As reported shortly after Christmas, U2 are paying tribute to their 1987 blockbuster The Joshua Tree this year. Today (Jan. 9), they announced a six-week tour of North American football stadiums, including a stop at the Bonnarroo Music + Arts Festival in Manchester, Tenn., with a three weeks worth of dates in Europe to follow.

The tour will begin in Vancouver on May 12, with the U.S. leg winding up in Cleveland on July 1. The European portion will begin May 8 in London and conclude Aug. 1 in Brussels, including a stop at Croke Park in their hometown of Dublin on July 22. Although they didn't reveal which night they'll be playing Bonnarroo, the festival will be held from June 8-11.

“Recently I listened back to The Joshua Tree for the first time in nearly 30 years,” Bono said on their website. “It’s quite an opera. A lot of emotions which feel strangely current, love, loss, broken dreams, seeking oblivion, polarisation... all the greats... I’ve sung some of these songs a lot... but never all of them. I’m up for it, if our audience is as excited as we are... it’s gonna be a great night. Especially when we play at home. Croke Park... it’s where the album was born, 30 years ago.”

The Edge told Rolling Stone that the election of Donald Trump influenced the decision to play The Joshua Tree. "That record was written in the mid-'80s, during the Reagan-Thatcher era of British and U.S. politics," he said. "It was a period when there was a lot of unrest. Thatcher was in the throes of trying to put down the miners' strike; there was all kinds of shenanigans going on in Central America. It feels like we're right back there in a way."

He also gave an update on the recording of Songs of Experience, saying that they were "pretty much complete" with it when the election happened and they decided to change their plans. "We definitely want to take this opportunity to think about it, make sure it's really what we want to put out given the changes that have occurred in the world," he continued. "And maybe a little will change, but we absolutely wanted to take that chance just to reconsider everything. And who knows? We may even write a couple of new songs because that's the very position we're in. We've given ourselves a little bit of breathing space for creativity."

Perhaps recalling the lyric in "God Part II" where Bono sang, "You glorify the past when the future dries up," the Edge was quick to note that this new tour isn't about nostalgia. "There's an element of nostalgia that we can't avoid, but it's not motivated by a desire to look backwards. It's almost like this album has come full circle and we're back there again. It's kind of got a relevance again that we're certainly aware of."

Tickets will go on sale to the general public next Monday, Jan. 16, for the European dates and the day after for the North American shows, with a pre-sale for u2.com subscribers beginning this Wednesday (Jan. 11). Mumford and Sons, the Lumineers and OneRepublic will alternate opening the North American leg, and Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds will open all Europe shows. Check U2's website for complete information.

U2, 'The Joshua Tree' Tour 2017 Dates

May 12 -- Vancouver, B.C.
May 14 -- Seattle, Wash.
May 17 -- Santa Clara, Calif.
May 20 -- Los Angeles, Calif.
May 24 -- Houston, Texas
May 26 -- Dallas, Texas
June 3 -- Chicago, Ill.
June 7 -- Pittsburgh, Pa.
June 11 -- Miami, Fla.
June 14 -- Tampa, Fla.
June 18 -- Philadelphia, Pa.
June 20 -- Washington, D.C.
June 23 -- Toronto, Ont.
June 25 -- Boston, Mass.
June 28 -- East Rutherford, N.J.
July 1 -- Cleveland, Ohio
July 8 -- London, England
July 12 -- Berlin, Germany
July 15 -- Rome, Italy
July 18 -- Barcelona, Spain
July 22 -- Dublin, Ireland
July 25 -- Paris, France
July 29 -- Amsterdam, Netherlands
Aug. 1 -- Brussels, Belgium

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