LA / Stage Rumors

[Shawn Bonneau]

So U2tours.com and @U2 has the rumor of the tour kicking off at the Staples Center March 28th if the NHL season is canceled. If not, The Pond at Anaheim is open that night.

Stage design rumored setup according to the two sites says it will be a target stage with the band circulating in the middle of the stage. GA on the floor, tickets will go on sale in two weeks.

Again, RUMORS, but all make sense.

SMB

 

[bono_man2002]

I know its not confirmed but....
Not the freaking Target stage....that will really put me off going...I'm totaly against that idea!

 

[Axver]

They have to be kidding about the stage rumour.

 

[cudar]

well they can sell more tickets that way. 'In the Round' as opposed to end stage. Although they did sell behind the stage tickets during Elevation. Look at it this way more seats, less crappy ones.

 

[cudar]

why start on a Monday night? Although this is coming from the guy who will be in Vegas till the 27th. I will be VERY upset if they end up in Vegas a couple days after I leave!

 

[cudar]

And the circular target stage makes sense, with the Vertigo single and all. Wasn't there something like that on the old Twilight Zone intro? A rotating circle floating in the air?

 

[U2dork]

I know its not confirmed but....
Not the freaking Target stage....that will really put me off going...I'm totaly against that idea!

Aww come now, you know that U2 stage set ups are always kick ass. Yeah, sure this discription sounds a bit weak, but I'm sure it will look totally different than what we're envisioning.

 

[Lo-Fi]

Aww come now, you know that U2 stage set ups are always kick ass. Yeah, sure this discription sounds a bit weak, but I'm sure it will look totally different than what we're envisioning.

Exactly, give them the benefit of the doubt on this one, they (or Willie Williams) haven't let us down yet with stage design. I mean, the idea of a 'heart shaped stage' sounded God awful before I saw it and was in it. I don't see this being any different. I think it'll be rock 'n' roll.

 

[Monkey79]

Sounds AWESOME to me...

 

[barrett]

I think the stage will resemble the IPOD wheel. NHL talks are continuing in Toronto today.

 

[jammin909]

First off, the NHL sucks. Second, why would you embark on a world tour based on the conditional openings of arenas. They have been at this for too many years to be having these types of logistical problems!

 

[romi]

Now, maybe it's just me, but that rumor doesn't say anything about an in-the-round stage, just that they will be performing on a round stage.....

 

[Zooropean103]

What would you say about Bono dressing like a devil in gold suit? What would you say about the giant arch and rotating lemon? What would you say about U2 playing on the big heart where inside are fans? These all ideas are sounding stupid, but they worked great. Whatever they will do on this tour it will be phenomenal. Doesn't matter if it will be giant target or anything else.

 

[martha]

Dang. I won't be in town on the 28th of March.

 

[Yahweh_OMG]

they could even sing in the woods, I would still go!!!!

 

[Super_Fan]

They are freaking copying the idea Metallica did in the round performing on a rotating stage. Plus I believe the tour rehearsal at first show will happen at the Pond in Anaheim. If you have a GA ticket for the Pond let me handle the GA line. I was at the Pond November 27 2004 Metallica second to last show of the tour and they screwed the people who were there the night before by moving the line to the other side of the barricade. See you all at the first show March 28 for those who are attending.

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

i doubt the stage will actually be "in the round." it would be pretty tough to have video screens in the round, unless they were hanging from the rafters

i know elevation had screens hanging from the rafters, but they also had those ones behind the stage that came up... if it was "in the round" those screens would block off the band from an entire half of the arena.

i decided to put together my own little stage design... i based it on the rumors (round stage, GA area, etc) plus the album name... i likes it. i think they should use my design... it's nifty.

it has a GA area similar to the heart... plus a B stage shaped like a bomb fuse... video screens would be placed behind the stage in the same way as elevation, with screens and speakers hanging from the rafters as well.

the floor of the b-stage, as well as the floor of the entire "fuse" ramp would be able to be lit up, similar to the floor of the popmart b stage. the "gimmic" for the encore return would be the "blowing up" of the stage... the lights would start flaming at the B stage and work it's way down to the "bomb" stage, which would explode in a wall of light, breaking the darkness and revealing the band, already on stage, where they'd kick right into whatever song they chose to play there... perhaps Love and Peace or Else or Bullet the Blue Sky.

my design so rules

 

[jonathan26]

well i have to say i like that your design takes place at madison square garden, but aside from that, well you get points for trying...damn when are they going to announce those garden shows, i'm dying for info!!!

 

[RademR]

i doubt the stage will actually be "in the round." it would be pretty tough to have video screens in the round, unless they were hanging from the rafters

hope you're right about that, dont like the idea of the round stage. But as for the shape of the stage, I could care less.

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

well i have to say i like that your design takes place at madison square garden, but aside from that, well you get points for trying...

what the hell do ya want from a 2 minute photoshop drawing done at work?

 

[romi]

your idea was also what I was invisioning, based on this morning's rumors.

 

[U2Fanatic4ever]

This is the possible rumor in complete from the atu2 news group (which pulled it from u2tours.com):

As posted to U2tours.com Rumors:

Los Angeles / Stage rumors
January 19, 2005

The latest word on the street in L.A. backs up previous rumors of a
show there on March 28th, though it's not known if it will be the first
date of the tour or not. The Staples Center is tipped to get the show,
but that would require official cancellation of the NHL season, as the
L.A. Kings are currently scheduled for a game at Staples on the 28th.
It should be noted that The Pond in Anaheim is open that night.

Further word out of L.A. is that tickets may go on sale as soon as two
weeks from now. The floor will be General Admission. And the Elevation
tour's heart will be replaced by a target-shaped stage with the band
playing on a circular platform in the middle of the target, and the
circular platform will be able to rotate.

All rumors, of course. (Thx NN)

 

[dsmith2904]

It is possible to do in the round shows at both the Pond and Staples because Prince played both venues on his last tour and had a round stage.

 

[U2Fanatic4ever]

I would think so. If it was done with Prince why not.. I hope so. I think this is an awesome idea!

 

[Halup]

I'm thinking it may be more likely that they rehearse for 2 weeks at the Forum, even if they are playing at Staples or the Arrowhead Pond. The Forum is not used very often, so it is wide opn until March 23 when Motley Crue plays there. Velvet Revolver is also set to play there on 3/26. The Pond currently has Mighty Ducks games on the schedule throughout those 2 weeks leading up to the 28th, so an official cancellation is needed before they could ahve access to the Pond.
The Forum is also located much closer to Edge's home in Malibu, and since this rerouting of the tour is apparently being done to accomodate him, it would be far easier for him to commute daily from Malibu to the Forum in Inglewood, as opposed to Anaheim. U2 could rehearse there through the 22nd and then move the stage to wherever the tour will start, whether that be Staples, Anaheim or Las Vegas.

 

[martha]

I know I couldn't perform on a rotating stage.

 

[knox]

I seriously love that design, headache.

 

[burns]

damn you martha, you beat me to it
i imagine larry would have a rough time on a rotating tour......for two hours.
Sorry i'v heard some far-fetched rumopurs in the past but this is WAY!!! too similar to the vertigo video
that said i should consider the previous videos for opening singles

The Fly- The Fly, TV's, subliminal messages
Stay - err pass
Discotechue - Mirror ball planet thing
Beautiful Day - Symbols used in the album and on tour

ummmmm I'll shut up now

 

[Chrisedge]

They are freaking copying the idea Metallica did in the round performing on a rotating stage.

You do realize that Metallica didn't invent "In the Round" nor playing on a rotating stage. Peter Gabriel did it on his last tour, just before Metallica's last tour. (And I know it goes back much further than that, I saw Prince in the round way back on the Lovesexy tour.)

Enough with the Metallica shit. They were cool about 15 years ago.

 

[starsforu2]

Didn't I read that the main circle would stand still and only the outer stage would rotate? The hardship would be on Bono running around, Larry would be standing still. That's what I thought I read.
Although, now that I think about it, if Bono does laps around the stage on the conveyor belt, he'll look like he's going light speed! Thus he can run as fast during Streets as he did last tour! Or he can do 4 laps!

Edit: Whoops maybe it's the center rotating... that would suck! Time will tell...