U2 taps Kanye West, Arcade Fire, others to open fall shows >> Tour dates and concert ticket info >> LiveDaily

U2 taps Kanye West, Arcade Fire, others to open fall shows

Published September 20, 2005 11:02 AM

By Jon Zahlaway / LiveDaily Senior Writer

Kanye West [ tickets ], Patti Smith [ tickets ], Damian "Jr Gong" Marley and the Arcade Fire have joined the roster of acts slated to open shows for U2 [ tickets ] during the group's recently launched fall swing through North America.

Veteran rocker Smith will hold down the opening slot for U2's late-November, two-night stand in New York City; up-and-coming indie-rockers Arcade Fire will team with the group for a trio of late-November Canadian stops; and chart-topping rapper West--who is mounting his own headlining tour this fall--is booked to play the final four dates on U2's tour, which comprise mid-December concerts in St. Louis, Omaha, Salt Lake City and Portland, OR.

Marley takes on the lion's share of shows; the son of reggae legend Bob Marley links up with U2 [ tickets ] in Philadelphia on Oct. 16, and remains on board through Nov. 9. Details are included in the itinerary below.

No opening acts have been announced for the tour's mid-November stops in Miami, Tampa or Atlanta.

As previously reported, Dashboard Confessional and Keane are each opening a handful of dates during the first few weeks of the fall outing, which last week launched with a four-night stand in Toronto and continues with a two-night stand in Chicago that kicks off tonight (9/20).

U2 completed a sold-out, 28-date spring run through 13 North American cities in May. The group is scheduled to play a total of 50 performances--all of which are sold out, according to the group's website--during its fall trek through the continent.

"How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb," U2's 11th studio album, hit stores last November, and debuted at No. 1 on The Billboard 200 album chart.

[Note: The following tour dates have been provided by artist and/or tour sources, who verify its accuracy as of the publication time of this story. Changes may occur before tickets go on sale. Check with official artist websites, ticketing sources and venues for late updates.]

September 2005
20, 21 - Chicago, IL - United Center (w/ Dashboard Confessional)
23 - Minneapolis, MN - Target Center (w/ Dashboard Confessional)
25 - Milwaukee, WI - Bradley Center (w/ Dashboard Confessional)

October 2005
3, 4 - Boston, MA - TD BankNorth Garden (w/ Keane)
7, 8, 10, 11, 14 - New York, NY - Madison Square Garden (w/ Keane)
16, 17 - Philadelphia, PA - Wachovia Center (w/ Damian Marley)
19, 20 - Washington, DC - MCI Center (w/ Damian Marley)
22 - Pittsburgh, PA - Mellon Arena (w/ Damian Marley)
24, 25 - Auburn Hills, MI - Palace of Auburn Hills (w/ Damian Marley)
28 - Houston, TX - Toyota Center (w/ Damian Marley)
29 - Dallas, TX - American Airlines Center (w/ Damian Marley)

November 2005
1, 2 - Los Angeles, CA - Staples Center (w/ Damian Marley)
4, 5 - Las Vegas, NV - MGM Grand Garden (w/ Damian Marley)
8, 9 - Oakland, CA- Oakland Arena (w/ Damian Marley)
13, 14 - Miami, FL - American Airlines Arena
16 - Tampa, FL - St. Pete Times Forum
18, 19 - Atlanta, GA - Philips Arena
21, 22 - New York, NY - Madison Square Garden (w/ Patti Smith)
25 - Ottawa, Ontario - Corel Centre (w/ Arcade Fire)
26, 28 - Montreal, Quebec - Bell Centre (w/ Arcade Fire)

December 2005
4, 5 - Boston, MA - TD BankNorth Garden
7 - Hartford, CT - Hartford Civic Center
9 - Buffalo, NY - HSBC Arena
10 - Cleveland, OH - Gund Arena
12 - Charlotte, NC - New Charlotte Arena
14 - Saint Louis, MO - Savvis Center (w/ Kanye West)
15 - Omaha, NE - Qwest Center Omaha (w/ Kanye West)
17 - Salt Lake City, UT - Delta Center (w/ Kanye West)
19 - Portland, OR - Rose Garden Arena (w/ Kanye West)