U2 delayed their concert in Argentina on Tuesday night (10.10.17) to allow football fans to watch a crucial World Cup qualifying match.
The Irish group put back their ‘The Joshua Tree Tour’ show at the La Plata stadium in Buenos Aires by almost two hours to enable supporters to see their nation take on Ecuador in a game they needed to win to have any chance of making the World Cup in Russia next year.
Fortunately for the home fans, a hat-trick by their star man Lionel Messi led Argentina to a 3-1 victory over their South American opponents in Quito, meaning they qualified for the 2018 tournament.
Fans at the concert venue watched the tense match – in which Ecuador took the lead after just a minute – from four big screens.
And when the gig did eventually go ahead the fans were in buoyant mood.
U2 posted an Instagram video of their supporters singing along to their hit ‘Vertigo’ at the show.
They wrote: "Hello hello, I’m at a place called Vertigo’ first night in Buenos Aires… #U2TheJoshuaTree2017 #U2 #BuenosAires #vertigo (sic)"
Before the game, producer Daniel Grinbank told Argentinian paper La Nacion: "Can you imagine what the show’s going to be like if Argentina wins? And if we lose, at least we can get rid of the bitterness with a great show. You can’t go wrong."
U2 – made up of Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen Jr. – will return to La Plata for another show tonight (11.10.17) before heading to Santiago, Chile, for a concert on Saturday (14.10.17).
They will conclude their 51-date ‘Joshua Tree Tour’ with four shows in Sao Paulo, Brazil, finishing on October 25.
Noel Gallagher supported the group at the concert and he is a big fan of Premier League soccer side Manchester City, whose defender Nicolás Otamendi played the full 90 minutes for Argentina.
U2 delayed Argentina show for football match
