Anaheim, California: 2nd Night, Club Night!

'Saturday night in Anaheim, hope you like our big ol' rock show,' says Bono. 'Now I know this is Angels territory… and miracles abound, but there’s a magic trick that we'd really like to try tonight. It's called 'Shrink This Stadium, Turn It Into A Club...'

It's a trick the band have been playing for some time and they pulled it off again tonight, mixing up the set list and dropping in some surprises.

'Closeness is not about physical proximity, we feel close to you up there on the top tier, we're feeling it (and) over to the left... can you feel us?'

The deafening response from another capacity audience suggested everyone in the house was feeling the closeness tonight. So 'Real Thing' took us off the ground and then this.
'Are you ready for some Kraut Rock - circa 1990?'

Were we ever ? Second nights often throw up something no-one is expecting and no-one was expecting The Fly.

'It's no secret that the stars are falling from the sky
It's no secret that our world is in darkness tonight...'

Wow! After that this show was in orbit, circling the planet in the 360 spaceship.

'Saturday night, Sunday morning, that's the kind of band we are...' And it's time to give thanks for Lenny Kravitz, his last show with the tour tonight and his 'fine and extraordinary band.'

'Thank you Orange County for your patience, some of you are two years older than you were when you bought your tickets for tonight's show...
'A lot can happen in that time, for example Adam… you may see there's an extra bounce in his step. That's because Adam Clayton is a proud father.
'Larry. A movie star, it had to happen. Our Lawrence plays opposite the great and gifted Donald Sutherland in a new movie called Man On A Train.
'And The Edge became a farmer, just yesterday actually. He had a slightly different plan. He was going to build a nuclear reactor, but farming is good, he’s back to wind farming. On guitars and everything else - The Edge!'


Lots of special friends at Angel Stadium tonight. Quincy Jones is here and Still Haven't Found is dedicated to him, while 'Stuck in a Moment' goes out to Michael Hutchence, 'a beautiful man, he loved it here.'
'Big love to Morleigh' - she and Edge celebrate their wedding anniversary today - as well as shout-outs to everyone who signed up to the One campaign. But tonight the most special dedication brings the show to a close on a poignant note.

'I want you to think about the beautiful symphonic sounds that came out of a saxophone...' says Bono, referencing Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band. 'This man carried music and music carried him until this day...'

Moment of Surrender is dedicated to Clarence Clemons.

Setlist :

1. Even Better Than The Real Thing
2. I Will Follow
3. Get On Your Boots
4. Magnificent
5. Mysterious Ways
6. Elevation
7. Until The End Of The World
8. Happy Birthday for Paul McGuinness
9. All I Want Is You
10. Stay
11. Beautiful Day / Space Oddity
12. Pride
13. Miss Sarajevo
14. Zooropa
15. City Of Blinding Lights
16. Vertigo / Are You Gonna Go My Way
17. Crazy Tonight / Discothèque / Life During Wartime / Psycho Killer
18. Sunday Bloody Sunday
19. Scarlet
20. Walk On / You’ll Never Walk Alone
21. One
22. Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow / Where The Streets Have No Name
23. Hold Me Thrill Me Kiss Me Kill Me
24. With or Without You
25. Moment of Surrender

www.u2.com

More than a year after postponing its show, U2 rocks Rice-Eccles

By Pat Reavy and Paul Nelson

SALT LAKE CITY — For U2 fans, Tuesday was a Beautiful Day (and night) at Rice-Eccles Stadium.

Rock icons U2 returned to Salt Lake City more than a year after the band had to postpone the start of their North American tour.

"Thank you for coming out. And thank you for your patience," lead singer Bono told the more than 50,000 fans who attended Tuesday night's show. Outside Rice-Eccles, dozens of people who didn’t get tickets lined up along the gates to listen and catch glimpses of the band on the giant video screen.

He said it was a year ago this week that he had emergency back surgery in Germany.

"I was in a lot of trouble. But things went really well."

He also noted to the crowd, many of whom had waited more than a year to see the band, "We are so much better this year."

The energized crowd jumped in unison with their fists in the air as U2 opened with "Even Better than the Real Thing" followed by "I Will Follow" off their 1980 debut album Boy.

Bono showed no lingering effects of the back surgery, moving and dancing around the giant stage to fan favorites like "Mysterious Ways," "Elevation," "Beautiful Day" and "Pride (In the Name of Love)."

While some things change, "Some things remain the same. Nothing phases this man," Bono said pointing to The Edge who was outstanding on lead guitar on songs like  "Until The End of the World," "Get On Your Boots" and a great return of "All I Want Is You" to the set list.

The U2 360 Tour has already been declared the most successful in music history and the stage, known as "The Claw" is the largest stage ever built for a traveling rock production.

Prior to the show, Bono made a surprise appearance and joined the concertgoers to sign autographs. He spoke to KSL NewsRadio about the tour and about their stop in Utah.

So how does Bono like coming to Salt Lake City?

"Always a thrill," he said. "I think people here just really got sharp ears."

Bono said he got a fondness for Utah starting in the ‘90s with earlier tours. He says the band was actively tracking which audiences were listening to what particular kinds of music. Bono says Utahns were listening to some very interesting stuff.

"That's my impression. Maybe it's changed. I hope not," he said. "That's what you live for."

Bono says, who knows, maybe in upcoming tours U2 will play some of its B-sides. "I know that there will be an audience for it in Salt Lake," he said.

Bono surprised fans in line for Tuesday night's concert.

http://www.ksl.com

Salt Lake City, May 24

There were  storms this week but turned out to be a beautiful, crisp evening at the Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City , another capacity audience executing spectacular Mexican waves as they waited for the band to take the stage.
The concert had a "Dylan flavour"   as it was  Dylan's 70th birthday. U2 did a rare performance of "Love Rescue Me" - the Rattle And Hum song that Dylan co-wrote and performed.  After that, Bono paid tribute to Dylan by leading the crowd in singing "Happy Birthday" to him. Bono also sang a couple Dylan bits leading into "Where The Streets Have No Name."

Setlist 

Even Better Than The Real Thing

I Will Follow

Get On Your Boots

Magnificent

Mysterious Ways

Elevation

Until The End Of The World

All I Want Is You

Love Rescue Me

Happy Birthday

Stay (Faraway, So Close!)

Beautiful Day / Here Comes The Sun

Pride (In The Name Of Love)

Miss Sarajevo

Zooropa

City Of Blinding Lights

Vertigo / It’s Only Rock ‘n’ Roll (But I Like It)

Crazy Tonight / Discothèque / Mofo

Sunday Bloody Sunday

Scarlet

Walk On / You’ll Never Walk Alone

One

Blowin’ In The Wind / The Times, They Are A-Changin’ / Where The Streets Have No Name

Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me

With Or Without You

Moment of Surrender

'Thank you for coming out, thanks to The Fray and thanks for your patience!' said Bono, taking a breath after Until The End of the World. 'Let me tell you that we are so much better this year... I've been rebuilt by better design... vorsprung durch technique...What do you make of Robo-Bono?'

No exaggeration to say that 'Robo-Bono' was well received.

'A lot can happen in a year,' he continued, looking stage left. 'There's something about the way this man is walking and moving around the stage, a certain manliness - Adam Clayton has become a father for the first time.. and proud of it!'

Larry received plaudits for his newly released and 'very cool arthouse movie' and then there was The Edge.'Look over there! Some things remain the same - nothing phases this guy. Even today there was a crisis when we found out Edge's hotel room had no hot water. Did he complain? No. Throw a hissy fit? No. He went out and bought a kettle. Several kettles and an old radiator, a plastic container and he rebuilt the plumbing system... he's a genius. Give it up for The Edge...'

After the entire stadium carried off All I Want Is You, it was time to pay birthday greetings to an old friend of the band celebrating his 70th birthday today.

'Happy Birthday Bob Dylan,' announced Bono, before leading everyone in a birthday chorus. The spirit of Dylan was in the house tonight with Bono later slipping into 'Blowing in the Wind' before 'Streets' and 'The Times They Are A Changing'.

More poetry before Beautiful Day when three girls climbed up on to the stage to read a verse each of a poem 'Utah' by Minnie J Hardy as the people of Salt Lake City made this a night we won't forget.

'Take out your phones,' came the call before Moment of Surrender. 'Everyone has someone they want to think about at the moment.
'Make the light brighter. No need to kick out the darkness.
Hold on to this beautiful world... Hold on tight..'

Pictures here.

http://www.atu2.com/http://www.u2.com

The Claw is coming to South Africa

The first 60 containers of U2 production arrive at the FNB Stadium Johannesburg

Big Concerts, the company that promotes U2 tour in South Africa posted the above picture in their Facebook  page.
The first concert in the country will be on 13th  de February in Johannesburg.

Bono 'Had a Great Time' Seeing Spider-Man

 Bono paid his first visit to the show on January 4 and the rocker gave Spidey a thumbs-up, according to the musical’s star Jennifer Damiano. “He had a great time and was very positive about the show,” Damiano, who plays Spider-Man's gal pal Mary Jane Watson, told Broadway.com.

Bono and co-composer The Edge had been on tour with U2 and were unable to attend the show’s first previews, when it began performances November 28 at the Foxwoods Theatre. “[Bono] told us to never underestimate the magnificence of what we’re doing and that’s really special to hear from him,” Damiano said. “He’s the coolest and just so correct about everything. When he [offers a suggestion] you always just say, ‘Wow, you’re so right.’ Every song they’ve written is so different, but they all make sense as a unit when you put them together,” she said of the musical’s original rock score.

So does the Tony-nominated actress, known for her Broadway performances in Next to Normal and  Spring Awakening, ever freak out when she’s in the presence of the U2 rockers? “I do my best to keep my cool. They’re focused on the music in the show just like I’m focused on my own role, and we all have to come together to make this show incredible. But when I actually step outside of myself for a minute and see who I’m discussing these songs and scenes with, it kind of blows my mind! At the end of the day I wouldn’t want to be surrounded by any other people. You couldn’t ask for a cooler experience.”

Spider-Man, Turn Off the Dark is set to open on February 7.

www.broadway.com

The Real Zoo TV???

 

Oprah Winfrey Offered U2's Bono a TV Show on OWN

 "I look at everything now through the prism of, 'This could make a very good TV show!'" she says.

Oprah Winfrey recently chatted up U2's Bono at a dinner -- and then propositioned a business deal.

"I look at everything now through the prism of, ‘This could make a very good TV show!'" added Winfrey, who will launch the OWN Network next month. (No word on if Bono accepted the offer.)

www.hollywoodreporter.com

All I Want is Sydney!!

'Thank you Sydney. You are something else!'

'We've been based in Sydney for a few weeks,' explained Bono. 'We don't want to leave...' That went down quite well as Bono recalled earlier visits, like  in 1984, the first time the band arrived down under when 'we debuted a whole lot of strange, new music, unforgettable fire...'
'Then we played here on ZOO TV and that show was broadcast... Adam you probably don't remember it. But we remember it and what a turning point it was. We are so proud of you Adam Clayton...'
(Huge response from everyone in the house at this point...)
'Adam Clayton version 2.0 started here in Sydney...'

With the memories flooding back, Bono recalled the LoveTown film made with Richard Lowenstein  and that set the scene for something a little bit special.
'We're gonna try a few songs from that time... we're taking requests in Sydney..'

And with that we had the inimitable opening bars of All I Want Is You, played live for the first time since the Vertigo stop in Honolulu four years ago this month - and this Sydney audience joined in like their very lives depended on it. The super-slow ending, with Bono on harmonica while the audience sang backing vocals, segued into a snatch of INXS and Need You Tonight ('you're one of my kind....') then Never Tear Us Apart before another segue  - 'Raise me up and don’t let me fall, No man is my enemy' - and we were into Love Rescue Me.
This track, written with Bob Dylan in the late 1980's, has not been played in full on tour for more than twenty years and with the band standing close to each other on stage, it was a bit of a spine-tingler.

By now the 360 Sydney spaceship was high in orbit and everyone knew it. 'I didn't think it was possible to get higher than last night,' mused Bono at the end. 'Thank you. Hope it was worth you leaving your home on a Tuesday night.'

Setlist: 

Return of the Stingray Guitar, 

Beautiful Day - Sgt. Pepper's, 

New Year's Day,

Get On Your Boots, 

Magnificent, 

Mysterious Ways, 

Elevation, 

Until the End of the World, 

All I Want Is You - Need You Tonight - Never Tear Us Apart - Slide Away, 

Love Rescue Me, 

Pride, 

In A Little While, 

Miss Sarajevo, 

City of Blinding Lights, 

Vertigo, 

I'll Go Crazy (remix) - Two Tribes, 

Sunday Bloody Sunday, 

Scarlet, 

Walk On - You'll Never Walk Alone

Encore(s): 

One, 

Amazing Grace - Where the Streets Have No Name, 

Ultraviolet, With or Without You, 

Moment of Surrender

More pictures here

U2 to Play Second Show in Argentina

As expected, a second concert has been added in La Plata, Argentina. The first show on 30 March 2011 has sold out, with the media reporting  that 80,000 tickets were sold in eleven hours. Hence, a second show has been added on 2 April 2011.

The support act will be Muse. Tickets go on sale to the general public on Wednesday, 15 December. There will be a presale for U2.com members beginning    at 10am local time, Friday the 10th of December. It will run through to 8pm on 12 December.

Yet again, U2.com keep claiming these shows are in Buenos Aires. While they can somewhat get away with this on a technicality, as La Plata is in Buenos Aires province, U2.com's implication is that the shows are in Buenos Aires city, which they are not. La Plata is a separate nearby city. Foreign fans in particular should keep this in mind when arranging travel and accommodation.

And of course, rumours continue to circulate that La Plata will receive a third show, either on 3 April or in between the two currently announced shows. It all depends on how well this show sells. If it sells out swiftly, then a third show could very well happen.

www.u2gigs.com

Second Night in Melbourne: Dedicated to Michael Hutchence

Another rocking night in Melbourne tonight with Bono leading everyone in a chorus of Happy Birthday to Jay-Z and guests in the house including The Pretenders and Blondie.

Adam Clayton, explained Bono, was 'getting even better looking - the international man of mystery' while Larry has been 'staying up very late and seeing the town of Melbourne.' This city, said Edge, was even better than he remembered it.

Lots of highlights but maybe the stand-out moment came with the opening bars of 'Stuck In A Moment', the first time it's been played in 2010, and dedicated to the man it was originally written for, ' a friend we really miss.'

'We miss Michael Hutchence and this is a song we wrote for him...'

'I'm not afraid of anything in this world
There's nothing you can throw at me that I haven't already heard
I'm just trying to find a decent melody
A song that I can sing in my own company...'

Setlist

1. Return Of The Stingray Guitar
2. Beautiful Day / Blackbird (snippet)
3. New Year's Day
4. Get On Your Boots
5. Magnificent
6. Mysterious Ways
7. Elevation
8. Until The End Of The World
9. I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For / Movin' On Up (snippet)
10. Stuck In A Moment
11. Pride (In The Name Of Love)
12. In A Little While
13. Miss Sarajevo
14. City Of Blinding Lights
15. Vertigo / Rockaway Beach (snippet)
16. Funky Town (snippet) / Crazy Tonight / Relax (snippet) / Two Tribes (snippet)
17. Sunday Bloody Sunday
18. Scarlet
19. Walk On / You'll Never Walk Alone (snippet)
Encore(s):
20. One / I'll Stand By You (snippet)
21. Amazing Grace (snippet) / Where The Streets Have No Name
22. Ultra Violet (Light My Way)
23. With Or Without You
24. Moment of Surrender

More pics.

www.u2gigs.com/www.u2.com