29.7.09

U2 play final 360° Dublin show
Monday, July 27, 2009, 21:15



U2 returned to Croke Park tonight for the final of three Irish concerts in their 360° world tour.

Two Irish acts supported the band - Dublin pop rock trio The Script and Kildare’s Bell X1. The gates opened at 6pm, the show starts at 6.30pm and U2 were due on stage at 9pm.

GardaĆ­ earlier issued warnings about traffic around the stadium as the concert coincided with rush-hour, as well as the opening of the Ikea store in Ballymun and the commencement of a new bus gate restricting traffic at College Green.

Bono is expected to announce during the concert that human rights group Amnesty International has confeered its annual 'Ambassador of Conscience' award on Burma's jailed opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

Ms Suu Kyi's trial for violating the terms and conditions of her house arrest resumed on July 24th. If convicted, she could face up to five years in jail.

The award , now in its sixth year, recognises "exceptional leadership and witness in the fight to protect and promote human rights". Past winners of the award include Peter Gabriel, Nelson Mandela and Mary Robinson.

Weather for Dublin tonight is expected to be mainly dry and breezy with scattered showers.

U2 played two sell out shows in Dublin on Friday and Saturday night - a nightly audience of some 80,000.

The band began their world tour in Barcelona on June 30th and will next play in Gothenburg, Sweden for two nights.

Tomorrow the almost 60-metre high “claw” stage will begin to be dismantled. It is expected to take 42 hours to take down the entire stage structure.

The Croke Park pitch is then to be prepared for the all-Ireland senior football quarter finals which will take place over the bank holiday weekend. There will be a double-header on Sunday with as Cork to take on Donegal at 2pm before Tyrone meet Kildare at 4pm. On Monday Kerry will take on Dublin.

With no games at Croke Park on Saturday, the GAA has given more time to prepare the pitch.

Croke Park residents are to protest outside the stadium three times tomorrow over what they say is the contempt shown to them by Dublin City Council, the GAA and the U2 concert promoters.

One of the protests will involve a slow-moving convoy of residents in their cars, designed to disrupt the work of dismantling the stage used for the three concerts, and putting down a new pitch.

The residents are particularly incensed that the works will take place continuously to get the stadium ready for the football fixtures.

irishtimes
U2's refusal to stagnate blows away any weary familiarity
Monday, July 27, 2009



IT’S LIKE this: every four years, U2 return home from their travels, set up their inordinately large and mostly innovative tent, and sing for their supper. No more and no less, they are entertainers, a rock band of a certain mature age that have been schlepping around the globe for over 30 years.

You would think by this stage that we (by this, I mean the band’s die-hard fans, cynics, casual followers, staunchest critics, wry observers) would be weary of Adam Clayton’s studied stoicism, Edge’s adamant refusal to remove his skull cap, Larry’s cavalier, muscular way with a white T-shirt, Bono’s sincere humanistic nature. You would think that we would be tired of hearing, yet again, With or Without You, Where the Streets Have No Name, Sunday Bloody Sunday, Desire, Elevation and all the rest.

And you know what? Such is the nature of familiarity, we probably are fed up with U2. Yet still they continue to surprise and extend themselves. Cynics and arch critics of the band may start to yawn or laugh by this point ­ yes, we’re giving you permission – but there remains at the core of U2 an obvious if not obsessive necessity to weave change in and out of the fabric of their music and performance. Whether you’re a fan or not, after 30 years on the go this type of resistance to stagnate is beyond admirable.

Once you get over the impressive presence of the veined ‘Claw’ (which, due to the spatial dynamics of Croke Park, is more 270- than 360-degree), what you’re left with is just four blokes, an excellent sound system, some very large hi-tech screens, subtle and effective visuals and rock music that ranges from heritage to extraordinary.

The band bookend Friday night’s set with two of the best tracks from their, comparatively speaking, underperforming latest album, No Line On The Horizon: Breathe and Moment of Surrender . The title track, Get On Your Boots (the weakest single U2 has released to date) and Magnificent (aptly titled) follow, the latter picking up slack before belting into a triple whammy of Beautiful Day, Elevation and Desire. They follow this with a stripped down version of Stuck in a Moment You Can’t Get Out Of , wherein Edge strums acoustic guitar and Bono sings as if there’s 80 in the room, not 80,000. And then Bono and the crowd launch into a rugged rendition of The Auld Triangle , which is dedicated to Ronnie Drew. People, there was not a dry eye in the house.

These songs and more (including One , The End of the World, The Unforgettable Fire, City of Blinding Lights, Vertigo, Walk On, Sunday Bloody Sunday, Where the Streets have No Name , and Bad ) constitute a series of moments that result in a pin-sharp point of fact: there is no other rock band in the world capable of maintaining such a steady level of quality at such a high level of performance.

The downside to this is that we shall probably never again see U2 in venues small enough to see the whites of their eyes, a stance that seriously undermines their battle-cry ethos of ‘He Who Dares Wins’. On this particular grand, wham-bam-thank-you-maam scale, however – where four ordinary blokes perform in front of almost a quarter of a million people over three nights, where the music often matches the ambition, they are simply unbeatable.

This article appears in the print edition of the Irish Times
irishtimes
Boys can still party as hard as they play with three nights of clubbing

By Lorna Nolan


Monday July 27 2009

U2 had a well-earned day off from their tour -- but Bono still made time for a close friend's star-studded birthday bash.

The singer was among the guests who attended the 50th birthday of MCD supremo Denis Desmond at his Dalkey home.

Bono rubbed shoulders with Pat Kenny and his wife Kathy, Deirdre O'Kane, Slane Castle's Lord Henry Mountcharles and TV presenter Amanda Byram.

Robbie Wooton, U2's manager Paul McGuinness and property tycoon Johnny Ronan were also spotted making their way to the party yesterday.

Others included Michael Colgan, Noelle McCarthy, Jackie Rafter, Graham Beere, Paolo Tuillo, Robbie and Chris Moyles.

And the couple sure know how to throw a party, with two barbecues, a champagne bar, a vodka bar and ice sculptures all laid on for guests.

U2 proved they can still party with the best of them when they stepped out to some of Dublin's top nightspots three days on the trot, following their sell-out Friday and Saturday night gigs.

And they threw a star-studded after-party for family and friends on Saturday night. The famous foursome booked out the entire top floor of a St Stephen's Green club for the bash, with celebs including Bono's artist pal Guggi and singer Sinead O'Connor.

Members of supporting acts on the night, The Kaiser Chiefs and Republic of Loose, were also said to have been in attendance.

One regular at the vastly overrated club, which normally loses VIPs to Krystle, said those who pay the hefty annual membership fee at the club were not allowed upstairs.

Security

Keen to enjoy their celebrations away from the prying eyes of the media, an insider explained how U2 insisted on having a tight security plan to ensure no gate-crashers found their way in.

The Elevation singers are then said to have retired to their city centre hotel, the Clarence.

Tonight will see the boys take to the stage for their final date in Dublin, with The Script and Bell X1 lined up as accompanying acts, and the party of all parties planned for afterwards.

While the details are being kept under tight wraps, it is believed the guys are planning to return to their old haunt, Lillie's Bordello, for the shindig.

lnolan@herald.ie

- Lorna Nolan

source: herald
David Byrne Calls Out U2!
The ex-Talking Heads frontman criticizes the Irish band's extravagant new tour. Get the whole story here!
By David Marchese 07.29.09 8:26 AM


Bono / David ByrneBono and David Byrne might not be shaking hands the next time they meet at that magical exclusive place where rock stars go to hang out.

Writing on his blog recently, the ex-Talking Heads frontman crankily called out the Irish megastar.

With what seems to be at least half-a-tongue planted in his cheek, Byrne wrote that U2's "$40 million stage" and estimated "200 semi trucks crisscrossing Europe" is "overkill" and "looks a wee bit out of balance given all the starving people in Africa and all."

Byrne's obvious sarcasm aside, this is not the first criticism of U2's world tour behind their latest album
No Lin On The Horizon. Earlier this year, an article in the UK's Guardian explained that, according to an environmental group, "the band's 44 concert dates this year have the equivalent carbon footprint of a return flight to Mars." In the same story, environmental consultant Helen Roberts said the band would "need to plant 20,118 trees a year" to offset the tour's carbon footprint.

Though they have yet to respond, Bono and the lads probably know that actions speak louder than words. Back in March, the band
announced they were donating an estimated nine million pounds (roughly $13 million dollars) to charity. In 2008, Bono's RED charity auction raised $42 million to fight AIDS in Africa. Then there's his work for Third World debt relief.

Surely there are better targets than Bono for this kind of criticism, no?

source: spin
U2 Boys Home to Party...
July 27, 2009

Ireland's most famous sons Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen returned to their Northside roots this weekend and brought their gigantic 360 tour to Croker. The U2 boys also showed they haven't lost their taste for the Rock 'n' Roll lifestyle with a rather late afterparty at Residence...



By the end of the Irish leg of U2's 360 tour the uber famous Dubliners will have played live to almost quarter of a million people over the three nights in Croke Park. Such is the popularity of the band's homecoming show the fourpiece could probably sell out Croker all week. And next week too.



But seeing as the U2ers were back on home soil, there was always going to be a few bevies had. And true to form Bono and the boys (minus Larry Mullen) let lose into the wee hours on Saturday night at Residence on St Stephen's Green...



And with no concert pressure on Sunday, the U2 guys had license to booze on Saturday night and sleep-off the hangover the following morning. And we’re pretty sure they needed it as they didn't leave the plush private club until well after 3am. Good to see the boys still aint to old to party hard.



All eyes were on Adam Clayton at the weekend after we snapped him with his arm around a mystery brunette in the back of a car on Friday night. It seems the same attractive lady was also his guest at Residence on Saturday night, but her identity still remains a mystery... Anyone out there know who Adam's suspected latest squeeze is?



Other privileged guests of U2 at Residence were: Sinead O'Connor, Chris Moyles, Kevin Godley, Guggi, Gavin Friday, Norman Hewson and Amanda Brunker... But no sign of Bono's missus or The Edge's better half.



U2 play their final 360 concert tonight at Croke Park, so if you haven't already experienced their live show this time around, we really recommend you get onto eBay quick and try and get your maulers on a ticket...



In fact, if anyone out there has a spare one or two we wouldn't mind catching the last night of U2 in Dublin... Can't believe we just tried to mooch tickets from ever so loyal readers. Necky or what?





showbizireland

26.7.09

80,000 pack in for U2 home gigs
July 25, 2009


Part of the 80,000-strong crowd watching U2 at their homecoming concert

They have been rocking for 33 years, but U2 showed there was still a spring in their step in Dublin on Friday.

The Irish rock superstars played in front of 80,000 fans in Croke Park in the first of three concerts at the stadium.

"In the words of our good friends the Corrs, we are so young," lead singer Bono, who turns 50 next year, shouted, at the start of Beautiful Day.

"As a nation I mean," he added pointing to the crowd.

U2 had promised fans a night and a stage show to remember - and they weren't going to let anyone down.

Once they performed tracks from their latest album, the band launched into their greatest hits.

Bono also paid tribute to Ronnie Drew of the Dubliners, who died last year, by playing one of their tracks the Auld Triangle.

U2 dazzled fans from inside a giant steel claw that rose to 60 metres high above the crown - almost as tall as the stands surrounding it.

It took a week to construct the impressive setting, that included 550 tonnes of steel, 56 tonnes of video screens and spanned across a third of the pitch.

Music aside, the band's political allegiance was clear - with a dedication to jailed Burmese politician Aung San Suu Kyi, currently on trial charged with breaking a security law.

Thousands of concert-goers wore a mask bearing her image when the band played Walk On.


Bono and Larry Mullen Jnr from U2 playing at Croke Park

Fans queued from midnight last night in torrential rain to catch the band up close.

Over the coming days more than 240,000 revellers from as far as Japan, Canada and America will descend on the north Dublin stadium - the equivalent to three All Ireland's finals back to back.

It is estimated the series of gigs - tonight, tomorrow and Monday - will boost the city's economy by 50 million euro.

Celia Braga, from Lisbon in Portugal, was in the audience.

"I am a big fan," said the 36-year-old.

"This is my first time seeing them. It will be a fantastic night."

Ahead of the gig Bono told fans via a website link-up: "The 'rehearsals' have been going really well. We've been rehearsing in Barcelona, Milan, Nice, Berlin and Amsterdam, but we expect that the main event in Dublin will be better than any of them."

The Edge added: "It's not just another show, for us or for the fans. They travel from all over the world to see us perform in Dublin. Most of them believe it's the best gig for them to attend."

Concert promoters MCD and gardai again appealed to concert-goers to follow traffic plans in the area and respect local residents.


bbc

25.7.09

U2 stage set 'the biggest in rock history'
July 22, 2009

RONAN MCGREEVY
U2's stage show for this weekend's series of concerts at Croke Park is the biggest in rock music history, the band's tour director has said.

The colossal edifice, which resembles a giant claw, is nearly 60 metres high and the same distance wide.

It is currently being put in place for the concerts which take place on Friday, Saturday and Monday nights.

Craig Evans said the band had spared no expense in putting the 360 tour together and the travelling party numbered around 500 people with 2,000 people in each city being involved in ancillary activities such as ticket sales and promotion.

Mr Evans said the band have been “thrilled for a long time” about the prospects of playing three concerts in their home town. However, he expressed regret that the full 360 experience of playing in the round will not be available to Irish fans because of the layout of Croke Park.

The audience will not be allowed on Hill 16 behind the main stage because of health and safety concerns.

“It's a shame. we're subject to the design and physical limitations of every stadium. With the power and access and safety requirement and sound requirement, this stadium just doesn't allow it," he said.

"We looked at every option we could to put people back there. We wanted to be able to utilise that. It is fantastic when you see it in the round.”

However, fans will be able to go to the pitch area at the back of the stage giving a semblance of the band playing in the round.

Tickets are still available for Friday and Monday night's concerts. Promoter MCD's spokesman Justin Green said fans were coming from as far away as Brazil, Japan, Canada and the US to watch U2 play their home town and the event was attracting 300 foreign media personnel.

He also said the Irish Hotels Federation was on the record as saying that this was one of the first weekends of the year where all hotels in the city are booked up.

GardaĆ­ urged motorists to avoid the Croke Park area in the lead-up to the concerts especially on Monday when Ikea opens in Ballymun and Dublin city's new bus gate at Trinity College opens.

Unfortunately, heavy showers are forecast for Friday, though Saturday should be a better day. Monday is likely to see more of the same so fans are asked to dress for the weather.
irishtimes
U2's international brigade jet in for world tour's 'main event'
July 24, 2009


RONAN McGREEVY

IF YOU are not a U2 fan this weekend, it might be advisable to leave the country.



On the other hand, for thousands of fans from all over the world, there is only one place they want to be.

U2’s homecoming concerts have become a sort of a rock’n’roll pilgrimage for hardened fans of the band.

Unofficial U2 HQ for the weekend will be Murray’s Bar at the top of O’Connell Street, and a short walk from the concerts in Croke Park. If three concerts were not enough, a U2 tribute band Us2 will be playing six gigs there over the weekend.

The event is being organised by the Electric Co, the only U2 fan club in Ireland, and French fan Christophe Pierrelee who is coming for the concerts with his wife Kristelle.

Mr Pierrelee (40) said Murray’s will be a place for fans to meet for a few beers, to “warm up or cool down”, and some had contacted him from as far away as New Zealand saying they would be attending.

Electric Co co-founder Jim Hickey said they had fielded 3,000 calls from U2 fans abroad who will be coming to the concert.

He estimates there will be between 10,000 and 12,000 foreign fans who will be going each night.

“For a lot of them it is about meeting people, having the craic and U2 is part of that,” he said.

“A lot of people who aren’t Irish want to see them playing at home.

“Croke Park is magnificent, but I prefer to see them in Madison Square Garden.”

Julie Howe (32) from Australia came on a flight which took 25 hours from her home in Brisbane to London, and then on to Dublin.

“I don’t think I’ve come the furthest,” she said.

She was due to meet up last night with two dozen other U2 fans from all over the world who have their love of the band in common.

“For me now it is all about the people that I’ve met. I’ve made life-long friends through U2 and this is a chance to catch up with them every four years or so. It is a big reunion for people all over the world.”

Aaron Sams (36), from Halifax, Nova Scotia in Canada, arrived in Dublin yesterday morning from New York.

“The flight was packed with U2 fans. There was a woman on stand-by for two days just looking to get to Dublin for the concerts.”

He has seen U2 31 times, “32 if you include the rehearsal in Barcelona”, including the last series of concerts the band played in Croke Park on the Vertigo tour.

“If it is anything like the 2005 experience it will be worth it,” he said.

The excitement among fans and the band is mutual.

On U2’s official website, the Edge said the only way to describe the atmosphere at homecoming concerts is “metaphysical peaks”.

“If you ask any U2 fan anywhere in the world, the place they want to see the band is always Dublin.

“A lot of times when we do play Dublin there is a magic that happens that doesn’t occur anywhere else.”

Bono said the rehearsals for their Dublin concerts had been going well.

“We were rehearsing in Barcelona, Paris, Milan and Amsterdam,” he joked. “The main event will go even better.”

Walk on: U2 to highlight treatment of Aung San Suu Kyi

Fans are being invited to wear a mask bearing her image when the band play Walk On. The gesture has been welcomed by Burma Action Ireland.

The band will be on stage at 8.45pm each night. The capacity for each concert is 80,000, but, as of yesterday evening, there were still tickets available for tonight and Monday night. Saturday is sold out.

Fans should bring rain gear this evening, though not umbrellas, as they will be confiscated. There is a chance of heavy showers before the concert, although it should dry up later.

Saturday evening should be completely dry, while there is only a small risk of a shower for the third concert on Monday.

The set will contain at least six songs from the new album No Line on the Horizon, but U2 have also been playing a lot of covers, including songs by Michael Jackson, The Beatles, The Clash, David Bowie and Kaiser Chiefs.

IarnrĆ³d Ɖireann said it will be running Dart services both ways to meet demand for several hours after the concert. Trains will leave when they are full.


This article appears in the print edition of the Irish Times

irishtimes

24.7.09

U2 ready to rock the joint in Dublin tonight
The Edge – atmosphere in Dublin reaches ‘metaphysical peaks.’

By DECLAN O'KELLY, IrishCentral.com Staff Writer

Friday, July 24, 2009, 8:10 AM
U2 SLIDESHOW CLICK HERE


U2 will play the first of their three gigs at Croke Park tonight, and fans are flocking from all corners of the globe to see the band play in its hometown.

Over 10,000 souls from foreign shores are expected to flock into the city to experience a must see in any U2 fan’s life – the band performing on their home turf.

As Dublin swings to the sounds of eager fans welcoming the fantastic foursome home on the Irish leg of their latest world tour, concert goers can rev themselves up safe in the knowledge that the band knows that this too is one of the big dates on the tour.

On U2’s official website, the Edge said in a video that the only way to describe the atmosphere at homecoming concerts was one that reached “metaphysical peaks.”

“There is this aura about Dublin that has developed over the years, so if you ask any U2 fan anywhere in the world the place they want to see the band is always Dublin,” said U2's lead guitarist.


U2 will rock Dublin tonight
Photo by Press Association Images


“Every time we go on the stage we feel like there is a special chemistry between the band and the audience, but there is, I think, when we play in Dublin, another level that the crowd get to, and that takes us to another level.”

Bono also chimed in on the video to tell fans that preparations for the hometown gig are going to plan.

‘Rehearsals are going very well. The main event should be even better – Croke Park.”

So for all you lucky souls with a ticket to tonight ‘s gig, have a good one. The rest of us around the world will be green with envy.

irishcentral
Other U2 dates 'only a warm-up'


Bono and his bandmates are playing three gigs at Dublin's Croke Park

U2 frontman Bono has told fans to expect the band's most spectacular performance yet as their 360 world tour rolls in their hometown.

The rock superstars will play tonight the first of three gigs at 80,000 capacity Croke Park in Dublin, the only city where they are scheduled to play for three nights.

Speaking on the band's website, Bono joked that other dates thus far on the tour had only been a warm-up for the Dublin dates.

"The 'rehearsals' have been going really well," he said.

"We've been rehearsing in Barcelona, Milan, Nice, Berlin and Amsterdam. But we expect that the main event in Dublin will be better than any of them."

Lead guitarist, The Edge, spoke of the "magic" of playing on home soil.

He said: "Every time we go onstage there's a certain chemistry between the four of us.

"But in Dublin the crowd actually take us to another level. It's incredible. It's never just another show for us."

Claw

On Friday, U2 fans from as far away as Japan and Australia were evident on streets of Dublin.

The fact that the 360 degree 'claw' stage will only give them a 270 degree perspective in Croke Park - the home of GAA - due to technical problems didn't appear to be an issue.

And some were obviously looking for the full U2 experience, regardless of cost, having booked themselves into the exclusive Clarence Hotel, which is owned by Bono and The Edge.
bbc
Bono, U2 rock Dublin as world tour hits new high

July 24, 2009
DUBLIN – Bono and U2 are rocking 80,000 fans in Dublin as the Irish supergroup's world tour hits emotional highs on home soil.

A deafening roar welcomed the Dubliners as they launched their three-concert homestand Friday at Croke Park, Ireland's biggest stadium. The band's "360" tour switches from Europe to North America in September.

U2 guitarist The Edge said the band always considers its native city the emotional highlight of touring. Bono joked that recent shows in Barcelona, Milan, Paris, Berlin and Amsterdam were mere "rehearsals" for Dublin.

The U2 gigs are injecting an estimated euro50 million into Ireland's recession-ravaged economy. Hotels are booked solid. Dublin Criminal Court canceled jury deliberations for the weekend — too many jurors had tickets.

yahoo
U2 wow fans at homecoming gig
Friday, July 24, 2009, 21:17


IRISH TIMES REPORTERS
U2 tonight kicked off the first of their three Croke Park gigs in a homecoming that sees the band return to familiar territory with a stage that looks like it's from another planet or from Spinal Tap .

Standing 60 metres tall, the giant claw-shaped stage almost reaches up to the height of the Croke Park stands surrounding it on three sides, while the claws themselves extend across a third of the pitch.

Although the crowd were be allowed on Hill 16 behind the main stage due to health and safety concerns, fans were able to go to the pitch area at the back of the stage.

Reports that the band had decided to play a spontaneous concert in Merrion Square this afternoon ahead of this evening's concert proved to be unfounded. However, those who did turn up to the square got to see the U2 tribute band Vertigo in action.

Devotees from as far way as Brazil, Japan, Canada and the United States have travelled to watch the band, but unfortunately the forecast for the next few days will be characteristically Irish.

The band took to the stage shortly before 9pm following sets from local lad Damien Dempsey and Scottish band Glasvegas. Their first track of the evening was Breathe from their latest album, No Line on the Horizon .

GardaĆ­ have advised motorists to avoid the Croke Park area in the lead-up to the concerts this weekend, particularly on Monday, as Ikea will be opening in Ballymun, and Dublin city's new "bus gate" at Trinity College will come into operation.

Speaking on the band's website, the Edge said the Dublin gigs were "not just another show".

"A lot of times when we do play Dublin, there is a kind of magic that occurs that just doesn't happen anywhere else. 'Metaphysical peaks' would be the only way to describe the atmosphere," he said.

Like . . . up to eleven.
irishtimes

23.7.09

Edge: U2 always planned music scheme donation

By Fiach Kelly


Wednesday July 22 2009

U2 had been thinking about making a substantial donation to a music programme for the past five years, the Edge said yesterday.

The band announced earlier this week that it will co-finance a national scheme to offer young people the chance to learn an instrument or improve their singing skills.

Revenue guidelines mean U2's €5m donation to Music Network, a non-profit organisation, can be deducted from their taxable income. However, the band has no plans to avail of the tax break.

"It is something that really is lacking and something music networks recognised a good few years ago," the Edge told the 'Gerry Ryan Show'.

"Our money will go a very long way," the Edge said. "We don't normally go public with any of our philanthropy but in this case we need people to know about it, we need people to make application(s) to become partners."

- Fiach Kelly
independent
Bruce Springsteen, U2, Metallica, Eric Clapton, More Set for All-Star Rock Hall Celebration
7/22/09, 10:30 am EST


Photo: Fisker/AFP/Getty
Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, U2, Paul Simon, Metallica, Eric Clapton, Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder, Crosby, Stills, Nash and Friends and Simon and Garfunkel are among the legendary artists confirmed for a landmark
two-night concert event celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

Sprawling across October 29th and 30th at New York’s Madison Square Garden, the shows will feature Hall of Fame acts sharing the stage with guests and collaborators, honoring their influences and essentially retracing the
history of rock in the process. For example, Crosby, Stills and Nash will share the stage with California-based artists while Metallica will lead a hard rock portion of the concerts. Stevie Wonder and Aretha Franklin will also each front a soul revue with Paul Shaffer and the CBS Orchestra.

“These once-in-a-lifetime concerts are designed to celebrate the artists and their music,” said Jann S. Wenner, founder and editor of Rolling Stone and the event’s executive producer.
Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, Simon & Garfunkel, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Friends, Paul Simon and Stevie Wonder will perform on October 29th, while Eric Clapton, Aretha Franklin, Metallica and U2 will take the stage on October 30th. (Look back at Springsteen’s remarkable career in photos, plus trace Metallica’s rise from fledgling thrashers to Rock Hall inductees and check out three decades of U2.)

The shows are presented by American Express and shaped by a creative team that includes Tom Hanks, his producing partner Gary Goetzman, Robbie Robertson, Cameron Crowe and Wenner himself, among others. Joel Gallen, the producer behind the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremonies, will direct the shows, which will be cut into one highlight special airing on HBO.

All proceeds from the concerts go towards creating a permanent endowment for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Foundation and Museum. “Twenty-five years ago a group led by legendary Atlantic Records founder Ahmet Ertegun created this foundation to recognize and celebrate the music and careers of artists whose music helped shape and define our generation,” Wenner said.

AMEX cardholders get first crack at tickets on July 27th, and ticket sales will open to the general public on August 3rd.

The Rock Hall is also planning a book and deluxe DVD set to mark its 25th anniversary. The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame: The First 25 Years will be published by Collins Design in September, and in August, Time Life will issue a nine-disc box set of highlights of the past induction ceremonies including never-before-seen footage.

Look back at 10 years of Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductions and news in Rolling Stone’s Essential Rock Hall Coverage.

Rolling Stone

rollingstone
U2 'claw' gets a grip on Croke Park ahead of homecoming gig
July 23, 2009



AS A live band, U2 are used to making gargantuan statements of intent, as evidenced by their Zoo TV and Pop Mart tours.

Nothing the band has attempted before compares, though, to the giant claw-like edifice which will be the band’s stage for their homecoming concerts starting tomorrow night.

Standing 60 metres tall, it is nearly as high as the stands surrounding it on three sides at Croke Park. The four sides of the claw extend across a third of the pitch.

A small army of crew were yesterday putting in place the lighting and sound, and sweeping rainwater from the stage area which is dwarfed by the roof overhead.

The set is meant to achieve a sense of intimacy allowing the audience to get close to the band, yet also creating a sense of scale.

“It is the biggest of all time. It is bigger than anything U2 or The Rolling Stones have done previously,” said tour director Craig Evans.

He added the band had been talking about playing their home town for a “long, long time”.

Mr Evans declined to say how much the stage set-up has cost, but it was “more than I would be thinking about”.

U2, he explained, think about what they want from their live gigs and then think about the costs afterwards.

“I’ve never seen them consider it from that point of view [money]. It was about doing what it takes to provide the show for the fans,” he said, though he conceded their 360 tour was “still a very successful business”. The concert will have the biggest video screens for a concert and a specially designed sound system. Despite the technological wizardry, the challenge of playing fully in the round has been defeated by the layout of Croke Park because the terraced Hill 16 end presents health and safety issues.

“We looked at every option we could to play the full 360° show that we have been taking to every stadium,” said Evans. “Unfortunately, with the power and the access that goes into that area, and the safety and sound requirements, it simply does not allow us to do it.” However, fans will be able to go to the pitch area at the back of the stage giving a semblance of the band playing in the round.

GardaĆ­ have issued warnings about traffic restrictions around Croke Park which are likely to be particularly heavy for tomorrow and Monday’s concerts because it coincides with rush-hour. They are also warning of potential heavy volumes on Monday when Ikea opens in Ballymun.

Though fans are coming from all over the world, the concerts tomorrow and Monday are not yet sold out. However, the Irish Hotels’ Federation is reporting the busiest weekend of the year in the capital with most hotels booked out.

The forecast is not good, and fans are urged to bring their rain gear. Heavy showers are forecast for tomorrow evening.

The concerts have raised the ire of local residents because of the concerts and the disruption involved in constructing and dismantling the stage.

Croke Park stadium director Peter McKenna said they were talking to residents. “We are trying to limit the impact these concerts will have and those discussions are ongoing. We are very conscious this is having a huge impact on residents,” he said.

Stage facts: the 360˚ tour


U2 have three custom-built “claw” stages for their tour.
While one is in use, another is being dismantled and a third is being constructed for the next concert venue.
The stage designer is Willie Williams, who has been with U2 since 1982. Mark Fisher serves as architect.
A total of 189 trucks transport the stages around. There are 380 drivers and 12 buses.
The U2 entourage constitutes 550 people.
The video screens weigh 56 tonnes.
The claw-like edifice can take 165 tonnes of equipment freeing up more pitchside space for fans.
This article appears in the print edition of the Irish Times
irishtimes
‘Biggest stage ever’ ready to rock for U2 show
By Sarah Stack

Thursday, July 23, 2009



THE stage is set for U2’s massive homecoming this weekend with organisers promising fans a show to remember.



THE stage is set for U2’s massive homecoming this weekend with organisers promising fans a show to remember.

A giant steel claw which rises to 11 storeys high is being constructed above the pitch in Dublin’s Croke Park.

About 240,000 tickets have been snapped up by fans from as far as Japan, Brazil, Canada and the USA, with hotels across the city fully booked.

It is estimated the series of gigs — tomorrow, Saturday and Monday — will boost the city’s economy by €50 million.

U2 tour director Craig Evans said it was a thrill to be back in Dublin.

"This is the only city that we will do three shows in," said Mr Evans.

"To be able to bring this show, with this design and stage system, to Croke Park is absolutely the highlight of what will be a two-year world tour."

Mr Evans said fans can expect the biggest, most spectacular, and the most impressive U2 show.

"The goal of this tour was to see U2 play stadiums in a full 360-degree configuration, which had never been done before," he said.

"It’s an incredible feat to take an engineer’s structure like this, that is travelling in over 100 trucks, build it, use it and then take it down."

It has taken a week to construct the custom built stage, which includes 550 tonnes of steel, 56 tonnes of video screens and covers 43,000 square feet.

Peter McKenna, stadium director of Croke Park, said 300 construction workers are building the stage, with a further 2,500 people working at the venue over the weekend.

"This is up to the limit of what we do, it’s like three All Irelands back to back," said Mr McKenna.

"These aren’t just concerts, they are truly international events.

"It really is without doubt the biggest stage that has ever been in Ireland."

Gates open at 6pm with the first acts taking to the stage at 6.30pm.

MCD and gardaĆ­ urged concert-goers to follow traffic plans in the area and respect local residents.

Officers also reminded fans driving to the show on Monday that it will coincide with the opening of the new Ikea store off the M50 and the start of the College Green bus corridor.





This story appeared in the printed version of the Irish Examiner Thursday, July 23, 2009


irishexaminer
Long arms of the Claw catch up with U2 in Dublin

Thursday, 23 July 2009


Claw blimey! Work continues on the revolutionary stage for the first of U2?s three gigs in Dublin's Croke Park


U2's ‘Claw' was beginning to make its mark on the north Dublin skyline ahead of the band's three concerts in Croke Park, the first of which takes place tomorrow.


Crews of workmen, teams of cranes and legions of forklifts busied themselves on the Jones's Road pitch, which has been uprooted for the concerts, as the distinctive set began to take shape at GAA headquarters.

Although not yet complete, and without its distinctive wraparound video screen and inner and outer stages, the main stage almost reached above the main stands in the stadium and looks certain to do so once its central ‘antenna' is attached.

The figures are by now familiar: it's 50 metres high, weighs 390 tonnes, costs €100m and requires 180 trucks to move it from venue to venue. It is also a triplet, and while one claw is being put through its paces by the band (as one was in Amsterdam last night), another is being constructed at a different venue and a third is being transported to a different venue again.

“The show itself is probably the most sophisticated show we've gone on the road with,” the Edge said.

He told RTE 2FM’s Gerry Ryan that the latest 360 tour was about breaking down barriers between the band and their audience.

“That sort of spirit and that wish to make a connection ... because that's what this band has always attempted to do, to break down the barrier,” he said.

“And this production is particularly helpful for us in doing that. A U2 show is really about creating that connection and, so far, that's been one of the real features of these shows — that communal sense within the building.”

He jokingly said they had been “playing a few warm-up shows before Dublin” that had been “terrifying but compelling”.

The band are not due to arrive in Dublin until Friday and they are not expected to go through a full rehearsal at Croke Park.

The build-up to the concert has not been entirely controversy-free. Some fans were disappointed that the full 360 show will not be put in full effect over the three Dublin dates. Hill 16, which forms a backdrop to the stage, will remain empty for the concerts.

Residents in the Croke Park area have also been angered by extensive late-night works at the stadium to get it ready.

belfasttelegraph

17.7.09

Remember The Trabants?
16 July 2009
On Saturday the band arrive at the Olympic Stadium in Berlin, the city where they made Achtung Baby at the beginning of the 1990's. Anyone remember... the trabants?



source: U2.com
Au Revoir France
15 July 2009
Three shows in Paris and Nice, a hot week in France, next stop Berlin. This is what it's been like.



source: U2.com
Nice Goes Crazy
15 July 2009

Third French show in five days tonight, this time on familiar ground in Nice. Here's what they played. Were you there? Add your own review to the bottom of the page.

Breathe
No Line On The Horizon
Get On Your Boots
Magnificent
Beautiful Day
I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For
Desire
Stuck In A Moment You Can't Get Out Of
Unknown Caller
Unforgettable Fire
City of Blinding Lights
Vertigo
I'll Go Crazy (Remix)
Sunday Bloody Sunday
Pride (In The Name of Love)
MLK
Walk On
Where The Streets Have No Name
One
--------
Ultraviolet
With Or Without You
Moment of Surrender

source: U2.com
3 Best Musician Twitterers of the Week
U2, Yoko Ono, and Blink-182's Mark Hoppus make our Friday list of Twitter stars you should follow.
By Anna Hyclak 07.17.09 3:18 PM

Lots of musicians tweet -- but all that Twitters is not gold.

That's why you'll want to check out SPIN.com every Friday to see whose tweets we're reading this week -- then update your TweetDeck! (Obligatory Self-Promotion: ...while you're at it be sure to follow @SPINmagazine!)


Who: U2360 TOUR (@U2_360tour)
Why You Should Follow: Ever wonder what the world looks like from the Edge's point of view? Now you can find out! The U2 axeman posts daily pictures to the band's official tour Twitter, giving followers a behind-the-scenes look at all of the long bus rides, fancy croissant breakfasts, police escorts, and red carpets that make up a U2 world tour.
Best Tweet of the Week: This shot of U2's royal greeting at a French airport. See if you can spot Bono.


Who: YOKO ONO (@yokoono)
Why You Should Follow: Though she definitely has a few projects up her sleeves (including an upcoming collaboration with Basement Jaxx), Ono refuses to use Twitter as a vehicle for self-promotion. Instead, she uses it as a platform to promote peace and equality, raise awareness about social issues, and dispense gems of Buddhist wisdom to her followers. Bonus points: She sometimes tweets back to fans!
Best Tweet of the Week: "You see a chair as it is. But when you burn the chair, you suddenly realize that the chair in your head did not burn or disappear."


Who: Blink-182's MARK HOPPUS (@markhoppus)
Why You Should Follow: The fun-loving bassist has more than 800,000 followers for a reason -- his tweets are wacky, irreverent, and perfect for RT-ing. As Blink-182 kicks off their highly anticipated U.S. reunion tour next week, be sure to check Hoppus' Twitter for tales of backstage mayhem.
Best Tweet of the Week: "If there were truth in advertising, the new hair product I got would say 'instantly turns your hair into that of a grizzled hobo.'"

source: spin

15.7.09

More 'Rave-Hell Lighting Madness'
14 July 2009


Saturday, 20th June 2009. Barcelona. Production rehearsals.

Up at the crack of 3pm and staggered around for an hour before heading back to the stadium. It's quite disorientating to start a new day with staff in uniform greeting me 'good evening, sir' on my exit from the Hotel Fabulous. The mouldy strawberries are still in my room, now resembling a full on science project. Still, if it spawns any new life forms, it'll be nice to have a bit of company when I get home in the wee small hours.

Full run through. Set list felt OK, though now the adrenaline rush of arrival has subsided it has been replaced by the realisation that we have an enormous amount of work still to do, in order to turn this string of good looks into a cohesive show. One bit of fun was their playing the Oakenfold remix of 'Even Better Than The Real Thing' which I haven't heard for years. We got to show off our rave-hell lighting madness which we programmed last night and the whole thing was pretty hilarious. It didn't quite work (and frankly felt a little dated) but there's definitely something there... it feels like a new place for a U2 gig to go, so we'll chase it over the next few days.

Spent the rest of the night with my team programming and making good progress. The band has decided to take a day off tomorrow ('off' being a relative term with these guys, but they're not coming into the stadium, anyway) so I'm weighing up the best strategy for making the most of the time.


Sunday, 21st June 2009. Barcelona. Production rehearsals.

Having gone to bed at 7.30am I was not a happy bunny to have housekeeping pounding on the door at noon. Twice. The 'No Molestar' sign was hanging on the door but this didn't deter the housekeeping SWAT team from having a go.

The band took a day off today which gave us the stadium to ourselves. Very much in the mood of coming into the office on the weekend, it gave us a chance to get a lot of things done in the peace and quiet of a slow day. Most importantly the sound system, which has been hanging two metres too low since it arrived, got fitted with its new elastic bands to take it up to its full trim height. It makes a huge difference and in one move the whole design seems to have clicked together.

I came in about 6pm and, given that catering were also having a very rare day off, went with some of my lads to a local tapas joint for dinner. It was very valuable to have a little social time outside the venue, as it's been a while.

Although slightly disorientating to commence at 9pm rather than 2am, we had a good programming session and I feel that all the basic lighting states have now been constructed, so we can begin finessing from here. Video isn't in quite such good shape (given that programming video is vastly more complex than programming lighting) but we still have eight more programming nights to complete the task. I'm sure, as with all U2 tours, we'll be continually adding, updating, swapping, changing, refreshing as we go along (usually right to the very last show) but for now we're just getting up and underway.

Video were happily getting on with it, so I bailed at 2am, which felt like a complete and utter half day after my week of 7am bed times. Of course I was too wired to sleep when I got to my room, so here I am typing away at 4am. What a wonderful time-wasting machine the interweb can be.

Previous Willie Diary Entry here.

source: U2.com
'Full On Rave in Empty Stadium'
13 July 2009



Friday, 19th June 2009. Barcelona. Production rehearsals.

It's an odd thought but I feel compelled to note that these production rehearsal days are starting to be quite fun. 'Fun' isn't the usual adjective for this process; at best it might be 'intense', 'bloody hard work' or occasionally in U2's case 'living hell on earth', but... well, I don�t want to jinx it.

Having had such a late night, by the time I made it back to the stadium the band was already there. We sat together and figured out the three different possible sets of opening songs that we wanted to try out. I was pleased that the three proposed opening ideas came from three different band members, so the spirit of democracy is very much alive. The band got up on stage and played through the three possibilities, one kind of a downbeat opening, one a bit of a left turn and the last a full on rock event. To paraphrase the adage, two out of three weren't bad, so we already have some either/or options to choose from.

Afterwards we sat in the dressing room comparing notes, then put together two different set lists based on what we'd learned. This gives us a fall back position if we go off plan A, or could serve as 'night 1' and 'night 2' options when we play multiple nights in a city. We rarely have a working setlist the day before a tour's opening night, so to find ourselves with multiple options with ten days to go... I told them they were just showing off.

Once the musicians (and everyone else) had departed, I sat with my little team in the front-of-house tower and continued programming. By the time we got down to it, it was gone 2am and by 5.30am daylight was creeping into the sky, so it was another relatively brief session. There's word of the band actually taking a day off on Sunday, which will give me a very welcome full night of programming. We're getting through it remarkably well, but I've still got a great deal to do.

Tonight however was enormous fun (see - there�s that little word again) as we basically programmed a full on rave in the empty stadium. God knows if we'll ever use it, but after a conversation with the singer I wanted to make sure in case we ever wanted to send this production into outer space. Ethan, one of my two lighting programmer-operators, is the designer for Fall Out Boy and My Chemical Romance, so comes armed with top-notch EMO-indie credentials and it became apparent that he's not afraid to use them. It's highly energising to be working with someone whose natural instincts toward lighting are different to my own, as it results in some songs being lit in a way that I would not have got to on my own. Some of the older songs I have re-created so many times that it's hard for me to see them with new eyes (and on occasion it has been pointed out that I might hit a cue on a beat which no longer exists in the new arrangement, but that I'm still hearing in my head from tours gone by). Similarly with new songs, which we face together on an even footing. 'Boots' is lit almost entirely with strobe light, which is something I doubt I would have done if I'd been steering the ship single-handedly.

Having sat in an empty stadium and strobed ourselves to death for about four hours, the sun came up and we called it a night. Driving back in the runner's van through Barcelona morning rush hour traffic, the streets are still awash with scantily clad revellers who clearly haven't just got up. This is one hell of a party town.

Previous Willie Diary Entry here.


source: U2.com
Going Digital 15 July 2009
Take a look at the digital downloads in the U2.com Shop.

You can now purchase every U2 album as either high quality mp3 audio files or in lossless FLAC format. (FLAC stands for Free Lossless Audio Codec) The U2.com shop is the only place where the FLAC format is available.



BUNDLES
Our shop has also launched some special product bundles - pick up 'The Future Needs A Big Kiss' tee-shirt along with No Line On the Horizon as a digital download and make some serious savings.

PLEASE NOTE. There are restrictions on the availability of the digital downloads in certain countries.
MP3 Format -- US, UK, IE - all albums available (more countries coming online soon, keep an eye on this article)
FLAC Format -- US only for all albums. No Line On The Horizon available US, UK, IE. (more countries coming online soon, we'll keep you posted)


WOMEN'S SHIRT/BUNDLE


MEN'S SHIRT/BUNDLE

source: U2.com
On tour this year... A 360° experience








Barco and XL Video have delivered world’s first transformable 360° LED screen for U2. With its 360° shape, the LED screen surrounds the band while performing and can change shape in all directions during the concert.

For the third time this millennium, the Barco - XL Video – U2 cooperation resulted in a revolutionary approach to video, this time totaling more than 500,000 pixels of video, making it the biggest LED screen ever used in concert touring.

The stage and show were created by long-time U2 designers Willie Williams and Mark Fisher. With the help of Chuck Hoberman and Barco, their vision of a 360° moving video screen was turned into reality.

Barco provided more than 500,000 transformable LED pixels (FLX-24), which are integrated into a transformable structure designed by Barco’s Innovative Designs, based on a Hoberman invention. The resulting giant LED screen has a 24 by 16 meter diameter and changes shape in all directions, making U2 the first band ever to go on a tour with a transformable LED screen.

In addition to the giant LED screen, Barco integrated a total of 1,200 FLX-60 pixel modules surrounding the edges of both the A and B stages and the bridges. The stage LEDs provide an extra dimension to the graphic show projected on the screen. Almost one thousand customized lights, specifically designed for this tour and manufactured in the Barco premises, light up the stage canvas for an even more memorable show.

With this deal, XL Video is the first rental partner to acquire the revolutionary transformable LED.


read the full press release



source: barco.com and more pics and videos

14.7.09

Croke Park dug up for U2 as Pussycat Dolls take over Fitzgerald Stadium


By Colm Keys


Monday July 13 2009

WITHIN an hour of Dublin beating Kildare in a pulsating Leinster football championship final at Croke Park yesterday, a convoy of heavy machinery had moved in to begin digging up the pitch surface to accommodate the three U2 concerts that will be held there next weekend.

The last of the 74,563 crowd were making their way out of the stadium as earth movers and dumping trucks commenced pulling up the surface. The main body of work is expected to be completed by tomorrow.

GAA officials are confident that, once the concerts have concluded, the ground staff will have plenty of time to ensure that the playing surface is in tip-top condition for the All-Ireland football championship quarter-finals on the August Bank Holiday weekend.

Killarney's Fitzgerald Stadium is also in the news for musical reasons. It has been ruled out for Kerry's third-round qualifier against Sligo because Pussycat Dolls, the all-girl American group, are performing there on Saturday night. Tralee has been nominated as the alternative venue and Kerry have requested an afternoon throw-in.

The Kingdom seem certain to be without Kieran Donaghy, who is expecting confirmation today that he broke a bone in his right foot during Saturday's win over Longford.

The football qualifier draw has thrown up another all-Ulster heavyweight clash for the third successive week, with Donegal getting home advantage for their showdown against Derry.

At least one All-Ireland quarter-final will have to be put back by a week because of Saturday's draw between Wexford and Roscommon.

Roscommon are expected to have home advantage for the replay next weekend, with the winners facing Meath in the third-round qualifier in Navan a week later. As a consequence, the fourth-round qualifier involving Meath, Wexford or Roscommon will also have to be put back by a week as a midweek fixture is likely to be ruled out.

For the third successive week Mick O'Dwyer's Wicklow will have home advantage against Ulster opposition, with Down the latest visitors.

In hurling it was pre-ordained that Galway and Cork would meet again once Laois advanced to Phase Three of the qualifiers as they had already met the Tribesmen in the Leinster championship.

Venues and times for the two games (Limerick and Laois meet in the other) will be announced today. A Saturday double header in Thurles is likely.

QUALIFIERS DRAW:

- Colm Keys

source: independent

13.7.09

HINDU LEADERS URGE BONO TO ADDRESS ROMA ISSUE

Leading Hindus are urging U2 frontman BONO to focus his humanitarian efforts on the Roma apartheid in Europe in the hopes his support could end the suffering of displaced Indians.
Religious leaders insist the alarming treatment of Roma people, who migrated to mainland Europe from India in the 11th century, is a social blight for Europe as the 15-million Roma people face social exclusion, prejudice, high unemployment, racism, substandard education and hostility - and Bono has been suggested as their saviour.
Rajan Zed, the leader of the Universal Society of Hinduism, states, "(The) Roma issue should be one of the highest priorities of human rights agendas of Europe and the world."
And he hopes Bono will not remain "a silent spectator when fellow Roma brothers/sisters were reportedly facing blatant injustice and discrimination in Europe".
Meanwhile, Thomas Hammarberg, the Commissioner for the Human Rights of Council of Europe, has revealed, "Anti-Gypsyism continues to be a major human rights problem in Europe. Governments must start taking serious action against both official and inter-personal discrimination of Roma."
In a recent report about the ongoing problem, he cited incidents where Roma children were forced to strip and violently slap one another in a Slovakia police station and the sudden eviction of Roma families in Belgrade without alternative accommodation.
Zed has also urged Pope Benedict XVI, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr. Rowan D. Williams, and other church and faith leaders to address the issues facing the Roma people.

13 July 2009 08:06

contactmusic
Checking in to the Hotel Fabulous
13 July 2009
Thursday, 18th June 2009.
Barcelona. Production rehearsals.

It was 7am by the time I got back to the Hotel Fabulous and having spent a total of under five minutes in the place when I dropped my bags off yesterday, I was essentially seeing it for the first time. I've stayed here before, but in the intervening time the place has been 'done up' within an inch of its life. It is indeed Fabulous with lobby flower arrangements bigger than my house and so forth, but it has the scent of a place that has been wildly over-consulted.

When I arrived, being somewhat knackered, it was all I could do to remember my new room number, but I did manage to get there and went to close the curtains and put out the lights so I could get to bed before the sun go too high in the sky. It was at this point that I realised I might have checked into the Hotel Complicated as everything operated from a central push-button control panel which I was unable to find. On discovery (in a drawer next to the bed) it turned out that the buttons were labelled in the tiniest font available and being in the state I was in I could barely see, never mind read. I promptly turned into Mr. Bean and amid my flailing, the window blinds were going up and down, lights flashing and I was probably also summoning cleaners and ordering room service at the same time. Somebody, please...

On waking up this afternoon, I noticed that the little welcome gift bowl of strawberries that had been placed in the room, had white mould growing on them. When I called the personal concierge person and tried to explain, she said 'You are very welcome, Sir'. I guess neither of us knew the Spanish for 'mould', or perhaps this is normal in Barcelona, the home of Surrealism.

Back at the stadium our rehearsal was a bit of a shambles, but we have plenty of time, so happily no-one was stressing. The band left me to do another night's programming and we'll regroup tomorrow.

source: U2.com
'Paris, France, You Know Your Name...'
12 July 2009
Were you there at at the Stade de France tonight ? Here's some of our highlights from the show - add your own reviews at the bottom of the page. Meantime here's a clip we caught of the band walking to the stage tonight.



1. First up there were three songs in the set tonight that weren't in it just two weeks ago when the tour opened. Angel of Harlem, Stuck In A Moment (You Can't Get Out Of) and, making its 360 debut, Mysterious Ways. Six shows in it feels like the band are preparing to mix up the set list - that's 27 tracks they've played on the tour to date.

2. Some people have commented that Breathe is not an obvious show opener... not like Vertigo say, on the last tour. Wait till you've been to a show and seen how it goes down. Maybe it's the pent up anticipation of finally getting to see the band again after four years but hearing 90,000 people joining in the opening song makes a pretty convincing case.
'Walk out into the street
Sing your heart out
The people we meet
Will not be drowned out...'
Tonight they were not to be drowned out all night long.

3. Notice how Adam is making the giant circumference of this stage his own. He did an entire circuit tonight during Beautiful Day and from the moment he and Edge, crossed the bridges simultaneously onto the b-stage, it felt like the band spent more time reaching out to all parts of the audience. 'Thank you for giving us a chance to build this space station, you paid for it, hope you like it. ' explained Bono. 'We think it's going to take us to all kinds of places but most of all its job is to get us close to you. That's what the 360 experiment is all about...'

4.The birdsong rings out crisp and clear at the start of Unknown Caller and Bono reminds people that the song was written in Morocco. 'We recorded some of the album in a beautiful riad in Fez with the birdsong coming through the roof... this is for all of you here from North Africa.' Sounded like there was plenty of Tunisians and Algerians and Moroccans in the house tonight and the karaoke style lyrics on the screens marry with the chant-like vibe to create perfect sing-a-long. 'Paris, France - you know your name!'

5. 'Sometimes I feel like I don't know
Sometimes I feel like checking out.
It was a song a lot of people were hoping might make its way back into the set list after going missing for a decade or so. And the combination of the singer returning in a spectacular suit of lights with the opening chords of 1991's Ultraviolet makes the encore all the more special.

So there's a few highlights from us and here's what they played. What did you think?

Breathe
No Line On The Horizon
Get On Your Boots
Magnificent
Beautiful Day
Mysterious Ways
I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For
Angel of Harlem
Stuck In A Moment You Can't Get out Of
Unknown Caller
Unforgettable Fire
City of Blinding LIghts
Vertigo
I'll Go Crazy (Remix)
Sunday Bloody Sunday
Pride (In The Name of Love)
MLK
Walk On
Where The Streets Have No Name
One
--------
Ultraviolet
With Or Without You
Moment of Surrender

source: U2.com
U2 - Paris, Stade de France 11 juillet 2009

U2 - Paris, Stade de France 11 juillet 2009 from poupystar on Vimeo.



- Au pied de la structure (aprĆØs le concert)
- Desire / Billie Jean / Don’t Stop ’Til You Get Enough
- One
- With Or Without You

vimeo.com
"360° tour": concert U2 au Stade de France
13/07/2009


U2 au stade de france le 11/07/2009

U2 a fait tourner les tĆŖtes samedi soir lors du premier de ses deux concerts programmĆ©s au Stade de France
Ce concert du groupe irlandais s'inscrit dans le cadre du "360° Tour", qui frappe par son dispositif scĆ©nique vertigineux.

LancĆ©e le 30 juin Ć  Barcelone, la tournĆ©e mondiale de la bande Ć  Bono poursuit son Ć©tape Ć  Saint-Denis, prĆØs de Paris, dimanche avant de rejoindre Nice (stade Charles Ehrmann) mercredi.

Elle sillonnera ensuite l'Europe puis l'AmƩrique du Nord Ơ partir du 12 septembre.

L'une des grandes attractions de cette tournĆ©e est la scĆØne, surmontĆ©e d'une immense structure mĆ©tallique, surnommĆ©e "The Claw" (la griffe), qui mesure 50 mĆØtres, pĆØse 390 tonnes et apporte une plus-value davantage visuelle que sonore. GrĆ¢ce Ć  un Ć©cran circulaire sur lequel dĆ©filent des plans des quatre musiciens (Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton et Larry Mullen Jr.), la structure permet d'avoir une vue Ć  360° sur la scĆØne, oĆ¹ que l'on soit placĆ©, d'oĆ¹ le nom de la tournĆ©e.

Bono, qui entre en scĆØne Ć  21h15 pour un peu plus de deux heures de show, n'a pas besoin d'un dispositif aussi sophistiquĆ© et spectaculaire, pour chauffer le stade, il lui suffit d'entonner des refrains musclĆ©s, comme "Get on your boots", extrait du 12e album studio du quatuor ("No line on the horizon", sorti en fĆ©vrier).

Le groupe alterne morceaux rĆ©cents et succĆØs cultes, mais ce sont ces derniers qui soudent un public assez mĆŖlĆ© sur le plan gĆ©nĆ©rationnel. FidĆØle Ć  ses habitudes, Bono profite de la soirĆ©e pour rendre hommage (Ć  feu Michael Jackson) et faire passer quelques messages, notamment de soutien Ć  Aung San Suu Kyi.

Voir la vidƩo sur culturebox:



Découvrez U2 en concert au stade de France pour le "360° Tour" sur Culturebox !


source: france2

11.7.09

'When the real U2 show up we'll be in trouble.'
11 July 2009

Wednesday, 17th June 2009. Barcelona. Production rehearsals.
Having arranged to move to the band's hotel upon their arrival, I had to fit in a hotel change en route to the stadium when I got up this afternoon. The crew are staying at Mrs McGinty's boarding house just off La Rambla, so I checked out and took a cab down to the Hotel Fabulous by the Olympic Port, to be fawned over by armies of professionally obsequious staff. I only had about 30 seconds to check in and get out of there, so pretty much just threw my bags into my new room and bailed.

At the stadium we awaited the arrival of Adam and Larry, whose enthusiasm for the new production equalled that of their band mates. What astounded everyone though was that within a couple of hours of arrival, the four of them got up on the stage and played through an entire set without stopping. Astonishing! Unprecedented! I have no idea who these people are, but when the real U2 show up we'll be in trouble. During the run-through Bono took his radio mic and went right up to the top of the stadium, where (somehow) he managed to continue to sing in time, whilst adding astonished comments about how it all looked from up there.

After dark my team and I worked on the songs that required the screen to do its moves. The video content isn't quite there yet, but the way the whole thing works together is very promising. We worked till dawn and then took a runner van back to the Hotel Fabulous.

U2.com

10.7.09

'Most Important Day So Far'
10 July 2009


Tuesday, 16th June 2009. Barcelona. Production build.

Bono and Edge arrived this evening, which would put this into the category of 'easily the most important day so far.' And... they loved it. I'd asked Bono (by text) to walk into the stadium and go straight to his mic position, to experience the wide open feeling on stage. This he did (after looking up at the structure with that now familiar look of shock-and-awe of first-time viewers) and it was clear he had got it in one. 'Its invisibility is what is so remarkable,' he said, which is so true. When you're at floor level, you really feel like there's nothing there, it's all way up high.

Edge on the other hand, leapt from his vehicle and immediately went to the very top of the stadium, completely circumnavigating the building. He was clearly very excited and that became very infectious. I was delighted of course, as usually it takes a little while for them to settle into their new home but this felt extremely natural. That's 50% - we get the other 50% tomorrow.

Previous Willie Diary Entry here.
Birdsong In Milan
08 July 2009
Stuck In A Moment You Can't Get Out Of, Electrical Storm and Desire are all in the show for the second night at the San Siro.

(Incidentally, it's been crazy in Milan, what a city - people really passionate to see the band. Not just at the gig... as this photo shows.)





So here's what we loved about the second night in Milan: the passion and volume of the audience; the operatic vibe in Magnificent; the Arabic introduction to Beautiful Day; the snatches of 'Billie Jean' and 'Don't Stop Till You Get Enough' in Desire; the first outing for 'Stuck In A Moment You Can't Get Out Of' and a reminder of the north African birdsong which opens Unknown Caller. 'This is a song we wrote in a small hotel in Morocco... you can hear these birds at the start of the song.'

Italy is at the centre of global politics this week, the leaders of the Group of 8 industrialised countries are here to talk about the credit crunch, climate change and how we can generally all get on a little better. Great tonight to see Italians remembering Aung San Suu Kyi by wearing her mask for Walk On: 'Right now my heart's with a woman. She has been under house arrest for many years, her name is Aung San Suu Kyi ... for the people of Burma we send a message of love.'

How was the show for you tonight? Add your highlights below. Here's what U2 played.

Breathe
No Line On The Horizon
Get On Your Boots
Magnificent
Beautiful Day
I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For
Desire
Stuck In A Moment You Can't Get Out of
Electrical Storm
Unknown Caller
Unforgettable Fire
City of Blinding LIghts Vertigo
I'll Go Crazy (Remix)
Sunday Bloody Sunday
Pride (In The Name of Love)
MLK
Walk On
Where The Streets Have No Name
One
--------
Ultraviolet
With Or Without You
Moment of Surrender

source: U2.com
'See it to believe it'
08 July 2009



Monday, 15th June 2009 Barcelona. Production build.

It was a big day today. We saw completion of the video screen and witnessed properly for the first time its ability to open up. It is the most incredible piece of technological engineering in that it is an elliptical, saddle-shaped cylinder that possesses the ability to break apart, stretch open in three dimensions and ultimately become an extended open-lattice cone shape, extending from the high grid of the steel structure down to floor level. You'll have to see it to believe it but when you do, it may remind you of one of those spiky plastic 'Hoberman' sphere toys, which expands most improbably into a big open-lattice ball.

The resemblance is far from coincidental, given that it was designed by Chuck Hoberman the inventor of said sphere, in partnership with Frederic Opsomer who is our LED genius and was the brains behind the PopMart screen, Vertigo video curtains, and so on. This latest creation is just jaw-dropping - even those of us who were expecting it couldn't quite believe our eyes, so it should get a pretty good response from the audience.

As if this wasn't enough, the two bridges also went into place today. These form the link between the main stage and the outer runway so the band can cross between the two performance areas. In the scheme of things the bridges don't appear to be that big, but they are over 16m (50-odd feet) long and are craned in as one piece. The sight of all this happening simultaneously was bewildering. Every where you looked there were these extraordinary things being constructed, any one of which would have been enough to form the centrepiece of a normal rock show production.

When darkness fell and everyone left us alone, myself, Ethan and Alex (my lighting programmer/operators) set about some more lighting programming. We had a first pass at 'City of Blinding Lights' which involves stretching the screen out, which was fun. Also had a go at 'Streets' which I am delighted to report will be going back to it's classic red-light and strobes intro, after shunning this in favour of all that rolling flag business on the last tour.

The way I tend to work is to rough in the lighting looks first time around, then gradually finesse them over the coming days, as time allows. This is partly to make sure we have our arses covered in the event of running out of time (or unforeseen circumstances, like being shut down by the police) and partly because of my limited attention span. Broad strokes first, detail later.

Previous Willie Diary Entry here.

source: U2.com
'Between a spaceship and a cactus flower...'
07 July 2009



Bit of a party night tonight, celebrating the birthday of Bono's daughter Eve, who was up on stage for Party Girl. Felt like the band were looser and more at ease on the stage, finding their feet as 360 gets underway. Were you at the show ? Some highlights from us below, add your own highlights at the bottom of the page.

1. The Space Ship felt like it was taller than the San Siro itself tonight. The discoball on top was actually higher than the roof of the stadium.

2. As the band arrived on stage fans on the floor gave them a distinctive and colourful welcome - holding up orange, green and white balloons. The audience was so loud by 'No Line', it was hard to make out what Bono was saying.

3. 'How do you like our Space Junk ? We think it's somewhere between a spaceship and a cactus flower...'

4. The set list was different again to the first two nights.

5. Bono Introduces Angel of Harlem as 'a song for Billie Holiday, tonight we dedicate it to Michael Jackson.' and ends it segueing into 'man in the mirror' before slipping into 'Stand by Me'.

6. Feels like the band are still working out how to live on the huge new stage. Still experimenting with how to connect with everyone in 360. Adam spent all of Beautiful Day out on the b-stage runway. Larry looks to be enjoying his nightly lap of honour with the djembe for 'Crazy'

7. At the beginning of Party Girl, Bono asks the audience to welcome his daughter Eve on stage, 'not the shy one in the family'. 'Wanna sing for my little girl Eve.' he explains. 'It's her birthday today. She's no longer a little girl but older and a beauty.' A stadium join the band in singing Eve happy birthday and Larry does the honours on the champagne, pouring glasses for father and daughter.

8. Plenty of famous faces at the show tonight including actors Woody Harrelson and Gael Garcia Bernal, designers Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana and Nicoletta Mantovani, the widow Luciano Pavarotti.

9. The leaders of the G8 meet in Italy this week, which offered a timely way into One tonight: 'It is well known that I have had some differences with your prime minister over promises that were made and not kept to the world's poor. Italians have given so many gifts to the world... modern physics.. the renaissance.. the piano... the gift of song... from Puccini to Luciano Pavarotti to Jovanotti. In the next few days, at the G8, your leader will decide where he stands on the gift of life for people far beyond your shores. If you think he should do what he promised for the poorest and most vunerable in Africa, you need to let him know because he is not Increasing aid as he said he would. He is slashing it. Do you think he should do what he promised? He still can. Tomorrow. Thursday. Friday. We'll be waiting to see if he does. I write songs... Berlusconi gets to write history... it's not too late for his chapter to end with dignity... I want to dedicate this song for him... it's called ONE.'

10. There was more, much more.... but why don't you tell us what it was ?

source: U2.com