Is this true about the Boston DVD

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quantumrr

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On another artists' forum, a guy just posted this about the 2001 DVD from Boston. Is it true?

"Either U2's people or those involved with filming the show plucked "better looking" people from random spots of the GA line and let them in first. There were a lot of people who waited a long time to get a prized spot that got skunked because of it. Notice during "Elevation" the amount of people in the center of the heart who were perfectly still while others on the outside were bouncing up and down. That was their own protest against what had happened."
 
I believe that is true, I heard that some people even sit down on the floor during Elevation because of this.
 
From what I remember Bono saying in an interview, it wasn't because they were better looking that they were placed in front it was because as Bono said, they had the same bunch of people in the front rows during every show and they just wanted different people to have a chance to be up front for the filming. The die hards worked the system to get up front during every show previously and when they realized they were being shunned to the back of the heart they sat down during the first part of the show. You can see it! I never noticed it until somebody told me the story years ago.
 
That's what I remember hearing, too. That the "usual suspects" were so used to being right up front that they didn't necessarily bring that level of excitement that they wanted on film.

I can understand that. On the one hand, I have sympathy at the unfairness of it, and on the other hand, I want to roll my eyes so hard they fall out at the childishness of sitting down in protest.
 
It is true.

The band did not make or even know beforehand about the decision however. It was a decision by the video shoot's director and production staff. They wanted "good looking, youthful" people in key positions up front in the pit and at the tip of the catwalk.

Late in the afternoon of the show, several production staff went out and pulled fans from the long GA line and let them enter the arena and pit area before the doors opened. This of course pissed off many in the line (some who broke out crying!) who staged a "protest" during the show when "One" was performed. They turned their back to the stage and the band and opened up a small area in the pit creating a symbolic "hole in the heart." It's pretty well covered up by poor lighting, editing and different camera angles, but if you look carefully at one point during the song on the home video, you can see the "hole."

T.B.
 
Oh, at least it wasn't for the whole show! I had thought it was a longer protest than that.
 
It is true.

The band did not make or even know beforehand about the decision however. It was a decision by the video shoot's director and production staff. They wanted "good looking, youthful" people in key positions up front in the pit and at the tip of the catwalk.

Why are you saying they wanted "good looking, youthful" people up front? Instead of just different people?
Is than an assumption?
Sounds like you talked directly to the director.
Just curious, did you?
 
This is not an uncommon move by ageing acts hoping to give the impression that they're still down with the kids. Just pop in the Stones' Shine a Light.
 
Why are you saying they wanted "good looking, youthful" people up front? Instead of just different people?
Is than an assumption?
Sounds like you talked directly to the director.
Just curious, did you?

I knew several people who were in line, including a couple who did get in early and heard this firsthand from a production assistant as to the reasoning behind letting certain people in early. "Good looking, youthful fans" is a direct quote from the production assistant taken from an e-mail I got from one of the couple who talked with him.

If you do a little snooping around on some U2 sites, especially several of the U2 live sites, there's some independent firsthand accounts posted in various show reviews for the Boston stand that also back this up.

T.B.
 
It is true.

The band did not make or even know beforehand about the decision however. It was a decision by the video shoot's director and production staff. They wanted "good looking, youthful" people in key positions up front in the pit and at the tip of the catwalk.

Late in the afternoon of the show, several production staff went out and pulled fans from the long GA line and let them enter the arena and pit area before the doors opened. This of course pissed off many in the line (some who broke out crying!) who staged a "protest" during the show when "One" was performed. They turned their back to the stage and the band and opened up a small area in the pit creating a symbolic "hole in the heart." It's pretty well covered up by poor lighting, editing and different camera angles, but if you look carefully at one point during the song on the home video, you can see the "hole."


T.B.


I don't think you can't see anything on One, since it was not even included on the DVD hehehe
 
They should have found a Sharpie and some white tee shirts and scrawled NOT PRETTY ENOUGH FOR THE DVD to wear for the show.
 
The whole protest thing was just ridiculous, IMO. I heard that U2 was tired of seeing the same people in front row every single night, they didn't get excited about the show anymore, and they wanted to have a little more excitement from fans for the video shoot. I can understand that sentiment, no matter what some hardcore fans may say. It must be frustrating for a performer to look into the audience and see the same faces every damn single night. That people from the DVD production team - not necessarily the band or management - wanted to have some "better looking people" could be possible, on the other hand it doesn't make much sense because what does a "good looking audience" say about a band? You don't see faces from the audience in a concert DVD long enough to judge their looks. Really, that's just stupid. And the protest was childish, trying to put pressure on the band like that.
 
I don't think you can't see anything on One, since it was not even included on the DVD hehehe

You're right, it's literally been years since I watched the dvd. I watched a bit of it tonight. They did do the "hole" during One and in one of the dark crowd shots before they play "Wake Up Dead Man" is when you can catch a glimpse.

I did a quick look on my old archived posts from the Wire mailing lists and among the many comments about this show, I found this really long post from someone who was there, who probably had a little to much emotionally vested in this band, not to mention was probably a bit deluded about "their" impact on the band and their performance that night:

+++++++++++

Ok obviously the word is getting out about what happened last night. The
FACTS are this:
The Fleet Center staff were incredibly helpful, caring, and genuinely
looking out for the fans, so please understand that what happened had
nothing to do with the Fleet Center staff. Anyway.

Many of the biggest U2 fans from across the continent were there for the
show last night. A group of girls even flew in from LA the night before,
missed the first show so that they could line up for the 2nd show. Many of
us were there by midnight, some people were in line for over 20 hours. I
got in line at 11:30pm, immediately after the end of the first Boston show,
and I was already 18th in line.

Shortly before it was time to let the GA line in, U2's top security people
went to the BACK of the GA line (ie the people who had just arrived) and
selected 60 or more people and brought them into the arena. We all saw this
of course, and we immediately asked U2's head of security what it's all
about, who are those people and why were they taken from the back of the
line and brought inside? He told us, to our faces, that they will NOT be
brought to the floor, that they will be held somewhere inside, and that we
(the ones at the front of the GA line) will be the first people on the
floor.

Half an hour later, the first 100 or so people from the GA line were brought
inside in an orderly fashion, and lined up in an area right before the
enterance to the arena. There, rumors started to fly around that there were
already 60 people on the floor. The security people there assured us that
it is only a rumor, and they basically told us to shut up, and that anybody
who makes any trouble will be ejected from the arena. A few minutes later,
they brought us somebody from U2's team, who tried to get us in a good mood
by explaining to us that tonight is the "big night", it's being taped for
HBO and broadcast live to the NBA finals. Then they let us into the arena,
and right away we saw what we had feared: the front of the stage inside the
heart was filled up, maybe 3 rows deep, and the tip of the heart was full of
people. These people had been hand-picked from the back of the GA line, at
5:30pm or so.

At this point, we didn't know what to do. We were shocked, angry, and felt
personally hurt. Most of us went into the heart, and we let the people who
were alread there know what had happened to us, and we asked them that, if
they truly care about the band and its fans, they would step back and let us
to the front. Of course, they didn't give a shit, and told us to fuck off.
We were trying not to be mad at them, because it really wasn't their fault,
and we weren't going to try to force them to move away - most of us would
never use force or violence at a U2 concert, or elsewhere in life.

Soon the scene in the heart was apparent. Many of us were heartbroken that
the band would intentionally screw us over like that. A group of us simply
sat down at the back of the heart and started crying. It was just awful.
These are people who are the BIGGEST u2 fans, who had sacrificed so much to
be there, who hadn't slept in 2 days, and who had just spent 25 hours on the
sidewalk in order to see the band they love, and here they are totally
heartbroken before the show.

At this point, the impact of what had happened started to dawn on many of
the people there, even if they hadn't been at the front of the GA line to
experience all that we did. It was almost surreal. Looking around I was
seeing 25 of the biggest U2 fans in the country, and some from around the
world, and they were all extremely upset about what had happened. These are
people, myself included, who have been to the last 10, 20, or more shows on
this tour, who have made huge personal sacrifices to do so - leaving their
family, friends, jobs, school, disrupting their lives for months at a time
so that they could follow the band that they love on this special tour, to
see them night after night, to cheer the band on through good shows and bad,
to tell Bono how amazing he sounds even when he's on the vurge of losing his
voice, to give the band all they've got at each and every show and never
tire of it. And after all this, they are lied to, deceived, and screwed
over, on the biggest and most important night of the tour.

Previously, in the GA line, we had joked about sitting down during Beautiful
Day if we get screwed over. But now, things were getting serious... people
were crying, everybody was very distressed and upset. The last thing we
wanted to do was stage a protest in the middle of the concert, because we
know how much this show, how much each show, means to the band, and we
didn't want to ruin that for them. But something needed to be done. So we
tried everything we could. We tried talking to U2's security again. Their
head of security personally apologized to us for lying to our faces. He
said that he was sincerely sorry for lying to us, and it was a very
heartfelt apology, but he said that he was instructed to do so by his
bosses, and there was nothing else he could do. We even talked to Paul
McGuinness, but unfortunately this was during PJ Harvey's set, and the
conversation consisted of us yelling into each others' ears trying to get
our message across over the loudness of PJ and her band, and eventually, Mr.
McGuinness said that he's sorry but there's nothing that he can do, and then
he left.

What happened next was one of the hardest things that many of us had ever
done. The openning music for Elevation came on, and we all gathered to a
position about two-thirds of the way towards the back of the heart. We
chose to be away from the front of the stage because in our minds we
invisioned the band seeing the protest right in front of them, and they
would be forced to stop mid-song... it would have destroyed them, and we
didn't want to do that. By doing it farther back in the heart, the band
would still see the protest, but they would be able to continue the show
dispite it.

When the band took the stage, with the house lights on, one at a time, we
sat down. And most of us, as soon as we hit the floor, we started to cry.
It was uncontrollable, the flow of emotions running through us at that
moment. 20,000 screaming, cheering fans on their feet for their favorite
band, and in the center of it all, us in the heart, the fans who love the
band SO MUCH, sitting down on the floor as the openning notes of Elevation
hit us. We stayed sitting down through all of Elevation and the next song,
Beautiful Day, many of us crying our eyes out through all of it.

The band must have noticed it right away, and soon (still during Elevation)
Bono came out on the catwalk and looked straight at us, and started jumping
up and down so that he could get a better look at the people sitting down.
We could feel the whole vibe of the show going downhill... we remained
sitting during Beautiful Day, and the band was obviously distressed... Edge
lost concentration and didn't catch the que to end the song...

After Beautiful Day, we couldn't bare to sit down any longer. People were
hugging and comforting each other, we were all a complete mess. And from
that point on, we decided that the protest would not end. For the rest of
the show, the group of us did not cheer, clap, smile, or move during the
songs. During several songs, many of us stood with our backs to the band,
which they also noticed, further to their distress. Bono botched up Kite
pretty badly... During Desire, with the entire band at the tip of the
heart, they were very close to us. Larry looked right at us with one of the
most angry expressions i've ever seen on his face, and he shook his head
right at us, and then refused to look our way for the rest of the
performance. By this time in the set, all of the band knew that something
was very wrong, it was apparent on their faces and in their performance.
Even Adam was having trouble smiling. During Sunday Bloody Sunday, Bono
rapped / mumbled something like "For the first time in 25 years, a gig
doesn't feel right".

During One, everyone who had participated in the protest formed a big
circle, effectively creating a big hole in the heart. And the real shocker,
after One, Bono walked over to Edge, and they talked (off mic) for about 45
seconds, and then Bono walked back to the mic and he and Edge did Wake Up
Dead Man. It was obviously inpromptu, and the only explanation we could
think of is that singing that song was Bono's way of dealing with what was
happenning at the show.

These are the facts as they happened at the show. I'm sure that many
different opinions will be formed about what happened. The important thing
to keep in mind is WHY we did the protest. It was NOT because we were a
bunch of whining fans who were upset that they didn't get to the front row.
The shows are amazing no matter where you are standing. We were protesting
because after all that we have gone through for this band, we were lied to,
and because we feel that whoever is making the decisions, be it the band
themselves or their management, have an agenda that we do not agree with.
If HBO says they want young, attractive, ethnically diverse people at the
front of the stage, and that putting them there would mean screwing over 20
of the biggest u2 fans in the country, U2 should say NO. We know how much
the fans mean to U2. The band has always taken as much time as they can to
meet the fans, at their hotel, outside of the shows, and around town. But
it seems like at this stage of their career they have become so far removed
from even their most hardcore fans, that something like what happened last
night could occur, and the only way that we could show them how much it hurt
us was to protest in the heart, during the show. Their security and their
management simply would not listen to us.

I'm sure I'm leaving many things unsaid, and I hope that I'm speaking for
most of us who were there and participated in the protest. It was a very
complicated and emotionally draining night, and I still feel drained,
frustrated, sad, and hurt, for what happened. I had planned for last night
to be my last show on this tour. But I know that I cannot just leave with
this feeling in me. I can't attend the show tomorrow because of a serious
committment I have made, but I will do my best to get into the Saturday
show, and I hope that by then this situation has been resolved, though I'm
afraid that nothing short of a personal apology from the band would satisfy
the hearts of many of the fans who were wronged last night.

-Dave ****
 
When the band took the stage, with the house lights on, one at a time, we
sat down ... We stayed sitting down through all of Elevation

The band must have noticed it right away, and soon (still during Elevation)
Bono came out on the catwalk and looked straight at us, and started jumping
up and down so that he could get a better look at the people sitting down.

YouTube - Elevation - Elevation tour 2001 Live from boston HQ

Is this the Elevation video the guy is referring to, the one from the Boston DVD? I don't see anybody sitting down in the heart, there's a gap at the back of the heart at 1:28. And Bono doesn't leave the main stage at all during this version of Elevation.

Or was the protest on a different night ...?
 
During Desire, with the entire band at the tip of the heart, they were very close to us. Larry looked right at us with one of the most angry expressions i've ever seen on his face, and he shook his head right at us, and then refused to look our way for the rest of the performance.

YouTube - Desire - U2 - Live in Boston 2001

At 1:32 you can clearly see Larry giving a similar expression, then suddenly turn around at about 1:43. So i back you on that one.

You have to remember, the DVD was filmed over 2 nights, so the Elevation where Bono is on the catwalk wasn't used, the performance from the first night must of been used instead.
 
I can't believe some people. Just fucking get over yourselves. Sitting down and crying at a concert most fans would love to be at, whether they are at the front row or the back row. I suppose every artist gets its nutty collective of fans.
 
whats really funny is that these people still made it inside the heart! I was in the heart in Washington DC and every position in the heart is/was great. what a shame he ruined the concert experience for himself :down:
 
Seriously mental.

I have heard that they were annoyed that the same people were up the front every night and that would be frustrating.
 
It's funny that Bono still remembered this years later and mentioned it during the Dave Fanning interview that aired on Ovation.

http://www.atu2.com/news/2fms-dave-fanning-interviews-bono-and-the-edge-pt-1.html

FANNING: Would you ever have lyrics that you came into the studio with, for instance, like, the song "One" has been used at a lot of people's wedings, which is a slightly odd one if you listen to the damn thing. Or the song "Born in the USA" was the same for Bruce Springsteen. Or "Beautiful Day" - like, very progressive and "out there" political parties have used that, too. Ehhh, listen to the song, boys. Now, on that level, does it come to the point -- "God almighty, maybe my lyrics don't really mean that much" -- and maybe you have these guys saying, "You're right, Bono, they don't. Give us the bleedin' chorus and shut up."

Bono: That is kind of, like, you must have been there, but...No, because again, some of our best lyrics are Edge's. I think some of the guitar parts are probably mine. I don't know which is which. They all disappear into each other. But the point you're making which is, Are we at the stage, you know, rock gods, surrounded by people who tell us what we want to hear?

I wish! It is rough, it is a violence -- to be in U2 is a violence, because not only do you have to put up with him and Larry Mullen and Adam Clayton and Paul McGuinness but then you our -- then you have Ali and you have Gavin Friday. You know there's a lot of people around us, people we grew up with. And remember they don't see somebody in a rock band, because they've known you since before you were in a band. It's murderous. It is murderous. Can we have some sycophants, is what I'd like to know? Even the people who work for us are rough.

Okay, your audience are genuine, they are not going to pull you aside, but even the U2 audience. Filming -- here's a classic example -- not this tour, last tour -- Elevation tour. We're filming the tour for the DVD in Boston. We have a row with our fans, right, because there's people on the road who are in the first row every night. There's like a caravan of them. We're saying, "Can we just play to, like, the people of the town we're in, instead of the one that's following us?" They organize a sitdown in the heart. We're filming. They sit down! You wouldn't do that while we're filming. I mean, we understand you make a protest but not while we're filming. So even our audience are rough.

Go to U2 internet sites, they're murder. I mean, where is this sycophancy, can I ask someone?


Edge: But it does keep you sharp--

FANNING: Yeah.

Edge: -- it keeps you on your toes, because nothing is going to be tolerated that doesn't stand up.
 
'We're saying, "Can we just play to, like, the people of the town we're in, instead of the one that's following us?'

If U2 had actually asked them, the front-row huggers/ugly people would probably have agreed to take a backseat. Instead they played god.

No big deal, anyway. Shit happens. No one was killed.
 
You know, I can understand being pissed off and upset, it is pretty unfair.

But holy shit, so you now are 30 feet farther away from the band than you had originally planned? Is this a huge problem somehow? Were they not still in the heart? Is being in the front row or two THAT important?

I'm sure there were a handful of people that this might have been their only show. But how many of the people protesting had seen multiple shows already?

I know emotions can get you carried away, but holy crap.
 
I've heard both reasons. Both reasons are not so good.

If a production crew member really did say that they wanted younger beautiful folks, that blows.

If it is that they didn't want the same 20 folks up front... I can understand it but if they waited all day in line... seems unfair to let others ahead.

Be honest with yourself... if you waited all day in a GA line and either the band crew or production crew took people in ahead of you, you would not like it.
 
No, but I'd like to think I could put it into some perspective. I am fully able to enjoy a show without being in the front row.

I'd do my best to put aside my anger and enjoy the show, because that's what I had showed up to do.
 
No, but I'd like to think I could put it into some perspective. I am fully able to enjoy a show without being in the front row.

I'd do my best to put aside my anger and enjoy the show, because that's what I had showed up to do.

Great way to put it. I can definitely sympathize with waiting all day in line only to find others going in ahead of you (and being lied to, for that matter). But if you're already going to more than a few shows each year where you're basically front row each time, I think taking one show off is something that can be managed. It's not the end of the world, no pun intended.

On top of that, if the first 3 rows are already taken, isn't the 4th row a decent standing spot itself? And if they had gone to the back of the heart right away, they would've had a great standing spot for the songs the band played out there (and Larry might have even smirked at them instead, haha).

The protest is silly though. Just be glad you're there and enjoy the show, especially if you're already going to another one (or ten). And if you love the band as much as you say you did, you wouldn't try to disappoint them in a live setting either.
 
That's what I remember hearing, too. That the "usual suspects" were so used to being right up front that they didn't necessarily bring that level of excitement that they wanted on film.

I can understand that. On the one hand, I have sympathy at the unfairness of it, and on the other hand, I want to roll my eyes so hard they fall out at the childishness of sitting down in protest.

I wasn't at the Boston show that was filmed (I was at the one where Diamond Dave picked up Bono - after he stepped on me :wave: ), but I was always against this selfishness.

No matter how early one got to queue for the heart, there were already people there. They started getting in line BEFORE the prior show had ended. So they were always in front.

The worst part is that they still made it into the heart. They still had a great spot. They still were able to enjoy the show. I was in the heart twice and enjoyed it both times - and I wasn't right in front. But these people felt that they BELONGED in front. And anything other than "their" spot was an insult.

So they protested by sitting down. You can even see Bono on the DVD sheepishly smiling saying, "Come on" to the crowd, as he sees them sitting.

It's because of this behavior that the random selection started with the Vertigo tour. That process ensured I never made it into the oval. :angry: Standing outside all day to get a spot outside the oval where every 5-foot girl who came in late asked to get in front of me because she couldn't see was ridiculous. And the pushing, the shoving, the standing - forget it. I have since only bought seats and refuse GA's.

While this tour is back to being open, I just don't have the energy to wait outside all day and then stand for several more hours BEFORE the show starts - then stand some more for the show! So I'll buy a guaranteed spot and show up minutes before the opening act with beer in hand. Thank you! :love:

'We're saying, "Can we just play to, like, the people of the town we're in, instead of the one that's following us?'

If U2 had actually asked them, the front-row huggers/ugly people would probably have agreed to take a backseat. Instead they played god.

:lol: :lmao: That's a good one! Are you serious? Trust me, these people would NOT have agreed to this. They remind me of those who "uber-love" science fiction shows and ask banal, yet very specific questions about the most remote items ("The Simpsons" often mocks these people). They felt they were owed these spots. If they were so accommodating, they wouldn't have "protested" at all. As I was around them for some of the Boston shows, I can say I wasn't impressed. :tsk:

All of that said, I'd rather be around those type of fans than the ones who leave during "Streets" to avoid traffic (actually happened at the Boston 360 show!).
 
Thank you for the information. I particularly appreciate Partyslammer dredging up that post from Dave. Oh, the drama!
 
I can understand both sides. It probably felt like a betrayal to those fans, and U2's staff and video production crew did handle it poorly - they should have told them the night before that local fans would get preferential treatment, not after they'd been lined up for 20-odd hours. And they sure as hell shouldn't have lied to their faces.

On the other hand, some perspective is in order. Fourth row for one show out of 20? 30? is not a huge deal.

If U2's crew had handled it better, maybe the fans would have, too.
 
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