Telepromter!!!!?

[coach]

I was just watching the Buenos aires DVD (Amazing-could-be-released-officialy-quality), and to my shocking astonishment I saw bono reading straight off a telepromter, during original of the species ( i was like WTF?!).

Now, of course i know he gets a lot of help, all the speaches , all the local things, he reads straight off pieces of paper, but to read the lyrics to a song from the most recent album???? It reminded me of the time he couldn't finish walk on and they had the bring the lyrics up.... am i the only one not ok with this? heck , i didn't write them, and don't have to sing them on a nightly basis and i know most of them by heart.

 

[4U2Play]

I wouldn't get too upset over this.

According to Flanagan's book, Bono is a very forgetful guy, always losing things and leaving things behind.

Bono forgets his own song lyrics all the time... I like it actually, provides for some humorous moments.

I remember at one of the Oakland Elevation shows, Bono brought a fan up onto the Heart catwalk to play guitar. Bono started telling him what to play, but the guy walked away towards Edge on the main stage and started playing "A Sort Of Homecoming" instead.

Bono looked pissed. Needless to say, he completely forgot the lyrics and made some up on the spot instead. That turned out to be the one moment everyone in the Heart that night remembers fondly and well.

 

[YBORCITY]

I'm not sure but I think this has been brought up in just a couple of other threads....

By the way who is the Band/song that U2 plays right before hitting the stage?

 

[silvrlvr]

Lots of stars use them -- Barbra Steisand for one.

 

[Bonochick]

I couldn't care less if Bono uses a teleprompter. If it helps him out, go for it.

 

[bono_man]

Lots of artists use them. Michael Stipe even used one for a song or two on the band's Road Movie DVD. I think its great that Bono doesnt know all the words to his songs!

The song is Wake Up by Arcade Fire btw...

 

[ejfan007]

Elton John uses a teleprompter for every show - I'm not sure really why- he never looks at it nor really needs it. I guess he just wants the reassurance of playing it safe.

 

[bono_man2002]

Re: Re: Telepromter!!!!?

I couldn't care less if Bono uses a teleprompter. If it helps him out, go for it.

Same. But you'd think sine he's using a teleprompter they could mix the setlist up more!

 

[Axver]

You'd never guess Bono has a teleprompter, given some of his terrible lyrical flubs on the Vertigo Tour. Zoo Station and The Fly, 2005-03-28, anyone?

 

[Yahweh_OMG]

I don't remember him forgetting that much lyrics in the 80's....... it started during Zoo Tv, but was really obvious since Elevation.... the age? Too much in his head?....

 

[BVS]

I don't remember him forgetting that much lyrics in the 80's....... it started during Zoo Tv, but was really obvious since Elevation.... the age? Too much in his head?....

U2 had about half the songs in their catalog in the 80's...wonder if that had anything to do with it?

 

[southpaw_gil]

Seems to be pretty common practice now - Paul McCartney and Mick Jagger used on the last tour.

 

[theu2fly]

You'd never guess Bono has a teleprompter, given some of his terrible lyrical flubs on the Vertigo Tour. Zoo Station and The Fly, 2005-03-28, anyone?

God I cringed at The Fly...

 

[Blue Room]

You'd never guess Bono has a teleprompter, given some of his terrible lyrical flubs on the Vertigo Tour. Zoo Station and The Fly, 2005-03-28, anyone?

Well, for Zoo Station he was typically out on the ellipse ramp where there is no teleprompter obviously, so that would explain that. The Fly, I have no clue, other than it was opening night. Par for the course even with a teleprompter.

I dont see it as a big deal at all as most have indicated on this thread. Another celeb you can add to the list is Axl Rose, he was using it way back in 1992.

Someone indicated that they should be able to mix up the setlists because Bono uses a teleprompter?? What would the teleprompter have to do with mixing up the setlists? Getting the lyrics is pretty simple for Bono he just requests a print out before a show. The key is the band playing the music, and that is typically what U2 needs to work on, the timing and keys for the music. So the teleprompter really isnt a factor as far as that goes.

 

[phillyfan26]

I think he would only use it for songs in which he is playing the guitar, because, well, he's not very good at it and needs to put in a lot of concentration. Wouldn't that make sense?

 

[The Disciple]

I remember at one of the Oakland Elevation shows, Bono brought a fan up onto the Heart catwalk to play guitar. Bono started telling him what to play, but the guy walked away towards Edge on the main stage and started playing "A Sort Of Homecoming" instead.

Bono looked pissed. Needless to say, he completely forgot the lyrics and made some up on the spot instead. That turned out to be the one moment everyone in the Heart that night remembers fondly and well.

That's great! Bono got punked!

 

[Shawn Bonneau]

Go to a classic concert or somethin'. Bull band show. They all read off of sheet music.

SMB

 

[Miricale_Drug]

True shawn.... but they are often their for guidance more than anything plus you have multiple entrys... rather than solid playing

 

[U2girl]

He had a guy co-write his Macphisto speeches.

Elevation and Vertigo (the most interesting setlists U2 had in a long time, so I don't see how forgetting the lyrics has anything to do with it) weren't the first tours he botched the lyrics, besides it can make for spontaneous ad-libs.

 

[WalkOn21]

Go to a classic concert or somethin'. Bull band show. They all read off of sheet music.

But the band members of classical orchestras didn't write the compositions themselves. And the pieces are very long.

U2 songs are short and Bono wrote them himself.

 

[coach]

Go to a classic concert or somethin'. Bull band show. They all read off of sheet music.

SMB

I agree, not exactly the same thing. A classic piece is complex and long. In that case, I just think it's beacuse bono is so absent minded, as told by Bill flannagan in At the end of the world. i was just surpresied at a telepromter on the stage.

 

[ouizy]

My only issue with the teleprompter is that the band should be fucking honest about it.

I mean a TON of acts are using them now (the most recent I saw was Rush on a VH1 concert (which was awesome)). The difference is that most are now using small flat panel monitors somewhere near the front of the stage in plain sight.

Bono (or U2's crew) on the other hand sneakily build an on stage speaker wedge with the monitor inside it versus a loud speaker.

This tells me one of two things - 1. the crew wanted a clean look to the stage and the monitor created symmetry with the speaker wedge on Bono's left, or THEY SIMPLY WANTED TO HIDE THE MONITOR FROM PLAIN SIGHT.

 

[U2girl]

Would it make any difference? Those who care/watch closely enough already know.

 

[skjuls]

Frankly, I don't care.

In Monterrey, Bono was using both a teleprompter and paper sheets with his talk for Mexico.

The funny thing was during one of the songs, both Edge and Adam were looking at the telepromter or monitor (whatever!)

They were near each other and both were looking down at it.

How do I know? Because I was in the front row!

Still, I don't care if they use em or not!

 

[Bono's Doll]

Bono could be on stage reading the newspaper & I wouldn't care.

 

[U2Fanatic4ever]

I saw the teleprompter as well.. and I too could care less about that and the fact that U2's crew is suposedly being "sneaky" about it.

 

[norsehorse23]

i could read off it when i sat behind the stage in chicago... that's how i knew the setlist before it began. i was surprised, but then i read all that stuff about how forgetful bono can get and laughed. i definitely noticed him using it during miss sarajevo at msg in october, he kept looking down.