U2 Vertigo Tour 2005–06: 131 Shows, 4.6 Million Fans and US$389 Million

U2’s Vertigo Tour played 131 shows from March 28, 2005 to Dec. 9, 2006, drawing 4,619,021 fans and grossing US$389 million. In 2005 alone it earned US$260 million from 110 sold-out concerts, making it the top-grossing tour of the year.

It supported How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb. It opened at San Diego’s iPayOne Center and closed at Honolulu’s Aloha Stadium, with Pearl Jam opening the final show.

The Vertigo stage

Designers Willie Williams and Mark Fisher surrounded the arena stage with an ellipse-shaped ramp. The space inside it, known as the “bomb shelter,” put the closest fans almost on stage.

In North America, seven retractable LED bead curtains and 189 strings of LED balls wrapped the room in light. The stadium shows swapped these for an LED screen and two B-stages.

Record-breaking shows

U2’s three Croke Park concerts in Dublin sold more than 240,000 tickets, breaking Irish box-office records. In Chicago, four United Center nights included a May 7, 2005 show that grossed $7,541,679.

The Feb. 20, 2006 show in São Paulo was broadcast live on Brazil’s Rede Globo.

Openers

Kings of Leon opened the first US leg. Later openers included Franz Ferdinand, Kanye West, Keane, The Killers, Snow Patrol, Arcade Fire and Interpol.

Vertigo on film

The tour produced Vertigo 2005: Live from Chicago and Vertigo: Live from Milan. The 2008 concert film U2 3D was shot at seven Latin American Vertigo shows.

U2 return to Latin America first on the U2 tour 2027, opening in Mexico City on Feb. 23.