U.S. Tour 2009: Speculation, Rumors, and Conjecture

[Ifeelnumb84]

As the album release date nears, I have several questions to throw out there...
1. When will we see tour dates? Before or after the album release?

2. Will U2 do stadiums in the USA? Arenas? A mixture of both (a la Joshua Tree tour)?
I would love to see U2 in a stadium setting, even if my seats are bad, and the sound is a bit worse than arenas. Just for the spectacle of it...

3. OPENERS! Who will open for U2 in the US? And if they do stadiums, does this automatically mean multiple openers?

4. Ticket prices...how much of a hit will our wallets take?

5. Will U2 ever challenge themselves by doing even a few shows at venues that are outside their comfort zone? Would they ever headline a festival that had a majority of non-U2 fans, or a small club when they AREN'T doing pre-album publicity hype? Or how about Red Rocks again, with no screens or light curtains?

Sorry if #4 and #5 come off as negative, but I think U2 are at a point where they can take some risks with their touring.

 

[andyuk]

1. Tour dates a few weeks after falbum release.
2. I have a feeling we will see an indoor tour in 2009 followed by a stadium tour in 2010
3. Multiple openers but usually hand picked by U2 so expect maybe Kings of leon / Stereophonics / Franz Ferdinand as these are well liked by U2.
4. In the UK expect £45 for standing and £60 for seats
5. The only festival the would do would be Glastonbury as they have always said they will headline one year when the timing is right!

 

[AdamThomasU2]

1. ASAP I am beyond excited for the tour
2. To quote Bono from the Q magazine interview, possibly outdoor all the way "think its fair to say that what we've planned for outdoors has never been done before and that we've been working on it for a long time. It's a feat of engineering genius."
3. In the US they seem to have a band that will open for them the majority of the tour, whereas in Europe there is a variety of acts. Fingers crossed for Glasvegas at some point
4. UK prices i think will be upwards of £50 due to the weakness of the Pound against the Euro
5. No idea, U2 concerts take so much from the stage designs and settings - having a plain old festival stage just doesn't suit Bono's crowd antics

 

[luna_lovegood]

1. dates in April some time
2. They'll do stadiums predominately judging by Bono's sparce comments in Q about enormous outdoor shows. And anyway, imo, they're better in stadiums.
3. I hope the Kings of leon again
4. same as last time
5. I hope they headline Glastonbury. That would be incredible. (because I might be able to make it there this year!) but apart from that, as awesome as it would be, I can't see them doing clubs / festivals.

 

[hey you]

u2 in US will play on arena and outdoors. for example they will play at fenway park in boston.

 

[U2387]

u2 in US will play on arena and outdoors. for example they will play at fenway park in boston.

They will not play in Fenway this summer. LiveNation owns the tour and has been thrown out of Fenway as of 2008. AEG produced shows go there for now, as do shows produced by the Red Sox entertainment company they are starting. Plus, a stadium tour w/a customized stage is not going to work in Fenway, I know from experience it is too much of a project to load things in, etc. After the Stones in 2005, the Red Sox said only simple stage designs are going in, and ever since, DMB, the Police and Neil Diamond all had the same or similiar stages. You can get 38-40K in Fenway for a concert, about 68-70 in Gillette.

U2 will be most likely going to Gillete Stadium this summer, as Kraft is a money hoar and will let LiveNation in over his own people for U2. If not this summer, it will be fall 2009 or summer 2010. I am thinking more and more that, given the release date, they will, at most, do a short arena leg this spring in the US. Looking like a JT type tour arrangement as of this point. If it is only stadiums for the entire tour, I think they will kick it off in Europe around May.

 

[ladywithspinninghead]

I've heard they have Fenway Park booked as well but that rumour could have been preceded the album delay.

 

[AtomicBono]

1. After. Probably shortly after, since it will be a summer tour.
2. Stadiums, based on the Bono quote. I hope they play Lucas Oil. Doubt they will, but it's all new and state of the art
3. Bloc Party would make my life and I think would be a good fit. Who knows though.
4. Probably about the same as last time.
5. Doubt it. I wish they'd play Lollapalooza but I don't see that happening.

 

[jphelmet]

3. Bloc Party would make my life and I think would be a good fit. Who knows though.

 

[andyuk]

1. ASAP I am beyond excited for the tour
2. To quote Bono from the Q magazine interview, possibly outdoor all the way "think its fair to say that what we've planned for outdoors has never been done before and that we've been working on it for a long time. It's a feat of engineering genius."
3. In the US they seem to have a band that will open for them the majority of the tour, whereas in Europe there is a variety of acts. Fingers crossed for Glasvegas at some point
4. UK prices i think will be upwards of £50 due to the weakness of the Pound against the Euro
5. No idea, U2 concerts take so much from the stage designs and settings - having a plain old festival stage just doesn't suit Bono's crowd antics

I feel the quote that bono said about Stadium shows actually makes me feel there will be indoor shows as well as i think it would of just said 'what weve planned for our tour' if it was just stadium shows but the fact he said 'what we have planned for our outdoor shows' tells me they also have indoor lined up as well.

I honestly think we will have an indoor tour throughout 2009 in both US and Europe followed by an Outdoor tour Worldwide in 2010.

May - July 2009 - US Indoor
Sept - Nov 2009 - Europe Indoor
Jan - Feb 2010 - Australia/Japan/South America Outdoors
April - May 2010 - US Outdoors
July - August 2010 - Europe Outdoors

 

[intedomine]

Start the tour off down under like they did in '84.....for the Unforgettable Fire tour.

Doing US first is a bit repetitive.......spread it 'round a bit I reckon.

 

[pepokiss]

I love this US centric threads

because it makes us, Rest of the world, remember we mean nothing

 

[digitize]

I love this US centric threads

because it makes us, Rest of the world, remember we mean nothing

America... fuck yeah!

 

[luna_lovegood]

Start the tour off down under like they did in '84

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

I love this US centric threads

because it makes us, Rest of the world, remember we mean nothing

well how about you start a tour about the rest of the world then, so that way i can come and complain about how it's unrelated to the US?

someone from the US wanted to talk about the tour in the US... if you want to talk about the tour in uzbekestan, start your own thread and go f'ing nuts.

 

[U2387]

I feel the quote that bono said about Stadium shows actually makes me feel there will be indoor shows as well as i think it would of just said 'what weve planned for our tour' if it was just stadium shows but the fact he said 'what we have planned for our outdoor shows' tells me they also have indoor lined up as well.

I honestly think we will have an indoor tour throughout 2009 in both US and Europe followed by an Outdoor tour Worldwide in 2010.

May - July 2009 - US Indoor
Sept - Nov 2009 - Europe Indoor
Jan - Feb 2010 - Australia/Japan/South America Outdoors
April - May 2010 - US Outdoors
July - August 2010 - Europe Outdoors

I think this is exactly how it will go!

 

[ramblin rose]

I think this is exactly how it will go!

Dream on.

 

[kellyahern]

It was so dead at work Friday that I went on the internet to research which hotels were closest to the arenas that U2 played on the last tour in case I can travel to some out of state shows .

It's never too early to start planning, right?

 

[The_acrobat]

With the US economy the way it is, they will not be doing stadiums here. That'd be rediculous.

 

[LemonMelon]

I love this US centric threads

because it makes us, Rest of the world, remember we mean nothing

They'll toss you losers a bone sometime during the 7th leg. Maybe.

 

[U2387]

Dream on.

You have a more plausible scenario?

 

[Aygo]

I feel the quote that bono said about Stadium shows actually makes me feel there will be indoor shows as well as i think it would of just said 'what weve planned for our tour' if it was just stadium shows but the fact he said 'what we have planned for our outdoor shows' tells me they also have indoor lined up as well.

I honestly think we will have an indoor tour throughout 2009 in both US and Europe followed by an Outdoor tour Worldwide in 2010.

May - July 2009 - US Indoor
Sept - Nov 2009 - Europe Indoor
Jan - Feb 2010 - Australia/Japan/South America Outdoors
April - May 2010 - US Outdoors
July - August 2010 - Europe Outdoors

I'd go for something similar but... I'm not seeing U2 playing in Europe (even if indoors) in October and November. But yeah, I'd go for a similar schedule:

May - July 09 - NA indoors (30 shows)
Ago - Out 09 - Europe indoors (30 shows)

Jan - Fev 10 - Jap/NZ/Aus/South Africa outdoors (15 shows)
Apr - Jun 10 - NA/Mexico outdoors (35 shows)
July - Sep 10 - Europe indoors (35 shows)
Nov - Dec 10 - South America (15 shows)

Instead, the band would have little gaps (Out 09 - Jan 10, Fev-Apr 10, Sep-Nov 10) to rework some of "loads of material" they've written, to record it in the studio and to release a new album in the summer/autumn of 2010. This is very dreamy almost impossible, but a hipothetical schedule for the next tour.

 

[ramblin rose]

You have a more plausible scenario?

I think we'll be very lucky if we get them in the US before the fall. I'm hoping, but not hopeful.

 

[yenlard]

not a fan of stadium tours having seen them in los angeles in both 87 and 96at the coliseum. if you dont happen to get good seats everything is so far away...regardless of the massive screens. its better to see them in a more intimate setting like an arena.

 

[buzzkill27]

With the US economy the way it is, they will not be doing stadiums here. That'd be rediculous.

Not as crazy as you think....stadium shows usually mean cheaper ticket prices as you can obvoiusly fit 3 to 4 times as many people into a stadium than an arena

 

[one4u2]

not a fan of stadium tours having seen them in los angeles in both 87 and 96at the coliseum. if you dont happen to get good seats everything is so far away...regardless of the massive screens. its better to see them in a more intimate setting like an arena.

I hate stadiums praying for lots of NY arena shows like last tour

 

[jayb]

i hope they do a mixture of arenas and stadiums, like the joshua tree tour.

but i do like seeing u2 in stadiums. try to see them in a stadium in europe on a hot summers night. there's nothing better.

 

[U2387]

I think we'll be very lucky if we get them in the US before the fall. I'm hoping, but not hopeful.

I dont know, JT and Pop were both released in March and were spring North America starts. Then again, the trend has been delays w/this album in general, so we'll see. I did not mean to suggest you were wrong, I think spring or fall could happen. I am just leaning more myself toward spring.

Again, my thought could be completely wrong.

 

[lauramullen]

I don't like stadiums either. The sound depending on where you are isn't good. I like the arenas because with GA floor I can get close up.

 

[Sicy]

I'm not a fan of stadiums either. Not sure why anyone would prefer stadium to arena. Arenas are so much more personal and up close. I remember my first U2 concert was Joshua Tree at Oakland Stadium and I waited in line all day for a good spot and they still looked like ants on stage.