U2 360° Tour

Theater-in-the-round, where the stage is surrounded on all sides by the audience, was used by the ancient Greeks and Romans. It fell out of favor for centuries until it was revived in the second half of the 20th century.

Producers like to use the theater-in-the-round set-up for classical productions. Directors claim the configuration creates an intimidate relationship between the audience and the performers.

Now a theater-in-the-round type of stage is being utilized by U2 for their upcoming 360° Tour. Willie Williams, the band’s show director, and architect Mark Fisher have combined forces to create a stage that puts U2 in the center of the arena, completely surrounded by their fans. This gives the audience an unobstructed view of the band and also gives U2 an unobstructed view of the audience.

The tour’s website offers visitors the chance to see a virtual panoramic image of the stage. The representation portrays the band performing on a sparse, circular stage with a ring of video monitors suspended above. This structure is connected to a larger structure that resembles a head-less, four-legged spider. Racks of speakers, shaped like a claw, hang on either side of the super-structure’s legs at the point in which they intersect with the assembly’s canopy. And of course, the audience completely surrounds the stage.

According to U2’s website, this is the first time a band has toured with this type of configuration. However, Def Leppard employed “in the round” in the late 1980s and the early 1990s. And Metallica has used a similar type staging for some of their arena shows.

The European part of the U2 360° Tour begins June 30th in Barcelona and wraps up August 22nd in Cardiff.

On September 12th, 2009 the American leg is schedule to start at Soldier Field in Chicago. That’s followed by dates in Tampa, Las Vegas, Los Angeles and Phoenix.

Proponents of theater-in-the-round say the configuration gives the audience the best view possible and therefore the best show possible. Of course that’s what they tell you, but what they really like about theater-in-the-round is it saves money.

For a stage production, theater-in-the-round eliminates the need for a curtain and scenery. It also makes the theater bigger which means there are more seats to sell.

U2’s 360° design has nothing to do with actually being closer to their fans or their fans being closer to them. It has everything to do with creating more seats and generating more revenue.

It’s a win-win for everyone. Fans buying U2 East Rutherford tickets or U2 Toronto tickets have the opportunity to see the band like they’ve never seen them before. Meanwhile, the band has a lot more tickets sell to compensate for lower prices brought on by the down economy.

Regardless of the motivation, let’s just hope the theater-in-the-round is a great experience for U2 fans and not an exercise in, “When’s Bono going to turn around?”