So far, dates and venues are confirmed for September concerts in four North American cities: Chicago, Toronto, the Boston area and the New York City area. That itinerary, which is included below, will grow to comprise additional September and October stops in Atlanta; Charlottesville, VA; Dallas; Houston; Las Vegas; Los Angeles; Norman, OK; Phoenix; Tampa, FL; Washington, DC; and Vancouver, British Columbia, according to U2's website. The site also includes details of the band's European outing.

Long-time U2 show director Willie Williams has again collaborated with architect Mark Fisher--who also headed up stage plans for U2's ZooTV, PopMart, Elevation and Vertigo tours--to create "an innovative 360˚ design which affords an unobstructed view for the audience," according to a press release.

A three-dimensional, computer-generated model of the massive stage set is posted at the tour's just-launched website. Users can select several different "camera orbits" to view the model from different vantage points.

The in-the-round configuration will increase by 15%-20% the audience capacity at each stadium versus that of a traditional stage design, Billboard.com reported. Arthur Fogel, global music chairman for the tour's promoter, Live Nation, told Billboard that tickets--which will be available for the US dates in late March or early April--will range in price from high-dollar at $250 to affordable, with 10,000 seats per show priced at $30; premium seating along the sides of the grandstand will cost $55. When all is said and done, the band's worldwide trek is expected to become one of the highest-grossing tours ever.

In a recent interview with Billboard.com, the Edge said, "We're very excited about the idea of going on the road with this album. I think it's going to translate so well to the live context. The songs we've tried in rehearsal are sounding fantastic, so that's got everyone really fired up."

"No Line on the Horizon," U2's 12th studio album, landed in stores last week, and is expected to top this week's Billboard 200 with sales of at least 400,000 copies. The album surfaced amid a nonstop marketing campaign that included a media blitz at London's BBC capped off with a rooftop performance, a five-night run as last week's musical guest on "The Late Show With David Letterman," and a live set on last Friday's "Good Morning America."

As previously reported, the band still has a trio of live, syndicated radio broadcasts set to air this week, each from a different city. The group will be broadcasting from Los Angeles tonight (3/9), Chicago tomorrow night (3/10) and Boston Wednesday night (3/11).

TOUR DATES

September
12 - Chicago, IL - Soldier Field
16 - Toronto, Ontario - Rogers Centre
20 - Foxboro, MA - Gilette Stadium
24 - East Rutherford, NJ - Giants Stadium