Ciao Europe!!

Last concert of the European leg, last night in Rome.

'Thank you for this welcome… We're on stage tonight and a lot of people thought that was impossible. And I for one feel very fortunate to be standing on this stage with my three best friends...'

 'Still Haven't Found' brought the reveal - a  dazzling Irish flag, Italian flag and the word 'ONE' in red on white. It was a breathtaking visual moment, for the band, as much as everyone else in the stadium. 'Viva Italia!'

That segued into another great moment with a rare appearances for 'Bad' and, even more unusually, a snatch of 'All I Want Is You'. And then came 'Mercy' one of the six new and unreleased tracks that the band have surprised us with at different shows  this summer.

Dallas Schoo got a special shout-out before Bono thanked everyone on the crew ahead of In A Little While. This audience was pumped all night long and  delighted to hear Bono speaking so often in Italian. 'I wanna thank all the people who helped us build this dream of ours…'

Setlist

1. Return Of The Stingray Guitar
2. Beautiful Day
3. I Will Follow
4. Get On Your Boots
5. Magnificent
6. Mysterious Ways
7. Elevation
8. Until The End Of The World / Anthem
9. I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For
10. Bad / All I Want Is You
11. Mercy
12. In A Little While
13. Miss Sarajevo
14. City Of Blinding Lights
15. Vertigo / Teenage Kicks
16. Relax / Crazy Tonight / Two Tribes
17. Sunday Bloody Sunday / Get Up Stand Up
18. MLK
19. Walk On / You’ll Never Walk Alone
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 / Shine Like Stars
24. Happy Birthday
25. Moment of Surrender

 

 Picture gallery.

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

Bono for the Nobel Peace Prize 2010

Bono is reportedly nominated for this year's Nobel Peace Prize. The Norwegian newspaper Aftenposten lists Bono in this article that lists several of the believed nominees. The Nobel nominees aren't officially announced, only the winner; however, over the years, many who submit nominees have begun announcing their candidates publicly. If Bono is one of this year's nominees, it would be at least the fourth time his name has been mentioned for the honor (although he could've been nominated on other occasions with his name never being revealed).

In early 2009, Bono told Q magazine that he doesn't expect he'll ever win the Nobel Peace Prize:

I will never get that. I think in general they give it to people whose names are not known. Or if they give it to somebody who's very well-known, it's because they're making a particular point that year. I think they've made the Africa point a couple of times, the inequality point.


Announcement of the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize

Watch the live webcast from the Norwegian Nobel Institute, Oslo, Norway, on Friday 8 October, 11:00 a.m. CET, 9:00 a.m. GMT.

Watch the live webcast here! 

www.atu2.com//www.nobelprize.org

Bono Celebrates African Art at Launch Party

Africa Rising : EDUN´s campaign.

On the heels of Louis Vuitton’s newest advertising campaign, photographed in Africa by Annie Leibovitz and featuring environmental activists, Edun-founders, and real-life couple, Ali Hewson and Bono, LV and Edun teamed up to celebrate the opening of “Africa Rising,” an exhibit of leading artists from the continent. The Edge, Naomi Campbell, Elisa Sednaoui, Julia Restoin-Roitfeld, Margherita Missoni, Tatiana Santo Domingo, and Caroline Sieber were among the crowd at 1 Rue du Pont Neuf in the first arrondissement who were treated to both a performance by Bono (with Grammy-winning African singer-songwriter Angélique Kidjo) and later, once the dust settled from their set, Alexandra Richards on the turntables.


www.vogue.com//www.ebaumsworld.com

Bono:Irelands´s Greatest? (1 & 2)

This series looks for the greatest figures in Irish history. Dave Fanning champions U2 singer Bono, whose global human rights campaigning and charity work has inspired many. These are the first two videos of a total of five where Dave Fanning explains why Bono should be chosen Ireland´s greatest figure. The video shows Bono´s career to become a humanitarian and it  also shows  U2 videos rating from  1979 to now. Though the subject may be controversial _whether Bono could be named the greatest Irish_ the videos are worth seeing, they comprised not only Bono´s career into humanitarianism but also the band´s career into becoming the world´s greatest band.

Lennon at 70

Next 9th John Lennon would have been 70 and the media and the fans are ready to celebrate. Concerts  and releases in honour to the great musician are programmed like Sgt Peppers Only Dart Board Band Dodgy,
Gimme Some Truth ( Lennon's catalog)remasters, John Lennon Time Capsule (The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame will unveil a Lennon-dedicated time capsule on October 8) a project  in collaboration with Yoko Ono and Jonathan Polk; John Lennon Box of Vision(deluxe box set with all the newly remastered Lennon CDs; Nowhere Boy (The Lennon biopic, already released in the U.K., finally hits American shores October 8);
Imagine Peace Tower (Ono will light the Imagine Peace Tower in Iceland on October 9; the event will be streamed live on her website.)

A variety of music magazine to publish Lennon-dedicated issues. Britain's Q magazine plans John Lennon at 70, a collector's edition featuring four different covers of Lennon. Previously unseen images as well as tributes from Ono, Paul McCartney, Bono, and many more will grace the special edition.

 

More news on John Lennon: www.johnlennon.com/www.vancouversun.com/www.popmatters.com/www.examiner.com/beatles-in-national/www.boxofvision.com/nowhereboy.com/http//imaginepeacetower.com/ www.blogcritics.org/news.qthemusic.com

Two Nights in Portugal

First night in Coimbra...
North Star and Mercy among the highlights for first of two shows in Coimbra . I Will Follow was another surprise early on, while Hold Me Thrill Me returned in the final encore. Fifty four thousand packed into the Estadio Cidade  and what a noise they made.
'Briosa, Briosa' called Bono as the show opened, the chant of the local Academica football team, and everyone here sang it back to him with interest.

'Where are we going? Lisboa.. Porto... Braga...Coimbra!' What an ovation that received, welcoming the band for their first ever show in Portugal's main university town.

'If you'd gone to the University of Coimbra, what might you have been?' Bono asked Edge. 'I don't know if I would have lasted,' came the reply. 'But I would have fallen back on my original career plan - a male model.'

When Larry grows up, he revealed, 'I fancy myself as a professional musician.'

Adam, asked Bono, you've had time to think about this. 'I'd like to try my hand at chemical engineering.' 

As for the singer? 'Me? I am what I would have been... a travelling salesman. I sell songs with this group, my three best friends.'

'Thank you so much. Obrigado. This is Moment of Surrender...'

Setlist

Return Of The Stingray Guitar
Beautiful Day
I Will Follow
Get On Your Boots
Magnificent
Mysterious Ways / Let It Be
Elevation
Until The End Of The World / Anthem
I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For / One Love
North Star
Mercy
In A Little While
Miss Sarajevo
City Of Blinding Lights
Vertigo / Teenage Kicks
Relax / Crazy Tonight / Two Tribes
Sunday Bloody Sunday
MLK
Walk On / You’ll Never Walk Alone
One
Amazing Grace / Where The Streets Have No Name
Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me
With Or Without You
Moment of Surrender

In the second show there was a surprise appearance of "Boy Falls From the Sky" from the musical Spiderman.

Bono said, 'In honour of last night and tonight... and the incredible welcome you have given us... we want to try something we have never played before. This could be interesting! This is Boy Falls From The Sky.'

After a day of heavy rain, the skies had  finally cleared in time for the band to take the stage for the second show here and although we'd all got soaked earlier, the receptionwas overwhelming.

'Thank you for making us feel at home, this  Irish weather is perfect,' reflected Bono. 'There’s been some bad weather in the economy for both our countries but it is not going to stop us being who we are and tonight is going to be one of the best nights of our lives.'

And so it turned out, all the way from a blistering version of The Return of the Stringray Guitar - what an inspired choice of opener that's become - to the final benediction of Moment of Surrender.

Bono lead everyone in the football chant ( Eferreá, Eferrié, Eferri-í, Eferrió, Eferriú) after Pride which was pretty special and the moving segue into Walk On: 'A message of love from Portugal, Coimbra all the way to Burma. Do not give up, one day freedom will be won. Until that day we'll stand by you...'


 

Setlist

1. Return Of The Stingray Guitar
2. Beautiful Day / Rain
3. New Year’s Day
4. Get On Your Boots
5. Magnificent
6. Mysterious Ways / Can’t Stand The Rain
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. Boy Falls From The Sky
12. In A Little While
13. Miss Sarajevo
14. City Of Blinding Lights
15. Vertigo / She Loves You
16. Relax / Crazy Tonight
17. Sunday Bloody Sunday
18. MLK
19. Walk On / You’ll Never Walk Alone
20. One
21. Amazing Grace / Where The Streets Have No Name
22. Ultraviolet (Light My Way)
23. With Or Without You
24. Moment of Surrender / Singing In The Rain

 Rumours went that Bono didn´t feel well in this show and had to stop singing during Magnificent to take some water (some said also some pills) while the other three kept on playing.

Picture gallery.


www.u2.com

Seville for the First Time

U2 played for the first time in Seville, Spain last night at Estadio Olímpico de la Cartuja. North Star and Mercy were back in the set , along with New Year's Day, after a short absence, and the always euphorically received Ultraviolet.
There were about 77,000 people in the stadium, another  record breaking. The Spanish  audience sang along like their lives depend on it - the sound is particularly crisp, thanks to Mr Joe O'Herlihy entering his 33rd year of service. 
Bono reflects that it was here in Spain that they began this tour, way back in June last year, so it's great to be here again. But that's not all...
'There's somebody special here tonight,' he says, 'Who gave me my first guitar lesson. My big brother and it's his birthday tonight and he's come to Seville to celebrate.'
And they all joined in with a deafening chorus of Happy Birthday to Norman, to celebrate. 'Wonderful night, something very special...' 

 Setlist

Return Of The Stingray Guitar
Beautiful Day
New Year’s Day
Get On Your Boots
Magnificent
Mysterious Ways / My Sweet Lord
Elevation
Until The End Of The World / Anthem
I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For / Many Rivers To Cross
North Star
Mercy
In A Little While
Miss Sarajevo
City Of Blinding Lights
Vertigo
Relax / Crazy Tonight / Two Tribes
Sunday Bloody Sunday
MLK
Walk On / You’ll Never Walk Alone
One
Amazing Grace / Where The Streets Have No Name / All You Need Is Love
Ultra Violet (Light My Way)
With Or Without You
Moment of Surrender

www.u2.com/www.u2fanlife (video)