U2 [ tickets ] kicked off its 360 Tour in grand fashion last night (6/30) in Barcelona, Spain, unveiling a huge, high-tech set design during a show that also paid tribute to Michael Jackson.

Surrounded by fans at Barcelona's Camp Nou soccer stadium on a round stage designed by long-time band collaborator Willie Williams and architect Mark Fisher ("We've got a space station designed by Gaudi," Bono reportedly joked to the 90,000-strong Spanish crowd) the band launched into a run-through of familiar hits along with material from the group's most recent album, "No Line on the Horizon," including the show opener, "Breathe."

"The band has been moving further into the crowd with every tour," said U2 manager Pail McGuinness in a press statement. "Tonight they've arrived. Willie and Mark have spent five years perfecting this beautiful and extraordinary frame, once the crowd came in tonight, we got lift-off!"

According to reports, U2 appeared to pull out all the stops on the trek's opening night, including a conversation between Bono and the commander of the International Space Station via live link, and a tribute to the late Michael Jackson in the form of the song "Angel of Harlem."

The tour continues tomorrow night (7/2) in the same venue before moving on to similarly oversized gigs in Italy, France, Germany and the Netherlands, after which the band returns home for three nights in Dublin, Ireland. The tour then adds shows in several additional European cities through late August.

After taking a breather for a few weeks, the scene shifts to North America, where U2 will kick off a 16-city run Sept. 12 with the first of back-to-back shows in Chicago, IL. Dates are below, including the band's current European leg.

U2's 12th studio album, "No Line on the Horizon," surfaced in February. The set debuted at No. 1 in 30 countries, including the US, where it posted first-week sales of about 484,000 copies.

The album's first single, "Get on Your Boots," peaked at No. 37 on Billboard's Hot 100, with the second single, "Magnificent," surfacing in May. A third track, "I'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight," is due to hit radio stations in August.