U2 performing at inauguration! (rehearsal video posted)

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So here's the really important question - if you don't have HBO how do you get to watch this? Will you be able to tune into HBO as if it were one of those free weekends they have every so often?

I think it would be a great time to bring out Sexy Boots!
 
BBC is specifically saying that U2 are playing.

BBC NEWS | Entertainment | Stars sign for Obama celebration

"Beyonce, U2 and Bruce Springsteen are among the musicians who have signed up to perform at an inaugural celebration for US President-elect Barack Obama."

However:

"On that first day, we asked Springsteen, Bono and Garth Brooks within a period of 45 minutes and got three `yeses'," Stevens [guy running this stuff] told the Associated Press.
 
So here's the really important question - if you don't have HBO how do you get to watch this? Will you be able to tune into HBO as if it were one of those free weekends they have every so often?


yes you will. As long as you have cable or satellite tv you will.

Here is the info from the official inauguration site:
HBO will televise the event on an open signal, working with all of its distributors to allow Americans across the country with access to cable, telcos or satellite television to join in the Opening Celebration for free.
 
Guys, I know this is a shocking idea, but couldn't we just wait until the inauguration happens, then see for ourselves? I mean, we won't know for sure until it actually happens anyway, and news reports have been known to be wrong.
 
BBC is specifically saying that U2 are playing.

BBC NEWS | Entertainment | Stars sign for Obama celebration

"Beyonce, U2 and Bruce Springsteen are among the musicians who have signed up to perform at an inaugural celebration for US President-elect Barack Obama."

However:

"On that first day, we asked Springsteen, Bono and Garth Brooks within a period of 45 minutes and got three `yeses'," Stevens [guy running this stuff] told the Associated Press.

the official site does not state that U2 will be there just Bono.. So BBC and Reuters are stating U2. I would take this with a grain of salt.. In other words, I doubt this is gonna happen.. I am going so it will be a great surprise if they are there but with the way the other band members feel about political stuff etc makes me doubt it even more..
 
Guys, I know this is a shocking idea, but couldn't we just wait until the inauguration happens, then see for ourselves? I mean, we won't know for sure until it actually happens anyway, and news reports have been known to be wrong.

What a silly idea! We must have at least ten threads of baseless speculation about every conceivable detail.

Coming up: "SPECULATION: I think Bono will wear ..."
 
That, or if any of the band's gonna be there at all, to be honest. Although odds are at least one of them will, I'd say.


well we know for a fact that Bono is going to be there because it officially confirmed on the inauguration website. What more info do you need?

I doubt that U2 will be there though that's for sure.
 
the official site does not state that U2 will be there just Bono.. So BBC and Reuters are stating U2. I would take this with a grain of salt.. In other words, I doubt this is gonna happen.. I am going so it will be a great surprise if they are there but with the way the other band members feel about political stuff etc makes me doubt it even more..

the main source here ist Variety. I posted the link before. The producer of the show said U2 will play Pride.
 
the main source here ist Variety. I posted the link before. The producer of the show said U2 will play Pride.


ok, that's variety, a media outlet.. I am talking about the people that are actually running this thing. I would think that the official site would be the proper source and not Variety.. It's possible for a media outlet to get incorrect info you know. just saying..

here's the link to the page: http://www.pic2009.org/pressroom/entry/initial_talent_line-up_confirmed_for_lincoln_memorial_event/
 
hey there!:wave:

I am gonna go to maybe we'll run into each other.. PM me if you want! I am trying to talk Jess and Paul into going too.


If it does turn out to be the full U2 (94.7 The Globe mentioned "Bono and U2 - I hate it when they do that!!), we will definitely be there. Otherwise, I'm still weighing whether giving up my belly dance rehearsal and dealing with the Metro and the crowds and the cold will be worth it...for what could potentially just end up being a Bono and MJB One duet (which would make a lot of sense). :crazy:
 
If we learned one thing from the "wild speculation" thread it is to not make these bold definitive statements until we see what actually happens and who actually shows up.

Maybe we should just wait and see. Unless of course someone got a call from Bono himself giving them the scoop. :wink:
 
ok, that's variety, a media outlet.. I am talking about the people that are actually running this thing. I would think that the official site would be the proper source and not Variety.. It's possible for a media outlet to get incorrect info you know. just saying..

here's the link to the page: Initial Talent Line-up Confirmed for Lincoln Memorial Event | The Inauguration of President-elect Barack Obama and Vice President-elect Joe Biden

I knew this site - you know the official U2 site: U2.com?
 
QUOTE=Rosebud;5737809]Also, I just wanted to add that I think it's abundantly clear that Bono's own worldview is quite liberal, and thus he deserves a dear amount of credit for the level of non-partisanship that he has maintained for the last few years. For someone like Bono, keeping your mouth shut on anything must be excruciating. But it is necessary in his line of work, and he has really done it. That is, in my opinion, a pretty selfless thing to do; and thank god, because the field of development activism would be what it is today if not for him.[/QUOTE]
:applaud::applaud:Amen sista!
 
bonobarackfeather.jpg

Obama: Whose my widdle Bonokins? :cute: *tickles with feather*
Bono: I am! :hyper:


(It's a fern in the background, the camera angle is perfect though.)

:lol::lol: Best. Pic. Ever. :love:
 
chill, chill, chill. Focus, people! :wink:

What's Bono gonna PLAY?

My money's on the Beatles' "Blackbird," acoustic, maybe as a B-stage-style duet with Edge? :drool:

I read somewhere else on here in the speculation thread I think that there was an article that said the orchestra rehersal for the concert included the music to the song PRIDE In the name of love!!!! :)
That's a rumor, but it makes sense huh? :)
 
I knew this site - you know the official U2 site: U2.com?

why would we even get official info this site. Seriously they are very slow to post info that hasn't already been posted here or other sites like @u2.com. They never report accurate info in a timely manner. This has been their way of functioning since pretty much day one. I have been a member of that site since 2004 and they just suck on getting the info out as needed. I always know about the latest about the band from this site and the other site I mentioned before it even makes it to that site..


not even the message board at u2.com had this info posted as a thread. I actually posted it there and everyone was unaware of this info that Bono was going to be at this event.
 
You cringed at reading Bono's name?

:huh:

I've always thought fans would be happy to see him perform. Seems I was wrong. The level of intolerance on this board never fails to amaze me.

No, at the combination of MJB And Bono. I'd love it if Bono performed a solo version of One, or even with the rest of the band.

But I cringe whenever I hear that version with MJB. I can't help it. I just cannot get myself to like that song and I don't think I have to.

There's a bit of intolerance there, but it's not aimed towards U2 at all. I'm perfectly happy to see Bono perform.
 
edit:

@u2fantasticforever - you didn't get my point at all - and I don't want to be unfriendly - so I like to explain: you already said for yourself that U2.com the official U2 site is less reliable than other sites. Then why do you have so much trust in the "official" site for this event - I count on this interview with one of the organizers, and Variety is a good source.
 
Lookie what I found!! THE WHOLE BAND IS GOING!!! :rockon::rockon:

Stars of All Stripes Line Up for Concert At Lincoln Memorial
By Richard Leiby
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, January 13, 2009; A01
Anybody who's anybody: That pretty much describes the list of musicians and celebrities who will participate in a free concert at the Lincoln Memorial on Sunday afternoon to kick off Barack Obama's inaugural celebration. Beyoncé, Mary J. Blige, Garth Brooks -- and that's just toward the top of the alphabetical list released yesterday -- are scheduled to perform.
And for good measure, the Boss -- a.k.a. Bruce Springsteen -- and Bono, along with his band U2.
The Presidential Inaugural Committee also announced that Jamie Foxx, Denzel Washington and Queen Latifah will give historical readings, but several more stars are expected to be added to the overall lineup. The range of talent to be assembled at the Lincoln Memorial -- historically the site of free inaugural concerts -- is shaping up as a worthy rival to the show put on by Bill Clinton's inaugural organization in 1993.
But don't expect a greatest-hits concert Sunday, the concert's producers said. The 90-minute show, which will begin at 2 p.m. and which will be shown that evening in a special free broadcast on HBO, will consist mainly of performers covering songs that have historical resonance or connect to the theme of the concert, dubbed "We Are One."
"We're never going to say, 'Ladies and gentlemen, let's give it up for Beyoncé,' and she's going to come out and sing one of her songs," Don Mischer, one of the producers, said. "It's going to be connecting music to history and ideas and American values."
Other performers include Shakira, Usher, Stevie Wonder, John Legend, John Mellencamp, Herbie Hancock, James Taylor, Heather Headley, Sheryl Crow, Will.I.Am, Josh Groban and Renée Fleming. "Everybody is going to do one song, but there were will be duets and trios and choirs," said executive producer George Stevens Jr., who has helmed 31 Kennedy Center Honors productions.
As one example of how the theme of inclusion will be highlighted, he cited plans for Taylor, Jennifer Nettles of the band Sugarland and another yet-to-be-announced artist to sing "My Country 'Tis of Thee," which opera star Marian Anderson famously sang at the Lincoln Memorial in 1939. After the whites-only Daughters of the American Revolution banned Anderson from singing at Constitution Hall, first lady Eleanor Roosevelt quit the organization, and Harold Ickes, a member of her husband's Cabinet, invited Anderson to sing outdoors at the memorial.
The invocation will be given by Episcopal Bishop V. Gene Robinson, a gay church official who is in seeming counterpoint to the selection of evangelical pastor Rick Warren to deliver the invocation at the inaugural ceremony. Warren's selection was assailed by gay rights supporters.
The show, the producers said, will be rooted in history and will include song selections and readings that reflect the presidencies of Abraham Lincoln, Franklin D. Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy and Ronald Reagan. "Generally speaking, people will be covering other music, often music that they've never performed before," Mischer said.
The lineup was announced after weeks of suspense and some grousing within the industry about the inaugural committee's down-to-the-wire approach in finalizing talent for balls and official events. "Normally, we would spend 4 1/2 or five months mounting something this ambitious," said Mischer, whose experience includes producing shows for the Olympics. He said he was contacted by the committee four days after Christmas. "We are doing this in record time."
But Misher acknowledged that "certainly this is not the most important thing on the [incoming] president's plate."
Obama's theme of inclusiveness extends to the array of performers from varied musical genres. Country, gospel, jazz, rock, pop and hip-hop are represented. "It is way past the time we should all come together," country star Brooks said in a statement. "I will play with respect to the years President Bush has given this country and to the hope of what President-elect Obama will bring to this country and the world."
Despite the scramble, booking top talent evidently wasn't difficult. Springsteen, Bono and Brooks "are the ones who usually say no, and for Barack they say yes," Stevens said. "They happened to be the first three we called, and it was like a three-cushion shot and running the table when they quickly said yes."
The individual stars signed on knowing that they would not be the center of attention. "These kinds of events require sacrifices from the talent," Mischer said. "Nobody will be coming here and being paid what they're normally paid, or bringing their glam squads or their entourages."
Performer lineups at the 10 official inaugural balls have not yet been announced, and the younger set is eagerly awaiting word on the lineup for a free "Kids Inaugural" on Jan. 19 at Verizon Center. It will be broadcast live on the Disney Channel and Radio Disney.
Final entertainment rosters are expected to be announced throughout this week.
 
Sorry for jumping in so late into this thread but, I just read that the entire band is now going to be there ?? and there's mention of "Pride" being played :scratch:

Is there any confirmation of the setlist at this event? or is some of this just speculation?

Either way, it'll be great to see the band perform live after such a long break.

:wink:
 
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