The ski slopes and chairlifts above Park City – and yes, even the Sundance Film Festival’s movie theaters – were buzzing on Saturday with rumors that rock band U2 was in the mountain resort for the U.S. premiere of their breakthrough new movie, “U2 3D”. This time, the rumors were true.

    Bandmembers Adam Clayton, Bono, The Edge and Larry Mullen zipped around town in SUVs like they were Sundance royalty. And they were. Their late night screening followed a movie that featured Robert De Niro and Bruce Willis, who attended. But when their movie “What Just Happened?” ended, fans were lining up outside the theater not to see the Hollywood stars exit, but to wait nearly two hours before U2 entered. 

    When the band did, the seeming ocean of reporters and Sundance festivalgoers parted for the Irish rockers, and everyone turned to gaze upon Bono and his mates. Wearing rose-colored glasses, Bono told the throng of reporters what it was like to see the collage of their South American “Vertigo” concerts through the spectrum of digital 3-D.

    ”It’s not the usual remove that you have with a concert show. It’s total immersion. You are right in the middle. You are not just in the best seat…You couldn’t be closer. And if you don’t like this band, I can’t imagine a more horrible experience.”

    New, digital 3-D movies have taken the film industry by storm in recent years and are seen as the next big thing for movie theaters to offset declines in attendance caused by competition from DVDs and the Internet. “U2 3D” also was shown at last May’s film festival in Cannes, France where the band played a few songs outside. At Sundance, it was far too cold for that.