If You Could Ask U2 One Question....

[BVS]

If people are not aware, U2 is planning to invest millions into creating a temporary open air stadium in Montreal for two concerts in July and then have the stadium torn down afterwards. I would love to ask them how and why they came up with this idea and if they are planning to film the concerts.

Is this a joke, or do you have some kind of link to an article?

 

[bono_212]

Is this a joke, or do you have some kind of link to an article?

I didn't ask because I'm so out of the U2 loop I figured I missed this one, but no one else has heard of such an asinine act either?

 

[Elann]

I would ask what was so funny about the beachball

 

[Rob33]

I would probably choose a handful of performances...specific performances, and ask them to sit down as a band and listen to them...it would be very beneficial.

 

[u2best]

If it'll be a question they will HAVE to answer seriously it's an easy one.


Why hasn't Acrobat ever been tried live?


I don't want any bullshit about Edge meditating in a tree, I want the real answer.

Why they are a lazy, unfortunately

 

[MikeyJB]

What really went on backstage during those October days? I'm quite sure Courtney Love's anecdotes portray them in a certain light and I'm willing to bet there was a fair amount of decadence in that 1981-1982 period that they did well to keep underwraps.

How old would Courtney Love have been then?

 

[last unicorn]

Why they are a lazy, unfortunately

No, they're not. Maybe they are just not so much obsessed with that song like many fans are. Personaly, I don't think the song would work out live.

My question: What's your favourite food and when do you have time to visit me so I can cook it for you?

Seriously, I think I'd have most questions for Bono, about art, his songwriting, his political work, his belief, about literature and poetry, many things. I'd love to sit down with him and have a talk, even if that meant that he'd do most of the talking. And I'd ask him what his favourite sort of wine is.

 

[God Part III]

"How much do I have to pay you in order to hear Your Blue Room at either concert in Horsens next year?"

 

[Galeongirl]

I didn't ask because I'm so out of the U2 loop I figured I missed this one, but no one else has heard of such an asinine act either?

Even though my bullshit detector went off, I wasn't sure if I missed something either.

And I'd want to ask them if they're planning on playing ES again. That way I'll know whether or not to get my hopes up of ever hearing that song live.

 

[Drea]

I didn't ask because I'm so out of the U2 loop I figured I missed this one, but no one else has heard of such an asinine act either?

Why is it asinine? It's true by the way, U2 is rebuilding and adding to the Hippodrome in Montreal for the July 16th and 17th shows - afterwards that area's being turned into a development property or something like that.

ETA: If you don't believe me you can google "U2 Hippodrome Montreal" - there's been news articles about it though I imagine people who aren't going to the show would've noticed/been interested in them...

 

[corianderstem]

How old would Courtney Love have been then?

Old enough. She was born in 1964.

 

[mikal]

to the people who don't like my "death" question, don't act like you've never thought about it. jerkbags.

 

[ramblin rose]

Is this a joke, or do you have some kind of link to an article?

I didn't ask because I'm so out of the U2 loop I figured I missed this one, but no one else has heard of such an asinine act either?

Even though my bullshit detector went off, I wasn't sure if I missed something either.

I thought this was pretty common knowledge.

GILLETT ENTERTAINMENT GROUP | U2 360 degrees TOUR announces a Montreal first! Friday, July 16, 2010 at the Montreal Hippodrome

http://www.montrealgazette.com/life/play+Montreal+Hippodrome+July+2010/2228638/story.html

MONTREAL – It’s confirmed: U2 will play Montreal on July 16.

The band will perform on the polo field at the Montreal Hippodrome, kicking in $3 million for the construction of a temporary open-air stadium to fit 60,000 to 80,000 people.

It is the only date for which U2 is not performing in a pre-existing stadium, not to mention fronting the cost of building one.

“It’s unprecedented,” said Jacques Aubé, vice-president and general manager of promoter Gillett Entertainment Group.

“It’s historic. It will be the biggest paid show in an open-air stadium in Montreal.

“After the concert, the stadium will be demolished and (the site) will become a real estate project.”

The fact that the band is building a new venue to play here is a testament to its love of Montreal, Aubé said.

But it’s also a testament to the grand scale on which a monolithic rock band such as U2 can afford to operate. Tossing in $3 million to build a stadium for a night (or maybe two – don’t discount the possibility that a second show could be added once the first one sells out, as happened in Toronto in September) is the privilege of the mighty, and wealthy. But you can bet the band is also getting bang for its buck.

Do the math and it’s easy to see that this is a money-making enterprise. Tickets for the show cost $30 to $250. Average that out to, say, $90 per ticket, with 70,000 tickets sold, and you’ve got a cool $6.3 million.

Comparable-sized shows on U2’s tour have earned between $5 and $7.5 million each in ticket sales, according to Wikipedia, citing Billboard Boxscore for its numbers; the band’s Oct. 28 show before 64,000 people in Vancouver pulled in $5.7 million, according to the site.

That’s not counting beer, food, merchandise and spinoff CD sales. Aubé said the event would inject $10 million into the Montreal economy, not counting revenues from the concert itself.

But while nobody’s working for free here, U2 is apparently doing its best to make this affordable to everyone: 55 per cent of the tickets cost less than $55, Gillett said Monday, and 85 per cent of tickets will cost $95 or less.

This despite the fact that 55 per cent of the total show budget is going toward labour costs for the building and dismantling of the site, according to Gillett. That’s a big overhead. (But, it must be noted, if the band adds a second show, that percentage goes down – with the stage already built, there’s a lot more profit coming in.)

The building of the giant stage alone – not counting the $3 million for the Montreal stadium – costs $750,000 in labour per show, according to canoe.ca, which reported that despite all the sellout crowds, U2 didn’t actually begin to pull a profit on the tour until the first North American leg ended last month.

U2 sold out every date on the tour’s first leg, which started June 30 in Barcelona and wrapped in Vancouver, seeing the band play to over 3 million fans in 44 cities and pulling in over $311 million in ticket sales alone.

While it is ostensibly called the 360° tour because of the panoramic view of the stage, the title could also be a reference to the band’s 12-year deal with promoter Live Nation. Live Nation’s 360 deals with Jay-Z and Madonna include ticket sales, merchandise, online revenues, publishing, endorsements, DVD rights and more. But U2’s contract with Live Nation is not technically a 360 deal, as it does not include publishing and the band has retained its label, Universal.

Gillett and Live Nation have been working on the possibility of a Montreal date for months. The biggest problem was finding a venue big enough to host the show (including the 150-foot-wide stage, featuring a massive steel spider-like structure) and complying with U2’s request for an open-air stadium.

The Olympic Stadium’s roof is not retractable; Jean Drapeau Park is too small; even the Hippodrome wasn’t big enough originally, which led to talks of constructing a venue specifically for the event. The temporary stadium will take two months to build and one month to strike.

“C’est assez flyé comme idée,” Aubé said. (Rough translation: “It’s a pretty wild idea.”)

The last time U2 was in town was in November 2005. The band performed two sold-out nights at the Bell Centre, with opening act Arcade Fire.

This is U2’s first North American stadium tour since 1997’s Popmart tour. Apparently Bono and his boys still have something to prove.

U2 performs July 16 at the Hippodrome. Tickets cost $30 to $250 and go on sale Saturday at noon. Call 514-790-2525 or go to www.geg.ca.

 

[Galeongirl]

What a waste of money

 

[digitize]

What a waste of money

It's their money to waste.

And I think it's pretty awesome.

 

[Katiesheb]

I thought this was pretty common knowledge.

GILLETT ENTERTAINMENT GROUP | U2 360 degrees TOUR announces a Montreal first! Friday, July 16, 2010 at the Montreal Hippodrome

http://www.montrealgazette.com/life/play+Montreal+Hippodrome+July+2010/2228638/story.html

Thanks for posting! I couldn't get the Montreal Gazette article to open on my computer!

 

[Katiesheb]

It's their money to waste.

And I think it's pretty awesome.

It is awesome!!! I am counting down the days until the concert in Montreal! A stadium made for U2 fans!

 

[JoRu]

Why hasn't Red Hill Mining Town been played live before?

Seriously, it'd be perfectly fine for me that they drop it 1/2 or 1 step down to make it work. I want to hear that song live, it would be wonderful.

 

[VintagePunk]

What a waste of money

They'll recoup it, playing two nights to 160,000 people.

They're not building a structure or anything. The money is probably just going toward installing temporary seating and preparing the grounds. At least that's my understanding.

Eta - by my very rough calculation, they stand to make over $18,000,000. So, they're investing 3 million to make 6 times that.

 

[RedRocksU2]

My question for the band?

"Do you know how fucked up your website is?"

 

[powerhour24]

I would ask what was so funny about the beachball

Am I really the only one who thought that was hilarious?

I'd ask about why they feel insecure with new material in the past decade ago, where'd the fearlessness behind the 90's releases go, the creativity is still there, but not that confidence.

 

[MrsSpringsteen]

I'd send Bono into a soundproof booth and ask the other three to tell me all the truthful/really embarrassing stories about him

 

[Mrs. Garrison]

Bono: What is it like when you first walk out onstage in front of 80,000 rabid fans and you have a spaceship over your head and you launch into the opening song? What is it like when you hit that perfect high note and your voice just soars, with Edge doing his thing, Adam and Larry too. How does that feel..what compares to that? You spend a lot of time looking out at your audience while performing, do you ever see anyone out there or anything that scares you? I would like to go and get drunk with you and then go ride in a car....that would be a hoot.

Edge: Did you really discover the secret of the universe? Are you pissed that you lost it? What is it like for you when you are blowing the roof off of arenas? What about open air stadiums...when you are broadcasting out to the heavens? Do you ever think that God is listening? Maybe God told you to build all of those houses on the side of a California mountain...i dont blame you btw....its your money fuck 'em if they dont like it

Adam: You certainly seem like you had more fun than the other guys, what really happened....do tell? All of this talk about "God walking through the room" during certain songs, in the studio, etc. Is this true? From the perspective of someone who supposedly is not as religious as the other guys, how do you recognize God walking through the room during recording sessions?

Larry: what's it like when your drum kit spins around during a couple of songs on the 360 Tour...do you get dizzy? Are you really in as good of shape as you appear....what is your secret? How is your back? Ever regret forming the band? Ever read the stuff posted about you in PLEBA

Paul McGuinness: Do you remember some drunken idiot coming up to you in Atlanta back in 2001 and asking you to please bring your traveling circus to Oklahoma? (yeah that was me) Thank you for playing in Norman Oklahoma last fall...people here are still talking about that show....how great it was, etc. I would love to ask you to do it again but i may have used up all of my favors for this lifetime. Maybe just....release some more shit. We will all eat it up like cheap booze and easy sex. Cheers mate.

 

[Galeongirl]

They'll recoup it, playing two nights to 160,000 people.

They're not building a structure or anything. The money is probably just going toward installing temporary seating and preparing the grounds. At least that's my understanding.

Eta - by my very rough calculation, they stand to make over $18,000,000. So, they're investing 3 million to make 6 times that.

I just don't get why they spend the money in the first place. Does Montreal have no existing stadiums they can use?

 

[Drea]

I just don't get why they spend the money in the first place. Does Montreal have no existing stadiums they can use?

None that are safe - Olympic Stadium has been falling apart for years (including the roof, IIRC), you'd be risking peoples' lives holding anything there...

The stadium where the Alouettes (Montreal's CFL team) play is too small, and there's not really any other location big enough to hold the Claw - as it says in the article that Rose posted.

 

[Purplereign]

Why hasn't Acrobat ever been tried live?


I don't want any bullshit about Edge meditating in a tree, I want the real answer.

Why don't you play more shows in Australia?

with big fat sparkly bits on top

I'd ask Adam if Naomi is a top root.

My question for the band?

"Do you know how fucked up your website is?"

no original questions from me just yet . . . *needsmorethinkingtime*

 

[nielsgov]

I thought this was pretty common knowledge.

GILLETT ENTERTAINMENT GROUP | U2 360 degrees TOUR announces a Montreal first! Friday, July 16, 2010 at the Montreal Hippodrome

http://www.montrealgazette.com/life/play+Montreal+Hippodrome+July+2010/2228638/story.html

Cool.

 

[U2BROTHR]

I know EXACTLY what I'm going to ask them.

Bono....is it "Ultra - Violet........or is it Ultra Violet Light" ?

and I plan on asking when I see him in Toronto.

 

[Tinwal]

Do the band ever feel that production and effects dictate the setlists? Isn't this a pain in the arse for a musician doing more or less the same show, night after night?

 

[Galeongirl]

Do the band ever feel that production and effects dictate the setlists? Isn't this a pain in the arse for a musician doing more or less the same show, night after night?

I can answer that second question for you.

No. Because it's not more or less the same show. Each show is different.