SWEET

Rock band U2 to play at new arena

April 18, 2005





Source: Charlotte Business Journal Erik Spanberg

The city's new uptown arena announced its first concert booking Monday afternoon: Irish rockers U2.

Since being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame earlier this year, U2's "Vertigo" tour has notched sellouts at arenas across the country. The band performs in Charlotte Dec. 12, near the end of a 50-city fall swing.

"We're really excited because this is an act we had targeted," says Barry Silberman, chief operating officer of the uptown arena. "They are an example of the first-class entertainment we hope to bring to town."

The booking may offer signs of hope to a sluggish local concert market. Last week, officials at the Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority blamed higher-than-anticipated deficits at Charlotte Coliseum, in part, on slow concert business. Through February, the coliseum had a $1.3 million deficit this fiscal year, which began July. The loss is $388,113 above initial projections.

Silberman says promoters have been enthusiastic about the arena, which opens in November. The $265 million, publicly funded facility will replace the existing coliseum, which closes later this year.

U2 tickets go on sale April 23, with prices ranging from $49.50 to $160.

 

i'm in. 2 ga's on the floor. 25 over face. not bad.

 

General admission was made illegal in indoor venues seating over 15,000 in NC in 1987. You got robbed.

 

take it up with your legislator. i'm good to go.

those tix are going for 4/5x what they are listed at all over for this tour. getting them ahead of general sale this saturday for a slight premium is well worth it..to me.

 

How did you get them ahead of time?

 

tracked down a u2.com member that had a presale code.

 

got any more of those?

 

i wish. it was a hard time tracking this one down.

i'm suspecting it might be easier than usual to get floor tix for this show because ticketmaster is not handling the regular sale of tickets. the tm presale is over and i'm not seeing alot of fs offers on ebay or some of the u2forums. i'm guessing that with it being so late in the tour and most folks are locked in for the the bigger city shows,

newcharlottearena.com and blumenthal are the places to get tickets, instead.

 

all gone in 59 minutes.

 

I'll be scalping.