U2 are back with a 'POP'. On 12th February, U2 launched their PopMart world tour at the Manhattan K Mart discount store. The tour, to promote their new album 'Pop', begins in Las Vegas on April 25 and moves throughout the US during May and June before moving to Europe in July and August. The big UK concerts will be in London (Wembley Stadium),Leeds,Dublin and Edinburgh. The band then return to Europe and the US.

Then during 1998, U2 will be taking their PopMart show further afield visiting Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Australia, New Zealand, Japan and then South Africa.The PopMart stage set will include the world's largest video screen (150ft by 50ft), a 100ft golden arch and a 12ft stuffed olive (atop a 100ft toothpick!). Sources at Polygram, U2's SA distribution company, have confirmed that U2 will be performing live in Johannesburg on April 27 1998.

U2's eighth studio album, 'Pop', was released world-wide on March 3rd. Sales in SA have been described as 'phenomenal'. The album was produced by Flood and Howie B, without the services of Brian Eno who worked on the last U2 project 'Passengers'. The first single off the album 'Discotheque' was released during February and entered the British singles charts at no.1.
Stephen Segerman (sugar@cd.co.za)