Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Every Breaking Wave in Vienna

After the briefest of five day breaks and the journey from Russia, the 360 Tour is underway again tonight in Vienna, Austria and the ninth show of the  2010 summer leg. Attendance records are broken at the Ernst Happel Stadium: 'On a Monday night - that's very rock and roll of you.'

Larry Mullen is a Friday night man, explains Bono.  Edge definitely 'Saturday night' and Adam? ' Adam Clayton is definitely a Sunday night man… watching the Discovery Channel.'

Every Breaking Wave makes another appearance in the set tonight, after Still Haven't Found and there was a sweet lyrical twist in 'In A Little While' - 'when you've known her 28 years' - as Bono references his anniversary with Ali. And a tantalising burst of Discotheque at the end of 'Crazy' before  the politically potent passage  that features  Sunday Bloody Sunday, MLK and Walk  On  features spoken or visual  references to the people of Israel/Palestine, the Irish flag and Aung San Suu Kyi:'The Nelson Mandela of this time, she is in danger this night.'

That's a pretty broad-brush sketch of the set from us but if you were there tonight you'll have you own highlights and memorable moments.

As one of you has already put it in a great review on our Tours Page: 'The atmosphere was very joyous from the beginning and Bono thanked the crowd by saying: "Wien ist anders (Vienna is different)"'.
 
Setlist:

Return of the Stingray Guitar
Beautiful Day – Rain
New Year’s Day
Get On Your Boots
Magnificent
Mysterious Ways
Elevation
Until the End of the World
I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For
Every Breaking Wave
In A Little While
Miss Sarajevo
City of Blinding Lights
Vertigo – Rock Me Amadeus
I’ll Go Crazy If I Don’t Go Crazy Tonight (remix) – Discotheque
Sunday Bloody Sunday
MLK
Walk On – You’ll Never Walk Alone
One
Amazing Grace – Where the Streets Have No Name
Ultraviolet
With or Without You
Moment of Surrender




More pics here.
www.U2.com/ www.u2gigs.com(video)

Monday, August 30, 2010

Bono and Ali Hewson to Appear in LVMH Campaign



Louis Vuitton racked up a slew of firsts with its latest “Core Values” ad campaign, featuring Bono and his wife, Ali Hewson.

For starters, it’s the first time the U2 front man has appeared in an ad without his band, and the first time a label other than Vuitton is getting a fashion credit.

Instead of Vuitton, the two wear Edun, the ethical clothing label they founded in 2005 to encourage trade with Africa, and in which LVMH took a 49 percent stake last year. What’s more, Hewson totes a handbag co-designed by Edun and Vuitton that comes dangling with a special charm that is the French firm’s first made-in-Africa product. (It’s also sold separately.)

The image of Bono and Hewson disembarking from a small airplane in an arid South African vista — with the tag line “Every journey began in Africa” — is slated to break in mid-September in a range of daily newspapers, October magazines and on louisvuittonjourneys.com. The collaboration also will dovetail with an event during Paris Fashion Week, when Vuitton and Edun will unveil Africa Rising, a temporary exhibition of contemporary African art along with a showcase for the campaign and Edun’s spring collection. Bono and Hewson are expected to attend.

Antoine Arnault, Vuitton’s director of communications, said Edun’s presence in a Vuitton campaign would give the small brand — and its mission to eradicate poverty through sustainable enterprise in Africa — international exposure.

The Annie Leibovitz image of the crusading couple portrays Vuitton’s popular travel-themed ads — which have featured the likes of Mikhail Gorbachev, Keith Richards and Sean Connery — in a new way. “When they go to Africa, they don’t go to see the beautiful landscapes: They’re there to help people,” Arnault said, stressing the Edun ethos of trade, not aid. “Theirs is a for-profit company.”

Bono and Hewson donated their fees to appear in the campaign to TechnoServe, a nongovernmental organization that fosters enterprise in the developing world; Conservation Cotton Initiative, which supports sustainable farming in Africa, and Chernobyl Children’s Project International. Proceeds from sales of the co-designed bag, a keepall style in an embossed, monogram leather, will go to TechnoServe and the Cotton Initiative. The retail price has yet to be finalized.

A major U2 groupie during his teen years, Arnault said he was surprised to recently have Bono in the passenger seat of his car as they drove out to Asnières on the outskirts of Paris, where Vuitton has its museum and a leather goods workshop. Stopped at a red light en route, a woman spotted the rock star and activist behind the smoked windows, tapped on the glass and when Bono extended his hand to greet her, she kissed it, saying, “Thank you for everything you’ve done,” Arnault marveled.

The Africa Rising exhibition is slated to open Oct. 5 and run until Oct. 17 opposite Vuitton’s headquarters on the Rue du Pont-Neuf here. The centerpiece will be works from Jean Pigozzi’s collection, including some by artists Seydou Keita and George Lilanga, along with videos and photos about Edun’s mission in Africa.

And if that weren’t enough for fashion week, Vuitton also will inaugurate an exhibition of exceptional trunks at the Carnavalet Museum here, which is dedicated to the history of Paris.

  The Making of...


www.wwd.com

Saturday, August 28, 2010

Tribulations of a U2 South African Fan

We Want U2 In South Africa!




That is exactly what it boils down to, I guess … the desire for U2 to bring their tour to South Africa & make thousands of fans happy.

I’ve been contemplating writing a petition letter to U2 & their management for a while now; asking them why NOT touring Africa. So, yes, they’ve been here once before in 1997 with the PopMart tour, and very successful those concerts were too, I’ve read, but that’s not the issue here. What is important is the fact that although we do get quite a few artists visiting our country, we haven’t had anyone of U2’s calibre here in recent years. (My apologies if I offended anyone.)

I do believe we are capable of giving them the same warm, welcoming response they get elsewhere in the world. In fact; I daresay our people are unique in their ways … just ask any of the tourists who have been here – especially those who’ve visited our beautiful country during the Soccer World Cup. We are a nation who had to struggle through and survive the apartheid era, and all things considering, I think we’ve managed pretty well; despite the few naysayers. We are the same as everyone else in the world; our dreams, hopes & fears are echoed by millions of others around the globe.

I’ve been in contact with Universal Music SA & have been told that to bring U2 to South Africa would be:

  • Very expensive because its ‘4 artists need to be paid instead of just 1’
  • And it would be ‘a logistical nightmare’ for the band to haul their arses (thanks, Larry) & all their ‘luggage’ to this far corner of Africa.

Now, I can appreciate that tickets to a U2 concert would be pricey; especially because of our fluctuating currency & the fact that a recession is happening worldwide. And yet … look at people streaming to their favourite artists’ concerts! And luckier still if you live in the US or Europe … you can even follow your favourite artist/s around the continent. How I wish I’m that fortunate! Sadly, and in my opinion, for the most of us here in SA, it would be a once in a lifetime opportunity to witness the musical spectacle that is U2. Never again (unless some of us can afford to fly overseas) would we have the opportunity to witness the magic and wonder of U2 & their music.

It is with envy that I see various concert pictures, news and video clips posted on the Internet. And yes, I do enjoy looking at the pictures, watch the clips and read a review/write up about the previous night’s performance somewhere in the world. But I also feel a little saddened by the fact that I, together with thousands others of my fellow countrymen won’t be able to share in all of this. We can only imagine the expectation, the ecstasy that fills the stadium just before a U2 concert starts. We don’t get to meet other eager fans, standing in queues hours in advance, weathering heat, cold or rain in order to see our favourite band, and talk about the group of musicians who have managed to remain a favourite and go from strength to strength with each new album release. We don’t get to share in the ‘madness’ of it all – unless we do it on-line. And lets face it people … it can never compare to the real thing … can it?
"The Claw" would look awesome here!!

After reading the news that concert dates have been confirmed for Australia & New Zealand, I knew it was time to act. Thanks to a FaceBook friend of mine who suggested I start a ‘petition’ page, I did exactly that. I have to confess how surprise I was the next morning to see how quickly it had grown – people from all over the globe have joined … truly coming together as ‘One’ – it made me proud to be a U2 fan!

Bono has done some amazing work, away from the world stages, for the African continent – and has been doing this for many years now. I do admire his courage; his daring, and his attitude of ‘taking no prisoners’ when it comes to tackling serious issues? If ever there was a man capable of doing so, and being a rock star to boot, then it has to be Bono! I once read that the world famous front man didn’t think it viable to play in SA because ‘not a lot of people know our music.’ I would like to prove him wrong in that assumption. There are thousands of U2 fans that would jump at the chance to see them live in concert & experience the same joy & elations other fans across the world do. Please don’t treat South Africa like an orphan child in this regard – we are equal to everyone else!

If this petition will be successful … I have no idea, but I can hope. Of course I’m wishing that someone out there sees this & perhaps, bring it to Bono & the Boys’ attention – but I can’t predict an outcome on this matter. And its Bono’s words that give me the courage to keep the faith … ‘dream, dream out loud and at full volume!’ and that’s exactly what I’m doing!

It would be an amazing experience; and not even to mention a dream come true for me, should I (and my fellow U2 fans in SA) be so very fortunate to see the best band in the world perform, live, under a beautiful, African summer night sky.


 
Join our petition ,click here!!!

U2's gold in Olympics of rock



THE Rolling Stones may have invented stadium rock, but U2 redefined it in 1992 with their groundbreaking ZooTV tour.
Stepping away from the formulaic trappings of a traditional stadium show, U2's performance incorporated dozens of large video screens, which flashed up images and commentary about pop culture and the influence of mass media.
It was the first of its kind and almost two decades later, although the influence of ZooTV can be seen in almost every pop and rock star's tours, from Lady Gaga to Pink, U2 are still the undisputed leaders in live performances.
In December, they're bringing their new tour, 360, the world's biggest-ever rock show, to Sydney.

"It's like the Beijing Olympics of rock, really," U2's stage designer, Willie Williams, grins. "Clearly, no other band in the world is going to attempt this. I don't think we'll see this level of ambition in a rock production again."

It's easy to get lost in the statistics of 360 - a 57-metre high, four-legged centrepiece called The Claw; a state-of-the-future cylindrical video screen that expands, rises and falls; a full-time crew of 150 to run the show; six jumbo jets to fly it; 55 trucks to cart it, and daily running costs of $US750,000.
It's performed in the round, with moving bridges transporting Bono, bass guitarist Adam Clayton and guitarist The Edge to an outer 360-degree stage.
Drummer Larry Mullen Jr misses out on the changes of venue, but is still an integral part.

"When the four of us are playing on that stage, it's like The Beatles at Shea Stadium," Bono says.
"You really forget about this giant thing over you. We are quite exposed."
Considering the band are widely acknowledged to be the biggest in the world, there are few rock-star trappings backstage. The band mates have modest dressing rooms and regularly pile into one bunker to discuss the show.
"It's a quiet time to focus," The Edge says. "It's nothing exotic. We don't go for that."
Certainly, in Finland, the 360 tour is a family affair. All wives, and most children, are travelling with Bono, The Edge and Mullen.
"It's never going to be easy to be in U2 and deliver as a parent," The Edge says. "But there are moments when U2 comes second - especially when it comes to family."
Despite their phenomenal success, which will no doubt lead to sell-out dates in Australia to match their worldwide sales, Clayton admits, they were not always popular. "U2 never took no for an answer," he says. "We were the worst, crappest band there ever was. But there was nothing else for us to do. We were just four boys from the suburbs of Dublin - an armpit, really. "But we worked really hard, and here we are today."
Somehow finding the time to work on a new album, The Edge says it will be something new for the band again.
"I genuinely feel that we are still learning," he says.
"We are still ambitious and want to take on the big challenges.
"In that way, nothing much has changed over the years.
"But we are too busy trying to write the perfect song, or plan the next show, to ponder what it all means.
"It's still too exciting. And what else would we do?
"We're totally unemployable."

U2 perform at ANZ Stadium, Sydney Olympic Park, on December 13. Tickets on sale on Friday.
 
www.dailytelegraph.com.au

Bono's friends in high places

Bono met President Dmitri Medvedev in U2`s recent visit to Russia




Dmitry Medvedev is the latest world figure to be paid a visit by Bono, whose bandmates disapprove of some of the company he keeps, writes BRIAN BOYD

BONO, AFTER a few impatient months spent recuperating from back surgery, has resumed tour duties – and is also back bending politicians’ ears and arguing the case of Africa’s poor and the continuing scourge of HIV and Aids on the continent.

In Russia this week for a U2 show, the now 50-year-old singer took the time to meet the Russian president, Dmitry Medvedev. Bono wasn’t talking rock riffs with the music-loving leader: he was making the case for Russia to write off the money owed to it by poverty-stricken African countries, and explaining how 40 US cents a day could eliminate the transfer of HIV from mother to child by 2015.

Bono’s humanitarian and advocacy work on behalf of the African continent has seen him nominated three times for the Nobel Peace Prize and awarded a knighthood in the British honours list. “Believe me, I know how absurd it is to have a rock star talk about the World Health Organisation or debt relief or HIV/Aids in Africa,” he has said of his time strolling the corridors of power in his leather jacket and sunglasses.

Over the years he has significantly refined his rhetoric when dealing with world leaders. He has dropped the word “compassion” and spent hours poring over socio-economic tracts relevant to his cause.

Although he prides himself on the fact that he can talk for more than an hour without looking at his notes on HIPC conditionality – the terms under which the most highly indebted countries of the world are forgiven their loans – some of his extracurricular activities have caused friction with other members of U2, especially his personal relationship with Tony Blair and meeting with George Bush.

Close encounters of a political kind

John Hume and David Trimble, 1998, Waterfront Hall, Belfast

In the tense days between the signing of the Belfast Agreement and the referendum to endorse it, U2 and Ash staged a peace concert in Belfast. “I talked to John Hume and David Trimble backstage and asked them to do the impossible – shake hands on stage,” says Bono. “I had in my head how Bob Marley, during one of his concerts, had joined the hands of two rival leaders in Jamaica at a tense time.”

Bono organised it so Trimble and Hume would walk on to the stage from opposite sides and shake hands. He introduced them as “two men who are making history; two men who have taken a leap of faith out of the past and into the future”. Ash recall that Bono wanted the two bands to then play John Lennon’s Give Peace a Chance . Ash’s Tim Wheeler says: “We had to talk him out of it – it was way too cheesy a thing to do.”

Larry Summers, 1999, the White House

Summers was US treasury secretary in the Clinton administration, responsible for a multibillion-dollar budget. Bono wanted him to increase the US’s overseas aid package. According to Clinton, “Larry came into the Oval Office one day and said this guy in jeans and T-shirt with only one name had just been in with him, and how impressive he was.”

According to Bono, Summers spent the first 15 minutes drumming on the table and staring at the ceiling before he “eventually came around”. Summers later told aides: “This guy knows his stuff; we have to help him.”

Pope John Paul II, 1999, the Vatican

When Bono had an audience with the pope to discuss Third World poverty he was taken aback by the pontiff’s choice of footwear: a pair of oxblood loafers. “He is, of course, a deeply conservative man, and a lot of people in Ireland were very upset by his failure to embrace contraception as a necessity, not just for modern life but for the life of the poor in Africa. But I’ve learned to respect conservative positions I don’t hold,” he says.

As he approached, Bono remembers the pope staring at his “fly” shades. “I thought maybe I was causing offence by leaving my sunglasses on, so I asked if he wanted them. He not only nodded but put them on and made the wickedest smile. I just thought, That photo will be on the front page of every newspaper – nothing to do with me – because it was the pope in sunglasses.”

Colin Powell, 2001, the White House

When Powell was US secretary of state during George W Bush’s administration, Bono brought a signed note from George C Marshall, the man behind the Marshall Plan. Bono told Powell: “You still find people of my parents’ age in Europe who talk about the Marshall Plan. That was when Europe felt the grace of America.” He called on Powell to put in place a new Marshall plan for Africa – “do something that people can be proud of for generations to come”.

Vladimir Putin, 2001, Genoa

With the Italian police taking a heavy-handed approach to protesters at the G8 summit – there were rivers of blood on the streets, according to press reports – there was a controversial photograph of Bono sharing a joke with Vladimir Putin, the Russian leader. Even normally loyal U2 fan boards were critical of how Bono seemed to be rubbing shoulders with the political elite while protesters – many of them U2 fans – were having their skulls smashed with batons outside.

Bono later said: “It looked like me and Putin were laughing while other people were crying . . . A lot of my mates gave out to me about the photograph, but it was snapped just when Putin was making a joke. He said: ‘I want to congratulate you on the work you have done for the Third World, and, when you have finished that, I hope you can work on the Russian debt.’ I’ve met people the band would rather I didn’t meet, and there are some people I have to talk to, or appear in a photograph with, that in other circumstances I’d rather not.”

George W Bush, 2005, the White House

Bono and George Bush ,2005

When Bono told the Edge that he had a meeting with President Bush set up to discuss debt relief for Africa and that there would be a grip-and-grin photograph of them on the White House lawn afterwards (below), the guitarist had words with the singer. “I tried to talk him out of meeting Bush when he told me he was going to do a photograph,” says the Edge.

“He said: ‘I think it’s the right thing to do.’ So, in the end, I just said my piece and let him get on with it.”

Tony Blair

Bono has met Blair on numerous occasions and has even spoken at a Labour Party conference, in 2004. The two are good friends. U2’s drummer, Larry Mullen, has made his feelings about Blair’s role in the Iraq war clear to Bono. “My problem is the company he keeps,” Mullen has said. “And I struggle with that – particularly the political people . . . Particularly Tony Blair.”


www.irishtimes.com

Friday, August 27, 2010

U2 and NASA Create Video To Celebrate Collaboration

U2 > News > U2 and NASA Create Video To Celebrate Collaboration

NASA and U2 have released a commemorative video clip - highlighting a year’s worth of collaboration both in space and the U2 360 Tour. 


U2 approached NASA with an idea to include a dialogue between themselves and the crew of the International Space Station in the U2 360 show.  NASA astronauts spoke with U2 several times before recording a video segment that U2 incorporated into their concert.



The Expedition crew members include; NASA astronaut Mike Barratt, Canadian Space Agency astronaut Bob Thirsk, European Space Agency astronaut Frank De Winne, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Koichi Wakata and Russian cosmonauts Gennady Padalka and Roman Romanenko. 



Commander Frank De Winne, and Russian cosmonaut Roman Romanenko attended the U2 show in Moscow on August 25 and met with the band before the show. Speaking onstage in Houston last year Bono said, 'These are the very best people in the world - dedicated to figuring how our little planet exists in this cosmos we call home.'

'Working with U2 is atypical for NASA,' said Bill Gerstenmaier, NASA's associate administrator for Space Operations. 'By combining their world tour with the space station's out-of-this-world mission, more people - and different people than our normal target audiences - learned about the International Space Station and the important work we are doing in orbit.'

 
U2.com created the video clip and presented it to NASA so as to document the collaboration between the band and the space agency.

More information about the station.

More information about NASA.



www.u2.com

Write the Future with (NIKE) RED: EndAIDS

(NIKE)RED ambassador Didier Drogba appears in this (NIKE)RED video. It shows the power a global movement can have. Please watch and share.

IMAGINE A WORLD FREE FROM HIV/AIDS!!!!

Up Close and Personal

The Edge and Larry have carried a camera with them and U2.com has posted the resulting videos .







www.u2.com//www.u2miracle.com

New Zealand: U2 Doing the Numbers


Bono lead singer in U2. Photo / Supplied

The U2 360° tour coming to Auckland's Mt Smart Stadium in November is a biggie. Here's numerical proof and other really useful info ...



0: What ticketholders will pay for bus and train public transport to the Auckland show. Yep, it's free.
1: The first word in the name of a local hill which should feature in the set list here and possibly nowhere else in the world. Also the name of another U2 song which might also feature.
2: The possible number of nights U2 will play in Auckland once all the first night tickets are sold. Could even be three, given the gap to the first Australian show.*
3: Number of Claw stages and crews being used for the Australia and New Zealand tour.
6: How many 747 freighters are required to get the whole thing Downunder.
9: Time in the morning on September 3 when tickets go on sale via Ticketek.
15: The number of nationalities among the U2 crew. Yes, there's a Kiwi or two.
48: In seconds, how long it will probably take to sell out the first show.*

52: In metres, the full height of The Claw stage with the central pylon. The video screens are about 30m off the ground.
54: The percentage of the tickets at the Mt Smart show that will be under $100.
248: The number of shipping containers the production will use to tour Australia and New Zealand.
150: In US dollars, the 2009 net worth of hip-hop opening act Jay-Z. And that's not counting his missus Beyonce's share of the joint account.
300: In NZ dollars the highest-priced tickets. Okay, it's actually $299.90. That's not counting the $349.50 Red Zone tickets which include a $250 donation to support Red in helping eliminate Aids in Africa through the distribution of retroviral drugs. So far 25,000 Red Zone purchasers have bought more than nine million doses of anti-retroviral medicine for use in six different countries. See joinred.com/aboutred
390: How many tonnes the Claw stage weighs without the production load.
590: How much it weighs in tonnes after all the gear is loaded. And that's not counting Bono carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders.
4500: The number of temporary seats being installed at Mt Smart.
6000: How many square metres of arena panel flooring that will be protecting the Mt Smart turf
60,000: What Mt Smart Stadium's capacity will stretch to for the in-the-round show.
4,000,000: The number of people the U2 360° tour has already played to.
* Idle speculation at this stage, not factual.

- TimeOut
www.nzherald.co.nz

Kremlin arrest of activists strikes wrong chord at U2 gig in Moscow

 
Volunteers detained after Amnesty and Greenpeace invite U2 fans to sign petitions, a day after Bono meets Medvedev
 
Guardian, August 26, 2010
By: Luke Harding

It had seemed like a relationship that was destined to be long and even meaningful, but now it appears to have gone wrong very quickly.

Against a balmy Black Sea backdrop, U2's frontman, Bono, and Russia's president, Dmitry Medvedev, had swapped views on poverty, ecology and music on Tuesday. Bono even made fun of Medvedev's devotion to Deep Purple. "I come here to cross the great divide between me, a Led Zeppelin fan and you, the Deep Purple fan," Bono joked, strolling next to Russia's leader at his summer residence.

A day later, U2's first concert in Russia ended in political controversy.

The Moscow authorities took a dim view when activists from Amnesty and Greenpeace put up tents at the concert venue and invited fans to sign petitions. Officials detained five Amnesty volunteers hours before the show started and ordered others to remove their Amnesty T-shirts and to tear down their headquarters.

"We were collecting signatures to support prisoners of conscience and to call on the [Russian] authorities to investigate the murders of Anna Politkovskaya and Natasha Estemirova," Sergei Nikitin, the director of Amnesty Russia, said today.

"We'd been doing this for about three hours. At 5 pm the riot police turned up. They told us we were holding an unlicensed picket, and took away all our placards. We were also strongly recommended to strip off our T-shirts."

The Kremlin's heavy-handed tactics provoked howls of outrage from Moscow's liberals, who pointed out this was the first time a country had prevented U2's partner organisations on its 360 Degree tour from taking part in a concert.

The activists had been due to join Bono, a longtime Amnesty supporter, on stage during "Walk On," dedicated to the jailed Burmese dissident Aung San Suu Kyi. "The police officers even asked us if we were planning some kind of rebellion. We didn't go on stage. It was very disappointing," Nikitin said.

Russia's celebrated rock critic Artemy Troitsky told the Moscow radio station Echo Moskvi: "These organisations take part in every concert in every city in the world. They are an organic part of the U2 tour. It always goes off peacefully. Unfortunately our law enforcement agencies have a kind of allergy or sickness towards people and their human rights."

Activists said they had agreed their campaign with U2's management and administrators at the venue, the Luzhniki stadium. The five detained activists were released after two-and-a-half hours without charges, Nikitin confirmed.

Bono made no mention of the incident on stage. Before a 50,000-strong crowd he instead thanked Medvedev for the "gracious" reception he had received. He went on to praise the former Soviet president Mikhail Gorbachev, an unpopular figure blamed by the regime and many others for destroying the Soviet Union.

In a move that will have further irked Russia's leadership, Bono invited the Kremlin's least favourite singer, Yury Shevchuk, to take to the stage. The pair belted out a duet of Bob Dylan's "Knockin' on Heaven's Door," to an ecstatic response from rain-drenched fans.

Shevchuck, who speaks no English, managed the refrain but reportedly sang the other bits in his native tongue.

Shevchuk led protests on Sunday against the demolition of the ancient Khimki oak forest north of Moscow to make way for a new highway to St. Petersburg. He had asked Bono to raise the subject with Medvedev, and today the pro-Kremlin United Russia party also urged the president to take another look at the controversial scheme. There are signs that the Kremlin may be preparing to back down.

© Guardian, 2010.

Thursday, August 26, 2010

Rainy Russia for U2


After some problems outside a tightly watched stadium, the gig started under heavy rain (too bad for the ones dressed in white, don´t you think, Adam?)  A sensational concert that is already in the books.




U2.com reports:

It's pouring with rain as the band take to the stage in Moscow tonight… and it doesn't let up all night long! No problem for the record-breaking 62,000 people in the house. Nor the band. 'What a time we've had in this extraordinary city of yours…'

Given the weather tonight, it's no surprise that Bono spends a lot of the time extemporising about 'singing in the rain' - and despite the inclement conditions, this first ever U2 show in Moscow turned into a party.

The set list was mixed up again  with The Return of the Stingray Guitar the only new track on show. But then none of these fans have  heard any U2 songs played live on their home soil, so every song was making its debut tonight.

'What a time we've had in this extraordinary city of yours,' reflected Bono before 'Still Haven't Found'. 'We've spent some time with dancers, artists and  singers. An amazing singer, Yuri Shevchuck, is with us tonight. What a great man!'

Adam has been checking out 'The Garage', he explains , referring to an art gallery in the city. 'Have you been hanging out in karaoke bars?' he asks Larry, receiving confirmation with a smile and a bow. 'Larry Mullen Jnr moving to Moscow!' (That went down well..) 'Edge,' he continued, ' Edge has been hanging out with astronauts in Moscow, they're really cool. He's our rocket scientist.'

Bono mentions that 'President Medvedev could not have been more gracious to me', referring to their meeting yesterday and then has a shout-out to a C20th political legend, who is at the show tonight.
'I'd like to introduce a great hero of ours - he has been a friend of mine for ten years - Mikhail Gorbachev is in the house!'

There's also a big shout-out from the stage for the Irish Ambassador to Russia, Philip McDonagh.

Despite the moist conditions, the atmosphere is electric amongst this, the biggest crowd at a rock show in this country here  since Pink Floyd played two nights in the 1980's.  And whatever album the songs come from, this is an audience that knows its U2 and knows its music.

It's a moving moment when the Declaration of Human Rights spools across the  screens during MLK and when the Amnesty International lanterns spotlight the plight of Aung San Suu Kyi and the people of Burma. 'From Burma Action and Amnesty International, let's hold her up. Let's tell the powers that be that they can't touch her, she belongs to us..'

The stadium doesn't have a roof, just as well.  With or Without You would have taken it off. 'I wanna thank everyone, every artist, every President. People who let us into their lives. Thank You Moscow.'

And that's the cue for something a bit special.

Yuri  Shevchuck, no stranger to this audience and a household name here, arrives on stage  as Edge and Bono begin strumming the chords to Bob Dylan's Knocking on Heaven's Door. 'You might know this man…' explains Bono. Yuri sings in both Russian and English and this audience is not just knocking - it's in seventh  heaven.

Before Moment of Surrender brings the show to a close, Bono takes a pause to speak of Frank de Winne in the Space Station,  an emblematic feature of U2360, and the people of this country.
'There's this beautiful country of Russia, ancient and modern,
People who've fought their fires and people who've lost their lives,
And we play this under the Milky Way for the people who died in those fires…'


Setlist 

1. Return Of The Stingray Guitar
   2. Beautiful Day / Rain (snippet)
   3. New Year's Day / Singing In The Rain (snippet)
   4. Get On Your Boots
   5. Magnificent / My Sweet Lord (snippet) / Singing In The Rain
       (snippet)
   6. Mysterious Ways
   7. Elevation
   8. Until The End Of The World
   9. I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For
 10. Pride (In The Name Of Love)
 11. In A Little While
 12. Miss Sarajevo
 13. City Of Blinding Lights
 14. Vertigo
 15. Crazy Tonight / Discothèque (snippet)
 16. Sunday Bloody Sunday / Get Up Stand Up (snippet)
 17. MLK
 18. Walk On / You'll Never Walk Alone (snippet)

        Encore(s):

 19. One
 20. Amazing Grace (snippet) / Where The Streets Have No Name
 21. Ultra Violet (Light My Way)
 22. With Or Without You
 23. Knockin' On Heaven's Door
 24. Moment of Surrender



www.u2.com//www.u2miracle.com



Wednesday, August 25, 2010

The Deep Purple Fan Meets The Led Zeppelin Fan


The meeting included topics like AIDs, ecology and the environment, G-20 ,ONE campaign and Africa. Bono invited the President to U2 first concert ever in Russian soil.

While Bono met the Russian President Dmitri MedvédevEdge and Adam toured the place.



Edge received a U2 Matrioska  made by a Russian craftman.

 U2 are enjoying their first visit to the country and they are in Moscow, meeting the people and getting ready for the show - the first time they've ever played in Russia.



www.u2.ru //www.u2.com//www.u2miracle.com


The first U2 concert in Moscow will surely be historical!!!! 

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

U2 Will End The Year Down Under

U2 360 Tour Australia.mov

U2.com has confirmed the band will play in Australia and New Zealand in November and December.


Live Nation Global Touring and Michael Coppel have today confirmed that JAY Z will join U2 as the very special guest for dates in New Zealand and Australia. The U2 360° Tour will visit Auckland, Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne, and Perth.

Tickets for the U2 performances in Australia and New Zealand will go on sale Friday, September 3rd at all usual outlets.

South America is still waiting for confirmation of dates. Some media speculate on their visit to the continent in March 2011 but they are still rumours.

www.u2.com

U2 Will Meet The Russian President


Irish group U2 will fly down to Sochi to meet President Dmitry Medvedev on Tuesday, a day before their first concert in Russia.

The group is set to discuss their anti-poverty campaign Red with the president, although frontman Bono joked about canceling the meeting after hearing that Medvedev was a Deep Purple fan.

"What kind of music does he like? They say he is a Beatle-maniac ... Is that true?" Bono asked at a news conference late Sunday, national newspapers reported.

"That's it. I'm gone," Bono said, pretending to stand up and go when told by journalists that the president was a big Deep Purple fan. "I'm canceling the meeting."

At the same time, the rest of the group started humming the riff to "Smoke on the Water," the veteran rock group's most famous song, Kommersant reported.

"No, we prefer The Beatles," Bono said. "I think even Deep Purple prefers The Beatles."

When asked about U2's constant campaigning on various issues and the public's sometimes limited appetite for the group's causes, Bono said, "I understand the people who respond with, 'Shut up.'"

"I'm really good at rescuing cats from trees," bassist Adam Clayton noted at the time.

The group flew into Vnukovo-3, the state airport usually reserved for the government and official foreign guests, on Sunday evening together with their families.

"We want to go shopping, go to the popular places and the war memorials," Bono said in an interview on Ren-TV. "You're the lads who saved Europe. And I am proud that we are performing in front of such people. I have always liked the bravery of the Russian people."

The group headed for a news conference at the Kamin restaurant at Chistiye Prudy, where Bono tried to order a local beer. But when told the place had none, he drank a Guinness and flattered the home audience with the words, "We pretend that we are a great rock group, but as long as we had not played in Russia, that is not true."

Bono said his wife and children had gone to see the ballet, "Sleeping Beauty." Organizers said the group planned to visit the Tretyakov Gallery, Red Square, the Kremlin and Dasha Zhukova's modern art center, Garazh.

The U2 concert, part of their "360" tour, involves a circular stage that looks like a giant alien spider robot — and one of the largest sets in rock history. More than 200 trucks are needed to transport the set.

Part of the concert, Bono promised, will involved a linkup with the international space station and in particular with cosmonaut Roman Romanenko. The group previously spoke to him at a concert last year.

"He had such an amazing haircut," Bono said.

During the live linkup, Romanenko said: "I want to ask you see something. If you see David Gahan from Depeche Mode, say a big hello from me."

Local U2 fans who have been waiting for the group to come for more than two decades have prepared a green welcome for the group. "I bet all of us know that the green color and the shamrock are international symbols of Ireland. We in Russia want to welcome our favorite Irish band with these symbols and create a green shamrock field at the stadium for the opening U2 song," fan organizers wrote on the U2 fan site, U2.ru. "If you have seats or aren't planning to stand close, you are encouraged to just take something green with you and wave it from the moment [drummer] Larry [Mullen Jr.] appears on stage till the end of the first song."

Fans will have a party at Radio City near the Mayakovskaya metro station on Tuesday, the eve of the concert.

U2 plays the Luzhniki stadium at 7.30 p.m. on Wednesday. 24 Luzhnetskata Naberezhnaya. Metro Sportivnaya. Tel. 730-7300. Tickets cost 1,500 to 8,000 rubles. www.kassir.ru
(c) Moscow Times, 2010.

And Bono and his family did go shopping and sightseeing.


Monday, August 23, 2010

Edge´s Clone in Moscow


The Claw is ready in Moscow and the band has arrived. Does Edge have a clone in Moscow?  Seems he does!! (Thanks to U2Ru for the pics)
U2 signing autographs ...


 Directly to the tatoo parlour?



 Our Russian friends are preparing a surprise as did the people in Helsinski, this time it´s a shamrock party. Check here.

More pics.

www.u2.ru
















Eve Hewson Stars a Video

Eve Hewson, Bono and Ali´s daughter, is the protagonist of the video of the song "For The First Time",  a new single of the Irish band The Script. It  is released in Ireland on September 3rd (September 5th in the UK) and is taken from the band’s second album, ‘Science & Faith´.
 Beautiful song and beautiful girl... Like father like daughter... Now when will we see U2´s song starred by Eve??? Coming soon?

Sunday, August 22, 2010

Every Breaking Wave...

 

"Every Breaking Wave" is the new song, U2 introduced in Helsinski.

'Like every breaking wave on the shore, this is as far as I can reach…' A beautiful acoustic number, evidently still a work in progress, with Bono saying to Edge as they jammed towards the end, 'break down the chords to the middle eight again…'

'No-one has heard that before,' he added at the close, 'Not even us.' We'll all be hearing it again.

For the non-Finns among you, Aleksis Kivi is the national author of Finland and everyone here knows of his legendary C19th novel Seven Brothers. But there's only four brothers in U2, observed the singing brother. ' On my left, on bass guitar, the Aapo of this band, Adam Clayton; behind me on the drums, Lauri Mullen Jnr; to my right on lead guitar, The Eero … and who does that make me, I'm somewhere between Simeoni and Juhani…'

www.u2.gigs (video)/www.u2.com

Friday, August 20, 2010

Helsinski : A World In White



A world in white created by the Finnish audience tonight and a thumbs up from Bono 'for the people with the white' at the beginning of New Year's Day.Great to see North Star back in the set list for the first time since the opening night, the perfect moment to catch breath between 'Still Haven't Found' and 'Glastonbury'.

Some technical hitches with the super-screen at the Olympic Stadium delayed the band's arrival onstage and affected the visuals for some of the songs but nothing could douse the passion of another full house.

'There's so much for the world to learn from you, the way you treat yourselves and the way you treat others in far away places,' Bono reflected. 'You are amongst the most generous people in the world and it's when times are tough you really find out who you are… so allow us to kiss your arse.'

www.u2.com/www.u2.gigs.com

Thursday, August 19, 2010

U2 Live in Italy by Rolling Stone


U2 opened the first show of their European summer tour, at Olympic Stadium in Turin, Italy, with the unknown and the familiar. The first song was a brand new, unfinished number, "Return of the Sting Ray Guitar." It was so new it didn't have a real ending — the band just stopped playing after four minutes of a hard pneumatic groove, driven by the Edge's crunching-fuzz guitar.
But that riff and power came with a reassuring sight: Bono, on stage for the first time since he underwent spinal surgery nine weeks earlier, strutting along the whole outer rim of U2's giant stage. He often stopped to do boxing-dance moves, throwing punches like a fighter happy to be back in the ring.
Bono's restored energy was dramatic confirmation that U2's world tour, now set to run into next year, was only interrupted, not derailed. But the band took that extra time to change the show in profound ways. U2 are still travelling with the most extravagant hi-tech spectacle in stadium-rock history. But they have made the set list less about their last album, No Line On the Horizon, and more about continuing history. Of the 24 songs in the set, three were revived from deep in the catalog: "In A Little While," from All That You Can't Leave Behind; "Miss Sarajevo," from The Passengers album; and the Batman Forever movie theme "Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me."
Bono and the Edge also debuted an acoustic ballad "North Star" in complete darkness, illuminated only by the cell phone lights of the crowd. "Let's see if we can turn this place into the Milky Way," Bono said. The crowd came close. And U2 finally got to play the song they had written especially for their aborted June show at the Glastonbury festival. Simply called "Glastonbury," it was another furious package of Bono's wailing, the Edge's rudely distorted guitar and the stern forward drive of drummer Larry Mullen, Jr. and bassist Adam Clayton.

The third running theme throughout the night — with liftoff and rebirth — was gratitude. For every leap in the air and bout of shadowboxing, Bono expressed relief and thanks. The blessings and wonder in "Beautiful Day" were repeated again and again in his voice and lyrics, in "Magnificent," "Get On Your Boots," "City of Blinding Lights" and the final encore, "Moment of Surrender."
Early in the set, after "Mysterious Ways," Bono stopped to introduce his bandmates and thank them for "their strength and patience." He also told the crowd how much he appreciated the letters and best wishes from fans during his recovery. But he added, "that time is past. We're very much for the future."

Then Bono led U2 into a stirring charge through the Joshua Tree song, "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For." He sang it like he's ready to go the distance.

By  David Fricke

www.rollingstone.com

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Bono will be Bono!!!


U2.com reports us the hilarious introduction Bono made of his bandmates in Horsens :



Helena Christensen's presence got Bono musing about the band: 'Speaking of tall, beautiful, elegant, well dressed sex symbols, on my left… the Helena Christensen of our band… Adam Clayton…'
And on my right, the Heidi Klum of our catwalk, The Edge.
And behind me, on the drums, our very own model/actor,  Brigitte Neilsen - Larry Mullen Jnr… 
'I don’t know what that makes me. Lucky I suppose?'

www.u2.com/www.u2gigs.com(pic)

Boden Sea:No Line on the Horizon



The Yoshii Gallery exhibits a special limited edition print of Hiroshi Sugimoto´s photograph, Boden Sea which is the pic selected for the cover of No Line on the Horizon. The novelty of this offer is that it is a special edition of 100 signed by the author and by Bono, Edge, Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen Jr.



Title: Boden Sea, Uttwil, 1993
Media: Offset Lithograph
Paper size: 27 11/16 x 27 11/16 inches (70.3 x 70.3 cm)
Image size: 20 3/8 x 26 5/16 inches (51.8 x 66.8 cm)
Frame size: 28 � x 28 � inches (71.8 x 71.8 cm)
Published by Yoshii Gallery
Printed by Onoue printing company in Japan
Embossed with U2 logo
Signed by Hiroshi Sugimoto, Bono, Adam Clayton, The Edge, and Larry Mullen, Jr.
Special Limited Edition of 100
This artwork is in a special frame made of acrylic, which is designed by Hiroshi Sugimoto, and will be presented with a custom-made box.

Horsens, Denmark, 16th August

Gound control to...U2: Intro- The Return Of The Stingray Guitar - Mysterious Ways - I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For - Miss Sarajevo - City Of Blinding Lights - Ultraviolet (Light My Way) - Moment Of Surrender





More photos in  the picture gallery.

Farewell to Denmark and welcome Helsinski, Finland, Olympic Stadium, 20 and 21 August. The trucks with part of the stage have arrived.







www.u2miracle.com/www.youtube.com/user/terrorsittich/
 

Sunday, August 15, 2010

Horsens, Denmark This Evening





This evening U2 has played at CASA Arena in Horsens, Denmark in front of  35,000 fans, this is possibly the smallest stadium  where they will play this year. In the audience were the Prince Frederick and Princess Mary , heirs to the Danish Crown.


Setlist:


   1. Return Of The Stingray Guitar
   2. Beautiful Day
   3. New Year's Day
   4. Get On Your Boots
   5. Magnificent
   6. Mysterious Ways
   7. Elevation
   8. I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For
   9. Glastonbury (unreleased song)
 10. In A Little While
 11. Miss Sarajevo
 12. Until The End Of The World
 13. The Unforgettable Fire
 14. City Of Blinding Lights / Follow The Yellow Brick Road (snippet)
 15. Vertigo
 16. Crazy Tonight / Discotheque (snippet)
 17. Sunday Bloody Sunday / Get Up Stand Up (snippet)
 18. MLK
 19. Walk On

        Encore:

 20. One
 21. Amazing Grace (snippet) / Where The Streets Have No Name
 22. Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me
 23. With Or Without You
 24. Moment Of Surrender








www.u2.gigs/www.u2miracle

Saturday, August 14, 2010

Amnesty brings campaign to U2 shows



Amnesty International says it will extend the promotion of its "Demand Dignity" campaign at stadiums on the European leg of U2's concert tour.
The organization sent representatives to talk to concertgoers at the Irish rock band's Aug. 6 gig in Turin, Italy.
Amnesty volunteers will be on hand at upcoming concerts to give fans the chance to join its campaign, which aims to end the human rights violations that fuel global poverty, the group said.
"The 'Demand Dignity' campaign hopes to rally support for as (long as) the fight for human rights continues. It is time for states to wake up and take action to meet the goals that could lift the world's poorest people out of poverty," Salil Shetty, Amnesty International's secretary general, said in a statement Thursday. "U2's support gives us a chance to engage with a massive audience across all ages."
U2 was awarded Amnesty's Ambassador of Conscience Award in 2005 for its efforts in the cause of global human rights.

www.upi.com

Friday, August 13, 2010

Eve Hewson Co-Stars Movie with Sean Penn



 Eve Hewson(a.k.a.Bono´s daughter) has landed a co-starring role opposite Sean Penn in the Paolo Sorrentino-helmed indie "This Must Be the Place."

Story centers on an aging rock star (Penn) who becomes fixated on pursuing the Nazi criminal who tormented his father in a concentration camp. Hewson will play a gothic-punk music fan who is close friends with Penn's character. Frances McDormand also co-stars.

Indigo Film's Nicola Giuliano and Lucky Red's Andrea Occhipinti are producing the film, which was penned by Sorrentino and Umberto Contarello.

ARP Selection and the Ireland-based Element Film are co-producing, Medusa and Banca Intesa are co-financing and Pathe is on board as the world sales company. The film will begin lensing in Ireland and the United States this month.

Hewson most recently starred in the indie drama "The 27 Club."
.

Hannover: Between Music and the President



Before the show, Bono had a brief sit-down with Christian Wulff, the recently-elected German president.

Second of three shows in Germany this summer and Hannover is jumping. Christian Wulff the President of the Federal Republic of Germany is here, along with Wim Wenders, the President of German movie directors, and long-time friend of the band.(Also spotted in the mix: artist Sam Taylor Wood and actor Aaron Johnson.)

Kassabian get things off to a seriously rocking start again and before you know it we're into Return of the Stingray Guitar. 'Danke Hannover, thank you for coming, thank you for tonight…'

Bit of a first when Bono slips into extra-terrestrial, alien-creature vocal mode to ask everyone how they're finding 'our space-ship'.  'We come from a small green planet called Ireland, but we love it here in Germany.  We hear there are festivals in this area devoted just to drinking beer and eating....we think this is a good idea… please continue to do it.'

If that went down well, so did the band introductions  - as characters from Star Wars. 'On guitar, R2D2 – The Edge; On bass guitar, Princess Laia – Adam Clayton; 'I'm the hairy one...; On the drums, Darth Vader - Larry Mullen.'

Mysterious Ways spills into Elevation and loud appreciation greets Bono as he thanks the German medics who looked after him through his recent injury. It's got to be a special song to follow 'Still Haven't Found' and 'Glastonbury', getting its third live airing,  is showing all the signs that it might be that song.

Big moment too when Bono invites a young woman up on stage to join the band for City of Blinding Lights. The set takes us on a journey, via the  'Crazy' remix and Sunday Bloody Sunday, across Europe, 'down to Istanbul, across the Bosphorus Bridge, down into Asia and the country of Burma… We send a message from the people of Hannover for Aung San  Suu Kyi.'

Tonight we also learn that Paul McGuinness was born in Hannover '125 years ago' and that it is the birthday of ' a mentor, a guide' - the one and only Wim Wenders. And we also remember Robert Enke, the German international goalkeeper who lost his life in this city. It's a powerful moment when Larry stands up on the drum riser - wearing a Hannover 96 shirt.



www.u2.com

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

SPIDER-MAN Turn Off The Dark Ticket Presale‏



Tickets for the Broadway production of 'SPIDER-MAN Turn Off The Dark', with new music and lyrics written by Bono and The Edge, are set to go on sale on AUGUST 14th.
The new production, staged by award-winning director Julie Taymor (The Lion King, Across the Universe), begins at Broadway's Foxwoods Theatre on November 14th, 2010.

Drawing on over 40 years of comics, co-book writers Taymor and Glen Berger spin a spectacular new take on the mythic adventure that's familiar and fresh yet filled with unexpected twists and turns.

'SPIDER-MAN Turn Off The Dark' is highlighted by visual effects, flying, stunts and breathtaking designs from an international team of artists from Broadway, Cirque du Soleil, the Beijing Olympics and the Spider-Man motion pictures. It also marks the Broadway debut of Bono and The Edge who have composed the music and written the lyrics. 



www.u2.com