Elevation Tour starts

The band’s 2001 Elevation Tour started in March, visiting North America and Europe across three legs. For the tour, U2 performed on a scaled-down stage, returning to arenas after nearly a decade of stadium productions. Mirroring the album’s themes of “emotional contact, connection, and communication”, the tour’s set was designed to bring the group closer to their fans; a heart-shaped catwalk around the stage encircled many audience members, and festival seating was offered in the US for the first time in the group’s history. During the tour, U2 headlined two Slane Concerts in Ireland, playing to crowds of 80,000. Following the September 11 attacks in the US, All That You Can’t Leave Behind found added resonance with American audiences, as the album climbed in the charts and songs such as “Walk On” and ” Peace on Earth ” received radio airplay. In October, U2 performed at Madison Square Garden in New York City for the first time since the attacks. Bono and the Edge said these shows were among their most memorable and emotional performances. The Elevation Tour was the top-earning North American tour of 2001 with a gross of US$109.7 million , the second-highest amount ever at the time for a North American tour. Globally, it grossed US$143.5 million from 2.18 million tickets sold, making it the year’s highest-grossing tour overall. Spin named U2 the “Band of the Year” for 2001, saying they had “schooled bands half their age about what a rock show could really accomplish”.