U2 confirm second Irish date

As predicted on hotress.com last month, U2 have confirmed a second consecutive show in Croke Park on Saturday June 25.

Tickets for both dates go on general sale at 8am on Friday February 4.

With both dates guaranteed to sell out, hotpress.com understands provision has been made for a third Irish date on June 26.

Meanwhile, it took the band precisely six hours to sell all 260,000 tickets for their UK tour.

According to trade bible Music Week: "Ticketmaster.co.uk and getlive.co.uk were impossible to penetrate, while the telephone booking lines were constantly engaged from 8.50am.Over 50 people had started to queue outside box office Stargreen in central London at 7.30 this morning. By 9.30am, that queue had grown to at least 200 people."

Reflecting on the fact that three million online attempts were made to purchase tickets, European tour promoter John Giddings says: "I'm staggered by the response. The demand is unprecedented."

The band are expected to gross between US$225 and $250 million from the 110-date Vertigo trek, which kicks off in San Diego on March 28 and will carry about 150 crew members.

Meanwhile, U2 manager Paul McGuinness has revealed that, "We're exploring technology where it might be possible to download the show you've just seen. We've been talking to iTunes and the folks at Apple, with whom we have a great relationship, but it's not quite there yet. We're certainly looking at it."

As for what'll be happening on stage, McGuinness adds: "Production will be different from Elevation, but I'd rather it be a surprise on opening night. We have always felt it was incumbent on the band to give value for money. We will have a very elaborate but seemingly simple and very stylish production, as before. Then when we go to Europe in the summer the rules change completely, because what works in an arena doesn't necessarily work in a stadium, so we have to rethink it completely."