U2 to play M&T Bank Stadium June 22

, Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake announced Monday morning.

"As mayor it is my pleasure to announce that U2 is coming to Baltimore," Rawlings-Blake told the hosts of 98Rock Morning Show.

U2 is the most successful band to hit the city since Bruce Springsteen played 1st Mariner last year. M&T Bank tried to book the popular band before, in 2009, but could not settle on a date that fit the Ravens' schedule.

The band will bring its 360-Degrees Tour to the stadium a week after Sade, a well-known British singer, kicks off her first tour in a decade at 1st Mariner Arena. Tickets for U2's show go on sale Nov. 8.

"Next summer is going to be a real statement for Baltimore," Rawlings-Blake told The Sun.

Roy Sommerhof, vice president of stadium operations, said it took 18 months to book the band for 2011.

"We were hoping to get the show last fall, but it just wasn't to be," he said. "We're fortunate enough to get it next summer. It's been a long process."

For the stadium, it's the biggest headliner since Kenny Chesney in 2008. In previous years, the stadium has also hosted the HFStival, among other concerts.

Rawlings-Blake said she found out about courting efforts six months ago. She said the concert is a "big deal" for the city. And that, with Sade, it will help put Baltimore on the map as a major concert venue.

"It's going to be our stand-out year," she said.

The colossal U2 production, which reportedly takes road crews three days to break down, transport and set up, features a 150-foot futuristic four-pronged claw, a circular video screen that expands and contracts, and several mechanized bridges.

The 360-Degrees tour, which began in Europe in 2009, came to FedEx Field last September and is expected to lap the world before its last scheduled date in Pittsburgh July 26. The English indie group Florence and the Machine is the opening act for the Baltimore gig.

Concert promoter Live Nation also announced a date with St. Louis Monday morning.