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Bono Has Emergency Surgery, U2 Postpones Tour

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U2 frontman Bono underwent emergency spinal surgery in Germany on Friday, and while the procedure was a success and he’s been released from the hospital, the band has been forced to postpone the upcoming North American leg of their 360 Tour until 2011.

Bono was admitted to a Munich hospital last week “in severe pain with partial paralysis in the lower leg,” one of his doctors said. Further diagnosis revealed a small tear in a ligament surrounding one of his discs, and fragments of the disc had broken off and entered the singer’s spinal canal.

“This surgery was the only course of treatment for full recovery and to avoid further paralysis,” said Professor Tonn at LMU University Hospital, who performed the surgery. “Bono is now much better, with complete recovery of his motor deficit.The prognosis is excellent, but to obtain a sustainable result, he must now enter a period of rehabilitation.”

That period of rehab will take at least eight weeks, and with the band’s tour dates set to begin June 3 in Salt Lake City, Utah, U2 was forced to scrap their full itinerary, a decision that’s got the whole band feeling “devastated,” according to manager Paul McGuinness.

“[Bono’s] 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 make a full recovery,” McGuinness said. “We’re working as fast as we can with Live Nation to reschedule these dates.”

No information has been released about ticket refunds yet, but the band and Live Nation are encouraging fans to hold onto their tickets for the tour’s eventual rescheduling.

The band toured North America last fall behind their rejuvenating album, No Line on the Horizon, opening up in Chicago’s Soldier Field. Read SPIN’s concert review here.

U2 still plans to release their concert DVD, U2360 at the Rose Bowl, on June 3. Get details and watch a trailer here.