Two more U.S. cities will host the international phenomenon that is U2’s on-going 360° Tour. The 2011 North American leg, rescheduled from summer 2010 after frontman Bono underwent back surgery, now includes stops on June 22 at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, MD, and July 17 at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, MO.
Public onsales for the new Baltimore and St. Louis shows begin the morning of November 8, preceded this week by fan club presales on November 3. As with other dates of the on-going 360° Tour, ticket prices range from a low of $30 up to a high of $250 for regular admission, according to U2’s official Web site.
The politically active Irish rockers are also auctioning ticket packages to benefit charities (RED) and The Global Fund. However, because those packages are being offered in an auction environment, official face values are not publicized.
The veteran rock group also tacked on three dates to the 2011 itinerary earlier this season: new concerts in Nashville and Winnipeg, as well as a new tour-closing show in Pittsburgh. All additions told, the calendar now includes 23 performances in Mexico, the United States, and Canada.
M&T Bank and Busch Stadiums held separate press conferences today, November 1, to announce U2’s updated tour routing.
“I can’t wait to welcome the biggest rock band in the world to the home of America’s greatest football team, M&T Bank Stadium. It will be a ‘Beautiful Day’ for Baltimore!” a Baltimore Ravens press release quoted city mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake.
The president of the St. Louis Cardinals, William DeWitt III, was equally excited by the prospect of U2’s upcoming visit. “This promises to be one of the most exciting concerts in St. Louis in a long time,” DeWitt was quoted by the St. Louis Globe-Democrat.
It is no wonder that the nation’s venues are scrambling to add 360° dates to their calendars. U2’s popular tour has already earned the distinction of being one of the year’s highest grossing. The veteran rockers were named 2010’s top-earning musicians by Forbes magazine. During the publication’s June 2009-to-June 2010 reporting period, it tallied U2’s tour-related earnings at $130 million — with an overall tour gross of $311 million and 1.3 million tickets sold.
On a similar note, U2 is in the running for two of the top awards at the 2010 Billboard Touring Awards, to be held November 4 in New York, NY. Along with AC/DC and Bon Jovi, the band is a finalist for the categories of “Top Tour” (for the top grossing tour) and “Top Draw” (for the top selling tour) this year.
U2 – 2011 itinerary:
(Dates are subject to change.)
| May 14 – 15 | Mexico City, MEX | Estadio Azteca |
| May 21 | Denver, CO | Invesco Field at Mile High |
| May 24 | Salt Lake City, UT | Rice-Eccles Stadium |
| May 29 | Winnipeg, MB | Canad Inns Stadium |
| June 1 | Edmonton, AB | Commonwealth Stadium |
| June 4 | Seattle, WA | Qwest Field |
| June 7 | Oakland, CA | Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum |
| June 17 – 18 | Anaheim, CA | Angel Stadium of Anaheim |
| June 22 | Baltimore, MD | M&T Bank Stadium * |
| June 26 | East Lansing, MI | Spartan Stadium |
| June 29 | Miami Gardens, FL | Sun Life Stadium |
| July 2 | Nashville, TN | Vanderbilt Stadium |
| July 5 | Chicago, IL | Soldier Field |
| July 8 – 9 | Montreal, QC | Hippodrome De Montreal |
| July 11 | Toronto, ON | Rogers Centre |
| July 14 | Philadelphia, PA | Lincoln Financial Field |
| July 17 | St. Loius, MO | Busch Stadium * |
| July 20 | East Rutherford, NJ | Meadowlands Stadium |
| July 23 | Minneapolis, MN | TCF Bank Stadium |
| July 26 | Pittsburgh, PA | Heinz Field |
* new dates
