PLEBA Misc U2 News and Articles #2

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The man has finally made peace with his inner devil.

Great article. I enjoyed reading it and getting to know what´s inside his brain.
He´s a cool dude :up:


Thank you for the post U2girl :applaud:
 
I was not an obvious contender. I was actually pretty shy in school. My defence mechanism was to be the class clown. I remember getting into a lot of trouble for being disruptive, and I was brought in front of the headteacher, who said: "What's going to happen to you; what are you going to do when you grow up?" and I said: "Well, I'm obviously going to be a comedian."
Click to expand...
:lol:

Coming from the guy who ran across campus in his birthday suit!


This was a great article, coming from a man who seems to have truly found himself...he sounds really nice.

I hope he finds a nice girl to settle down with one of these days.
 
I'm just posting the following chat New York Magazine had with Courtney Love in the Sunshine Cinema ladies' room at the premiere of "It Might Get Loud" because I find it a bit...well...bizarre. But then again, Courtney Love + almost anything =bizarre :lol:

I'm highlighting the U2 related bits for your convenience.

Hi, we're with New York Magazine.
Hey, come to the bathroom for a cigarette.

Okay, we're not sure we can come into the ladies' room.
Why? Who's gonna stop me? There's no women even in the fucking audience, so there will be no women in here. There's only, like, Anna Sui.

[Literally pulls us into the bathroom and lights a cigarette. There are, in fact, no other women in there.]

New York Magazine's always mean to me, why are you fucking talking to me? New York Magazine is nasty to me.

How are we mean to you?
I don't know. I don't Google myself every day, so I don't read it. But my publicist said New York magazine is someone I should never, ever talk to.

Okay, well, sorry to make you break that rule. So, are you enjoying the film?
Oh, God, yeah. It's fucking great. It's just insanely intimidating. The five days I worked on October [the U2 album] were the days that Edge was doing his guitar sounds. And then I got fired.

For what?
Girl stuff! Steve Lillywhite's wife — may she rest in peace — she didn't want me there. Well, anyway, I saw Echo & the Bunnymen last night and that riff, that riff for "I Will Follow" and then the riff for "Rescue," which [E&tB guitarist] Will Sergeant taught me. So I saw that yesterday. I went to hear "I Will Follow," which I wasn't sat down and taught at that time in 1982 or '83, 'cause I was 14. It's like, fucking, this whole other side of rock or something. And that, and Page, and David [Edge], and White were so, so insane.

Did you get emotional at the show last night?
Yeah, of course! I get very emotional. I've seen music for the last three days. I watched Billie Joe [Armstrong] the other night doing three and a half hours and then three hours at Madison Square Garden, and then have a cigarette, which pissed me off. So I've been talking to him every night — like, he's my new BFF. Billie Joe Armstrong is my new BFF. It's awesome. Nobody gets him. Like, he's a very peculiar person and I'm really very meat-and-potatoes, way more than people think. So, we sort of negate each other's ... what other people perceive of us. And I played Madison Square Garden with Green Day many years ago, but it was a radio show. But this was on their own steam. I was getting major, like, chiropractic adjustments, like "Uh! Uh!" I mean it's very simplistic power pop, but both of us are power-pop people. We had this — about three months ago — power-pop face-off on our iTunes and I fucking won. He started with Rhino, "Massachusetts," Liars. And I started very basic with [indecipherable], but that's just so obvious. Then his next move was — what was it? Anyway, then I went to Alex Chilton, the Replacements, "A Million Miles Away," and then he did "Shake Some Action," then I fucking [played] "Please Go All the Way." Yeah, oh yeah. And that was it, it was awesome.

Have you been hanging out with him in New York?
No, we've just been talking on the phone every night.

Is it romantic?
No! His wife, Adrienne, is a friend of mine. His son Joey is 16, and my daughter's 16, so they're friends. No, I don't do the musician thing anymore, no way.

Not at all?
No, 'cause I am one, so just friends. Like I found this girl who is awesome and she's in this band called Dead Sara, so I'm going to have her sing on this record and my manager said, "There's no market until your record comes out." It's fucked up but it's sort of weirdly genius 'cause it's like, "Wow, nobody does my job but me." It's so weird.

What's your new stuff going to sound like?
It's really epic; very, very, big. It's like giant black pyramids. Almost "Diamond Dogs." What I would want, obviously it's not what it is, is side two of The Wall on 180-gram vinyl — the good side of The Wall.

Can we get a picture?
Only if you're in it.

You can kind of see us in the mirror. [See more photos on the Cut's Twitter feed.]
What's your opinion on leather pants? [She sits in the sink, stretching out her leather-pants-clad legs.]

They look good on you. Not everyone can get away with them, though.
Well, I'm not so sure I'm getting away with it.

You already changed out of your dress.
Yeah, but that's 'cause it's Givenchy and I have to do the fashion thing, too, 'cause I'm a chick. So, I have to.

But you don't really want to?
No, I do. Because I'm preparing for a face-off in the Hamptons, where I've never been. So I get to wear this couture dress; it's awesome, it looks like a giant tampon, it's all red.

What did you do with the Givenchy dress?
Oh, I put it in my big, American Apparel, fourteen-dollar bag.

So what's with the Taylor Momsen Twitter feud?
Oh, I would NEVER pick on a little girl! No, no, no. Somebody fucking — I would never Twit THAT. It didn't make sense to me. Somebody took my picture down as well. I would never pick on a child. That's stupid. I've been around for a long time and she can fucking — I don't own blonde hair. But I will say that there's some sister-pop Perez Hilton-y duo [the Veronicas] and what they did is ... I personally Twittered them, about these four dresses from a vendor on Etsy, who had stolen some dresses from me. And I asked them to not physically wear these physical dresses. That's totally different. And they made those private Twits public. And it made the Australian national news, someone told me. I was like, "What? Over a dress?" That's retarded. Like, if it's a million-dollar dress, like my tampon dress, that's a different story. [Puts the cigarette out in the sink.]

What's your name, kid?

Mike. So if you're cool with Taylor Momsen, are you a Gossip Girl fan?
I've never seen it. It strikes me as stuff about the Upper East Side that I wouldn't want my daughter to be around. She watches it, I think. I mean, I think. She's familiar with aspects of it.

What are you doing in New York?
Oh, I'm moving here! I am moving here! That's what I'm doing here. That's what we're doing. I'm just getting my daughter into a school here and then we're recording.

What neighborhood are you moving to?
Aha! What neighborhood do you think?

Somewhere in the Village?
Aha! [She leaves the bathroom.]
 
Hedwig de Meyer, president of Stageco, comments on his company’s role in the building of The Claw.

Live Design, August 04, 2009
By: Ellen Lampert-Gréaux​

Live Design: What was Stageco's involvement with the building of The Claw for the U2 360° tour?
Hedwig de Meyer: We were involved at the earliest stages of planning and conception. The design evolved from early sketches as we developed the engineering concepts and CAD drawings in close partnership with Mark Fisher’s team at Stufish. U2 and Mark needed to know that their vision could be realized and that the considerable engineering and logistical challenges could be overcome. Stageco had the experience and expertise to understand what was required in taking a structure of this size on the road and, after a good deal of research and initial design, we were able to tell them that, yes, it could be done.
LD: What were the particular challenges in building something this big that had to come apart and tour? Is this the most challenging stage set that Stageco has ever built and toured?
HDM: We have created many bespoke stages over the years and each one has its own unique challenges. There were several key challenges involved in building the 360° stage, all related to the sheer scale of the structure.
First, every piece had to be manufactured from scratch. None of it was available from stock (except for the lifting portals, which were standard Stageco material). It is more than a stage; it is a temporary building incorporating the octagon, the legs, and the base, all manufactured from scratch. The individual elements of the legs for instance weigh between 1.5 and 3 tons, with the total construction about 250 tons.
The weight of the stage and the added weight of this huge production required a process of careful calculation. We designed and built prototypes, did stress tests for components and, after the whole structure was manufactured, we carried out a complete test build with added weights to simulate the PA, lights, and video.
Secondly, we had to make the system both fast and safe. With regard to speed, we have achieved and incredible five-day load-in, two-day load out. To ensure safety, we used computerized, hydraulic lifts, and the lifting is done gradually in order to minimize height works: partial lifting is done, one or two-leg elements are put in place, again partial lifting is done, leg elements are put in place, and so on. This process takes five to six hours (very fast again). With regard to transport, we were attentive that all the huge bespoke sections could be loaded onto trucks and eventually in containers to be shipped to the U.S. for example.
The most exciting challenge for us, however, was lifting the central section of the stage, or "octagon." We realized at an early stage that we would not be able to use standard cranes for various reasons: a) safety -- we would not be able to control the speed of the "lift" adequately and that, for a structure of this size, even the slightest tilt could create an imbalance; b) they were too large to get into some of the stadia U2 wanted to play. As a result, we devised a unique lifting system using our standard stage towers. We position a pair of these "portal towers" either side of each of the four legs, which lifts the octagon millimeter by millimeter. To synchronize the lift with the necessary accuracy, we worked with the Spanish hydraulics experts Enerpac, to develop software, which would ensure that all four portals lifted the structure at exactly the same speed.
LD: How did the set get from Mark Fisher's initial concept drawings to finished engineering drawings?
HDM: As I mentioned above, there was a lot of cooperation between our two companies. We have an in-house CAD team, so as the design evolved and precise engineering calculations were produced, we agreed on occasional slight modifications to the size of the pieces and angles, but really we worked out ways of achieving their design. Jeremy Lloyds from Stufish brought together the design and engineering calculations. Bert Kustermans was responsible for getting the stage from the drawing board through the manufacture process of all components, while Dirk De Decker managed Stageco's touring logistics.
LD: How do you train the crews to work on big projects like this?
HDM: The crews are fully trained and experienced stage engineers. They are well structured, with an experienced project leader in the form of Dirk De Decker who leads a team of staging professionals. We have three steel crews for the U2 360° tour -- one for each stage system -- and each team carried out a test build of its own system so everyone understood the build and de-rig schedule and their role as part of the team.
LD: Other than the sheer size, what is it that makes this set so spectacular?
HDM: The design, the 360° concept, the new technologies, and also the size of the organization. With three completely identical stages leapfrogging all over the world, 38 trucks of Stageco steel per set, and 25 Stageco crew, production involves over 250 people; and the scope of the vision of the whole team—from Stufish to Willie Williams and Jake Berry.
Stageco loves to be part of a team that takes a challenge and creates something that has never been seen or done before. The sheer scale of the engineering on this project goes way beyond anything previously seen in a touring stage. This gives the set, video, and lighting designers a great deal of artistic scope. Plus the scale of this project forced us to think alternatively, which ended up using a lot of new state of the art technologies: look at the computerized, hydraulic lifting, the stage design and scale, the video screen, and so on. We are part of a collective project whose passion is to amaze audiences on every creative level.
© Penton Media, Inc., 2009.
 
LSI Online, August 03, 2009
By: Jim Evans​

The Netherlands - Mojo Barriers has made a rounded contribution to the 2009 U2 360º tour as the Dutch company underlines its international capabilities by supplying 700m of curved aluminium barrier system for the world tour.
Having been contracted to supply the touring crowd barrier system in late 2008, Mojo Barriers' project team was thorough in preparing the largest, most complex touring barrier system the company has ever designed. As the footprint of the gigantic stage spans the width of the stadium pitches, both the central stage and concentric 'B-stage' are closely surrounded by live audiences.
Safety was at the top of all concerned parties' priorities list in designing the barrier configuration, which used all elements of the Mojo Barriers system plus some custom-built elements. The challenge was managed using all Mojo Barriers' experience and flexibility.
Mojo's managing director Cees Muurling says: "This show is pushing production boundaries and we're very proud to be a part of this A-list production team. We have created a barrier system that follows the contours of this incredible stage and set. It has been designed so that the band can get close to the audience; there are a lot of angles and precise set lines to stay close to, making this a very intricate barrier design and installation, featuring well over a 100 special barrier pieces.
"With the audience effectively held within parts of the stage it was essential that a robust barrier system was produced to ensure everyone's safety. This required a great deal of barrier on the stadium floor and the fabrication of some bespoke pieces, such as the 70 barrier sections with red upholstered chairs built in to the custom barrier piece sited in the VIP hospitality areas. This project has required a huge amount of effort and expertise from the whole team at Mojo Barriers."
For more on U2's current tour see the August/September issue of Lighting&Sound magazine, out soon.
© LSI Online, 2009.
 
Joseph Armstrong is not 16. :angry: And I really really doubt 80 is in anyway friends with Courtney Love.

Of course, I notice the Green Day inaccuracies.

So she stopped doing heroin...did she move on to crack?
 
Imagine I walked up to Bono and was like:

"HEY PAUL!"

Now that would just be wrong
 
Every smart rockstar would evade her anyway.. :wink: she's weird, like Anton Corbijn said...
 
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