The Way Of The Claw

The U2 “360” tour went to Dublin, Ireland, July 24-27, giving the Irish band’s hometown crowd a chance to see one of the largest concert stages in history.

The band is touring with not one, not two, but three “Claws,” the four-taloned stages that cost $140 million apiece. Two of the 390-ton stages are constantly assembled and disassembled in various locations as U2 travels through Europe and, in September, North America. The third is kept on standby.

Each “Claw” is 10 stories tall and can hold more than 150 tons of lighting, pyro and LED screens. The band is also performing on moving bridges that carry them through the crowd.

U2 delivered a reported $70 million economic boost to Ireland’s economy, with most Dublin hotels booked solid for weeks. The Dublin Criminal Court shut down jury deliberations for the weekend because too many jurors had U2 tickets.

That being said, it was noted the double-digit unemployment of Ireland may have resulted in thousands of empty seats even at Croke Park, which includes Hill 16 – the inspiration for one of the band’s most famous protest songs, “Sunday Bloody Sunday.”