U2 Elevation Tour 2001: The Heart Stage and the Year's Top-Grossing Tour

U2’s Elevation Tour played 113 shows between March 24 and Dec. 2, 2001, drawing 2,179,642 fans and grossing US$143.5 million. That made it the highest-grossing tour of 2001, both in North America (US$109.7 million) and worldwide.

The tour supported All That You Can’t Leave Behind and took U2 back to arenas after the stadium spectacle of the late ’90s.

The heart-shaped stage

Show designer Willie Williams and architect Mark Fisher built an 80 ft by 100 ft stage with a heart-shaped ramp running out into the crowd. Fans inside the heart stood closer to the band than at any U2 show before.

Instead of standard big-screen close-ups, four screens showed the band, with an 8 x 64 ft video wall behind them. The production travelled in 14 trucks.

Elevation at Slane Castle

U2 played two homecoming shows at Ireland’s Slane Castle, on Aug. 25 and Sept. 1, 2001. They were filmed for U2 Go Home: Live from Slane Castle, Ireland.

The North American shows were captured on Elevation 2001: Live from Boston.

From Elevation to the Super Bowl

U2’s Super Bowl XXXVI halftime show on Feb. 3, 2002 recreated the Elevation heart stage. Their next NFL halftime is the Thanksgiving Eve game on Nov. 25, 2026.

Looking for the current tour? See U2 tour 2027 dates and tickets.