PLEBA Misc U2 News and Articles #2

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Ok kids!! Lets start a new thread:

Here are the last news posts from our lovely LauraMullen DomoKum and others ;)::

U2's Newfoundland connection
After playing a small role in U2's latest disc, Lori Anna Reid returns home to perform
The Telegram, July 10, 2009
Kip Bonnell


Lori Anna Reid hesitates to take credit, but the Newfoundlander's contribution to one of the biggest bands in the world is both hard to ignore and remarkably fitting.

"I love the record, it's fantastic," Reid says of No Line on the Horizon," U2's 13th studio album, released in March, which has been heralded as a return to form by even the band's toughest critics.

"My dad brought it home and said, 'Your name is in here, missus!'"

Reid has quietly built an acclaimed musical career since she left St. John's in 1990. She started singing here as a child, and later studied classical music at Memorial University, before finishing a degree in voice performance at the University of Toronto.

Along with performing at Carnegie Hall, her vocal talents have been featured in Juno and Genie Award-winning compositions, and documentaries, such as television's The Nature of Things.

Reid and her band perform in Brigus and St. John's Monday and Tuesday.

The singer also has a reputation for rediscovering musical gems and giving them new polish.

Reid's suggestion of a traditional melody to Daniel Lanois, U2's longtime producer, acted as a springboard in the creation of "White As Snow," a haunting song about a dying soldier in Afghanistan. It's a work that The Guardian, the well-respected U.K. newspaper, called "U2's most intimate song....of all the character songs on the album, 'White As Snow' is the most moving."

"I was driving between Banff and Vancouver when I got the phone call from Dan (Lanois)," recalls Reid, who has worked with the musician and producer since 2003, when she provided vocals on his solo tour. "He said he was working on a record with U2 again, and that they were initially thinking about doing a record of hymns....I gave him a few suggestions and one was 'O Come, O Come Emmanuel.'

"I have a hard time taking credit -- I'm just grateful and glad that both Daniel, Bono and the entire band agreed with me that it's a gorgeous hymn."

Lanois says it's no accident Reid's suggestion made the album.

"I think it's fair to say that years and years of friendship and singing with Lori led to this," he said from his recording studio in Los Angeles.

Along with his work with U2, the Quebec native is a renowned solo performer, and one of the most sought-after producers in music. With his trademark sound, he's helped to mould and boost the careers of artists like Bob Dylan, Emmylou Harris and Robbie Robertson.

One of his jobs, Lanois says, is bringing intriguing ideas to U2, "whether it be melodies, chords or other ideas."

"Lori played me a few things that she regarded to be great melodic classics," he says of Reid's recommendation.

"I recorded a little piano version of it and brought that to the U2 camp. She has so much experience singing classical music that it's just embedded in her as an artist," say Lanois, who refers to Reid as a "musical mate" and a "deep soul."

"She just has a very clear understanding of how parts interlock."

While Reid helped push the creative process, she wasn't certain what the final form of her input would be. When she discovered that the finished song centred on the life of a soldier, it all seemed strangely familiar.

"The hair stood up on my arm," says Reid, "because it is such a close topic for me, having been there, having family there, and it's something that's very close to the heart."

In 2008, Reid sang for Canadian troops in Kandahar. She performed "Amazing Grace" at the ramp ceremony for Sgt. Jason Boyce, who died after a roadside bomb exploded.

"It's on so many minds right now," she says of the struggles in Afghanistan. "It's just a travesty that we need to be there, but we do. An injustice anywhere affects justice everywhere, as Martin Luther King said.

"Maybe it's that collective consciousness that resulted in the serendipity of those words being written," Reid said of U2's lyrics in "White As Snow," a track that credits Lanois as co-writer.

It's not the first time Reid has been connected with songs about young soldiers and the ravages of war. Her version of "Willie McBride/No Man's Land" was widely praised by Gen. Rick Hillier (now retired), while Eric Bogle, the song's composer, has called her take "the most beautiful version I have ever heard," saying it reminds him of why he initially wrote it.

And as if sharing musical wavelengths with Bono and Lanois isn't enough, Reid is driven by a passion for humanitarian work -- both in her neighbourhood and around the world.

As an official consultant for World Vision, she helps encourage child sponsorship at her own concerts, as well as at her performances with other artists, like Lennie Gallant and Michelle Wright. Reid toured with Wright in April, where they sang together and spoke about their sponsored children and their respective trips to Afghanistan.

You can do something in every choice that you make," Reid points out. "We're changing the world, and artists are doing it....Last year, there were more than 6,000 children sponsored at World Vision because of Canadian artists."

When she's not on the road, Reid's Toronto surroundings seem far removed from her Newfoundland roots. But inside her apartment, there are links to the place she left behind.

"I've got two photos that my dad took in Torbay, with icebergs in the background, and the icebergs just dwarf the little boats, of course," says Reid, who returns home once or twice a year.

"Along with the painting he did, it's like a huge seascape theme around the room."

Reid is heavily involved in her new community. In June, she performed a sold-out benefit for a meals program for homeless people at St. Stephen in the Fields Church -- a venue she helped previously when it was facing financial difficulties.

Allan Cannon, a music industry veteran who recorded the show, was moved by Reid's talent.

"I was hoping to capture something magical....I believe that there was plenty of magic on that evening," he said. "This is one of the finest examples of a cappella...absolutely outstanding."

"What really fires me up is when I'm performing live," says Reid, who has been working with a new band for the past year.

The group features Mike Janzen on piano, George Koller (bass, cello) and Newfoundland native Greg Hawco (guitar, percussion, vocals).

Reid's two shows here next week will feature a mix of original compositions, songs with jazz elements and traditional arrangements.

"It's quite a wonderful thing when we get up there," said Reid. "I can tell stories, sing songs friends have written or co-written, or a couple of classical songs -- I know it all sounds very disjointed, but it's not."

One of the standouts in Reid's current setlist is "Avalon," a devastatingly beautiful arrangement with improvised elements that finds her voice soaring and looping through a plaintive piano part and tribal drumbeat.

Partly inspired by the struggles of Demasduit, one of the last Beothuk women, it's a song without words, yet limitless with feeling.

"Everybody has a song, and every song tells a story," Reid insists. "The power of a really great song cuts through political lines, things that normally divide us....It's about what makes us human."

Reid and her band have two performances next week, along with special guest Bill Brennan -- Monday at St. George's church in Brigus at 8 p.m., tickets are $20, and are available at the door (www.stgeorgesbrigus.ca); and Tuesday at Memorial University's D.F. Cook Recital Hall in the School of Music. Tickets are $22 and are available at the St. John's Arts and Culture Centre, telephone 729-3900.


© The Telegram, 2009.


Hindu Leaders Urge Bono To Address Roma Issue
July 13, 2009

Leading Hindus are urging U2 frontman BONO to focus his humanitarian
efforts on the Roma apartheid in Europe in the hopes his support could
end the suffering of displaced Indians.

Religious leaders insist the alarming treatment of Roma people, who
migrated to mainland Europe from India in the 11th century, is a
social blight for Europe as the 15-million Roma people face social
exclusion, prejudice, high unemployment, racism, substandard education
and hostility - and Bono has been suggested as their saviour.

Rajan Zed, the leader of the Universal Society of Hinduism, states,
"(The) Roma issue should be one of the highest priorities of human
rights agendas of Europe and the world."

And he hopes Bono will not remain "a silent spectator when fellow Roma
brothers/sisters were reportedly facing blatant injustice and
discrimination in Europe".

Meanwhile, Thomas Hammarberg, the Commissioner for the Human Rights of
Council of Europe, has revealed, "Anti-Gypsyism continues to be a
major human rights problem in Europe. Governments must start taking
serious action against both official and inter-personal discrimination
of Roma."

In a recent report about the ongoing problem, he cited incidents where
Roma children were forced to strip and violently slap one another in a
Slovakia police station and the sudden eviction of Roma families in
Belgrade without alternative accommodation.

Zed has also urged Pope Benedict XVI, the Archbishop of Canterbury,
Dr. Rowan D. Williams, and other church and faith leaders to address
the issues facing the Roma people.



When the real U2 show up well be in trouble (U2.com)


July 12 2009



Wednesday, 17th June 2009. Barcelona. Production rehearsals.
Having arranged to move to the band's hotel upon their arrival, I had to fit in a hotel change en route to the stadium when I got up this afternoon. The crew are staying at Mrs McGinty's boarding house just off La Rambla, so I checked out and took a cab down to the Hotel Fabulous by the Olympic Port, to be fawned over by armies of professionally obsequious staff. I only had about 30 seconds to check in and get out of there, so pretty much just threw my bags into my new room and bailed.

At the stadium we awaited the arrival of Adam and Larry, whose enthusiasm for the new production equalled that of their band mates. What astounded everyone though was that within a couple of hours of arrival, the four of them got up on the stage and played through an entire set without stopping. Astonishing! Unprecedented! I have no idea who these people are, but when the real U2 show up we'll be in trouble. During the run-through Bono took his radio mic and went right up to the top of the stadium, where (somehow) he managed to continue to sing in time, whilst adding astonished comments about how it all looked from up there.

After dark my team and I worked on the songs that required the screen to do its moves. The video content isn't quite there yet, but the way the whole thing works together is very promising. We worked till dawn and then took a runner van back to the Hotel Fabulous



Most important day so far (U2.com)


July 12 2009

Bono and Edge arrived this evening, which would put this into the category of 'easily the most important day so far.' And... they loved it. I'd asked Bono (by text) to walk into the stadium and go straight to his mic position, to experience the wide open feeling on stage. This he did (after looking up at the structure with that now familiar look of shock-and-awe of first-time viewers) and it was clear he had got it in one. 'Its invisibility is what is so remarkable,' he said, which is so true. When you're at floor level, you really feel like there's nothing there, it's all way up high.

Edge on the other hand, leapt from his vehicle and immediately went to the very top of the stadium, completely circumnavigating the building. He was clearly very excited and that became very infectious. I was delighted of course, as usually it takes a little while for them to settle into their new home but this felt extremely natural. That's 50% - we get the other 50% tomorrow.



U2 Croker gigs have a bit missing



Sunday July 12 2009

APPARENTLY, when he heard Bono singing I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For, Boy George, in reference to Larry Mullen, was moved to suggest he might try looking behind him. Bono might get a shock of a different kind if he looks behind him at the band's 360 tour gigs in Croke Park later this month, because there will be nobody there.

U2 fans were cranky last week with the news that the 360 degree view of the stage available to fans in Barcelona would be reduced by a quarter in Dublin, as Hill 16 would remain closed. Now that's a cutback, and the worry now is that U2 will bring a Bord Snip mindset to other aspects of the show. Maybe they will arrive on stage and announce that Adam Clayton was given the night off, so could the crowd hum along in a low, rhythmical fashion. What would be the reaction if Bono pruned his trademark woo-hoo-hoo-hoo-hoo-hoo-hoo-baaaaby down to a woo-hoo and sing the rest yourselves? The stunt of ringing the US president could be revived but will Bono mortify us by asking Obama to accept reverse charges?

The biggest worry of course is that, due to the swingeing cutbacks, Bono will only be able to save part of the world during the show. Just when his fans start to think they could listen to him all night banging on about the benefits of debt forgiveness for sub-Saharan Africa, Edge hisses over that they're going to miss the last bus to Killiney if he doesn't launch into Magnificent and wind up the show.

It could be worse of course. The Croke Park gigs might go from 360 to 270 to 0, if the electricians decide it's in the national interest to pull the plug.

Pat Fitzpatrick
 
Grass-eating algae save U2 (EU)840k on Croke Park turf bill
Evening Herald, July 15, 2009
Andrew Phelan

Croke Park is only asking U2 to foot a fraction of the cost of replacing its hallowed turf after their concert there because algae are killing the grass anyway. The pitch has been dug up in advance of the band's three Croker gigs as part of the band's 360 degree Tour later this month.

But bosses at the stadium said it would be unfair to hand the whole bill for replacing the pitch to Bono and the boys because it needs replacing anyway. While U2 are only being asked to pay 30pc of the (EU)1.2m cost of the project, stadium director Peter McKenna said this was the fairest way to split the bill.

He said: "The way we look at it is, we would have to replace our pitch in 2010, because of an algal layer that is about 5cm under the surface.

"In winter time, the grass roots are going into that level and the pitch is dying off. With the concerts, we have been given the opportunity to move the timetable forward and do the work now. What we would have spent in 2010 is reduced substantially. It would be unfair to pass the full cost on to U2."

Mr McKenna explained that the algal problem was common in stadia where part of the pitch was in shade. It meant the grass had to be replaced every seven to 10 years.

Sand is currently being spread across the surface in preparation for the stage and thousands of fans that will arrive for the concerts. Sods will then be grown in Britain, harvested and planted in Croke Park in advance of future matches. The stadium has already had to defend itself over criticism that matches will be played "on British soil".

A convoy of heavy machinery from Britain is on the pitch working on the project, with an Armagh-based company contracted to do the work. The sods are being sourced in England and British companies are almost exclusively providing pitch advice, seeds and turf.

Fianna Fail senator Mark Daly criticised the sourcing of a British turf expert, saying it sent out a "symbolically terrible signal". Mr McKenna pointed out that Ireland does not have the specialist turf farms or grass seed nurseries that can provide Croke Park with what it needs.

He said: "We're not playing games on British soil. We need to see the bigger picture. It's a strange way to look at it."

(c) Evening Herald, 2009.



U2 Start Posting Backstage Photos From the Road on 360 Tour [to] Twitter
Rolling Stone, July 16, 2009
Daniel Kreps

U2 Start Posting Backstage Photos From the Road on 360 Tour [to] Twitter
Rolling Stone
July 16, 2009
By DANIEL KREPS

U2 have joined the masses on Twitter, establishing @U2_360Tour to give fans a look at life on the road and backstage on their 360 Tour, which is currently in Europe. So far, the Twitter feed has only hosted photos from the band but no text, so Bono hasn’t had to confine his thoughts to 140 characters just yet. Judging by the Twitter timeline, the photos were taken as the band traveled from Paris, having played two nights at the Stade De France, to Nice, where U2 were set to play Parc des Sports Charles Ehrmann last night, July 15th. A press release indicates that the bandmembers are snapping the photos themselves.

@U2_360Tour’s first Tweet was an out-of-focus self-portrait of guitarist the Edge. From there, the band posted a series of pictures showing the (literally) red carpet treatment they receive en route to the airport. There are out-of-focus shots of women dragging luggage, off-duty traffic cops, giant Ferris wheels, a dish full of pastries and a picture of what appears to be all of Edge’s onstage jewelry. The band hasn’t posted any live performance shots.

As Rock Daily previously reported, U2 launched their 360 Tour — complete with the innovative new stage some have dubbed “the Claw” — on June 30th in Barcelona with a concert that included both a Michael Jackson tribute and a phone call to astronauts in orbit. Fans in the States will have to wait less than two months until the Irish rockers bring their concert across the Atlantic, starting with a September 12th show at Chicago’s Soldier Field.

© Rolling Stone, 2009.


Just a heads-up for the UK fans:

Bono and The Edge are appearing on tonight's "Friday Night With Jonathan Ross", along with Anjelica Huston and - wait for it - Dame Edna Everage!

BBC - BBC One Programmes - Friday Night with Jonathan Ross, Series 16, Episode 24

10.35pm tonight (Friday) and 12.30am Sunday 19th July on BBC 1.

I can't stand Wossy, but for the sight of half of U2 and Dame Edna on the same show, I might have to cringe and bear it!

Teddy



And for the dutch u2 fans!

BBN Presents u2

Exclusive concert played on the smallest podium of Boston in 2009,
only 750 people attended.
No Line on the Horzion was promoted, but also some old songs will appear.
The band also talks about how the recording of the new album went.

Saturdaynight 23:10 - Ned. 3.
 
EDGE IN GQ (BUT NOT FOR HIS FASHION)
July 16, 2009
posted by: m2

Thanks to his uber-cool collection of t-shirts, Edge gets my vote for
Most Fashionable Member of U2; and he makes an appearance in the
August issue of GQ magazine, only not for his fashion sense. He's in
there as part of a feature about It Might Get Loud, which hits select
theaters on August 14. Use the link to read it...

read the full piece >>

THIS IS NOT A SPINAL TAP: GQ Features on men.style.com



Thomond calls for Miley, U2, Blur and Britney
Written by Marie Hobbins
Thursday, 16 July 2009 07:57

LIMERICK'S iconic stadium at Thomond Park is set to rock to the beat
of the world's top performing musical stars in a line-up of gala
concerts from May to October of next year.

The Limerick Post has learned that the teenage chart-topping
sensation, Miley Cyrus whose album, Hannah Montana 2: Meet Miley
Cyrus, has gone three times platinum, is among a glittering line-up of
star performers that may also include, U2, Blur, Britney Spears etc.

John Cantwell, stadium manager of Thomond Park confirmed to the
Limerick Post that, following on the success of the Elton John and Rod
Stewart concerts, they have entered into a two year deal with Peter
Aiken Promotions.

"They will deliver a number of very high profile acts next summer - we
are currently in the middle of negotiations for next year".

While he declined to confirm that such chart toppers as U2, Blur,
Britney Spears etc are in the Pipeline, or that, as is strongly
tipped, the teenage pop idol, Miley Cyrus is a hot favourite to take
to the Thomond Park stage in 2010, Mr Cantwell said their focus will
be on bringing a mix of the world's top acts "to cater for all age
groups and genres".

He said that each concert will deliver an estimated 10million euro to
the city..

"At this time of economic doom and gloom, that is an objective that is
worth striving for."

He also referred to the two major soccer friendly internationals
coming to the stadium - the Republic of Ireland versus Australia on
August 12, which is a sell out, and the Republic of Ireland versus
South Africa in September, making these the first soccer matches to be
played in the new Thomond Park stadium.

"I particularly want to acknowledge the great support we get from the
local community and from Limerick City Council, which is invaluable,"
said Mr Cantwell.

Extending his full support to Thomond Park management, Mayor Kevin
Kiely said the Elton John concert had generated 9.9million euro to the
local economy and gave one hundred per cent occupancy to 13 city hotels.

"Full marks to the organisers and for their co-operation with the city
council, they have my full support.

Further support for the drive comes from Cllr Jim Long who cited the
success of the Cardiff stadium.

"They use it all the time, all the year round and it's worth billions
to the city of Cardiff

I believe this offer from Aiken Promotions to bring big acts to
Thomond Stadium was first made to the Gaelic Grounds but that it was
shot down."
 
Why Bono Subtitled Spider-Man Musical 'Turn Off the Dark'
Rolling Stone, July 17, 2009


As previews for Julie Taymor's musical with U2's Bono and the Edge draw nearer, the production is releasing more behind-the-scenes video explaining how the unique collaboration is developing. The Los Angeles Times pointed us to a chat with director Taymor in which she reveals it was Bono who came up with the second part of the show's title. "It was a story that he heard about a child who would say to his daddy, he was sleeping, and instead of saying 'turn on the light,' he would say 'turn off the dark.' "

Taymor goes to talk about how Spider-Man tries to bring light into a world churning with dramatic darkness, or terror, which arguably makes it a story very appropriate for our times. The Edge has previously said he was drawn to the material because the super-hero story resonated with the rock-star experience: "Every rock & roll star probably started out as the geek who got bullied on in school, and eventually their form of revenge was to write songs or learn to play guitar."

In a second interview, Taymor assures doubters she read hundreds of comic books while preparing to work on Spider-Man, and that "He won't be singing in tights." Peter Parker the regular guy sings, but the masked Spider-Man only acts, flies and fights.

As Rolling Stone reported, Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark stars Evan Rachel Wood as Mary Jane Watson and Alan Cumming as Norman Osborn, a.k.a. the Green Goblin. Previews begin on February 25th, and the public ticket onsale starts September 12th.

(c) Rolling Stone, 2009.



U2 and the blot on Croker's horizon
Irish Independent, July 18, 2009
Eamon Sweeney

There's been a rake of monster gigs this summer with Bruce Springsteen, the Eagles and AC/DC having already performed, not to mention Oxegen and the Live at the Marquee shows in Cork. But they're all small fry compared to next week's juggernaut steamrolling into Croke Park.

On June 30, U2 kicked off their latest tour in Barcelona. Onstage in Paris last week, Bono said, "Thank you for coming out and thank you for giving us a great life. Thank you for giving us the chance to build this madness, this space station."

This space station is the so-called "claw" that's the centrepiece of the 360° tour. The fact that Croker will see only 270° of the claw has been the subject of some consternation. Rather than getting the full show that's already got rave reviews from Camp Nou and the San Siro, Irish fans feel they're not getting the full 360° deal.

Paradoxically, the same band that was once canonised by the music press as the biggest and best band in the world, and famously hailed as "rock's hottest ticket" by Time magazine, aren't exactly flavour of the week, month or year. For a band that are famous for advocating worthy causes, they've received criticism for going on the road with such a gigantic, high-energy consuming production.

According to environmentalists, the band's 44 concerts in 2009 will have the equivalent carbon footprint of a return flight to Mars. Some detractors would hope for a one-way journey.

Since the release of No Line on the Horizon in March (or No Tune On The Horizon as some have joked) U2 have received one of the harshest critical maulings of their career with non-payment of taxes in Ireland and grandiosity topping the list. And the sales figures seem to support the argument that U2's influence has waned considerably.

A total of 484,000 sales in the first week would be considered an achievement for any band, but by U2's remarkable standards its quite low considering How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb sold 810,000 in the same period.

In an article entitled "The Soaring Nothingness of U2" in web magazine Slate, David Plotz claims: "U2 is perhaps the world's vaguest band. If a U2 song isn't written in the first person, it is penned to an unnamed, indistinct 'you.' Instead of stories or wordplay, they rely solely on fuzzy imagery."

Plotz continues to pinpoint the band's modus operandi. "The band's achievements depend on two neat tricks. First, Bono -- the public face of U2 -- has a genius for cognitive dissonance. He is the upstairs, downstairs king of rock: He simultaneously inflates himself into the most grandiose, arrogant, self-righteous rock star and deflates himself with self-mockery and modesty."

Perhaps the best illustration of this collision of pomposity and the ridiculous is when they were awarded the Freedom of the City of Dublin in 2000. Bono and the Edge arrived at Stephen's Green with a lamb under each arm, citing an ancient right in the city's by-laws to graze sheep on the Green. The incident had a farcical, quasi-Biblical air to it.

The Edge once joked, "Ah yeah, Bono. He's a nice bunch of guys."

U2 have always enjoyed an ambivalent relationship with journalists. Onstage at Slane Castle in 1981, Bono said somewhat puzzlingly, "I'd like to tell you about a special sort of people. They're called reporters, and they come with their notes and pens in their hands. And they find somebody like that guy over there, who is throwing bottles in the air. And then they take a photograph of him and print the photograph. And then you are all throwing the bottles, do you see what I mean?"

U2 are far too easy to mock, so they do a pretty good pre-emptive job at sending up their more preposterous antics. Often Bono's quotes read as banal in cold print, but are delivered with playful and knowing irony.

Zoo TV was the band's post-modern rock pantomime featuring phone calls to the White House, a duet with a pre-recorded Lou Reed and Bono-isms turned up to eleven under the guise of alter egos MacPhisto and the Fly. When the tour arrived at the RDS, some of the show had been axed after negative criticism in the U.K.

Hometown shows have a habit of courting controversy and speculation. On New Year's Eve 1989, the band said goodbye to the 1980s by saying, "We have to go away and dream it all up again," prompting some to suggest that the band were about to split up.

The PopMart shows in Lansdowne Road nearly didn't go ahead because of objections from residents. Bono went onstage with a playful response to a bookmaker offering odds on whether the shows would take place: "We've pulled it off Paddy Power!"

U2 shows in the 1990s tended to repeat the same overwhelming effect of sensory overload. What began as a stunning re-invention of a stadium rock format became a thinly veiled attempt to outdo the previous tour. Their Spinal Tap moment came in 1997 when a giant 40-foot lemon pod malfunctioned and failed to open, trapping the band inside. The Edge later said, "All they could do is laugh."

The subsequent Vertigo and Elevation tours saw a more back-to-basics approach, but this appears to have been eschewed for their latest mammoth stage show. It will be interesting to see what U2 shows up next week, as there's a palpable sense that they've really got something to prove to their hometown fans.

The prologue to Eamon Dunphy's book The Unforgettable Fire nails a fascinating home truth about U2 and where they've come from which says a lot about the band and a lot about being Irish. "McGuinness and U2 evoked Dublin, its sights and sounds, the failures and minor victories -- all That passionate bickering about nothing."


© Irish Independent, 2009


***Thanks Laura Mullen for the last articles!:wave:
 
Team 4 films U2 in 360 tour



Team 4, working with XL Video, has supplied Telemetrics Robotics for the current U2 360 world tour. The stage show is a huge as previous U2 tours (120 lorries go from venue to venue) and includes a link-up to the International Space Station.


Working closely with technical director Richard Burford of XL Video, Colin Clarke of Team 4 Ltd assisted with the specification and supply of the camera system; ‘The Telemetrics EP-PT-S3 fast rising Televator coupled with the HP-S4 PT heads brilliantly provides the moving elements of the ever changing demands while the band plays in a 360 degree stage'.

YouTube - U2 Milan 2009-07-07 Moment Of Surrender

Other inverted heads on the rig, carrying a variety of cameras from full Triax ENG units to small box units are matrixed to allow the personal view to be beamed up to the enormous screen above the stage.


YouTube - U2 Milan 2009-07-07 Party Girl
 
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U2 Start Posting Backstage Photos From the Road on 360 Tour Twitter
7/16/09,



U2 have joined the masses on Twitter, establishing @U2_360Tour to give fans a look at life on the road and backstage on their 360 Tour, which is currently in Europe. So far, the Twitter feed has only hosted photos from the band but no text, so Bono hasn’t had to confine his thoughts to 140 characters just yet. Judging by the Twitter timeline, the photos were taken as the band traveled from Paris, having played two nights at the Stade De France, to Nice, where U2 were set to play Parc des Sports Charles Ehrmann last night, July 15th. A press release indicates that the bandmembers are snapping the photos themselves.

@U2_360Tour’s first Tweet was an out-of-focus self-portrait of guitarist the Edge. From there, the band posted a series of pictures showing the (literally) red carpet treatment they receive en route to the airport. There are out-of-focus shots of women dragging luggage, off-duty traffic cops, giant Ferris wheels, a dish full of pastries and a picture of what appears to be all of Edge’s onstage jewelry. The band hasn’t posted any live performance shots.

As Rock Daily previously reported, U2 launched their 360 Tour — complete with the innovative new stage some have dubbed “the Claw” — on June 30th in Barcelona with a concert that included both a Michael Jackson tribute and a phone call to astronauts in orbit. Fans in the States will have to wait less than two months until the Irish rockers bring their concert across the Atlantic, starting with a September 12th show at Chicago’s Soldier Field.



U2 Start Posting Backstage Photos From the Road on 360 Tour Twitter : Rolling Stone : Rock and Roll Daily
 
U2's take on stand-up comedy is even better than the real thing


Saturday July 18 2009

There's a track on No Line on the Horizon entitled 'Stand Up Comedy'. On the week of the album's release, the band played a five-night residency on David Letterman.

The following top one-liners from the group suggest they might have a future in stand-up if the day job doesn't work out.

10: Bono: "A lot of people think I'm the guy who sang with Cher."

9: The Edge: "I suck at Guitar Hero."

8: Adam Clayton: "Dumb people send us videos all the time -- they think we're YouTube."

7: Larry Mullen: "Even my family asks: 'Are you Adam or Larry?'"

6: Bono: "There's always quite a stir at [family restaurant] Applebee's when they call: 'U2 -- party of four'."

5: The Edge: "Cool name: The Edge. Uncool name: Sting."

4: Adam: "Melted cheese tastes good on practically everything."

3: Larry: "Sometimes when we shout: 'Are you ready to rock?', I don't care if you're ready to rock."

2: Whole band: "It's never too soon to start working on a phony Irish accent."

1: Bono: "Up close, you can totally see Letterman's hairpiece."

U2's take on stand-up comedy is even better than the real thing - Music, Entertainment - Independent.ie
 
U2's Bono and The Edge join Jonathan Ross on BBC One


_446u2.jpg




Jonathan Ross welcome U2's Bono and The Edge to this week's Friday Night With Jonathan Ross on BBC One.

Talking about meeting top politicians, Bono refuses to condemn George Bush: "I made my feelings very clear with him, he did a lot for our issues." And says he admires Tony Blair: "He's done some amazing things."

He tells Jonathan how he shared a joke with Barack Obama: "I was avoiding being hugged by Bush, he said nice work with the hug dodge!"

He also explains that he never gets nervous before meeting world leaders: "They should be nervous because they're elected, they will be accountable, they make promises and don't keep them, I'm never nervous."

And he shrugs off media criticism: "It's an uncomfortable photo to be in, a rich rock star with the poor and vulnerable but it's that juxtaposition that allows us to twist the arms of people."

Bandmate The Edge admits he once punched Bono in the face.

"There are always tensions," he admits, whilst Bono adds: "We break up at the end of every album!"

And the band confirm their first musical will premiere on Broadway next year. Indeed, they think the best is still to come for U2: "The next few years might be our heyday."

Finally, Bono and fellow guest Dame Edna Everage reveal a mutual attraction: "I'm not sure I could turn the dame down... I'd go there with her!"

A Hotsauce TV production for BBC One.

Friday Night With Jonathan Ross, BBC One, 10.35pm, Friday 17 July 2009

BBC - Press Office - U2's Bono and The Edge join Jonathan Ross on BBC One
 
Independent.ie
U2 homecoming heralds a beautiful day for business

By Niamh Horan Entertainment News Reporter
Sunday July 19 2009

They may have survived 31 years together in the world's biggest rock
band, but that doesn't mean it has always been plain sailing for U2.

The Edge has spoken of how he once came to blows with his best friend
Bono -- and punched him in the face.

"It was one of those early gigs where you really feel your life
depends on it being a great gig. Half way through the show Larry's
drum kit falls apart and he literally has a set of spanners out trying
to fix it. Bono didn't see what was going on, so all he knew was that
Larry had stopped playing and he just lost it.''

Bono chimed in, "I looked down and there was no drummer. So I lifted
the drum kit cup to have a look at what was going on and a proper
little row broke out and then the Edge just caught me with one," he
said signalling a punch to the side of his face.

"He hit me very hard," he added. To which the Edge simply shrugged,
"He hasn't pushed me that far since."

They were speaking on the BBC's Jonathan Ross programme ahead of the
band's arrival back in Ireland.

While U2 will get an ecstatic welcome from the 240,000 fans who have
paid to see their three homecoming concerts in Croke Park next
weekend, it is nothing to the praise that is being heaped on them by
the capital's business community.

"U2 is the greatest band of all time!" said Lord Mayor Emer Costello.
"The enduring quality of their music over three decades combined with
their campaigning zeal to address injustice globally have made them a
worldwide force. Their love of and pride in their home city is
renowned and has ensured Dublin's place on the world stage."

John Power, chief executive of the Irish Hotels Federation, said:
"Whenever they perform they radiate all that is positive about
Ireland. Their three day concert in Croke Park, the best band in the
world, in one of the finest sports stadiums in the world, surely sends
a message to their multi-million international following that Dublin
and Ireland has so much to offer."

Aebhric McGibney, Policy Director, Dublin Chamber of Commerce, said:
"U2 are wonderful ambassadors for Ireland and their eagerly awaited
return to Croke Park for these three concerts is a timely and much
needed boost both in promoting Dublin as one of Europe's top cities to
visit but also in injecting some much need money into the local economy.

"These concerts are attracting thousands of fans from all over the
world and during these times are a welcomed huge economic boost of
over €50m to Dublin and Ireland. It is also an opportunity for Ireland
to showcase our culture and heritage, showing the world what we do
best."

Frank McGee, CEO Dublin Tourism, joined in, saying: "There is a great
buzz when U2 are in town, there is a great sense of anticipation. They
are the biggest band in the world and when they play their home town,
it is extra special. The benefit that a U2 concert brings to a local
economy is tremendous. In terms of tourism and promoting Dublin and
Ireland you couldn't buy it and then there are the benefits to the
local economy which needs all the help it can get.

"A U2 home concert is the equivalent of Ireland winning the Grand Slam
five times in the one season at home. Apart from the magnet that U2
offers all year round in attracting visitors to Dublin to see where U2
get their inspiration, over 250,000 will attend the concerts, all
spending money on food, drink and accommodation. If only we could have
one every year!"

The Irish Taxi Drivers Federation president, John Usher, said: "We
welcome concerts taking place at Croke Park. Concerts give a boost to
the taxi industry but three U2 concerts at Croke Park with over
240,000 fans attending is enormous and very welcomed by our members
during these times. Concerts have a huge knock on effect and keep
taxis busy into the early hours of the morning."

The GAA president, Christy Cooney said: "Croke Park has witnessed many
memorable occasions both sporting and entertainment but few can
measure up to a U2 concert. U2 are great ambassadors for this country
and these concerts bring a lot of positive media attention to this
country which is something we need in these difficult economic times."

- Niamh horan Entertainment News Reporter
 
U2 to give (EU)5m to youth music fund
July 20, 2009

U2 will donate (EU)5m to a national music tuition programme which will
offer children and young people the opportunity to learn a musical
instrument and/or avail of vocal tuition.

The Ireland Funds will begin a campaign to raise a further (EU)2m for
the scheme, which will be administered by Music Network and introduced
nationwide on a phased basis from 2010 to 2015.

Commenting, U2's The Edge said: "Being around music at a young age was
important for us and we were lucky to have it at school. We had been
looking for some time for a way to get involved in an initiative in
music education in Ireland.

"After talking to various people in Ireland about what to do, we came
to the conclusion that the Music Network scheme is really well thought
out and that we, in partnership with the Ireland Funds, should just
get behind it."

The Minister for Education and Science, Batt O'Keeffe, said, "I'm
delighted that U2 and the Ireland Funds have agreed to join us as
partners in progressing the music agenda in Ireland. We recognised the
gaps in music education in 2001 when a feasibility study was
commissioned to examine how a national system of publicly supported
local music schools might be provided.

"The pilot schemes which Government has funded since 2004 will now
provide the model to roll the scheme out nationally. We are very
grateful for the support of U2 and the Ireland Funds for the programme
over the next six years. It has the potential to create a true legacy
for music education in Ireland."
 
Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Putting the fan in fanatical




Music worshippers don’t come much more intense than U2’s international posse of followers, writes BRIAN BOYD , as the band’s Croke Park dates approach


MERCEDES HAS one of Larry Mullen’s drumsticks, a signed photograph of the Edge, and has kissed Adam Clayton on the cheek. In June, the 34-year-old dental assistant from Bilbao travelled by coach to Barcelona to be somewhere near the top of the queue for U2’s opening show of the tour. She refers to the journey with no sense of irony as a “pilgrimage”.

She has travelled to see the band 28 times now – beginning with the Zoo TV tour, her first ever live-rock show – and, work and money allowing, she is planning to see this present tour at least five times before it leaves for the US in September. “After tonight, I’ll see them in Paris, then Amsterdam, then London twice,” she says. “The one I really wanted to go to was in Croke Park in Dublin, but I had a holiday booked for that time from way before they announced the tour. But I still might change that.”

What Mercedes loves and hates about a new U2 tour, apart from the “ecstasy” of the shows, is the chance to meet up with fellow U2 fanatics (she encountered others on a band internet forum and the group now share hotel rooms). She hates the logistics of fitting in as many shows as possible: the tickets, the travelling, and the “newcomers” – would-be fans with less than five years “service” who push and shove down the front the most. Her boyfriend spends a lot of time and

money going to see Real Madrid play, her father gets to as many Formula One races as he can; her great love is going to U2 shows. “Zoo TV was the first ever concert I went to. I didn’t even have any of their records at the time. I bought all of them over a year, then I joined the official fan club, and then I met so many people who felt just like me about the band.”

For Mercedes, the attraction is not just the music. “It’s them. It’s what they stand for. It’s how they treat their fans so well. For those of us down the front, it’s like a big party with friends. I’ve met two of the band very quickly but I’m not really extreme, like some of the newer fans who follow them back to the hotel and hassle them.”

A look through the various online forums about the band reveals that U2 fans can take many different shapes, ranging from the casual yet still committed, to the “all in” ultra-obsessive. There are those who endlessly parse the band’s lyrics for hidden messages, those who discuss the Edge’s personal guitar technician in great detail, and those who seem to immensely enjoy verbally abusing other fans for getting facts wrong or daring to suggest one album is better than another.

U2 themselves have always said that they have a special connection with their Italian fans (the word “ardent” doesn’t really do them justice) but Italy has now been overtaken by El Salvador in the fandom stakes. It all began with the song Bullet The Blue Sky from The Joshua Tree album, which Bono dedicated to the then war-torn country. The band have never played in the country but there is a prominent “U2 Veni!” (“Come and play U2”) campaign there, which aims to get one million signatures.

The main movers behind U2 Veni came to Dublin last February to hand-deliver their petition to the band’s management. Hearing of the campaign, the band’s Irish publicist arranged for the fans to visit U2’s studio – and the band suddenly appeared and played some songs from the new album.

In Boston, Pamela Bracken runs a music travel agency that brings people to “event” shows around the world. Having travelled previously to events in the Sahara desert, Havana, New Orleans and South America, she reports a healthy interest among her US client-base for this weekend’s U2 show in Croke Park, with people genuinely excited about seeing the band playing a hometown show. She’s put together a whole weekend of activity for her 20-strong travelling group. On arrival, the party will dine in the Clarence Hotel (part-owned by Bono and the Edge), and will later go on a U2 walking tour of the city, which will take in the band’s studio and other U2-related landmarks around Dublin.

One of the travelling party is Maggie Hajj, a thirtysomething managing editor from Texas. Over the years, she has seen the band live just four times, but feels a lasting connection to their music. “U2 have been the soundtrack to my life,” she says. Hajj first got into the band aged 13 with the release of The Joshua Tree .“I found U2 at a particularly sensitive and emotional period in my life,” she says. “Adolescence is never fun but as the child of Lebanese immigrants, it was even less so. I was searching for an identity, for someone who understood what I was feeling and a way to express myself.

“Something about U2’s lyrics spoke to the deepest part of me. It was like they really knew what it felt like to be alone and misunderstood. It also helped that I thought Bono was hot-looking.”

As Hajj grew up she became interested in becoming an activist because of the band’s music. “There is a desire for a better world, a message of hope in their music,” she says. “I remember sitting in the cinema watching Rattle and Hum and laughing at the silliness of it all, but when Bono gave that ‘F**k the revolution’ speech, I felt my hair stand on end. And it still has that effect on me.”

Hajj has measured out her life in U2 albums: “My first real romantic disappointment wore out Achtung Baby . Pre-iTunes I would scour obscure record stores for vinyl and B-sides.When I went through a period of severe postpartum depression, U2 literally saved my life. It sounds crazy now, but I remember sitting in my car one day at an intersection, waiting for the train to go by, thinking, ‘All I have to do is drive on to the tracks. That’s it. It will only take a second.’ I didn’t do it, of course. On the way home, Stuck in a Moment came on, either on the radio or CD, I don’t remember.What I do remember is pulling over on to a side street, and crying harder than I had in my entire life.”

Hajj is happy enough to be a fan “from afar . . . The reason I’ve only seen them play four times is because they’ve always toured at inconvenient times in my life,” she says. “My favourite ever concert of theirs was when they played El Paso – my hometown – with Zoo TV.”

To travel to Dublin for the Croke Park show, Maggie had to negotiate with her non-U2-fan husband. “I have tried to convert him, to no avail. Last March was our 10-year wedding anniversary, and I cajoled, begged, and promised to forgo holiday/birthday presents for the next year. I may have even promised to try and get pregnant again. I hope he has forgotten the last bit.

“I cannot imagine what it will be like to see them on their home turf. The other day as I was listening to a live version of With or Without You , I wept thinking about doing the last ‘oh oh oh oh ohs’ with their country folk. Yes, I am a grown woman, wife, and mother to a pair of seven-year-old girls. But U2 means something indescribably special to me.”

Putting the fan in fanatical - The Irish Times - Tue, Jul 21, 2009
 
:sad: I can't play the video posted above, nor in here :sad:

PlayStation News Articles: - U2 premiere their brand new video in VidZone

U2 premiere their brand new video in VidZoneFrom July 21, 2009, check out I’ll Go Crazy If I Don’t Go Crazy Tonight – only on VidZone.

Irish rockers U2 are releasing I'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight, the third single from No Line on the Horizon, in August, and you can be one of the first people to watch the video if you check out VidZone.

The video is directed by Irish film maker David O'Reilly, who won the 2009 Golden Bear at Berlinale for his animated short film Please Say Something. It comes out just as the band are about to embark on their much-anticipated U2 360° Tour.

From July 21, 2009, open the VidZone music video application to see this huge new video before anyone else in the UK, and look out for many more hot exclusives coming your way.
 
Czech fans join U2 on stage in performance of Angel of Harlem
July 21, 2009

Imagine being invited -- as a member of a stadium audience -- to
perform on stage with one of the world's greatest bands. It could
never happen, right? But that's exactly how it was for a trio of Czech
musicians at a U2 concert in Berlin last weekend. Incredibly, U2
singer Bono invited the Czechs -- all strangers to him -- to come up
for the song Angel of Harlem.

If you've ever crooned I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For in
the shower, this story is probably for you: how three Czech fans
(members of a U2 tribute band) were invited impromptu by Bono to join
U2 on stage. Last Saturday, at Berlin's Olympic Stadium, the Czechs --
guitar player Stepan Etrych, bass player Cyril Strejc and drummer
Michal Simek -- put together signs describing they could play U2's
Angel of Harlem, off of the album Rattle and Hum. But of course, they
never really expected their plan to work. To their disbelief, several
songs in, Bono gestured to them to come up. A little earlier I spoke
to Michal Simek on the line from Amsterdam, who described how things
came together:

"It was a plan by our guitar player Stepan. He got this idea to write
signs saying Me + drums = Angel of Harlem, Me + guitar = Angel of
Harlem and so on. I thought it was impossible the plan would work: it
would be like winning the lottery. But then the Edge began playing the
starting riffs of the song and Bono looked around and we put these
signs up and he gestured to us. Could we play it? And we were like,
yeah we can!"

Before they knew what was happening, they had joined U2 on the podium.

For a U2 fan playing drums on Larry Mullen, Jr's own set almost defies
description not to mention performing in front of 80,000 people. But
Michal Simek says there was no time to be nervous:

"You won't believe me, but it was like nothing. I guess I didn't
realise what was happening. I didn't feel any fear, I wasn't nervous,
and I was happy just to see Bono close-up and happy that I could shake
hands with Larry Mullen, Jr. I took my place behind the kit and
started to play!"

The drummer does admit it was a relief that neither he nor his band
mates messed up. The tribute band they are in (called the U2 Pop
Tarts) had never before performed live -- before anyone -- he
explains. The reason? They spent the last year-and-a-half in rehearsal
searching for ... wait for it ... a suitable singer. Now they were
playing with Bono himself!

Of course the five minutes the Czechs spent on stage are moments
they'll never forget. Michal Simek once again:

"I didn't have enough courage to ever dream of anything like this: it
could never happen! But it did! It was so euphoric and they gave us so
much energy. Hard to describe or believe we weren't nervous but it
really was that way!"

You can see U2's performance of Angel of Harlem -- in which Bono also
pays tribute to Michael Jackson -- at YouTube.
 
NCCU to host conference on U2
BY ERIC FERRERI - STAFF WRITER
Published: Tue, Jul. 21, 2009 09:52AM

N.C. Central University will host an academic conference examining the
global reach of U2 this fall.

The event runs Oct. 2-4, coinciding with the Irish rock band's Oct. 3
tour date at Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh.

Though a university press release trumpeting the event advertises that
U2 will "host" the conference, it isn't clear whether the band will
even make an appearance. According to event's Web site, the conference
will feature music journalists and others who have worked with the band.

The conference is titled "U2: The Hype and the Feedback."

"This will be the place to meet and hear people long connected to U2
and to covering their career," said the event's organizer, Scott
Calhoun, who, according to the Web site, is an English professor and
"U2 academician."
 
Czech fans join U2 on stage in performance of Angel of Harlem
July 21, 2009

Imagine being invited -- as a member of a stadium audience -- to
perform on stage with one of the world's greatest bands. It could
never happen, right? But that's exactly how it was for a trio of Czech
musicians at a U2 concert in Berlin last weekend. Incredibly, U2
singer Bono invited the Czechs -- all strangers to him -- to come up
for the song Angel of Harlem.

If you've ever crooned I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For in
the shower, this story is probably for you: how three Czech fans
(members of a U2 tribute band) were invited impromptu by Bono to join
U2 on stage. Last Saturday, at Berlin's Olympic Stadium, the Czechs --
guitar player Stepan Etrych, bass player Cyril Strejc and drummer
Michal Simek -- put together signs describing they could play U2's
Angel of Harlem, off of the album Rattle and Hum. But of course, they
never really expected their plan to work. To their disbelief, several
songs in, Bono gestured to them to come up. A little earlier I spoke
to Michal Simek on the line from Amsterdam, who described how things
came together:

"It was a plan by our guitar player Stepan. He got this idea to write
signs saying Me + drums = Angel of Harlem, Me + guitar = Angel of
Harlem and so on. I thought it was impossible the plan would work: it
would be like winning the lottery. But then the Edge began playing the
starting riffs of the song and Bono looked around and we put these
signs up and he gestured to us. Could we play it? And we were like,
yeah we can!"

Before they knew what was happening, they had joined U2 on the podium.

For a U2 fan playing drums on Larry Mullen, Jr's own set almost defies
description not to mention performing in front of 80,000 people. But
Michal Simek says there was no time to be nervous:

"You won't believe me, but it was like nothing. I guess I didn't
realise what was happening. I didn't feel any fear, I wasn't nervous,
and I was happy just to see Bono close-up and happy that I could shake
hands with Larry Mullen, Jr. I took my place behind the kit and
started to play!"

The drummer does admit it was a relief that neither he nor his band
mates messed up. The tribute band they are in (called the U2 Pop
Tarts) had never before performed live -- before anyone -- he
explains. The reason? They spent the last year-and-a-half in rehearsal
searching for ... wait for it ... a suitable singer. Now they were
playing with Bono himself!

Of course the five minutes the Czechs spent on stage are moments
they'll never forget. Michal Simek once again:

"I didn't have enough courage to ever dream of anything like this: it
could never happen! But it did! It was so euphoric and they gave us so
much energy. Hard to describe or believe we weren't nervous but it
really was that way!"

You can see U2's performance of Angel of Harlem -- in which Bono also
pays tribute to Michael Jackson -- at YouTube.


so so so cool! :applaud:
 
U2's take on stand-up comedy is even better than the real thing


Saturday July 18 2009

There's a track on No Line on the Horizon entitled 'Stand Up Comedy'. On the week of the album's release, the band played a five-night residency on David Letterman.

The following top one-liners from the group suggest they might have a future in stand-up if the day job doesn't work out.

10: Bono: "A lot of people think I'm the guy who sang with Cher."

9: The Edge: "I suck at Guitar Hero."

8: Adam Clayton: "Dumb people send us videos all the time -- they think we're YouTube."

7: Larry Mullen: "Even my family asks: 'Are you Adam or Larry?'"

6: Bono: "There's always quite a stir at [family restaurant] Applebee's when they call: 'U2 -- party of four'."

5: The Edge: "Cool name: The Edge. Uncool name: Sting."

4: Adam: "Melted cheese tastes good on practically everything."

3: Larry: "Sometimes when we shout: 'Are you ready to rock?', I don't care if you're ready to rock."

2: Whole band: "It's never too soon to start working on a phony Irish accent."

1: Bono: "Up close, you can totally see Letterman's hairpiece."

U2's take on stand-up comedy is even better than the real thing - Music, Entertainment - Independent.ie

I discovered this a few weeks ago on YouTube , very funny :lol: :up:

Great news!! Great post!
 
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