Bono's Surgery and Tour Impact - Info & Discussion Here - Part 2 [update post #370]

[Zoo360]

oh no, how else are you going to know the shows are delayed?

Thanks for the sarcastic reply.

No shit I already know they're postponed. It would be nice if TM personally informed me about the situation with my tickets, that I paid over $200 for.

 

[daygloeyes2]

oh no, how else are you going to know the shows are delayed?

Wait, the shows are delayed?

 

[SgtBhaji]

oh no, how else are you going to know the shows are delayed?

Pigeon. Though watch out for lost feet and/or Owl strikes.

 

[last unicorn]

I live in pain, and the only thing that really helps is to be distracted by some project. It's a lot safer than drugs and makes you feel somewhat useful.
Writing can be very therapeutic.

I do agree that he should pay attention to healing, but this can be a big part of it.

I totally agree. I'm sure Bono will write. It distracts, it helps, it's indeed therapeutic. Being a writer myself I know how much it can mean to you.

And sorry to hear about your pain

Btw, that's a very nice, reassuring message from Edge.

 

[kafrun]

I love that clip with The Edge. I think he should get Bono back and do a "Day in the Life of Bono". He can start by waking him up at "Fucking half 8" as revenge.

 

[cleazer]

Just watched the video from The Edge. Great stuff. (Did his face look really red to anyone else? I think he's been on the beach a lot.) I'm glad to hear that Bono is heading home from the hospital and will soon be on the road to recovery. As bummed as I am about the postponement of the 2010/now-2011 NA Leg, I really hope he doesn't try to rush back.


Unfortunately, one thing has been annoying me:
-"oh yeah, we've been writing lots of new songs"
-"we were really going to change up the setlist"
-"new opener"
-"we wrote a brand new song for Glastonbury, I guess you all will just have to wait to hear it"
-"we were going to play a bunch of brand new songs we haven't even recorded yet"
-"you really would have enjoyed the concerts this year"
-"it would've been the bestest shows evar"



Arghhhh, quit rubbing it in my face.
I feel bad enough for Bono already, and I'm already bummed that I won't get any shows this year.


That said, I'm already looking forward to summer 2011!

 

[cleazer]

And by the way, speaking of that great video from The Edge which I really enjoyed, I really gotta give a huge thumbs up to U2 and U2.com for keeping us abreast of what's going on with this. Their efforts are greatly appreciated.

 

[paulrg]

And by the way, speaking of that great video from The Edge which I really enjoyed, I really gotta give a huge thumbs up to U2 and U2.com for keeping us abreast of what's going on with this. Their efforts are greatly appreciated.

Definitely. They have handled this very well and treated us with respect. I really feel their pain at not touring now is at least equal to ours at not seeing them - unlike many other artists who seem to view live performances as a chore and who'll drop a tour at the slightest excuse.

 

[ultraviolet87]

Dear Bono, Now that you have all spring/summer/fall for just North America next year, please please please add a Pittsburgh show. We have 2 new-ish stadiums and will have a brand new arena (sadly) by then!!! Thanks

He reads interference every day right?

 

[paulrg]

He reads interference every day right?

He does now.

 

[ramblin rose]

So weird, I don't think I've ever been charged a penalty fee unless it was within days of flight, but those were always work related so they didn't effect by bank account.

Wow, you must not get out much on planes for vacation purposes. I doubt you'd be paying what it costs to buy "refundable" airline tickets on a regular basis. The only airline in the US right now that doesn't charge a change fee for a non-refundable tickets is Southwest. Most airlines offer "risk-free cancellation" policies but all that allows is being able to cancel the ticket with 24 hours of purchase. Just curious when was the last time you tried to change a plane ticket? What airline charges the fee based on how close the travel date was?

Airline Cancellation Fees and Penalties Are a Big Business - WSJ.com

 

[ultraviolet87]

Well i hope if he is gonna kill time, he does it by writing songs not by reading interference haha.

 

[BVS]

Wow, you must not get out much on planes for vacation purposes. I doubt you'd be paying what it costs to buy "refundable" airline tickets on a regular basis. The only airline in the US right now that doesn't charge a change fee for a non-refundable tickets is Southwest. Most airlines offer "risk-free cancellation" policies but all that allows is being able to cancel the ticket with 24 hours of purchase. Just curious when was the last time you tried to change a plane ticket? What airline charges the fee based on how close the travel date was?

Airline Cancellation Fees and Penalties Are a Big Business - WSJ.com

Well I do travel Southwest A LOT. And the last time I did a personal cancellation on any other airline was Delta who I had quite a miles status with and they just gave me credit, but that's been awhile.

 

[last unicorn]

Look, it doesn't take much for others to cancel/postpone a tour:

Singer Christina Aguilera cancels summer tour - Yahoo! News



"Oh, I decided I wanted to work on some other project instead and the tour is kind of getting in the way, so why not postpone it for a year?"

Let's be glad we're U2 fans.

 

[coolian2]

Look, it doesn't take much for others to cancel/postpone a tour:

Singer Christina Aguilera cancels summer tour - Yahoo! News



"Oh, I decided I wanted to work on some other project instead and the tour is kind of getting in the way, so why not postpone it for a year?"

Let's be glad we're U2 fans.

i don't really think anyone here is seriously complaining about why u2 postponed the dates, i can't see much point in bringing this up.



as lame as it may be.

 

[ramblin rose]

Well I do travel Southwest A LOT. And the last time I did a personal cancellation on any other airline was Delta who I had quite a miles status with and they just gave me credit, but that's been awhile.

I'm still not clear on your original statement then. Southwest doesn't charge fees based on how close the trip is. What airline does this? I'm really curious. I travel domestically and internationally probably 15-20 times a year and I'd be curious to know which airlines these are.

 

[ramblin rose]

Here's an article from billboard.

Bono’s Surgery: What's The Financial Hit?

By Ray Waddell, Nashville

U2’s 360 North American leg is now officially postponed, putting the brakes on the band’s march to claiming the highest-grossing tour in history. The eight-week minimum recovery/rehab time doctors say Bono needs for his recent back surgery meant scrapping the 16-show run, which was to begin June 3 in Salt Lake City and wrap July 19 at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J. Now it looks like U2 will crank up 360 again in Turin, Italy, on Aug. 6.

“Basically the timeline of eight weeks takes you pretty close to what would have been North America, so the decision was and is to postpone America and look to restart in Europe as scheduled,” says Arthur Fogel, CEO of global touring for Live Nation Entertainment. More than 1 million tickets had been sold for the 16 shows, worth more than $100 million in box office revenue. Last year, 360 grossed more than $311 million and sold more than 3 million tickets, according to Billboard Boxscore. Year two would have taken the tour toward $600 million in box office, topping the $558 million generated by the Rolling Stones’ 2005-2007 Bigger Bang tour. As for the financial impact of the postponement, Fogel says it is “way to soon to make that assessment. There are any number of areas of financial impact on something like this, and it’s obviously a different scenario when you cancel something versus reschedule something. I’m confident we can put back things to where there is not severe financial impact. I think one thing that has been proven historically about U2 as a band is first and foremost they always want to put things back in place for their fans and fulfill the shows that they’re committed to. I’m sure we’ll figure it out.”

Considering the massive inconvenience and not insignificant (but insured) costs of scrapping the transportation plans and coordination of the most complex touring production ever launched, Live Nation will not likely face a huge financial hit on its 2010 books, if indeed the tour continues as planned next year. While one-off dates like Glastonbury cannot be rescheduled (at least not for this year), revenue from tickets already sold is in the bank and the production costs of actually mounting and moving
these shows is now deferred until next year. Ancillary income from merchandise sold at these 16 shows, though, will have to wait.

Asked when U2 might return to North America next year, Fogel says the team is not yet sure. “Suffice to say we’re working feverishly to come up with the best option and put it in place and give an update to ticket holders as soon as humanly possible,” he says. “It’s a disappointment for a lot of people, but the important thing is for Bono to have the time he needs to recover and then we go forward.”

The European tour ends Oct. 8 in Rome, but beginning in North America in the fall would have brought its own set of issues, weather chief among them. So the decision was made to extend the tour into next year, which had already been discussed before the current developments, but not finalized, Fogel says. “Needless to say at this point we’re looking at all kinds of different scenarios,” he says.

These are not uncharted waters for Fogel. U2’s 2005-2007 Vertigo tour had to postpone an Asia/Pacific leg for a time as a result of an illness in guitarist the Edge’s family. That tour went on to gross $389 million, currently third all time. “It all worked out in the end, and the most important part was everybody was fine and healthy,” Fogel says of Vertigo. “It’s the intersection of life and entertainment. You do what you do, you sort it out, and make it all work in the end.”

 

[last unicorn]

i don't really think anyone here is seriously complaining about why u2 postponed the dates, i can't see much point in bringing this up.



as lame as it may be.

Do you see me complaining about complaining? No, because I'm not.

In fact I think fans' reactions here and on other boards have been seriously great

I just stumbled across that article an thought that it's pretty pathetic to cancel a tour because of that.

 

[BVS]

I'm still not clear on your original statement then. Southwest doesn't charge fees based on how close the trip is. What airline does this? I'm really curious. I travel domestically and internationally probably 15-20 times a year and I'd be curious to know which airlines these are.

My old job I travelled A LOT, and the only time I remember them charging me fees is if the cancellation was within 48 hours(or whatever their cutoff was) of the scheduled flight.

Which makes sense, it's easier to resell that seat if you had two weeks rather than 2 days. But like I said, this has been awhile... Knock on wood I haven't had to cancel a flight in a long time.

 

[ramblin rose]

My old job I travelled A LOT, and the only time I remember them charging me fees is if the cancellation was within 48 hours(or whatever their cutoff was) of the scheduled flight.

Which makes sense, it's easier to resell that seat if you had two weeks rather than 2 days. But like I said, this has been awhile... Knock on wood I haven't had to cancel a flight in a long time.

Well, times have changed. Other than Southwest, you'll be charged about $150 to change a ticket (even if it's only one way) as long the date of the flight hasn't passed, at which time you would lose the entire ticket and you'll only be able to use the fare (less the change fee) for a year after the original ticket was issued, not the original flight date.

 

[coolian2]

Do you see me complaining about complaining? No, because I'm not.

In fact I think fans' reactions here and on other boards have been seriously great

I just stumbled across that article an thought that it's pretty pathetic to cancel a tour because of that.

and the sun continues to shine out of bono's arse.

 

[BVS]

Well, times have changed. Other than Southwest, you'll be charged about $150 to change a ticket (even if it's only one way) as long the date of the flight hasn't passed, at which time you would lose the entire ticket and you'll only be able to use the fare (less the change fee) for a year after the original ticket was issued, not the original flight date.

Damn, that's steep. I'm glad I use SW as much as I can...

 

[BVS]

and the sun continues to shine out of bono's arse.

I think this is what lead to his back problems.

 

[coolian2]

I think this is what lead to his back problems.

it's quite the cross to bear. can't be good for his posture either.

 

[Edge_Orchestra]

Damn, that's steep. I'm glad I use SW as much as I can...

My flights, hotel and rental car were through Priceline. Might not do that again after the Customer NO-Service.

For my Oakland flight, they said "sure we can rebook but there will be a $150 fee". Ummm... The flight itself was around $150. So really, they are doing nothing to help so much.

It is what it is. And in the case of the travel issues - it sort of sucks.

But to me, just glad to hear that Bono is okay and should recover with time. That is what is most important.

 

[KhanadaRhodes]

My flights, hotel and rental car were through Priceline. Might not do that again after the Customer NO-Service.

For my Oakland flight, they said "sure we can rebook but there will be a $150 fee". Ummm... The flight itself was around $150. So really, they are doing nothing to help so much.

It is what it is. And in the case of the travel issues - it sort of sucks.

But to me, just glad to hear that Bono is okay and should recover with time. That is what is most important.

priceline says all over their site everything's non-refundable. it's a trade-off for getting such great deals for flights, etc.

 

[mirrorballman]

So I guess we won't see Bono playing any "guitar" during the coming leg?

 

[last unicorn]

and the sun continues to shine out of bono's arse.

Good to see people are getting back to their usual form here on the forum after some days of shock.

So I guess we won't see Bono playing any "guitar" during the coming leg?

Why not? I guess letting him "play" guitar prevents him from running and jumping around too much.

Maybe they'll have a special ergonomic guitar designed just for him.

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

it's an understood risk when you use priceline or any of these discount ticket sellers that if something happens you're gonna be screwed... which is why a lot of them offer travel insurance for a fee, which of course none of us take.

most hotels if you book thru the hotel's website self have 24 hour cancelations with no fee. the airline tickets are the bitch of it all...

but honestly... any money lost because of this should be a "fuck" moment, not a "i'm fucked" moment. it should suck that you lost hard earned money and nothing more. maybe you have to not go out for a couple of weeks or something. but if you're spending your money on tickets, planes and hotels to the point where if you're out the money from this you're going to be struggling to get by for a few weeks (or longer) then you probably need to readjust your priorities in life.

if you spent all your extra money on this and now would have to sink into debt or put your family in a bad financial situation because of this... don't fucking spend the money again!

 

[coolian2]

Good to see people are getting back to their usual form here on the forum after some days of shock.

some people i didn't change, they i just posted less.