U2 to rock the Hill this year?

Website says Irish superstars will play at Magnetic Hill on July 30

Every summer, people love to come to our beautiful area at the heart of the Maritimes, especially if the weather’s good. The question for all the out-of-towners reading this is, will you too have a beautiful day this July 30? We only ask because the question everyone in Metro Moncton is asking these days is, “will U2 have a Beautiful Day here at Magnetic Hill this July 30?” At least that’s the question on Facebook and in the streets. There’s nothing new, of course, in there being a rumour about U2 in Moncton going around, but what’s interesting about the latest one is it cites a specific date.
An article bylined Cole McLean at a website called atlanticrocks.ca goes so far as to say a deal is nearly final and that Saturday, July 30 is the likely date. But the buzz in the community is louder than any single website, and indeed, when a Times & Transcript reporter tried to book Moncton-area hotel rooms for that night as an admittedly unscientific test of how seriously the rumour was being taken, he found most of the eight hotels and motels he checked were booked.
U2′s own website only lists dates as far ahead as July 27, when the band will be in Pittsburgh. They will also be in Montréal on July 8 and 9, making up shows cancelled after front man Bono had to have surgery on his back last year.
The Irish band has been one of the world’s top concert draws for decades, and though the foursome are relative newcomers to the music scene compared to some of the venerable acts who have previously played the Magnetic Hill concert site, they have enough of the necessary multi-generational appeal to pull in the sort of attendance numbers of those other concerts by the Rolling Stones, AC/DC and the Eagles. All of those drew in the 60,000 to 80,000 range.
The question is lots of fun, but the answer from Moncton city hall is not so fun at all – maybe.
Ian Fowler, the general manager of the City of Moncton’s Economic Development, Tourism and Culture (U2 would fit handily in all three categories) department said yesterday, “as of today, we have no contract for any shows at the Magnetic Hill concert site for the summer of 2011.”
“As usual, we will make no comments about any of the negotiations we might be in,” Fowler said, also saying he wanted to remind everyone that when any event at the hill, the Moncton Coliseum or the new Moncton track stadium is planned, it is not the city’s place to make announcements on behalf of promoters.

source : http://u2ol.net/