U2 Receives Sonny Bono Visionary Award
January 7, 2014
From Bono to Bono: this past weekend, U2 was honored with the Sonny Bono Visionary Award at the Palm Springs International Film Festival. This award is not typically awarded to bands, but their track “Ordinary Love” for Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom made them unique exceptions.
Festival chairman Harold Matzner spoke highly of the band’s humanitarian work: ”We normally present the Sonny Bono Visionary Award to a director, but for our 25th anniversary we wanted to take the occasion to celebrate U2, a visionary group and the world’s premier rock band, for their unparalleled humanitarian work against extreme poverty, disease, and social injustice.”
Bono and Edge were present at the festival to accept the award. Bono spoke reflectively about his position as an artist with political ambitions. “I do understand that people find it insufferable when artists stray from their box, but for a lot of us in this room that is the definition of being an artist. It is worth mentioning that more people live off of their imaginations than anywhere in the world.”
Edge was merely surprised by the scope and beauty of the gala itself. “It was amazing…we’ve been kind of what we describe as ‘being on the oil rig’ for the last while. We’ve been in a recording studio working very closely with a very small group of mostly males, so to come out to such a glamorous event — the red carpet and all these beautiful ladies and their amazing dresses and the photographers and everything — it was kind of overwhelming…we were suddenly — ‘Oh, I remember this now.’”
“We don’t get out much,” Bono agreed.
Bono & Edge Busk For Bill Clinton & Other Bigshots At The Hollywood Bowl
October 26, 2011
Officially tagged “A Decade of Difference: A Concert Celebrating 10 Years of the William J. Clinton Foundation,” the former US President invited the likes of Lady Gaga to perform at this gala event in the Hollywood Bowl back on October 15.
U2’s frontman and guitarist gave this gig their all in a stripped down “Irish busker” mode that included lots of buzzed Bono banter and the live debut of “A Man And A Woman” that, like the rest of the set, included an intoxicated and improvisational vibe and a bleepy backing track courtesy of Edge’s Mac.
The singer’s extended rambles between songs sometimes sounded like stumbles, so when he made some snarky asides or called the newest live song a kind of blue-eyed soul with red eyes, it caused many on the fan forums to speculate that the singer was drunk—or perhaps just a little bit “off” for the performance.
But U2’s relationship with our former president has always involved a mixture of partying and politics. Bill Flannagan’s brilliant band biography U2 At The End of The World chronicles the band’s first meeting with then Governor Clinton—at dawn in a Chicago back in the early 1990s. As the story goes, a bendering Bono almost wakes the sleeping (then candidate for) President in the wee hours, and then, the bright-eyed Clinton wakes the passed out bandmates in the first light.
All that said, Bono balanced the silly speechifying with some serious solemnity, including props to Mrs. Clinton and a prayer for peace in the Middle East preceding a heartfelt and stripped down “Sunday Bloody Sunday.”
The passionate and poetic conclusion to “Sunday Bloody Sunday” included alternate lyrics that by vivid implication lifted up the peace prayers of the people of Israel and Palestine:
On another broken hill
red crosses and a crescent moon collide.
Pilgrims pray to know God’s will
Scracthing in the dirt, queuing up to die.
Scorched earth or cruel sun
Is this the battle Jesus won?
Like “A Man And A Woman,” another nugget that didn’t make the standard 360 tour setlist, “Staring At The Sun” really soared into the dark night with a stunning string section. Other tracks included “Desire,” “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For,” and “One.”
Before the closing song of “Miss Sarajevo,” Clinton joined the band on stage and shared quite the fan’s testimony in favor of the band’s commitment to social causes. This speech sums up so much of what people admire (and many people deride) about this band.
Clinton concluded, “I want you to know something. Of all the people who made all the efforts to come here, these guys came the furthest. They have others things going in their lives. They are the greatest touring band in the world; the last thing they needed was another trip on an airplane. But they came.”
“We’ve been friends a long time. I want to say to Bono, thank you for the ONE campaign. Thank you for campaigning against debt. Thank you for trying to save the foreign aid budget of the Secretary of State and the United States. Thank you for campaigning against poverty.”
“And I want to thank Edge for doing something very close to my heart. When Hurricane Katrina almost destroyed the most unique cultural and musical resource in America in New Orleans, this man led an effort to raise money for all those musicians in New Olreans who had no money but are part of America’s cultural history, and I will never forget it. So give them another hand.”
We in the fan community—who have been “giving them a hand” for three decades—concur with President Clinton. –Andrew William Smith, Editor
Photos from the u2.interference.com fan forums.
Oakland: A U2 Website Editor’s First U2 Show
June 9, 2011
I have to admit, writing that headline is weird. It seems unfathomably ironic that a guy who has written and edited for a U2-themed site for over four years has never actually seen the band live.
Believe me when I say it’s nothing personal, things just sort of turned out that way.
I’ve been a U2 listener for at least 25 of my 32 years. Early on, all I knew of them came from my older cousin, Bill, famous amongst family members for his story of picking up a hitch-hiking Larry Mullen, Jr. during one of the band’s earliest U.S. tours. (Still have no idea if that story is actually true, but it’s fun to speculate.)
U2 Goes Up Against Cricket, Busts Out Surprises in Perth
December 19, 2010
U2 performed their ninth and tenth shows Down Under at the Subiaco Oval in Perth on Saturday and Sunday. They were the band’s first performances in the Western part of the continent in nearly 13 years.
With well over seventy shows already in the books for the 360 Degrees Tour, the Saturday setlist could – perhaps – be excused for seeming a bit “ordinary”. However, high spirits and hijinks prevailed, with the band once again showing their ability to connect with local audiences by acknowledging the major cricket match between Australia and England that was taking place concurrently across town.
U2 in Brisbane, Night One
December 8, 2010
The band continued their 360 adventure in Oz with a trip to Queensland. There are rumors that Adam was turned away from a bar because he was wearing a sarong and sandals. Bono called Brisbane “Amazing.” Edge responded, “It’s okay, if you like that tropical paradise thing.” The new song “North Star” made its debut outside of Europe.
The night was a sort of memorial on the 30th anniversary of the death of John Lennon, and the set was peppered with Beatles and Lennon snippets.
Bangers of Triple M Australia 104.9 FM reports:
U2 Rocket Ship Mesmorises Brisbane Post
The U2 International Space Station took over Suncorp Stadium for the night. Yes, U2 are genuine, bonefide rock stars.
And yes.. U2 rocked Brisbane.
The set list was peppered with old and new hits… I will Follow, Mysterious Ways, Vertigo, Where the Streets have No Name, Elevation, Ultraviolet and so on.
With a massive catalogue there was always bound to be the odd song missed out (no Desire, Even Better than the Real thing, New Years Day) but how much can you cram into 2 hours and 15 minutes?
Bono got the gig of to one hell of start praising his Brisbane fans.
“Allow us to let us kiss your arse for one moment. Thank you for the life you’ve given us.”
Bono strutted around the stage, his natural domain with the Edge and Adam Clayton more than happy doing the occasional lap as well.
A brief sprinkle of rain was all we got, enough though for a mechanical umbrella to deploy and cover drummer Larry Mullen Jnr. Yep, this stage has got it all.
You knew all the words, all the songs (perhaps fumbling through of the lyrics of the newer ones) and the crowd was in fine voice.
A criticism? Hmmm….It should have finished one song earlier… With or Without you would have been perfect.. but, not unlike the monstrous stage they just had to go that one step further.
Reposted from:
8 December 2010
SunCorp Stadium Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
Setlist
1. Return Of The Stingray Guitar
2. Beautiful Day
3. I Will Follow
4. Get On Your Boots
5. Magnificent
6. Mysterious Ways / Rain (snippet)
7. Elevation
8. Until The End Of The World
9. I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For / Stand By Me (snippet)
10. North Star
11. Pride (In The Name Of Love)
12. In A Little While
13. Miss Sarajevo
14. City Of Blinding Lights
15. Vertigo / Thunderstruck (snippet)
16. I’ll Go Crazy If I Don’t Go Crazy Tonight (Live 360° Remix) / Two Tribes (snippet)
17. Sunday Bloody Sunday
18. Scarlet
19. Walk On / You’ll Never Walk Alone (snippet)
Desmond Tutu speech
Encore
20. One
21. Dear Prudence (snippet) / Where The Streets Have No Name / All You Need Is Love (snippet)
22. Ultra Violet (Light My Way)
23. With Or Without You
24. Moment Of Surrender
Thanks to U2Gigs, TripleM Australia and Interference Setlist Partiers for the info.
Photos by Brusca and Jerry Aurum.
Review by kramwest
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