He is out of the hospital, according to the report below from Live Nation. Ahead: Eight weeks of rehab and recovery.
LOS ANGELES -- As announced earlier today, Live Nation has confirmed that the U2 360° North American Tour will be postponed until 2011.
U2's Bono has now been discharged from Ludwig Maximilians-University (LMU) Hospital in Munich where he underwent emergency surgery on Friday, following a back injury. In order to fully recover, he is under doctor's orders to start a rehabilitation program and to recuperate for at least eight weeks.
This will necessitate the postponement of 16 shows on the U2 360° Tour from Salt Lake City on June 3rd, through to New Jersey’s Meadowlands Stadium on July 19th.
Dr. Muller Wohlfahrt confirmed, “Bono suffered severe compression of the sciatic nerve. On review of his MRI scan, I realized there was a serious tear in the ligament and a herniated disc, and that conservative treatment would not suffice. I recommended Bono have emergency spine surgery with Professor Tonn at Munich’s LMU University Hospital on Friday.”
Professor Tonn, who carried out the operation, added, “Bono was referred to me by Dr. Muller Wohlfahrt late last week with a sudden onset disease. He was already in severe pain with partial paralysis in the lower leg. The ligament surrounding the disc had an 8-mm tear and during surgery we discovered fragments of the disc had traveled into the spinal canal. This surgery was the only course of treatment for full recovery and to avoid further paralysis. Bono is now much better, with complete recovery of his motor deficit. The prognosis is excellent, but to obtain a sustainable result, he must now enter a period of rehabilitation."
Dr. Muller Wohlfahrt continued, "We are treating Bono as we would treat any of our athletes, and while the surgery has gone very well, the coming weeks are crucial for a return to full health. In the next days, he will start a light rehabilitation program, with increasing intensity over the next 8 weeks. In our experience, this is the minimum time."
U2's manager, Paul McGuinness, was also at the Hospital in Munich and said, "Our biggest and I believe best tour has been interrupted and we’re all devastated. For a performer who lives to be on stage, this is more than a blow. He feels robbed of the chance to do what he does best and feels like he has badly let down the band and their audience. Which is of course nonsense. His concerns about more than a million ticket buyers whose plans have been turned upside down, we all share, but the most important thing right now is that Bono make a full recovery. We’re working as fast as we can with Live Nation to reschedule these dates.”
U2 tour producer/promoter Arthur Fogel, CEO of Live Nation Global Touring, also expressed, “Although we understand the disappointment to U2 fans, first and foremost comes the recovery of Bono.”
Well, that's what he gets for living on 'The Edge'!
Sorry, that was a groaner...
Hope he makes a full recovery, and plays KC soon!
Posted by: onthemark | May 26, 2010 at 03:26 PM
He p+robably has a better health care plan than the one Alex Chilton had.
Posted by: Bewlay | May 26, 2010 at 03:46 PM
Paralysis fears allayed, now we can breathe deep: Bono can still dance.
Posted by: Natacha VonBraun | May 26, 2010 at 05:09 PM
age gets us all eventually. he'll be back (no pun intended) and better than ever.
but the doc is right, rehab is essential as part of the healing process and he might do better with 10 weeks.
Posted by: fiddler | May 27, 2010 at 06:23 AM
I had an invite to stay with a cousin of my Mom in the Twin Cities area. I was going to get a ticket for U2 at TCF Bank Stadium on 06/27.
There were single tickets only and did have a $30 ticket, but no $55 ticket. The other prices were $95 and $250 and prices were the same everywhere, except Denver being $3 higher on each price.
I did not get ticket before their 16 shows in USA/Canada were postponed. Do ticket buyers online and phone get automatic refunds like cancelled shows. I'm aware that tickets have to get refund at point of purchase otherwise.
Posted by: Kurt | May 28, 2010 at 12:57 PM
i think that's right.
Posted by: Tim Finn | May 28, 2010 at 01:32 PM
Ticketmaster return policy and postponed shows say this. "We'll contact you with the new date and time".
Cancelled shows get automatic credit to your card, minus the order processing and delivery fees. Use regular mail at no extra fee and not expensive delivery methods is wise.
Posted by: Kurt | May 29, 2010 at 07:34 AM
I hope U2 will add a show in KC when, postponed shows are rescheduled.
The last time U2 was in KC was in Nov 2001, at Kemper on Elevation tour. I went to that show and only time I've seen U2.
The Vertigo tour in 2005 went to Omaha. They had the newer arena at time and took away a lot of shows for a while.
Omaha got tours in 2005 by, Bon Jovi and Rolling Stones from KC. Wichita got the Rolling Stones at a stadium in 2006.
I think Paul McCartney went to Des Moines in 2005 and Oklahoma City in 2002 and not KC.
KC was getting left out until, we got our new arena.
Posted by: Kurt | May 29, 2010 at 03:55 PM
Kurt, I do remember that night U2 was at Kemper - I was at KING CRIMSON at the Midrid + SLAYER was at the Uptown the very same night. Then LINKIN PARK was at that venue BEHIND Kemper. BUSY night for Kansas City.
Posted by: Bubba | May 30, 2010 at 03:50 AM
Garbage was opener for U2 at Kemper and was around 27-29 of Nov 01. I went with a cousin and missed most of the opener and place was full, except behind stage.
It was GA floor (no seats) and had heart shaped runway with pit. Heard it was less flash as two tours before. U2 started with house lights on and that was different and simple start.
Venue behind Kemper must be Hale Arena in American Royal building. What is the Midrid and do you mean Midland?
If you request, Ticketmaster will refund a postponed show for online and phone tickets. Glad I didn't get ticket for U2 in Minneapolis for 06/27 show.
I've seen 1 stadium show and that was Genesis 'WCD tour in June 92' at Cyclone Stadium in Ames, IA. Show started at 8:45 and it was still some daylight to 9:15. No opener and on field fairly close up and would have been better to be back more.
This was when acts were getting away from the 'band in the box' staging for stadium tours.
Posted by: Kurt | May 30, 2010 at 09:45 AM
I remember floor only being half full and thinking "crap they're going to skip us next tour"
Posted by: gsp | May 30, 2010 at 11:12 AM
I was on the floor, on the rail just outside the heart-shaped runway. I can assure you that, from that vantage point, the floor was more than half-full. It was very crowded. But that's also an example of trying to see the forest despite the trees. Kind of hard to get any perspective.
Posted by: Bill | June 02, 2010 at 09:49 AM
The 2001 U2 tour was the first act to have all shows GA floor with no chairs in North America. This tour did only indoor arenas. The floor was not over sold and packed like sardines, so you could walk around floor.
The 2002/2003 Bruce Springsteen tour was the second act to tour GA floor with no chairs.
I think it's now common in North America now.
Bon Jovi wanted to tour in KC on 2005/2006 tour, but the American Royal events booked Kemper at time tour started. That tour started in Des Moines instead and they got new arena in 2005.
Posted by: Kurt | June 06, 2010 at 12:38 PM