Mmmh, I don't think Bono will attend. Anyway, the summit will be held in Aquila, the city where the recent and terrible earthquake happened.
PLEBAn Misc U2 News and Articles #1
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Mmmh, I don't think Bono will attend. Anyway, the summit will be held in Aquila, the city where the recent and terrible earthquake happened.
Anji
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U2 fans in fury as Claw stage axed for Dublin concert | Entertainment in Ireland and Around the World | IrishCentral
A major row has broken out in Ireland over U2's upcoming shows. The band - who made an explosive start to their world tour in Barcelona last week - were expected to showcase the "Claw" stage which gives fans a 360° view. However, it emerged last night that only three sides of Croke Park will be used for the concert. The famed Hill 16 will be left empty.
Fed-up fans have appealed to the band to change the layout. The "Claw" stage wowed fans in Barcelona as it allowed the band to play to all sides of the Nou Camp stadium. However, the Dublin concert will not feature the full effect as the stage is not being built in the center of the pitch. Instead, the stage be built in front of Hill 16 which will act as an unofficial backstage area and will not be open to fans.
Officials at Croke Park, the home to Ireland's GAA, say that fans will not be deprived of the Barcelona experience. However, that remains to be seen.
Extra tickets for the three sell-out Dublin concerts, which take place on the 24th, 25th and 27th of this month, went on sale in Ireland today. The tour has sold 2.5 million tickets in Europe and North America so far and the 160,000 tickets for the first two Croke Park concerts sold out in just 40 minutes.
A major row has broken out in Ireland over U2's upcoming shows. The band - who made an explosive start to their world tour in Barcelona last week - were expected to showcase the "Claw" stage which gives fans a 360° view. However, it emerged last night that only three sides of Croke Park will be used for the concert. The famed Hill 16 will be left empty.
Fed-up fans have appealed to the band to change the layout. The "Claw" stage wowed fans in Barcelona as it allowed the band to play to all sides of the Nou Camp stadium. However, the Dublin concert will not feature the full effect as the stage is not being built in the center of the pitch. Instead, the stage be built in front of Hill 16 which will act as an unofficial backstage area and will not be open to fans.
Officials at Croke Park, the home to Ireland's GAA, say that fans will not be deprived of the Barcelona experience. However, that remains to be seen.
Extra tickets for the three sell-out Dublin concerts, which take place on the 24th, 25th and 27th of this month, went on sale in Ireland today. The tour has sold 2.5 million tickets in Europe and North America so far and the 160,000 tickets for the first two Croke Park concerts sold out in just 40 minutes.
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BonoFox1
Blue Crack Supplier
Fury as U2 claws back 90 degrees from 360 tour for Croke Park gigs
By Fiach Kelly
Monday July 06 2009
U2 fans have expressed fury after it emerged the three Croke Park concerts in Dublin for its 360 tour will not be fully "in the round" as concerts at other venues around the world will be.
The "claw" stage at the centrepiece of the show wowed fans in Barcelona at its launch last week and allowed the band to effectively play to all sides of the all-seated Nou Camp stadium.
The stage was situated at one end of the stadium in Barcelona, and will be in the same position at Croke Park, with Hill 16 as a backdrop.
However, no seats will be fitted on the Hill and no tickets have been sold for the famous terrace -- which means that the band will effectively be playing to 270 degrees of the Jones Road venue.
Fans took to internet message boards last night to complain. "Pretty annoyed to find out were only getting 270 of the stage," one poster on boards.ie said.
"There is no reason why it can't be in the middle."
A seating chart for the concerts -- which take place on the 24th, 25th and 27th of this month -- shows that all stands at Croke Park will be filled, and there will be space for fans on the pitch.
Mammoth
However, there will be no standing space behind the stage, as it backs on to the Hill.
Extra tickets for the three Dublin dates -- which had been sold out -- go on sale 9am today.
The mammoth stage is 165ft tall, and takes up to four days to put together.
Croke Park officials deny that fans will be deprived of the full 360 experience and say that they will be able to see the stage from all angles, as the band originally intended.
- Fiach Kelly
Fury as U2 claws back 90 degrees from 360 tour for Croke Park gigs - News & Gossip, Entertainment - Independent.ie
By Fiach Kelly
Monday July 06 2009
U2 fans have expressed fury after it emerged the three Croke Park concerts in Dublin for its 360 tour will not be fully "in the round" as concerts at other venues around the world will be.
The "claw" stage at the centrepiece of the show wowed fans in Barcelona at its launch last week and allowed the band to effectively play to all sides of the all-seated Nou Camp stadium.
The stage was situated at one end of the stadium in Barcelona, and will be in the same position at Croke Park, with Hill 16 as a backdrop.
However, no seats will be fitted on the Hill and no tickets have been sold for the famous terrace -- which means that the band will effectively be playing to 270 degrees of the Jones Road venue.
Fans took to internet message boards last night to complain. "Pretty annoyed to find out were only getting 270 of the stage," one poster on boards.ie said.
"There is no reason why it can't be in the middle."
A seating chart for the concerts -- which take place on the 24th, 25th and 27th of this month -- shows that all stands at Croke Park will be filled, and there will be space for fans on the pitch.
Mammoth
However, there will be no standing space behind the stage, as it backs on to the Hill.
Extra tickets for the three Dublin dates -- which had been sold out -- go on sale 9am today.
The mammoth stage is 165ft tall, and takes up to four days to put together.
Croke Park officials deny that fans will be deprived of the full 360 experience and say that they will be able to see the stage from all angles, as the band originally intended.
- Fiach Kelly
Fury as U2 claws back 90 degrees from 360 tour for Croke Park gigs - News & Gossip, Entertainment - Independent.ie
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BonoFox1
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Bono And Pep Guardiola Hail Each Other After U2 Gig
There was a lot of back-slapping at U2's first concert of their world tour as Bono met Pep Guardiola...
2 Jul 2009
Bono and Pep Guardiola were full of praise for each other when the pair spoke to the audience as U2 played to a packed Camp Nou crowd on the first gig of their world tour.
The Irish singer recognised Barcelona's achievement in winning the Spanish league, Copa del Rey and Champions League and congratulated the Blaugrana boss for that.
Barca's involvement with the United Nations also went down well with Bono as he praised the club for promoting children's charity UNICEF on their shirts.
"Congratulations on winning the treble," the U2 frontman said to Guardiola.
"I want to thank the club for all the aid it has given us for this concert and above all the dedication it has shown to humanitarian causes such as the UNICEF advertising on the jersey without any economic benefit to themselves.
"You are an example in a struggle that concerns us all."
Guardiola was delighted with Bono's words and expressed his delight that U2 had chosen Barcelona, and Catalunya, as the first venue for their mammoth tour.
"We are very thankful to U2 for choosing this city and the state as a starting point for the world tour," he added
Bono And Pep Guardiola Hail Each Other After U2 Gig - Goal.com
Barcelona boss Guardiola happy to meet U2 star Bono
02.07.09 | tribalfootball.com
Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola met with U2 star Bono before his concert on Tuesday night.
Guardiola was happy to meet with Bono, on the Irishman's request, at the Nou Camp, where they discussed Barca's superb Treble triumph - and also the pop star's music.
Bono greeted Guardiola with a hand shake, a smile and said: "Congratulations on being Treble champions."
He also remarked: "I want to thank the club for all the aid it has given us for this concert and above all the dedication it has shown to humanitarian causes such as the UNICEF advertising on the jersey without getting any economic benefit.
"You are an example in a struggle that concerns us all."
Guardiola replied: "We are very thankful to U2 for choosing this city and the state as a starting point for the world tour."
The coach also presented Bono with a Barca shirt, which the singer wore on stage during the concert.
Barcelona boss Guardiola happy to meet U2 star Bono | Spanish Football News | tribalfootball.com
There was a lot of back-slapping at U2's first concert of their world tour as Bono met Pep Guardiola...
2 Jul 2009
Bono and Pep Guardiola were full of praise for each other when the pair spoke to the audience as U2 played to a packed Camp Nou crowd on the first gig of their world tour.
The Irish singer recognised Barcelona's achievement in winning the Spanish league, Copa del Rey and Champions League and congratulated the Blaugrana boss for that.
Barca's involvement with the United Nations also went down well with Bono as he praised the club for promoting children's charity UNICEF on their shirts.
"Congratulations on winning the treble," the U2 frontman said to Guardiola.
"I want to thank the club for all the aid it has given us for this concert and above all the dedication it has shown to humanitarian causes such as the UNICEF advertising on the jersey without any economic benefit to themselves.
"You are an example in a struggle that concerns us all."
Guardiola was delighted with Bono's words and expressed his delight that U2 had chosen Barcelona, and Catalunya, as the first venue for their mammoth tour.
"We are very thankful to U2 for choosing this city and the state as a starting point for the world tour," he added
Bono And Pep Guardiola Hail Each Other After U2 Gig - Goal.com
Barcelona boss Guardiola happy to meet U2 star Bono
02.07.09 | tribalfootball.com
Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola met with U2 star Bono before his concert on Tuesday night.
Guardiola was happy to meet with Bono, on the Irishman's request, at the Nou Camp, where they discussed Barca's superb Treble triumph - and also the pop star's music.
Bono greeted Guardiola with a hand shake, a smile and said: "Congratulations on being Treble champions."
He also remarked: "I want to thank the club for all the aid it has given us for this concert and above all the dedication it has shown to humanitarian causes such as the UNICEF advertising on the jersey without getting any economic benefit.
"You are an example in a struggle that concerns us all."
Guardiola replied: "We are very thankful to U2 for choosing this city and the state as a starting point for the world tour."
The coach also presented Bono with a Barca shirt, which the singer wore on stage during the concert.
Barcelona boss Guardiola happy to meet U2 star Bono | Spanish Football News | tribalfootball.com
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BonoFox1
Blue Crack Supplier
mocoNews - BlackBerry Says The U2 Mobile Album Is Almost Here
Thursday, July 2, 2009; 3:00 PM
There's not a ton of information so far, but BlackBerry has launched a web site that is teasing U2 fans, who own a BlackBerry, that a mobile U2 Album is "almost here," notes Crackberry.com. In a short video, there's some vague language set to an inspiring U2 track that says things like, "introducing the U2 Mobile Album," "show the world what the music means to you" and "experience the tour from all angles."
Research In Motion has identified music as one ways to increase the BlackBerry's popularity among consumers. The company is sponsoring U2's 360 Tour, which kicked off Tuesday and is being used to promote the album "No Line On The Horizon." In addition to a partnership with U2, RIM (NSDQ: RIMM) has an exclusive with Ticketmaster, which allows people to buy tickets to shows. Other BlackBerry apps that allow people to listen to music includes: Slacker, Pandora and Shazam, iheartradio and Will.i.am?s DipDive
washingtonpost.com
Thursday, July 2, 2009; 3:00 PM
There's not a ton of information so far, but BlackBerry has launched a web site that is teasing U2 fans, who own a BlackBerry, that a mobile U2 Album is "almost here," notes Crackberry.com. In a short video, there's some vague language set to an inspiring U2 track that says things like, "introducing the U2 Mobile Album," "show the world what the music means to you" and "experience the tour from all angles."
Research In Motion has identified music as one ways to increase the BlackBerry's popularity among consumers. The company is sponsoring U2's 360 Tour, which kicked off Tuesday and is being used to promote the album "No Line On The Horizon." In addition to a partnership with U2, RIM (NSDQ: RIMM) has an exclusive with Ticketmaster, which allows people to buy tickets to shows. Other BlackBerry apps that allow people to listen to music includes: Slacker, Pandora and Shazam, iheartradio and Will.i.am?s DipDive
washingtonpost.com
Bonogirl777
Blue Crack Addict
^I saw the commercial today. "Blackberry Loves U2" 
lauramullen
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U2 and Bono criticised for carbon footprint
Band's 100-date world tour will be responsible for emitting up to
65,000 tonnes of CO2
by: Alistair Grant
6 July 2009
U2 and Bono have been criticised for the carbon footprint created by
their mammoth world tour.
The 100-date, 18-month odyssey, which kicked off last week, will see
the multi-millionaires emit up to 65,000 tonnes of CO2, which would be
equivalent to Bono, the Edge, Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen Jr flying
from Earth to the planet Mars - and back.
The £90m U2360 tour also features three 390-tonne stages criss-
crossing the globe, along with 200 crew and backstage staff.
Their colossal emissions are the equivalent of leaving a standard 100-
watt light bulb on for 159,000 years, according to estimates from
researchers at the website Carbonfootprint.com.
The energy consumption comes despite Bono saying in Tokyo in May 2008:
"My prayer is that we become better in looking after our planet."
U2's public relations agency RMP did not return a request asking if
the band planned to offset its emissions
Band's 100-date world tour will be responsible for emitting up to
65,000 tonnes of CO2
by: Alistair Grant
6 July 2009
U2 and Bono have been criticised for the carbon footprint created by
their mammoth world tour.
The 100-date, 18-month odyssey, which kicked off last week, will see
the multi-millionaires emit up to 65,000 tonnes of CO2, which would be
equivalent to Bono, the Edge, Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen Jr flying
from Earth to the planet Mars - and back.
The £90m U2360 tour also features three 390-tonne stages criss-
crossing the globe, along with 200 crew and backstage staff.
Their colossal emissions are the equivalent of leaving a standard 100-
watt light bulb on for 159,000 years, according to estimates from
researchers at the website Carbonfootprint.com.
The energy consumption comes despite Bono saying in Tokyo in May 2008:
"My prayer is that we become better in looking after our planet."
U2's public relations agency RMP did not return a request asking if
the band planned to offset its emissions
lauramullen
Blue Crack Distributor
- Joined
- Aug 9, 2002
- Messages
- 52,111
Gallagher slams Bono, Martin
By WENN.COM
Oasis rocker Noel Gallagher has blasted U2 frontman Bono and
Coldplay's Chris Martin - for turning their gigs into a guilt trip for
fans.
The Wonderwall hitmaker insists concertgoers don't want to hear about
killer diseases and world poverty when they see their heroes perform.
He has urged his fellow rockers to drop politics from their music -
because fans just want to have an enjoyable evening out.
Gallagher tells Italian newspaper Corriere Della Sera, "We get on the
stage and play. I have been to loads of concerts where bands don't
play, they just talk about politics. At a U2 or Coldplay concert there
is always a message about poor people or people dying from hunger. OK,
but can't we just have a nice evening? Do we always have to feel
guilty?"
By WENN.COM
Oasis rocker Noel Gallagher has blasted U2 frontman Bono and
Coldplay's Chris Martin - for turning their gigs into a guilt trip for
fans.
The Wonderwall hitmaker insists concertgoers don't want to hear about
killer diseases and world poverty when they see their heroes perform.
He has urged his fellow rockers to drop politics from their music -
because fans just want to have an enjoyable evening out.
Gallagher tells Italian newspaper Corriere Della Sera, "We get on the
stage and play. I have been to loads of concerts where bands don't
play, they just talk about politics. At a U2 or Coldplay concert there
is always a message about poor people or people dying from hunger. OK,
but can't we just have a nice evening? Do we always have to feel
guilty?"
domo-kun
ONE love, blood, life
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- Messages
- 12,580
"Oh, u2's on tour again, lets all get bitching again over povery messages and carbon dioxide emissions" 
As much as i like oasis songs, they should worry their own business,
first they worship them and now their all wrong? C'mon make up your mind..
As much as i like oasis songs, they should worry their own business,
first they worship them and now their all wrong? C'mon make up your mind..
Bonogirl777
Blue Crack Addict
I love Oasis' music but I just think that they're arseholes. 
lauramullen
Blue Crack Distributor
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- Aug 9, 2002
- Messages
- 52,111
I tried watching their Behind The Music on VH1 and I couldn't because the would curse like ever other world.
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BonoFox1
Blue Crack Supplier
HEH! Sour Grapes Noel!
What the hell happened to you guys anyway You guys don't make it in the USA anymore
All that matters is that poverty/politics ect is making people aware of the choices they can or don't have 2 make. Personally it made me very curious about the issues and I WANT to help.lauramullen
Blue Crack Distributor
- Joined
- Aug 9, 2002
- Messages
- 52,111
Hot Press
July 07, 2009
U2 Live In Barcelona: It's A Result!
By Olaf Tyaransen
July 07, 2009
U2 Live In Barcelona: It's A Result!
By Olaf Tyaransen
It's been a beautiful day in Barcelona (hardly surprising for sweltering June), but will it be a beautiful night? The near 90,000 U2 fans gathered here in Camp Nou certainly hope so. As, of course, do the band themselves! But nothing is guaranteed. This, after all, is the opening night of a U2 world tour. Anything can happen and it usually does...
From their not so humble perspectives, there's a lot more than just money riding on this tour. With the likes of The Killers, Coldplay and Kings of Leon snapping all too eagerly at their Cuban heels, and Bono, Edge, Larry and Adam now well into their middle years, this is as much about pride, about being the biggest, About being the best. Still.
Fair f**ks to them for still caring. It's no accident that U2 have chosen Europe's biggest football stadium to launch their first major tour in over four years (and, seeing as the Elevation and Vertigo tours were mostly played in arenas, their first proper stadium tour this century). And it's interesting to note that, to this writer's eyes, at least one in five of the audience probably weren't even alive when The Joshua Tree was first released back in 1987.
Of course, opening nights of U2 tours don't exactly have a flawless history. It's just over a decade ago that, in one of contemporary rock & roll's most celebrated Spinal Tap-ish moments, Bono and the boys found themselves trapped inside a giant lemon in Las Vegas, on the very first night of PopMart. They learnt their lesson then, and have apparently been feverishly rehearsing this show for a full fortnight (last night they did a full live run-through for an audience of 500 special needs kids). But the best laid plans of mice and superstars...
Sitting not quite slap bang in the centre of the field, the much heralded 360 stage looks...well, bizarre. It's not a lemon, but it's coloured a strange lime green. The aliens have landed (and Bowie's "Space Oddity" is played more than once throughout the build-up to tonight's performance). Designed and built by longtime U2 associates Willy Williams and Mark Fisher, the massive 164 foot-tall structure (twice the size of the stadium set used for the Stones' A Bigger Bang tour, fact fiends) requires 120 trucks to transport. It's been nicknamed "The Claw," but it actually looks more like a giant sized Star Wars stormtroooper doing a yoga stretching exercise. Or position number 91 from the Kama Sutra.
But more of that later. Unlike almost all of their contemporaries, U2 have continued to challenge themselves almost as much as they've challenged their audience. They'll take on all comers -- as their support acts, that is. There are numerous potential heirs to their rock 'n' roll throne, none of whom have ever been shy about admitting it, and their choice of one of the main contenders, Snow Patrol, as tonight's second string says a lot about their lack of fear.
Opening with "Take Back the City," the Patrol, who've been touring A 100 Million Suns for months now, and are consequently tighter than ever, play a safe and steady run through of some of their biggest hits ("Chasing Cars," "Chocolate," "You're All I Have" etc). Unfortunately, it's no easy task with the stadium still filling up and bright sunshine diluting the light show. Still, Gary Lightbody is a natural born charmer and well up to the task of winning people over. "You know what our job is?" he asks, midway through "Shut Your Eyes." "Our job is to warm you up! So please do us the honour of singing along with us!" The crowd duly oblige. It's a genuine moment of connection.
However, this isn't Snow Patrol's audience and well he knows it. The biggest cheer of all comes when he dedicates "Run" "to the world's greatest rock band -- U2!"
The legendry headliners are due on stage at 10 p.m. and the atmosphere is absolutely electric as the Mexican-waving audience cheer wildly through several false starts. Suddenly the lights go out and the stadium is plunged into darkness (so that wasn't sunlight?), thousands of flashes punctuating the blackness. Here we go...
Larry Mullen walks on first, striding proudly up the walkway, and takes his seat behind the kit. He bangs into "Breathe," Edge and Adam appear as if from nowhere, and suddenly a leathery Bono's leathering out the lyrics (possibly he wanted to get the most vocally demanding song out of the way first). It's a spectacular and impressive, if relatively conventional, opening.
Bono straps on a guitar, mutters something totally unintelligible in Spanish, and then it's straight into "No Line on the Horizon" as the entire stage lights up like a Chinese lantern. Curiously, it blinks like a malfunctioning one, between the maddest of visuals, during the sexy, rhythmic "Get On Your Boots."
Appropriately enough, it's during "Magnificent," classic U2 updated in the most exhilarating way, that the stage set starts really showing what it can do -- rotating bridges, flashing lights, mad visuals all co-ordinating in a display of technical wizardry the likes of which we have never seen before in the context of live rock 'n' roll. Words fail, but suffice to say it's all very Close Encounters of the Fourth Kind...
"We wanted to build our space station in the capital of surrealism -- Barcelona!" Bono explains, before draping himself in an Irish tricolour and launching into "Beautiful Day" (the crowd reciprocate by humorously chanting, "Ole! Ole! Ole!").
Michael Jackson has been dead for less than a week, so it's hardly surprising that he's acknowledged tonight (strangely, he's one of the few artists that U2 haven't really connected/collaborated with over the years, though they did knock Thriller off the U.K. No. 1 spot with their War album way back in 1983). "We wrote this song for Billie Holiday, but we're gonna play it tonight for Michael Jackson," Bono explains, as Edge hits the distinctive intro to "Angel of Harlem." Towards the end, he segues into samples of "Man in the Mirror" and "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough."
Then things get really surreal. During the Zoo TV tour, Bono used to call the White House, Downing Street and other political power centres. Tonight, he sets his sights a little higher. Actually, a lot f**king higher! "It's almost 40 years to the month that Neil Armstrong stood on the moon," he explains, before he calls the International Space Station on video phone. For a surreal few minutes, Bono and the band actually interview some of the astronauts currently orbiting the earth (Adam asks if they've seen any flying saucers today; Larry asks if the world is really round?). It's a bizarre, and somewhat nerdy, interlude -- and presumably not one they'll be repeating every night of this tour. Appropriately, this is followed by "Unknown Caller," one of the most dramatic and impressive tracks on No Line on the Horizon -- which goes down a treat live too.
The real highlights of the show aren't gimmicky, though. They play "Unforgettable Fire" live for the first time in 20 years (or so Bono explains): it's brilliant and you wonder why on earth they left it so long. The audience doing the "Uno!...Dos!...Tres!...Catorce!" before a scorching "Vertigo" is also something special, as is the manic remixed version of "Crazy Tonight" (with Larry on bongos) -- a real crowd pleaser if ever there was one.
It's undoubtedly their intention to bombard the senses, but at times there's almost too much going on. On occasion, the band members are standing what looks like 100 metres apart, the screens are showing the most incredible images, and the stage set is rotating, gyrating and generally doing amazing things. There's a massive "wow!" factor -- but you are left feeling that wherever you're looking, you're maybe missing something better.
The "wows!" keep coming -- but the set ends with a succession of golden oldies that takes the crowd on an emotional roller coaster ride. At least fifty people wearing Aung San Suu Kyi masks walk around the stage during "Walk On," and Bishop Desmond Tutu delivers an impassioned pre-recorded speech before "Where the Streets Have No Name." The best moments, however, come when it's just band and audience, especially when they're becoming "One." They actually f**k up the closing number at one point -- or that's the way I heard it -- but are almost all the more loveable for that moment of surrender...
Ultimately? While it wasn't quite the perfect performance, U2 360 is shaping up to be a near perfect circle (rocking and) rolling onwards. They'll refine the show as the tour goes on. The future needs a big kiss and I've a feeling it'll be getting it from these boys when they've bedded everything in fully...Even now, this show is using its tongue.
I've a hunch you'd need to see 360 several times to fully appreciate the potential of its luminescence, brilliance and innovativeness. On the opening day of the season they ground out a great result. Barcelona was a winning start -- and from here on the season can only get better.
They still have it, they're still having it. Roll on Croke Park.
From their not so humble perspectives, there's a lot more than just money riding on this tour. With the likes of The Killers, Coldplay and Kings of Leon snapping all too eagerly at their Cuban heels, and Bono, Edge, Larry and Adam now well into their middle years, this is as much about pride, about being the biggest, About being the best. Still.
Fair f**ks to them for still caring. It's no accident that U2 have chosen Europe's biggest football stadium to launch their first major tour in over four years (and, seeing as the Elevation and Vertigo tours were mostly played in arenas, their first proper stadium tour this century). And it's interesting to note that, to this writer's eyes, at least one in five of the audience probably weren't even alive when The Joshua Tree was first released back in 1987.
Of course, opening nights of U2 tours don't exactly have a flawless history. It's just over a decade ago that, in one of contemporary rock & roll's most celebrated Spinal Tap-ish moments, Bono and the boys found themselves trapped inside a giant lemon in Las Vegas, on the very first night of PopMart. They learnt their lesson then, and have apparently been feverishly rehearsing this show for a full fortnight (last night they did a full live run-through for an audience of 500 special needs kids). But the best laid plans of mice and superstars...
Sitting not quite slap bang in the centre of the field, the much heralded 360 stage looks...well, bizarre. It's not a lemon, but it's coloured a strange lime green. The aliens have landed (and Bowie's "Space Oddity" is played more than once throughout the build-up to tonight's performance). Designed and built by longtime U2 associates Willy Williams and Mark Fisher, the massive 164 foot-tall structure (twice the size of the stadium set used for the Stones' A Bigger Bang tour, fact fiends) requires 120 trucks to transport. It's been nicknamed "The Claw," but it actually looks more like a giant sized Star Wars stormtroooper doing a yoga stretching exercise. Or position number 91 from the Kama Sutra.
But more of that later. Unlike almost all of their contemporaries, U2 have continued to challenge themselves almost as much as they've challenged their audience. They'll take on all comers -- as their support acts, that is. There are numerous potential heirs to their rock 'n' roll throne, none of whom have ever been shy about admitting it, and their choice of one of the main contenders, Snow Patrol, as tonight's second string says a lot about their lack of fear.
Opening with "Take Back the City," the Patrol, who've been touring A 100 Million Suns for months now, and are consequently tighter than ever, play a safe and steady run through of some of their biggest hits ("Chasing Cars," "Chocolate," "You're All I Have" etc). Unfortunately, it's no easy task with the stadium still filling up and bright sunshine diluting the light show. Still, Gary Lightbody is a natural born charmer and well up to the task of winning people over. "You know what our job is?" he asks, midway through "Shut Your Eyes." "Our job is to warm you up! So please do us the honour of singing along with us!" The crowd duly oblige. It's a genuine moment of connection.
However, this isn't Snow Patrol's audience and well he knows it. The biggest cheer of all comes when he dedicates "Run" "to the world's greatest rock band -- U2!"
The legendry headliners are due on stage at 10 p.m. and the atmosphere is absolutely electric as the Mexican-waving audience cheer wildly through several false starts. Suddenly the lights go out and the stadium is plunged into darkness (so that wasn't sunlight?), thousands of flashes punctuating the blackness. Here we go...
Larry Mullen walks on first, striding proudly up the walkway, and takes his seat behind the kit. He bangs into "Breathe," Edge and Adam appear as if from nowhere, and suddenly a leathery Bono's leathering out the lyrics (possibly he wanted to get the most vocally demanding song out of the way first). It's a spectacular and impressive, if relatively conventional, opening.
Bono straps on a guitar, mutters something totally unintelligible in Spanish, and then it's straight into "No Line on the Horizon" as the entire stage lights up like a Chinese lantern. Curiously, it blinks like a malfunctioning one, between the maddest of visuals, during the sexy, rhythmic "Get On Your Boots."
Appropriately enough, it's during "Magnificent," classic U2 updated in the most exhilarating way, that the stage set starts really showing what it can do -- rotating bridges, flashing lights, mad visuals all co-ordinating in a display of technical wizardry the likes of which we have never seen before in the context of live rock 'n' roll. Words fail, but suffice to say it's all very Close Encounters of the Fourth Kind...
"We wanted to build our space station in the capital of surrealism -- Barcelona!" Bono explains, before draping himself in an Irish tricolour and launching into "Beautiful Day" (the crowd reciprocate by humorously chanting, "Ole! Ole! Ole!").
Michael Jackson has been dead for less than a week, so it's hardly surprising that he's acknowledged tonight (strangely, he's one of the few artists that U2 haven't really connected/collaborated with over the years, though they did knock Thriller off the U.K. No. 1 spot with their War album way back in 1983). "We wrote this song for Billie Holiday, but we're gonna play it tonight for Michael Jackson," Bono explains, as Edge hits the distinctive intro to "Angel of Harlem." Towards the end, he segues into samples of "Man in the Mirror" and "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough."
Then things get really surreal. During the Zoo TV tour, Bono used to call the White House, Downing Street and other political power centres. Tonight, he sets his sights a little higher. Actually, a lot f**king higher! "It's almost 40 years to the month that Neil Armstrong stood on the moon," he explains, before he calls the International Space Station on video phone. For a surreal few minutes, Bono and the band actually interview some of the astronauts currently orbiting the earth (Adam asks if they've seen any flying saucers today; Larry asks if the world is really round?). It's a bizarre, and somewhat nerdy, interlude -- and presumably not one they'll be repeating every night of this tour. Appropriately, this is followed by "Unknown Caller," one of the most dramatic and impressive tracks on No Line on the Horizon -- which goes down a treat live too.
The real highlights of the show aren't gimmicky, though. They play "Unforgettable Fire" live for the first time in 20 years (or so Bono explains): it's brilliant and you wonder why on earth they left it so long. The audience doing the "Uno!...Dos!...Tres!...Catorce!" before a scorching "Vertigo" is also something special, as is the manic remixed version of "Crazy Tonight" (with Larry on bongos) -- a real crowd pleaser if ever there was one.
It's undoubtedly their intention to bombard the senses, but at times there's almost too much going on. On occasion, the band members are standing what looks like 100 metres apart, the screens are showing the most incredible images, and the stage set is rotating, gyrating and generally doing amazing things. There's a massive "wow!" factor -- but you are left feeling that wherever you're looking, you're maybe missing something better.
The "wows!" keep coming -- but the set ends with a succession of golden oldies that takes the crowd on an emotional roller coaster ride. At least fifty people wearing Aung San Suu Kyi masks walk around the stage during "Walk On," and Bishop Desmond Tutu delivers an impassioned pre-recorded speech before "Where the Streets Have No Name." The best moments, however, come when it's just band and audience, especially when they're becoming "One." They actually f**k up the closing number at one point -- or that's the way I heard it -- but are almost all the more loveable for that moment of surrender...
Ultimately? While it wasn't quite the perfect performance, U2 360 is shaping up to be a near perfect circle (rocking and) rolling onwards. They'll refine the show as the tour goes on. The future needs a big kiss and I've a feeling it'll be getting it from these boys when they've bedded everything in fully...Even now, this show is using its tongue.
I've a hunch you'd need to see 360 several times to fully appreciate the potential of its luminescence, brilliance and innovativeness. On the opening day of the season they ground out a great result. Barcelona was a winning start -- and from here on the season can only get better.
They still have it, they're still having it. Roll on Croke Park.
damn! is there anything they CAN'T do?
lauramullen
Blue Crack Distributor
- Joined
- Aug 9, 2002
- Messages
- 52,111
BBC
July 8, 2009
A touring stage for U2 that is one of the biggest ever made has been partly designed by a Welsh firm.
Architen Landrell in Chepstow, Monmouthshire, were approached by the main architects only a few months ago to provide the fabric elements.
The Irish band kicked off the European stage of their 31-city tour in Barcelona last month.
The designers had to make three stages to be used in rotation -- one live, one being dismantled and one being set up.
The stage was a collaboration between the lead architects Mark Fisher Studio, structural engineers Atelier One and steel company Stagecomb as well as Landrell, which has had a base in Chepstow for the past seven years.
Landrell made the green PVC fabric which covers the structure, an estimated 1,500 sq m in total for each stage.
Teams of employees from the 45-strong staff were flown to Barcelona for the first two shows last month to set up the stage and to provide guidance and assistance while the shows ran.
Kate Cox, project manager from Landrell for the stage, told the BBC Wales News website: "This is just by far one of the largest staging structures, if not the largest, ever to be put together.
"We've worked with rock and pop a lot over the years and it's working with the same people who say, 'Oh yeah I remember the Stones in '89' or whatever.
"With rock and pop, everything happens really fast so it's quite exciting and exhilarating.
"We were approached in early spring to do the fabric for it. It's a very fast-track project and there were so many aspects -- from a staging perspective it's awesome, from a trucking perspective it's awesome.
"Because of the way it tours, there are three stage sets so they sort of hopscotch each other. One will be playing, one will be being dismantled and a third will be being transported and erected."
Ms. Cox explained the fabric was a blackout fabric so the steelwork underneath would be concealed.
"The outer is a very light green colour chosen by the band. It's just not white and not green. I think it was mostly for lighting -- it's close enough to white so it doesn't interfere with it."
Ms. Cox has never seen U2 in concert but hopes to see the finished product in action in the U.K., with the British leg concluding in the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff on 22 August.
It then moves on to North America.
July 8, 2009
A touring stage for U2 that is one of the biggest ever made has been partly designed by a Welsh firm.
Architen Landrell in Chepstow, Monmouthshire, were approached by the main architects only a few months ago to provide the fabric elements.
The Irish band kicked off the European stage of their 31-city tour in Barcelona last month.
The designers had to make three stages to be used in rotation -- one live, one being dismantled and one being set up.
The stage was a collaboration between the lead architects Mark Fisher Studio, structural engineers Atelier One and steel company Stagecomb as well as Landrell, which has had a base in Chepstow for the past seven years.
Landrell made the green PVC fabric which covers the structure, an estimated 1,500 sq m in total for each stage.
Teams of employees from the 45-strong staff were flown to Barcelona for the first two shows last month to set up the stage and to provide guidance and assistance while the shows ran.
Kate Cox, project manager from Landrell for the stage, told the BBC Wales News website: "This is just by far one of the largest staging structures, if not the largest, ever to be put together.
"We've worked with rock and pop a lot over the years and it's working with the same people who say, 'Oh yeah I remember the Stones in '89' or whatever.
"With rock and pop, everything happens really fast so it's quite exciting and exhilarating.
"We were approached in early spring to do the fabric for it. It's a very fast-track project and there were so many aspects -- from a staging perspective it's awesome, from a trucking perspective it's awesome.
"Because of the way it tours, there are three stage sets so they sort of hopscotch each other. One will be playing, one will be being dismantled and a third will be being transported and erected."
Ms. Cox explained the fabric was a blackout fabric so the steelwork underneath would be concealed.
"The outer is a very light green colour chosen by the band. It's just not white and not green. I think it was mostly for lighting -- it's close enough to white so it doesn't interfere with it."
Ms. Cox has never seen U2 in concert but hopes to see the finished product in action in the U.K., with the British leg concluding in the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff on 22 August.
It then moves on to North America.
lauramullen
Blue Crack Distributor
- Joined
- Aug 9, 2002
- Messages
- 52,111
U2's Newfoundland connection
After playing a small role in U2's latest disc, Lori Anna Reid returns home to perform
The Telegram, July 10, 2009
Kip Bonnell
Lori Anna Reid hesitates to take credit, but the Newfoundlander's contribution to one of the biggest bands in the world is both hard to ignore and remarkably fitting.
"I love the record, it's fantastic," Reid says of No Line on the Horizon," U2's 13th studio album, released in March, which has been heralded as a return to form by even the band's toughest critics.
"My dad brought it home and said, 'Your name is in here, missus!'"
Reid has quietly built an acclaimed musical career since she left St. John's in 1990. She started singing here as a child, and later studied classical music at Memorial University, before finishing a degree in voice performance at the University of Toronto.
Along with performing at Carnegie Hall, her vocal talents have been featured in Juno and Genie Award-winning compositions, and documentaries, such as television's The Nature of Things.
Reid and her band perform in Brigus and St. John's Monday and Tuesday.
The singer also has a reputation for rediscovering musical gems and giving them new polish.
Reid's suggestion of a traditional melody to Daniel Lanois, U2's longtime producer, acted as a springboard in the creation of "White As Snow," a haunting song about a dying soldier in Afghanistan. It's a work that The Guardian, the well-respected U.K. newspaper, called "U2's most intimate song....of all the character songs on the album, 'White As Snow' is the most moving."
"I was driving between Banff and Vancouver when I got the phone call from Dan (Lanois)," recalls Reid, who has worked with the musician and producer since 2003, when she provided vocals on his solo tour. "He said he was working on a record with U2 again, and that they were initially thinking about doing a record of hymns....I gave him a few suggestions and one was 'O Come, O Come Emmanuel.'
"I have a hard time taking credit -- I'm just grateful and glad that both Daniel, Bono and the entire band agreed with me that it's a gorgeous hymn."
Lanois says it's no accident Reid's suggestion made the album.
"I think it's fair to say that years and years of friendship and singing with Lori led to this," he said from his recording studio in Los Angeles.
Along with his work with U2, the Quebec native is a renowned solo performer, and one of the most sought-after producers in music. With his trademark sound, he's helped to mould and boost the careers of artists like Bob Dylan, Emmylou Harris and Robbie Robertson.
One of his jobs, Lanois says, is bringing intriguing ideas to U2, "whether it be melodies, chords or other ideas."
"Lori played me a few things that she regarded to be great melodic classics," he says of Reid's recommendation.
"I recorded a little piano version of it and brought that to the U2 camp. She has so much experience singing classical music that it's just embedded in her as an artist," say Lanois, who refers to Reid as a "musical mate" and a "deep soul."
"She just has a very clear understanding of how parts interlock."
While Reid helped push the creative process, she wasn't certain what the final form of her input would be. When she discovered that the finished song centred on the life of a soldier, it all seemed strangely familiar.
"The hair stood up on my arm," says Reid, "because it is such a close topic for me, having been there, having family there, and it's something that's very close to the heart."
In 2008, Reid sang for Canadian troops in Kandahar. She performed "Amazing Grace" at the ramp ceremony for Sgt. Jason Boyce, who died after a roadside bomb exploded.
"It's on so many minds right now," she says of the struggles in Afghanistan. "It's just a travesty that we need to be there, but we do. An injustice anywhere affects justice everywhere, as Martin Luther King said.
"Maybe it's that collective consciousness that resulted in the serendipity of those words being written," Reid said of U2's lyrics in "White As Snow," a track that credits Lanois as co-writer.
It's not the first time Reid has been connected with songs about young soldiers and the ravages of war. Her version of "Willie McBride/No Man's Land" was widely praised by Gen. Rick Hillier (now retired), while Eric Bogle, the song's composer, has called her take "the most beautiful version I have ever heard," saying it reminds him of why he initially wrote it.
And as if sharing musical wavelengths with Bono and Lanois isn't enough, Reid is driven by a passion for humanitarian work -- both in her neighbourhood and around the world.
As an official consultant for World Vision, she helps encourage child sponsorship at her own concerts, as well as at her performances with other artists, like Lennie Gallant and Michelle Wright. Reid toured with Wright in April, where they sang together and spoke about their sponsored children and their respective trips to Afghanistan.
You can do something in every choice that you make," Reid points out. "We're changing the world, and artists are doing it....Last year, there were more than 6,000 children sponsored at World Vision because of Canadian artists."
When she's not on the road, Reid's Toronto surroundings seem far removed from her Newfoundland roots. But inside her apartment, there are links to the place she left behind.
"I've got two photos that my dad took in Torbay, with icebergs in the background, and the icebergs just dwarf the little boats, of course," says Reid, who returns home once or twice a year.
"Along with the painting he did, it's like a huge seascape theme around the room."
Reid is heavily involved in her new community. In June, she performed a sold-out benefit for a meals program for homeless people at St. Stephen in the Fields Church -- a venue she helped previously when it was facing financial difficulties.
Allan Cannon, a music industry veteran who recorded the show, was moved by Reid's talent.
"I was hoping to capture something magical....I believe that there was plenty of magic on that evening," he said. "This is one of the finest examples of a cappella...absolutely outstanding."
"What really fires me up is when I'm performing live," says Reid, who has been working with a new band for the past year.
The group features Mike Janzen on piano, George Koller (bass, cello) and Newfoundland native Greg Hawco (guitar, percussion, vocals).
Reid's two shows here next week will feature a mix of original compositions, songs with jazz elements and traditional arrangements.
"It's quite a wonderful thing when we get up there," said Reid. "I can tell stories, sing songs friends have written or co-written, or a couple of classical songs -- I know it all sounds very disjointed, but it's not."
One of the standouts in Reid's current setlist is "Avalon," a devastatingly beautiful arrangement with improvised elements that finds her voice soaring and looping through a plaintive piano part and tribal drumbeat.
Partly inspired by the struggles of Demasduit, one of the last Beothuk women, it's a song without words, yet limitless with feeling.
"Everybody has a song, and every song tells a story," Reid insists. "The power of a really great song cuts through political lines, things that normally divide us....It's about what makes us human."
Reid and her band have two performances next week, along with special guest Bill Brennan -- Monday at St. George's church in Brigus at 8 p.m., tickets are $20, and are available at the door (www.stgeorgesbrigus.ca); and Tuesday at Memorial University's D.F. Cook Recital Hall in the School of Music. Tickets are $22 and are available at the St. John's Arts and Culture Centre, telephone 729-3900.
© The Telegram, 2009.
After playing a small role in U2's latest disc, Lori Anna Reid returns home to perform
The Telegram, July 10, 2009
Kip Bonnell
Lori Anna Reid hesitates to take credit, but the Newfoundlander's contribution to one of the biggest bands in the world is both hard to ignore and remarkably fitting.
"I love the record, it's fantastic," Reid says of No Line on the Horizon," U2's 13th studio album, released in March, which has been heralded as a return to form by even the band's toughest critics.
"My dad brought it home and said, 'Your name is in here, missus!'"
Reid has quietly built an acclaimed musical career since she left St. John's in 1990. She started singing here as a child, and later studied classical music at Memorial University, before finishing a degree in voice performance at the University of Toronto.
Along with performing at Carnegie Hall, her vocal talents have been featured in Juno and Genie Award-winning compositions, and documentaries, such as television's The Nature of Things.
Reid and her band perform in Brigus and St. John's Monday and Tuesday.
The singer also has a reputation for rediscovering musical gems and giving them new polish.
Reid's suggestion of a traditional melody to Daniel Lanois, U2's longtime producer, acted as a springboard in the creation of "White As Snow," a haunting song about a dying soldier in Afghanistan. It's a work that The Guardian, the well-respected U.K. newspaper, called "U2's most intimate song....of all the character songs on the album, 'White As Snow' is the most moving."
"I was driving between Banff and Vancouver when I got the phone call from Dan (Lanois)," recalls Reid, who has worked with the musician and producer since 2003, when she provided vocals on his solo tour. "He said he was working on a record with U2 again, and that they were initially thinking about doing a record of hymns....I gave him a few suggestions and one was 'O Come, O Come Emmanuel.'
"I have a hard time taking credit -- I'm just grateful and glad that both Daniel, Bono and the entire band agreed with me that it's a gorgeous hymn."
Lanois says it's no accident Reid's suggestion made the album.
"I think it's fair to say that years and years of friendship and singing with Lori led to this," he said from his recording studio in Los Angeles.
Along with his work with U2, the Quebec native is a renowned solo performer, and one of the most sought-after producers in music. With his trademark sound, he's helped to mould and boost the careers of artists like Bob Dylan, Emmylou Harris and Robbie Robertson.
One of his jobs, Lanois says, is bringing intriguing ideas to U2, "whether it be melodies, chords or other ideas."
"Lori played me a few things that she regarded to be great melodic classics," he says of Reid's recommendation.
"I recorded a little piano version of it and brought that to the U2 camp. She has so much experience singing classical music that it's just embedded in her as an artist," say Lanois, who refers to Reid as a "musical mate" and a "deep soul."
"She just has a very clear understanding of how parts interlock."
While Reid helped push the creative process, she wasn't certain what the final form of her input would be. When she discovered that the finished song centred on the life of a soldier, it all seemed strangely familiar.
"The hair stood up on my arm," says Reid, "because it is such a close topic for me, having been there, having family there, and it's something that's very close to the heart."
In 2008, Reid sang for Canadian troops in Kandahar. She performed "Amazing Grace" at the ramp ceremony for Sgt. Jason Boyce, who died after a roadside bomb exploded.
"It's on so many minds right now," she says of the struggles in Afghanistan. "It's just a travesty that we need to be there, but we do. An injustice anywhere affects justice everywhere, as Martin Luther King said.
"Maybe it's that collective consciousness that resulted in the serendipity of those words being written," Reid said of U2's lyrics in "White As Snow," a track that credits Lanois as co-writer.
It's not the first time Reid has been connected with songs about young soldiers and the ravages of war. Her version of "Willie McBride/No Man's Land" was widely praised by Gen. Rick Hillier (now retired), while Eric Bogle, the song's composer, has called her take "the most beautiful version I have ever heard," saying it reminds him of why he initially wrote it.
And as if sharing musical wavelengths with Bono and Lanois isn't enough, Reid is driven by a passion for humanitarian work -- both in her neighbourhood and around the world.
As an official consultant for World Vision, she helps encourage child sponsorship at her own concerts, as well as at her performances with other artists, like Lennie Gallant and Michelle Wright. Reid toured with Wright in April, where they sang together and spoke about their sponsored children and their respective trips to Afghanistan.
You can do something in every choice that you make," Reid points out. "We're changing the world, and artists are doing it....Last year, there were more than 6,000 children sponsored at World Vision because of Canadian artists."
When she's not on the road, Reid's Toronto surroundings seem far removed from her Newfoundland roots. But inside her apartment, there are links to the place she left behind.
"I've got two photos that my dad took in Torbay, with icebergs in the background, and the icebergs just dwarf the little boats, of course," says Reid, who returns home once or twice a year.
"Along with the painting he did, it's like a huge seascape theme around the room."
Reid is heavily involved in her new community. In June, she performed a sold-out benefit for a meals program for homeless people at St. Stephen in the Fields Church -- a venue she helped previously when it was facing financial difficulties.
Allan Cannon, a music industry veteran who recorded the show, was moved by Reid's talent.
"I was hoping to capture something magical....I believe that there was plenty of magic on that evening," he said. "This is one of the finest examples of a cappella...absolutely outstanding."
"What really fires me up is when I'm performing live," says Reid, who has been working with a new band for the past year.
The group features Mike Janzen on piano, George Koller (bass, cello) and Newfoundland native Greg Hawco (guitar, percussion, vocals).
Reid's two shows here next week will feature a mix of original compositions, songs with jazz elements and traditional arrangements.
"It's quite a wonderful thing when we get up there," said Reid. "I can tell stories, sing songs friends have written or co-written, or a couple of classical songs -- I know it all sounds very disjointed, but it's not."
One of the standouts in Reid's current setlist is "Avalon," a devastatingly beautiful arrangement with improvised elements that finds her voice soaring and looping through a plaintive piano part and tribal drumbeat.
Partly inspired by the struggles of Demasduit, one of the last Beothuk women, it's a song without words, yet limitless with feeling.
"Everybody has a song, and every song tells a story," Reid insists. "The power of a really great song cuts through political lines, things that normally divide us....It's about what makes us human."
Reid and her band have two performances next week, along with special guest Bill Brennan -- Monday at St. George's church in Brigus at 8 p.m., tickets are $20, and are available at the door (www.stgeorgesbrigus.ca); and Tuesday at Memorial University's D.F. Cook Recital Hall in the School of Music. Tickets are $22 and are available at the St. John's Arts and Culture Centre, telephone 729-3900.
© The Telegram, 2009.
lauramullen
Blue Crack Distributor
- Joined
- Aug 9, 2002
- Messages
- 52,111
Hindu Leaders Urge Bono To Address Roma Issue
July 13, 2009
Leading Hindus are urging U2 frontman BONO to focus his humanitarian
efforts on the Roma apartheid in Europe in the hopes his support could
end the suffering of displaced Indians.
Religious leaders insist the alarming treatment of Roma people, who
migrated to mainland Europe from India in the 11th century, is a
social blight for Europe as the 15-million Roma people face social
exclusion, prejudice, high unemployment, racism, substandard education
and hostility - and Bono has been suggested as their saviour.
Rajan Zed, the leader of the Universal Society of Hinduism, states,
"(The) Roma issue should be one of the highest priorities of human
rights agendas of Europe and the world."
And he hopes Bono will not remain "a silent spectator when fellow Roma
brothers/sisters were reportedly facing blatant injustice and
discrimination in Europe".
Meanwhile, Thomas Hammarberg, the Commissioner for the Human Rights of
Council of Europe, has revealed, "Anti-Gypsyism continues to be a
major human rights problem in Europe. Governments must start taking
serious action against both official and inter-personal discrimination
of Roma."
In a recent report about the ongoing problem, he cited incidents where
Roma children were forced to strip and violently slap one another in a
Slovakia police station and the sudden eviction of Roma families in
Belgrade without alternative accommodation.
Zed has also urged Pope Benedict XVI, the Archbishop of Canterbury,
Dr. Rowan D. Williams, and other church and faith leaders to address
the issues facing the Roma people.
July 13, 2009
Leading Hindus are urging U2 frontman BONO to focus his humanitarian
efforts on the Roma apartheid in Europe in the hopes his support could
end the suffering of displaced Indians.
Religious leaders insist the alarming treatment of Roma people, who
migrated to mainland Europe from India in the 11th century, is a
social blight for Europe as the 15-million Roma people face social
exclusion, prejudice, high unemployment, racism, substandard education
and hostility - and Bono has been suggested as their saviour.
Rajan Zed, the leader of the Universal Society of Hinduism, states,
"(The) Roma issue should be one of the highest priorities of human
rights agendas of Europe and the world."
And he hopes Bono will not remain "a silent spectator when fellow Roma
brothers/sisters were reportedly facing blatant injustice and
discrimination in Europe".
Meanwhile, Thomas Hammarberg, the Commissioner for the Human Rights of
Council of Europe, has revealed, "Anti-Gypsyism continues to be a
major human rights problem in Europe. Governments must start taking
serious action against both official and inter-personal discrimination
of Roma."
In a recent report about the ongoing problem, he cited incidents where
Roma children were forced to strip and violently slap one another in a
Slovakia police station and the sudden eviction of Roma families in
Belgrade without alternative accommodation.
Zed has also urged Pope Benedict XVI, the Archbishop of Canterbury,
Dr. Rowan D. Williams, and other church and faith leaders to address
the issues facing the Roma people.
lauramullen
Blue Crack Distributor
- Joined
- Aug 9, 2002
- Messages
- 52,111
Chepstow firm setting the stage for U2
Monday 13th July 2009
Photograph of the Author By Chris Wood »
A CHEPSTOW design company has helped set the stage for some of the
greatest performers of all time and now its helping U2 put on its live
tour.
The Irish pop stars will play 360 concerts around the world on three
PVC stage covers made by Architen Landrell.
The 1,500 square metre sheets are the latest creations of the Station
Road-based designers for internationally renowned acts.
Elton John, Madonna, Robbie Williams, The Who and the Rolling Stones
have all sung beneath covers created by the company over the last 10
years.
But the U2 stage cover was the hardest to create.
It has to black out any transmission of light and the steel frame
underneath while giving a pale green appearance to the audience
looking up at it.
Sales and marketing manager Amy Wilson said: “We’ve not done anything
quite so elaborate. We have done lots of stage cladding panels,
drapes, printed work and banners, but this was pretty big with the
scale and complexity.”
Architen Landrell was approached to create the fabric by the tour's
lead architect Mark Fisher who it has worked with before.
The £250,000 contract gave them three months from early March to
design the cover, order fabrics, conduct tests and arrange shipping
for three 1,500 square metre sheets.
These will be rotated at U2’s concert venues.
A team from the 40-strong staff then went to Barcelona for U2’s first
two performances last month to advise on fitting the cover to the stage.
Project manager Kate Cox said: “It was quite exciting seeing the stage
all lit up in Barcelona, although we didn’t see the performance. U2
are playing in Cardiff at the end of August, so hopefully I’ll catch
them then.”
The company has been based in Chepstow for 27 years and became
Architen Landrell after a merger seven years ago.
As well as concert stages, it creates architectural tents and canopies
for shopping malls and schools.
Monday 13th July 2009
Photograph of the Author By Chris Wood »
A CHEPSTOW design company has helped set the stage for some of the
greatest performers of all time and now its helping U2 put on its live
tour.
The Irish pop stars will play 360 concerts around the world on three
PVC stage covers made by Architen Landrell.
The 1,500 square metre sheets are the latest creations of the Station
Road-based designers for internationally renowned acts.
Elton John, Madonna, Robbie Williams, The Who and the Rolling Stones
have all sung beneath covers created by the company over the last 10
years.
But the U2 stage cover was the hardest to create.
It has to black out any transmission of light and the steel frame
underneath while giving a pale green appearance to the audience
looking up at it.
Sales and marketing manager Amy Wilson said: “We’ve not done anything
quite so elaborate. We have done lots of stage cladding panels,
drapes, printed work and banners, but this was pretty big with the
scale and complexity.”
Architen Landrell was approached to create the fabric by the tour's
lead architect Mark Fisher who it has worked with before.
The £250,000 contract gave them three months from early March to
design the cover, order fabrics, conduct tests and arrange shipping
for three 1,500 square metre sheets.
These will be rotated at U2’s concert venues.
A team from the 40-strong staff then went to Barcelona for U2’s first
two performances last month to advise on fitting the cover to the stage.
Project manager Kate Cox said: “It was quite exciting seeing the stage
all lit up in Barcelona, although we didn’t see the performance. U2
are playing in Cardiff at the end of August, so hopefully I’ll catch
them then.”
The company has been based in Chepstow for 27 years and became
Architen Landrell after a merger seven years ago.
As well as concert stages, it creates architectural tents and canopies
for shopping malls and schools.
biff
Rock n' Roll Doggie Band-aid
They must have astounding stamina!
OP
OP
BonoFox1
Blue Crack Supplier
When the real U2 show up well be in trouble (U2.com)
July 12 2009
Wednesday, 17th June 2009. Barcelona. Production rehearsals.
Having arranged to move to the band's hotel upon their arrival, I had to fit in a hotel change en route to the stadium when I got up this afternoon. The crew are staying at Mrs McGinty's boarding house just off La Rambla, so I checked out and took a cab down to the Hotel Fabulous by the Olympic Port, to be fawned over by armies of professionally obsequious staff. I only had about 30 seconds to check in and get out of there, so pretty much just threw my bags into my new room and bailed.
At the stadium we awaited the arrival of Adam and Larry, whose enthusiasm for the new production equalled that of their band mates. What astounded everyone though was that within a couple of hours of arrival, the four of them got up on the stage and played through an entire set without stopping. Astonishing! Unprecedented! I have no idea who these people are, but when the real U2 show up we'll be in trouble. During the run-through Bono took his radio mic and went right up to the top of the stadium, where (somehow) he managed to continue to sing in time, whilst adding astonished comments about how it all looked from up there.
After dark my team and I worked on the songs that required the screen to do its moves. The video content isn't quite there yet, but the way the whole thing works together is very promising. We worked till dawn and then took a runner van back to the Hotel Fabulous
Most important day so far (U2.com)
July 12 2009
Bono and Edge arrived this evening, which would put this into the category of 'easily the most important day so far.' And... they loved it. I'd asked Bono (by text) to walk into the stadium and go straight to his mic position, to experience the wide open feeling on stage. This he did (after looking up at the structure with that now familiar look of shock-and-awe of first-time viewers) and it was clear he had got it in one. 'Its invisibility is what is so remarkable,' he said, which is so true. When you're at floor level, you really feel like there's nothing there, it's all way up high.
Edge on the other hand, leapt from his vehicle and immediately went to the very top of the stadium, completely circumnavigating the building. He was clearly very excited and that became very infectious. I was delighted of course, as usually it takes a little while for them to settle into their new home but this felt extremely natural. That's 50% - we get the other 50% tomorrow.
July 12 2009
Wednesday, 17th June 2009. Barcelona. Production rehearsals.
Having arranged to move to the band's hotel upon their arrival, I had to fit in a hotel change en route to the stadium when I got up this afternoon. The crew are staying at Mrs McGinty's boarding house just off La Rambla, so I checked out and took a cab down to the Hotel Fabulous by the Olympic Port, to be fawned over by armies of professionally obsequious staff. I only had about 30 seconds to check in and get out of there, so pretty much just threw my bags into my new room and bailed.
At the stadium we awaited the arrival of Adam and Larry, whose enthusiasm for the new production equalled that of their band mates. What astounded everyone though was that within a couple of hours of arrival, the four of them got up on the stage and played through an entire set without stopping. Astonishing! Unprecedented! I have no idea who these people are, but when the real U2 show up we'll be in trouble. During the run-through Bono took his radio mic and went right up to the top of the stadium, where (somehow) he managed to continue to sing in time, whilst adding astonished comments about how it all looked from up there.
After dark my team and I worked on the songs that required the screen to do its moves. The video content isn't quite there yet, but the way the whole thing works together is very promising. We worked till dawn and then took a runner van back to the Hotel Fabulous
Most important day so far (U2.com)
July 12 2009
Bono and Edge arrived this evening, which would put this into the category of 'easily the most important day so far.' And... they loved it. I'd asked Bono (by text) to walk into the stadium and go straight to his mic position, to experience the wide open feeling on stage. This he did (after looking up at the structure with that now familiar look of shock-and-awe of first-time viewers) and it was clear he had got it in one. 'Its invisibility is what is so remarkable,' he said, which is so true. When you're at floor level, you really feel like there's nothing there, it's all way up high.
Edge on the other hand, leapt from his vehicle and immediately went to the very top of the stadium, completely circumnavigating the building. He was clearly very excited and that became very infectious. I was delighted of course, as usually it takes a little while for them to settle into their new home but this felt extremely natural. That's 50% - we get the other 50% tomorrow.
OP
OP
BonoFox1
Blue Crack Supplier
U2 Croker gigs have a bit missing
Sunday July 12 2009
APPARENTLY, when he heard Bono singing I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For, Boy George, in reference to Larry Mullen, was moved to suggest he might try looking behind him. Bono might get a shock of a different kind if he looks behind him at the band's 360 tour gigs in Croke Park later this month, because there will be nobody there.
U2 fans were cranky last week with the news that the 360 degree view of the stage available to fans in Barcelona would be reduced by a quarter in Dublin, as Hill 16 would remain closed. Now that's a cutback, and the worry now is that U2 will bring a Bord Snip mindset to other aspects of the show. Maybe they will arrive on stage and announce that Adam Clayton was given the night off, so could the crowd hum along in a low, rhythmical fashion. What would be the reaction if Bono pruned his trademark woo-hoo-hoo-hoo-hoo-hoo-hoo-baaaaby down to a woo-hoo and sing the rest yourselves? The stunt of ringing the US president could be revived but will Bono mortify us by asking Obama to accept reverse charges?
The biggest worry of course is that, due to the swingeing cutbacks, Bono will only be able to save part of the world during the show. Just when his fans start to think they could listen to him all night banging on about the benefits of debt forgiveness for sub-Saharan Africa, Edge hisses over that they're going to miss the last bus to Killiney if he doesn't launch into Magnificent and wind up the show.
It could be worse of course. The Croke Park gigs might go from 360 to 270 to 0, if the electricians decide it's in the national interest to pull the plug.
Pat Fitzpatrick
Sunday July 12 2009
APPARENTLY, when he heard Bono singing I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For, Boy George, in reference to Larry Mullen, was moved to suggest he might try looking behind him. Bono might get a shock of a different kind if he looks behind him at the band's 360 tour gigs in Croke Park later this month, because there will be nobody there.
U2 fans were cranky last week with the news that the 360 degree view of the stage available to fans in Barcelona would be reduced by a quarter in Dublin, as Hill 16 would remain closed. Now that's a cutback, and the worry now is that U2 will bring a Bord Snip mindset to other aspects of the show. Maybe they will arrive on stage and announce that Adam Clayton was given the night off, so could the crowd hum along in a low, rhythmical fashion. What would be the reaction if Bono pruned his trademark woo-hoo-hoo-hoo-hoo-hoo-hoo-baaaaby down to a woo-hoo and sing the rest yourselves? The stunt of ringing the US president could be revived but will Bono mortify us by asking Obama to accept reverse charges?
The biggest worry of course is that, due to the swingeing cutbacks, Bono will only be able to save part of the world during the show. Just when his fans start to think they could listen to him all night banging on about the benefits of debt forgiveness for sub-Saharan Africa, Edge hisses over that they're going to miss the last bus to Killiney if he doesn't launch into Magnificent and wind up the show.
It could be worse of course. The Croke Park gigs might go from 360 to 270 to 0, if the electricians decide it's in the national interest to pull the plug.
Pat Fitzpatrick
Bonogirl777
Blue Crack Addict
abelives
Rock n' Roll Doggie VIP PASS
Bono May Be Writing Song For The Spice Girls - U2TourFans.Com Real Time Updates
THIS old piece of nonsense again?
THIS old piece of nonsense again?
domo-kun
ONE love, blood, life
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Lol that are some pretty dramatically sad pieces of writing there.
lauramullen
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Grass-eating algae save U2 (EU)840k on Croke Park turf bill
Evening Herald, July 15, 2009
Andrew Phelan
Croke Park is only asking U2 to foot a fraction of the cost of replacing its hallowed turf after their concert there because algae are killing the grass anyway. The pitch has been dug up in advance of the band's three Croker gigs as part of the band's 360 degree Tour later this month.
But bosses at the stadium said it would be unfair to hand the whole bill for replacing the pitch to Bono and the boys because it needs replacing anyway. While U2 are only being asked to pay 30pc of the (EU)1.2m cost of the project, stadium director Peter McKenna said this was the fairest way to split the bill.
He said: "The way we look at it is, we would have to replace our pitch in 2010, because of an algal layer that is about 5cm under the surface.
"In winter time, the grass roots are going into that level and the pitch is dying off. With the concerts, we have been given the opportunity to move the timetable forward and do the work now. What we would have spent in 2010 is reduced substantially. It would be unfair to pass the full cost on to U2."
Mr McKenna explained that the algal problem was common in stadia where part of the pitch was in shade. It meant the grass had to be replaced every seven to 10 years.
Sand is currently being spread across the surface in preparation for the stage and thousands of fans that will arrive for the concerts. Sods will then be grown in Britain, harvested and planted in Croke Park in advance of future matches. The stadium has already had to defend itself over criticism that matches will be played "on British soil".
A convoy of heavy machinery from Britain is on the pitch working on the project, with an Armagh-based company contracted to do the work. The sods are being sourced in England and British companies are almost exclusively providing pitch advice, seeds and turf.
Fianna Fail senator Mark Daly criticised the sourcing of a British turf expert, saying it sent out a "symbolically terrible signal". Mr McKenna pointed out that Ireland does not have the specialist turf farms or grass seed nurseries that can provide Croke Park with what it needs.
He said: "We're not playing games on British soil. We need to see the bigger picture. It's a strange way to look at it."
(c) Evening Herald, 2009.
Evening Herald, July 15, 2009
Andrew Phelan
Croke Park is only asking U2 to foot a fraction of the cost of replacing its hallowed turf after their concert there because algae are killing the grass anyway. The pitch has been dug up in advance of the band's three Croker gigs as part of the band's 360 degree Tour later this month.
But bosses at the stadium said it would be unfair to hand the whole bill for replacing the pitch to Bono and the boys because it needs replacing anyway. While U2 are only being asked to pay 30pc of the (EU)1.2m cost of the project, stadium director Peter McKenna said this was the fairest way to split the bill.
He said: "The way we look at it is, we would have to replace our pitch in 2010, because of an algal layer that is about 5cm under the surface.
"In winter time, the grass roots are going into that level and the pitch is dying off. With the concerts, we have been given the opportunity to move the timetable forward and do the work now. What we would have spent in 2010 is reduced substantially. It would be unfair to pass the full cost on to U2."
Mr McKenna explained that the algal problem was common in stadia where part of the pitch was in shade. It meant the grass had to be replaced every seven to 10 years.
Sand is currently being spread across the surface in preparation for the stage and thousands of fans that will arrive for the concerts. Sods will then be grown in Britain, harvested and planted in Croke Park in advance of future matches. The stadium has already had to defend itself over criticism that matches will be played "on British soil".
A convoy of heavy machinery from Britain is on the pitch working on the project, with an Armagh-based company contracted to do the work. The sods are being sourced in England and British companies are almost exclusively providing pitch advice, seeds and turf.
Fianna Fail senator Mark Daly criticised the sourcing of a British turf expert, saying it sent out a "symbolically terrible signal". Mr McKenna pointed out that Ireland does not have the specialist turf farms or grass seed nurseries that can provide Croke Park with what it needs.
He said: "We're not playing games on British soil. We need to see the bigger picture. It's a strange way to look at it."
(c) Evening Herald, 2009.
lauramullen
Blue Crack Distributor
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U2 Start Posting Backstage Photos From the Road on 360 Tour [to] Twitter
Rolling Stone, July 16, 2009
Daniel Kreps
U2 Start Posting Backstage Photos From the Road on 360 Tour [to] Twitter
Rolling Stone
July 16, 2009
By DANIEL KREPS
U2 have joined the masses on Twitter, establishing @U2_360Tour to give fans a look at life on the road and backstage on their 360 Tour, which is currently in Europe. So far, the Twitter feed has only hosted photos from the band but no text, so Bono hasn’t had to confine his thoughts to 140 characters just yet. Judging by the Twitter timeline, the photos were taken as the band traveled from Paris, having played two nights at the Stade De France, to Nice, where U2 were set to play Parc des Sports Charles Ehrmann last night, July 15th. A press release indicates that the bandmembers are snapping the photos themselves.
@U2_360Tour’s first Tweet was an out-of-focus self-portrait of guitarist the Edge. From there, the band posted a series of pictures showing the (literally) red carpet treatment they receive en route to the airport. There are out-of-focus shots of women dragging luggage, off-duty traffic cops, giant Ferris wheels, a dish full of pastries and a picture of what appears to be all of Edge’s onstage jewelry. The band hasn’t posted any live performance shots.
As Rock Daily previously reported, U2 launched their 360 Tour — complete with the innovative new stage some have dubbed “the Claw” — on June 30th in Barcelona with a concert that included both a Michael Jackson tribute and a phone call to astronauts in orbit. Fans in the States will have to wait less than two months until the Irish rockers bring their concert across the Atlantic, starting with a September 12th show at Chicago’s Soldier Field.
© Rolling Stone, 2009.
Rolling Stone, July 16, 2009
Daniel Kreps
U2 Start Posting Backstage Photos From the Road on 360 Tour [to] Twitter
Rolling Stone
July 16, 2009
By DANIEL KREPS
U2 have joined the masses on Twitter, establishing @U2_360Tour to give fans a look at life on the road and backstage on their 360 Tour, which is currently in Europe. So far, the Twitter feed has only hosted photos from the band but no text, so Bono hasn’t had to confine his thoughts to 140 characters just yet. Judging by the Twitter timeline, the photos were taken as the band traveled from Paris, having played two nights at the Stade De France, to Nice, where U2 were set to play Parc des Sports Charles Ehrmann last night, July 15th. A press release indicates that the bandmembers are snapping the photos themselves.
@U2_360Tour’s first Tweet was an out-of-focus self-portrait of guitarist the Edge. From there, the band posted a series of pictures showing the (literally) red carpet treatment they receive en route to the airport. There are out-of-focus shots of women dragging luggage, off-duty traffic cops, giant Ferris wheels, a dish full of pastries and a picture of what appears to be all of Edge’s onstage jewelry. The band hasn’t posted any live performance shots.
As Rock Daily previously reported, U2 launched their 360 Tour — complete with the innovative new stage some have dubbed “the Claw” — on June 30th in Barcelona with a concert that included both a Michael Jackson tribute and a phone call to astronauts in orbit. Fans in the States will have to wait less than two months until the Irish rockers bring their concert across the Atlantic, starting with a September 12th show at Chicago’s Soldier Field.
© Rolling Stone, 2009.
domo-kun
ONE love, blood, life
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^ they strike again
they strike againlauramullen
Blue Crack Distributor
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I'm little worried about the grass at Croke. It looks like we are going to be standing in the dirt and it is supposed to rain for the first and second show, which means it's going to be muddy. I hope they put something on top of the dirt
LittleBono
The Fly
They are supposed to be putting down new grass, which has been grown in england (apparently its the only place that grows the kind of grass they need). There's been a bit of an uproar about it over here. The GAA types dont like the idea of their sports being played on english turf. But i guess thats history for ya
Just a heads-up for the UK fans:
Bono and The Edge are appearing on tonight's "Friday Night With Jonathan Ross", along with Anjelica Huston and - wait for it - Dame Edna Everage!
BBC - BBC One Programmes - Friday Night with Jonathan Ross, Series 16, Episode 24
10.35pm tonight (Friday) and 12.30am Sunday 19th July on BBC 1.
I can't stand Wossy, but for the sight of half of U2 and Dame Edna on the same show, I might have to cringe and bear it!
Teddy
Bono and The Edge are appearing on tonight's "Friday Night With Jonathan Ross", along with Anjelica Huston and - wait for it - Dame Edna Everage!
BBC - BBC One Programmes - Friday Night with Jonathan Ross, Series 16, Episode 24
10.35pm tonight (Friday) and 12.30am Sunday 19th July on BBC 1.
I can't stand Wossy, but for the sight of half of U2 and Dame Edna on the same show, I might have to cringe and bear it!
Teddy
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