((cont...))
MULLEN: I think that's part of it. I mean, you just -- you -- you don't -- you don't wanna get into a situation where it becomes one big hug and love fest. it's a rock and roll band. We come from a place where, you know, political activism, you know, it's part of the D.N.A. of great rock and roll.
Clash, Bob Dylan, Bob Marley, I mean -- the list goes on. So, it's part of who we are. And, you know, Desmond Tutu, and what he does and how he speaks -- and the fact that, you know, he -- you know, in charge of the truth and reconciliation -- court -- do they call it court? Yeah, in -- in -- in South Africa. Yeah, that's a huge political statement.
BONO: So, it's (UNINTEL) people -- they -- if people owned up to their crime, South African apartheid, they were -- they were set free. But one -- it -- honesty was -- the crux of it. The absolutely revolutionary radical thought --
MULLEN: I mean, so having him there, there's a lot of resonance there. It's not just about him talking about, you know, being positive about South Africa. He stands for something incredibly powerful.
THE EDGE: I think we've always believed (UNINTEL). I think our approach and, you know, early day punk rock's so moany. It's like everyone's writin' just phony lyrics about -- about -- we -- we were more like Bob Marley. We kinda, you know, knew there was bad shit goin' on. But we were -- we wanted to try and find some kind of hopeful angle to it all.
BONO: We always thought Ireland is kinda like a Jamaica type of situation. It's true, actually. Our music's (UNINTEL) community, family. It's a little rascaly actually.
CUOMO: They're actually parallel. It was interesting last night. I didn't hear any Obama talk. You guys performed at the inauguration.
BONO: Well, we mentioned the inauguration. We mentioned the inauguration and -- (UNINTEL) rights and -- and -- and what I said it was such an honor to serve the President on that occasion. But, you know, we didn't wanna get -- dragged into -- to any divisive stuff. See, the most incredible thing was around that election, you know, for those of us in Europe and people who love the United States were watchin'.
You look so close as a country. And politics are the -- you know, the way John McCain behaved with such dignity. Obama was amazing. They never, you know, they -- it was -- it was really something to see. And now, America seems so divided again.
And it's gettin' really messy out there. And -- and I -- I would say that that is the biggest casualty is that the biggest casualty of that is America itself, because the world needs America right now. Doesn't need this fractious... And whatever you think about somebody's politics -- you know, it's just very important not to demonize either on the left or on the right.
BONO: And there's a little bit of that creepin' back in. So we want our -- we're here to bring -- peace.
What we're sayin' is, "Let them Irish fight in the stadium. Everybody gonna be in (UNINTEL)." (CHUCKLE) Here, no problem, you can buy it. You can sell it. Whatever you (UNINTEL).
CUOMO: Have you -- is it -- encouraging to you that the tour has been as successful from the ticket sales, respective -- given the environment in the world right now, you know, with the recessionary -- year?
THE EDGE: We were blown away. I mean, you know, once -- like you say, we -- we weren't certain how the -- how the tickets would sell. But, it's been amazing. I mean, it's pretty much all sold out.
CUOMO: I mean, from -- everybody's havin' to adjust. You -- you hear about the big sports teams are pulling back. Big events are pulling back. There was speculation about the sales.
THE EDGE: But, so -- but I think 'cause we kept the ticket price low, which is one of the -- the other benefits of playing outdoors is because you're meeting demand, you don't get that awful scalping, secondary ticket market thing that happens when -- when you play in small venues. Here, the -- you know, what it says on the ticket's pretty much what you buy the ticket for. So, our younger fans have access prob'ly for the first time a few tourists took to these shows(UNINTEL), so it's really a thrill.
BONO: Yeah, and -- and they know that at the very -- the seat at the back and i've sat in about every one. And, you know, and -- yeah, I mean (UNINTEL) or even if they're playing, someone will be -- while -- while they're playing, I've gotten, you know, walked around and passing out -- and it is even better (CHUCKLE) right at the back. I mean, it's part rave, part, you know, I don't know what -- it's part political rally, part, you know, people can lose it -- down the front. But actually, up at the back, it's (UNINTEL). And it's a very, I think, very good -- value in that sense.
THE EDGE: Yeah, that's where the value of the (UNINTEL) really pays off.
BONO: I can't believe I just said the word value. But --
We -- all those times doin' the shows, I've done it all my life. You can't hear anything or see anything. It's like, you know, okay I'm tall so I can see. But, you know, all the people around me all the small people.
CUOMO: Gives you guys a real chance to exercise yourselves up on the stage. When I was watching yesterday, you were runnin' around. You had the bongo drum. You literally were havin' to, like, sprint over across the bridge you go. We were talkin' last night, Adam, 'bout the challenge of being on the moving bridge. How are you -- how are you adjusting to all this?
CLAYTON: A bit wobbly on the moving bridge... I don't like it.
CUOMO: So, you started here. You're heading up to Canada. When you start off on a tour like this, you have all these dates in front of you, who knows how far they'll extend, what kind of goal do you give yourself? Or where do you put your mind in terms of what you want to come out of this? Or do you not at all? Do you not even think of it that way?
THE THE EDGE: Oh, you know, the real challenge is to keep the show alive, so -- so that takes up a lot of time. But we're already working on the next album. I mean, you know, we're already talking about the new sounds.
CUOMO: Now, is there any chance the next album will actually be from the Larry Mullen band? (chuckle) is there any … 'cause I've heard that.
MULLEN: No. (chuckle)
CUOMO: 'Cause there is -- there's speculation.
BONO: I have to confess that Larry -- Larry put out that speculation.
MULLEN: I'm working' on my solo record
CUOMO: So, when you're taking this all in, right, this screen is a phenomenal dynamic that you have for being connected. Even though we've seen big screens, right… what do you think this does in terms of the dynamic that it's creating? 360 aside, like, just what it gives you in terms of presentation value?
THE EDGE:
Well, it makes (unintel). Terrible thing about most screens, you're -- you're looking' off -- off to the left or the right. You -- you can't get a sense of the performance and -- and -- and see it. So with this screen, it's right over. So the -- it's -- it's really it -- keep looking' at us and get a sense of what's happening on the screen.
CUOMO: Any funny stuff happened up on there, yet?
BONO: No, no -- nothing -- too comic, yet. But I will say the -- there's been a little bit -- of -- of magic. The magic act is that, you know, with all the trucks and all the engineers building this Spaceship, for me, there's a moment in the show when it just disappears. It just -- it seems to go away. And you're just playing a song with your audience and you're completely intimate, is the word. And that's the magic act of this show, because if people go away with just that, I -- I think we'd be disappointed. As sad as we are to be art objects.
CUOMO:
I guess the statement, too, was the power of the Music, in itself, right, is that you could have something as gigantic as This and it winds up becoming secondary in terms of people's experience.
THE EDGE: yup. Well, the thing about this during the day is so impressive looking at night is (unintel) light. The lesson is what you light is what you see. And -- a lot of the show is dark. All you're seeing is the band performing.
CUOMO:
It was phenomenal last night. It's a real kind of statement up how things have changed or how they stay the same. Last night you said, "We'll make a U2 milky way, here. Everybody hold up their cell phones, which is such a new thing. You know, you'd see obviously, lighters, right? But, I took a picture of that and I showed it to you last night. It really does look like -- just a complete celestial sea of cell (chuckle) phones. You don't see any of this. You just see all the people and what they've kind of made as a community around you.
BONO: Tonight, we're trying a piece for a song we've never played before from an obscure album called the (unintel). And it's where we connect with the people in the international space station.
CUOMO: Oh.
BONO: So we've been having this ongoing relationship with the astronauts and cosmonauts that they take two and half hours to -- to orbit the earth. And we have one of the astronauts performing a lyric. And he -- he recites a lyric at the end of the song. So, Tonight's the first time trying it.
CUOMO: Real time?
BONO:
It is -- no, he's being recorded doing it.
CUOMO: It was a real pleasure to see the first show. I know it's very important to you, certainly Important to everybody. I wish you continued luck.
BONO: Thank you, chris. And we wish you safety and in Afghanistan and for Diane. Also, we treasure your reporting, your, and -- your courage, and your pursuit of the truth
CUOMO: Thank you. You give us reason to do it because You keep people's awareness up.
BONO: Thank you.
CUOMO: Thank you.
Transcript: U2 Dishes to Chris Cuomo - ABC News
