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Oh My Goodness it looks like something from the docks at a shipyard.
Peace
*We CAN bomb the World to pieces, but we CAN'T bomb it into PEACE*...Michael Franti
*MUSIC IS the expression of EMOTION.....and that POLITICS IS merely the DECOY of PERCEPTION*
.....song_Music & Politics....Michael Franti
*The scientists of today think deeply instead of clearly. One must be sane to think clearly, but one can think deeply and be quite INSANE*....Nikola Tesla(a man who shaped our world of electricity with his futuristic inventions)
EDGE: 'LUMINOUS TIMES' WOULD BE 'FUN'
May 14, 2009
posted by: m2
Please sit down before reading. Kthx. By now, it's possibly the No. 1
question on every U2 fan's mind: What songs will U2 play on tour this
year? Edge shares some possible answers in the new issue of Rolling
Stone (with Green Day on the cover). Here's a snippet shared with us
by @U2 Forum member, "The Exile."
RS: "What will the set lists be like?"
Edge: "We're talking about resurrecting songs we haven't played in a
long time. I have a list of every U2 song -- some I can't remember
anymore -- even some of the B-sides that we've never played live. We
were thinking how much fun it would be to play something like
'Luminous Times.' Certain songs from the last couple of tours, we may
not play again. We want to find songs that feel fresh and valid."
RS: "How are the new songs shaping up live?"
Edge: "We'll play about half the album, and having played some in TV
appearances, we know these songs translate well live. There's a few
that will be up there with our best-ever live songs. Some of them we
really have to rework -- 'Crazy Tonight' was a very keyboard oriented
song on the album, but I took it to the guitar live, and it sounds
great...."
Edge also says he "wouldn't rule out" singing lead on a song, and when
Rolling Stone suggests "Numb," Edge promises to add it to the list of
possibilities. Use the link to talk about all this in our forum.
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THE CLAW: MOVING PICTURES
May 15, 2009
posted by: m2
You've seen the still photos, now how about some moving pictures of
"the claw"? @U2 reader Greg and a few friends shot about a minute of
video at the StageCo facility in Werchter, Belgium, and have put it on
YouTube.
Greg says they plan to go back this weekend when it's not "raining
cats and dogs."
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NOT such a beautiful day for seasoned rockers U2 - their latest single
has become the lads' biggest flop in TWO DECADES . . . it didn't even
make the Top 40!
Despite being the standout track on their new album, Magnificent had a
chart performance that was anything but (sorry BONO).
It only managed to limp in to No 42 thanks to its paltry 5,157 copies
being sold and downloaded.
I don't mean to sound dramatic, folks, but that's a commercial
disaster of epic proportions that would send lesser bands to the
scrapheap.
The tune becomes their lowest single in 22 years, since God's Country
hit number 48 in 1987. Sadly, for Bono and THE EDGE, new album No Line
On The Horizon did no better - it was their worst-selling in the
band's long history.
Bet Bono wishes he could hide Where The Streets Have No Name.
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As promised, Greg and friends went back to Stageco in Belgium today
and found much better weather, not to mention "the claw," fully
upright and towering high above the nearby buildings. There's a still
photo we've put on Flickr (thx Dirk) and Greg put this video on
YouTube for the world to see:
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Het Nieuwsblad: U2's monster stage erected in Werchter
Belgian company builds `The Claw' on Brabantian soil
May 19, 2009
Important visitors have come to Werchter. They've come from London to watch a Belgian company scaffolding the brand new stage for U2, ready to tour the world and give Bono a roof over his head. "He can rest assured."
It was a strange sight on May 18th for the inhabitants of Werchter. Or, more precisely: a looming sight. For, near the Werchter church, an iron colossus of about 30 meters high arises. It is the final test build of the new U2 stage, dubbed "The Claw" by the band. The Claw, to which video screens will be secured before and during live shows, will for the first time be visible in its full glory in Barcelona. On June 30, Bono and Co. will kick off their prestigious world tour there.
But for now, it is the Belgian company Stageco that provides one of the world's biggest groups with a stage setup. "The design for the new U2 stage is, with regards to load capacity and weight, the biggest we've received so far," said Tom Bilsen of Stageco. Even so, the stage building company has been the provider for the biggest artists: from Robbie Williams to the Stones. The creator of the 360-degree design for U2's new tour was veteran Willie Williams, and the London-based Mark Fisher bureau passed the plans along to Stageco in Tildonk. The necessary space to erect the test build was found in Werchter.
"We started building about three weeks ago," Bilsen explained. Now the thing is bigger than an average house. "It measures 40 by 60 meters. Yes, it's impressive. And I should add that we'll have to build two more copies of the whole thing, because a total of three stages will be driven around the world in some 50 trucks." It'll be necessary, as U2 plays Berlin on July 18, and scarcely two days later a new claw will have to be showing off in the Amsterdam Arena.
The claw will have screens and boxes suspended from it and will have its feet among the audience. It's designed to guarantee an optimal view for each fan in each stadium, the Koning Boudewijn stadium in Brussels in 2010 among others. Before that time comes, Stageco wants to make sure Bono will have a safe roof over his head. "That's why the stage in Werchter will be overburdened with weight," Bilsen concluded. "Not to make it collapse, but to take the weight of the screens and boxes into account."
For a few days longer, Werchter will remain in the Claw's grip. After that, low-rise buildings will once again reign in Flemish Brabant.
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Considering I haven't been following the band closely like I did till the early 90's. I had 3 wrong: The question of who sang on a song, the high school question and the model on the cover of Vogue.
Peace
*We CAN bomb the World to pieces, but we CAN'T bomb it into PEACE*...Michael Franti
*MUSIC IS the expression of EMOTION.....and that POLITICS IS merely the DECOY of PERCEPTION*
.....song_Music & Politics....Michael Franti
*The scientists of today think deeply instead of clearly. One must be sane to think clearly, but one can think deeply and be quite INSANE*....Nikola Tesla(a man who shaped our world of electricity with his futuristic inventions)
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THE CLAW GETS A VIDEO SCREEN
June 10, 2009
posted by: m2
Fans on U2 East Link have posted new photos of the Claw's construction
from Wednesday, and there's a lot going on: the video screen is being
installed, speakers are in, and there's stuff being built at the other
end of the stadium pitch, too. Use the link for lots of great pix!
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That looks pretty impressive and very expensive to setup and build.
Peace
*We CAN bomb the World to pieces, but we CAN'T bomb it into PEACE*...Michael Franti
*MUSIC IS the expression of EMOTION.....and that POLITICS IS merely the DECOY of PERCEPTION*
.....song_Music & Politics....Michael Franti
*The scientists of today think deeply instead of clearly. One must be sane to think clearly, but one can think deeply and be quite INSANE*....Nikola Tesla(a man who shaped our world of electricity with his futuristic inventions)
i only got 18 correct =\ but i guess that's good enough since i only got into them last month :P i'm still learning!
oh and i saw this movie at the sydney film festival, it might get loud, it's coming out in america this year i believe, not sure about other countries though. it's about the history of the electric guitar and features Jimmy Page, Jack White, and The Edge. it was really cool and featured some really old video of u2 that was mildly painful/funny :P but other than that it was still interesting, especially seeing Jack White make a guitar from simple materials and watching a pre-pubescent James Page play skiffle.
and i still need a GA ticket to a NY show con sarnnit!
Intro to=>
Magnificent
City Of Blinding lights
Get on Your Boots
Elevation
Beautiful Day
Breathe
I Still Have'nt Found What I'm Looking For
Unforgettable fire
Drowning Man
In a little while
Unknown Caller
Moment of Surrender
The Unforgettable Fire
City Of Blinding lights (again)
Pride
MLK
Where The Streets Have No Name
Ultraviolet
Vertigo
With or without you
I'll Go Cray If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight
No Line On The Horizon
From U2france.com (via email)
The unforgettable fire
City of blinding lights
Magnificent
Get on yout boots
Elevation
Beautiful day
I still haven´t found what I´m looking for
Drowning man
Breathe
In a little while
Angel of Harlem + Suspicious minds
Unknown caller
The unforgettable fire
City of blinding lights
Pride (in the name of love)
MLK
Where the streets have no name (quelle suprise)
Ultraviolet
With or without you
Vertigo
I´ll go crazy if I don´t go crazy tonight
No line on the horizon
Moment of surrender
Post edited by Bathgate66 on
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i wonder why unforgettable fire and blinding lights twice....prbably just for rehearsal....either way stocked about them adding it the tour ulraviolet is also a plus
i wonder why unforgettable fire and blinding lights twice....prbably just for rehearsal....either way stocked about them adding it the tour ulraviolet is also a plus
unforgettable fire ? :shock:
i dont know but im happy to hear theyre breaking this gem out.
love it.
and anythin off of achtung cant be bad.
so cruel, boys>?
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- Intro
- Breathe
- No Line On The Horizon
- Get On Your Boots
- Magnificent
- Beautiful Day with some sort of celtic intro
- I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For + unknown snippet
- Drowning Man
- Bad (!!!)
- Ultraviolet
- Vertigo
- Walk On
- The Unforgettable Fire
They're also talking about City Of Blinding Lights and Even Better Than The Real Thing (Perfecto Mix with Bono singing), but I don't understand if they were actually played.
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SPOILER ALERT: JUNE 23 REHEARSAL SET LIST
June 23, 2009
posted by: m2
Looks like U2 has just wrapped up today's rehearsal at Nou Camp in
Barcelona, and today's run through appears to have included a few new
songs that haven't been practiced in the past week. Thanks to
U2EastLink.com, we've put today's song list in the @U2 forum. Use the
link...
If God will send his angels
Drowning man
Sometimes you can't make it on your own
Sometimes you can't make it on your own (snippet, linked with) / Bad (incomplete)
Walk on
Walk on (instrumental)
Desmond Tutu speech
Ultraviolet
Where the streets have no name
Unknown song, reportedly sounded like chords from Seconds
I'll go crazy if I don't go crazy tonight (remix)
Pride (in the name of love)
(break)
Breathe
No line on the horizon
Get on your boots
Magnificent
Beautiful day
I still haven't found what I'm looking for
In a little while + Rocket man (snippet)
Unknown caller
The unforgettable fire + Strangers in the night (snippet)
City of blinding ligths
Vertigo
I'll go crazy if I don't go crazy tonight (remix)
Pride (in the name of love)
MLK
Walk on
Where the streets have no name
One
Ultraviolet
With or without you
Moment of surrender
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i wonder why unforgettable fire and blinding lights twice....prbably just for rehearsal....either way stocked about them adding it the tour ulraviolet is also a plus
Might be trying to get a feel for where the fit better in the set as well.
Unforgettable Fire live will be awesome to hear again.
And Drowning Man...wonder what precipitated that nugget being resurrected.
Now if they'd just play Acrobat...just once...in Foxboro...
THE CLAW (and SCREEN) ON SPANISH TV
June 26, 2009
posted by: m2
Thanks to U2Spain.es for telling us about a couple videos of The Claw
and its video screen on Spanish TV. Here's a link to a silent clip
that shows various shots around Nou Camp stadium.
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In U2's Grasp
Irish Rock band tours the world using revolutionary stage
June 27, 2009
By Peter Vantyghem
Next Tuesday, U2 will kick off its 360° Tour in Barcelona. The stage design has been kept strictly secret so far, but we received a foretaste. And believe us -- once again, it shifts boundaries and, moreover, includes an important Flemish contribution.
Chuck Hoberman happily admits he has arrived in another world. This is not the California Museum of Science and Industry, where his "expanding hypar" is located, nor is it the dome of the world expo in Hannover which he designed. This is U2.
What do the world's biggest rock band and this thin, grey-haired man have to do with each other? "I can listen to U2's music," he says carefully. "But in reality, I'm not really a music person. I'm a more visually oriented person."
Few people know his name, but everyone knows one of his creations. Chuck Hoberman is the inventor of the "Hoberman Sphere," a spherical structure measuring 15 to 30 cm in diameter which can be expanded and collapsed. It is a wonderful kinetic work of art of which the toy version sold millions of copies.
Hoberman is a guest at the Antwerp Sportpaleis as one of the four members of the "dream team" designing the new U2 show that premiers in Barcelona on Tuesday. Hoberman is the only member of the team who has never worked with the group before. "This project places my work in a totally different context," he says. "It is more spectacular than anything I've done before."
We're having a look at the piece of artistry that wouldn't have existed without his inventions. Slowly the ellipse-shaped video screen expands, from 6 meters when folded to 22 meters when fully extended. A 22-meter-deep video screen with a diameter of 24 meters, that will be traveling the world with U2 and taking the next step in the history of live entertainment.
The "chips bag" is what they call the screen. It hangs from the top of a "coffee table" and will have a "cigar" in the middle. But those are names the dream team uses and which will perhaps never be used publicly. The ambition is, after all, to not put the innovating show itself but its patrons, U2, in the spotlight.
Video
No band has changed the sight of live entertainment as much as the Irish super group U2. When the band played the Torhout-Werchter festival in 1982 and singer Bono stole the show by climbing onto the stage scaffolding, nothing indicated that a groundbreaking top band would grow out of this little group.
One of the men behind the scenes at the time was Willie Williams. He was 22 years old and a great fan of punk music. His favorite band, Stiff Little Fingers, had just called it quits, but Williams had stumbled upon U2, who accepted his services as a light engineer.
What did he see in them? "There was energy in that band, they were attracting me. U2 had a fresh sound, but didn't think about the longer term." Williams took control of the concert direction and has left his mark on every U2 tour since. "I am the director. I need to guide the band and show them new paths to take. I've been doing that for 27 years. Creatively, we grew up together. Every time we took a new step together, it was a first for all of us."
The Briton directed eight world tours for U2 and worked with REM and The Rolling Stones, among others. He is the brains behind the Zoo TV and Popmart tours, which pushed the look of concerts in a new direction. After Zoo TV, no one worked without video anymore.
In 2005, Williams began thinking of a new revolution. The Vertigo tour went well, but didn't really offer anything new. He noticed how other bands, like Nine Inch Nails, were experimenting with new stage designs. "I started thinking about what could follow the use of video. The problem is that you can't just detach your mind from that which you know already. What if we were to try to bring the audience together more, I thought. In a venue it works if you place the stage in the middle. But if you do that outside, you won't have a roof to hang the sound and lighting equipment on. That made it difficult to find an aesthetically good concept."
Two influences helped him. He is fascinated by the ambiance of soccer matches, where the audience is sitting around the action. And at the opera festival of Bregenz he'd seen a fixed stage structure in the lake, which everyone was watching in awe before the show started, but which was totally forgotten during the spectacle itself. That was what he wanted.
Williams found the solution when he was touring in New Zealand with U2. "We had to let go of our traditional view on what a stage is and construct something in the middle of the stadium which is so big, that it would, as it were, be part of the stadium itself. A sort of four-legged table, like the bottom half of the Eiffel Tower, taking up the whole playing field of the stadium and which has everything hanging from it."
Revolutionary
When U2 embark on a world tour, many people get a call years beforehand. Hedwig De Meyer, owner of the stage building company Stageco, traveled to New Zealand immediately and understood the mission. But architect Mark Fisher had to get in action especially. He drew the sketches for the "coffee table" in 2006 and got the green light immediately.
Fisher is a phlegmatic Briton who finished college as an architect in 1971, but said goodbye to that field. He made history by designing Pink Floyd's 1977 Animals Tour in a time when stage design didn't exist yet. For 30 years he has been a figurehead in that world, working on productions like The Wall (Pink Floyd), mega shows of Jean-Michel Jarre and Tina Turner, three Stones tours and shows for Cirque du Soleil.
"What it shouldn't look like was a classic rock show, with the stage at the front," he said, explaining the challenge. And we wanted to be revolutionary again. That is normal: I did Popmart and after that they wanted something different. Back to the essence, you know. That is a typical game of action and reaction. That's how Elevation and Vertigo followed. But regarding the size, it's like ZooTV and Popmart again this time."
The challenge also involved overcoming practical difficulties. "Everything needs to be able to be built up and stripped down fast to enable transportation. The coffee table weighs 180 tonnes. To transport the raw, steel structure, 40 trucks are needed. And then you need to think of everything that hangs from it: sound, light, screens, sheets. A single concert could easily need 80 trucks."
There was another challenge waiting for Fisher. Once the coffee table was installed, with a stage below it, how would the people be able to see U2? Video screens were necessary, but the size of the coffee table proved a big problem: every screen would block the sight of the audience at the other side.
Fisher: "At first we considered working without screens. But you know, this kind of project isn't done by just one person. At the time, I worked with Chuck Hoberman, whose adjustable structures looked interesting for use in architecture. Willie knew Chuck's work and Chuck worked with Frederic, with whom I worked on previous U2 productions."
Somewhere around Kortrijk, another phone rung. Frederic Opsomer of the Flemish company Barco was asked to design a completely new video screen.
Transparent
Frederic Opsomer carefully weighs his words. He can appreciate U2, but is not a big fan of their music, he says. His contact with the group dates back to 1996, when his company System Technologies was asked to make a video screen more than 700 square meters in size. Opsomer had started his career several years before at a rental firm for video screens and projectors, but had bigger ambitions. He specialized in transportable video screens for outdoor entertainment.
The screen concerned was assembled from panels of 256 pixels each (LED-tiles) and was the center of attention all over the world for a year. After that, the company attracted new clients like Janet Jackson, Celine Dion, Eurythmics, Aerosmith, but also top companies like Sony and Panasonic. In 2005, Barco bought the company.
Opsomer sketches the evolution of video: "Video screens used to be 3x4 meters, flat and static. Variety was sought by making the screens move, then by dividing them into pieces (Genesis in the early nineties). Janet Jackson had a screen that opened like a book. But now we'll take it much further."
The briefing was clear: U2 wanted a video screen that was integrated into the coffee table and was transparent at the same time. Opsomer: "The specific problem is that the coffee table has a structure of 360 degrees. And yet the audience must be able to look through it and see the other stands. In theory you could hang up four flat screens, but that won't work. Aesthetically, the structure should not be an obstacle to the concert experience."
Coincidence lent a helping hand. "At that moment I had been in touch with Chuck Hoberman. At Barco, we wanted to make a video screen that's transformable, and that's what Chuck was working on with his expandable structures. We worked on several different suggestions for U2 and one of them was kept."
Opsomer shows the screen from up close. Imagine an enormous grid with thousands of pixel points mounted on top of it, each containing three lamps of basic colors. Through a computer, each part can get any color variety, and all particles can be rearranged into any shape desired. "You can make organic and three-dimensional structures with it; screens, coils... This technique will go through different stages and will certainly be drawing attention for the next five years," Opsomer predicts.
U2's "360" Tour starts on 30th June in Barcelona (Camp Nou). At the moment, tickets are still available for shows, including Barcelona (2/7), Berlin (18/7), Amsterdam (20 & 21/7) and Gelsenkirchen (3/8). So far, a Belgian date has not been set.
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SPOILER: JUNE 27 REHEARSALS
June 27, 2009
posted by: m2
U2tour.de comes through tonight with the rehearsal setlist from
Barcelona. Looks like the actual setlist they'll play next week, if
you ask me. Folks in @U2's forum have posted it. Use the link...
u2tour.de has the full set:
· Breathe
· No Line On The Horizon
· Get On Your Boots
· Magnificent
· Beautiful Day
· I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For
· Drowning Man
· Angel Of Harlem
· Mysterious Ways
· In A Little While
· Unknown Caller
· The Unforgettable Fire
· City Of Blinding Lights
· Vertigo
· Crazy Tonight (remix)
· Sunday Bloody Sunday
· Pride (In The Name Of Love)
· MLK
· Walk On / All I Want Is You (snippet)
· Desmond Tutu speech
· Where The Streets Have No Name
· One
· Ultra Violet (Light My Way)
· With Or Without You
· Moment Of Surrender
they were also apparently were playing Mysterious Ways acoustically !!
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The GA system/policy is now available on U2.com. No lottery. First-
come, first-served into the stadium. The "inner circle" will be filled
first. Point-and-shoot cameras are allowed.
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U2 360 TOUR - WHAT TO EXPECT FROM @U2 & U2tours.com
June 29, 2009
posted by: m2
@U2/U2tours.com has staff members and friends in Barcelona this week
helping us cover the start of the U2 360 Tour, and those of us stuck
at home are just as excited about the start of the tour. Here's a look
at what you can expect from us and our coverage tomorrow, and over the
next several months.
@U2 home page: We will not be posting the setlist live as it happens
on the @U2 home page, but we will be reporting all the other stuff
that surrounds the show itself. We will be posting links to any photos/
videos we find from the concert, and updating those links throughout
the day. If you have or find photos/videos, let us know about them by
emailing news...at...atu2...dot...com.
@U2 forum: We will be posting the setlist live as it happens in our
forum. An official thread will be setup where you can follow along and
join the discussion, and we will link to that thread from here when
it's ready.
U2tours.com: We will also be posting the setlist live as it happens on
the newly-redesigned U2tours.com. Along with the new design, you can
now upload 12 photos with each review you post on U2tours.com. <http://www.u2tours.com/
>
Flickr: If you post concert photos on Flickr, we invite you to join @U2's Flickr group and share them with the 5,000+ other U2 fans who
are in the group, too. http://www.flickr.com/groups/atu2/
As always, if you find cool U2 news, photos, videos, or information
that you want to share with @U2, email us at
news...at...atu2...dot...com. Thanks in advance, and let's have fun
for the next four months while U2 is on the road!
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U2 launch world tour in Barcelona on giant stage
Tue Jun 30, 2009 8:24am EDT
By Ben Harding
BARCELONA (Reuters) - Irish rock group U2 kick off their first tour in
three years on Tuesday, playing to 90,000 fans in Barcelona on one of
the biggest concert stages ever built.
Over the next four months U2 will perform to an estimated three
million fans in 31 cities across Europe and North America, with more
dates expected to be announced next year.
The " U2 360 Tour" lives up to its name with a round stage which fans
will surround inside FC Barcelona's Nou Camp stadium.
Around 500 ticket holders slept outside the venue on Monday night
hoping to grab a spot right by the stage when the doors open, local
media reported.
That will be easier this time around, organizers say, with the new
stage concept giving more fans a clearer view as well as allowing for
more people, meaning lower ticket prices during the recession.
The U2 360 Tour is reported to be the group's most expensive to date,
costing an estimated $100 million, but industry experts suggest it
could be money well spent.
Live performance is becoming an increasingly important source of
revenue for major acts like U2 as sales of physical CDs declines
sharply and online piracy remains rampant.
Billboard, an authoritative music industry publication, believes the
U2 360 Tour could become one of the highest grossing ever, possibly
eclipsing its 2005-6 Vertigo tour which earned the band $389 million.
GRAND STATEMENT
The stage, which takes 120 trucks to transport, is another grand
statement from the four rockers who have won more Grammy awards than
any other band.
On the Zoo TV tour, huge video screens overloaded fans with flashing
images of pop culture. On the PopMart tour lead singer Bono appeared
from inside a 12 meter glitterball shaped like a lemon.
The abiding visual memory on this tour is sure to be the "Claw," a
four-legged "monster" that towers 50 meters over the band's heads and
on which the sound system is mounted.
Bono, plus guitarists The Edge and Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen, Jr
on drums will be showcasing their 12th studio album, "No Line on the
Horizon."
Reviews of the record, which mixes trademark atmospheric guitars with
more eclectic sounds from Morocco where it was partly recorded, were
generally good, and it went straight to No. 1 in 30 countries
including the United States and Britain.
Early sales in the United States, however, were sharply down on those
for U2's previous album "How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb," released in
2004.
(Editing by Mike Collett-White and Paul Casciato)
For the ones who had a notion, a notion deep inside
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I have 2 extra tickets to the 9/24 Giant Stadium show if anyone needs them. They are 300 level, high row, aisle seats, but you will be in the house.
PM me if interested.
"McCready played on, lending credence to the theory that he was actually built in Stone’s basement from spare truck parts and vinyl records." - Glide Mag. review of MSG 7/8/03
Comments
May 10, 2009
posted by: m2
Thx to Bart for emailing us a link to some very cool shots of U2's
stage for the 360 Tour being built in Belgium. It looks ENORMOUS.
see more pics on Bart's site >>
http://bartmot.be/Site_2/The_Claw.html
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Oh My Goodness it looks like something from the docks at a shipyard.
Peace
*MUSIC IS the expression of EMOTION.....and that POLITICS IS merely the DECOY of PERCEPTION*
.....song_Music & Politics....Michael Franti
*The scientists of today think deeply instead of clearly. One must be sane to think clearly, but one can think deeply and be quite INSANE*....Nikola Tesla(a man who shaped our world of electricity with his futuristic inventions)
May 14, 2009
posted by: m2
Please sit down before reading. Kthx. By now, it's possibly the No. 1
question on every U2 fan's mind: What songs will U2 play on tour this
year? Edge shares some possible answers in the new issue of Rolling
Stone (with Green Day on the cover). Here's a snippet shared with us
by @U2 Forum member, "The Exile."
RS: "What will the set lists be like?"
Edge: "We're talking about resurrecting songs we haven't played in a
long time. I have a list of every U2 song -- some I can't remember
anymore -- even some of the B-sides that we've never played live. We
were thinking how much fun it would be to play something like
'Luminous Times.' Certain songs from the last couple of tours, we may
not play again. We want to find songs that feel fresh and valid."
RS: "How are the new songs shaping up live?"
Edge: "We'll play about half the album, and having played some in TV
appearances, we know these songs translate well live. There's a few
that will be up there with our best-ever live songs. Some of them we
really have to rework -- 'Crazy Tonight' was a very keyboard oriented
song on the album, but I took it to the guitar live, and it sounds
great...."
Edge also says he "wouldn't rule out" singing lead on a song, and when
Rolling Stone suggests "Numb," Edge promises to add it to the list of
possibilities. Use the link to talk about all this in our forum.
join the discussion in @U2's forum >>
http://forum.atu2.com/index.php/board,12.0.html
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May 15, 2009
posted by: m2
You've seen the still photos, now how about some moving pictures of
"the claw"? @U2 reader Greg and a few friends shot about a minute of
video at the StageCo facility in Werchter, Belgium, and have put it on
YouTube.
SEE VIDEO ON http://www.atu2.com/
Greg says they plan to go back this weekend when it's not "raining
cats and dogs."
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May 16, 2009
By Dan Wootton
NOT such a beautiful day for seasoned rockers U2 - their latest single
has become the lads' biggest flop in TWO DECADES . . . it didn't even
make the Top 40!
Despite being the standout track on their new album, Magnificent had a
chart performance that was anything but (sorry BONO).
It only managed to limp in to No 42 thanks to its paltry 5,157 copies
being sold and downloaded.
I don't mean to sound dramatic, folks, but that's a commercial
disaster of epic proportions that would send lesser bands to the
scrapheap.
The tune becomes their lowest single in 22 years, since God's Country
hit number 48 in 1987. Sadly, for Bono and THE EDGE, new album No Line
On The Horizon did no better - it was their worst-selling in the
band's long history.
Bet Bono wishes he could hide Where The Streets Have No Name.
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May 16, 2009
posted by: m2
As promised, Greg and friends went back to Stageco in Belgium today
and found much better weather, not to mention "the claw," fully
upright and towering high above the nearby buildings. There's a still
photo we've put on Flickr (thx Dirk) and Greg put this video on
YouTube for the world to see:
Flickr photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/atu2com/3536629353/
Video:
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Belgian company builds `The Claw' on Brabantian soil
May 19, 2009
Important visitors have come to Werchter. They've come from London to watch a Belgian company scaffolding the brand new stage for U2, ready to tour the world and give Bono a roof over his head. "He can rest assured."
It was a strange sight on May 18th for the inhabitants of Werchter. Or, more precisely: a looming sight. For, near the Werchter church, an iron colossus of about 30 meters high arises. It is the final test build of the new U2 stage, dubbed "The Claw" by the band. The Claw, to which video screens will be secured before and during live shows, will for the first time be visible in its full glory in Barcelona. On June 30, Bono and Co. will kick off their prestigious world tour there.
But for now, it is the Belgian company Stageco that provides one of the world's biggest groups with a stage setup. "The design for the new U2 stage is, with regards to load capacity and weight, the biggest we've received so far," said Tom Bilsen of Stageco. Even so, the stage building company has been the provider for the biggest artists: from Robbie Williams to the Stones. The creator of the 360-degree design for U2's new tour was veteran Willie Williams, and the London-based Mark Fisher bureau passed the plans along to Stageco in Tildonk. The necessary space to erect the test build was found in Werchter.
"We started building about three weeks ago," Bilsen explained. Now the thing is bigger than an average house. "It measures 40 by 60 meters. Yes, it's impressive. And I should add that we'll have to build two more copies of the whole thing, because a total of three stages will be driven around the world in some 50 trucks." It'll be necessary, as U2 plays Berlin on July 18, and scarcely two days later a new claw will have to be showing off in the Amsterdam Arena.
The claw will have screens and boxes suspended from it and will have its feet among the audience. It's designed to guarantee an optimal view for each fan in each stadium, the Koning Boudewijn stadium in Brussels in 2010 among others. Before that time comes, Stageco wants to make sure Bono will have a safe roof over his head. "That's why the stage in Werchter will be overburdened with weight," Bilsen concluded. "Not to make it collapse, but to take the weight of the screens and boxes into account."
For a few days longer, Werchter will remain in the Claw's grip. After that, low-rise buildings will once again reign in Flemish Brabant.
© Het Nieuwsblad, 2009.
[Note from @U2: This is a translation of the original Dutch article.
For a video, and a picture gallery (under EXTRA), check out the original site:
http://www.nieuwsblad.be/Article/Detail ... =GKA2AF8NT]
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There are 25 questions with varying levels of difficulty. If you're up for the challenge, good luck!
Take the quiz here:
http://www.parade.com/celebrity/quiz/music/u2.html
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Considering I haven't been following the band closely like I did till the early 90's. I had 3 wrong: The question of who sang on a song, the high school question and the model on the cover of Vogue.
Peace
*MUSIC IS the expression of EMOTION.....and that POLITICS IS merely the DECOY of PERCEPTION*
.....song_Music & Politics....Michael Franti
*The scientists of today think deeply instead of clearly. One must be sane to think clearly, but one can think deeply and be quite INSANE*....Nikola Tesla(a man who shaped our world of electricity with his futuristic inventions)
June 07, 2009
posted by: m2
U2 Barcelona and U2 East Link have both posted a bunch of new photos
of U2's Claw being built at Camp Nou in Barcelona. The latest pics are
here:
http://www.telefonica.net/web2/u2barcel ... lona_s.htm
http://img190.imageshack.us/gal.php?g=img7763b.jpg
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June 10, 2009
posted by: m2
Fans on U2 East Link have posted new photos of the Claw's construction
from Wednesday, and there's a lot going on: the video screen is being
installed, speakers are in, and there's stuff being built at the other
end of the stadium pitch, too. Use the link for lots of great pix!
check out the photos here >>
http://www.u2eastlink.com/foro/read.php ... 1000500402
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Peace
*MUSIC IS the expression of EMOTION.....and that POLITICS IS merely the DECOY of PERCEPTION*
.....song_Music & Politics....Michael Franti
*The scientists of today think deeply instead of clearly. One must be sane to think clearly, but one can think deeply and be quite INSANE*....Nikola Tesla(a man who shaped our world of electricity with his futuristic inventions)
oh and i saw this movie at the sydney film festival, it might get loud, it's coming out in america this year i believe, not sure about other countries though. it's about the history of the electric guitar and features Jimmy Page, Jack White, and The Edge. it was really cool and featured some really old video of u2 that was mildly painful/funny :P but other than that it was still interesting, especially seeing Jack White make a guitar from simple materials and watching a pre-pubescent James Page play skiffle.
and i still need a GA ticket to a NY show con sarnnit!
eV: 8/4/08, 8/5/08, 6/21/11
SG: 10/4/08<-- MET STONE!!!
in Barcelona, but only a couple songs are different.
SPOILER ... STOP HERE IF YOU DON'T WANT TO KNOW
Two conflicting reports of what the band rehearsed tonight in Barcelona.
1) From U2EastLink
http://www.u2eastlink.com/foro/read.php ... 1000503464
Intro to=>
Magnificent
City Of Blinding lights
Get on Your Boots
Elevation
Beautiful Day
Breathe
I Still Have'nt Found What I'm Looking For
Unforgettable fire
Drowning Man
In a little while
Unknown Caller
Moment of Surrender
The Unforgettable Fire
City Of Blinding lights (again)
Pride
MLK
Where The Streets Have No Name
Ultraviolet
Vertigo
With or without you
I'll Go Cray If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight
No Line On The Horizon
From U2france.com (via email)
The unforgettable fire
City of blinding lights
Magnificent
Get on yout boots
Elevation
Beautiful day
I still haven´t found what I´m looking for
Drowning man
Breathe
In a little while
Angel of Harlem + Suspicious minds
Unknown caller
The unforgettable fire
City of blinding lights
Pride (in the name of love)
MLK
Where the streets have no name (quelle suprise)
Ultraviolet
With or without you
Vertigo
I´ll go crazy if I don´t go crazy tonight
No line on the horizon
Moment of surrender
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unforgettable fire ? :shock:
i dont know but im happy to hear theyre breaking this gem out.
love it.
and anythin off of achtung cant be bad.
so cruel, boys>?
edit:
they also rehearsed Walk On
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As per East_Link's report, they played:
- Intro
- Breathe
- No Line On The Horizon
- Get On Your Boots
- Magnificent
- Beautiful Day with some sort of celtic intro
- I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For + unknown snippet
- Drowning Man
- Bad (!!!)
- Ultraviolet
- Vertigo
- Walk On
- The Unforgettable Fire
They're also talking about City Of Blinding Lights and Even Better Than The Real Thing (Perfecto Mix with Bono singing), but I don't understand if they were actually played.
More info here: http://www.u2eastlink.com/foro/read.php ... 1000505875 (in spanish)
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June 23, 2009
posted by: m2
Looks like U2 has just wrapped up today's rehearsal at Nou Camp in
Barcelona, and today's run through appears to have included a few new
songs that haven't been practiced in the past week. Thanks to
U2EastLink.com, we've put today's song list in the @U2 forum. Use the
link...
see the full list in our forum >>
http://forum.atu2.com/index.php/topic,6527.0.html
Again, from U2EastLink: http://www.u2eastlink.com/foro/read.php ... 1000507166
If God will send his angels
Drowning man
Sometimes you can't make it on your own
Sometimes you can't make it on your own (snippet, linked with) / Bad (incomplete)
Walk on
Walk on (instrumental)
Desmond Tutu speech
Ultraviolet
Where the streets have no name
Unknown song, reportedly sounded like chords from Seconds
I'll go crazy if I don't go crazy tonight (remix)
Pride (in the name of love)
(break)
Breathe
No line on the horizon
Get on your boots
Magnificent
Beautiful day
I still haven't found what I'm looking for
In a little while + Rocket man (snippet)
Unknown caller
The unforgettable fire + Strangers in the night (snippet)
City of blinding ligths
Vertigo
I'll go crazy if I don't go crazy tonight (remix)
Pride (in the name of love)
MLK
Walk on
Where the streets have no name
One
Ultraviolet
With or without you
Moment of surrender
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Unforgettable Fire live will be awesome to hear again.
And Drowning Man...wonder what precipitated that nugget being resurrected.
Now if they'd just play Acrobat...just once...in Foxboro...
June 26, 2009
posted by: m2
Thanks to U2Spain.es for telling us about a couple videos of The Claw
and its video screen on Spanish TV. Here's a link to a silent clip
that shows various shots around Nou Camp stadium.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v4ZPF65ioEA
And on atu2.com is a news story with quotes from Paul McGuinness and
Mark Fischer.
http://www.atu2.com/
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Irish Rock band tours the world using revolutionary stage
June 27, 2009
By Peter Vantyghem
Next Tuesday, U2 will kick off its 360° Tour in Barcelona. The stage design has been kept strictly secret so far, but we received a foretaste. And believe us -- once again, it shifts boundaries and, moreover, includes an important Flemish contribution.
Chuck Hoberman happily admits he has arrived in another world. This is not the California Museum of Science and Industry, where his "expanding hypar" is located, nor is it the dome of the world expo in Hannover which he designed. This is U2.
What do the world's biggest rock band and this thin, grey-haired man have to do with each other? "I can listen to U2's music," he says carefully. "But in reality, I'm not really a music person. I'm a more visually oriented person."
Few people know his name, but everyone knows one of his creations. Chuck Hoberman is the inventor of the "Hoberman Sphere," a spherical structure measuring 15 to 30 cm in diameter which can be expanded and collapsed. It is a wonderful kinetic work of art of which the toy version sold millions of copies.
Hoberman is a guest at the Antwerp Sportpaleis as one of the four members of the "dream team" designing the new U2 show that premiers in Barcelona on Tuesday. Hoberman is the only member of the team who has never worked with the group before. "This project places my work in a totally different context," he says. "It is more spectacular than anything I've done before."
We're having a look at the piece of artistry that wouldn't have existed without his inventions. Slowly the ellipse-shaped video screen expands, from 6 meters when folded to 22 meters when fully extended. A 22-meter-deep video screen with a diameter of 24 meters, that will be traveling the world with U2 and taking the next step in the history of live entertainment.
The "chips bag" is what they call the screen. It hangs from the top of a "coffee table" and will have a "cigar" in the middle. But those are names the dream team uses and which will perhaps never be used publicly. The ambition is, after all, to not put the innovating show itself but its patrons, U2, in the spotlight.
Video
No band has changed the sight of live entertainment as much as the Irish super group U2. When the band played the Torhout-Werchter festival in 1982 and singer Bono stole the show by climbing onto the stage scaffolding, nothing indicated that a groundbreaking top band would grow out of this little group.
One of the men behind the scenes at the time was Willie Williams. He was 22 years old and a great fan of punk music. His favorite band, Stiff Little Fingers, had just called it quits, but Williams had stumbled upon U2, who accepted his services as a light engineer.
What did he see in them? "There was energy in that band, they were attracting me. U2 had a fresh sound, but didn't think about the longer term." Williams took control of the concert direction and has left his mark on every U2 tour since. "I am the director. I need to guide the band and show them new paths to take. I've been doing that for 27 years. Creatively, we grew up together. Every time we took a new step together, it was a first for all of us."
The Briton directed eight world tours for U2 and worked with REM and The Rolling Stones, among others. He is the brains behind the Zoo TV and Popmart tours, which pushed the look of concerts in a new direction. After Zoo TV, no one worked without video anymore.
In 2005, Williams began thinking of a new revolution. The Vertigo tour went well, but didn't really offer anything new. He noticed how other bands, like Nine Inch Nails, were experimenting with new stage designs. "I started thinking about what could follow the use of video. The problem is that you can't just detach your mind from that which you know already. What if we were to try to bring the audience together more, I thought. In a venue it works if you place the stage in the middle. But if you do that outside, you won't have a roof to hang the sound and lighting equipment on. That made it difficult to find an aesthetically good concept."
Two influences helped him. He is fascinated by the ambiance of soccer matches, where the audience is sitting around the action. And at the opera festival of Bregenz he'd seen a fixed stage structure in the lake, which everyone was watching in awe before the show started, but which was totally forgotten during the spectacle itself. That was what he wanted.
Williams found the solution when he was touring in New Zealand with U2. "We had to let go of our traditional view on what a stage is and construct something in the middle of the stadium which is so big, that it would, as it were, be part of the stadium itself. A sort of four-legged table, like the bottom half of the Eiffel Tower, taking up the whole playing field of the stadium and which has everything hanging from it."
Revolutionary
When U2 embark on a world tour, many people get a call years beforehand. Hedwig De Meyer, owner of the stage building company Stageco, traveled to New Zealand immediately and understood the mission. But architect Mark Fisher had to get in action especially. He drew the sketches for the "coffee table" in 2006 and got the green light immediately.
Fisher is a phlegmatic Briton who finished college as an architect in 1971, but said goodbye to that field. He made history by designing Pink Floyd's 1977 Animals Tour in a time when stage design didn't exist yet. For 30 years he has been a figurehead in that world, working on productions like The Wall (Pink Floyd), mega shows of Jean-Michel Jarre and Tina Turner, three Stones tours and shows for Cirque du Soleil.
"What it shouldn't look like was a classic rock show, with the stage at the front," he said, explaining the challenge. And we wanted to be revolutionary again. That is normal: I did Popmart and after that they wanted something different. Back to the essence, you know. That is a typical game of action and reaction. That's how Elevation and Vertigo followed. But regarding the size, it's like ZooTV and Popmart again this time."
The challenge also involved overcoming practical difficulties. "Everything needs to be able to be built up and stripped down fast to enable transportation. The coffee table weighs 180 tonnes. To transport the raw, steel structure, 40 trucks are needed. And then you need to think of everything that hangs from it: sound, light, screens, sheets. A single concert could easily need 80 trucks."
There was another challenge waiting for Fisher. Once the coffee table was installed, with a stage below it, how would the people be able to see U2? Video screens were necessary, but the size of the coffee table proved a big problem: every screen would block the sight of the audience at the other side.
Fisher: "At first we considered working without screens. But you know, this kind of project isn't done by just one person. At the time, I worked with Chuck Hoberman, whose adjustable structures looked interesting for use in architecture. Willie knew Chuck's work and Chuck worked with Frederic, with whom I worked on previous U2 productions."
Somewhere around Kortrijk, another phone rung. Frederic Opsomer of the Flemish company Barco was asked to design a completely new video screen.
Transparent
Frederic Opsomer carefully weighs his words. He can appreciate U2, but is not a big fan of their music, he says. His contact with the group dates back to 1996, when his company System Technologies was asked to make a video screen more than 700 square meters in size. Opsomer had started his career several years before at a rental firm for video screens and projectors, but had bigger ambitions. He specialized in transportable video screens for outdoor entertainment.
The screen concerned was assembled from panels of 256 pixels each (LED-tiles) and was the center of attention all over the world for a year. After that, the company attracted new clients like Janet Jackson, Celine Dion, Eurythmics, Aerosmith, but also top companies like Sony and Panasonic. In 2005, Barco bought the company.
Opsomer sketches the evolution of video: "Video screens used to be 3x4 meters, flat and static. Variety was sought by making the screens move, then by dividing them into pieces (Genesis in the early nineties). Janet Jackson had a screen that opened like a book. But now we'll take it much further."
The briefing was clear: U2 wanted a video screen that was integrated into the coffee table and was transparent at the same time. Opsomer: "The specific problem is that the coffee table has a structure of 360 degrees. And yet the audience must be able to look through it and see the other stands. In theory you could hang up four flat screens, but that won't work. Aesthetically, the structure should not be an obstacle to the concert experience."
Coincidence lent a helping hand. "At that moment I had been in touch with Chuck Hoberman. At Barco, we wanted to make a video screen that's transformable, and that's what Chuck was working on with his expandable structures. We worked on several different suggestions for U2 and one of them was kept."
Opsomer shows the screen from up close. Imagine an enormous grid with thousands of pixel points mounted on top of it, each containing three lamps of basic colors. Through a computer, each part can get any color variety, and all particles can be rearranged into any shape desired. "You can make organic and three-dimensional structures with it; screens, coils... This technique will go through different stages and will certainly be drawing attention for the next five years," Opsomer predicts.
U2's "360" Tour starts on 30th June in Barcelona (Camp Nou). At the moment, tickets are still available for shows, including Barcelona (2/7), Berlin (18/7), Amsterdam (20 & 21/7) and Gelsenkirchen (3/8). So far, a Belgian date has not been set.
© De Standaard, 2009.
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June 27, 2009
posted by: m2
U2tour.de comes through tonight with the rehearsal setlist from
Barcelona. Looks like the actual setlist they'll play next week, if
you ask me. Folks in @U2's forum have posted it. Use the link...
http://forum.atu2.com/index.php/topic,6 ... #msg275085
SPOILERS
u2tour.de has the full set:
· Breathe
· No Line On The Horizon
· Get On Your Boots
· Magnificent
· Beautiful Day
· I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For
· Drowning Man
· Angel Of Harlem
· Mysterious Ways
· In A Little While
· Unknown Caller
· The Unforgettable Fire
· City Of Blinding Lights
· Vertigo
· Crazy Tonight (remix)
· Sunday Bloody Sunday
· Pride (In The Name Of Love)
· MLK
· Walk On / All I Want Is You (snippet)
· Desmond Tutu speech
· Where The Streets Have No Name
· One
· Ultra Violet (Light My Way)
· With Or Without You
· Moment Of Surrender
they were also apparently were playing Mysterious Ways acoustically !!
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The GA system/policy is now available on U2.com. No lottery. First-
come, first-served into the stadium. The "inner circle" will be filled
first. Point-and-shoot cameras are allowed.
http://cli.gs/bGH5sH
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June 29, 2009
posted by: m2
@U2/U2tours.com has staff members and friends in Barcelona this week
helping us cover the start of the U2 360 Tour, and those of us stuck
at home are just as excited about the start of the tour. Here's a look
at what you can expect from us and our coverage tomorrow, and over the
next several months.
@U2 home page: We will not be posting the setlist live as it happens
on the @U2 home page, but we will be reporting all the other stuff
that surrounds the show itself. We will be posting links to any photos/
videos we find from the concert, and updating those links throughout
the day. If you have or find photos/videos, let us know about them by
emailing news...at...atu2...dot...com.
@U2 forum: We will be posting the setlist live as it happens in our
forum. An official thread will be setup where you can follow along and
join the discussion, and we will link to that thread from here when
it's ready.
Twitter: We will be posting the setlist live as it happens on our
Twitter account, @atu2: http://twitter.com/atu2/
U2tours.com: We will also be posting the setlist live as it happens on
the newly-redesigned U2tours.com. Along with the new design, you can
now upload 12 photos with each review you post on U2tours.com. <http://www.u2tours.com/
>
Flickr: If you post concert photos on Flickr, we invite you to join
@U2's Flickr group and share them with the 5,000+ other U2 fans who
are in the group, too. http://www.flickr.com/groups/atu2/
YouTube: If you post videos on YouTube, we invite you to share them in
@U2's YouTube group. http://www.youtube.com/group/atu2com
As always, if you find cool U2 news, photos, videos, or information
that you want to share with @U2, email us at
news...at...atu2...dot...com. Thanks in advance, and let's have fun
for the next four months while U2 is on the road!
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shows The Claw in action during City of Blinding Lights.
Major spoiler, of course. :-)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=28ZHMmUqHoE
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Tue Jun 30, 2009 8:24am EDT
By Ben Harding
BARCELONA (Reuters) - Irish rock group U2 kick off their first tour in
three years on Tuesday, playing to 90,000 fans in Barcelona on one of
the biggest concert stages ever built.
Over the next four months U2 will perform to an estimated three
million fans in 31 cities across Europe and North America, with more
dates expected to be announced next year.
The " U2 360 Tour" lives up to its name with a round stage which fans
will surround inside FC Barcelona's Nou Camp stadium.
Around 500 ticket holders slept outside the venue on Monday night
hoping to grab a spot right by the stage when the doors open, local
media reported.
That will be easier this time around, organizers say, with the new
stage concept giving more fans a clearer view as well as allowing for
more people, meaning lower ticket prices during the recession.
The U2 360 Tour is reported to be the group's most expensive to date,
costing an estimated $100 million, but industry experts suggest it
could be money well spent.
Live performance is becoming an increasingly important source of
revenue for major acts like U2 as sales of physical CDs declines
sharply and online piracy remains rampant.
Billboard, an authoritative music industry publication, believes the
U2 360 Tour could become one of the highest grossing ever, possibly
eclipsing its 2005-6 Vertigo tour which earned the band $389 million.
GRAND STATEMENT
The stage, which takes 120 trucks to transport, is another grand
statement from the four rockers who have won more Grammy awards than
any other band.
On the Zoo TV tour, huge video screens overloaded fans with flashing
images of pop culture. On the PopMart tour lead singer Bono appeared
from inside a 12 meter glitterball shaped like a lemon.
The abiding visual memory on this tour is sure to be the "Claw," a
four-legged "monster" that towers 50 meters over the band's heads and
on which the sound system is mounted.
Bono, plus guitarists The Edge and Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen, Jr
on drums will be showcasing their 12th studio album, "No Line on the
Horizon."
Reviews of the record, which mixes trademark atmospheric guitars with
more eclectic sounds from Morocco where it was partly recorded, were
generally good, and it went straight to No. 1 in 30 countries
including the United States and Britain.
Early sales in the United States, however, were sharply down on those
for U2's previous album "How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb," released in
2004.
(Editing by Mike Collett-White and Paul Casciato)
That it ain't no sin to be glad you're alive
ORGAN DONATION SAVES LIVES
http://www.UNOS.org
Donate Organs and Save a Life
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9T8oTYhil-Y
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