Hundreds of people showed up when they heard the band was playing a surprise concert on a shopping center rooftop in Cork. Considering that U2’s upcoming 360 Tour tickets are selling like hotcakes around the world, it’s no surprise.

Red FM, a Cork radio station, set up the prank, announcing that the Irish mega band was to play a surprise Cork concert as a gesture to the county for not scheduling a tour date there. The station claimed that U2 wanted to reenact the famous Los Angeles rooftop concert from the late 80s.

The prank was elaborate, complete with live news bulletins that the station aired in which listeners could hear U2 playing “live” in the background. The audio clips were actually recordings of the tribute band U2opia playing on top of the Blackpool Shopping Center in Cork.

U2 fans from all around the county abandoned their jobs and rushed to Blackpool for the sponteanous gig. One woman said she had traveled 30 miles to see the show. By mid-morning, around 500 people had assembled around the center to see “U2.”

Even the Cork gardai (police) and fire department were in on the prank, playing along and eventually “shutting down” the concert on “health and safety grounds.”

Cork fans watched on as a large crane brought up security guards to the rooftop, supposedly telling “Bono” and the boys to end their impromptu concert.

Red FM was surprised by the tremendous reaction to the hoax, but they said that the victims of the large scale prank were good sports about it when “April Fool’s” was announced and the truth was revealed.