“Any fan of U2 will realise that this decision has not been taken lightly,” said TNA president Arthur Fogel. “We will announce further details as soon as we have them.”

A post on the official U2 web site said, “This action is unavoidable due to the illness of an immediate family member of one of the band.”

The effected dates are March 17 & 18, Auckland, New Zealand; 21, Brisbane, Australia; 24 & 25, Melbourne, Australia: 28, Adelaide, Australia; 31 & 1 April, Sydney, Australia; 4, Yokohama, Japan; 8 Honolulu, Hawaii