U2 reserve Stadio Olimpico, Turin for two weeks

After the bad news of Bono's back surgery and disappointment of the North American tour's postponement, there is now some good news to report. The band have booked the Stadio Olimpico in Turin for just over two weeks prior to the start of the European leg.

Turin is the venue for the first scheduled European concert, on 6 August 2010. According to this news report (in Italian), the city has given U2 approval to use the stadium between 21 July and 5 August, for the purpose of setting up the Claw and rehearsing. The band spent a similar period of time rehearsing in Barcelona in 2009 before the first leg of the tour. Edge has hinted that they intend to change the setlist from last year, so we could have some interesting rehearsals to look forward to.

However, let's not get ahead of ourselves. There are concerns that some of the European dates may have to be postponed if Bono's recovery does not proceed as quickly as hoped. The minimum recovery period for Bono's surgery has been given as eight weeks, and 21 July is less than nine weeks after the operation was performed. Clearly Bono, the band, and their management must have confidence that his recovery is proceeding well if they are willing to book the Stadio Olimpico for so long, and let's hope this means no European shows will be postponed. But things are by no means certain yet, and it would be wise to prepare for any eventuality.

Posted on Saturday, June 05, 2010 @ 05:43:03 CEST by Axver