I agree that U2's popularity, especially for live shows, has gone way back up. And yes, my favorite concert was POPMART, but that's because I had front row seats at Clemson, and there were 22,000 fans in an 80,000 seat stadium...plus the space on the field, which is where we were, standing on our chairs. By that time, all the bugs had been worked out and they had a unique, mono-based sound system that did well outside.
I got lucky with front row tickets in Chicago at the United Center this fall, and since this tour is supposed to be quite a combination of lighting and effects, maybe I'll have something to compare it to. Still, I know I'll be dry, warm, and comfortable indoors...but damn we sure do have to pay for it.
And regardless of who ends up with the Top Grossing tour of all-time, U2 is already regarded as the best live act ever IMO. If they do indeed extend this tour into 2006 to go back to R.O.W., especially Austrailia, then this may end up being the highest grossing tour of all-time, period. One thing that does skew demand, though, is the extraordinary number of U2 fans who go to like 5, 10, or sometimes 20 shows. That blows me away, and I don't know the extent of this type of fandom, but I do remember Bono and other band members commenting on how they saw many of the same people in the Heart night after night on the Elevation Tour. I had to crack up at someone who was bitching about Prop Members getting "seniority" rights for the most recent presale, only to have a list of the 14 shows he was going to ALREADY in his signature.
Regardless, demand for live U2 is up, and they could sellout more stadiums, play less shows, and perhaps gross more if it was combined with the planned extensive arena rock tour. I still would be looking for the closest arena...