dsmith2904
ONE love, blood, life
By Andre
2004.05
When a band has been around for a while, it?s natural to expect that they have had their share of infamous moments. There might be cause for worry if there weren?t any. Thankfully, Interference need not worry about its four famous Irishmen. Over the course of their career, U2 has had many infamous moments, from the epic ones that all fans treasure, such as the appearance at Live Aid, to the moments the band would rather forget, like the disastrous first Pop Mart concert. With a new album, tour, and more moments to come, now is the perfect time to look back on U2?s past at both the defining and embarrassing events of their public career.
The first moment on the list isn?t truly infamous, but it is still worth noting. It?s not every day that a band?s debut single goes number one on the national charts before their drummer has turned 18, but that is exactly what ?U2:3? did in September 1979. Quite an impressive achievement for the young U2, and soon, with a secure record deal and an album to promote, they were off on the Boy Tour, eager to gather support in foreign markets. Not all went according to plan, however. It was at an American show during this tour that the tragic happened ? the lyrics Bono had written for the follow-up to ?Boy? were stolen. To this day, they have not been found and, instead, Bono had to create some of the lyrics on the spot in the studio.
These songs were debuted live on August 16, 1981 when U2 opened for Thin Lizzy at the first Slane Castle concert. Sadly, instead of becoming a memorable occasion to be proud of, it became an infamous moment in the band?s early history for reasons they?d probably prefer to forget. On the television broadcast ?U2?s Beautiful Day,? filmed at the 2001 Slane festival, Bono recalled that they ?were crap, I think Edge threw up.? None of us could confirm if Edge really did vomit and those with a bootleg may want to debate the quality, but one thing?s for sure, it was not the perfect gig. U2?s largest show and they stuffed up very publicly. ?Gloria? was introduced as ?Gloria and Gloria,? ?October? had a whole lot more lyrics than it ever had at any other time, Edge had to tune up onstage?it was not the occasion U2 could?ve wished for.
All was not lost for the four Dublin lads, however. In early 1983, the ?War? album was released, containing the ageless ?New Year?s Day? and, arguably the best political anthem of the last two decades, ?Sunday Bloody Sunday.? With a white flag to wave during the latter, U2?s live performances grew in spectacle. I was not alive during this period in time, but two people who were related incidents from this era back to me, explaining that ?if you didn?t know about the white flag scene, you were no one.? There is something about that white flag that has caused it to linger on in the minds of even the most casual of fans.
Roughly two years later, however, one of U2?s most infamous events occurred, one that has stayed on even in the minds of those who aren?t fans, for it caught the attention of the whole world. The day was July 13, 1985, the event was Live Aid, and U2 was just one of the bands on the list at the start of the day. After a quality rendition of ?Sunday Bloody Sunday,? U2 launched into a performance of ?Bad? that many feel is the greatest ever. During the middle of this epic, Bono leapt off the stage, out of sight of the band, and while his bandmates played on, unsure of what was happening with their lead singer, he pulled a woman from the crowd. In a tender, poignant moment that captured hearts and minds, and won U2 a multitude of new fans, Bono hugged and danced with her on international television before returning to the stage. In the words of Bob Geldof, ?What everyone was feeling on that day, he articulated visibly.?
Some would have thought U2 had reached the zenith of their popularity then, but they were proven wrong by the events of 1987. ?The Joshua Tree? itself could be said to be infamous for its brilliance and massive success ? it went platinum in less than 48 hours in the United Kingdom, selling more than 14 million copies in its first year, and remains U2?s most successful album. Time magazine dubbed U2 ?Rock?s Hottest Ticket,? the singles were huge successes, and in a very infamous moment, U2 recorded the music video for ?Where the Streets Have No Name? on the roof of a liquor store in Los Angeles in late March. Personally, I have heard numerous casual fans exclaim ?You like U2? Oh, they did that film clip on the rooftop!? Captured in all its glory on the music video, U2 performed a free mini-concert on the rooftop to the displeasure of the authorities but jubilation of a large number of fans who had raced to the scene. Eventually, the police shut down the concert, but not before U2 had played ?Streets? four times and recorded their video.
The hype around ?The Joshua Tree? and the accompanying tour swelled to massive proportions, and when follow-up ?Rattle & Hum? was released, it sold even faster than its predecessor in the United Kingdom. While popular with the public, ?Rattle & Hum? did not receive as favorable a critical reception, but that soon proved to be the least of U2?s worries.
The last year of the ?80s was not characterised by U2 flying high on the wings of success and glory, but rather crashing down from their heights when Adam Clayton was arrested for the possession of 19 grams of marijuana in August. Initially he was charged also with the intent to supply, but the state dropped the charge, and in court, the prosecution agreed to apply the Probation of Offenders Act. This meant that no conviction was recorded, and instead Adam made a donation to a charity. A conviction could have been devastating for U2?s future, and even without one, it meant a marvellous decade closed on a sour note.
When U2 returned to the public eye in the ?90s, they returned spectacularly. The single ?The Fly? and then the album ?Achtung Baby? were radical departures from their past, and the ZooTV tour became infamous in its own right. Full of bright lights, hanging Trabants, flashing screens, onstage alter egos, and powerful music, it caught attention wherever it went, and in some locations, some particularly notable events occurred. Early on in the tour, on March 27, 1992 in Detroit, Bono ordered pizza for the whole crowd; during the American legs in 1992 he would attempt to call then-President George H. W. Bush to tell him to ?watch more television;? and at the first stadium show in Europe in 1993, Bono debuted an alter ego that became legendary with fans. Dressed in a gold suit, sporting red devil horns, wearing white face makeup and speaking in a British accent, his name was Mister MacPhisto, the devil, the last of the rock stars. Some would argue he was the best part of ZooTV, many want him to make a comeback, and he was definitely a legendary icon who will not soon be forgotten.
ZooTV was not all highly public spectacle and awe-inspiring success. Near the end, it hit its lowest point on November 26,1993 in Sydney. After a massive drinking binge, Adam was ill with a hangover and completely incapable of performing. The show could not be cancelled as it was required to prepare for the pay-per-view broadcast the next night, and so the band took to the stage with Adam?s technician, Stuart Morgan, playing bass instead. Both Sydney concerts proved to be memorable ? the first remains the only time a member of U2 has missed a show, and the second because it was released as the much-loved ?ZooTV Live In Sydney? video.
The mid-?90s were comparatively quiet for U2, but they returned into the public eye with the ?Pop? record in 1997. Sadly, this period in time became infamous for all the wrong reasons. U2 had to rush recording the album to meet a deadline, the announcement of the album occurred in a botched press conference at a New York K-Mart, and the first concert of the Pop Mart tour was arguably the worst concert U2 had ever played. They were obviously under-rehearsed, Bono couldn?t remember some of the lyrics, notably ?If God Will Send His Angels,? and the lowest moment was the performance of ?Staring at the Sun.? Halfway through the first attempt, the band abandoned the rendition and started again. Luckily they got it right the second time, and also luckily, this concert did not set the tone for the rest of the tour. By the end in early 1998, they were on fire, performing some of their best music as they toured Australia, South America, and South Africa. The highest point of the Pop Mart tour came during 1997, at exactly the same concert that was the lowest point for Bono?s voice. On the 23rd of September, U2 played a concert at Kosovo Stadium in Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina, a nation recently ravaged by war. A major event on the country?s road to recovery, it was extremely anticipated and infamous simply for where it was being played. Performing to a packed stadium, U2 played a thrilling concert, but while the band was amazing, Bono?s voice was not. Strained and sub-standard, it gave out on Bono on numerous occasions, but it failed to destroy the concert, an event overflowing with emotion. U2?s live shows are known for the intense emotion, and this show topped the lot.
Recently, U2 have had their share of highlights and lowlights. When Bono described winning a Golden Globe as ?really, really fucking brilliant? on live television, a storm erupted and the ensuing fiasco with the FCC was ridiculous. Conversely U2?s half-time performance a year earlier at the Super Bowl in February 2002 has been described as ?the benchmark ? the best ever,? a fitting end piece to 2001?s wildly-popular Elevation Tour. Most recently, in October 2003, Bono and Edge made a memorable appearance at the 46664 Concert for AIDS in South Africa.
No one knows what?s in store for the future. U2 has had a past much more peaceful than many bands, resplendent with events that are infamous for good reasons and sparse with those that most would prefer to forget. None would object to a future filled with moments of the calibre of Live Aid, and while one would be na?ve to expect no more low points, the new album and tour will hopefully provide a platform for the members of U2 to cement themselves in the public memory as a quality band worthy of their respected and good reputation.
2004.05
When a band has been around for a while, it?s natural to expect that they have had their share of infamous moments. There might be cause for worry if there weren?t any. Thankfully, Interference need not worry about its four famous Irishmen. Over the course of their career, U2 has had many infamous moments, from the epic ones that all fans treasure, such as the appearance at Live Aid, to the moments the band would rather forget, like the disastrous first Pop Mart concert. With a new album, tour, and more moments to come, now is the perfect time to look back on U2?s past at both the defining and embarrassing events of their public career.
The first moment on the list isn?t truly infamous, but it is still worth noting. It?s not every day that a band?s debut single goes number one on the national charts before their drummer has turned 18, but that is exactly what ?U2:3? did in September 1979. Quite an impressive achievement for the young U2, and soon, with a secure record deal and an album to promote, they were off on the Boy Tour, eager to gather support in foreign markets. Not all went according to plan, however. It was at an American show during this tour that the tragic happened ? the lyrics Bono had written for the follow-up to ?Boy? were stolen. To this day, they have not been found and, instead, Bono had to create some of the lyrics on the spot in the studio.
These songs were debuted live on August 16, 1981 when U2 opened for Thin Lizzy at the first Slane Castle concert. Sadly, instead of becoming a memorable occasion to be proud of, it became an infamous moment in the band?s early history for reasons they?d probably prefer to forget. On the television broadcast ?U2?s Beautiful Day,? filmed at the 2001 Slane festival, Bono recalled that they ?were crap, I think Edge threw up.? None of us could confirm if Edge really did vomit and those with a bootleg may want to debate the quality, but one thing?s for sure, it was not the perfect gig. U2?s largest show and they stuffed up very publicly. ?Gloria? was introduced as ?Gloria and Gloria,? ?October? had a whole lot more lyrics than it ever had at any other time, Edge had to tune up onstage?it was not the occasion U2 could?ve wished for.
All was not lost for the four Dublin lads, however. In early 1983, the ?War? album was released, containing the ageless ?New Year?s Day? and, arguably the best political anthem of the last two decades, ?Sunday Bloody Sunday.? With a white flag to wave during the latter, U2?s live performances grew in spectacle. I was not alive during this period in time, but two people who were related incidents from this era back to me, explaining that ?if you didn?t know about the white flag scene, you were no one.? There is something about that white flag that has caused it to linger on in the minds of even the most casual of fans.
Roughly two years later, however, one of U2?s most infamous events occurred, one that has stayed on even in the minds of those who aren?t fans, for it caught the attention of the whole world. The day was July 13, 1985, the event was Live Aid, and U2 was just one of the bands on the list at the start of the day. After a quality rendition of ?Sunday Bloody Sunday,? U2 launched into a performance of ?Bad? that many feel is the greatest ever. During the middle of this epic, Bono leapt off the stage, out of sight of the band, and while his bandmates played on, unsure of what was happening with their lead singer, he pulled a woman from the crowd. In a tender, poignant moment that captured hearts and minds, and won U2 a multitude of new fans, Bono hugged and danced with her on international television before returning to the stage. In the words of Bob Geldof, ?What everyone was feeling on that day, he articulated visibly.?
Some would have thought U2 had reached the zenith of their popularity then, but they were proven wrong by the events of 1987. ?The Joshua Tree? itself could be said to be infamous for its brilliance and massive success ? it went platinum in less than 48 hours in the United Kingdom, selling more than 14 million copies in its first year, and remains U2?s most successful album. Time magazine dubbed U2 ?Rock?s Hottest Ticket,? the singles were huge successes, and in a very infamous moment, U2 recorded the music video for ?Where the Streets Have No Name? on the roof of a liquor store in Los Angeles in late March. Personally, I have heard numerous casual fans exclaim ?You like U2? Oh, they did that film clip on the rooftop!? Captured in all its glory on the music video, U2 performed a free mini-concert on the rooftop to the displeasure of the authorities but jubilation of a large number of fans who had raced to the scene. Eventually, the police shut down the concert, but not before U2 had played ?Streets? four times and recorded their video.
The hype around ?The Joshua Tree? and the accompanying tour swelled to massive proportions, and when follow-up ?Rattle & Hum? was released, it sold even faster than its predecessor in the United Kingdom. While popular with the public, ?Rattle & Hum? did not receive as favorable a critical reception, but that soon proved to be the least of U2?s worries.
The last year of the ?80s was not characterised by U2 flying high on the wings of success and glory, but rather crashing down from their heights when Adam Clayton was arrested for the possession of 19 grams of marijuana in August. Initially he was charged also with the intent to supply, but the state dropped the charge, and in court, the prosecution agreed to apply the Probation of Offenders Act. This meant that no conviction was recorded, and instead Adam made a donation to a charity. A conviction could have been devastating for U2?s future, and even without one, it meant a marvellous decade closed on a sour note.
When U2 returned to the public eye in the ?90s, they returned spectacularly. The single ?The Fly? and then the album ?Achtung Baby? were radical departures from their past, and the ZooTV tour became infamous in its own right. Full of bright lights, hanging Trabants, flashing screens, onstage alter egos, and powerful music, it caught attention wherever it went, and in some locations, some particularly notable events occurred. Early on in the tour, on March 27, 1992 in Detroit, Bono ordered pizza for the whole crowd; during the American legs in 1992 he would attempt to call then-President George H. W. Bush to tell him to ?watch more television;? and at the first stadium show in Europe in 1993, Bono debuted an alter ego that became legendary with fans. Dressed in a gold suit, sporting red devil horns, wearing white face makeup and speaking in a British accent, his name was Mister MacPhisto, the devil, the last of the rock stars. Some would argue he was the best part of ZooTV, many want him to make a comeback, and he was definitely a legendary icon who will not soon be forgotten.
ZooTV was not all highly public spectacle and awe-inspiring success. Near the end, it hit its lowest point on November 26,1993 in Sydney. After a massive drinking binge, Adam was ill with a hangover and completely incapable of performing. The show could not be cancelled as it was required to prepare for the pay-per-view broadcast the next night, and so the band took to the stage with Adam?s technician, Stuart Morgan, playing bass instead. Both Sydney concerts proved to be memorable ? the first remains the only time a member of U2 has missed a show, and the second because it was released as the much-loved ?ZooTV Live In Sydney? video.
The mid-?90s were comparatively quiet for U2, but they returned into the public eye with the ?Pop? record in 1997. Sadly, this period in time became infamous for all the wrong reasons. U2 had to rush recording the album to meet a deadline, the announcement of the album occurred in a botched press conference at a New York K-Mart, and the first concert of the Pop Mart tour was arguably the worst concert U2 had ever played. They were obviously under-rehearsed, Bono couldn?t remember some of the lyrics, notably ?If God Will Send His Angels,? and the lowest moment was the performance of ?Staring at the Sun.? Halfway through the first attempt, the band abandoned the rendition and started again. Luckily they got it right the second time, and also luckily, this concert did not set the tone for the rest of the tour. By the end in early 1998, they were on fire, performing some of their best music as they toured Australia, South America, and South Africa. The highest point of the Pop Mart tour came during 1997, at exactly the same concert that was the lowest point for Bono?s voice. On the 23rd of September, U2 played a concert at Kosovo Stadium in Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina, a nation recently ravaged by war. A major event on the country?s road to recovery, it was extremely anticipated and infamous simply for where it was being played. Performing to a packed stadium, U2 played a thrilling concert, but while the band was amazing, Bono?s voice was not. Strained and sub-standard, it gave out on Bono on numerous occasions, but it failed to destroy the concert, an event overflowing with emotion. U2?s live shows are known for the intense emotion, and this show topped the lot.
Recently, U2 have had their share of highlights and lowlights. When Bono described winning a Golden Globe as ?really, really fucking brilliant? on live television, a storm erupted and the ensuing fiasco with the FCC was ridiculous. Conversely U2?s half-time performance a year earlier at the Super Bowl in February 2002 has been described as ?the benchmark ? the best ever,? a fitting end piece to 2001?s wildly-popular Elevation Tour. Most recently, in October 2003, Bono and Edge made a memorable appearance at the 46664 Concert for AIDS in South Africa.
No one knows what?s in store for the future. U2 has had a past much more peaceful than many bands, resplendent with events that are infamous for good reasons and sparse with those that most would prefer to forget. None would object to a future filled with moments of the calibre of Live Aid, and while one would be na?ve to expect no more low points, the new album and tour will hopefully provide a platform for the members of U2 to cement themselves in the public memory as a quality band worthy of their respected and good reputation.
Everyone's entitled to their opinion, I suppose.
Well done Axver 
