U2 mania hits Brazil

The 70,000 tickets for a U2 concert in Brazil sold out smoothly in about seven hours, avoiding a repeat of chaos last month when nearly 100,000 fans overwhelmed stores and computer systems.

A first show by the band sold out in January, but the stores selling tickets experienced computer problems and were overwhelmed by massive crowds. Police had to restore order when some infuriated fans threatened to break into the stores.

Concert promoters set up a call centre to handle sales for the second show, and organisers said it handled nearly 900,000 calls from fans.