No Line on the Horizon and U2 360° Tour (2007–present) from From Wikipedia

Wed, 2010-07-28 23:20

The band's 360-degree stage layout from their 2009 U2 360° TourThe band began work on their twelfth album No Line on the Horizon in 2006, originally writing and recording with producer Rick Rubin, but the material was shelved. The band subsequently chose to begin writing and recording for the album with producers Daniel Lanois and Brian Eno in June 2007. A two-week trip to Fez, Morocco where the six recorded led to the band experimenting with North African sounds and indicating the album would be more experimental than their previous efforts. During the album sessions, on 31 March 2008, it was confirmed that U2 signed a 12 year deal with Live Nation worth an estimated $100 million (£50 million),[115][not in citation given] which includes Live Nation controlling the band's merchandise, sponsoring, and their official website.

The band completed No Line on the Horizon in December 2008, and it was released on 27 February 2009.[116] The album received generally positive reviews, but critics noted the end result was not as experimental as expected. The U2 360° Tour began on 30 June 2009 and featured European and North American stadium dates in 2009, with additional shows in Europe in 2010 and North America in 2011.[117] The shows feature a 360-degree staging/audience configuration, in which the fans surround the stage from all sides.[118] U2 were scheduled to headline the Glastonbury Festival on 25 June 2010,[119] but an injury to Bono's back during preparation for the third leg of the U2 360° Tour necessitated the cancellation of their appearance, along with the postponement of the entire leg. Bono stated, "I'm heartbroken. We really wanted to be there to do something really special—we even wrote a song especially for the Festival."[120] On 13 July 2010, the rescheduled concert dates were announced for 2011.[121]

In 2009, Rolling Stone named U2 one of eight "Artists of the Decade".[122] The group's tours ranked them second in total concert grosses for the decade, after The Rolling Stones.[123]