While I cannot say that I'm the biggest U2 fan in the world, I can say that their new stage is the future of the live experience.

"The centerpiece, suspended from a massive claw, is a massive video display made of 888 individual tiny LED screens. It's seven stories tall, covers 3,800 square feet and weighs 60 tons. But it moves nonetheless, changing shape during the performance. A little bit like a Chinese finger trap, it envelops the band as it extends, while displaying short films directed by artist Catherine Owens."

The stage was designed by Hoberman Associates; Innovative Designs, which specializes in stage architecture; and Buro Happold, a structural engineering firm.

What I think makes this unique is the cross over into more of a kinetic art experience. Not simply engaging the audience with fancy lights and exhausted volume levels. Stages like this are entry way to giving an audience more than simply a musical retrospective. I believe that audiences are tired of paying too much money and not getting enough quality. Remember musicians, your concert is only as good as it is retold in story. Walt Disney wanted guests to leave the reality of one's everyday life and be transported into a new world upon visiting a park.

Here are a few more recent stage designs that I believe support the future of live venues:

Darren Hayes

Metallica

Tim McGraw

Pink Floyd

2005 VGA Awards

Britney Spears

Rolling Stones

Need I say more?