It’s Official: U2 is Coming to the Rose Bowl on May 20

U2 will be back at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena on May 20, the band and their promoter, Los Angeles-based Live Nation, announced Monday.

The appearance will be part of the North American tour in celebration of the 30th anniversary of their album, “The Joshua Tree,” first released in Dublin in 1987.

In fact, they’re calling the tour “U2: The Joshua Tree Tour 2017” which kicks off in Vancouver on May 12 and takes them through 16 venues in the U.S. and Canada – including Pasadena – and eight in Europe.

The band’s Rose Bowl concert starts at 6:30 p.m. on a Saturday night.

“Recently I listened back to ‘The Joshua Tree’ for the first time in nearly 30 years,” U2 lead singer-songwriter Bono says. “It’s quite an opera – a lot of emotions which feel strangely current, love, loss, broken dreams, seeking oblivion, polarization, all the greats. I’ve sung some of these songs a lot, but never all of them. I’m up for it, if our audience is as excited as we are. It’s going to be a great night!”

The Joshua Tree album was released to universal acclaim on March 9, 1987 and featured hit singles “With Or Without You,” “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For,” and “Where The Streets Have No Name.” The album went to No. 1 in Ireland and around the world selling in excess of 25 million copies and catapulting Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen Jr. “from heroes to superstars,” says Rolling Stone magazine.

Time Magazine put U2 on its cover in April 1987, proclaiming them “Rock’s Hottest Ticket” in a defining year for the band that saw their arena dates roll into stadium shows to accommodate escalating demand. That also set U2 on course to become one of the greatest live acts in the world today.

The 12 months that followed saw the band create now-iconic moments: the traffic-stopping Grammy Award-winning music video on the roof of a Los Angeles liquor store, winning a BRIT Award and two Grammys – including Album of the Year. That was the first of 22 Album of the Year awards received to date, distinguishing U2 as the most awarded rock band in Grammy history.

Tickets for “U2: The Joshua Tree Tour 2017” are on sale Tuesday, January 17, in the U.S. and Canada. Ticket prices are $35 to $280.

As usual, there is an exclusive priority presale for U2.com subscribers from Wednesday, January 11, through Friday, January 13. You have to be a registered U2.com subscriber to avail of presales. To sign up, visit www.U2.com.