Tuesday, March 31, 2009

The Tour!!!

Official U2360° Tour t-shirt on sale in U2.com($30)

The U2 360° tour is a huge thing; concerts are being added in many venues and tickets are sold out in a nick of time. We are not surprised though! A U2 tour is a very promising show!!!

Snow Patrol and Muse are confirmed to be part of some of the gigs .The first one in Europe and Canada and the second in the States.

U2 will donate an estimated (EU)9m of their summer tour profits to charity.
The artists will give away 100pc of their income from VIP auction ticket sales at up to 100 worldwide concerts. Up to 600 stage-front tickets per gig are being sold off via auction, with minimum starting bids of between (EU)95 and (EU)1,015.
Every cent band members Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen Jr. earn from the sale of tickets in the "Red Zone" will go to charity.

The charity-style partnership Global Fund, which helps fight AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria, will benefit from a large donation.
Other good causes expected to receive payouts are charities focusing on Africa, the core of Bono's campaigning.
U2's precise cut of their concerts' gross takings is a closely guarded secret, but is thought to be upwards of 75pc. Promoter Live Nation also takes a cut, along with the venue.
A U2 spokeswoman said: "All of U2's income raised from the auction of Red Zone tickets will be donated to charity."

(source:www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk)

Saturday, March 28, 2009

The Live Music Blog Interview


Yahoo! Music has posted a three-part interview with "three well-balanced and fun loving men who--in their spare time--play music in the biggest rock ‘n' roll band in the world."

What's helped propel rockers U2 to the very top of the pop heap?

Never doing what any record company has ever told them, says the band's superstar lead vocalist, Bono.





In this, the second part of Y! Music's U2 interview, Bono, the Edge and Adam Clayton discuss the contrast between making music on one hand, then going out to promote it on the other. "You go away for a couple of years. Why should [people] be thinking about you? So we want to remind them that we're here, and we'll ask them to--what do they say in the Oscars? `We thank you for your consideration.'"



One of the most memorable moments of U2's lengthy career was--by the band's own account--their participation in the celebration of the inauguration of new US president Barack Obama.
Bono: "To find yourself on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial--where he gave his ‘I Have A Dream' speech, and to be asked to be there by this president, who in many ways was squaring the circle, and part of realizing Dr. King's dream--that was a very special moment for us."





source: http://new.music.yahoo.com/blogs/live/


Random U2 Quote




"There's obviously been a clear case of instrument envy and Sting and myself have four thick long strings and he's got six girlies ones!" – Adam (to Edge when he made fun of Sting´s nickname in Letterman´s show,Feb 2009)

Friday, March 27, 2009

Inside the Preview of "Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark" With U2's Bono and The Edge


The blog "Modern Fabulosity" has posted a review of the preview of the Broadway musical, "Spider-Man: Turn off the Dark".The music and songs of the show have been created by Bono and Edge and is scheduled to premiere on 18th February 2010.

"...I headed down to The Times Center on 41st Street for a special sneak preview of Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark, the new mega-musical opening next January at Broadway's Hilton Theatre. The talent is tremendous -- Julie Taymor (The Lion King) directing, Eiko Ishioka (Coppola's Dracula and the Beijing Olympics Opening Ceremony) on costumes, and, of course, U2's Bono and The Edge, composing their first-ever score for the stage. I think it's safe to say that no other musical this decade has generated more excitement or interest, and its pre-sales -- currently available only through specialty groups -- are through the roof.

The presentation began with Taymor, who spoke at length about the elements that drew her to the project...essentially, the classical structure of Peter Parker's journey from everyman to hero. Unlike Sam Raimi's Spider-Man films (which moved from the story's comic book roots toward a more naturalistic, real-world interpretation), Taymor is, unsurprisingly, going the other way -- embracing the webcrawler's inherent theatricality, and placing him inside a stylized New York City populated with heroes and (multiple) supervillains.

Taymor addressed the question on everyone's mind right away: will Spider-Man spin webs and fly through the air? The answer was a resounding yes...the character will swing through the theatre and over the audience. She then showed a video from last year's top-secret "flying workshop" in Los Angeles, where she, stunt designers from the Spider-Man movies, and aerialists from Cirque du Soleil spent two weeks in a studio lot working on "webslinger technology" for the musical. The results were pretty impressive...the wires are visible, but the moves are so stunning you forget them very fast.

To wild applaus, Taymor introduced Bono and The Edge, and the two men ambled out onto the stage. Perhaps the biggest surprise of the day -- these two global superstars, who have played stadiums all over the world and won every award imaginable, actually seemed a little nervous playing these songs to an audience for the first time! They were, if you can imagine it, even a little adorable, like kids with a new toy...playful, smart, interesting, and genuinely excited to be working on a stage musical. (Bono mentioned that they first got the idea to do a musical from Andrew Lloyd Webber, and name-dropped Rodgers and Hammerstein in their opening remarks.)

My favorite songs included two beautiful ballads written for Peter Parker which bookended the presentation, "Rise Above" and "Boy Falls From The Sky." Both were incredibly successful at marrying story to lyric; they also managed to simultaneously sound like U2 rock tracks AND Broadway classics. I also liked the title ballad, "Turn Off The Dark," a minor-chord metaphor for heroism, and an uptempo rocker, "Bouncing Off The Walls," which will have Peter taking the title literally...with walls that move to accomodate his bouncing!

Less successful were a character number called "Bullying By Numbers," a percussive track called "Pull The Trigger," and a ballad that (I think) was called "If The World Should End." The latter might have just been the female performer, who had breathing problems and sang out of tune for long sections.

All in all, though, I was thoroughly impressed...energized, even, by Taymor's thoughtful approach to the material, the dynamic execution of the designers, and the palpable energy of the production team. Can we dare to hope that Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark might be a great musical in the making? A week ago, I didn't imagine such a thing was possible. Today, I'm not only thinking it. I'm betting on it."

A very promising review and the music sounds like something we would like to hear....I guess this is not Bono and Edge´s first musical as they composed the music for Anthony Burgesss´s A Clockwork Orange for the stage in the nineties for the Royal Shakespeare Company,London.


official web site :http://spidermanonbroadway.marvel.com/

source:http://modernfabulousity.blogspot.com

Thursday, March 26, 2009

Brian Eno talks about recording with U2

U2.com has posted a new video with Eno´s comments on the process of recording with U2.



source: u2.com

U2 & Latinamerica

For the launching of Motorokr U2 for Motorola, the agency Landia made a commercial with the participation of real U2 fans all over Latin America (especially Brazil and Argentina), talking about their experiences with the band. At the rhythm of "Get on your Boots", the commercial can be seen in Latin America since mid March.


Linear Thinking


Anton Corbijn made an accompanying film for NLOTH, "Linear". The video was posted by U2.com.Here is "Linear", at the rhythm of "Breathe"

U2.com > News > Linear Thinking


source: U2.com


Wednesday, March 25, 2009

"Heroes" Signed by Bono


U2.com informs that Bono, The Killers and Coldplay have signed a box set of 7" vinyl cuts of the new War Child compilation 'Heroes' . The limited edition 7" vinyl box-set signed by Bono and company includes all 15 cover versions - and an bidding is now underway on ebay.


War Child is a very rock'n'roll organisation which works with children hit by a combination of war, poverty and marginalisation in the world's most dangerous war zones. And their latest benefit album, 'Heroes', is pretty special: 15 legendary acts were invited to select a song from their back catalogue and nominate a newer act who they trusted to create a unique interpretation.

Elbow, who are lined up to play some support slots on the upcoming U2 tour, perform a beautiful version of 'Running To Stand Still'.

source:www.u2.com

U2 in New Zealand and Dutch TV


New Zealand TV has been in Fez, for a long and juicy interview with the U2 guys while they were making the vid for "Magnificent", the new single from NLOTH.

Campbell Live caught up with U2 in Morocco, where the band had recorded parts of their new album.

Watch the full interview with U2 here.

And the Dutch interview here
source: www.3news.co.nz

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Bono and Adam talk from Fez with Sweddish TV


The Sweddish TV made an interview to Bono and Adam from Fez. You can watch it here.

Bono also spoke to Gerry Ryan from RTé 2fm. Click here for audio.



source: http://2fm.rte.ie/blogs/gerry_ryan_blog//u2.fanlife

Monday, March 23, 2009

RS Discloses U2´s Plans to Rock Stadiums Around the World


Roling Stone April issue tells us about the upcoming U2 tour ,especialy its "magnificent" stage...

Toward the end of U2 's last tour, in November 2006, longtime show director Willie Williams presented the band with sketches of a four-legged monster — a massive structure with speakers mounted on each side that would allow the group to play stadium shows in the round. On the new U2 360° Tour, which hits the U.S. beginning September 12th, in Chicago (and kicks off in Barcelona, on June 30th), Williams' vision will finally come to life. "The band is just sitting in the palm of the audience's hand," says Williams. "It really works." Adds Bono, "It creates this real physical proximity to the crowd."

The U.S. dates (13 cities this fall, and then another leg in spring 2010) will be U2's first stadium shows here since their troubled PopMart Tour — and in a nod to the economic crisis, tickets will be priced as low as $30. "Once the engineering had been devised, it obviously has the effect of expanding the capacity of the stadiums," says U2 manager Paul McGuinness. "And it enables us to subsidize lower-priced tickets with higher-priced tickets." Adds drummer Larry Mullen Jr., "Will we sell it out? Who knows? Will the economic situation have an impact? Probably. But that's not going to stop us." With 120 trucks needed just to cart the stage around, the tour will be U2's most expensive ever — the band will defray costs in part by taking on a corporate sponsor for the first time, BlackBerry. (Conscious of its environmental impact, the group will be purchasing carbon offsets.)

U2 have already had a chance to play live versions of several songs from No Line on the Horizon, which came out on March 3rd — their promotional blitz included an entire week on the David Letterman show, as well as a March 11th theater gig just outside of Boston. The band is also shooting a video for the album's second single, "Magnificent" — among the candidates for future singles are "Breathe" and "Moment of Surrender."

Bono hopes the tour will be more than just a spectacle. "We want to play for each other as much as we want to play for the crowd this time," he says. "You just don't know how long you are going to be doing this. When we walk out onstage, the hairs on people's necks go up — but what people don't know is that the hairs on our necks go up too."

Meet the Claw: U2's Massive New Stage Set:

Inspiration: U2 show director Willie Williams got the idea for the in-the-round set (nicknamed "the Claw") from the futuristic, Disney-style Theme Building at LAX: It looks like a spaceship on four legs.

Structure: At 164 feet tall, the Claw, Williams says, is twice as high as the previous largest stadium stage set, from the Rolling Stones' A Bigger Bang tour. "Theirs would fit underneath this one," he says.

Sound System: Each of the Claw's four sides will have its own full-size sound system — each powerful enough for an entire arena. There will also be 72 separate subwoofers.

Logistics: Currently being assembled in pieces around the world, the set will be made of solid steel — 120 trucks will cart it from show to show.

source: www.rollingstone.com/From Issue 1075 — April 2, 2009

Sunday, March 22, 2009

Larry Mullen & U2´s Future


The Daily Express publishes Larry Mullne´s words on the future of U2.

A founder member with Bono, The Edge and Adam Clayton, he says it’s important the band goes out while still on top of their game. “There will be a time when it’s like, ‘It’s time to go,’” says Larry, 47, known as Babyface Mullen. “I would like that to be on a high when you’re still achieving as opposed to the curve down. That’ll be sad for me. I think it’ll be a more dignified time to go. “We might come back in five years’ time and may do something together for old times’ sake because we know we’ll want to. That’ll be a beautiful end to a long, beautiful career. It can’t go on for ever. It just can’t.”

Hope it takes a long time before that time comes!!!!!!!!!



source:www.dailyexpress.co.uk

Magnificent in Morocco


U2.com posts two new videos on the recording of Magnificent in Fez, Morocco.

The band have been back in Fez, Morocco this week, the ancient North African city where they began writing much of No Line on the Horizon. This time they've been shooting a video for the upcoming single, Magnificent.
Alex Courtes, who directed the 'Boot's video in London last December, has also been with them - at the helm again for the new shoot. After filming in a local riad on day one of the shoot, it was out onto the streets of the city.
To watch the vids: U2.com > News > Magnificent Morocco




source:www.u2.com

Friday, March 20, 2009

"All is Going Well"

Adam has made another video diary accounting their last hectic days...he looks comfy and relaxed hopefully preparing for the tour.





source:u2.com

Morocco is Magnificent!!!

The band are back in Fez, Morocco where they began writing much of No Line on the Horizon. This time they're shooting a video for the upcoming single, Magnificent.

They were last here in early summer 2007, along with Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois, in what turned out to be an influential period of songwriting.

Alex Courtes, who directed the 'Boot's video in London last December, is also here - at the helm again for the new shoot. First day of filming has been in a local riad and on the streets of this ancient city.

source:U2.com

Thursday, March 19, 2009

It´s Magnificent Time!!!


Next single to be released is "Magnificent", U2.com has announced.
Already a great favourite of fans and critics, Coldplay said they've been playing it before they come on stage on their current tour and it´s ' a truly beautiful song'.

Mercury Records will release the new single on May 4th and the track has been getting plaudits ever since 'No Line...' was released.

The Times in London called it 'stunning' while Q magazine called it a 'slow-building anthem with the ambience of The Unforgettable Fire'. High praise indeed.

Good choice and a great opener for a tour, innit????


source:www.u2.com

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

InTheir Own Words :U2 in Rolling Stone


Above are some highlights of the band´s interviews with RS magazine:


On the band's lifespan:

Adam Clayton: My thinking has changed over the years, and I now think if you are an artistic entity like U2 is and you have created these songs, there's no rulebook that says you can't ever perform those songs again at some point in your life. In my opinion, if you've written a song, it's valid for you to perform it however many times you want, wherever you want to. And if people want to turn up and pay money to experience it with you then, you know, that's very nice. Music and song writing are about communication. So it's something that you do with other people. You commune. So I don't really think there's a point when you should stop doing it. I mean it may be, it may be allegedly embarrassing for some people to see you up there performing songs when you're dribbling. But if they're your songs, you're entitled to it.

The Edge: We're all changing. We're all growing up and we're all going through what you go through when you have families, when you have a big house and a dog, whatever. It's not like we're all living in the same flat anymore. But I think we all know that there's something kind of touched about the way the four of us interact musically.

We've weathered so much stuff over the years that could well have broken up a group and we're still here. I think it's down to a number of factors. First off there's genuine friendship and regard personally between the four members of the band. We hang out together. We enjoy each other's company. We see each other on our break times as well as when we're working. It's not like I'm rushing to get out of the studio to see my friends. I'm in the studio with my friends. That's sort of unique. I think we all fully appreciate how special it is, how unique it is to still be making great music after so many years. We don't want to fuck up. It's too precious.

When anyone has a bad day and they want to leave the band or throw someone else out of the band, it doesn't last very long. I occasionally go through this thing, once a decade, where I go, "OK, that's it, I've had enough. It's over. It's all too much." And then I go through the process: "OK, what am I going to do with my life now?" So I start thinking, I would still want to make music. Am I a solo artist? To be perfectly honest, I'm not a solo artist. I need to find collaborators. OK, who do I want as my drummer? Fuck, there's no one better than Larry Mullen. What about bass? Shit, it has to be Adam. OK, singers? Oh shit, there's no one better than Bono. So I end up redesigning us for better or for worse. It's kind of ideal. That's not to say that it is not challenging.

I just know I make better music when I'm working with Bono. I make a lot of music on my own but no one ever hears. It just gets better when I'm working on it with Adam, Larry and Bono and Brian [Eno] and Danny [Lanois]. Who knows, at some point I might do some more collaborations outside of the band or solo projects. But I'm not rushing to. I like what I do.

Larry Mullen Jr.: We don't always like each other but we respect each other, and we love each other. Marriages don't last this long. Will it stop working at some time? I'm sure it will. It's not indefinite. There will be a time where it's like, "It's time to go," and I would like that time to be on a high when you're still achieving, as opposed to on the curve down. That'll be sad for me. I think it'll be a more dignified time to actually go, "You know what? That's the end of that period" and we might come back in five years time and may do something together just for old times sake 'cause we know we'll want to. And I think that'll be a beautiful end to a long a beautiful career.

No [I haven't discussed this with my bandmates]. We don't discuss a lot of things. I'm just saying what I imagine it would be like, but I don't know. Of course it can't go on forever. It just can't. And if it ended tomorrow, would it be sad? Sure. But it wouldn't be the end of the world. It helps, I imagine, that you have a family, that you have a life outside the band. As a younger man would it have felt like the end of the world? I think it would have been more difficult. But my family is obviously important, as is everybody's in the band. It's an important part of our life.


On the legacy of Pop and PopMart

Bono: The film PopMart Live From Mexico City is the best thing, audio/visually that U2 has done. Eclipsed only by U2 3D, in my view. It's better than Zoo TV, it's better than all of them. It's really, quite shocking. It's unfortunate that we weren't able to play that well at the start of the tour as we did by the end of it, by the time we got to Mexico.

As regard to the album, yeah, I have some regrets and I think we fell in between two stools on that album — we neither made a dance or a combo album. And we also lacked editing and the hooks weren't good enough, but I think I really liked the subject there and I really liked, what I attempted for. Can you imagine, the best way of looking at that album is: if "Discotheque" had been to U2 what "Sledgehammer" was to Peter Gabriel then you'd understand where we were coming form.

So after that, we did two back-to-basics albums. With No Line on the Horizon, we wanted to really push the combo format. But what we actually said is "OK, if we are going to go polyrhythmic, if we are going to go into that mode, let's do hand-made digital, you know, let's do hand-made electronica." That is, actually, what the music is, it's not on a grid, it's not tightly formatted the way dance music is. The emphasis was on playing live in the room but using some electronic instruments. But we got those sounds, those extraordinary sounds, without losing the thing that a band can do when it is playing live. We got both. That is what we didn't manage to do on Pop.

On "Breathe"

Bono: I stepped into this character, like ... I think it was a little bit influenced by The Music Man. You know that musical? The scene on the train? It's a way to use words in a percussive way but not have it be hip-hop. It's somewhere between, you know, "Subterranean Homesick Blues" and I did a kind of character a bit like that at the end of "Bullet the Blue Sky." I just wanted to get to a new place as a lyricist, and, I just thought making these short jabbing things made really great sense over those chords. Edge just came up with a chord sequence there and I just liked the bracing tone. I was thinking about it in a very physical way. I was improvising it — the lines were coming out like that.


to watch the photo shoot of the RS cover; click here


source:www.rollingstone.com/issue1074



Saturday, March 14, 2009

Spin Magazine


U2 appears in the new issue of Spin Magazine

Three decades, 12 studio albums, and 145 million copies sold have made U2 the biggest band in the world. And now the Irish quartet's latest release, No Line on the Horizon, is No. 1 on the Billboard album chart.

But how have Bono, the Edge, Adam Clayton, and Larry Mullen Jr. maintained their mojo for some 30 years? To answer that question, SPIN caught up with them for our April cover story.

One theory, according to Bono: "The fear of being crap is a great motivator."

More in April issue of Spin Magazine.

Check out exclusive video from our Dublin photo shoot with the band, as they pose for our cameras and interact with fans near their longtime headquarters.

http://www.spin.com

source:www.spin.com

What an Awesome Week!!

Performance at Sommerville,Boston....




Bono saying goodbye to fans...


For Comic Relief, they appeared in a renovated "Top of the Pops" (with Oasis, Take That, Franz Ferdinand and James Morrison)


Friday, March 13, 2009

HAPPY BIRTHDAY,ADAM!!!


Today our favourite bassman is 49 years old. Surely he´s in the climax of his career, as he has proved it with the recently released album. His bass lines are superb and to remember for years to come!
The deep sureness of his bass and Larry´s rhythm hold the band and propels it forward. The great and unique U2´s rhythm section is where the band finds its sensuality and characteristic sound, it gives them the title of "great rock band".
Owner of a captivating smile and suave manners, Mr Clayton is a sight to be seen on stage and outised as many fans have reported him being specially kind to them.

We want to wish Adam a happy birthday!!! Hope he had a good time with family and friends!!!


And Bono and Edge too...

Thursday, March 12, 2009

In Honour of the Bassist´s Birthday


Tomorrow it´s Adam´s birthday,in his honor , the African Well Fund is auctioning a copy of the "Under a Blood Red Sky" reissue signed by Adam, Bono and Edge. The auction is benefiting Build a Well for Bono's Birthday projects in Liberia. You can check out the auction here.



source:U2.intereference

The Magic of Fez

This video shows us the starting point of NLOTH in Fez...there was certainly magic in the place which was transmitted to the whole album...


30 Countries Say NLOTH is N° 1!!!!

"No Line on the Horizon" has shot to the top of the charts all over the world in its first week of release.


The new album has debuted at number 1 in 30 major territories around the world: UK, USA, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Japan, Korea, Hong Kong, Singapore, Philippines, Brazil, Argentina, Columbia, Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Finland, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Holland, Hungary, Iceland, Mexico, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Switzerland.



source:U2.com

End of "U2 3 Nights Live"


The last night of the promotional tour in the US,U2 performed in front of 900 people at Sommerville Theatre,Boston.

The band performed a total of five songs live and then conducted a Q&A session with the audience. The setlist was:

1. Get On Your Boots
2. Magnificent
3. Breathe
4. Crazy Tonight / Come On Eileen (snippet)
5. Vertigo / She Loves You (snippet)

Early in Boots, Bono called to the crew that there were "too many lights" and asked Willie Williams to turn them down. Before Magnificent, Bono said that Boston "is where it all started for us". Between Breathe and Magnificent, Bono introduced the band and remarked that "only one nation in the world says 'Bowno' and it's not this one". After Crazy Tonight, Bono remarked "wow it's hot in them club gigs", then he thanked everyone for sticking with the band over the years and the radio stations for playing U2's music. He then introduced Vertigo as the last song.

At the start of the Q&A session, Sway noted that No Line On The Horizon has gone #1 in the US with over 480,000 copies sold, and Bono added it has gone #1 in thirty other countries worldwide - but not Finland.
The first question was "What is the funniest Spinal Tap moment you've had on tour?" Bono responded that it was when the Popmart lemon broke down before the encore at one concert, and opened only so far to reveal the band's feet. Bono thought it happened in Finland but it actually occurred in Oslo, Norway.
The second question was given to Adam, "Do you ever get tired of carrying these guys?" He said that he has kind of adopted a different policy of doing what the band tells him and it works out fine.

Edge got the third question, referencing a remark last week that Sting has an uncool nickname: "has Sting called you about David Letterman?" Edge responded that he does actually love Sting, and Sting's only problem is that he's too cool to be cool.

Larry was the final of the four to get a question, "is there a favourite fan on-stage moment for the band?" He responded that it was in the Paradise Theatre in Boston in the band's early years; a girl made her way on stage and handcuffed herself to Bono's legs. Bono quipped "that's how I met my missus!"
Adam then got a second question before the first radio commercial break; he was asked what he would want to be if he changed careers tomorrow, and he said he would like something where he could meet lots of girls, such as being a fashion photographer. As a photographer, he said, you get to stand around looking cool and somebody carries boxes for you. Bono remarked that it sounds like what Adam does now.

After the break, the Q&A continued on air with a question to Bono. It was from a 16 year old who wanted to know "when did you lose your virginity?" Bono responded that he has been working up to it, and at moments like this, he is tempted to think of Madonna; he feels "like a virgin kissed for the very first time". Sway, who has a young daughter, proceeded to ask Bono how he approached "that" conversation about sex with his daughters, and after Bono asked in return "how do you get on with her mother?", he said that the mother should talk to the girls and the father to the boys.

Larry fielded the next question; "who are you in awe of in the music industry?" His response was simply "Bono".
Edge was asked how he knows when a U2 album is complete; he said that a U2 album is never complete, just released. The band know it should be released when they stop arguing and start to really enjoy it.
Then Adam was asked "having seen so much", what now impresses him? He said he is impressed by silence, since there is no much noise in the world. He is furthermore impressed by going on tour and taking U2's music around the world.

Another commercial break intervened, followed by a question from Sway to the band. Considering all that U2 have accomplished and the band's stature, Sway wanted to know what is inside them that won't let them take anything for granted at this stage of their career. Edge responded that he has realised the music business has stopped being driven by relationships; the digital revolution has made it about software. Thus, at this moment in time, U2 are driven by trying to re-engage on a one-on-one level. Bono said Adam whispered to him a different, one-word response to Sway's question: "fear".
Bono was then asked what song by another artist he wished he'd written; he immediately mentioned Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah, describing it as "extraordinary" before singing a brief snippet of it. He went on to describe Cohen's latest tour as the greatest show he has seen, and that Cohen and Bob Dylan are fighting it out for the title of greatest songwriter on earth. This was followed by a question to Larry; "what advice would you give to a young band starting out in today's music industry?" Larry said it is important to be with people who do not always agree with you, and you need to have a democracy where everybody has a stake in what you do - hired hands in bands do not work.

Time began to run out at this point. Adam was asked if he would pursue an acting career, to which he said he would not. Edge was asked what song he doesn't get tired of playing live, to which he said Where The Streets Have No Name. On the other hand, he said there are so many U2 songs he is quite happy not to play, since the band still want to rewrite some of them; he said they might re-record some of their early albums like how many of the great poets re-wrote their classic poems. Bono added that the band were often rushed out of the studio in the early years as they couldn't afford more studio time, and accordingly some "beautiful songs" from that period feel unfinished. He said he would especially like to sing Boy again. After this, Sway wrapped up the radio appearance.

Mayor Joseph Curtatone declared March 11 "U2 'No Line on the Horizon' Celebration Day" in Somerville.

The city's official proclamation read:

"Whereas, The Band known as U2 has embraced the Boston region as one of its seminal sources of inspiration and support and, whereas, U2 has selected the Somerville Theatre in Davis Square as a venue to celebrate the release of its new album, No Line on the Horizon and whereas the People and City of Somerville endorse and embrace the music of U2, and its message of compassion, diversity, and global understanding and whereas, Somerville Rocks!, and so also does U2: Now, therefore, be it known that the City of Somerville does hereby proclaim Wednesday, March 11th, 2009 as U2 'No Line on the Horizon' Celebration Day and calls upon all it citizens to participate in its observance."


source:www.u2gigs.com//pic:@U2//www.thebostonchannel.com

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

Lanois & NLOTH


Daniel Lanois and U2 have been working together for two decades. Along with Brian Eno, the Canadian-born Lanois has co-produced some of the band's most lauded work, including Joshua Tree and Achtung Baby. For their 12th studio album, No Line on the Horizon, U2 invited Lanois and Eno to contribute as co-writers on several of the tracks.

Q: How did you get involved with No Line on the Horizon?

A: We got involved after a phone call from Bono who suggested he wanted to invite Eno and myself to get involved in what he was hoping would become a futuristic spirituals record with a lot of lifeforce in it. In fact, he was not inviting us to produce the record but to compose the album with them. Eno and I accepted the invite and we met -- we had a writing stint prior to going to Morocco. And then we went to Morocco and things went so well. There were talks about who was going to produce the record and I said "well, it's kind of producing itself, so lets just go with the people we have." We did what we always did -- we huddled and had a nice time jamming and bringing ideas to the table. Eno came in with some very fascinating rhythmic beginnings that Larry Mullen jumped right on top of and that became, essentially, the spine of the record.

Q: Were you cautious taking on the project, as it had been in the works prior, including a documented session with Rick Rubin?

A: I don't know exactly what happened with Rick. In fact they did some nice work with Rick on a Green Day project. And if I could read between the lines, and mind you I was not there, perhaps they were looking for fascinating spines to their work and they didn't want to have it be straight up meat and potatoes. They wanted a place for their innovative hats to go to and you never know how you are going to get those interesting beginnings. So we just huddled up, got on with it, and sure enough came up with them.

Q: Ok, well let's start with the album's title track, "No Line on the Horizon."

A: Larry Mullen was -- without anyone else playing -- he was just trying out a few beats on the drums. And Brian Eno sampled him. Brian Eno's station was right next to Larry's -- we have little stations in the studio -- so at any point Brian could record what Larry was doing, and manipulate it and sample it and so on. He did that, and it started out as a little Bo Diddley sample beat. Kind of jazzy, but it had a vibe to it. As soon as Eno sampled that, we jumped right on top of it and started playing over it, including Larry. And we came up with what I think is space age rock and roll -- space age rockabilly. Bono had this idea -- where the sea meets the sky and you can't tell the difference between the two. And the vocal happened very early on, that whole -- a-whoawhoawhoawhoa! -- that little hook. The vocal delivery, the vibe was there right from day one. I was very proud of Bono.

Q: Is that something that might not usually happen with the band?

A: He's great. There'll always be something there. Usually he'll fool you into thinking there is something there.

Q: Ok, let's talk about "Magnificent."

A: That was born in Fez. We wanted to have something euphoric and Bono came up with that little melody. And he loved that melody, and stuck with it. Almost like a fanfare. And then I was involved in the lyrical process on that, because we wanted to talk about sacrifice that one makes for one's medium or one's art. I thought it had for a setting New York in the '50s; looking out a small bedroom window. Maybe a Charlie Parker kind of figure. That's what we started with. We placed ourselves in Charlie Parker's body.

Q: Tell me about another of your co-compositions, "Moment of Surrender."

A: That was an ensemble composition. It had that great Eno/Mullen thing from the get go. A kind of rolling hand drum. And the original sketch had me in charge of the chorus. Bono would point to me: "Ok, Lanois, you sing the chorus" (sings the chorus' hook out loud). It's very much a Canadian sound there, a tribute to The Band. We call it the "Simcoe sound."

Q: How about "Unknown Caller?"

A: Similar to "Moment of Surrender," early days. It had a great vibe to it. The guitar solo at the end was right from the backing track. There was no monkey business, it pretty much had its personality intact from day one. And a pretty great vocal from early, "Unknown Caller" and "Moment of Surrender" -- they were there. Bono honed in on his lyrics but they did not go through any laborious process.

Q: The next track is "I'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight."

A: That started out as an Eno contribution. It was called "Diorama."

Q: That's a very Eno-esque title.

A: Yeah. It always had a great vibe to it. In our absence, the U2 lads reworked the song and it became what you are hearing now.

Q: They took it away from Fez and redid it?

A: We have an open license to turn things upside down, keep one part from one, move it to another.

Q: Let's move on to the first single, "Get On Your Boots."

A: Edge came up with that at home. That riff. He had a pretty solid demo of that. Some things were born -- that "Let me in the sound" -- that section came quite late. It was a little chant thing we all loved. Bono was batting lyrics around on that. It always had that great energy. Everyone worked real hard on that. I did my bit with that simple -- it may seem simple -- that little dub "love" -- was compliments Danny Lanois.

Q: That "let me in the sound" bit -- it reoccurs and that theme pops up a few times on the album. Was that idea meaningful to the sessions?

A: It was something Bono was toying with -- that we are children of the sound. Having been at it for as long as he has, he realizes how special the gift is to be moved by music and that we live in the sound. That's what we resonate with and what we are as artisans and artist. A gratefulness and a realization.

Q: Let's talk about another rocker -- "Stand Up Comedy."

A: That song went through a lot of changes -- that song was about six different songs. It's a study in itself -- it would be a cool full length CD -- just the the evolution of (Dance?) Stand Up Comedy.

Q: So it started out differently?

A: It was another song all together. A great song. But in the end it felt crafted -- more craft than soul. And we like to make soul music. So we moved off the earlier versions and settled on that one.

Q: Getting back to Fez, that's the title of this next song: "Fez – Being Born." It's quite lovely.

A: The Edge had a kind of symphonic guitar little moment that was free time. And I always liked the sound of it so I took that and chopped it into a tempo and presented that back to the band. I used one of Eno's beats and I kind of created an arrangement out of what was a free wheel but it always had a great sound. On the strength of that sonic I persisted with that piece. Bono thought that it had this feeling like it was almost something coming to life. Like a flower opening or coming into the world and then into the "Being Born" section. That's the high speed rhythmic part. We had a vibe very early on, so we married those two tracks together after the fact.

Q: As a producer did you hear a natural fit there, or were these two tracks written to be put together eventually?

A: No, I put them in the same key, anticipating that they might live together. I always look for outstanding transitions like that. They can't be taken for granted -- they have to be designed and thought of scientifically. I love that triplet -- it's something I created in my editing process, then the downbeat. Then the main song. I think it's a fantastic transitional moment.

Q: Tell me about another one of your co-compositions, "White As Snow."

A: After my conversation with Bono about future hymns or future spirituals, I did a little studying. In fact, with a friend in Toronto, Lori Anna Reid -- she's a great singer from Toronto and she's quite an expert on spirituals. I asked her to fish a few out for me and we had a listening session and that one stood out to me. It's an old church hymn called "O Come, O Come Emmanuel." It's not identical, but it's inspired by that, an old public domain melody. I laid down a little piano version of that song, again, chopped it to a tempo. Then I came up with a vocal arrangement. Bono had this "white as snow" idea. It just slowly came together.

Q: Was it a challenge to take something old and familiar and give it a new context?

A: Yeah, we've not done much of this. The Edge wrote one called "Van Diemen's Land," which was based on an Irish Classic called "The River is Wide." So I guess it could be thought of that way. We like the idea of referencing a church great and bringing it into the future, It was an experiment.

Q: Ok, next track is "Breathe."

A: That's another one that came from The Edge's corner. He had that pretty intact without our involvement. We worked on a version for a very long time which was great. But in the end they abandoned that and re-performed it. The Edge has got a little setup at home. We worked on everything collectively. Some things got a little more attention with Steve Lillywhite and the band. "Breathe" was one of them, as was "Crazy."

Q: And the album concludes with Cedars of Lebanon.

A: Cedars of Lebanon is something that I took a special interest in. I built that arrangement through my editing process similar to "Fez - Being Born." In the early '80s Eno and I worked with a great artist named Harold Budd. We made an ambient record called The Pearl. I always loved this particular track on The Pearl, so I based the mood of "Cedars" on kind of an excerpt from The Pearl. And then Larry Mullen came in with a killer drum part on that, I was really proud of him. I love the mood on that track; it's really thick with ambience. Almost like a direct throwback to the early '80s, to what I was doing with Eno. I'm proud of it, it's a nice revisit to that work. I didn't think I would ever push the ambient gas pedal any more, but there it is.

Q: What about the collaboration with Eno? Was it just a matter of stepping back into an old rhythm?

A: Part of who we are has never changed. We hook up, and in a matter of minutes we're playing, and somethings happening, and there's a vibe and it's great. So the playfulness in our relationship has never died. Eno is a great catalyst and instigator, I have the patience to investigate the details and arrangements in Brian's absence. He's a great man for giving you an opportunity to look at your work in another manner. That's really his gift to the workplace. He'll come up with something really fascinating.

Q: Larry was on an electric kit for these session, wasn't he?

A: For the beginning, yes. The thing about an acoustic kit is that really wears out the room because it's so loud. People get fatigued by the shock of a non-stop Mullen earthquake. We though let's use the electric kit and see what we come up with. It proved to be a great thing. Some of the things he came up with on that kit; he wouldn't have come up with on an acoustic kit. For example on "No Line on the Horizon" -- that's an electric kit. As it is on "Moment of Surrender." I don't know what he's going to do live.

Q: You spoke earlier about the idea of making "future spirituals." Was there a defined artistic thesis to prove on this album? And do you think you've achieved it?

A: We definitely wanted a fascinating and strange brew. We wanted to revisit the values of Achtung Baby. We wanted to build something that had never been heard before. And I think we succeeded at a few turns in the record and I'm very [proud of the rhythmic complexities. I'll use the foundation of "Moment of Surrender" as an example of something that is quite rare and unusual. In these fast times of reference, it's nice to break some new sonic ground.


© The National Post Company, 2009.

source:http://network.nationalpost.com

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Three Nights with U2

Adam signing outside studio.

Tonight, tomorrow and Wednesday, the band are taking part in 'U2 3 Nights Live'

About 200 people sat on the carpeted floor, cross-legged, in a recording studio at Capitol Records to see and hear Bono, Edge, Adam and Larry interviewed, in tall chairs set up right in front of the audience, for one hour by Shirley Manson, lead singer of Garbage. The interview aired live on radio stations around North America starting at 9 p.m. EDT.
About half the people there (wearing green wristbands) were lucky fans from around the country who won tickets to see the event in person. The rest (with red wristbands) were radio promoters and people from the record label, reporters, music-industry folks and their guests. Bono gave a shout-out to a few people in the room, including manager Paul McGuinness, Interscope chairman Jimmy Iovine and Los Angeles Times writer Robert Hilburn.The interview started off with only three U2 Musketeers: Bono, Edge and Adam. Larry, who wasn't feeling well, arrived for about the last 15 minutes, cheerful but a little pale.
During the interview, during which Edge surprisingly got in about as much talk time as Bono (Adam was his usual endearing, quiet self), the band answered questions interspersed with songs played from No Line on the Horizon.
The band talked about NLOTH being more experimental than the previous two albums, and the new, very effective experience of including Daniel Lanois and Brian Eno as songwriters for the album.

Bono said the band has "two instincts" that are polar opposites: to "experiment and be outside ourselves" and to "be ourselves." When the two are balanced, "we're at our best," he said.

Often while the music was playing, the guys just listened themselves and seemed very into the songs -- closing their eyes, nodding their heads, tapping their legs. Bono mouthed a few vocals and, in a nod to Adam, pointed out the bass line several times. (Before that, Adam had blushed and tried to deflect attention when answering a question from Manson about being the "star" of the new album.)
They also talked about the Fez recording sessions, the just-announced 360-degree tour set-up ("It's never been done before the way we're going to do it," Bono said) and their "soft spot" for Los Angeles. Answering a question from an audience member, they said the Red Rocks concert in Denver was probably their favorite "rock experience." The recent pre-inaugural concert for Barack Obama rated high as well.
When asked where the band would go next for album musical inspiration, a la Fez, Bono replied, "We seem to like places that are crossroads, places where different cultures meet, whether that's Miami, South America, the Caribbean, Cuba, Sarajevo, Berlin." He then asked if the audience had "any suggestions for where we should go next?"

© @U2/Lindell, 2009.

source:www.atu2.com// pic: belgapictures




Monday, March 9, 2009

U2 360° Tour



Until last week, we thought the new U2 tour was going to be called "The Kiss the Future Tour" ( a name I found particularly attractive) but from U2.com we received the info that the tour is called "U2 360° Tour" starting June 30th in Nou Camp Stadium,Barcelona,Spain.
The tour is produced by Live National Global Touring and will visit 14 cities in Europe finishing in Cardiff on 22nd August.
The North American tour will start in Chicago on September 12th.
Apart from the band, the star of the tour, will be its 360° stage created by long-time U2 show director Willie Williams and architect Mark Fisher . The audience will have an unobstructive view ,literally surrounding the band. Paul McGuinness,U2´s manager, said that 85 % of the tickets will be sold at less than 95 Euros and guaranteed great view.
Another revolutionary step in U2´s life...


source:U2.com

Sunday, March 8, 2009

Good Morning America Weekend

Bono & Adam Clayton at Good Morning America Weekend.




source: abcnews//u2place.com

Saturday, March 7, 2009

GOYB Better & Better!!!

Undoubtedly this song was born to be performed live. By now we´ve heard it several times in different shows and it´s improving with each performance.
By far the best ( but not better than the next one!) the last night in Dave Letterman´s show...


Yes Bono we love U2,yeah, yeah!!!

Inside The Kiss the Future Tour

Billboard talked to The Edge about the planned two-year tour.

How does it feel to have two years of touring laid out in front of you?

We're very excited to go on the road with this album. It's an album that I think is going to translate so well to the live context. The songs we've tried in rehearsal are sounding fantastic, so that's got everyone really fired up.

Going on a long tour is always difficult at first to say goodbye to the family and get on the tour bus, so to speak. But the shows themselves are always what really makes it worthwhile. There's such a special thing that goes on between the band and the audience at a U2 show, and we never get tired of that. It's always unique; it's always really uplifting. It's like a kind of semi-religious experience for the band and I think for the audience, too. I couldn't begin to explain why; it's just always been that way.

I think it's all to do with the music, and we kind of go there ourselves to serve the music and people's connection with it. For a lot of people it's the soundtrack of their lives. It's not just the band they're applauding, it's themselves and their own history and their connection with the music.

It's a very personal thing.

On the last several tours you played stadiums in Europe and around the world and arenas in North America. Does it sometimes feel like two different tours?

It's hard to say what constitutes a new tour. In some ways it's to do with the album and the new material. Every time we produce a new record it just throws up all these new possibilities for how we can stage the band and where we can take the show.

This [the Kiss The Future tour] is going to be very different and that's what makes it exciting; finding something new to do, finding something new to bring to the touring culture really. It's hard to come up with something that's fundamentally different, but we have, I think, on this tour. Where we're taking our production will never have been seen before by anybody and that's an amazing thing to be able to say. For a band like U2 that really thrive on breaking new ground it's a real thrill.

This is an interesting, even historic, time to be touring the world. People are going through a lot. Does that have an effect on the way you will play?

We respond very much to the mood in the house. I think there will be a very particular mood at these concerts and we'll be very sensitive to that. We hope that it will be not all doom and gloom but will also be a lot of fun and a chance to have a really great time. We're doing what we can with the ticket prices to make it affordable in this difficult time. I think people know we always offer great value for money and that's an important thing for us, to give back in whatever way we can. I'm looking forward to it. We won't know until we get out there exactly how things are going to work out but I'm very positive, and we all are, about this tour and we think it's going to be just a great experience for everybody.

Do you have a preference of a venue, or does it make a difference once you pick up a guitar and start playing?

It's all to do with the crowd in the house. If they're behind us and the communication is there, I don't really think so much about the bricks and mortar. The crowds vary night-by-night, city-by-city; it's really hard to say if I have a favorite place to play. Wherever the show's going off, that's my favorite.

You have this weeklong run on the "The Late Show With David Letterman," have U2 ever been a "house band" before, or had a residency?

Very early on we did in our hometown of Dublin; we played in a few bars on a regular Thursday night when we were first making our first album and first few singles. It was at the Baggot Inn on Baggot Street in Dublin. We also did a string of shows in July one year, it might have been 1979. We called them "the Jingle Balls" because we decked out the entire club in Christmas decorations in the middle of summer. Four or five nights with that theme, that was a lot fun. That was in a club called McGonagles, which is no longer there. Since then we've not done anything like this, so [residency isn't] a totally new experience, but something we haven't done in many, many years.

Let's talk about the new record, "No Line On The Horizon". It's one that really seems to take hold after repeated listenings. Your part on the record includes lots of slide work and soloing along with the type of playing you and the band traditionally are known for.

I had a great opportunity on this record to explore new guitar tones. In the compositional phase we were really trying a lot of experiments, which is always great for me. It means I can take solos here and there because we can actually write them into a song and make sense of them.

I hate just putting in a solo for no good reason, but in this case they all have important roles to play compositionally, and that's my favorite kind of guitar playing. I'm a big fan of guitar players who really work up solos that have themes and an emotional component, as opposed to just the pyrotechnic approach, which I think is all too common.

Some of the solos are in odd places in the structure of the song, but seem well conceived when they do show up.
I seemed to end up going to the slide a lot on this album. [Because of] the architectural way this record was put together, with these very intricate loops that we often played against, I think it really needed some sort of lyrical component which would offset that very structured quality to the sound.

We work a lot in contrasts, I think. We start off with something that's very inorganic, very synthetic, then we put on the organic elements. That approach has worked really well on a lot of these songs. We even have

Larry Mullen playing an electronic drum kit, which has all the feel of a drummer but sonically it just doesn't sound conventional. It's slightly at odds with the preconceived idea of what Larry's drums sound like. It was an interesting experiment. He at first wasn't 100% sure about it, but I think he really got into it and developed new ways of playing as a result.

That's the upside of experimenting; we make discoveries as musicians, as songwriters as composers as lyricists. We end up places where we just would not have gone if we had just sat down and approached things in a traditional songwriterly fashion.

One example is "Stand Up Comedy." You have a real hard rock riff going there and then it turns into something about as funky as you guys get.

That song has a great groove. It really started as a groove and the guitar came out of that. It was fun. I had just done a film with Jimmy Page and Jack White ["It Might Get Loud"] and I was kind of fooling around with the idea of the guitar riff. I hadn't really used that songwriting form that much over the years, I think "The Fly" would be the best example. This was like exploring what is a fairly well established form, but trying to give it a spin and a twist so that it wasn't a direct homage, more like a reinterpretation.

It's great that you can still surprise fans.

For ourselves, as well, to keep it fresh and new is so important for us. Otherwise we just sort of get bored.

Twelve records in, what is a constant in the studio for you guys and what was different this time around?

The spirit of the band is pretty much consistent. Egos are checked in at the door, we just want to make to make some great music together and we're all willing to do whatever is necessary to get there. Sometimes it means really means taking a back seat somehow, or allowing someone else in the band to offer up suggestions, really throw it open to the floor. Everybody did that, no one was being precious with what they do.

The biggest difference [this time], I suppose, was the starting out point for this record. We really didn't have a clear agenda as far as a release date or a particular feel for what this album would be. We had some clues, and we had one idea which was to go in and work some songs and music with Brian Eno and Danny Lanois as co-writers. We went to Fez in Morocco for two weeks to just work on music, it was like a sort of musical composition workshop.

We all got in a room together and I brought a few of my ideas in but most of the ideas would have been generated there and then. Some of the songs on the album -- "Unknown Caller," "Moment of Surrender" -- would have been songs that came together pretty much in the space of a couple of hours and therefore probably were played in the final incarnation maybe once or twice. There's a real feel -- which you don't often get - [that] everyone is totally present, nobody is just playing their part. Suddenly something great is occurring in the room. There's a real electricity to the performance and I think I can really hear it.

I guess you could say those are two of the "bigger" songs on the record and you really get to stretch your legs as a band. I would have thought the opposite, that they would have taken longer than some of the other songs on the album.

The songs that have the kind emotional weight and gravitas were the ones that almost came quickly and easily. What we wanted to try and do was balance out the album and find some songs with a bit more life force, a bit more for want of a better word, joy. And those were the ones that took a while. "Standup Comedy" took a while, so did "Get on your Boots" and "Crazy Tonight." "White of Snow," "Moment of Surrender," "Unknown Caller" were actually very quick.

The other song that came very quickly was "No Line on the Horizon." That's a song that we only ended up playing once. It's such a simple idea, a way of using a particular guitar sound that I hit on and sort of experimenting with guitar tone and the song came out of that. It was very instant, very quick. It's very rough, I think in a good way.

Our records are funny, we take a long time to make them but really we're always in search of inspiration. It's not a methodical approach, we don't have pattern of recording that we stick to. We can go for a while not really seeming to make much progress then suddenly a song will really take a huge leap forward for one reason or another, particularly towards the end of this album.

In the last 48 hours, I think seven mixes were completed and two vocals were sung. There's this huge ground rush that suddenly occurred on this project, we got it finished. I use the analogy of the Tibetan monks who do the calligraphy; it's all about mixing the paints first and that process takes a long time.
The way I understand it you put some stuff down with Rick Rubin earlier, will that ever see the light of day?

I have no doubt it will. We didn't so much put stuff down as we did a lot of songwriting sessions with Rick. Rick's approach is very different to our normal approach. He suggested that we should try to treat the studio as a sort of sacred place and only to go there if you really know what you're doing and have it all figured out. So we were trying that and we were getting places. But we decided we'd also work with Danny and Brian and that session sort of took off, so we still have the Rick stuff that we're working on. It could be part of the next project, I would think. We've got a lot of great material we worked up with Rick and also a lot more stuff we worked up with Brian and Danny.

What accounts for the longevity of this band? What happens when the four of you get in a room?

That's a good question and I don't think there's a simple answer to it. I think good luck in many regards and I suppose we just figured out the idea of a band ego being bigger than all other egos. We've got egos, the band members have, but we lay them to one side when we're working together.

All our agendas always align to the same ideal, to make some great music together and put on some great performances. Whatever makes for a great album or live show is everyone's priority. When you can simplify things in that way I think it avoids a lot of competitiveness and suspicion, and I think over the years we've all learned to trust each other totally with that. We've held onto our friendships, we're still the friends we were when we started way back in the late '70s.

We see each other a lot when we're not even working. We know it's sort of unique, but we're also trying to keep it going because not only is it fun but it also produces, we think, some great results in terms of music and live concerts. We all instinctively know we would really regret the end of it, should that come. So we're all anxious to try and keep it going and to maintain our commitment to the ideals of the band and what we can achieve for as long as possible.


source:www.billboard.com

U2 & The Fordham University Gig

U2 talked to MTV about their "surprised" gig at Fordham University.

'We want to go to where people are still passionate for music.' said Bono

"Every album is like our first album. And we want to do the thing we did with our first album and go out and play the colleges," Bono told MTV News on Friday after the show. "Play to the people who are living closest to the music."
Bono said that for the most part, young people can best appreciate new sounds. "They're often students," he said. "They're often not people in their 30s. Bob Dylan has this line, 'He not busy being born is busy dying' [from 'It's Alright Ma, I'm Only Bleeding']. I love that line. I often think it applies to music. People, as they get older, they stop listening to the music. We want to go to where people are still passionate for music."

"You can feel that out in Fordham today," he continued. "There's people probably watching MTV going, 'Who are those guys ... what are they doing here?' Well we're ready to make our case."

Bassist Adam Clayton said that despite being in the industry for over 30 years, playing new songs to a crowd of college kids felt right. "When we came out with our first record, Boy, we couldn't get played on commercial radio," he recalled. "And it was the colleges that kept that record alive, and we would go to every college and do interviews."

"It was very cool to have a real crowd there and to be playing the new songs," guitarist the Edge agreed. "Always, for us, you learn almost instantly what's right and what's wrong as soon as we play. That's where we grew up as a band: in front of a live audience. As you're hearing it through all of the people, you're playing to sense their reaction."

For drummer Larry Mullen Jr., those reactions make all the difference in the world for future performances. "When you play live you get to understand the nuances, the things that make a difference," he said. "When we were playing it today I felt like, 'I get this.' "



source:www.mtv.com/news

Larry Talks about U2 Tour


Larry talked about the new tour, playing live, the album and a changing music business.

Interviewed by RTE 2fm DJ Larry Gogan, with whom Larry goes way back, he talks about what it took to get U2 back into a studio again, how the music business has changed over the years, how his dad got him into his first band and what fans can expect of the new show.

On recording the new album "Bono was away and, on all those very long plane journeys over various continents, he gets an opportunity to write a lot of lyrics, that's what he spends of lot of his time doing."

On stage
"On stage for many years there are moments where certain songs change the atmosphere in the room. The one song that does that consistently is "Where the Streets Have No Name". It's one of those great moments. It always makes me laugh thinking of Brian Eno trying to burn the tape because he couldn't get his head around the song".

On the new live shows
"It's like a spaceship... and I know we've done spaceships before and walked out of citrus fruits! But this allows us to be placed close to the centre of the stadium. It hasn't been done before. Essentially it's trying to bring the band closer to the audience and that's the challenge."

On the music business
"The music business has changed so dramatically now. It's not about how many albums you sell. People don't buy albums, it's about individual songs. It's very difficult for young bands, they end up having to do things and sell themselves in a way that would have just been offensive when we were starting out."

The full interview will be on RTE 2fm on Sunday


source: www.U2.com//www.rte.ie/2fm/larrygogan/

Friday, March 6, 2009

Good Morning America! Good Morning U2!!!


Early this morningU2 was in the TV programme "Good Morning America" from Fordham University.
There was an interview and there were the songs in front of an audience of cheerful University students who were so lucky to being lectured on "Irish History".

"Get on your boots" and "Magnificent"(more magnificent than ever!!)



"I´ll Go Crazy if I Don´t Go Crazy Tonight"



to watch the interview, click here

source: www.abcnews.go.com/gma//http://u2.interference.com