Die-hard fans have been queuing all night for the best spot at the first of U2’s sell-out Dublin gigs at Croke Park today.

Tonight’s event is one of three concerts over the weekend, each in front of 80,000 people, which sold out within hours of the tickets going on sale.

Gardaí are closing the roads around the stadium this morning and doors are due to open at 4pm.

U2 manager Paul McGuinness said the band were apprehensive but very confident about playing in their home city.

“Playing Dublin is always extra excitement, extra pressure,” he said. “It’s great to be playing this magnificent stadium,” he added.

The band’s manager said around half the songs U2 played would come from their last two albums while the rest would be the “classics”, with the play-list changing every night.

As well as Ireland’s most famous rock band, fans will get to see Snow Patrol and The Radiators on Friday night, The Thrills and Paddy Casey on Saturday, and Ash and The Bravery on Monday.


The production team for the Vertigo tour have been hard at work for days, erecting the stage at the Hill 16 end of the stadium and setting up the lighting and sound rigs.

The 28 metre-high stage, which had arrived in dozens of trucks, had to be specially adapted for the requirements of the GAA stadium and took three days to build, the Vertigo tour’s production director Jake Berry said.

But Mr Berry said despite the special adjustments there was never any question they wouldn’t play at Croke Park.

“It’s fabulous, how can we not be here ?” he said. “Everybody wanted to be here, at the right stadium in the right city at the right time.”

“At the end of the day it will be great, it’s a fantastic setting, it’s like you’re meant to be here,” he said.