U2 to play L.A., Anaheim

U2 will launch its 2005 world tour on March 28 in San Diego and then head north for shows April 1 at the Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim and April 5 at Staples Center in Los Angeles. Tickets for the L.A. shows will go on sale Sunday at 10 a.m. More details are to be announced today.

As on the band’s 2001 tour, seating will be general admission for the floor in front of the stage, while reserved seats will be in the upper portions of the arenas. Also as in 2001, floor seats will be the least expensive, averaging about $50, to around $165 on the high end for the best reserved seats. “The best seats are the cheapest, and we want people to get excited,” U2 manager Paul McGuinness told Billboard.

The first leg of the U.S. tour, named “Vertigo” after the first single from U2’s new album, “How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb,” will end in May in Boston. The band will tour Europe for much of the summer. After that, U2 is expected to return to the U.S. for more arena shows.

Some industry analysts are already predicting it will be the year’s highest-grossing tour, with worldwide revenue likely of $225 million to $250 million.

Promoters aren’t saying whether the band will play more than one date in each city, but the spacing of the Southland dates indicates the possibility of additional shows if ticket demand is high.