Los Angeles, CA (Top40 Charts/ Live Nation Entertainment) U2 360, the most successful concert tour of all time, came to an end in Moncton, N.B., Canada tonight.
The massive 26 month undertaking by Live Nation Global Touring saw U2 play 110 concerts in front of more than 7.1 million fans in 30 countries across five continents.
The tour opened in Barcelona on June 30, 2009 before hitting the road. U2 performed in the Balkans for the first time since 1997 and played three historic home town concerts at Dublin's Croke Park, before heading to California to perform in front of 97,000 fans at the Rose Bowl (and streamed live via YouTube to 7 continents). A second European leg started in August 2010, featuring U2's first appearances in Russia and Turkey - later that year U2 360 headed to Australia and New Zealand with JAY-Z. In 2011, U2 returned to South Africa for the first time since 1998 playing two huge concerts in the World Cup Stadiums of Capetown and Johannesburg. After playing three sold out nights at Estadio Morumbi in Sao Paulo Brazil, U2 360 passed 5 million tickets sold and became the biggest tour of all time. The tour's biggest single audience was 108,800 at Stadium Azteca in Mexico City on May 14th, 2011.
With a revolutionary production, U2 360 caught the imagination of its audience, who nicknamed U2's circular stage the Claw, the Spaceship and when in Houston - the Space Station. USA Today described it as "a four-pronged UFO anchored by a glowing 164-foot pylon and cylindrical LED screens." But whatever it was called, for the Chicago Tribune, "The lights, the songs, the audience all synced up. Sometimes size matters."
Arthur Fogel, Chairman, Global Music & CEO, Global Touring, Live Nation, said, "This tour was a brilliant success on every level and all involved should be extremely proud. U2 once again have set the standard for achievement - perhaps for all time."
"With tonight's final show, U2's 360 tour will go down as the biggest tour ever reported both in terms of box office gross and attendance," says Ray Waddell from Billboard. "This tour is a remarkable feat on a global scale, from its staging and production, to its video elements, all the way to the scaling of the house, routing and execution. Most importantly, U2 rocked mightily all over the world."
U2 360 By Numbers
7,100,000 Fans
10 million People watched a live stream of U2 360 at the Rose Bowl on YouTube
320,000 Fans saw 360 in Mexico City
92,270 Meals fed to working staff and guests
29,000 Tee shirts given to local stagehands
9,760 Guitar strings utilized
7,100 Miles - approximate distance travelled by space station while talking with U2
5,200 Years - collective touring experience of U2 tour personnel
400 Tons - weight of the fully loaded claw
134 Crew members
126 Truck drivers
110 Concerts
53 Gigs attended by a single fan
33 Flemish speaking crew members
30 Countries
12 Bus drivers
11 Babies born to crew
7 Astronauts attended
4 Appreciative Irishmen
2 fairytale crew weddings
1 Singer in surgery
1 World leader released from house arrest during tour
www.U2.com
