On this day in 2005: U2 kicked off the Vertigo Tour

When U2 released their eleventh studio album How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb in November 2004, Bono described it as “our first rock album. It’s taken us twenty years or whatever it is, but this is our first rock album.”

That’s debatable, of course, but the fact remains that it went to No. 1 in 30 countries and won nine Grammy Awards. The promo kicked off with a Top of the Pops appearance on October 15, and U2 made a number of TV appearances (including Saturday Night Live on November 20).

The 131-date Vertigo Tour kicked off properly in San Diego on March 28, 2005, and over five legs saw the band play stadiums and arenas worldwide from 2005 until the closing show in Honolulu’s Aloha Stadium on December 9, 2006.

Much like the Elevation Tour, the Vertigo Tour featured a relatively stripped down and intimate stage design. The tour was also notable for the diversity of the material played. It was U2’s first tour since Lovetown to feature at least one song from every single album they had released (‘The First Time’ from 1993’s Zooropa was played live for the first time on this tour, while ‘Miss Sarajevo’ – from their Passengers’ side-project Original Soundtracks 1 – became a concert regular).

By the time it finished, the Vertigo Tour had sold 4,619,021 tickets – and grossed a phenomenal $389 million…

In the midst of extremely busy times for U2, The Edge stars on the cover of the new issue of Hot Press.

The acclaimed musician offers a fascinating glimpse into his creative life, in a major Hot Press original – coinciding with U2's new album of re-interpretations, Songs of Surrender; a Disney+ docu-special; a new Sarajevo documentary, Kiss The Future, in which they're featured; and news of the band's starring role in the launch of a spectacular world-leading venue in Las Vegas.

In the piece, the guitarist – and producer of Songs Of Surrender – writes passionately about the inspiration behind the upcoming album, and the process of re-imagining some of U2's most beloved tracks.

Order the issue below: