What a week,Bono!!!

Bono is said to be one of the most oversheduled men in the planet...well, the last few days he has given enough evidence to confirm so!!!

4 days ago: Bono explains the significance of his

gift after he presented Japanese Prime

Minister Taro Aso with a red I-Pod Nano during a private meeting at the United Nations, Thursday, Sept. 25, 2008. The red I-Pod is part of the red campaign to fight AIDS globally.

4 days ago: Bono outside the United Nations for the"In My Name" campaign organized for

Oxfam, Comic Relief and Save the Children

for the global call against poverty in New York

on Thursday, Sept. 25, 2008.

5days ago: Musicians Youssou N'Dour, of Senegal and Bono listen to speakers at the United Nations 2008 Millennium Development Goals Malaria Summit in New York, Thursday, Sept. 25, 2008.

5 days ago: U2 lead singer and ONE campaign co-founder, Bono,

speaks as U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon looks on at

The Four Seasons Restaurant in New York September 24, 2008.

The two were featured speakers at a reception hosted by nine

organizations including Millennium Promise and the United Nations

Foundation marking the half way point for the Millennium Development Goals.

5 days ago: Bono speaks with Secretary General Ban Ki-moon during the launch of the Irish hunger commission report at UN headquarters.

Former U.S. Vice President Al Gore (R) leans in to speak with Bono during the Clinton Global Initiative, in New York, September 24, 2008. Established by former U.S. President Bill Clinton in 2005, the event is designed to bring donors together with people in need to try to solve global problems.

Interview for CNN...September 26th

Luckily the meeting with presidential candidate McCain and Palin were put off due to schedule!!!

Come on ,B-man! You have exhausted us all just to see you and look at the pics!!! Relax, and take it easy! We still need you in one piece for the release of the upcoming album!!!

source:http://www.daylife.com/

"Sara Palin" and the King of Ireland

Hillarious American TV program, Saturday Night Live,pulls the candidate´s legs and introduces us to the new sovereign of Ireland!!!

Random Quote

"I didn´t actually like much guitar when I was growing up,I really didn´t .

So I just knew I didn´t want to sound like anyone else." Edge

CNN Interview:Bono praises McCain, Obama and Americans

Bono attended the United Nations General Assembly in New York to push world leaders to join his ONE campaign in fighting disease, poverty, and hunger. Yesterday, he talked to CNN's John Roberts on "American Morning" about recent successes and what's next.

ROBERTS: All this talk has been about the economy collapsing, $700 billion bailout. Congress is absolutely absorbed with that. Did that in any way affect what you were trying to do this week? Are people more focused on this economy than in helping out developing nations?

BONO: We got good news this week. I know normally I'm on your program with bad news -- the whingeing rock star -- but it's great. There's a disease, malaria -- it's 3,000 African kids die every day of mosquito bites. Sounds mad, but it's true. And people have committed and it looks like the funds are on the table so that that disease will be no more by 2015. That makes people like me punch the air and everyone who wears a ONE T-shirt and all our white band campaigners on college campuses all over the country -- it was a great day for them yesterday so we're celebrating that. I know it's extraordinary, that while you're having this meltdown on the markets, that people could even concentrate on this stuff, but I'm really grateful that they did. We had both [presidential] candidates make very powerful statements about the necessity for nonmilitary tools, for instance, in foreign policy. This is an America that both candidates want to show to the rest of the world -- the greatness of America.



source:http://edition.cnn.com/2008/SHOWBIZ/Music/09/26/bono.qanda/index.html#cnnSTCVideo

Outside is America!!!

Bono´s blog in the Finantial Times encourages America to have a look at the rest of the world and talks about the issue of poverty in the US candidates´agendas.

"The ONE campaign has two and half million members, who urge us to make the case for increased aid as a key plank in America’s new foreign policy. ONE T-shirts have been turning up in town hall meetings for 18 months now, haranguing, hassling, but ultimately endearing themselves to all the presidential campaigns. They want the world to see what America has to offer the billion people who live on less than a dollar a day - practically speaking: medicine, new seed varieties, technology, know-how; policy speaking: what should America do more of? what should America do less of?
They want the world to understand that America is not just a country but an idea, a contagious idea, committed to promoting the inalienable right that all men and women are created equal; that your street address should not be a death sentence in what Warren Buffet refers to as the “ovarian lotto”; that love thy neighbour is not advice, but a command.
ONE members are thrilled that Barack Obama and John McCain both have an open door policy with the our campaign. But I must admit, today, as I step through one of those doors to talk with Senator McCain and Governor Palin, the Irish rockstar in me is a little nervous about the circus rolling over the town rather than through it. We know the flash bulbs and hysteria around the presidential campaign make it hard to concentrate on the substance of the ideas we’ve got to discuss ie development as an essential third plank of foreign policy, along with diplomacy and defence.
It’s a tribute to the generosity of Americans that they let this Irishman get away with quoting back at them The Declaration of Independence like it’s the liner notes to my favourite Bob Dylan album (but it sort of is). Anyway we’ve now met with nearly a dozen of the presidential candidates in the course of their campaigns and of the four candidates left, three have declared their positions at onevote08.org/ontherecord, if you want to check them out.
On AIDS for example, Senators Obama and McCain both cosponsored the historic $48bn US AIDS initiative this year - an effort lead by Joe Biden - who I might add also fought in the trenches for debt cancellation for the poorest of the poor when I first started down this road. So it will be interesting to find out where Governor Palin stands.
Just a couple of years ago it would have been impossible for the issue of extreme poverty to play even a tiny role in the American political season. So far this year, all candidates have made positive noises, rooted in the most pragmatic of thinking about how America reintroduces itself to the world after the election. When even the defence minister pitches your roving rockstar the idea that an increase in aid is essential, you know something’s happening.
Anyway, I’ll let you know how I get on. Fingers crossed that the world’s poor do not become a pawn in any candidate’s game, but instead influence the players to make moves on their behalf..."

We´ll have our fingers crossed for your campaing and for good result!!! and for the issue of poverty become an oridnary issue in the most powerful country´s agenda.

source: http://blogs.ft.com/mdg/2008/09/24/a-tribute-to-the-generosity-of-americans/

Bono Writes a Blog for the Finantial Times

Bono and Jeffrey Sachs blog for FT.com from the Millennium Development Goals summit and surrounding meetings in New York.

The view from Manhattat

"As the sun arcs over the Manhattan skyline and the markets start dancing nervously out of time, the lyrics I’ve been scribbling over breakfast have been removed and replaced by spreadsheets with large numbers in tiny font as we wrestle with EU budgets in advance of meetings later today with Presidents Sarkozy and Barroso. It’s hard to fight for increases in aid at times like this - but that’s what I’m here for this week… stick with me, while myself and others make our case that now is precisely the time to invest in the world’s poor. I’ll keep you posted."

Meeting Sarkozy, and why Europe needs Africa
Tough meeting with the Président de la République of France. He’s a tough guy. We like tough guys because they get straight down to business. They don’t waste their time or yours. The French budget is out this Friday and in it we will see if France intends continuing its leadership role on the continent of Africa. In the last few years, French aid has been falling.
My point was that as much as Africa needs French aid and the energy that Sarkozy himself provides, he/we need Africa. Why? Africa has never been so strategically important as it is now, economically and politically. Just ask the Chinese. Over a million of them now live in the continent of Africa – their single biggest diaspora. Every time you make a cell phone call you make it with the help of coltan, an African metallic ore. It’s a rich continent: zinc, copper, oil, gas, silver, gold, diamonds… Just for its resources Africa will play a critical role in how the 21st century is shaped. If we want to breathe we’re going to need African cooperation on climate change (Congo is the second biggest rainforest on earth.) Anyway, I tell you all this to point out that while there is a meltdown happening on the markets and in our banking systems, you FT readers should keep one eye on the opportunity of Africa. Seventeen non-oil rich countries have had growth rates averaging 5.5 per cent over the last 10 years, etc etc.
The other eye should be on our moral obligation not to break promises that we’ve made to the poorest of the poor, if we expect the respect and the business of those same populations in the future.
Sarko is a real physical presence in a room. He might even be taller than me… animated, funny one minute; annoyed the next. I admire his energy and vision. We need him. His radical proposal for a Mediterranean union is an example of his thinking differently, challenging orthodoxy. We want him to apply his innovativeness to the business of aid… its time for some new ideas. But he’s also going to have to fund them. And there’s the rub. He’s not averse. At one point in the meeting he reached across and grabbed my arm: “You know, Africa is Europe’s next door neighbour… 13 kilometres from us… our fate is bound up in theirs… it’s in our own self interest.” The meeting started with the beautiful Carla Bruni, a great ally in our efforts to better our storytelling about the effectiveness of good aid. Both the first lady and the president change the molecular structure of any room they are in - he speeds them up, she calms them down. A great team.
Off to meet the head honcho at the EU, President Barroso, now. Let you know tomorrow how I got on. Other things to watch out for this week: Wearing my ONE campaign hat, I should be meeting up with Senator John McCain and Governor Sarah Palin; hoping to see Senator Obama and Senator Joe Biden in the next few weeks. The ONE campaign has an ongoing relationship with Senators McCain and Obama. Both have agreed that increased and effective aid is a critical part of American foreign policy in a world where inequality conjures instability and where making friends is a lot cheaper than defending yourself against new enemies."

As usual Bono´s verbal banter helps to the understanding of a deep problem as the state of poverty in the world is. Today it is Africa, the apple of his eyes, but his plead can be extensive to many other Third World countries which ,although many are undoubtedly rich, their people are extremely poor.
Many can call him a demagogue or that he wants to attract attention to the band´s upcoming CD release, but I wonder how many of us even think about the poor around us.At least Mr Bono is thinking about the future, the lands that can become indispensable for the prospects of our battered old world .

It´s good to know that someone who is rich and famous and can be at home watching the time go by, gets up and becomes the voice of the voiceless. Many of us appreciate your work...thank you.

source: http://blogs.ft.com/mdg/2008/09/22/

Bono and The Edge contributing to Tom Jones´s new album

The new Tom Jones album features a duet with Bono and The Edge, he has revealed.
The Welsh pop veteran returns with a collection of all original material later this year, his first since 2008's "Reload".
The U2 pair guest on "Sugar Daddy", while the rest of the record has been co-written by Jones or with other collaborators.
Bruce Springsteen's "The Hitter" and "I'm Alive" by Tommy James and the Shondells are the only covers on "24 Hours".
Speaking about his comeback, Jones, now 68, said he wanted to be "a contender" once again. "The fire is still in me", he explained.
Speaking about the album, he continued: "I wanted my voice to sound as natural as possible.
"The arrangements and the production needs to be modern, but the vocal needs to sound like me."
"24 Hours" is slated for a November release.

source:http://www.rte.ie/arts/2008/0918/u2.html

More Sayings about New Album

"This is our chance for us to defy gravity once again,"‘ explains Bono, calling in from a break in recording sessions in the south of France. " We have what it takes, we have the songs, new rhythms and a guitar player who is not ready to re-enter earth's atmosphere until he's taken a slice of the moon!"

'It's been fun, it's been maddening... there have been injuries and recoveries, no babies born that I know of, but this one is nearly ready for the new year of 2009.'

‘When we set out on this record it was Larry who came up with the plan not to have a plan. He put up this idea that wouldn’t it be great just to make music for its own sake, not for the purpose of a live show or on album but just to see what we’re capable of…’ says the frontman.‘We said to each other that if we got to the great place then we wouldn’t stop…’

‘We know we have to emerge soon but we also know that people don’t want another U2 album unless it is our best ever album. It has to be our most innovative, our most challenging … or what’s the point ?’

"It’s a brand new chapter for us, and everyone we’ve played the tracks to has said that musically it feels like another departure."

‘The last two records were very personal, with a kind of three piece at their heart, the primary colours of rock - bass, guitars and drum. But what we’re about now is of the same order as the transition that took us from The Joshua Tree to Achtung Baby.’

He also mentions that the recording in Morocco was the first time the band have worked in a studio open to the sky: ‘On that track you can hear the sound of a swallows nest close to the building - it’s beautiful.’

The more I hear the faster I want the new album to be realeased...is this all a great publicity stunt??? who cares??? I´m dying to listen to this new piece of genius!!!

source:U2.com

IN THE STUDIO- U2

Q Magazine phoned Edge to talk about the yet-untitled 12th U2 album.

He is delayed by half an hour while he lays down as an acoustic guitar overdub at the quartet’s Dublin studio on a new song called Get on your Boots.
“Then we can put the mix to bed,” the guitarists sighs with satisfaction. So this album is being completed as we speak?

“Yeah. It’s happening live in real time. It’s totally frantic.”

Having effectively abandoned their initial plan to work with Rick Rubin (although some material has survived), U2 tool the unusual move of bringing in their long-time producers Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois as co-writers early on.

“We thought, if we’re all writing together we’ll get more stuff and it’ll be a more fruitful use of time,” Edge says.

Experimental writing sessions held last year in Fez, Morocco, yielded numerous new songs. Some _with the introduction of local musicians_ bear a distinctly North African flavour. A visit to the World Sacred Music Festival enhanced what Edge calls the “religious sounding” tone of a few of the tracks.

“But we don’t want to be musical tourists,” the guitarists states. “We came back with a certain flavour and influence of that trip and a sense of freedom.”

As time went on, the music grew ever more diverse and spontaneous. “We wanted to give it some variety,” Edge says. “There is some dark, heavy stuff but there are also some lighter things. Some we’ve really had to sweat to get and just came so easily.” Work-in-progress highlights include “fuck-off live rocker” Breathe; For Your Love, which Edge says is one of the best-ever riffs; and the aforementioned Get on your Boots (“Eddie Cochran with barbershop harmonies”).
Other notable tracks include the eight-minute-long Moment of Surrender and No Line on the Horizon ,inspired by a distortion box called Death by Audio recommended by ex-Secret Machines guitarist Ben Curtis.

Opinion is currently divided as to whether the album will make a pre or post-Christmas release. Anticipation couldn’t be higher, however, with mixer Steve Lillywhite having already proclaimed the record “their best yet”.

“Trying to weave it all together into a coherent collection is the challenge,” Edge admits. “But, yeah, it has the potential to be our best.” Tom Doyle

Please, will you make the release pre-Christmas??? So U2 fans have something big to ask Santa!!!!!

source: Q magazine, Oct 08 issue.

Random U2 Quote

"At a certain point, I just felt, you know, God is not looking for alms, God is looking for action."

Bono

Edge presents Peter Gabriel with human rights award

U2 guitarist The Edge presented Peter Gabriel with Amnesty International's 2008 Ambassador of Conscience award at a ceremony at the Hard Rock Cafe in London onSeptember 10.
The award was given to Gabriel in recognition of his work for human rights. The Edge is a past winner, as is Nelson Mandela and Mary Robinson.
Anmesty International announced that they will be organising gigs all over the world, to take place between September 10 and Human Rights Day on December 10.
The line-up for the gigs, billed as the Small Places Tour, has not been announced yet.
Accepting the award, Peter Gabriel said: "It was through the tours for Amnesty International that I first met many people around the world engaged in human rights work.
"It was these people and their extraordinary stories of suffering and courage that I found impossible to walk away from, so the Ambassador of Conscience award means a great deal to me."

source:http://www.nme.com/news/u2/

9/11 2001-Never forget!!

U2 honours 9/11 victims at Super Bowl show

(BRETT MARTEL / Associated Press) -- NEW ORLEANS -- U2 had the Super Bowl halftime stage all to itself Sunday, and the Irish rockers delivered a moving tribute to the victims of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Lead singer Bono walked onto the field with a slow, shoulder-wagging swagger, singing the group's recent hit, Beautiful Day, as he climbed onto the point of a pink, heart-shaped catwalk that surrounded the stage. As the first song wound down, a giant screen scrolled the names of victims in the attacks, and the group broke into the 1980s hit, Where the Streets Have No Name. The names also reflected in overlapping patterns across the stands, which were dark, save for the countless camera flashes. Unlike glitzy halftime shows of the past, the effects were limited to standard strobe lights. But all attention was on Bono, who pulled back his lapel to reveal the lining of his jacket -- an American flag -- to the roars of the crowd. Sunday's pre-game lineup opened with the Boston Pops. Wearing white coats and black bow ties, the musicians drew enthusiastic applause when they finished their first session with Stars and Stripes Forever. The pre-game lineup also featured Paul McCartney, Barry Manilow, Marc Anthony, Mary J. Blige, Patti LaBelle, James Ingram, Wynonna, Yolanda Adams and Mariah Carey. Canadian group Barenaked Ladies along with No Doubt were featured in a tailgate party segment on Fox earlier in the afternoon. Carey, wearing a long, royal blue dress, performed the game's national anthem for the first time, her renowned high inflection peppering several verses. As she sang with the stadium lights down, fans in the Superdome's three levels held red, white and blue glow sticks, respectively, from top to bottom. A giant American flag in the shape of the United States was unfurled on the field. Producers said most of the musical performers pre-recorded their soundtracks to reduce the possibility of technical problems. However, U2, played live. The pre-game show also included a video of current and former star players reading the Declaration of Independence. In another video, former presidents Carter, Clinton, Ford and Bush joined Nancy Reagan in quoting Abraham Lincoln. The videos concluded with fans chanting "U-S-A!" McCartney, who was in New York when the hijacked planes struck the World Trade Center, sang his Sept. 11-inspired song, Freedom. He took the stage, acoustic guitar in hand, as cheerleaders with silver, glittering pom-poms spelled out "freedom" across the field. Others marched with dozens of flags from other countries. "I'm proud to be here and stand up with America," McCartney said in a TV interview shortly before halftime ended. Earlier, LaBelle, Ingram, Wynonna and Adams joined Manilow in singing Let Freedom Ring, a song Manilow wrote years ago to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the U.S. Constitution.

source: http://www.macphisto.net

My U2 (Musical) Journey

People don’t even ask me whom my favourite band is anymore … they know the answer already … it’s U2 of course. Whenever one of their songs play on the radio, one of my friends or family either call or send me a text message to say, ‘your Boys are playing on the radio, are you listening?’ And the answer would most often be, ‘of course I’m listening!’

How is it that an Irish rock band conquered my heart? Well … there is not really an interesting story attached to my fascination with these 4 gifted men … to be perfectly honest, up to about 3 years ago, the names Bono, Larry, Adam & Edge = U2, rock band hailing from Dublin, Ireland. Although I didn’t know too much about them, I loved hearing their songs on the radio. ‘With or without you’ were THE song that attracted me to U2 … the haunting intro notes always render me helpless when I hear it … and the live version of this song … it’s like being transported and elevated to a spiritual place.

I first started taking serious notice of the 4 Irishmen back in late 2001 when my daughter gave me the ‘All that you can’t leave behind’ album as a present – obviously I skipped the tracks I didn’t know and only listened to the known ones … it was only many months later when I discovered the stunning beauty of ‘Kite’ and the incredible drumbeat and guitar riff of the chorus of ‘New York’ … rather late than never, I maintain … and that was the start.

I bought ‘How to dismantle an atomic bomb’ in 2005, and once again, the songs that weren’t released as singles in South Africa, notably ‘City of blinding lights’ soon became my favourite song off the album. ‘Sometimes you can’t make it on your own’ has a very special place in my heart, because in 2003, my father passed away very unexpectedly, and I finally found a song that could voice the emptiness I feel whenever I think of my father.

On Christmas Eve 2004, one of our TV stations aired ‘U2 Go Home – Live from Slane Castle (2001)’ and I stayed up way past midnight to watch this spectacular, and yet intimate live show recorded a week after Bono’s father’s passing away. That was it … I had to get a copy of the DVD & after weeks of hounding and pestering our CD shops, I finally managed to lay my hands on a copy … and I might add, from all the concert DVD’s I have, ‘Live at Slane Castle’ is still my favourite live performance. There is something so … spiritual (for the lack of a better word) about the band’s performance in front of their home crowd … from the moment the band comes on stage, you just KNOW it was going to be a performance like you’ve never seen before … and in my humble (and personal) opinion … I don’t think the band could ever equal that day … that concert in their own territory.

Ensuring the band has a good source of income from a fan in the southern tip of Africa, I have since spent so much money on CD’s & DVD’s … and I guess some people would see it as a complete waste, but not to me … their music is what makes MY heart happy … and in the end that’s all that matters, not so?

I became fascinated with the band’s earlier music after buying the ‘Rattle and Hum’ DVD … and because of this, I’ve discovered my own and U2’s stories … and what a (musical) journey it is! The R&H era completely captivated me, and I think I still ‘prefer’ Bono and the ‘Boys’ from this era, way before all the glamour and glitz took over and capitulated them into super stardom. I love the performance footage of the band touring the US, but my favourite is the off-the-record chats the producer has with them … and I smile every time when I see Larry, trying so hard to remain serious, how the movie, in his opinion, was ‘a musical journey’ – the look on his face … priceless!

I became somewhat of a U2 ‘fundi’ (according to those who know me) and for my birthday in 2007, my children clubbed together and bought me what I refer to as ‘The U2 Bible’ – I refer to ‘U2 By U2’ of course … one of the BEST presents I could ever get from anyone! THE BOOK (as a e-mail friend &I call it) is such a rich discovery of the band, the individual members and their story with its humble beginnings. I can highly recommend it to anyone who’s a fan or to those curious to know HOW U2 has managed to get to the top and are still hailed as ‘the best band in the world’ … you will not be disappointed, I can guarantee that!

I got U2’s very first album, ‘Boy’ as an early Christmas present (in October!) from my youngest daughter, and when I listened to it for the very first time, I was amazed to discover that, even back in 1980, U2 had absolutely everything to make it to the top … and boy, did they ever!

My e-mail friend sent me a link to YouTube a few months ago, and did that video change my live … I’m referring to U2’s outstanding live performance on Sat, 13th July 1985 at Wembley Stadium when they did their bit for Sir Bob Geldof’s ‘Live Aid’. Those few minutes are etched into my heart and memory forever … the version of ‘Bad’ (where Bono did his ‘leap of faith’ and disappeared from stage for a few minutes to hug a girl from the audience) is my all-time favourite version of the song. I don’t think any performance, or any song for that matter, has touched me as deeply as this one … and to think the rest of the band wanted to fire Bono for his efforts!

I subsequently have in my current U2 collection:

Vertigo – Live in Chicago 2005
U2 go home – Live from Slane Castle
Rattle and Hum
The Elevation Tour – Live from Boston 2001
The U2 18 Singles DVD
How to dismantle an atomic bomb (limited edition DVD)
U2 – The best of 1990 – 2000 music videos DVD
PopMart

All that you can’t leave behind
How to dismantle an atomic bomb
The Joshua Tree
Achtung Baby
U2 – The greatest hits 1980 – 1990
U2 – The greatest hits 1990 – 2000
U218 Singles
U2 Live – Under a blood red sky
War
The unforgettable fire
Boy


What makes U2 so special to me? Well … let’s see … I will try sum it up in a few words …

Bono – for his masterful lyrics, telling a story and conveying emotions so well … his voice that transports me to another place …for closing the gap between performer and audience … for his amazing work in Africa, for fighting for justice and equality … for being so human … and the beautiful soul he is … and not apologising for it.

Adam – the bassist wearing an enigmatic smile when performing. To me he is a Zen master … he’s discovered the secret of the Universe and is NOT sharing … for making me notice how powerful and important the bass is in any song ... for giving me the courage to understand a simple truth … live does get better the older you are!

Edge – or shall I say, ‘Mr. The Edge’ – the man who has defined the unique U2 guitar sound … for being so grounded and humble … for giving his all when recording and performing … for making me want to get up and dance … for just being the best damn guitarist out there today!

Larry – what do I say about the man who started it all? I don’t think Larry ever realised just how HUGE ‘his band’ would become when he put up a piece of paper on the school notice board all those years ago. The strong, silent one … the glue that keeps the band together … the ‘brakes’ of the band as Bono is so fond of saying. To me he is the ‘X’ factor … the unknown one … the man who prefers staying behind the scenes ... the man who stirs my imagination when I see his eyes …

THANK YOU Larry, for taking that step, because if you didn’t … the world wouldn’t have had U2 and the music in their lives … and what a sad state of affairs it would be!


With word that U2 will not be releasing their long-awaited new album in October as previously announced (it’s provisionally been moved to Feb ’09), I’m eagerly awaiting the new songs from my favourite band. I know the wait will be worth it … and if what I’ve read on other U2 fan sites are true, then we can only expect the very best from them … as Bono once said in an interview, “we know who pays our salaries” … and that is a humble admission … thank you Bono!

I look forward ‘swaying to the music’ once again when the world hears the magic that would surely never fade into oblivion.

I would like to extend an open invitation to Bono, Larry, Adam and Edge to visit our fair shores when U2 goes on a world tour in 2009 … I know you’ve been here in 1997 (with PopMart) but guys, please … your fans here in South Africa would LOVE to see you perform here again … we will welcome you with open arms & make you feel right at home … I would even go so far as saying that Nelson (Madiba) Mandela & Archbishop Desmond Tutu (The Arch) would applaud your return … this time not to find a solution to the world AIDS crises … but to give us something to hold onto … a night we’d never forget.

PLEASE SAY YES!

U2 Disc Pushed Back to 2009

Those of us who have been waiting for a U2 album in October 2008 will have to wait more patiently still.According to some sources the disc will now be released in the early stages of 2009, rather than over the holiday season, which was the original plan. U2 has written fifty to sixty tacks worth of material as they worked on this project.
“We’ve hit a rich songwriting vein and we don’t want to stop...I thought a while back we might have the album wrapped by now, but why come up above ground now if there's more priceless stuff to be found?," Bono writes on U2.com

Fans surely don´t want them to stop!!!

Bono goes on:

"The last two records were very personal, with a kind of three piece at their heart, the primary colors of rock -- bass, guitars and drum," he says. "But what we're about now is of the same order as the transition that took us from 'The Joshua Tree' to 'Achtung Baby.'"

Wow!!! That certainly WAS a transition! If it´s going to be as good as Achtung I guess we can wait for a while, can´t we?

And he concludes:

"I'm always the one who underestimates how easy it is to simply 'put out the songs now.' If it was just up to me they'd be out already!.But early next year people will be able to start hearing what we've been doing. We want 2009 to be our year, so we're going to start making an impression very early on."

So let´s wait for a new album that according to a source who has heard several of the works-in-progress describes them as "amazing and a little out there. I hope they don't change anything."

I hope so too!!!

source:http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/news

QUEEN: C-LEBRITY SINGLE OUT !!!

After being together since 2004 Queen & Paul Rodgers have released their first studio album. The last one was "Made in Heaven" after Maestro Freddie Mercury passed away in November,1991.

The album is called "The Cosmos Rocks" and the first single realesed yesterday is called C-LEBRITY. The album will be accompanied of a World tour ,"Rock the Cosmos tour" starting in Moscow on 16th September and finishing in Brazil on 30th November,2008. After 27 years the band will play in South America again, where they expect to perform before 1,000,000 people in Rio de Janeiro.

Although for many fans "Queen is not the same without Freddie", even for former bassit John Deacon, Paul Rodgers has never pretended to become the new Freddie Mercury and he has given the band a brand new voice, powerful and exciting, yet different.

Queen aren't the first band to continue working after the death or disappearance of their front men, but to varied success. Joy Division achieved greater commercial standing as New Order after Ian Curtis's suicide, and Pink Floyd reached new heights after Sid Barrett left the band, due to drug abuse and mental illness. As Queen´s drummer,Roger Taylor, said:

"It's, it's music. It's about having fun and you know, people get up tight about it. They should just loosen up."

This is the billboard that has appeared in the city of Buenos Aires,Argentina..."After 27 years...Queen + Paul Rodgers in Velez, 21st November"

Queen and U2 shared many things in common: the stage in Live Aid 85(it´s very funny to read the way Bono and Mercury met in U2 by U2 )in Live 8 2005, Mandela´s birthday celebration, and the fight against AIDS especially.Their song "Say it´s not true" (released for the commemoration of Internatioanl Aids day in the 46664 HIV AIDS campaing ) is a reminder that all of us can do something for the victims of the virus. Besides they founded The Mercury Phoenix Trust , in honour of their deseased friend who died of the illness, a charity organisation that fights AIDS worldwide.

I´m sure their new album is going to be a blast and so will his worldwide tour!!!

source:http://www.brianmay.com/queen/queennews/queennews.html

The Hype and The Feedback: a conference exploring the music,work and influence of U2

Hosted by the Department of Language and Literature and the School of Humanities of Cedarville University and @U2 the first conference on U2 or any related subject will be held on May 13-15 2009 in New York city,The Marriott Marquis, Times Square.

It´s aimed at scholars, teachers, students, journalists, clergy, musicians and intellectually curious U2 fans.

The newsletter of the call for papers reads..."for more than 30 years, U2 has asked us to look at the world, wrestle with ourselves and then dream out loud. From “I Will Follow” and “Running to Stand Still,” to “The Wanderer,” “Walk On,” and “One Step Closer,” U2 has charted the human heart and the ways of the world, calling out some of their more dynamic points of intersection. While doing so, they have created what Bruce Springsteen described as "some of the most beautiful sonic architecture in rock and roll."

"A band of paradoxes, ironies, ambition and sincerity, their influence in the worlds of music, entertainment, popular culture, humanitarian relief and the global politics of peace and social justice should be the stuff of spirited conversation. Hype? Feedback? Or the real thing? Come join the conversation as we see what U2 has done."

A very interesting subject to deal with, I think many important papers will be read. Speakers from different areas are expected: Anthony DeCurtis,contributing editor at Rolling Stone, James Henke, Steve Turner, Cathleen Falsani, Matt McGee, creator of @U2, among others.

Call for papers (up to Novermber 1st 2008)

Proposals for papers,presentions or panels on any topic relating to the music, work or influence of U2 that would appeal to an audience of scholars,students, journalists,musicians,intellectually curious fans of U2.

Suggested areas:

Lyrical/textual studies

The business of rock ’n’ roll

Music composition

Music and cultural engagement

The performance of rock ’n’ roll

The Spirit in/of rock ’n’ roll

Artist, audience and fan dynamics

Peace efforts and social justice

Art and the rock aesthetics
The rock star activist

Artistic collaboration

The multi-genre modern rock star

Technology in the studio/on the stage

Notions of celebrity and fame

Sounds like a fascinating conference... I just wonder what the band will think about it????will they make a special guest appearance?? We´ll have to wait until May next year to see the results of this. Meanwhile we can start thinking about a paper to present...

for more info:http://www.u2conference.com