U2 touring down under?

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kiwilad

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I have this horrible, sickly, depressing feeling that U2 may have played their last New Zealand/Australia show. I figured that if there was any tour that would have made down here it would have been the Elevation tour, because of its smaller, cheaper setup. But U2 didnt come. So, if anyone has any insights on the matter, please let us deprived southernhemisphereians know. :p
 
I hope their next tour is a real world tour, like PopMart. I don't know why, since I know I'll get an American leg no matter what, but I guess it's just more interesting to get boots from places like Tel Aviv and Santiago. :)
 
I have no information for you lad

but I'm waiting too.

want a twistie? to help pass the time?

I hope someone who has some real info, posts here. Even a vague time frame would be nice. Although,if this drought cycle keeps up, I won't be going anywhere. I can walk to Brisbane, but I'd rather be inside the venue.

**cass sends a "map":mac: :angel: to bono**
 
i've always wanted to go to australia. if i had thousands of dollars at my disposal, i'd come visit there. perferably during a time where one of my faves would be touring there so i could see them, so i'd have something to do besides freeze, since i doubt i could go during our winter break when it'd be nice and sunny there. besides, i think coming back to the cold, icy pile of crap that is memphis after seeing beautiful australia would suck. :sad:
 
hey Pamela, I once stayed in Katoomba, it had a nice pub. But you're probably right, it might take a 'cross the globe' pilgrimage to see them. And yeah, we do only live once, so any measure must be taken to see the greatest live band in the world one last time!

Just a thought, does anyone know an official U2 address/e-mail where this question might be answered????
 
A nice pub in Katoomba? Please dont say the Carrington!!
Hehehe

Unfortunately kiwilad, I dont think such an email address or website exists. All us folk from this end of the globe ponder this question time and time again. We never seem to know until tour dates are released. That is when we get our tour confirmation. Suckful isn't it?

There's been so many rumours, that I am starting to wonder if there was actual truth behind them, that the next tour after Elevation would be a lot larger and we would all be included. Its been a long time between drinks for all of us, I really think there's a good chance they will come back. The dollar should be better too. I know more speculation wasn't what you wanted to hear, sorry! I dont think anyone has the answers though unfortunately.

:)
 
typhoon said:
...but I guess it's just more interesting to get boots from places like Tel Aviv and Santiago. :)

Yes yes Tel Aviv! :hyper: (I wish... :sigh: )
 
yes, it's amazing how U2 screw over other countries like Oz and S. America. people in S. America go nuts over U2! plus, europe in 2001 didn't get enough shows. i mean besides Ireland, Italy has the largest following for U2 and they get 1 show in a stadium. the last time U2 did a good tour of europe was from Zooropa 93.
 
LETS START A PETITION :tongue:

U2 to come to Australia, New Zealand, South America, Italy.. and all the other places they haven't been to for too long.
 
Initially I used to get quite agitated over this fact.But now when I have done some research on this, I think its fair enough.The logistic and economy is such now a days that even if U2 plays, its going to be bloody expensive.Its better that they dont play, than play in the hands of rich people who'd be there only for the face value of things.

Australia is an excpetion though.Its wide open spaces are big enough for the biggest of 747s.

Still it would be good if they'd reach out to more fans.Some great folks out there who deserve to see U2 live and get that feeling.
 
U2 will be touring in 2004. Larry pretty much confirmed this, along with the fact that a new album would be released in the fall of 2003. So I think that if the album came out in October/November of next year, the tour would probably be like this:

March-June- US
June-September-Europe
October-Nov- Return to US

Nothing new, right? And it seems likely.

But, then they could also do this before the first US tour, or after the 2nd US tour.
December-South America
January/February- Australia/New Zealand/Japan/China/Egypt etc.


The question is, should it be a stadium tour? I definately think that U2 could easily sell out any stadium outside of the United States. U2 could do an arena/stadium tour of the US.

Cities they could definately sell out a stadium, or come close enough so the people won't destroy U2's reputation.
New York City (3)
Boston (2)
Philadelphia (2)
Washington DC
Chicago (3)
Miami
Los Angeles (2)
San Francisco (2)
Detroit
Denver
Atlanta
Dallas
Phoenix
Seattle/Vancouver- one or the other...not one right after the other like on Popmart, where each venue sold about half it's capacity.

The rest of the country would need to have arena shows. And they need to do a more extensive European tour. Aka a stadium tour, and tour Italy, England and Germany like they did in 1993.
 
i think U2 will come to australia again, if they do a farewell tour in like 10 years or something, but they should come here for there next tour.
i think in australia they will play stadium shows, possibley 2 shows in each city
 
nothing further of any use but I just want to pause a moment

and comtemplate poptart pamela's wonderful line of thinking.
Thats' the spirit, where there is a will and a pulse, there is a way.

ohhh no, that's enough contemplating, (flying? over the ocean? for hours and hours?that's just not natural)
Fleeting dream and scheme..........I sure hope they play in Brisbane.
BRISBANE! BRISBANE!! BRISBANE!!! U2
oh that helped a lot:huh:
I'm just getting a bit edgy myself kiwilad.
 
U2Penn said:
yes, it's amazing how U2 screw over other countries like Oz and S. America. people in S. America go nuts over U2! plus, europe in 2001 didn't get enough shows. i mean besides Ireland, Italy has the largest following for U2 and they get 1 show in a stadium. the last time U2 did a good tour of europe was from Zooropa 93.

I agree!!! The US gets such a good run because there is obviously a huge fan-base there, and also by virtue of their huge population, they always get loads of shows. I don't have a problem with this, but I don't understand why they toured Europe as briefly as they did last year, given that a similar situation exists there. :confused:

As I am from Australia, I can understand why it is not necessarily going to be a huge money spinner for them to come here with the state of the Australian dollar. The thing is though, they are HUGE here. When Electrical Storm is released I expect it will go to no. 1 (or close). The new Greatest Hits album will certainly go straight to no. 1. The long suffering Australian (and NZ, and Sth American, and Asian, and all the other neglected countries/continents!!! :wink:) fans deserve to see them play live just as much as the American and European fans do!

I travelled to Slane to see them play live last year, and I met a brother and sister who had travelled from Brazil to see them!!!! If we wanted to see the Elevation tour in any shape or form (other than DVD!) we HAD to travel to see them! If this band only knew how much money I have spent travelling to see them over the years!!! (as well as buying their albums, singles, merchandise, etc!!!). I don't have to do this, but I choose to because I enjoy their music and live shows so much.

So come on U2, PLEASE make an effort to come to some of the "out of the way" places on the next tour. Your fans will certainly appreciate it! :happy:
 
BTW, if U2 do come back to tour Oz next time (which I believe they will), I'd say they'd definitely play at Colonial Stadium (now "Telstra Dome") in Melbourne. You could get 60 000 in and it could be an indoor or an outdoor show! They could play at either the Sydney Football Stadium again or at Stadium Australia. Not sure what the venues are like in Perth or Brisbane...

*LD longs for the Lovetown days where there were 7 shows just in Melbourne* :sigh:
 
In Brisbane, there is always the ANZ Stadium, which they've played in a couple times before. On Popmart, they played at the Burswood Dome in Perth. It is a 17,000 seat arena, and how they fit that stage in there I'll never know. But it would suit them now. They could go back to South Africa again, Western Springs Stadium in Auckland, Japan, and I heard rumors of shows in China, when they were speculating the 2002 tour that never happened. An Israel show would rock too, as well as another show in Greece and Sarajevo. They also were supposed to play in Egypt and Singapore on Popmart, but those plans never materialized. It has also been said that there is interest for U2 to play a show in Russia at some point.

I think U2 should focus on these markets on the next tour. I mean if anything, it would make a kick ass book, like Bill Flanagan's. To me, the most interesting parts of that book were when the band was playing in remote countries, especially when they were in Japan. It would've been great if he had written a follow up on Popmart, because that would've been where things got interesting. The places they traveled (Israel, S.America, South Africa,Japan, Sarajevo) would've made an interesting book.

The new album comes out in either summer or fall of 2003, so 2004 will probably be the year.
 
The thing is, we are so desperate to see them here that we would go to the concert no matter what the price. In '89 U2 played Auckland, New Zealand and pulled in almost 70 000 to a stadium show. They came back in '93, and although their tickets were the most expensive in NZ history for live bands, they still played in front of 50 000 of us screaming fans at the Auckland show. So it doesnt matter what they charge. They could choose any venue and any price and still sell it out. I'm sure the same applies in Australia, South America etc.

U2 had their first No. 1 single outside of Ireland in NZ, they are huge here! I believe its the same in Australia. They wouldnt go broke coming here, and they owe it to all us kiwi/aussie etc fans.

Someone mentioned starting a petition? Maybe that would work, but if we want U2 back we're obviously going to have to persuade them! Any Irish fans here that want to go to the lads local pub and pester them for us? Be much appreciated!! :yes:
 
Perhaps part of the problem is their lack of new fans here. I'm fifteen and can only name two people my age who own a U2 CD... and one was introduced by me.
U2 gets very little airplay here, and none on the most popular top 40 station. Before buying ATYCLB I only knew two of their songs- Staring at the Sun and Sweetest Thing. I doubt anyone much younger than me remembers them at all. Beautiful Day is very well known, but even that's not enough to convince people of U2's brilliance. Plus a lot of people brush U2 off as being 'too old.' That combined with the lack of mega hits here has meant that very few people can actually be bothered giving U2 a chance.

I don't know what went wrong... because I have even spoken to kids that haven't heard of U2. Once I was on the bus, and a girl asked what I was listening to. I said U2... then I was asked who they were! Everyone around me was silent then one girl said 'oh... they're that German group, aren't they?'

If they spent more money on advertising in these countries they choose not to visit, perhaps by the next tour they'd have more new fans. As it is, I can't see them pulling in the same numbers they did last time. I think the old fans who wouldn't go would far outnumber the new fans who did go.

I only got ATYCLB when I couldn't find an mp3 of Walk On, so all my complaints come from personal experience. :wink:


blah blah blah
 
well u2 arent exactly playing the sort of music that 15 yr olds like these days so i dont see that as a big problem.

guys, the petition thing has been done. we did it last year, got hundreds and hundreds of signatures and it got us nowhere. ive pretty much given up any hope that they will come back here.
i truly hope im wrong but the boys keep saying they wont be coming here and seem far more interested in catering to the American fans.

i too travelled over seas last year to see u2 and im very lucky, but i still feel shafted because i know so many people who are still dying to see them. it just doesnt seem right that they could leave us out like this. i also know that a lot of bigtime fans now feel pretty bitter about the whole thing which is sad.
 
U2 have played 5 shows in Asia in the 90s, all in Japan. According to Edge:

"If you're travelling vast distances with air freight, it's not viable. We don't do shows if it costs us money to play. You don't want to go someplace for the first time and show up with two speakers and a light bulb. The people might be like 'Cheapskates!' "
Source: Blender

So I have a pretty good chance of never seeing them live unless I leave this country. Damn.
 
I may just be these natty pink glasses, but

I have this feeling U2 will be playing in Australia again.
My predictions have been known to be way off, but at this stage I still feel it may happen with a new album.
They have reached a point in their career where they don't have to do anything more. Their existing body of work is phenomenal. I can even imagine conversations happening about choosing the best time to retire.
I didn't feel ripped off at all by what U2 did, during 2000-2001. That was perhaps for me, two of the most extrordinary years of my life, so to have something the quality of all That You Can't Leave Behind...and the singles, Big Girls, electrical storm !WOW!
what was happening on a very personal level, what was happening on an international level, for them and us and us and them....it was big and powerful and beautiful
imho

they'll come when they can
 
Cowgirl said:
well u2 arent exactly playing the sort of music that 15 yr olds like these days so i dont see that as a big problem.

Really? No... we're quite happy to listen to it- if we hear it. Electrical Storm has *only* been played regularly on the older-listeners station.
The problem I see is that no one pushes U2 here... so no one really cares about them much. A girl in my class who listens to rap, R&B etc. etc. suddenly started singing Elevation last week... but I doubt she could sing many others.

And of course people are going to brush U2 off as being old if they only hear them being played on Classic Hits...
 
what i meant is that most 15 yr olds seem far more interested in the throw away britneys and boy bands. i know, because im surrounded by them. u2 gets a fair amount of airplay here in australia.
do u guys get any form of JJJ in New Zealand? I heard Merrick and Rosso (2 of our djs here) saying that some of their stuff is used in NZ somewhere.
 
u2 harldey gets played here in shepparton....i've herad electical storm during the day and late at night

sometimes you get some old songs like streets during the day too.

as for the next tour, i'm saving up to go to america
 
The one cool thing about Melbourne Radio is that U2 get U2 everyday.

Usually Electrical Storm comes up between 3-5pm everyday on Nova 100 and mostly we have a U2 classis in the nights on Gold 104

Triple M needs an excuse to play U2 but usually repeats one song.I think overall U2 is doing well here. I can see 4 sell out shows in Rod Laver Arena, in the meantime www.austu2show.com is keeping us satisfied
 
Rod Laver Arena would be too small i think, more likely to have 2 sell out shows at Teltra Stadium (Colonial) , but thats just my opinoin.

i couldnt belive it the other day, we had 2 u2 songs on the radio within 2 hours of each other!! electrical & streets...i mean 2 songs from one band in that time is pretty good for our shepparton radio!!
 
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