New Album And 2010 Tour On The Horizon For U2

t’s not been confirmed yet, but it appears U2 will return to the studio in Vancouver to complete work on their next studio album, which has the working title Songs Of Ascent, following their North American jaunt later this year.

Follow the ball here: According to an italian fansite and reported on at U2.com, Sam O’Sullivan, a drum tech for Larry Mullen, reportedly told fans the next album would be out either in December or early next year.

O’Sullivan also stated a tour of Australia and New Zealand in March is a possibility, but much will depend on the cost of shipping the enormous 360 stage to the area.

As well, it appears this North American jaunt may be the only one in the vicinity in support of No Line On The Horizon. There are no plans for a second North American leg what with a summer European tour in 2010 in the works.

In related news, when this current tour ends, the massive stage will be divided into “concert pavilions,” according to tour architect Mark Fisher.

In an interview with BBC News, Fisher said the three steel structures cost between 15 to 20 million British pounds, each used for a different leg of the tour.

“Part of the tour will finish in Australia and another part of the tour will
finish in South America, where people could use a nice concert pavilion in a park, which has an ability to take 200 tonnes of kit hanging under it,” Fisher said.

You can see U2 here:

Aug. 18 Glasgow, Scotland @ Hampden Park
Aug. 20 Sheffield, England @ Don Valley Stadium
Aug. 22 Cardiff, Wales @ Millenium Stadium
Sept. 12-13 Chicago, IL @ Soldier Field
Sept. 16-17 Toronto, ON @ Rogers Centre
Sept. 20-21 Foxborough, MA @ Gilette Stadium
Sept. 24-25 New York, NY @ Giants Stadium
Sept. 29 Landover, MD @ FedEx Field
Oct. 1 Charlottesville, VA @ Scott Stadium
Oct. 3 Raleigh, NC @ Carter-Finley Stadium
Oct. 6 Atlanta, GA @ Georgia Dome
Oct. 9 Tampa, FL @ Raymond James Stadium
Oct. 12 Dallas, TX @ New Cowboys Stadium
Oct. 14 Houston, TX @ Reliant Stadium
Oct. 18 Norman, OK @ Oklahoma Memorial Stadium
Oct. 20 Phoenix, AZ @ University Of Phoenix Stadium
Oct. 23 Las Vegas, NV @ Sam Boyd Stadium
Oct. 25 Los Angeles, CA @ Rose Bowl
Oct. 28 Vancouver, BC @ BC Place Stadium