U2 To Stream Live Concert Over YouTube: Will The Internet Break?

There's no denying that YouTube is big. Really big. But is it this big? The video streaming site that Google picked up a few years back for a handsome sum is still struggling to become profitable, but handling events such as this may be exactly what it needs to do. Just last month we heard that YouTube was in talks to stream films from studios--something that would obviously require some serious bandwidth. Now, we're hearing that YouTube will definitely stream a U2 concert live--something that will absolutely require an insane amount of bandwidth.

U2's 360 tour is easily one of the most amazing shows to ever sweep the world; the multi-million dollar "spaceship" stage has wowed audiences from Paris to Oklahoma, and now it'll be soaring over to the Rose Bowl in California for a show in front of millions and millions. Of course, just under 100,000 will physically be there, but who knows how many will tune in online.


The concert is slated to start at 8:30PM local time, and while the band has wanted to do something like this for ages, we still aren't sure if the internet is ready. Tons of people turned online to be a part of Michael Jackson's public ceremony, but streaming a several-hour-long concert without stuttering is another thing entirely. Do you think YouTube can handle the load? Will you turn it off if the stream can't keep up? It should be an interesting test to see if YouTube really is ready for the big stage, so be sure and tune in if you're looking to see the answer first-hand.