This year has been a big year for U2, with their huge 360 tour going on and their new album, and singles to go along with it. It has been one of the best years for this band in a long time, though they’ve had many great years. Well, it’s been announced that the band will be continuing their great shows in the spring and summer next year, when we will see them performing in cities like New York, Los Angeles and Chicago again. But that’s not all; there will be U2 concert tickets available for shows in many smaller areas as well. But as you might already know, you should get your tickets soon, because they sold out remarkably fast in 2009. So you should be part of a great 2010 by ordering your seats asap!

During last years American Presidential Election, it turns out that Bono called up Sarah Palin, the GOP nominee for vice president, and tried to help her out of her difficulty with international experience. He decided it was a good time to call her and tell her what he thought about the international situation. His reasons for doing so are curious. He can’t vote in America, but he can have a big impact. Maybe he thought that if he were able to reach out to members of both parties, he would be able to get his ideas some real air time. He is known for doing things like this, such as when he accepted an award from former president Bush a few years ago. Maybe he will do this again in future campaigns.

There is a contest in U2 world this month. Since the North American tour for 2009 is over, U2 is going to soften the blow by holding a contest for which the prize will be 6 volumes of their music on vinyl. The band is going to create a lot of fun for the lucky winners. And then they’re going to disappear off to Europe again. But let’s think about their tour to North America. It’s been several months now, I think they came sometime at the end of August? How much fun we have had since then! Maybe you saw them in Dallas, where they filled up the place and used standing room space for the first time in the new stadium. Maybe you saw them tear up the field in Chicago? Maybe you were part of their attendance records in New York, Boston, or LA? The fun tour is now at an end, although we will be able to see them coming back to the US in 2010, which will be a lot of fun too! It’s never too early to start preparing for their spring concerts though, so let’s start together. Start by listening to their earliest records this weekend and let me know if you notice anything new!

Thanks for welcoming them home, Dublin. U2 has just been fined by their hometown for breaking the noise regulations during the early parts of the 360 Tour. What? They’re a rock band. Did anyone expect that they would whisper? This comes as the group got in trouble for the length of time it took them to take down their concert set at the end of their stay, and the neighbors to the stadium complained of the noise that that made. I don’t recall what they decided, but I seem to remember that there was some trouble in getting the group to their next dates, because they couldn’t have crews working at night to take down the claw. This band might never play Dublin again with the kind of reception that they seem to have gotten. I don’t think anyone has said that, but I certainly wouldn’t blame them if that were the case!

We’ve been talking about the fact that our favorite band has added a whole lot of new dates to their concert schedule next year. It’s going to be a great extension of the tour and a lot of people who haven’t had the chance to see them yet, with the CLAW, will finally be able to do so. Their new dates include shows in Philly and Seattle, as well as Minneapolis. I believe some of the performances at bigger name arenas went onsale last week or the week before. Did you get your tickets? Where are you going to see them? It’s going to be a great time, I promise you. Having seen them this year in Chicago, you can bet that their show will be even better. It might be crowded, but they’re your kind of people and the show is so amazing. Can hardly even figure out a way to describe the U2 360 tour!

Concert dates are still being presented for the U2 shows starting next spring and continuing into summer. The shows in the New York area seem to be among the most hyped at the moment, since they will be in East Rutherford, a great place to see a show or a game. The shows will sell out pretty quick, so you have to be rapid in your search. There will be some other performances on either side of that as well. Hopefully we will be looking at the full schedule soon. Onsales for most of these shows are happening in the next week or two, so make sure that you’re right there for it and see the show. Even if you saw them this year, next year will certainly have some exciting differences that haven’t been revealed yet.