Billboard recently posted some details of the upcoming U2 tour. For starters, the tour is called Kiss the Future U2360, and will be in support of their new album No Line On the Horizon. The band will announce tour details on March 9th, but here is what is already known. The band is using new innovations to transform stadiums into a new live experience. This includes includes a 360-degree audience configuration, ambitious staging (details are skimp on this) and a cylindrical video screen.
The band will start the tour in Europe on Junes 30th in Barcelona and the European leg will end August 22nd. They will then come to North America on September 12th, starting with a show at Soldier Field in Chicago. The North American leg of the tour will then run until October 28th. The 360 Configuration seating is supposedly going to increase the capacity size of each venue from anywhere from 15 to 20%. On sale ticket dates for the tour will begin in mid-March for the European leg. North American tickets are expected to go on sale from late March to early April.
The configuration opens up myriad opportunities for scaling ticket prices, an important consideration for Fogel and the band. The top ticket price will be slightly higher than last time and the bottom price will be lower, with the floor seats — the closest to the stage — the lowest priced. In fact, playing larger capacity venues allows for more conservative pricing overall. Field level is going to be $55, and there will be 10,000 tickets a show, every show, at $30, Fogel says. The price points are $250, $90-$95, depending on the market; $55 and $30.
UPDATE 3/7/09: Billboard’s article has now been updated to reflect a tour name change from “Kiss the Future” to “U2360.”
– Brent Koepp
