U2 have top grossing tour of 2005

U2 had the highest-grossing tour of 2005 according to official figures. The band's Vertigo outing grossed $260 million and packed more than three million people into 90 sold-out concerts. The Eagles came in second, raking in $117 million from 77 shows, followed by Neil Diamond, who grossed $71 million. Also in the top 10 were Paul McCartney, Rod Stewart, Elton John, the Dave Matthews Band, Jimmy Buffett and Green Day.

U2's tour rolls through St. Louis, Missouri on Wednesday, December 14th and wraps up next Monday (December 19th) in Portland, Oregon.

In related news, the Associated Press reported that U2 frontman Bono dined with former Republican Senator Jesse Helms of North Carolina before the band's show on Monday (December 12th) in Charlotte. Apparently the two are friends and also share common goals in the fight against AIDS. Bono briefed the 84-year-old Helms about Debt, AIDS, Trade In Africa (DATA), the organization he helped found in 2002.