ST. LOUIS – Busch Stadium will transform from baseball field to rock concert venue next summer when the legendary group U2 makes a stop during their 360 degrees tour on July 17, 2011.

The Cardinals announced the concert at a press conference Monday morning at Busch Stadium, calling it the largest event to be hosted at the five-year-old stadium to date and likely for some time.

One of only 16 American cities chosen for the tour, the Cardinals hope to have a crowd of more than 50,000 on hand. The concert comes in the middle a 14-day break from baseball at Busch Stadium with the Cardinals following the All-Star break with a nine-game road trip to open the second half of the season.

“I’m a huge fan so it’s particularly exciting for me to get them here at Busch Stadium in what will probably be the biggest concert ever here,” said Cardinals president Bill DeWitt III. “I can’t imagine there will ever be a bigger one based on the size of the stage.

“I went to the Chicago show and I remember thinking there’s no way we can get this thing into Busch Stadium but sure enough after planning and thinking about all of the dimensions and the logistics and the window of time, we were able to think it through and pull it off.”

U2 will bring the largest stage in concert history with them to St. Louis, with the top of the steel structure 90 feet and the center pylon 150 feet into the air. The stage design can support up to 180 tons and will take up virtually the entire Busch Stadium outfield.