Post Oscar Parties

Bono, Portia de Rossi, and Ellen Degeneres at Vanity Fair Oscar Party

By Getty Images/V.F

Bono, Edge and  Adam and their wives at Vanity Fair Oscar Party

By Getty Images/V.F

    Bono , his wife and daughters   at Vanity Fair Oscar Party By Getty Images/V.F

How The Oscars Proved That U2 Still Lives Up To The Hype

Why is this band–still popular after all these years–still this popular? Other artists have attributed near mythic status—Springsteen, Radiohead—but even they have found themselves ancillary to pop-culture instead of smack in the middle of it. How does U2, by comparison, continue to garner so much attention, considering that the metrics for attention have changed so drastically since they began? Certainly the term “hits” had a different definition when U2 was, in their heyday, churning hits out right and left.

After watching their Oscar performance of “Ordinary Love”, I think I have the answer, and it relates to a point I made in an earlier column (coincidentally, the only one to garner more hits than U2’s): Despite their monolithic, impenetrable status, U2 manages to project an air of humanity—of human vulnerability—that sounds clear over the noise, and this humanity continues to sell records.

This humanity was very well represented in their performance last night: the four members took the stage in a line, each musician holding a single instrument (no guitar pedals, no stacks of amps, only the barest bones of percussion). The vocals were presented relatively dry for Bono (some arena-style delay pushed back into the mix, the ballroom itself providing the reverb), and the result? A living, breathing performance, minimalistic yet powerful, all the necessary frequencies represented (unscientific translation: no lack of energy even though there was a lack of bass-drum), the vocals alternately lifting high and straining under the weight of soaring. No prerecorded tracks or loops, no ghost vocal in case Bono’s chords wavered; indeed, if Bono’s voice wavered, he did what good singers tend to do: he used it to his advantage, instead of blending into a crowd of pre-existing backups.

Compare that to the other spectacles of the evening, and you’ll begin to see why it matters: Pharrell was frenetic, but his humanity wasn’t on display—neither were real instruments; instead, we got backing tracks providing the bed for Pharrell to frolic with movie stars. Bette Midler was poignant, but hers too was an American Bandstand of a performance.

Pink delivered the goods, singing a relatively straight-up rendition of “Over The Rainbow” (opening verse and all), but pull back a bit and you can see it for the treacle it was: all sepia backdrops and syrupy strings and modern vocal flourishes, her vocal prowess obfuscated the rendition, which was essentially the indistinct, middle-of-the-road kind of fluff you might hear in a scented-candle store. To boot, the performance was in service to one of those unnecessary tributes the Oscars excel at year after year.

Karen O provided more intimacy than anything listed above–more than even U2–sitting in front of a moon and whispering her vocals with ASMR-inducing shivers. It was a relaxing moment, quiet and understated, but it wasn’t a spectacle.

U2, on the other hand, provided a spectacle—one that provoked a standing ovation—and did so by stripping down and laying themselves bare. Everyone always talks about Bono and the Edge, but here I’d like to focus on the drummer, the metronomic Larry Mullen Jr.

Standing in front of a snare drum and a tambourine, hitting them both with a bundle of separated sticks (called “hotrods”), Mullen propelled the energy at every stage, whether giving us faint ticks and scratches under the Edge’s acoustic guitar, or kicking the song into the chorus without even a kick drum: about ninety seconds in, he began to bang harder on the deeply tuned snare (though the snares were unlocked, turning the drum into a more resonant tom-tom), and that simple change, along with the Edge’s doubled vocal, yielded a palpable uptick of energy. The band truly did more with less.

If the four musicians standing in a line—one of them placed in front of a bucket-looking drum—conjured up similar images of Coldplay replicating “Viva La Vida” live a few years ago, you’re not alone. Yes, Coldplay did do the four-in-a-line, full-frontal presentation, in this case years before U2 (savor that—it’s a rare claim to make for Coldplay).

But I invite you to watch their version of the “stripped down performance” and compare it to U2’s last night.

Read the complete article here

Nick Messitte, Contributor

http://www.forbes.com/

U2 Remind Us That They Are the Greatest

Bono  performs during the 2014 Oscars at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, California. (Photo by

Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

Say what you will about the Mandela biopic that inspired "Ordinary Love"; the performance that the Irish quartet gave not only sold the song wonderfully, it reminded you of what an electric band they can be. Walking out like gunfighters, they eased into the song before Bono started hitting those high notes and his frontman stride; by the time the Edge went into that elegiac acoustic guitar part at the end, Bono was kneeling at the lip of the stage, keening into the tuxedoed crowd. It was no ordinary rendition, to say the least.

 http://www.rollingstone.com

Oscar Night for U2

At the Red Carpet

Benedict Cumberbatch photobombs U2's pic at the Red Carpet

Despite the fact that U2 did not win the Oscar for best song, their performance of an acoustic version of "Ordinary Love" was memorable.
U2 - Performs Ordinary Love - Oscars 2014 por IdolxMuzic http://www.dailymotion.com/



More pictures here.

North And South Of The River

Drawn From Memory: Wandering in U2's Dublin is the subtitle of 'North And South Of The River', a beautiful wall map that visualises the story of U2 in their home city over thirty years. It comes with North Side Story, part of our annual subscription offer.

Drawn by Shaughn McGrath, of the band's longtime design team AmpVisual, the map captures 44 events in the life of the band, locating them in an entirely not-drawn-to-scale way which would leave you lost and confused in Dublin if you used it to navigate the city. 

PINBOARD WIZARD

In September 1976, Larry Mullen Sr suggested to Larry Mullen Jr that he put up a notice at Mount Temple Comprehensive school, looking for musicians to form a band. Seven pupils got in touch, including Dave and Dik Evans, Adam Clayton and Paul Hewson.

LARRY MULLEN BAND

Rosemount Avenue, Artane: ‘On Saturday 25th September 1976, this odd group of people convened in my kitchen in Artane. And that’s where it started. It was the Larry Mullen Band for about ten minutes, so as not to hurt my feelings. It was also my kitchen.’

ART HOUSE

Derek Rowen, later Guggi of the Virgin Prunes, lived at No. 5 Cedarwood Road. Paul Hewson, later Bono of U2, was just along at No.10. ‘Down the cul de sac’, at No. 140, lived Fionán Martin Hanvey, later Gavin Friday of the Virgin Prunes. ‘Bono and Guggi knew each other since they were four,’ recalls Gavin, ‘but I wasn’t mates till I was 12.’ No.5 became HQ for the cultural experiment that was Lypton Village. ‘We invented our own language,’ recalls Bono. ‘Dressed differently, put on these performance art things and, in the end, formed two bands, the Virgin Prunes and U2.’

MONDAYS AT FRIDAYS

Monday night was music night at 140 Cedarwood Road where teenage mates gathered around what Gavin recalls was ‘a proper stereo and the latest record collection’.

LIKE A SONG

Ard Na Mara, in the coastal suburb of Malahide, where Adam grew up, is where the band first rehearsed, where Bono wrote his first song and where a photo shoot for the first single - ‘Out of Control/U2-3’ - took place in the attic. Rehearsals then moved across Malahide, to the garden shed of the Evans family home, on St. Margaret’s Park.

http://www.u2.com/

"Invisible" through the eyes of a fan

Once in a while a song comes along that touches you and seems to speak to you directly … almost as if the song was written, especially for you. It doesn’t happen often to me because I usually have a few songs reflecting certain aspects of what is happening in my life and I always had this notion that, one day, one song would make its appearance that would contain everything I’ve been searching for. And it did. A few weeks ago U2’s new single, ‘Invisible’ was made available for free download from iTunes – an initiative they struck with Bank of America to donate $1.00 for every time the song is downloaded from anywhere in the world.

Almost immediately, with the first few opening notes, the song immediately zeroed in and captured me completely. I loved the intro to the song and the bass and drums cemented my feeling of something special I was about to hear for the first time. The men of U2 didn’t disappoint. On the contrary, they showed me once again why they were still around more than 30 years later. This song is a new invention. It is back to basics. They have given us a song, an anthem of sorts we could sing with on top of our voices, our fists punching the air to accentuate a particular phrase we feel at one with.

The more I listened to the song, the deeper I was drawn in until I could hear the melody and lyrics in my head, reverberating through ever cell of my being. I became one with the song. The lyrics became my mantra, owning me and I couldn’t escape it … and neither did I want to. The song dared me to dream out loud, to take ownership of who, I am and where I’m going to. The song is a powerful reminder of my journey and all I’ve accomplished.

‘It’s like the smoke just cleared the room …’

                                                 

The opening lyrics excite me every time. For me, it is a metaphor of someone who has finally come to a ground-breaking realisation. It is me, waking up from a slumber of the constant barraging of how we’re supposed to live our lives and who we’re supposed to be. I don’t want to be this creature conforming to society’s norms … I want to be me! I want to be unique, one of a kind, and I want the world to know I dare to be different.

For many years I’ve suppressed the real me because to be different was and still is, something to be frowned upon. I believe in dreams coming true, my guardian angels watching over me, stars directing my fate, soul mates and all things I can’t see with the physical eye. Some accused me for believing in fairy tales, berated me for being a dreamer and told me more times I care to remember that I should wake up and change my belief system. Being unique and being me was not acceptable. Or rather, the people around me are of that mind-set and I have allowed myself to be smothered with things that slowly but surely deprived my heart and soul of teaching me who I really am.

‘I finally found my real name,

I won’t be me when you see me again …’    

This is my conviction. I am not the same person anymore. I have finally found myself and I am happy within my skin. I am grateful for who I am, what I believe in and what I stand for … even if you don’t believe in me.

‘I’m more than you know
I’m more than you see here
More than you let me be
I’m more than you know
A body in a soul
You don’t see me but you will
I am not invisible …

I can’t go back just being another face in the crowd. I want to stand out, living my life the way I’m supposed to and society doesn’t have a say in it anymore. I finally had the courage to throw off the shackles that have held me back – I am changed … I am me! I want the world to see and know who I am. There is so much more to me than what meets the eye. I feel, I hope, I dream, I laugh, I cry, I love. I live life the best way I know how to. I live my life the way I’m meant to live it, without any excuses.

Coming into one’s own is a heady, sometimes scary, but exhilarating experience. There is nothing else on earth than can compare when you come to the realisation who you really are. Gone are the doubts, the fears of ‘what ifs’ and maybes. I have a life … and it is my duty unto myself to be the best person I can possibly be. I don’t have to make excuses anymore. I don’t have to hide away who I am. I don’t have to fit in what is acceptable and what isn’t. I can shine my light. I can come out of the darkness and hiding in the dark.

  

‘There’s only you,

There’s only me,

There is no them …’

In the end, when it really matters, you will find the ‘them’ is replaced by ‘me’ more often, until it is integrated in every breath you take. It is in those quiet, joyous moments when your heart and soul will sing out loud: I am not invisible … I am HERE!

 by MJ ©MysteriousDistance

Larry Mullen Jr, legendary drummer in world famous rock ‘n’ roll band U2 supports Street Child World Cup and the World’s Largest Samba Band at the Royal Albert Hall.

“When I was a kid in the 70s growing up in Artane Dublin, Pele was my hero. When I slept I dreamt of being a full forward, being up front, the striker. When I woke up I was the goal keeper for a rock ‘n’ roll band.

Never stop dreaming.

Now go break that Samba World Record – and best of luck for the Street Child World Cup.

No child should ever have to live on the streets.” Larry Mullen Jr, U2

On Monday, 1500 school children will take over the iconic Royal Albert Hall to break the World Record for the World’s Largest Samba Band and bang the drum for street children’s rights.

The event marks the UK launch of the second Street Child World Cup, kicking off in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on March 28. 19 countries of street children, girls and boys, will come together to play football and take part in an international conference championing the rights of street children.


This is more than a game.


You can help bang the drum for street children’s rights by texting SCWC14 and the £ amount to 70070 and make a difference today.

http://streetchildworldcup.org/