A carnival atmosphere surrounded the stadium as fans streamed into the open-roofed, oval structure. Vendors hawked everything from last-minute concert tickets and U2 T-shirts, to bunny ears to ridiculous headbands topped with curly white and hot pink fake hair. The fans, numbering some 80,000 every night, seemed to keep their cool in the midst of hubbub.
U2 360 Tour Stage
The first thing to catch concert goers’ eyes upon their entering the stadium was the enormous, claw-like — or spider-like — stage, topped with a disco ball atop a tower. U2 frontman Bono described it as a space station once the band took the stage, but it also served as the setting for light shows throughout U2’s set.
U2’s 360 Tour at Croke Park in Dublin on July 25 opened with two acts. First up was Republic of Loose, followed by The Kaiser Chiefs. Forty-five minutes after they left the stage, David Bowie’s Major Tom began to play and U2 drummer Larry Mullen Jr. appeared first on stage to the crowd’s obvious and quite audible delight, followed by the other band members: Adam Clayton, The Edge, and Bono.