U2 have announced online concert series The Virtual World, that will be broadcast on the band's YouTube channel.
The series will showcase four of U2's most legendary performances from over their four-decade career, kicking off on March 17 with the band's 2001 concert at Slane Castle in County Meath. It will be the first time ever that three of the concerts (Slane, Red Rocks and Mexico) have been made available digitally, and they will remain available to watch online for 48 hours after their broadcast.
Each show will also include a live-streamed opening act. Dermot Kennedy will open the first show, with Fontaines D.C., Carla Morrison and Feu! Chatterton joining the band on the other dates of the virtual tour.
The band comment: "Every show is memorable for us but these four particularly so… It’s exciting to be on the road again… Embracing all the wonder of the virtual road… And especially exciting to be joined by such a brilliant line-up of fellow travellers in Dermot Kennedy, Fontaines D.C., Carla Morrison and Feu! Chatterton.”
Dan Chalmers, Director of YouTube Music for EMEA said: “It's fantastic that YouTube is partnering with U2 for this exclusive broadcast. The four concerts featured in The Virtual Road are the most memorable and iconic in the band’s history, and indeed rock history at large. As one of the world’s best-selling music artists, U2 have been at the top of the global rock scene for the past four decades. When they perform, the world takes notice – their performances are always a landmark moment for music lovers around the world. We’re proud to be providing the platform for an artist that has come to embody the definitive live music experience.”
The full concert schedule for The Virtual Road is as follows:
March 17 (St Patrick’s Day)
U2 Go Home: Live From Slane Castle - IRELAND 2001
March 25
U2: Live At Red Rocks, Denver, Colorado - USA 1983
April 1
Popmart: Live From Mexico City - MEXICO 1997
April 10
iNNOCENCE + eXPERIENCE: Live in Paris - FRANCE 2015
