Back on the Road!!!!

Rumours went that they were about to rehearse at Stadio Olimpico. Up to now, they are just that, rumours.There was soundcheck so many Italian websites said and some songs were heard like Pride, City of Blinding Lights and Moment of Surrender, however only Edge had some contact with the fans.
Adam was also seen arriving at the stadium and Bono was interviewed by the Italian TV and  the programme will be aired on Sunday.

This is  a video of the  soundcheck  captured by fans outside the stadium.But it is still unknown if it is really U2.

Turin: Get Ready!!!

The Claw is ready and waiting. The rumour goes that U2 is arriving to Turin on Thursday. The countdown has started.Only ten days for the beginning of U2 360º , 3rd lap.

U2 Gig Prompts Juventus To Switch Grounds For Europa League Clash

Juventus’s third round Europa League tie will move to a different ground next month because U2 are booked to perform at the same venue.

The Italian side are scheduled to play either Shamrock Rovers or Bnei Yehufa at Stadio Olimpico in Turin on August 6. But the Irish band are due to open the latest European leg of their 360 Degree tour at the stadium on the same day. As a result, the clash will now take place nearly 300km away in Modena.

Shamrock Rovers chairman Jonathan Roche told the Irish Times: “Apparently U2 have the stadium booked as part of their European tour so the venue is being moved to Modena no matter who progresses to play Juventus.”

The gig will be the first time U2 have performed live since singer Bono recovered from back surgery.

www.gigwise.com

Top 100 Christian Rock Albums of all time

HM Magazine posted a list of the "Top 100 Christian Rock Albums of all time  and "The Joshua Tree" made it to the top,  this list also includes: Payable on Death - Satellite|Atlantic|2001;Stryper - To Hell With The Devil|Enigma|1986;The Choir - Chase the Kangaroo|Myrth|1988; Altar Boys - Gut Level Music|Frontline|1986;The Seventy Sevens - Seventy Sevens|Exit/Island|1987;King's X - Faith Hope Love|Megaforce|1990; Stavesacre - Speakeasy|Tooth&Nail|1999;mewithoutYou - Brother, Sister|Tooth & Nail|2006;Vengeance Rising - Human Sacrifice|Intense|1989.


About The Joshua Tree:



#1 U2 – The Joshua Tree|Island|1987


"This CD was the turning point for me with U2. This album was so inspiring to the world. It was a universal cry of spirituality and common sense of human feelings. On Joshua Tree Bono continued to inspire me to write honest lyrics, like he did when they first came out in 1980. “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For” helped bring me out of my religious insanity. It was a perfect album in my opinion. The biggest thing I noticed about this CD was after 4 awesome records  there was a new maturity in songwriting. God bless Bono and U2.” —Doug Pinnick (King’s X)
“The Joshua Tree is not only one of the greatest rock albums of all time, but look at how its sound has directly influenced modern worship. The impact of U2’s style on the church of today is unquantifiable!” —Paul Q-Pek (One Bad Pig)
“Joshua Tree is one of my favorite albums of all time.” —Sonny Sandoval (P.O.D.)
It’s only fitting that the top album on this list is also a great candidate (and a good argument) for the top rock album of all time, period – sacred or secular. Given that rock’s roots go straight into the church in the first place, it shouldn’t be much of a surprise that an artist of faith would make some of the best music around, but it’s still a cool thing.
This album took the band from huge to mind-blowing in terms of prominence and historical impact. It starts off with an unforgettable song that both creates tension and brings emotional fulfillment. Like any great blues song, it laments our current conditions as it longs for heaven, where people will not get beat down for living in a certain neighborhood. “Where the Streets Have No Name” has probably the greatest crescendo in rock in what could be the greatest song in rock and roll. It builds with a spiraling tension that just explodes with color – like the transition from black and white to vibrant stage lighting that the band employed for that performance scene in their movie, Rattle and Hum. I think the band learned about the power of a hypnotic, building vibe with the previous album’s showstopper – “Bad.” —Doug Van Pelt

To read the complete article, click here.

www.hmmagazine.com

Gibson Guitars and U2’s The Edge: Celebrating the 30th Anniversary of Boy

When “I Will Follow” and “A Day Without Me” came ripping out of radios in late 1980, it was obvious the band that recorded these singles was far too ambitious to be pigeon-holed as new wave, post-punk or simply pop. The guitar lines – a jittery Morse Code of single notes sculpted into a hook for “A Day Without Me,” the shimmering chords of “I Will Follow,” the delay-swabbed sound of both that crossed the line from mere effect into melody – alone advertised a broad creative sweep, and the lyrics aimed to define what it means to be human, albeit from a superbly youthful viewpoint.

Thirty years later that band, U2, has a firm grasp on one of the broadest creative palettes in rock history and has blossomed into one of the grandest groups of all time, as well as a force to be reckoned with in the music business and even the world of politics. Despite the fiery spirit of those singles and their debut album Boy, nobody who saw their first U.S. shows at New York’s CBGB, the Rat in Boston and Toad’s Place in New Haven, CT, could have reasonably predicted the arch of their growth, success and influence – even though the group’s fresh-faced, then-19- and 20-year-old members rocked those less-than-packed houses with heads-down dedication and no shortage of perspiration.

Guitarist David Evans, better known as The Edge, has been U2’s sonically creative spearhead over their 30 years in operation. He has defined a highly personal six-string style based on simple chords and licks that take on a much a bigger architecture thanks to his imaginative technique and his creative use of effects. And throughout all of the band’s musical explorations – collaborations with Brian Eno and B.B. King, revisionist strip-downs, baroque constructions, disco intoxications, electro-pop peccadilloes – his sound, even when stretched in all kinds of directions, has been as recognizable a constant as Bono’s voice.

Even before The Edge and his three partners entered the studio to record Boy in March 1980, Gibson guitars were at the heart of his sonic strategy. His main axe was a worn natural finish Gibson Explorer pumped through a Vox AC-30 buoyed by the era’s spanking new digital delay and chorus pedals. Producer Steve Lillywhite, one of the soundboard giants of the new wave era, perfectly captured his bedrock sound on the hits and deeper cuts like the exuberant “Out of Control” and “Stories for Boys.”

The Edge developed this sound with the use of his delay, setting his feedback dial to add half the duration of his eighth notes to every one struck – creating cascades of what’s termed “dotted eighth notes,” thanks to his setting the “repeat” function to regenerate two or three notes. He also, early on, developed a style of playing the same note on two strings simultaneously to create a droning tone.

It’s a gambit that’s served him well over the years, even as he’s branched out into synthesis, looping and other more modern techniques of turning sound into lush layers. He’s also expanded his fleet of guitars, primarily drawing on the Gibson family of instruments to build his armada. Here’s a rundown of some of the Gibsons the Edge has been observed playing on stage and in the studio.

• Gibson Explorers are still his signature instrument. The Edge prefers the Gibson Limited Edition Explorer built in 1976. He owns several, including the one he used on Boy, which is now retired from the stage.

• Gibson Les Pauls are an important part of his tone bank. The Edge has two white Les Paul Customs with black tone and volume knobs, from 1973 and 1975. He also has a 30th Anniversary Les Paul Gold Top from 1982 and a 2005 Les Paul Standard.

• Gibson SGs are in the picture, too. There’s a 1966 cherry finish that he used for “Elevation” and a ’65 in Pelham blue.

• Epiphones have hung from his shoulders on stage, as well. He employed a 1962 Epiphone Casino with a tobacco finish on the U2 360° tour and has been spotted with a Sheraton and a 2006 Epiphone Les Paul Standard.

• Gibson SJ-200s are among The Edge’s preferred acoustic guitars and he reportedly owns at least three, including a Pete Townshend model.

• And Gibson ES-series hollowbodies and semi-hollowbodies are a part of his trick bag. His 1953 ES-295 made a cameo in the “Desire” video and he strapped on an ES-330 for the “Who’s Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses” and “One” videos.

He also has a tobacco finish ES-335. And a Byrdland made its way before the cameras during the filming of Rattle and Hum.

www.gibson.com

Countdown to Turin

In a little more than two weeks the U2 360º Tour starts its Summer leg 2010. Activity should be picking up at the Olympic Stadium in Turin, Italy. The city even offers a nearby webcam to keep an eye on The Claw as it's being built.

The rumour goes that the band could show up as early as Monday, July 26th, to start tour rehearsals.




U2.com reminds us that...


 "A few months back, when the tour was due to open in the US, Edge mentioned that  the band were thinking of 'changing things up' in the set list. 

So that got you thinking. And you told us about songs you'd like them to put into the new leg of the tour -  an unplayed track from 'No Line' or a classic from an earlier album.

But it's summer now, the tour opens in Europe  and maybe you've changed your mind. 

So how about telling us about  two songs you'd love to see in the set in  2010... that weren't in the show in 2009? "

So click here and you´ ll be able to ask the two  songs and why you want to hear them.



www.u2.com//www.spaziotorino.it

Victory for transparency in the US

ONE posted in its blog about the US Senate passing an amendment to the Financial Regulation Bill that will dramatically enhance transparency efforts in developing countries. The Cardin-Lugar Transparency amendment makes it mandatory for all oil, gas and mining companies listed on the New York Stock Exchange to disclose what they pay to foreign governments for the right to extract natural resources. Placing these numbers in the hands of local civil society will help them hold their governments to account and cut down on corruption.

US Banker said:

Amid the punditry over whether the financial reform bill will be effective, the measure received a ringing endorsement last week from the only expert that may matter (to some people, at least): Bono.

The lead singer of U2, and founder of the antipoverty group ONE, lauded the bill for including an amendment by Sen. Ben Cardin, D-Md., and Sen. Richard Lugar, R-Ind., that would require companies listed on the New York Stock Exchange to disclose what they pay foreign governments for extracting oil, gas and other resources.

The amendment "is a great lever to support more transparency and healthier governance in poor countries," Bono said in a press release issued Thursday by ONE.

ONE had been lobbying for the amendment since May, when according to the organization, it had generated more than 1,000 calls from members and supporters for the legislation. 

ONE blog continues...

Now attention has turned to the UK. We need similar legislation over here so that companies listed on the London Stock Exchange, but not in New York, will also have to open up their books. The good news is that we’ve already started. On Tuesday ONE held a reception with the Publish What You Pay coalition for MPs and members of the House of Lords to explain to them exactly what was happening in the US, and how they could bring in similar rules in the UK. Author Michaela Wrong, whose most recent book looked at corruption in Kenya, gave a fantastic speech on how corruption and development are so closely linked.

www.americanbanker.com//www.one.org

Back in Studio?

Dave Hollister (former member of the R&B quartet BLACKstreet and several solo albums) posted on his Twitter that he's .... "in the studio working with U2! Man I'm excited! Bono baby!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Later he answered  a fan that  he's working on "All I Want" and "Grace."

Presumably "All I want is you"... So let`s wait for the mix of Hollister and U2 for a near future...

U2 Guitar Auctioned for Charity

Rock Memorabilia Auction  will held an auction which will benefit  the  Cancer Society . At 3pm on Saturday 14th August 2010 during the week long G-Taranaki International Music Week, autographed guitars will be going under the hammer. 
The Auction Items include: 

• AC/DC - autographed Fender Guitar
• Bob Dylan - autographed Fender Guitar
• Carlos Santana - autographed Fender Guitar
• Fleetwood Mac - signed Guitar
• Led Zeppelin - signed Electric Guitar
• The Amazing Rhythm Aces - autographed Acoustic Guitar
• U2 - autographed Fender Guitar

Complete Band signed Fender Electric Guitar. Truly a magical item, framed with a customised mat-board, showcasing the entire back catalogue over the last 30 years! 

More info:www.rockauction.co.nz

25th Years Later: Live Aid Where All Charity Work Began for the Superstars

Live Aid was a multi-venue concert that was held on 13 July 1985. The event was organized by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure to raise funds for famine relief in Ethiopia. Billed as the "global jukebox", the event was held simultaneously in Wembley Stadium in London, England, United Kingdom (attended by 72,000 people) and John F. Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States (attended by about 99,000 people).[1] On the same day, concerts inspired by the initiative happened in other countries, such as Australia and Germany. It was one of the largest-scale satellite link-ups and television broadcasts of all time: an estimated 2 billion viewers, across 60 countries, watched the live broadcast.

U2's performance established them as a pre-eminent live group for the first time — something for which they would eventually become superstars. The band played a 14-minute rendition of "Bad", during which lead vocalist Bono jumped off the stage to join the crowd and dance with a girl. The length of their performance of "Bad" limited them to playing just two songs; the third, "Pride (In the Name of Love)", had to be ditched. In July 2005, the girl with whom he danced revealed that he actually saved her life at the time. She was being crushed by the throngs of people pushing forwards; Bono saw this, and gestured frantically at the ushers to help her. They didn't understand what he was saying, and so he jumped down to help her himself.

This performance will be remembered forever, for some of us it was a dsicovery for others a reaffirmation that  this band from Ireland was doing something right...and they were!!!

More pics, click in MTV gallery

Clicking here you can see the complete list of artists and their performances back in 1985.

It`s well known the story, but it is worth remembering...


Bono was inspired to get involved in charity work after seeing The Secret Policeman’s Ball in 1979. In 1986 he helped organize Amnesty International's Conspiracy Of Hope tour alongside Sting, who was one of the Secret Policeman’s Ball performers seen by Bono, Peter Gabriel, Lou Reed, and Bryan Adams. He also got involved in the Band Aid and Live Aid projects which were organized by Bob Geldof – another Secret Policeman’s Ball performer, and later helped Geldof organize the 2005 Live 8 project.

His first contact with charitable causes was in 1986, prior to the Conspiracy of Hope tour, when World Vision invited him to Ethiopia. While there, Bono developed an education program with his wife, Ali, that used one-act plays and songs to spread information on health, hygiene, and other issues. He released a book of photos he took during the trip called “String Of Pearls”.

Bono followed his trip to Ethiopia with visits to Nicaragua and El Salvador with Sanctuary to draw attention to the conflicts and help children.


Bono has been a leader in the fight against poverty, and has helped to create the ONE Campaign, DATA, (RED) and EDUN, a clothing company which is striving to stimulate trade with poverty stricken countries.


He was on Forbes’ Generous Celebrity List for his work with Debt AIDS Trade Africa (DATA) against the spread of AIDS and for debt relief in Africa, participation in fundraising concerts like Live 8, and his donation of $50,000 to One in Four Ireland, a charity that helps survivors of sexual abuse.

Bono has received 3 nominations for the Nobel Peace Prize, and was knighted in 2007.

www.mtv.com//liveaid.free.fr//www.one.org//www.joinred.com//http://www.edun.com/

U2´s Swings and Roundabouts

Sex Pistol's legend John Lydon wishes U2 never existed

John Lydon says U2 are a band that should never have existed and is surprised that his own band Public Image Limited have not received more festival requests.

The Punk star said: “We haven’t had any offers. They have been quite negative, which has astounded us because PIL is the perfect festival band. You don’t want U2- that’s a band that should never have existed, there’s no life experience in any of their songs.”

more to read: www.purplerevolver.com


To uprise the moment...an article about Peter Rowen that boy that has been looking at  us from the cover of "Boy" and "War"  for so long...

Peter Rowen: From U2 “Boy” Wonder to Picture Perfect

If you’re a U2 fan, you know Peter Rowen already and might not even know it. He has stared back at you as you have stared back at him. When you want to hear songs like “I Will Follow” and “Sunday Bloody Sunday”, you reach for him. His youthful face, soulful stare, and powerful presence have stayed with you as a U2 fan through the years.

o who is Peter Rowen? He is the boy of U2’s “Boy” album. He is the war child of their“War” record. His is the face that U2 fans have felt an instant connection to as they play those brilliant works. Decades later, Rowen, 36, is now working behind the camera as a commercial photographer in Dublin. His portfolio consists of sports/editorial features, advertising campaigns, wedding photos, and also concerts featuring a certain group of Irish rockers.

Working with U2 never made him consider a career in music, but Rowen had a bit of a showman streak in him growing up. “I love music and I loved performing as a kid,” he says via email, “I used to sing for my aunties and uncles.”

As a child, Rowen found his future passion in photography through art. “My brother Jonny, who’s two years older than me, and I used to draw a lot together,” he says, “I realized as an adult that when I was a child I was far more interested in looking at pictures than I was in reading words.”

Excelling in art classes in school only fueled his interest more, and once he was a teenager, Rowen was on the road to photography. “I just got a camera at 17 and started taking pictures. I liked it so much that within a year I was working as an assistant photographer,” he says.

Rowen recently shot his brother Guggi’s second art exhibit at the Yoshii Gallery in New York City. “I like photographing interesting people. I think my brother’s a good subject,” he says, “As for the shots themselves, as always I try to just keep it very simple. I use natural light as often as I can… I guess I always try to tell a little about someone when I go to shoot them and the space that they work in.”

His brother’s role as an artist does have an impact on his job as a photographer. “We’ve discussed photography and art a fair bit,” Rowen says, “He’s certainly got a good understanding of composition and light so he knows exactly what he likes in a photograph.”

Guggi has been friends with Bono since their school days and remain close to this day. Rowen remembers that Bono “used to spend a fair bit of time in our house when we were neighbors”. Bono would eventually bring future wife Ali over for a Sunday dinner. As for the rest of U2, Rowen says that there is one occasion that stands out.

“The whole band called out to our house along with the photographer Anton Corbijn to shoot me along with the band,” he reflects, and jokingly adds, “I got that picture on my sitting room wall right now in fact!” 

Now that he’s an established photographer, could Rowen look back at his own images on those epic album covers and see how successful U2 would eventually become? “I don’t think anyone could have predicted how massive U2 were going to be,” he says. 

When he remembers the album shoots, he still sees himself as just a kid having fun. “All I knew was I had a day off school and I was being fed as much chocolate as I could eat,” says Rowen, “Did I think I was going to be part of something so special? No.”

As for the popularity that comes from being on the records, Rowen takes it all in stride. “I’ve never been recognized on the street, but I’ve certainly had lots of emails, phone calls, contact from journalists and all that sort of stuff,” he says, “It’s been happening since I was a kid so I’m used to it now.”

Rowen and U2 haven’t parted ways as the years passed. He took photographs of the band during their incredible homecoming show at Ireland’s Slane Castle in 2001. “It was pretty special,” he says. Rowen also shot the band during their stint at Croke Park last July during their “360” tour and plans on taking photos at some of the “360” European concerts this summer.

While he will forever be associated with two of U2’s classic works from the 1980s, it’s the band’s later material that Rowen is fond of. “I think my favorite album would be [1991’s] ‘Achtung Baby’”, he says. However, U2’s latest effort “No Line on the Horizon” is “great”.

Indeed, because of his work with U2 as the subject of his photos as well as his own experience of being shot for their albums, Rowen sees why music and photography blend so well. “I guess it’s all about the senses. We hear music, we see pictures,” he says, “Then there’s the emotion. Music has an amazing way of taking you back to a place or moment in time. I think pictures can do this to an extent.”

From once being the photo subject to now doing his own shooting, Rowen doesn’t like to sweat the small stuff when it comes to his work. “I like simple images, nothing too contrived,” he reveals, “I love when a picture has a certain amount of mystery, maybe just a look in someone’s eyes or a scene when you’re not quite sure what’s going on.”

Working with photos has introduced him to subjects he’s very fond of, like motorcycles. “I’ve started shooting a lot of bike racing lately," he says, "I love trying to capture the speed, the rush, the tension.” His love of music and capturing people is never far, and one of his photographic goals involves the biggest band on the planet.

“I’d love to shoot a behind-the-scenes type thing on U2,” Rowen says, “I don’t think it’s going to happen but that would be one story I’d love to do.” While that project is on hold, he never turns down the idea of shooting events as they are occurring. “I’m very drawn to documentary photographing. There’s something magical about capturing real moments in time, real events.”

Rowen would like his future photos to be of historical significance. “Moments in time that have lasting, memorable effects,” he says. Looking at the covers of “Boy” and “War”, Rowen has already cemented his own place in musical history in a memorable way. 

Peter Rowen: The "Boy" who went to "War" is now taking his own pictures!

source:www.examiner.com

U2 "Pop": A 21st Century Look

U2 are making their latest comeback. Following Bono's back surgery (which forced the cancellation of their North American tour), the group will hit the road in Europe for a series of dates and be back around the United States next summer. U2 have had a fascinating career, as even though they've been one of the biggest bands in the world for the better part of the past three decades, they have still regularly been cast as underdogs on the comeback trail. Their story arc is remarkable, and it hit an interesting point when they released Pop in 1997.


When you consider most albums, you have to consider the context along with the songs. But in the case of Pop, it's almost all about the context. The last time U2 had appeared, it was a part of the absolutely gigantic ZooTV tour, which at the time was one of the most ambitious stadium-sized rock shows ever produced. It was in support of the hugely successful Achtung Baby, a moody art rock album masquerading as pop music (it helped that "One," the one track on the album that doesn't really fit, was a huge international hit). The band followed Achtung with a pair of strange experiments: 1993's Zooropa, which was an album that leaned heavily on electronics and was written and recorded in between legs of ZooTV, and 1996's Original Soundtracks 1, a heavily ambient album produced by Brian Eno and credited to Passengers (it was so out there that the label didn't want them to release it under their own name).


That meant it had been nearly six years since a "proper" U2 album had been put on the market, so expectations were high. Those expectations were compounded by the fact that in the run-up toPop's release, people were suggesting that U2 had somehow managed to solve the conundrum that was facing rock music at the time. Back in 1996, a reasonable portion of the population believed that dance music was going to take over as the next great underground genre to blow up to stadium size. Everybody was extremely excited about the Prodigy, and the Chemical Brothers were being treated like big time rock stars and not just a pair of DJs. More and more bands were dipping into the electronic pool, augmenting their rock tunes with breakbeats, bits of trip-hop and whatever else floated over from the United Kingdom. It was seen as a conundrum that needed to be solved, as though somebody would eventually crack the code and deliver a song or an album that would successfully bring together the two disparate worlds to create a new genre.


Everybody was convinced that Pop was that album. Before anybody heard any music, people who thought about pop music for a living seemed to think that U2 had solved it, and when they dropped the single "Discotheque" a month before, it seemed like Pop was going to change everything. "Discotheque" grafted some super-distorted guitars, techno-funky bass and a sweaty breakbeat, and it still allowed for a killer chorus it sounded like the collision of modern dance music and rock and roll.


But when the album came out and fans listened to the other 11 songs on the album, there was much confusion. The first three songs on the album — "Discotheque," "Do You Feel Loved" and "Mofo" — made an effort to attach disparate dance genres (like techno, house and drum and bass) to U2's refined approach to stadium rock. The problem is that none of those songs particularly succeed as dance songs or as rock workouts. "Discotheque" runs out of steam, "Do You Feel Loved" isn't dynamic enough and "Mofo" devolves into a beat-happy mess.


And then U2 seem to abandon the premise entirely. Luckily, they do it for the sake of "If God Will Send His Angels" and "Staring at the Sun," neither of which contain very much in the way of electronics but both of which contain blissful melodies and hypnotic hooks. ("If God Will Send His Angels," in particular, seemed to be laying the groundwork for their throwback 2000 album All That You Can't Leave Behind.) "Gone" is also a spectacular anthem with a giant chorus — in fact, Bono has a great time on Pop, as there are places for him to experiment as well as to hit his usual high notes. (Conversely, the Edge has the roughest time on Pop, as his guitar tones are often subverted, distorted or lost entirely.)




Latter day U2 albums also contain a healthy amount of obsessions with American culture, and Popcontains two such tracks: "Miami" and "The Playboy Mansion." The former is an intense beat experiment that does a lot of swirling but doesn't go much of anywhere, and "The Playboy Mansion" is about the closest thing the band has ever come to making a novelty song. Still, it's charming in spots and has a jaunty little melody.


The album wraps up with the smoldering "If You Wear That Velvet Dress," the lurching "Please" and the sparse, powerful "Wake Up Dead Man." Really, those three songs act as a microcosm for U2's entire career, as it has the right combination of romanticism, Catholicism, passion and darkness. Unfortunately, none of those songs have the sort of sweetness that lurks under even the most militant U2 tunes, which makes for a rather uneven finish to what ends up being a bizarre, disjointed album.


So Pop didn't change the way we think about rock music, nor did it change the way we think about U2 (they ended up really coming back with All That You Can't Leave Behind a few years later). Bono, the Edge, Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen, Jr. seemed to be distracted by keyboards and irony, which may explain why Pop is by far the most schizophrenic release in U2's canon. It's an interesting entry in the band's history (and a fascinating look at the state of rock music in 1997), but not up there with the essential All That You Can't Leave Behind, Achtung Baby and The Joshua Tree.


by Kyle Anderson ,MTV


source:www.mtv.com

They Are Back!!!

U2.com has posted a video and some information about the guys come back.

"Following Bono's recovery from back surgery, the band are now preparing themselves for the opening of their European Tour opens in Turin next month.
Adam, Larry, Edge and Bono have filmed a message for everyone at U2.com on the eve of their return:  'Thank you for standing by us'. "

Live Nation Entertainment announced today that the U2 360° tour dates in the US, which were recently postponed due to Bono’s emergency back surgery, have all been rescheduled for Spring/Summer 2011 with all tickets being valid at the rescheduled performances.The 2010 European tour, which has not been affected, begins as scheduled on August 6th in Turin.

North American Tour rescheduled dates are confirmed,here.

source:www.u2.com

Live Aid 25th Anniversary

Tuesday marks the 25th anniversary of Live Aid, the worldwide charity concert that propelled U2 to a new level of international recognition. That was a surprise to the band, who all felt like they'd blown it by not having time to play "Pride," their biggest hit at the time. But U2's two songs -- "Bad" in particular -- left an indelible impression on many who watched. Joan Baez, who performed in Philadelphia and watched U2 on TV, later wrote: "Out of the hours of Live Aid that I saw by the end of the day, the high point was witnessing the magic of U2. They moved me as nothing else moved me."


Bono recorded a podcast about his memories of Live Aid which was 25 years ago this month .It can be dowloaded in www.absoluteradio.co.uk. Listen here:









source:www.absoluteradio.co.uk//www.atu2.com

A Beautiful Day for Bono

Bono and his wife Ali took to the high seas yesterday for lunch with Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich.

The meeting with the Chelsea owner took place on 'The Rising Son' yacht moored in the Mediterranean off the French coast which is owned by billionaire Larry Ellison, CEO of the software company Oracle.

Bono (50), who has a holiday home in the south of France, is recovering from surgery he underwent last May for a compressed sciatic nerve in his back.

It was during preparations for the next leg of U2's 360 tour that the frontman injured himself, an incident which resulted in U2 having to cancel their headline performance at the Glastonbury Festival.

source:www.independent.ie

AWF Raises $25,000 for Build a Well for Bono's Birthday, Funds Zimbabwe Project

The African Well Fund raised $25,217.02 during the 55-day Build a Well for Bono's Birthday fundraiser. Held from March 21 through May 15, the fundraiser aimed to raise $50,000 in honor of Bono's 50th birthday to fund a clean water and sanitation project in Zimbabwe. Thanks to the continued support AWF has received from donors throughout the year, the Zimbabwe project has been fully funded.

The Buhera Integrated Community Water and Sanitation Project will benefit 2,200 people in a region of Zimbabwe that has been greatly impacted by a cholera epidemic. Learn more about the project, which will be implemented by AWF partner Africare, here.

U2 fans have donated nearly $200,000 through the eight Build a Well for Bono's Birthday fundraisers to benefit more than 30,000 people in Angola, Liberia, Uganda and Zimbabwe.

AWF is currently accepting donations to fund a $30,000 water pump project in Benin that will provide clean water sources to as many as 1,000 people. Learn more about the project here.

AWF is also in the running for a $20,000 donation in the Chase Community Giving challenge on Facebook. Supporters with Facebook accounts can vote for AWF by July 12 in the contest that rewards the nonprofit organizations that get the highest number of votes with donations of $20,000, $100,000 or $250,000 from Chase. To place a vote, or learn more about Chase Community Giving, click here.

source:www.africanwellfund.org

Do You Want to Listen to Edge´s favourite music?

i Tunes has launched a series  of "Celebrity Playlist Podcast" where in each episode "it brings you that much closer to the artists, actors, musicians, and other people in the public eye by giving them a chance to expand on their favorite music in their own words"

In the broadcast (which lasts about 19 minutes), Edge discusses and shares music he has "a particular connection with" highlighting New Orleans and the Gulf Coast region. 

If you have iTunes, you can access it here for  

free !!

source:itunes.apple.com//www.atu2.com