U2 adds shows in Toronto, Montreal, Miami

(LiveDaily.com) -- U2 has added two dates to their orginal two-night stay in Toronto, a second night in Montreal and has set an onsale date for a second Miami show after an active morning of ticket sales.

As the band moves into its final week of preparation before the launch of its 2005 tour, tickets in 13 markets went on sale Saturday morning (3/19). The resulting rush landed new shows on Sept 16th and 17th in Toronto, where the fall leg of the tour will kick off. In Montreal, a show was added on Nov 28th after tickets to the band's originally announced single date sold out in under a half hour, according to venue officials.

In Miami, the band and promoter opted to set a new onsale date of March 26th for a second show, which will take place Nov 14th. Tickets for a pair of added shows at New York's Madison Square Garden will roll out Monday (3/21).

As buzz for opening night builds, word has surfaced through radio stations in several parts of the country that the band will host a private dress rehearsal concert at the Los Angeles Sports Arena on Saturday, March 26th. The event will reportedly be open only to a small group of contest winners from participating stations, which include KMMT in Seattle, 107.1 The Peak in White Plains, New York, KISS 108 in Boston and TIC-FM in Hartford, CT. U2 fan site U2log.com lists additional stations that could not be verified at press time.

The latest round of additions brings U2's North American tour schedule to a total of 73 announced shows (not counting the dress rehearsal). In 2001, the band played 80 North American dates on their Elevation tour behind their CD release "All That You Can't Leave Behind." U2's current release, "How To Dismantle an Atomic Bomb" currently holds the #54 slot on Billboard's Top 200 pop albums chart.