Monday 24 August 2009

The Edge in Cardiff Ecstatic fans give U2 performance


WITH a spectacular £20m stage for the biggest performance ever hosted by the Millennium Stadium, anticipation of U2 were high.
But for the thousands of fans from all over the world who packed into the home of Welsh rugby to see the Irish rockers on Saturday, the show did not fail to impress.
Some even hailed it as possibly the excellent concert in the stadium’s 10 year history.
As iconic front man Bono appeared clad in black and wearing his trademark dark glasses, the crowd erupted.
And what a crowd the almost capacity 70,000 conference made it a record breaking assembly for any performance at the stadium, outselling Take That’s 64,000 conference earlier this year.
After sets from The Hours and Glasvegas, U2 opened with the song Breathe from new album No Line On The Horizon before treating fans to a mix of their many hits from the past three decades and new songs from their latest CD.
Highlights added Beautiful Day, Mysterious Ways, Vertigo, Pride and One, as well as newer stand-out songs Get On Your Boots, I’ll Go Crazy If I Don’t Go Crazy Tonight and Magnificent.
Homage was paid to guitarist. The Edge’s Welsh roots, with Bono confessing to having once had singing lessons from the musician’s father Garvin Evans, who comes from Llanelli.
“He told me to look after the accordant and the vowels will look after themselves,” Bono told the crowd, who licked up his every word.
The Edge, whose family were in the conference, had manifestly requested that the band end their European tour in Cardiff because of his Welsh estate.
Addressing the adoring masses, the guitarist simply said “Cymru Am Byth” to delighted acclaim before he and his bandmates launched into I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For.
Needing minimal comfort from Bono, the crowd led the vocals for the first verse, sounding like an enormous Welsh choir.
Of course, no U2 performance would be complete without a political message of freedom and equality, and this was no exception.
As well as dedicating the songs MLK and Walk On to imprisoned Burmese leader Aung San Suu Kyi, the band played a speciall recorded video message from Archbishop Desmond Tutu before launching into the anthemic One.
But while their songs were predictably great and the sound quality fantastic, the performance really stood out because of the enormous and impressive set, dubbed The Claw.
The 160ft high structure correspond the talons of a giant machine, supporting enormous video screens which towered above the band’s circular stage.
The Claw frequently changed colour and at one point became surrounded by an enormous mesh like structure, onto which capture of the band was projected.
Apparently the set aims to make stadium presentation more intimate. Whether it acquired that is up for argument, but it certainly created an impressive concert and an awesome setting for one of the world’s biggest bands to blow their fans away.
As well as the 70,000 inside the stadium, hundreds more were able to follow the action with WalesOnline's Dave Owens providing a running commentary and pictures of the performances.

Saturday 22 August 2009

U2 Aussie tour stage


U2 will tour Australia in 2011, leaving its agreement stage behind as a gift.
Mark Fisher, who designed the stage, absently announced the band's plan to visit Australia.
Fisher has built three super structures for U2's 360 Tour.
"My vision . . . is we will prove them into enduring agreement pavilions and leave them around the world," he said."For example, we will finish one part of the tour in Australia and another in South America."
Mr Fisher said U2 would donate the stages, which hold 180 tonnes of equipment.
U2's Australian tour promoter, Michael Coppel, said no local tour dates were confirmed.
But industry sources said U2 would perform in Australia in 2011.
The astronomical show is said to be up to 10 times bigger than U2's stadium spectacular, Zooropa, which played at the MCG in 1993.
"This makes the Rolling Stones look small and AC/DC look like a pub band," a source said.
Meanwhile, Neil Diamond will tour next year and Sir Paul McCartney is likely to visit in 2011.

Thursday 20 August 2009

U2 to release unearthed songs from 'The Unforgettable Fire' sessions

U2 have said they want to release a number of previously unreleased tracks recorded during the band's sessions for their 1984 album 'The Unforgettable Fire'.Bono and The Edge said that a number of tracks have been rediscovered by the band recently, when they were revisiting the LP to remaster it for a 25th anniversary reissue later this year.Speaking on BBC Radio 1 yesterday (August 19), The Edge admitted he'd been listening to several unreleased tracks that are likely to feature on the expanded new version."I listened to some tracks that we're gonna release with the new 'Unforgettable Fire' reissue, some new songs that we discovered that we'd recorded, back in that era - the '80s - that we're gonna put out. And they sound amazing."

Monday 17 August 2009

U2 : AWAKE IN LONDON

Another special night and the band mixed up the set list again. Hard to single out any particular moments but as someone says below, 'To see 88,000 people lose themselves in music is a sight you don't forget in a hurry.'
And enjoyed this comment: 'Ultraviolet wins in this tour- it's got real panache- a laser jacket, a rope swing mic, lower lighting, and Bono's voice seems to sound better now singing it than he did on Achtung. Hats off. Oh and that 'Streets' song ;)".

Keep sending us your reviews. What did it feel like to be at the show tonight? Surprises? Shocks? Unforgettable moments you'll never surrender? Here's what they played."

Breathe
No Line On The Horizon
Get On Your Boots
Magnificent
Beautiful Day
Until The End of the World
New Year's Day
I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For
Stay
Unknown Caller
Unforgettable Fire
City of Blinding Lights
Vertigo
I'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight (Remix)
Sunday Bloody Sunday
Pride (In The Name of Love)
MLK
Walk On
Where The Streets Have No Name
One
(Bad)
--------
Ultraviolet
With Or Without You
Moment of Surrender