From

http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/culture/neilm...on-tour-launch/

 

 

U2 in space: further thoughts on tour launch

 

 

By Neil McCormick Music Last updated: July 2nd, 2009

 

 

 

Early on in discussions for the launch of the latest U2 tour, Bono floated the possibility that they would become the first band to play a gig on the moon. Larry shot that idea down however. He pointed out that there would be no atmosphere… :rolleyes:

 

 

 

Ah, the old ones are … well, not the best … but the old ones, anyway.

 

 

 

Ever since U2 blew the possibilities for live event staging wide open with their multi-media Zoo TV tour, they have been caught in a peculiar trap: how to satisfy audience expectations for hi-tech, cutting edge spectacle while rooting the experience in the very human, emotional contact with fans that is at the heart of their appeal. In other words, how to make it bigger and more intimate at the same time.

 

 

 

U2 360 is their latest attempt to reconcile these sometimes conflicting demands. It cost over $100 million to stage, and the programme credits run to three tightly printed pages. Purpose built for stadiums, it is effectively a stage within the stadium space. U2 play in the round, roughly in the centre of the venue, complete with bridges and runways, so that no corner is too far from the action, with band members able to move easily around, constantly interacting with different sections of the crowd. Towering over them, standing on four great legs, is a construction housing the lighting rig, speakers and (rising and falling) a vast circular ring of screens on which are displayed artfully integrated images. The whole thing looks like a giant alien spaceship, and the sci-fi theme is pushed throughout, with the band entering to the countdown from David Bowie’s Space Oddity and exiting to Elton John’s Rocket Man. They even pause proceedings for a satellite video link up with the International Space Station in orbit around earth, allowing for some typical U2 calls for global peace and love with a futuristic twist.

 

 

 

There was (as there always is) some anxiety in the U2 camp during the countdown to blast off. The last time U2 kicked off a tour in stadiums (as opposed to arenas) was PopMart in 1997, with the Las Vegas launch turning into something of a disaster that took a couple of weeks on the road to remedy. It drew their worst live reviews ever, but by the time I caught up with the production in San Francisco, it was so mind blowing that Liam Gallagher (who was supporting with Oasis) stood on the mixing desk with his mouth hanging open, going “**** me!” throughout. With a production of this scale, its actually a bit unfair to review opening night. There are so many elements to the show, it might be considered more akin to a big theatrical production, where the tradition is that previews run without reviews for a couple of weeks of fine tuning, before the critics are allowed to take their seats. There is no such grace period for a rock band as newsworthy as U2, but they have been at this long enough to know what is expected, and arrived in Barcelona two weeks ago to get ready for lift off.

 

 

 

On opening night at the Nou Camp in Barcelona, it didn’t quite all go according to plan (there were longuers in the set, musical mistakes and minor technical hitches) yet the audience was in indulgent mood, pasting over glitches with singalongs so loud and enthusiastic they almost drowned out the band. 90,000 people raising their voices as one is something to behold, an all enveloping, emotionally uplifting testament to the power and universality of music. And whenever the band, staging and audience came together, it hit home with breathtaking power. When U2 played ‘Vertigo’, the stadium seemed to physically shake with 90,000 human beings jumping up and down in unison.

 

 

 

Other personal highlights for me included the roaring opening song ‘Breathe’, a stadium punk version of ‘No Line On The Horizon’, an intimate, soulful ‘In A Little While’ (with really great singing from a vocalist right on top of his game), a singalong ‘Angel Of Harlem’ reconfigured as a tribute to Michael Jackson (with Bono delivering an impressive falsetto ‘Don’t Stop Til You Get Enough’ and thankfully resisting the temptation to moonwalk), a kind of stadium karaoke call and response version of ‘Unknown Caller’ and a brave, understated ending with the gorgeous and strange ‘Moments Of Surrender’ (which suffered a little from Bono’s by then slightly ravaged vocal). Yet I couldn’t quite shake the sense of a band in some kind of period of transition, caught between the crowd pleasing epic rock of their greatest hits and some braver, weirder, more atmospheric and understated musical future. And I was not convinced by an almost dads-at-the-disco techno remix of ‘I’ll Go Crazy’, with Larry Mullen Jnr going walkabout with a bongo. Still, it is impossible to dwell on reservations surrounded by 90,000 fans on their feet, roaring and waving their fists in the air, while an alien space ship somehow turns into the biggest disco glitterball the world has ever seen.

 

 

 

At the core of this hi-tech spectacle, holding it all together, providing the conduit between audience and band, the beating heart of the music, is Bono. He is one of those rare human beings who seems to have the personality and charisma to fill a stadium all by himself. Bruce Springsteen is the only other performer I have seen who can pull this trick off so effectively, the trick being there is no real trick at all. They are performers whose sense of service to the audience means that they give up every bit of themselves, putting so much effort and emotion into the moment that, by some universal sense of empathy and fair play, we are almost beholden to return the feeling in kind. With songs as the link between all the individuals in the venue, these extraordinary frontmen become our conduit to a communal moment of surrender.

 

 

 

At the end of the night, Bono appeared for encores wearing an LED suit that fired red laser beams in every direction. When he left the stage, the heat and sweat of his body had somehow fused the controls, so that he found he couldn’t turn the jacket off. Bundled into a people carrier for a quick exit, he was last seen disappearing down a Spanish highway, firing random lasers through tinted windows into the dark sky. It seemed a curiously fitting exit, as the hi tech and the human fused in unpredictable fashion. The future never quite works the way you want it to.

 

From

http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2009/jul/0...-tour-barcelona

 

U2 get round to touring to beat falling sales

 

120 lorries needed to move circular stage but $100m seen as money well spent

 

 

U2 are not a band to do things by halves. But when their new 360° tour opened in Barcelona yesterday, with a dramatic mid-show live link-up to the International Space Station, it put previous tours in the shade.

 

The band kicked off their first tour in three years to a deafening crowd of 90,000 inside Nou Camp, Barcelona, the first of 3 million fans in 31 cities expected to see the concerts. With more dates expected to be announced in 2010, it is likely to be the band's most profitable tour. Its scale underlines the increasing importance of live music in an industry battered by declining sales and online piracy.

 

At an estimated cost of more than $100m, 360° is the band's most expensive tour. But it is money well spent, according to industry experts, and has the potential to eclipse takings from the 2005-06 Vertigo tour, which earned U2 a cool $389m.

 

With its circular stage that takes 120 lorries to transport, a 50-metre, four-legged structure to carry the sound system and a set Bono describes as "a space station designed by Gaudi", U2 hardly looked like a band struggling to cope with the recession. But they acknowledged that fans may have sacrificed more than usual to see the spectacle.

 

"All around Spain, all around the world, things are difficult. Thank you for coming back to us again and again," Bono told the rapturous crowd.

 

With lower than average ticket prices ranging from around £30 to £160, each show has around 10,000 at the lowest price, thanks to the 360° stage, which increases a stadium's capacity by 20%, according to U2's manager, Paul McGuinness.

 

Despite having high hopes for the tour, it remained a huge risk, he said. "This is the biggest tour we've ever done, and certainly the most expensive production we've ever put on. It's a gigantic throw of the dice."

 

With 94% of tickets for the 44 gigs currently sold, the tour has already grossed $300m at the box office. Factor in the significant sums likely to be made from sponsorship deals and merchandising, and the signs are promising.

 

In the current climate, live music and international tours are more important than ever, according to Jazz Summers, manager of bands such as the Verve and La Roux. "Making money from records is a relatively recent phenomenon," he said. "If you look back at bands like Led Zepplin in the 70s, they made a fortune from touring, and we appear to be moving back in that direction.

 

"Unless you are Coldplay or Eminem, you are not making a huge amount from royalties. The main area you are going to make money is from live ticket sales and the sponsorship that goes along with it."

 

Will Page, chief economist at PRS for Music, said: "It appears that, for the major music festivals and tours this year, live is getting an increasing share of a decreasing pie. We're in the middle of a credit crunch where all sorts of discretionary spending is being cut back, yet people are still willing to fork out the necessary money – often more money that was required this time last year – to get to see their favourite festival or touring act."

 

Recent figures from the organisation revealed that UK music tour revenues increased by 30% last year, mainly driven by more established acts such as Neil Young, Neil Diamond and Bon Jovi, as well as recently reformed groups such as the Spice Girls and Take That. "Whilst the boom in live music is to be celebrated, there would appear to be a growing gap in the share of the spoils between the hits which would be dominated largely by heritage acts and the rest of the pack, in particular the mid-priced touring acts," said Page.

 

Indeed, finding the resources to tour is increasingly difficult in a more cash-strapped industry, said Jon Webster, CEO of the Music Manager's Forum. "It is really only the top end, bands like U2, who are making shed loads, you really have to get up the ladder before you start making anything. After production costs smaller acts playing to 800 people can struggle to break even."

 

But as U2 linked up by video to the International Space Station half-way through the Barcelona show, such worries must have seemed light years away. "Commander, can you see Barcelona?" asked Bono. For the band's elevated and enviable position in the music world, the view must be as positive as for the astronaut who replied: "Right now the most beautiful sight in our cosmos is the blue planet earth."

 

From

http://www.dailystar.co.uk/playlist/view/8...Camp-Barcelona/

 

THE U2 360° TOUR, NOU CAMP, BARCELONA

 

2nd July 2009

 

JUST when you thought Europe’s largest football stadium couldn’t hold any more people, along come four Irish lads who plonk a great giant claw in the centre circle, opening up the pitch to another 20,000 fans.

 

“This has been our neighbourhood for the past two weeks as we built our space station in the capital of surrealism,” croaked Bono to the fanatical Barca masses.

 

 

He’s not wrong, the stage truly is an alien object.

 

 

Bravely, the band launched into four new songs but show opener Breath lacked the euphoric punch Vertigo delivered on their last tour.

 

 

However, in Magnificent and album title track No Line On The Horizon, the quartet have anthems worthy of their finest moments.

 

 

Then came Beautiful Day just as a giant cylindrical screen descended onto the stage offering fans close-ups at all angles.

 

 

Angel Of Harlem, a song written about Billie Holiday, was enthusiastically dedicated to the memory of Michael Jackson and it segued into renditions of Jacko’s Man In The Mirror and a mass singalong of Don’t Stop Til You Get Enough.

 

 

However, it was not always successful. The four spider-like legs – that kinda resembled David Bowie’s much maligned Glass Spider tour – mean certain positions offer restricted views, a bit like the huge obtrusive pillars you get at old football stadiums. :o :o :o

 

 

But U2’s ambition should be commended, especially when they delivered a live satellite link-up to the International Space Station where we were treated to a bizarre lecture about the state of the planet.

 

 

Purists will undoubtedly bemoan the absence of New Year’s Day or Mysterious Ways, but hell, U2 could play five hours and still not satisfy everybody.

 

 

It’s all about getting down with the claw.

 

 

JAMES CABOOTER

From

http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol...icle6614394.ece

 

July 1, 2009

U2 at Nou Camp Stadium, Barcelona

 

http://i41.tinypic.com/i5qkwo.jpg

 

http://i39.tinypic.com/wbupeu.jpg

 

 

 

 

It’s only rock’n’roll, but for a band of U2’s stature, it sure takes some organizing these days. The 120 trucks needed to freight the 164ft centrepiece of the group’s new 360° Tour emptied out their load two weeks ahead of this, the first of 44 stadium shows.

 

After opening with four songs from the group’s current album No Line On The Horizon, Bono explained his group’s decision to begin their latest adventure in Barcelona. “This is where we wanted to build a space station, designed by Gaudi in the capital of surrealism." But if the huge green four-legged edifice on the Nou Camp pitch – christened The Claw – was inspired by Gaudi, no-one had told the group’s stage and lighting designer, Willie Williams.

 

Some weeks previously, he had already said that the intent had been to create something between the Theme Building at Los Angeles Airport and the fairground machine in Toy Story.

 

If nothing else though, it was a good reminder that the man who persuaded George Bush to sanction the largest ever response by a Western Government to the Aids crisis is nothing if not a charmer – or, as the opening song Breathe put it, the last in “a long line of travelling sales people.”

 

The product, in this case, hardly needed pushing. U2’s Spanish fans were already cheering U2 before a lone Larry Mullen came on and roused the throng into action. Thereafter, what ensued was a cheer so unremitting that, at times, it scarcely abated.

 

Dedicating Angel of Harlem to Michael Jackson, Bono – dressed in customary leathers and amber shades – deftly detoured into verses from Jackson hits such as Man In The Mirror and Don’t Stop Til You Get Enough as his group free-wheeled the song to a rickety climax. Better still was a version of 1999’s Walk On, given solely to draw attention to Burmese Prime Minister-elect Aung San Suu Kyi, who has spent most of the years since her 1990 election under house arrest by the Burmese junta. As an eerie procession of people, their faces obscured by masks bearing Suu Kyi’s face, paced the outer walkway, the song seemed to draw out the singer’s most tender performance of the evening.

 

Over the years U2 have experimented with many different ways of presenting their music, and yet the basic thing at which Bono uniquely excels has remained unchanged. The expression of holy love in a pop song fires up something in Bono that – whilst not hugely hip in rock’n’roll terms – utterly disarms you. At the Nou Camp, these seemed to be the songs that teased out the most goosebumps. I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For would have still shaken the foundations, even if Bono hadn’t draped himself in a Spanish flag and begun singing Primal Scream’s Moving On Up over the final minute of the song. Having lain dormant for twenty years, The Unforgettable Fire found its way back into the U2 live set, vast ambient synth oscillations and all, sounding as haunting as ever.

 

Carried on the back of The Edge’s stratospheric guitar lines, Magnificent showed a band who, on a good day, can still match the peaks of their imperial years. But, at times, this fell well short of being one of those good days.

 

A seemingly scripted satellite link-up with the orbiting International Space Station was intended to remind us that we all had a duty to look after “the beautiful blue earth”. Instead, it reminded us that satellite link-ups can drain even a packed Nou Camp of all its atmosphere if allowed to go on for long enough.

 

Their attempt to reimagine I’ll Go Crazy If I Don’t Go Crazy Tonight as a mid-set trance-techno wig-out did their dignity no favours whatsoever.

 

And, impressive as the huge quadruped was, you couldn’t help feeling that this “claw” – designed to engage all of the crowd no matter what their vantage point – was ultimately an impediment to intimacy. Playing directly beneath the structure, the four members of U2 had never seemed so tiny. Using the walkways and bridges to reach out to their fans was fine, but only as long as the technology served to assist them. For whatever reason, the group seemed to lose all contact with each other for One. As The Edge soldiered on, his guitar wildly out of tune, a visibly agitated Bono lost his place altogether. He instructed his guitarist to stop, but the ensuing version was no less agonizing.

 

Some 40ft away, Mullen and Adam Clayton’s mortified corpsing said it all. And yet, to a crowd who had come to celebrate their favourite band, it all seemed to go unnoticed. Having donned the hallowed Barcelona shirt a few minutes before, the last in a long line of travelling sales people led his band into an intense valedictory With Or Without You. As a lesson in keeping the customer happy – regardless of the product – you had to admire it.

 

Tour continues: Barcelona Nou Camp, July 2

Story and photos here

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/showb...-Barcelona.html

 

 

Don't stop till U2 get enough

 

At Camp Nou, Barcelona

 

Published: Today

 

U2 have landed - and they are ready to take over the galaxy.

 

BONO, EDGE, ADAM CLAYTON and LARRY MULLEN kicked off their first tour in three years in the awe-inspiring surroundings of Barcelona's Camp Nou.

 

And they used the occasion to pay a surprise tribute to King Of Pop MICHAEL JACKSON.

 

Singer Bono dedicated Angel Of Harlem, originally written about BILLIE HOLIDAY, to Jacko, saying: "We met Michael Jackson many times over the years and he was an unspeakable talent."

 

 

 

At the end of the song he quoted from Jacko hits Man In The Mirror and Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough.

 

A spectacular set like a War Of The Worlds spacecraft greeted 90,000 fans at the stadium on Tuesday night.

 

It straddled the middle of the venue to give everyone a good view, which is why it's U2's "360° Tour".

 

In typically bold style, the band kicked off with four songs from new album No Line On The Horizon.

 

Breathe, an odd choice to launch the gig, was followed by the album title track.

 

But the rapturous reaction to the first singles from the album - Get On Your Boots and Magnificent - suggests that they will stand the test of time.

 

 

Speaking to the crowd Bono likened himself to the city's most famous architect, saying: "This is where we wanted to build our space station. I'm like Gaudi, kind of," before launching into the uplifting Beautiful Day.

 

 

The charismatic singer showed where his heart is by wearing an Irish flag for Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For.

 

The space theme continued with a live link-up to astronauts on the International Space Station. They pledged their support for Bono's charity One - a nice touch, despite the technical problems.

 

At every U2 gig you can expect a call to arms from the human rights campaigner and during Walk On he called for action over imprisoned Burmese democracy campaigner AUNG SAN SUU KYI.

 

Clearly loving being back playing live, excited Bono pulled on a Barcelona FC shirt and bounded around the stage proclaiming: "They are the only team on earth that wears UNICEF and not a brand on their kit, so I'm going to wear the shirt."

 

The encore brought Ultraviolet (Light My Way), an emotional With Or Without You and finally new track Moment Of Surrender.

 

The band have had one of their longest breaks from the live circuit in their 30-year career.

 

 

On the evidence of this show they shouldn't leave it so long next time.

 

Beam me up, Bono...

 

 

 

THE 165ft-tall steel structure that houses the lights, speakers and the 360° video screens takes up to four days to erect.

 

So the band commissioned the building of three entire sets - one they perform on, another for technicians to set up at the next venue they play - and one spare in case of breakdowns.

 

 

 

Architect MARK FISHER, who oversaw the creation of the spectacular round stage set, is no stranger to big jobs.

 

He was chief designer for the opening and closing ceremonies of last year's Beijing Olympic Games.

 

 

And show director WILLIE WILLIAMS has been with the rockers since their 1982 War tour.

 

 

 

BONO and the boys are playing 15 stadiums across Europe, visiting France, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands and more over the next two months.

 

The extravaganza reaches the UK on August 14 for two nights at Wembley Stadium.

 

It then visits Glasgow and Sheffield before the band play in Cardiff on August 22.

With thanks to

 

http://www.interference.com/9976-u2-keep-i...barcelona-show/

 

 

U2 Keep It Crazy For Second Barcelona Show

 

July 3, 2009 ·

 

After one day off, U2 returned for the second night of the 360 tour in Barcelona on July 2. Fans everywhere wondered whether the show would differ from the inaugural gig. Would the setlist change in length, order, or variety? How might the band build from the first show’s success without getting stagnant?

 

Around 10pm local time, the band took the stage following “Space Oddity” by David Bowie. Before the extended intro to “Breathe” (replete Larry’s riveting drums and Adam’s inviting bass), before we hear Bono change the date in the song’s lyrics, another song plays over the PA. The wild speculation by fans over the source of this track is intriguing, with many suggesting it is an unreleased tune from a forthcoming album to be released between legs of the tour, much like Zooropa in 1993.

 

After the gig opened with the same set of songs from the new record that we heard on opening night, Bono once again thanked the people of Barcelona before “Beautiful Day.” The singer sounded genuinely grateful when he “thanked the neighborhood” for letting them “make a joyful noise” for the days preceding opening night.

 

This appreciation, though, may not be enough to mute the formal noise complaints filed against the band. Various sources are reporting that “authorities might fine U2 for rocking too long and loudly during rehearsals for their latest world tour, the city council said yesterday.”

 

When “Beautiful Day” ended with a snippet from the Beatles’ “Here Comes The Sun,” the sought after setlist changes and surprises were soon to follow. Trading “Angel of Harlem” as the Michael Jackson tribute of the night for “Desire,” Bono also chose a new Jackson snippet to share, belting the chorus of “Billie Jean.”

 

Apparently, one good surprise deserves another, so the tour debut of “Party Girl” came next. Barely into in the song, Bono brought a party girl called Melissa onstage to hoist the singer high and then share a bottle of champagne. The story has it that he remembered her from joining him in the spotlight at a previous show on a previous tour. It appears some girls have all the luck.

 

The innovations continued with the first-ever performance of “Electrical Storm,” a 2002 single released with the The Best of 1990-2000 compilation. While the single never penetrated the US charts, it did well in the rest of the world. Hardcore fans call these moments “U2 history,” and the reaction among the faithful was universally enthusiastic. Perhaps the summer weather had something to do with the choice. In the song, Bono sings, “It’s hot as hell, honey, in this room/Sure hope the weather will break soon/The air is heavy, heavy as a truck/Need the rain to wash away our bad luck.”

 

 

Already creating all kinds of buzz from the kick-off concert, the wild remix of “I’ll Go Crazy If I Don’t Go Crazy Tonight” returned once again, late in the set before the classic anthem “Sunday Bloody Sunday.” Rocking the djembe and strutting his stuff on the walkways, Larry Mullen secured this version as the shake-your-stuff-and-dance-in-the-aisles highlight of the night. Because, as Bono announced, they were filming a video for this track, perhaps playing it once just simply was not enough. The so-called “normal” mix of the highly-memorable hit reappeared in the encore between “With or Without You” and “Moment of Surrender.”

 

After botching the classic late-set singalong on opening night, U2 redeemed the standard “One” in more ways than one. Since this track usually followed Bono’s longest sermons of the night on the Vertigo tour, fans never know how long he might rap before Edge’s familiar riffs take us by the heartstrings. The band nailed the track without a mixup, and Bono speechified while the loud crowd assailed him with wails. But he kept the talk short and sweet, his rap dripping about love for his bandmates, his best friends, his brothers. Instead of the usual evangelism about this cause or that, Bono pledged to change the world inside our heads. For lifelong followers of U2, the change inside ourselves that this music brings is one crazy cause we all can agree upon.

 

Written by Anu · Filed Under Featured Articles, U2 Event Coverage

http://www.mayonews.ie/index.php?option=co...&Itemid=135

 

MUSIC: Review of U2 at Croke Park

Monday, 03 August 2009

U2 put on a brilliant show

 

Mike Finnerty

 

BRILLIANT. That’s the only world that sums it up really. Brilliant. Two hours of unadulterated, non-stop, adrenalin-pumping brilliance. Welcome to the weird and wonderful world of U2. Live in concert. And even better than the real thing (if that makes sense!).

In my 32 years on the planet, I had never seen U2 play live. Cue a quick hop to Castlebar earlier this year and 90 minutes spent queueing on the High Street to secure the ‘golden tickets’.

There was one for me and one for Mrs Finnerty, handed over on that particular Friday morning by the legendary Mick Byrne (aka ‘Auld Stock’) who assured me that ‘they were mighty seats’. How right he was.

We took the advice of many worldly-wise Mayo GAA supporters and took the train from Leixlip in to Drumcondra. Twenty-five minutes later we were strolling down to the Hogan Stand, basking in the glorious Friday evening sunshine, and wondering why anybody would ever drive to Croke Park. Our advice? Take the train. Every time.

Once inside, we took a quick look at ‘The Claw’ (which is probably the most unusual thing to park in front of Hill 16 since Willie Joe arrived in with his bandaged head back in 1989) and picked up some official U2 merchandise.

One t-shirt? €25. One official tour programme? €20. One happy wife? Priceless!

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, it was 8.55pm when the crowd at the front of the stage spotted something stirring. Out of the body of The Claw came Larry Mullen Jnr, followed close behind by Adam Clayton, The Edge and Bono. We were ready for off.

For the next two hours, the only world that existed, as far as we were concerned, was inside the four walls of the stadium. By the soaund of things, the 82,500 people all around us seemed to agree. Everybody, from those in the corporate boxes to the die-hards on the pitch, were spellbound by the band, the music, the stage and the special effects. The whole shooting gallery.

There was no shortage of unforgettable moments, and time seemed to stand still during songs like Magnificent, Beautiful Day, City of Blinding Lights, Sunday Bloody Sunday, Pride, and Where the Streets Have No Name.

Those of us in couples were also catered for with the likes of Walk On - You’ll Never Walk Alone, One and With or Without You. Certainly, there were times when it was hard not to feel like a love-struck teenager again between the special effects, the fading light, and Bono’s ability to make one of the biggest stadiums in Europe seem like Clonbur disco circa 1993!

Unfortunately, before we knew it, the clock had struck 11pm and the show was over. We all clapped and roared our appreciation, smiles creasing faces as far as the eye could see. As we spilled out on to the streets around Croke Park, people chatted among themselves and shouted into mobile phones. ‘Brilliant’ they all said. It was the only word for it

 

:yahoo: