Favorite Bono Guitar Parts

[gvox]

Will someone explain this to me?

YouTube - U2 - Gone (Anaheim 2001)

this is Gone from Anaheim in 2001, at 3:55 they start to play the outro solo, Edges hand is way to high to be playing it, and he looks like hes just strumming the rhythm, and Bono seems to be really into it, so it seems like hes the one playing it

Ding ding ding!!!!!

 

[PhilsFan]

Yes, we already mentioned, Bono does play a few notes at the end of Gone.

 

[gvox]

 

[silkensky]

It's a tiny part, but I always remember the notes he plays toward the end of RTSS on the Chicago Vertigo DVD starting at 4:37. It's perfect.

YouTube - U2 - Running To Stand Still (Chicago Live)

 

[Irvine511]

Yes, we already mentioned, Bono does play a few notes at the end of Gone.

i'm not so sure. i always get suspicious when he faces Larry and kneels. like in "exit" on R&H.

if he can hide his baldness all these years, how hard could it be to hide a note or four?

 

[digitize]

YouTube - Bono & The Edge - van diemens land (The O2, Dublin, 2008)

Guitar percussion

 

[PhilsFan]

i'm not so sure. i always get suspicious when he faces Larry and kneels. like in "exit" on R&H.

if he can hide his baldness all these years, how hard could it be to hide a note or four?

The solo for Gone is three notes (B, C#, and D on the B string), and from what it looks, he's going over to adjust an effect pedal sitting on top of his amp.

On Exit it looked like he was adjusting his volume or something. Maybe turning it down? He doesn't like to hear himself.

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

And the sarcastic irony of this thread is dead. Long live the sarcastic irony of this thread.

 

[cobl04]

How have there been 38 posts in this thread and no one's mentioned One?

 

[gvox]

Because he actually does play on One....sometimes..like verses for instance. You can hear it quite clearly in the verses.

Watching videos is pretty much the worst way possible to gauge whether or not he's actually playing. My theory - and I think it's a fairly sound one - is that Joe is under direct orders to keep him low in the mix, and if he hears Bono out of tune or hitting alot of bum notes, he might just take him right out of the house mix. That wouldn't stop Bono from playing or from sound emitting from his amp, tho, so that might explain why some who've only seen fan shot videos from further out or official releases might think that he's never playing - because it's not coming out over the house pa. If you stand front row or somewhat close to that, however, you can definitely hear his amp. More often than not, in fact.

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

yea you can hear him in certain IEM's and ALD boots that come out... it's not for the feint of heart.

 

[gvox]

I'll say...and even the vocals...let's just say that some of those IEMs ain't all that flattering. Joe O is a god. A GOD.

 

[Swan269]

he tried playing guitar on mercy but he admitted it screwed him up so he didn't want it.

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

I'll say...and even the vocals...let's just say that some of those IEMs ain't all that flattering. Joe O is a god. A GOD.

i've been drinking with joe o

 

[Inner El Guapo]

Now that the joke has been deflated...

Let's not forget he plays entire songs in acoustic settings. Staring at the Sun, Desire. Although his best 'performance' is clearly the stage antics during Exit on Rattle and Hum.

The only time I've ever seen him - by himself - not w/Edge- complete a whole song was when he did One with an orchestra - some benefit in the 90's, wearing his green army hat. Most of all I remember it because Jewel's delicious rack was right next to him on stage.

But seriously, he did play the whole song by himself. I was surprised.

 

[U2girl]

Irony ftw.

 

[TheEdge25]

Remember when we were all listening to the live Cape Town radio broadcast?

And at the beginning of One, there was a weird mini intro-solo?

It definitely wasn't Edge. Couldn't have been Larry or Adam. Must have been the B-man.

 

[Registered Dude]

we need a gif of bono rocking the guitar in the MJB One video

 

[Galeongirl]

we need a gif of bono rocking the guitar in the MJB One video

You ask, we serve. I deleted most of the gifs I made from that video though, because I'd rather not acknowledge or remember its existance.

And TheEdge25, that's pretty old news. He's been doing that solo ever since the start of the EU 2010 leg.

 

[TheEdge25]

You ask, we serve. I deleted most of the gifs I made from that video though, because I'd rather not acknowledge or remember its existance.

And TheEdge25, that's pretty old news. He's been doing that solo ever since the start of the EU 2010 leg.

Wait, really?

I guess I only heard it when I was listening to that radio broadcast. That was a really clear recording. I had never heard the solo before.

 

[ultraviolet92]

bono does play that bit at the end of gone
bono plays the riff on all along the watchtower as well
and he does play the guitar on amazing grace/unchained melody

 

[ultraviolet92]

i liked his solo on bad at melbourne as well

 

[Chill Mike D]

While I for one find the goofball spirit of this thread to be a hoot, I'll also point out that Boner is doing the main "riff", if you want to call it that, to Walk On from Boston 2001 (if you skip ahead to 4:34 where Edge's solo has just ended, you'll be able to notice if you watch from there on out):

YouTube - Wake Up Dead Man & Walk On - U2 live in Boston

That's not a big deal, it's not exactly a hard part, but it is a case of Bono's guitar being way out front in the mix.

 

[PhilsFan]

Since the irony is dead, the joke was that there were threads posted about Adam and Edge's guitar parts. Bono has basically no notable guitar parts, and it's also a running joke that most of his guitar playing isn't even audible. That was my motivation. Now the irony has a stake through its heart.

 

[Chill Mike D]

Indeed.

 

[LuckyNumber7]

And here I was just about to say...

was it really necessary just because of the other two threads? I find it silly that people are even writing serious responses. Bono's guitar is essentially there to give him something to hold other than a microphone.

Anyways, I think Bono always looked funny with his Fender II in all the War Tour videos... I only know of A Day Without Me where it's usually there.

YouTube - A Day Without Me (live from Werchter 1982)

 

[Galeongirl]

Wait, really?

I guess I only heard it when I was listening to that radio broadcast. That was a really clear recording. I had never heard the solo before.

Yup, have you not heard any bootlegs of that leg? There's a couple of brilliant ones out there, Torino, Frankfurt, Hannover, Brussels(all Multicam dvds). We first noticed it in Frankfurt, that Bono played guitar, then in Hannover he did it too. Every single show he did it, I love that bit a lot(ironic, as I used to hate One live before this leg).

 

[TheEdge25]

I've heard the Torino bootleg, but I didn't notice the solo before One in that one.

 

[gvox]

Since the irony is dead, the joke was that there were threads posted about Adam and Edge's guitar parts. Bono has basically no notable guitar parts, and it's also a running joke that most of his guitar playing isn't even audible. That was my motivation. Now the irony has a stake through its heart.

 

[gvox]

And here I was just about to say...

was it really necessary just because of the other two threads? I find it silly that people are even writing serious responses. Bono's guitar is essentially there to give him something to hold other than a microphone.
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I don't understand your point though..are you saying that he contributes nothing to the song? It's quite clear that he is..