dublin
The Fly
Well the meet and greet with Edge in NJ exceeded my expectations. What an amazingly gracious guy.
I arrived at the event and had access to the Round Room. This was a bar that held about 150 people, mostly people who know people who know the band in some fashion. There were free drinks, food, and a gated off area outside under The Claw. I waited there for my U2 Management contact.
When she came to get me we walked down the corridors to the locker room which they had transformed into a maze of smaller rooms through pipes and drapes. I was put in one of these rooms. There were two small leather couches, a cooler with beer, a table with wine, and some food.
After about a 10 minute wait in came the man, The Edge (or just Edge as he prefers to be called...I asked). It turned out the charity I donated to was for the school his daughter attends. She had leukemia and he talked about how the school helped her through a complete recovery.
After that I told him I was sure he was nervous and to take his time, that I was just a regular guy like him and he could ask me whatever he wanted. He laughed and we continued on.
I asked about when we would see a new album and he wasn't sure. He didn't think it would be this year and it could be a while. Right now they are going to get a little rest after the tour and then start figuring things out. Currently there are no deadlines set for a new album. I asked how the tracks with Danger Mouse were coming and he said that DM was the best producer they have ever worked with. I paused and said that is quite a statement. He agreed an stuck by his assessment. I told him I could not wait to hear some of it.
We talked about Spiderman Turn Off The Dark as I had seen it the night before. He said it was time for he and Bono to step back a bit and let the actors do their thing. He talked about all of the talent that the performers have. I mentioned there were at least six different Spiderman's in the show. He said that each Spiderman was an acrobat and that Reeve Carney was never actually in the costume (except for a scene or two when the mask is off). He and Bono made a rule that Reeve would never sing in tights.
I shared how much I enjoyed It Might Get Loud and my favorite part is where he is showing that the breakdown of Elevation is really just two notes. Edge corrected me and said it's actually three notes. I said wow, I've seen that film several times, why was I thinking you said two notes. He put his hand on my shoulder (and this was the best part of the night) looked at me and said, it's o.k. Doug, what's a note between friends
I told him how much I was enjoying the Achtung Baby songs on this leg of the tour. He said they are re-issuing AB for the 20 year anniversary and the same director for It Might Get Loud just wrapped a film with the band commemorating it. He said that this film really captures the essence of what it is like to be in a band.
I then thanked him for his loyalty in three areas, the music, his Christianity, and to the others in the band. He seemed touched and said, wow thanks.
I asked him if he thought there would ever be another band as big as U2. especially due to the segmentation of audiences with new technologies. He said that when people get something for free (like music) they do not value it and that needs to change. He shared he was most excited by some of the new subscription models he's seen, the ones where for $9 a month you can get unlimited music. He said if hey can make that technology easier to use there would be enough revenue for labels to starting taking more risk again and he truly hoped there would be other bands as big as U2 in the future.
Lastly I asked if future tours would be on the same scale as 360. All he could say at this point is that it would be different and that they are not interested in doing the same thing again. I asked if that meant indoor arenas with a scaled down stage more like the Elevation tour. He said he could see them going that direction, however they had not decided anything yet.
At that point he asked if there was anything I would like signed. He signed my ticket, my backstage pass, and my Spiderman Playbill. We then took a couple of pics together. My favorite is the one is below where we are both laughing, although I can't remember about what!
I collect U2 sunglasses so before he left I pulled out a replica pair of the Viking Fly sunglasses that Bono wore during ZooTV. Edge held them smiled and said he hadn't seen these in years. I asked if he thought Bono would sign them. He put me in touch with his PA before he left and asked her to take care of it.
He was gracious, kind, and very easy to talk to. I never felt as if I received canned answers or he was fulfilling an obligation. When I looked at my watch I couldn't believe that we had spent 20 minutes together. This was about an hour before they went on stage. I'll remember it always.
I know this is long but I wanted to document al the details for you. I probably wont get this close again for a while, if ever. I hope you enjoyed reading this.
Oh, and regarding those sunglasses...I received a text mid-show from the PA saying she had them! I picked them up in the morning at the Hotel and they were beautiful. Based on this experience I am happy to report that both U2 and the people in their organization are a class act all the way around. They really do care about the fans and that means a lot to me.
I arrived at the event and had access to the Round Room. This was a bar that held about 150 people, mostly people who know people who know the band in some fashion. There were free drinks, food, and a gated off area outside under The Claw. I waited there for my U2 Management contact.
When she came to get me we walked down the corridors to the locker room which they had transformed into a maze of smaller rooms through pipes and drapes. I was put in one of these rooms. There were two small leather couches, a cooler with beer, a table with wine, and some food.
After about a 10 minute wait in came the man, The Edge (or just Edge as he prefers to be called...I asked). It turned out the charity I donated to was for the school his daughter attends. She had leukemia and he talked about how the school helped her through a complete recovery.
After that I told him I was sure he was nervous and to take his time, that I was just a regular guy like him and he could ask me whatever he wanted. He laughed and we continued on.
I asked about when we would see a new album and he wasn't sure. He didn't think it would be this year and it could be a while. Right now they are going to get a little rest after the tour and then start figuring things out. Currently there are no deadlines set for a new album. I asked how the tracks with Danger Mouse were coming and he said that DM was the best producer they have ever worked with. I paused and said that is quite a statement. He agreed an stuck by his assessment. I told him I could not wait to hear some of it.
We talked about Spiderman Turn Off The Dark as I had seen it the night before. He said it was time for he and Bono to step back a bit and let the actors do their thing. He talked about all of the talent that the performers have. I mentioned there were at least six different Spiderman's in the show. He said that each Spiderman was an acrobat and that Reeve Carney was never actually in the costume (except for a scene or two when the mask is off). He and Bono made a rule that Reeve would never sing in tights.
I shared how much I enjoyed It Might Get Loud and my favorite part is where he is showing that the breakdown of Elevation is really just two notes. Edge corrected me and said it's actually three notes. I said wow, I've seen that film several times, why was I thinking you said two notes. He put his hand on my shoulder (and this was the best part of the night) looked at me and said, it's o.k. Doug, what's a note between friends
I told him how much I was enjoying the Achtung Baby songs on this leg of the tour. He said they are re-issuing AB for the 20 year anniversary and the same director for It Might Get Loud just wrapped a film with the band commemorating it. He said that this film really captures the essence of what it is like to be in a band.
I then thanked him for his loyalty in three areas, the music, his Christianity, and to the others in the band. He seemed touched and said, wow thanks.
I asked him if he thought there would ever be another band as big as U2. especially due to the segmentation of audiences with new technologies. He said that when people get something for free (like music) they do not value it and that needs to change. He shared he was most excited by some of the new subscription models he's seen, the ones where for $9 a month you can get unlimited music. He said if hey can make that technology easier to use there would be enough revenue for labels to starting taking more risk again and he truly hoped there would be other bands as big as U2 in the future.
Lastly I asked if future tours would be on the same scale as 360. All he could say at this point is that it would be different and that they are not interested in doing the same thing again. I asked if that meant indoor arenas with a scaled down stage more like the Elevation tour. He said he could see them going that direction, however they had not decided anything yet.
At that point he asked if there was anything I would like signed. He signed my ticket, my backstage pass, and my Spiderman Playbill. We then took a couple of pics together. My favorite is the one is below where we are both laughing, although I can't remember about what!
I collect U2 sunglasses so before he left I pulled out a replica pair of the Viking Fly sunglasses that Bono wore during ZooTV. Edge held them smiled and said he hadn't seen these in years. I asked if he thought Bono would sign them. He put me in touch with his PA before he left and asked her to take care of it.
He was gracious, kind, and very easy to talk to. I never felt as if I received canned answers or he was fulfilling an obligation. When I looked at my watch I couldn't believe that we had spent 20 minutes together. This was about an hour before they went on stage. I'll remember it always.
I know this is long but I wanted to document al the details for you. I probably wont get this close again for a while, if ever. I hope you enjoyed reading this.
Oh, and regarding those sunglasses...I received a text mid-show from the PA saying she had them! I picked them up in the morning at the Hotel and they were beautiful. Based on this experience I am happy to report that both U2 and the people in their organization are a class act all the way around. They really do care about the fans and that means a lot to me.