U2’s 360° Tour was one of the highest grossing concert tours of all time. The tour promoted their 2009 album No Line on the Horizon and visited stadiums from 2009 to 2011. A highlight of the tour was the unique stage setup called “The Claw”, essentially a massive four-legged structure that allowed for 360 degree views of the band while they performed. The stage included a cylindrical video screen that sat under the stage structure and rose during performances. This concert production was ambitious and allowed U2 to perform in the round in large scale stadiums and venues. The tour was seen by over 7 million people and grossed over $736 million.
U2 360° Tour By The Numbers
| Total Gross Revenue | $736 million |
| Total Attendance | Over 7 million |
| Number of Legs | 5 |
| Number of Shows | 110 |
| Number of Countries Visited | 30 |
| Longest Show | 2 hours 45 minutes |
| Opening Acts | Snow Patrol, Muse, The Black Eyed Peas, Lenny Kravitz, Kings of Leon |
The tour kicked off in Barcelona in June 2009 and finished in Canada in July 2011. It was divided into 5 legs spanning North America, Europe, Oceania, Africa, and South America. Some of the highest grossing shows were in the band’s hometown of Dublin where they played 3 concerts at Croke Park. Those shows alone grossed over $28 million.
U2 360° Stage Design
The most iconic part of the tour was the stage known as “The Claw”. It was designed by architect Mark Fisher in conjunction with the band. Here are some key facts about this massive structure:
- Height – 55 meters tall
- Width – 50 meters wide
- Weight – 200 tons
- Capacity – Ability to support up to 450 tons of light, sound, and video equipment
- Construction Time – 6 weeks to build
- Crew Members Needed – 25-50 per show to set it up
The video screen underneath the stage structure was made up of 1 million pieces and had a diameter of 14 meters at its fullest extension. It allowed for interesting visuals during performances as it could separate into octagons or rectangles before reforming as a cylinder.
Ticketing Details
Given the tour’s record setting scale and popularity, tickets were in high demand when they initially went on sale. Here are some key ticketing details:
- Total Tickets Sold – Over 7 million
- Average Ticket Price – $93
- Highest Ticket Price – $250 (VIP packages)
- Sell Out Rate – 97% of shows sold out
- Largest Venues Played – Stadiums with 90,000+ capacity
While setlist varied by date, the show generally included a mix of classics like “Where the Streets Have No Name”, “Pride (In the Name of Love)”, and “Sunday Bloody Sunday” as well as new material from No Line on the Horizon like “Magnificent” and the title track. Most shows lasted around 2 hours not including supporting acts.
Notable Concert Dates & Locations
Given its enormous scale, the tour made notable stops in historic venues around the world:
- Croke Park, Dublin – 3 shows in front of 400,000 fans
- Camp Nou Stadium, Barcelona – 90,000 attendees
- Rose Bowl, Los Angeles – 97,014 attendees
- FedExField, Washington D.C. – Over 84,000 attendees
- Soccer City Stadium, Johannesburg – 84,480 attendees
- Millennium Stadium, Cardiff – 78,000 attendees
- Air Canada Centre, Toronto – 10 shows played
Some of the highest grossing shows outside of Dublin took place in Australia including engagements at Sydney Football Stadium, Melbourne Cricket Ground, and Brisbane’s Suncorp Stadium.
Setlist Samples
While the setlist did vary by date, here are some of the most commonly played songs:
- “Beautiful Day”
- “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For”
- “Magnificent”
- “Mysterious Ways”
- “One”
- “Sunday Bloody Sunday”
- “City of Blinding Lights”
- “Vertigo”
- “Ultra Violet (Light My Way)”
Some rarities and tour debuts included “Two Hearts Beat As One”, “Moment of Surrender”, “Scarlet”, and “Miss Sarajevo.” The group was joined on stage at various concerts by guests like Jay-Z and Mick Jagger.
Critical Reception
The tour received very positive reviews from music critics:
- The Telegraph: “U2 still look like the greatest rock band on the planet.”
- The Guardian: “The 360° production has been rightly hailed as a triumph.”
- Los Angeles Times: “The band was at its blockbuster best. Everything about U2’s first Southern California stadium concert in nine years was colossal.”
- Rolling Stone: “The band was in top form, playing a charged two-hours-plus set.”
Critics praised the immersive nature of the 360 stage and production along with the band’s tight performances. Bono’s stage presence and interaction with the audiences was also highlighted.
Documentary & Concert Films
The tour was documented in Davis Guggenheim’s 2011 documentary From the Sky Down which focused on the band’s reinventing themselves in the lead up to Achtung Baby. It featured behind the scenes footage and interviews tracing the beginnings of the 360° Tour.
In 2012, a live concert film U2360° at the Rose Bowl was released featuring the penultimate show of the tour filmed in Pasadena, CA. It was directed by Tom Krueger and broke the record for highest grossing music DVD of all time with over $25 million in sales.
Legacy
The U2 360° Tour was a record breaking event in many ways:
- At the time, it was the highest grossing concert tour beating The Rolling Stones’ A Bigger Bang Tour which grossed $558 million
- Its final attendance count of 7,268,430 is still one of the highest of all time
- The “Claw” stage still holds the record for largest stage ever constructed for a rock tour
- Helped set the template for other legacy acts like the Rolling Stones to undertake 360° style tours
While very ambitious in its scale and production, the tour demonstrated that U2 remained one of the most compelling live acts in the world capable of drawing massive audiences to stadiums and arenas. The 360° Tour cemented U2’s reputation for cutting edge concert experiences and set the standard for large scale rock tours going forward.
Conclusion
U2’s 360° Tour was a historic undertaking that showed the band’s prowess as a live act. With an unprescedented stage setup and production, they played over 100 shows across 30 countries to over 7 million fans. The average ticket price was around $93 but went as high as $250 for VIP packages given the enormous demand. The band performed a mix of classics and newer songs off No Line on the Horizon for generally 2 hour plus sets. Some of the most notable shows took place at venues like Croke Park in Dublin, the Rose Bowl, and Soccer City Stadium in South Africa. The tour received glowing reviews from critics and fans, underscoring that U2 remained as compelling as ever decades into their career. The 360° Tour broke numerous records and set the template for other legacy rock bands to follow with their own 360 tours. It will be remembered as one of the most successful and ambitious concert tours of all time.