Moncton hopes to draw 100,000 to U2 concert

Tickets for U2's concert in Moncton went on sale Tuesday morning with city officials expecting to draw 100,000 people to the July 30 outdoor event.

The iconic Irish rock band announced in January they would host a concert at the Magnetic Hill concert site, which will be the final date on the band's North American tour.

Members of U2's online fan site were able to buy tickets early but the general public were given their first shot atconcert tickets at 10 a.m. on Tuesday.

Ian Fowler, Moncton's general manager of tourism, said bringing the U2 show to Magnetic Hill was a complex deal that took six months to put together.

But those efforts may end up paying off with a record crowd. Fowler said he is expecting the concert draw to far exceed the attendance of the Rolling Stones concert, which was 78,000.

"The show will be capped at 100,000 people so we will not be going beyond a 100,000 and we're quite optimistic that we'll hit that number," Fowler said.

Moncton's outdoor concert venue has also hosted major acts, such as AC/DC, Bon Jovi, the Eagles and Tim McGraw.

Few lineups

While Moncton officials are hoping to attract a record number of fans to the city for the summer concert, only a smattering of people showed up to purchase the tickets at the Moncton Coliseum.

Cecil Hannah drove more than an hour from Oxford, N.S., to the coliseum and was the only U2 fan lined up outside the facility at 7 a.m.

"You only get one chance at this so I figured, come early, take the day off work and try," Hannah said.

"A friend of mine is also trying to get them online and so we've got the bases covered."

Chantal Saucier joined Hannah in line at the coliseum in hopes of snapping up her concert tickets.

"I was really excited cause I had actually bought my tickets for Montreal so now that it's closer to home," Saucier said

"I'll be able to stay here and enjoy the concert."

Many people opted to stay home on Tuesday and try to get their tickets online.

However, about an hour after tickets went on sale, the Ticketmaster website was not accessible.

Other U2 fans were able to rush out to local Needs convenience stores to get their tickets.