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Organizers expect that the U2 gig – the first of the band’s current UK tour – has broken the attendance record at Wembley Stadium.

 The BBC reports that approximately 88,000 concert goers were expected for the Friday night show, and that number exceeds the stadium’s previous record by about 5,000.
The specially designed “claw” stage – which sits in the center of the stadium and allows for fans to have a 360 degree view of the stage – is behind the new attendance record. Concert organizers at Live Nation were able to increase the number of attendees dramatically by using the new stage, and a similar number was expected at a second Wembley concert from U2.

Rod Stewart held the stadium’s previous record with a turnout of 83,000 in 1995, and last summer the Foo Fighters managed to match that record after the stadium was rebuilt.
U2’s Saturday show at the stadium featured support from Glasvegas, and a similar crowd was expected to come see the band, though tickets for the show were still available just before the show. Friday night’s gig featured support from Mercury Prize winners Elbow.

U2 surpassed Madonna’s third-place rating of 9 concerts at Wembley when they played their tenth show there this weekend.