U2 to Sell 360 Tour ‘Claw’ as Permanent Venue
Band in talks about converting their innovative stages into amphitheaters
The U2 production team holds a press conference at the Sun Life Stadium on June 28, 2011 in Miami Gardens, Florida. Gustavo Caballero/Getty Images
By Matthew Perpetua
June 28, 2011 4:50 PM ET
U2 have announced plans to sell “the claw” – the innovative four-legged structure at the center of their record-shattering 360 Tour – as a permanent venue following the conclusion of the tour this summer. The band had three of the 29,000-square-foot steel structures built for the two-year-long jaunt and are in discussions with various promoters about installing each at different spots around the world.
“It’s certainly our intention to see these things recycled into permanent and usable ventures,” U2 tour director Craig Evans told Billboard. Evans would not get into specifics about potential buyers but said that discussions typically involve converting the structures into full interior pavilions and amphitheaters. “They’re something you can put up on a waterfront and become an instant skyline icon.”
The “claw,” which is the largest stage rig ever constructed for a concert tour, includes a sound system built into each leg, a cylindrical video screen, various lighting effects and hovers above the performance area. Each structure cost between $23 and $31 million to produce.
