It’s been rumoured about for weeks, and now it’s official – Irish legends U2 will bring their 360° Tour to Australia in December.

With 600 tonnes of sound and light equipment to bring down under (not to mention ‘the claw’ – a special part of their stage set-up), the “Get On Your Boots” outfit are bringing their entire latest stage spectacular to Australia, with manager Paul McGuinness insisting it was crucial for Bono and bandmates to show local fans just what all the fuss is about.

“U2 has always been at their best when surrounded by their audience,” McGuinness says of the in-the-round set-up, “and this extraordinary production makes that happen in stadiums… It was important to the band that we were able to bring the whole 360° production to Australia and New Zealand so fans could experience the latest of U2’s legendary productions.”

Including U2’s first date in Perth since 1998, the 360° Tour kicked off again in Turin, Italy this month, after Bono was forced to take a two month break after undergoing back surgery. The European leg wraps up in Rome in early October, and by the time it heads to New Zealand (just before the Australian dates) over four million punters will have witnessed the gig.

“To have an in-the-round transportable stadium production is something that the touring industry has been trying to figure out for some time,” says U2 tour producer/promoter Arthur Fogel, CEO of Live Nation Global Touring, who are co-promoting the tour along with local company Michael Coppel. “The extra capacity U2 360° gives us means that there are a large number, several thousand in fact, of low priced tickets at every show.”

Tickets for the shows will go on sale Friday 3 September. Dates are:

Wednesday 1 December – Etihad Stadium, Melbourne, VIC
Wednesday 8 December – Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane, QLD
Monday 13 December – ANZ Stadium, Sydney, NSW
Saturday 18 December – Subiaco Oval, Perth, WA