the Vertigo tour in 2005."

Google Earth Another piece of technology used for the tour--at least in a way that U2's fans can interact with--is Google Earth. Fisher explained that the stage's designers decided it would be fun for fans to see the huge structure on Google Earth.

"So we hooked up with the folks that run the operation, and they agreed to let us put 3D models of the stage into the 3D models of the stadiums where it plays," Fisher said. "The 360 degree stage is turned around in each stadium in six days (and) the models stay in each city on Google Earth for slightly longer."

On U2's official Web site, the band explained what is going on with the Google Earth project: "If you're following the tour as it moves around...there's a very cool new feature on Google Earth--a model of the 360 stage, in situ, at the venue, about a week ahead of each show."

The site also explained that the model that fans see could be red, green or blue, with each color corresponding to one of three "steel teams" that "leapfrog each other from city to city to build the stage in each stadium."

Fisher also weighed in on the site with the real reason why the band chose to implement Google Earth: "We thought it would be interesting to put up on Google Earth a piece of portable architecture, which is what this structure is," he wrote. "In a way it's got no practical purpose...except that it's fun!"

• Cast & crew
• User reviews

U2: 360 Degrees at the Rose Bowl

Live performance of U2 at the Rose Bowl in California. Part of the "U2 360° Tour", which is titled for the use of a 360° stage and audience configuration. Live performance of U2 at the Rose Bowl in California. Part of the "U2 360° Tour", which is titled for the use of a 360° stage and audience configuration. Live performance of U2 at the Rose Bowl in California. Part of the "U2 360° Tour", which is titled for the use of a 360° stage and audience configuration.

• Tom Krueger
• Adam Clayton
• 1 User review

• Self - in the crowd
• (uncredited)
• Self - in Crowd (Etihad Stadium)

• Self - ONE volunteer on stage (segment "Walk On")
• All cast & crew
• Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

More like this

Did you know

• Trivia Filmed with 27 cameras.

User reviews 1

• Mar 13, 2011
• June 4, 2010 (United States)
• United Kingdom
• Official site
• U2 360 Live at Rose Bowl
• Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
• Live Nation Global Touring
• Live Nation
• Whizz Kid Entertainment
• See more company credits at IMDbPro

Technical specs

• Runtime 2 hours 11 minutes

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I am looking for some songs that the band has used for there opening Intro's from there tours. I am looking to put together a compilation playlist for my IPOD. Thanks for any help.... 360 Tour - ????? Vertigo Tour - ????? Elevation Tour - ????? Popmart Tour - ????? Zoo Tour - ????? Lovetown - ????? Joshua Tree Tour - ????? Unforgettable Fire Tour - ????? Etc, Etc..........

360: Space Oddity (David Bowie) / Kingdom (?) Vertigo: Wake Up (The Arcade Fire) Elevation: Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (The Beatles) / Elevation Influx Mix (U2) Popmart: Pop Muzik (M / U2) ZooTV / Zooropa: Television (Drug Of The Nation) (The Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy) Lovetown: Sympathy For The Devil (The Rolling Stones) Joshua Tree: Stand By Me (Ben E. King) The Unforgettable Fire: 4th of July (U2)

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U2 Debut New Song at 360 Tour Rehearsals: Listen Now

By Andy Greene

Andy Greene

With just four days until U2 resume their 360° Tour in Torino, Italy, fans are camped out near the gates of Olympic Sports Hall stadium listening to rehearsals and posting audio and video online — and it appears the group plans to play at least one brand new song during the tour. (Click above to hear it, via U2Tours.com .) It’s hard to make out lyrics other than “some things you can’t control” and “some things you have to let go,” but the track is clearly more of a straight-ahead rocker than most of the material on 2009’s No Line on the Horizon .

Look back at three decades of U2, onstage and off.

In June — before Bono’s back surgery forced the band to postpone of the American leg of the tour — The Edge discussed the possibility of previewing new tracks with Rolling Stone . “At the Horizon sessions, [producers] Steve Lillywhite and Brian Eno said, ‘The difference it makes when you play songs live is huge. Would you consider playing them live before you record them?’ We always thought, ‘Wonderful idea,’ but never had the chance. This may, be that moment.”

Another surprise that emerged from the band’s rehearsals this week is the return of the Batman Forever song “Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me” (watch below) which they haven’t played live since the end of the Popmart tour in 1998. According to fansite U2tours.com, they also rehearsed “Miss Saravejo,” the band’s 1995 Passengers project and the intro to “Gone” from 1997’s Pop . The European leg kicks off August 6th in Torino and runs through October 8th in Rome. The American leg begins May 21st 2011 in Denver.

Check out Rolling Stone ‘s hottest photos in Random Notes.

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Taylor swift unveils double album ‘the tortured poets department: the anthology’, dickey betts, allman brothers band singer-guitarist, dead at 80, matty healy is taylor swift's unlikely inspiration and six other takeaways from 'ttpd'.

Here’s what U2Tours reports as the tracks overheard so far:

“Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me” “New Year’s Day (solo riff) “Gone” (intro) “Where the Streets Have No Name “ “One Day Like This” (cover/snippet of Elbow song) “Beautiful Day” “Magnificent” “Soon” “Moment of Surrender” “Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me” “New Year’s Day” “Get on Your Boots” “Mysterious Ways” “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For” (cover/snippet: “Many Rivers to Cross”) New Song “Miss Sarajevo”

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U2gigs.com - U2:UV Achtung Baby Live at the Sphere 2023/2024

Showing details for U2's 360° Tour

• 360° Tour 1st leg: Europe (24 shows)
• 360° Tour 2nd leg: North America (20 shows)
• 360° Tour 3rd leg: Europe (22 shows)
• 360° Tour 4th leg: New Zealand and Australia (10 shows)
• 360° Tour 5th leg: South Africa (2 shows)
• 360° Tour 6th leg: South America (7 shows)
• 360° Tour 7th leg: North America (25 shows)
• I'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight ( 111 times )
• Beautiful Day ( 110 times )
• City of Blinding Lights ( 110 times )
• Get on Your Boots ( 110 times )
• One ( 110 times )
• Vertigo ( 110 times )
• Walk On ( 110 times )
• Where the Streets Have No Name ( 110 times )
• With or Without You ( 109 times )
• Moment of Surrender ( 108 times )
• Sunday Bloody Sunday ( 108 times )
• I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For ( 96 times )
• Magnificent ( 96 times )
• Elevation ( 94 times )
• Mysterious Ways ( 93 times )
• Until the End of the World ( 82 times )
• Miss Sarajevo ( 66 times )
• Pride (In the Name of Love) ( 65 times )
• Ultraviolet (Light My Way) ( 64 times )
• MLK ( 63 times )
• In a Little While ( 50 times )
• Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me ( 46 times )
• The Unforgettable Fire ( 46 times )
• No Line On The Horizon ( 44 times )
• Scarlet ( 44 times )
• Breathe ( 43 times )
• I Will Follow ( 42 times )
• Stuck in a Moment You Can't Get Out Of ( 36 times )
• Unknown Caller ( 34 times )
• Return of the Stingray Guitar ( 33 times )
• Even Better Than The Real Thing ( 31 times )
• New Year's Day ( 29 times )
• Stay (Faraway, So Close!) ( 29 times )
• Zooropa ( 27 times )
• North Star ( 15 times )
• Happy Birthday ( 14 times )
• The Fly ( 14 times )
• Bad ( 13 times )
• All I Want Is You ( 12 times )
• Desire ( 10 times )
• Mercy ( 10 times )
• Angel of Harlem ( 8 times )
• Glastonbury ( 7 times )
• Your Blue Room ( 7 times )
• Out of Control ( 6 times )
• Love Rescue Me ( 4 times )
• One Tree Hill ( 4 times )
• Stand By Me ( 4 times )
• Electrical Storm ( 3 times )
• Every Breaking Wave ( 3 times )
• Mothers Of The Disappeared ( 3 times )
• Party Girl ( 2 times )
• 40 ( 1 time )
• Boy Falls From the Sky ( 1 time )
• Knockin' on Heaven's Door ( 1 time )
• She's The One ( 1 time )
• Sólo Le Pido A Dios ( 1 time )
• Spanish Eyes ( 1 time )
• The Auld Triangle ( 1 time )
• The Model ( 1 time )
• The Wanderer ( 1 time )
• Yiğidim Aslanım Burda Yatıyor ( 1 time )
• You'll Never Walk Alone ( 89 times )
• Amazing Grace ( 55 times )
• All You Need Is Love ( 44 times )
• Discothèque ( 41 times )
• Two Tribes ( 37 times )
• Hear Us Coming ( 35 times )
• Relax ( 25 times )
• Anthem ( 24 times )
• Blackbird ( 24 times )
• Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough ( 22 times )
• Stand By Me ( 22 times )
• Singin' In The Rain ( 21 times )
• Life During Wartime ( 20 times )
• Movin' On Up ( 20 times )
• Rain ( 19 times )
• Psycho Killer ( 18 times )
• Space Oddity ( 18 times )
• Here Comes The Sun ( 15 times )
• Rock The Casbah ( 15 times )
• Get Up Stand Up ( 12 times )
• My Sweet Lord ( 12 times )
• Miss You ( 11 times )
• Mofo ( 11 times )
• Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin) ( 11 times )
• Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow ( 11 times )
• Please ( 10 times )
• Teenage Kicks ( 10 times )
• It's Only Rock 'n' Roll (But I Like It) ( 9 times )
• The Promised Land ( 9 times )
• 40 ( 8 times )
• Norwegian Wood ( 8 times )
• Reverend Black Grape ( 8 times )
• She Loves You ( 8 times )
• Funky Town ( 7 times )
• Hallelujah ( 7 times )
• Let's Dance ( 7 times )
• Where Have All The Flowers Gone? ( 7 times )
• Oliver's Army ( 6 times )
• Shine Like Stars ( 6 times )
• Billie Jean ( 5 times )
• Can't Stand The Rain ( 5 times )
• Follow the Yellow Brick Road ( 5 times )
• Fool To Cry ( 5 times )
• Jungleland ( 5 times )
• Many Rivers To Cross ( 5 times )
• Never Tear Us Apart ( 5 times )
• Man In The Mirror ( 4 times )
• Mothers Of The Disappeared ( 4 times )
• Need You Tonight ( 4 times )
• Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band ( 4 times )
• Break On Through ( 3 times )
• C Moon ( 3 times )
• Far Far Away ( 3 times )
• Fuck You, It's Over ( 3 times )
• Gracias A La Vida ( 3 times )
• In The Wee Small Hours Of The Morning ( 3 times )
• It's The End Of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine) ( 3 times )
• Miami ( 3 times )
• People Get Ready ( 3 times )
• Purple Rain ( 3 times )
• Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It) ( 3 times )
• Tryin' to Throw Your Arms Around the World ( 3 times )
• A Day Without Me ( 2 times )
• Acquiesce ( 2 times )
• All I Want Is You ( 2 times )
• Dickes B. ( 2 times )
• Don't Cry For Me Argentina ( 2 times )
• Dubravka ( 2 times )
• God Only Knows ( 2 times )
• Happy Birthday ( 2 times )
• Heart of Gold ( 2 times )
• I Want To Take You Higher ( 2 times )
• I'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight ( 2 times )
• In God's Country ( 2 times )
• In My Life ( 2 times )
• Independent Women ( 2 times )
• King Of Pain ( 2 times )
• London Bridge Is Falling Down ( 2 times )
• London Calling ( 2 times )
• Mensch ( 2 times )
• My Kind Of Town ( 2 times )
• Pinhead ( 2 times )
• Rock And Roll ( 2 times )
• Someone Somewhere In Summertime ( 2 times )
• The Hands That Built America ( 2 times )
• The Maker ( 2 times )
• Thunderstruck ( 2 times )
• Unchained Melody ( 2 times )
• Whole Lotta Love ( 2 times )
• You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet ( 2 times )
• Alison ( 1 time )
• Alive ( 1 time )
• All These Things That I've Done ( 1 time )
• Always Forever Now ( 1 time )
• Amsterdam ( 1 time )
• Are You Gonna Go My Way ( 1 time )
• Atomic ( 1 time )
• Birthday ( 1 time )
• Black Is Black ( 1 time )
• Blowin' In The Wind ( 1 time )
• Blue Suede Shoes ( 1 time )
• Brass In Pocket ( 1 time )
• Ca Plane Pour Moi ( 1 time )
• California Soul ( 1 time )
• Creep ( 1 time )
• Dear Prudence ( 1 time )
• Devil Inside ( 1 time )
• Dirty Boulevard ( 1 time )
• Dirty Old Town ( 1 time )
• Do They Know It's Christmas ( 1 time )
• Do You Remember Rock 'n' Roll Radio? ( 1 time )
• Don't Dream It's Over ( 1 time )
• Don't Speak ( 1 time )
• Drowning Man ( 1 time )
• Fall At Your Feet ( 1 time )
• Fix You ( 1 time )
• Flower Of Scotland ( 1 time )
• Gloria ( 1 time )
• Happy Xmas (War Is Over) ( 1 time )
• Have You Seen Your Mother, Baby, Standing in the Shadow? ( 1 time )
• He's Got The Whole World In His Hands ( 1 time )
• Help ( 1 time )
• Help Me Make It Through The Night ( 1 time )
• Helter Skelter ( 1 time )
• Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau ( 1 time )
• Here Comes The Summer ( 1 time )
• High And Dry ( 1 time )
• Highway To Hell ( 1 time )
• I Gotta Feeling ( 1 time )
• I Predict A Riot ( 1 time )
• I Want To Know What Love Is ( 1 time )
• I'll Stand By You ( 1 time )
• In The Garden ( 1 time )
• Instant Karma! ( 1 time )
• Into My Arms ( 1 time )
• John I'm Only Dancing ( 1 time )
• La Bamba ( 1 time )
• Lady Marmalade ( 1 time )
• Let It Be ( 1 time )
• Like A Hurricane ( 1 time )
• Love and Peace or Else ( 1 time )
• Love Will Tear Us Apart ( 1 time )
• Mazurek Dąbrowskiego ( 1 time )
• Miss Sarajevo ( 1 time )
• New York, New York ( 1 time )
• One Love ( 1 time )
• One Tree Hill ( 1 time )
• Party Girl ( 1 time )
• Perfect Day ( 1 time )
• Play Me ( 1 time )
• Pour Some Sugar On Me ( 1 time )
• Private Dancer ( 1 time )
• Promised You A Miracle ( 1 time )
• Pump It Up ( 1 time )
• Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head ( 1 time )
• Rock 'n' Roll High School ( 1 time )
• Rock 'N' Roll Nigger ( 1 time )
• Rock Me Amadeus ( 1 time )
• Rock You Like A Hurricane ( 1 time )
• Rockaway Beach ( 1 time )
• Rockin' In The Free World ( 1 time )
• Rocks ( 1 time )
• Run ( 1 time )
• Senza Una Donna ( 1 time )
• She's A Mystery To Me ( 1 time )
• She's A Rainbow ( 1 time )
• Show Me The Way ( 1 time )
• Slide Away ( 1 time )
• Springhill Mining Disaster ( 1 time )
• Stories for Boys ( 1 time )
• Strangers In The Night ( 1 time )
• Stuck in a Moment You Can't Get Out Of ( 1 time )
• Sunday Mornin' Comin' Down ( 1 time )
• Television Screen ( 1 time )
• Tequila ( 1 time )
• That's The Way (I Like It) ( 1 time )
• The Aaronic Blessing ( 1 time )
• The Battle Hymn Of The Republic ( 1 time )
• The Fixer ( 1 time )
• The Great Curve ( 1 time )
• The Needle and the Damage Done ( 1 time )
• The Times, They Are A-Changin' ( 1 time )
• The Way You Make Me Feel ( 1 time )
• The Whole of the Moon ( 1 time )
• Three Little Birds ( 1 time )
• TV Eye ( 1 time )
• Two Hearts Beat as One ( 1 time )
• United We Stand ( 1 time )
• Up On The Catwalk ( 1 time )
• Viva Las Vegas ( 1 time )
• Walk On The Wild Side ( 1 time )
• We Are Family ( 1 time )
• Where Is The Love? ( 1 time )
• Worried Blues ( 1 time )
• Young Americans ( 1 time )
• Zooropa ( 1 time )
• Cover songs ( 7 songs )
• No Line on the Horizon ( 7 songs )
• Achtung Baby ( 6 songs )
• All That You Can't Leave Behind ( 5 songs )
• The Joshua Tree ( 5 songs )
• Unreleased Songs ( 5 songs )
• Rattle And Hum ( 4 songs )
• The Unforgettable Fire ( 4 songs )
• War ( 3 songs )
• Zooropa ( 3 songs )
• B-Sides ( 2 songs )
• Boy ( 2 songs )
• How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb ( 2 songs )
• Non-album songs ( 2 songs )
• Passengers: Original Soundtracks 1 ( 2 songs )
• October ( 1 song )
• Songs of Innocence ( 1 song )
• Breathe ( 43 )
• Return of the Stingray Guitar ( 33 )
• Even Better Than The Real Thing ( 30 )
• Beautiful Day ( 3 )
• Magnificent ( 1 )
• Moment of Surrender ( 101 )
• With or Without You ( 2 )
• One Tree Hill ( 1 )
• Happy Birthday ( 1 )
• Out of Control ( 1 )
• All I Want Is You ( 1 )

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U2’s ‘360’ Tour Gross: $736,137,344!

Tomorrow night in New Brunswick, U2 will perform the 110th and final show of its monster "360" tour, wrapping up not only epic technological and musical achievements, but also going into the history…

By Ray Waddell

Ray Waddell

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Tomorrow night in Moncton, N.B., U2 will perform the 110th and final show of its monster 360 tour, wrapping up not only epic technological and musical achievements, but also going into the history books as the biggest tour ever.

When the final numbers are tallied, U2 360 will record a gross of $736,137,344 and total attendance of 7,268,430, Billboard.com/biz has learned, both the highest tour tallies ever reported to Billboard. U2 broke the Rolling Stones’ previous gross record of $558 million on April 10 in Sao Paulo, Brazil, as first reported on Billboard.biz on April 8 .

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The success of 360 is a testament not only to the enduring global appeal of the band, but also its ground-breaking-and risky-360-degree production, which increased the capacities of stadiums by as much as 25%. Details of the tour were first revealed on Billboard.com in March of 2009, when the tour, in support of the band’s 2008 album “No Line On The Horizon,” was still operating under the working title of “Kiss The Future.” By the time it was officially announced on March 9 of that year, the tour carried the “360” title, which longtime band manager Paul McGuinness says is a reference not only to the unique production of the tour, but also a sly nod to U2’s long-term multi-rights deal with promoter Live Nation, “a little private joke to amuse myself at one point.” This was the band’s first tour under that deal, steered by long-time U2 tour producer Arthur Fogel , chairman of Live Nation Global Touring and his Toronto-based team.

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The tour began June 30, 2009, in Barcelona, Spain, and swept across Europe before landing on North American shores on Sept. 12 in Chicago. This was the first time the band had played stadiums on the continent since the PopMart tour in 1997/’98.

As popular as U2 is worldwide, launching a never-before-attempted 360 configuration that would put 7 million tickets in the marketplace in a treacherous global economy was ambitious, to say the least. “I remember when everything was first laid out, the production was conceived, and we came to the realization of what it did to the capacities,” Fogel told Billboard.com/biz backstage at the tour’s 100th stop in Nashville earlier this month. “We were in a meeting in New York, we saw the design, and talked about all the different angles. There was a moment of sitting there and everyone thinking, ‘do you think we’ll sell the tickets?’ My gut was ‘absolutely yes,’ and I remember leaving the meeting and thinking, ‘oh shit.'”

Beyond the huge financial commitment the band and producers had made in launching the massive tour (not to mention a daily nut of $750,000 on the road, according to McGuinness), the aesthetic success of the production and the staging known as “the claw,” which literally surrounds the band with fans, depends on full houses. “There’s nowhere to hide,” Fogel says. “It was definitely scary.”

But sell those tickets they did, all over the world, and Fogel says what he learned form 360 was “probably more so than any other tour, to trust my instincts.”

The launch and execution of 360 were meticulously planned for more than a year, but those best-laid plans were blown up when news came last spring that the tour’s second North American leg would have to be scrapped due to an injury and resulting back surgery for U2 front man Bono. Producers were already on the ground at what was to be the tour’s first stop on that round in Salt Lake City when the news came.

Rejiggering the tour midstream was “challenging,” says Fogel. But the team moved quickly from the initial shock to rebuilding the North American leg for a year later, and did that so expertly that they not only were able to put most fans in the exact seat they would have been had the tour gone off as planned, but also found seven more shows, including the band’s first Nashville stop in 30 years.

“It was difficult at the time, but the most amazing thing through it all was the refund rate across all the shows was only about 9%, which is ridiculous,” says Fogel. “And we resold all those tickets.”

The final North American dates are considered by those involved to be among the band’s best on the tour, and mark a triumphant return to stadiums on this continent after the last stadium run in PopMart, which struggled to sell tickets in some markets. U2 played stadiums internationally but arenas in North America on the Vertigo tour in 2005-2007 the Elevation tour of 2001.

“After PopMart, the strategy was definitely to build back up North America, under-play, create that buzz and that demand, and I think we did a great job with that,” says Fogel, who has now produced four of the top five highest-grossing tours of all time. “To go outdoors in America this time, particularly with this production, is a story in itself. This thing, apart from, obviously, the band, great musicians, great music, great songs, was about creating that buzz in the world about this production. That was the hook.”

Now that U2 360 is set to close, Fogel says the magnitude of the accomplishment, which he calls a “career highlight,” is “finally starting to sink in.”

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