The first big disappointment of the spring-and-summer concert season is the postponement of the U2 360° North American concert tour, which included a June 20 concert at Qwest Field.

The North American tour will resume next year, with dates to be announced soon by Live Nation. Ticketholders are encouraged to hold onto their tickets.

Lead singer Bono has been discharged from Ludwig Maximilians-University (LMU) Hospital in Munich, Germany, where he underwent emergency surgery May 21 following a back injury. Bono will start a rehabilitation program and spend at least eight weeks recuperating.

Because of the injury, 16 shows have been postponed, beginning with Salt Lake City June 3 and ending with a show at Meadlowlands Stadium in New Jersey July 19.

According to a statement by Dr. Muller Wohlfahrt, “Bono suffered severe compression of the sciatic nerve. On review of his MRI scan, I realized there was a serious tear in the ligament and a herniated disc, and that conservative treatment would not suffice. I recommended Bono have emergency spine surgery with Professor Tonn at Munich’s LMU University Hospital.”

Dr. Wohlfahrt continued, “We are treating Bono as we would treat any of our athletes, and while the surgery has gone very well, the coming weeks are crucial for a return to full health. In the next days, he will start a light rehabilitation program, with increasing intensity over the next 8 weeks. In our experience, this is the minimum time.”

“Our biggest, and I believe best, tour has been interrupted and we’re all devastated,” Paul McGuinness, U2’s manager, said in a statement.

“For a performer who lives to be on stage, this is more than a blow. He feels robbed of the chance to do what he does best and feels like he has badly let down the band and their audience. Which, is of course, nonsense. His concerns about more than a million ticket buyers whose plans have been turned upside down, we all share.

“But the most important thing right now is that Bono makes a full recovery. We’re working as fast as we can with Live Nation to reschedule these dates.”

For additional details about Bono and the band’s rescheduled dates, visit the band’s Web site.

Here’s my review of U2’s “No Line on the Horizon.”

For links to other media as well as concert venues, visit my Resources page.