U2’s Bono Undergoes Surgery For Injured Back, World Tour Dates Postponed
U2 have delayed the second leg of their world tour after lead singer Bono underwent emergency spinal surgery in a Munich hospital on Friday.
The 50-year-old rocker from Ireland will be spending the next several days in the hospital before returning home to recuperate. The singer was gearing up for the North American leg of the "360 Degree" world tour for June 3 in Salt Lake City and now this has been postponed.
This disruption would cause a major blow to fans and also to the concert company Live Nation, as they are responsible for U2's merchandising, digital and branding rights and touring. Tour promoters Live Nation confirmed the Salt Lake City gig had been postponed.
The group's manager, Paul McGuinness, hinted that the injury could cause further postponements.
"It's unfortunate that we're inconveniencing fans," he said in an audio message. "We will make plans to reinstate these dates as soon as possible.
"Obviously, it's been very disruptive to our crew. We have over 400 people converging on Salt Lake City. Some of those have been told to turn around and told to stay at home until we make our new plan."
Bono's spokesperson has said the singer was admitted to a specialist neuro surgery unit in a Munich hospital.
"Bono will spend the next few days there, before returning home to recuperate," the spokesperson added. "Once his condition has been assessed further, a statement will be made regarding the impact on forthcoming tour dates."
After Salt Lake City U2 are scheduled to play in Anaheim on June 6 and 7 followed by Denver on June 12 and Oakland on June 16. These dates appeared to be going ahead as planned.
According to music journal Billboard, the band earned around $109 million from 2009 tour. The U2 360 Tour, has been predicted to become the highest-grossing tour in history.
By some measures the band, with hits like "Sunday Bloody Sunday" and "Where the Streets Have No Name," is the world's most successful scores. According to unofficial estimates they have sold more than 150 million records.
