U2 in Coimbra

The Band U2 is in my hometown - Coimbra -  and everything seems to turn around it these days. Wherever you go, whatever you do, this combination of one letter and one number seems to dominate each conversation and the entire life of the inhabitants of this quiet town. Have you got a ticket? -  is the most heard question. The world seems to be divided into two categories: those who have a ticket and those who haven't a ticket. Unfortunately, I'm in the second category although I've watched the daily rising of the stage in front of my kid's school and been stuck in the traffic all week, and all of this due to the 120 trucks unloading the equipment for the concert. As a good sport I am, I've endured these hardships the best way possible and wish all the fans a terrific concert! Just don't break a leg because Bono seems to have antecipated you already... (a spark of black British humour!)

Here is some information about this tour.

The U2 360° Tour ( Europe, North America, Oceania) is an ongoing worldwide concert tour by rock band U2. Launched in support of the group's 2009 album No Line on the Horizon, the tour will visit stadiums from 30th June 2009 until 23rd July 2011. It includes 5 legs and 94 shows in three different continents.

The U2 360° Tour is named after the 360-degree staging and audience configuration it uses for shows, which U2 claims is "the first time a band has toured in stadiums with such a unique and original structure." To accommodate this, the stage set makes use of a massive four-legged supporting rig that has been nicknamed "The Claw" and has set a world record for the largest concert stage structure. In an era of declining CD sales, the tour is expected to be a major source of income for the band.

The penultimate show of the second leg, held at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, was filmed for the concert release U2 360° at the Rose Bowl. It was streamed live over YouTube, and set a new US attendance record for a single headlining act, as well as being the most watched live video stream in the website's history.

Bono sustained an injury to his back during preparation for the North American third leg of the tour, the damage to which included sciatica, a ligament tear, a herniated disc, and partial paralysis of his lower leg and resulted in the need for emergency spine surgery ain Munich.

 Information taken from the site: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U2_360%C2%B0_Tour

A view of the stage as U2 perform onstage on the first night of their 360 tour held at Camp Nou on June 30, 2009 in Barcelona.