U2 at the U of M announcement expected Monday

Monday could be the day when Twin Cities U2 fans finally find what they've been looking for — a local date for the band's massive 360° Tour.
The official announcement of a June 27 stop at the new TCF Bank Stadium in Minneapolis is expected to happen Monday, capping off weeks of fan speculation and news reports/rumors about when, where and how U2's stadium tour would visit Minnesota. Initially, July 1 was bandied around as the possible date — the band has announced regional shows in East Lansing, Mich., on June 30 and Chicago on July 6.
The tour has already hit numerous European destinations and wrapped up its first run of North American dates last month, grossing more than $311 million in the process. The New York Times described the massive in-the-round stage as "a claw-like, spired structure that's part insect, part spacecraft, part cathedral."
Tickets for the Chicago date range in price from $250 to $30. Paid subscribers to the band's Web site, U2.com, have the opportunity to buy tickets before they go on sale to the general public.
- Ross Raihala

Latest On The U2 Spider-Man Musical

Here's the latest on "Spider Man, Turn Off The Dark", the musical featuring music from U2's Bono and The Edge. The gig has added a new lead and second producer and full financing is "expected to be in place shortly". Once this happens the show will resume full production. The show will open in 2010 at the Hilton Theatre in New York .The show has also have selected Reeve Carney, the lead singer of Carney, to play the role of Peter Parker, aka Spider-Man. Carney joins previously announced cast members Evan Rachel Wood as Mary Jane Watson, Peter Parker's girlfriend and Alan Cumming as Norman Osborn (aka Green Goblin).Pre sale tickets for the show are on sale now via Ticketmaster.

U2 at New Meadowlands, On Sale Today

So far, U2’s 360° Tour has played to 3 million fans in 44 cities – but are they ready to throw in the towel? Hell, no! There are still millions who remain to untouched by the second coming of Bono!
So in case you missed their Giants Stadium gig (one of the last at the venue, before Broooce closed the joint), you’ll have a chance to catch the tour on July 19, 2010 at Jersey’s still-in-progress New Meadowlands (which Bon Jovi will inaugurate in May). The bells and whistles for this tour are heavy duty, by the way. Quoth the press release:
"With a cylindrical video system of interlocking LED panels, and a steel structure rising 150 feet from the floor over a massive stage with rotating bridges, the band has truly created an intimate 360 experience for concert goers. In keeping with the concept that this tour is more about a unique staging configuration with excellent sight lines, tickets for the U2 360 2010 tour will once again be scaled so that 85 percent of the tickets are priced at less than $95.00, general admission floor tickets at $55.00 and at least 10,000 tickets per venue priced at $30.00. "
Subscribers to U2.com get a crack at tickets today, with the general on-sale date TBA.

Fall of Berlin Wall, Free U2 Concert Commemorates

MTV Europen Music Awards Just one of the big acts slated for the on Nov. 5, U2 will play a free concert in front of Berlin’s Brandenburg Gate to commemorate the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989.
Four days the gig will take place before the milestone’s 20th Anniversary celebration, which looks back on the wipeout of the barrier that stood as the Cold War’s icon, cutting the city in two.
Other artists to perform at the EMA’s include Jay-Z, Green Day, Robbie Williams, Tokio Hotel, Leona Lewis, Foo Fighters and Shakira, reports Billboard.biz.
“It’ll be an exciting spot to be in, 20 years almost to the day since the wall came down — should be fun,” said U2’s manager Paul McGuinness.
Bono & Co. will be in the race for best rock band at the EMA’s.

Tour At the Rose Bowl to U2 360

The U.S. leg to U2 closed of their massive 360° Tour in front of a record crowd last night, and the experience was nothing short of an extravagant spectacle. 96,000 people descended on the beautiful little town of Pasadena on Sunday, obliterating the 20,000 parking spaces by morning and causing the major transit lines to run overtime. I had refused to believe there was an actual subway in Los Angeles until I was riding it out of the station with the fan masses, but it's very real, and was very packed with Bono disciples yesterday.
The gates of the Rose Bowl opened nearly an hour after the listed 5 p.m. doors time, which led to desperate bottlenecking that would've turned massively fatal at the drop of a hat, had someone screamed "fire" or "bomb" or "Fergie pissed her pants onstage again!" Openers Black Eyed Peas brought their anthemics up to stadium level in pro fashion, recruiting special guest Slash to play "Sweet Child O' Mine" to the squealing delight of the crowd. The former Gunner wasn't the only famous face at the bowl, however; other stars in attendance included Colin Farrell, Ewan McGregor, Paris Hilton, J.J. Abrams, Chris O'Donnell, Cindy Crawford and Michael Bay.

Of course, the biggest spectacle - what apparently justifies spending in excess of $300 million without turning a dime of profit - is the Claw, a giant, spider-like contraption that stands 170 feet tall, looks like a giant spaceship and is completely distracting as a stage prop. It's neat to look at, but when one considers that they've played to 3 million fans and are still in the hole, it begs the question: what's the point? Is the goal to cram as many people as they can into arenas? If so, U2 certainly succeeded.

But what about the music? Aside from the fact that the set was unreasonably heavy on newer material, I was four rows from the floor, and for all the hype about rotating platforms and "intimate" experiences courtesy of the Claw, I've had more intimate music moments watching YouTube. In fact, the show was broadcast on YouTube (and filmed for a future DVD as well), and those at their computers likely had far better a concertgoing encounter than anyone in the stadium that wasn't on the general-admission floor. Sure, the spectacle and energy of the staggeringly massive Rose Bowl crowd doesn't translate through a computer screen, but the songs didn't hit nearly as hard as they could've - for the simple fact that it seemed they (particularly Bono) were playing up more to the cameras than to the audience itself.

U2 felt like a company. They didn't strike me as a band trying to reach an emotional apex with their audience. Is this the price of a band constantly trying to outdo their own gimmicks? Is it truly better for millions of people to share an experience if that very experience is diminished by the grandiosity of it? The answer is no, and for all their noble efforts and seasoned showmanship, U2 just didn't pull it off.

All the same, the night was still full of beautiful moments. The snippet of Beethoven’s Ninth as the intro to “Get On Your Boots” was gorgeous, and a few lines from Daniel Lanois’ “The Maker” at the end of “Beautiful Day,” was memorable as well. The “Amazing Grace” lead-in to the deafening singalong “Where the Streets Have No Name,” as well as the uber-anthem "Sunday Bloody Sunday" didn't suffer from the grandiosity, but the general sense of spectatorship felt more like a football game than a concert. And in a climate where corporate generics are ripping the human experience out of life at every turn, what we need is intimate heart. You may still be able to find it on a U2 album, but certainly not beside 96,000 other fans, under a giant Claw.

U2 pays tribute to Boyzone singer at U.S. concerts

U2 consecrated part of their latest concerts to Boyzone singer Stephen Gately, who tragically passed away on October 10.
On their stops in Houston and Dallas on their 360 Tour, the Irish rock band paid tribute to the singer, dedicating “Unforgettable Fire” to his memory.
Bono shared with the crowds that the 33 year old Irish boyband star was “a beautiful spirit and a bright flame.”
Gately and the rest of the members of Boyzone famously appeared in U2’s 1998 video for “Sweetest Thing,” in which Bono says sorry to his wife by bringing in the boyband to serenade her.
The video also features cameos by Riverdance and former Irish world boxing champion Steve Collins.

U2 concert at Cowboys Stadium

At the DMN music blog the good folks have scheduled a chat for Tuesday afternoon to rehash U2 concert Monday night's. They'll be going over particular of the previous night's gig and how Cowboys Stadium is working as a concert venue. Start gathering your questions and opinions. I'll join in too as the resident stadium apparencer as well as someone who will be in the seating bowl tonight (the first time as spectator instead of as a journalist).

A video game wants U2

Rock icons U2 are desperate to follow in the footsteps of The Beatles and Metallica and land their own video game.

Bassist Adam Clayton admits he and his bandmates are impressed with the currently released The Beatles: Rock Band which allows fans to play along to the Fab Four's wonderest hits and they want a piece of the action themselves.
Clayton tells USA Today, "We definitely would like to be in there. I love the idea that that's where people are getting music, and we'd love to be in that world. We'll figure something out. What The Beatles have done, where the animation is much more representative of them, is what we're interested in."

U2 want to follow Beatles by having 'Rock Band' game

U2 may follow in The Beatles' footsteps by having their own edition of the 'Rock Band' video game released, despite initial discussions with the game's makers breaking down.

Bono and co had talks last year with the makers of the game, MTV Games and Electronic Arts, but a deal wasn't agreed because of what bassist Adam Clayton called "compromises" they wouldn't agree to.

Now, since the release of 'The Beatles: Rock Band', Clayton has told USA Today that the U2 game could still be on the way.

"We definitely would like to be in there," he said. "But we felt some of the compromises weren't what we wanted. That could change. I love the idea that that's where people are getting music and we'd love to be in that world. We'll figure something out."

The bassist confirmed that it was seeing The Beatles' game that renewed his enthusiasm for a possible U2 version.

"What The Beatles have done, where the animation is much more representative of them, is what we’re interested in, rather than the one-size-fits-all animation," he said. "We didn't want to be caricatured."

U2's new album: 'We believe in the songs'

U2's 360° Tour is selling out globally, but no lines formed for No Line on the Horizon, an album that has sold 1 million copies in seven months -- shy of the tally that 2004's How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb racked up in two weeks.

"We didn't have a hit," Bono says. " 'Get On Your Boots' is going over better and better live, but that spongy funky sound didn't connect with rock radio. If your first single doesn't go off, it can knock the momentum. We believe in the songs and we want people to have them in their hearts and their iPods.

"Missing 2008's fourth quarter hurt sales, which in an era of rampant piracy no longer reflect the music's reach.

"You don't know how far the music travels," says bassist Adam Clayton. "The new songs get a great reaction live. Nobody's yawning or groaning. Releasing it outside that last quarter made it more uphill. Other factors skew the numbers. The record business is collapsing, and radio and the media.

"What's beyond Horizon? A trio of albums, starting with the ambient Songs of Ascent, containing surplus material from Horizon sessions. It may include the buzzed-about "Every Breaking Wave."

"It's a very intimate affair," Bono says. "They are beautiful love songs, where the object of love is not always obvious."

The band also wants to finish its shelved rock album with producer Rick Rubin, and Bono and Edge are wrapping up songs for the Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark musical."

That's a monster album, a wild ride with very big songs," says Bono, who hopes the pair's project will evolve into a U2 album with special guests. "Edge and I knew it had to be dramatic, melodic and character-based. We'd just dream up the maddest stuff. Spider-Man may be the funnest project I've ever been involved with. Never a dull day, never a dark day until a few weeks ago when we woke up to the news that the production company had run out of cash."

Bono asked Canadian promoter Michael Cohl to help get the project on track. Spidey may be delayed but won't be derailed, he says.

Release dates are indefinite.

"The Spider-Man collection is the most developed but the least appropriate to the band," Edge says. "We've got so much material at different stages of completion, it's going to be a nice problem when we've got a few weeks to look at it."

Their Own Rock Band Game wants U2

The band U2 is interested in their own Rock Band treatment, according to a report on USA Today. Mommented on t5he band's of the bassist Adam Clayton past with music games and how that perception was changed with The Beatles Rock Band. "We obviously would like to be in there, but we felt some compromises weren't what we wanted," he said. "That could change. I love the idea that that's where people are getting music, and we'd love to be in that world. We'll figure something out. What The Beatles have done, where the aliveness is much more representative of them, is what we're interested in, rather than the one-size-fits-all animation. We didn't want to be caricatured."
After Rock Band managed to snag the holy grail of music licenses with The Beatles, many have wondered what other bands could handle an entire game based on their careers. Led Zeppelin and U2 often enter those discussions, and it's good to know at least one of them is interested in it.

Conference finds a little faith in U2

DURHAM -- Ten years ago I heard a band from southern Ohio play U2's "Desire" with an acoustic guitar, a washtub bass and a rack of percussive chimes and shakers. At nearby Cedarville College, the Baptist school I attended, we weren't supposed to think about -- let along sing about -- "the fever when I'm beside her ... desi-eeyi-eeyi-eeyi-eeyer."
Growing up in the evangelical church, I learned suspicion of U2. We all knew they had belonged to a charismatic Christian church back in the '80s and liked to sing about Jesus, but what about Mephisto, Bono's "Dark Lord of Rock" from the "Zooropa" album?
I was a sophomore in 1997 when a senior tried to scalp tickets for the "Pop" tour; I was tempted. Then I heard the song "Wake Up, Dead Man," confirming what I had been told about U2 and other so called "Christian" artists: They were wolves beneath that wolfish face paint, leather pants and dark shades.

Back then, the prevailing wisdom at my alma mater was that U2 was just another "secular" band -- useless, at best, for the important work of saving souls and, at worst, a tool of Satan. Bono didn't actually help his case, what with calling the Risen Lord a "dead man" and all.
As a class officer planning student activities, I tried to book a band from Columbus who played original songs but also covered U2, along with some other bands.
"Are these guys a Christian band, or are these just Christians who have a band?" was the e-mail response I got from an administrator.
Students complained to their professors when a guest lecturer showed a U2 video in a compulsory chapel service.
We have all come a long way since then. As a rule, I am indifferent toward celebrity, and I don't want to lay messianic expectations on Bono any more than I do on our president.
But the man is my hero. He has used his one-of-a-kind voice to tell the world about AIDS in Africa and Third World debt and probably helped to save some souls in the process.
At my church, we often sing along to songs such as "Grace," "One" and "Walk On" modern-day hymns that unearth the human condition and let a little heaven shine in.
More important than my own metamorphosis, though, is the fact that Cedarville -- now a university -- has seen fit to give the biggest-band-in-the-world its own academic conference.

My Kid's First Rock Concert and Mission and U2's Music

Oh no, my eleven year old went to his first rock concert this week! Oh good, it was Bono and U2. That would express the feelings of many parents about their child's introductory rock and roll concert experience. FedEx Field, where the Washington football team plays with much less energy and appeal, was filled with people from bottom to top, in boxes to bleachers, with a sound that seemed to reach every corner of the gigantic stadium, and with lights that inspired admiration and awe.
The stage alone was more than any other contemporary rock band has produced, according to 25 year olds I know, who actually "know" about this stuff. It has been described as a 164-foot high "claw" that loomed over the stadium, to a "cathedral," to a "spaceship" said Bono, "But it isn't going anywhere without you!"
"Mom, how do you know the words to all these songs?" Luke asked Joy Carroll, who has been singing along with this band for its whole 33 year career. U2 roused the huge crowd with its best tunes like "Beautiful Day," "Sunday Bloody Sunday," "Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For;" with the highlight for me coming when Bono began with a solo rendition of "Amazing Grace" that moved right into "Where the Streets Have No Name."
But it was the stunning and extravagant stage, set, and lights of the U2 tour that stole the gig. U2 literally lit up the sky and filled the air over the nation's Capital with a display of sight and sound unlike anything I had ever seen. And in the middle of the show, Joy and I got a light tap on the back, turned around, and lit up ourselves with big smiles as we greeted our long-time friend Willie Williams the man responsible for the amazing grace of all that light. "I heard you were here, and they told me where you were sitting. So I had to come over and just say hi." "This is the person responsible for all the lighting," I told Luke, who could hardly believe this was all happening to him.
And because it was the nation's Capital, the politicos were all on hand. How many concerts feature shout outs to Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, and Senate Judiciary Chair, Patrick Leahy, (who Bono called the "John Wayne" of Washington), or one to Catholic Cardinal Theodore McCarrick , who were all on hand. "Can you believe it," cried Bono, "A Cardinal at a rock concert!" And we even got to come in on the One Campaign bus with the Cardinal!
"Politics" was indeed part of the concert, not the partisan politics that dominate Washington D.C. (Bono made it a point to praise politicians on "both the left and the right" who have cared about places like Africa, he even dedicated a song to President Bush for increasing foreign aid) - but the moral politics that characterize Bono's clarion call to conscience and action which echoed throughout the evening.
In fact, what I love about a U2 concert, headlined by the Irish tenor with the sun glasses, is how it achieves such a powerful combination of art and social justice, music and message; and all with such fun. The New York Times titled its review of the opening concert in Giants stadium as "Fun With a Mission."
As always on nights with U2, activism for human rights and democracy was lifted up. "Walk On" was dedicated to Aung San Suu Kyi, the opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize laureate under house arrest in Burma/Myanmar. "How long has she been under house arrest," asked Luke. "20 years" I said, and watched the look of concern and indignation on the face of a pre-teenager--at a rock concert. Luke also got to see a short video of a beaming Desmond Tutu, another Nobel Peace Prize winner, talk about "the kind of people" who make a difference in this world, and invited us all to join the One Campaign.
On the way out of the concert, Luke whispered that he had just heard somebody say, "The only thing I don't like about Bono is his political sh*t." Luke asked me what he meant. I said there are some people who don't like the message of Bono and U2, just the music. But it is precisely the incredibly inspiring blend and, dare I say, integration of music, message, and mission that makes U2 not only so compelling; but also so important.
It was a night of mutual affirmation with a band and an adoring audience, their community, who truly seemed to love being together again. It was an evening of joy and justice. The final comment of a first time almost teenager was, of course, "It was awesome," but, unlike most of the moments and venues where this overused affirmation of the younger generation is invoked, this time it was accurate and appropriate. The concert was truly "awesome."

New sod in its wake U2 will leave

An elaborate plan is in place to have a new field ready for play at Carter Finley Stadium one week after U2's concert Saturday night.
N.C. State officials won't be completely at ease, though, until the Oct. 10 football game against Duke ends without problems with the field.
According to athletic director Lee Fowler, concert arrangers have put money in the six figure range in escrow to build a new field after the concert. Of that money, some will be spent on resodding immediately after the concert, with the rest left for work after the season if necessary.

School officials have consulted with experts who have completed similar turf rebuilding efforts after gigs in other stadiums, but they are anxious to see the results.
"I'm still nervous about next week," Fowler said.
The first time N.C. State officials were approached about having U2 play at Carter Finley, they declined, Fowler said. Then they were promised that concert organizers would pay for the resodding.
Concert promoter Live Nation is paying a sum in the six figures to rent the stadium, and N.C. State gets to keep revenue from parking and concessions. Fowler said the show will provide good publicity and exposure for N.C. State.
"If you happen to be in the path of a tour like this where they go from D.C. to Virginia to North Carolina to Georgia, we just happened to be in the path," said Ray Brincefield, assistant athletic director for outdoor facilities. "We decided to do this to boost the economy and put people to work and be able to show off our stadium."
Brincefield said the huge, globelike structure U2 is building and the accompanying stage will cover 70 percent of the field. The contract for the event requires all materials for the show to be out of the stadium within 48 hours of the concert's end late Saturday.
Half the field will be stripped Monday night and resodded Tuesday. The other half will be stripped Tuesday night and resodded Wednesday.
Precision Turf of Atlanta is handling the work.
N.C. State coach Tom O'Brien said he isn't concerned about the condition of the field.
"It's been done before," O'Brien said. "It's been done, I believe, at the Meadowlands (in New Jersey) and other places before. I likely shouldn't be so quick to say no, but I know it's been done in the past and there haven't been problems."
Fowler and Brincefield also are confident because they believe they have a good plan. But they're eager to bring it to a conclusion.
"It's all long talk until it happens and it's successful," Brincefield said. "Then we can relish it. But until then we're all very cautious."

Scott Stadium; U2

“My body’s now a begging bowl,” Bono sang at the end of U2’s two-and-a-half hour gig last night, “that’s begging to get back, begging to get back to my heart, to the rhythm of my soul.” It’s the classic U2 lyric, merging social issues (poverty) and world culture (Third World) with intimacy and personal yearning. And in closing the band’s blow out gig at Scott Stadium, “Moment of Surrender” summed up as well as anything the beauty and contradictions of the world’s longest rock band.
David Bowie’s “Space Oddity” signaled the start of the concert as the much reported on, tentacular set billowed smoke, and with all that it became clear that U2 positions itself now as the Band that Fell to Earth. Prophets from above and within, they project their vision of what ails humanity and what can redeem it from a vast sphere of TV screens. And the effect at times was mesmerizing, vital and fresh. The Edge would be on one side of the circular stage and Bono far off on the catwalk, and yet the screen would merge their well lighted images crisply and with style. (But fans of the rhythm section might have noted that it wasn’t until the ninth song of the 25-song show, “Sunday Bloody Sunday,” that Adam Clayton got his proper due in the live video.) Things turned a bit cheesy when, at the end of “Your Blue Room” astronaut Frank De Winne’s visage filled the screen with a genuine message from outer space. Sometimes, I thought, it’s better to allude to a miracle than to actually point to it. And by the time Archbishop Desmond Tutu’s close up floated hundreds of feet in the air, exhorting the crowd to act nobly and aid the poor, The idea of message with I started to grow uneasy with from revered leaders blasting to stadium crowds that are high on shared energy. Sure, Tutu is right and so is Bono, about how to be a world citizen, but the means of communication and the rapt reception that they counted on fleetingly inspired a rather sinister comparison. But it all came back to the music, in the end, and that is U2’s great trick. Right about the time that the words Bono and megalomania start to harmonize in your head, there’s The Edge, wringing waves of sound from his guitar on the brilliant “City of Blinding Lights” or kicking out the jams in “Vertigo.” With age, Bono, like his hero Frank Sinatra, is flattening the high notes or talking through them. Interestingly, that has the effect of making the band sound even tighter, and highlighting the Edge’s quiet musical passion. Not that Bono is without grounding instincts of his own. Riffing on the fact that U2 was performing at a university campus, he introduced his mates (“roommates,” he actually called them) as classic college types. The Edge, he said, was the Nerd. Drummer Larry Mullen, Jr. was the Captain of the Football Team. Clayton was a Friend to Cheerleaders Everywhere. As for himself, Bono said, he was the College Dropout, still trying to learn something from the other three guys. Later, as the band wound up its second encore, he took it a step further. “Thank you, Larry, Edge and Adam,” he said, “for letting me be in your band.”

Plans for Next Album Take Shape, U2 Beyond the "Horizon"

Go behind the scenes with U2 on their epic 360° Tour in our new issue, on stands now. The blue band with Check out Q&A from our interviews.

On Future Plans
The Edge: We're sort of spoiled for choice right now, because there's a bunch of amazing pieces that we didn't finish from the work we did in Fez, and there's the songs we started with Rick Rubin, some of which are amazing songs that I'd love to get back to at some point. Bono and I also have this Spider-Man [musical] project, which we're very glad about. So there are a lot of things on the stove, and they're all very exciting.
Now that this tour is kind of up and running, I'm actually looking forward to getting into those projects, doing some listening back, seeing where they're all at, seeing which one is likely set to go first. The one thing is we'd love to follow this album up sooner rather than later we'll have over three years i dont think or whatever it was between the last two records. It's hard to say (about a U2 Spider-Man album). There will be a Spider-Man album, but whether it's us or the cast, that's the sort of thing we're not sure about. There are some amazing tunes.
Larry Mullen: I definitely think we should do something good as soon as we possibly can, as opposed to quickly. I'm feeling that it's the unfinished songs from this record that we should be concentrating on. I think there's a part two of this record. That would be my instinct, would be to complete this. I think there is slower, meditative stuff on there, but I think there are other things, as well, and I don't think it will end up being that kind of record. I think it will end up being a mixture of a few different things. I would like to think that we would have a song that would end up on the radio.
Rolling Stone: Did you reconvene with Brian Eno to do any recording?
Larry Mullen: We've talked about it, and how we would do it. He went into the studio to have a listen to some things i think so. We will get back together with him.
RS: Over the break between this year and next?
Larry Mullen: Absolutely, yeah. I'd also like to get back to the (Rick Rubin) sessions. I think there's some actually good stuff there.
Bono: Afew year we certainly don't want to go away. (The next) album is called Songs of Ascent, and it's a very clear idea. If we're going to do another rock record, I want to do Spider Man. I just haven't talked Adam and Larry into that.
I would like to have one of our songs on the pop charts. It's my only rejected (with No Line on the Horizon) People love, love the album it's had rave reviews, not just in the U.S., but all over the world. But I would like a few pop songs on it. So I would like, even on Songs of Ascent, songs that have a shot at that. I would like to come back with a new single in the spring "Every Breaking Wave" was Jimmy Iovine's favorite song, and lots of people got upset when we took that off.

U2 concert stage being set

The stage isn’t quite set for U2’s reaching in Raleigh, but it’s getting there.
The process of constructing more than 250 people the stage in the center of the football field at North Carolina State University's Carter Finley Stadium, The legendary band will perform in Raleigh for the first time on saturday night.
The 360 degree stage features “The Claw,” a towering, four legged steel structure that holds the speaker system and a cylinndrical video screen over the performance area. A circular ramp will connect the stage to rotating bridges.
The concert on Saturday night is expected to draw 65,000 to 70,000 people. More than 600 event staff will be working the concert, and the Wake County Sheriff’s Office will provide about half the deputies that normally staff a North Carolina State University football game. A security team employed by U2 will handle many of the details for the gig.
To prepare for the event, the sheriff’s office sent a team of deputies to Boston last month to look how the security detail is managed.
The daily costs of the production are an estimated $750,000, and that doesn’t include the stage construction. Truck rentals, transportation and staff wages comprise the majority of that $750,000.
The concert is so long,all the way to Raleigh's Glenwood South it is even spilling. Businessman Niall Hanley, the man behind the Hibernian Irish Pubs in Raleigh and Cary, is holding a pre concert event Thursday at his other major venture, the popular night club Solas. That party will feature U2 cover band “Vertigo.”
“Raleigh has truly arrived,” says Hanley, who, like U2, hails from Ireland. “For a band of U2's caliber to come to Raleigh gigs just how much our city has grown in its reputation as a nice place to live, work and visit.”

U.Va. announces plans to manage U2 traffic

CHARLOTTESVILLE — Thursday evening, more than 50,000 people will head to the University of Virginia's Scott Stadium as rock band U2 brings its 360° Tour to Charlottesville, the first concert at Scott Stadium since the Rolling Stones played there four years ago.
Although as many as 60,000 people descend on Scott Stadium at least six times every fall for home football games, and football game procedures form the basis of much of the logistics for concerts, a major weeknight concert also poses alone challenges, said Larry Wilson, general manager of U.Va.'s John Paul Jones Arena and an executive with SMG, U.Va.'s event management partner that played a key role in landing both U2 and the Rolling Stones in 2005.
Lessons learned from the Stones concert are guiding several new measures this time around, Wilson explained.
A helicopter and Virginia Department of Transportation cameras will monitor traffic flow on Interstate 64, allowing real-time updates to directions and messages that will be displayed on 25 electronic message boards placed along I-64, U.S. 29 and other roads leading into parking areas.
Based on the color of their parking permits, drivers will be routed westbound on the U.S. 250 bypass from exit 124 (Pantops) off I-64, as well as north on U.S. 29 from exit 118B. Those with black permits will be directed to use exit 120 from I-64 (Ridge Street), thereby distributing the incoming traffic among three of the four Charlottesville exits off I-64.
The message boards will be particularly helpful to out-of-town visitors, Wilson said. For instance, roadside message boards near exit 118B will direct all concert-goers except those with blue, gold and red parking permits to merge left at the bottom of the ramp, around the traffic waiting to exit onto Fontaine Avenue, and proceed to the next two exits off the 250 bypass (at Ivy Road and Leonard Sandridge Road).

Fox performs with U2, Megan

'Transformers' beauty Megan Fox may not have much musical talent, but the stunner got the opportunity to perform with legendary band U2, who let her play the tambourine.
The 23 year old Hollywood beauty who has twice been voted the 'Sexiest Woman Alive' was hosting the popular TV gig 'Saturday Night Live' when she was invited to play with them, reported Us magazine online.
The 'Vertigo' hitmakers were aroused to be sharing the stage with Fox, with lead singer Bono telling the audience.
"SNL is gonna be excellent this week. Megan Fox will be on the tambourine and that’s a good thing," said Bono.
The brunette beauty, who is often compared to superstar Angelina Jolie, played up on her sex symbol status while playing host, showed some fake naked pictures of herself, including one brought in by a 'fan' in which she had the body of a horse.

U2's tour costs prevent profits

Rock giants U2 are still to pull in a profit from their sold out 360* world tour - because the mammoth show's overheads are so costly.
The Beautiful Day legends have been on the road since June, rigging a huge steel construction, dubbed The Claw, as their portable stage.
But constructing the giant sculpture at every new venue, plus paying the huge team wanted to put it together, doesn't come cheap costing a staggering $750,000 per show.
And despite selling out tickets around the world, the pair won't really start pulling any revenue back in until the North American leg finishes next month - despite being on the road for three months.
U2 manager Paul McGuinness explains, "The tour's engineering problems are enormous and costly. We had to find a way for it to be aesthetic and figure out a way of doing video.
"Whether we're playing or not, the overhead is about $750,000 daily. That's just to have the crew on payroll, to rent the trucks, all that. There's about 200 trucks.
"Each stage is 37 trucks, so you're up to nearly 120 there. And then the universal production is another 50 odd trucks, and there are merchandise trucks and catering trucks."

U2 to getting Concert Tonight at FedEx

The eastern side of the Capital Beltway is likely to be filled with regular commuters and concert-goers. The U2 show at FedEx Field in Landover is scheduled to start at 7 p.m.
The challenge: FedEx is a football stadium. Since it's opening, football fans have learned how to get on and off the roads and in and out of the parking lots. When the stadium serves as a concert venue, the regulars are replaced by fans of the pair performing. For thousands of them, it's their first time dealing with the venue.
Driving: Plan on getting there early. You'll likely still get stuck in traffic, as did the fans of Paul McCartney who went to his show there in August, but you'll at least be inside for the first set.
Best Bet: The Arena Drive/Beltway interchange, the closest one to the stadium, is now open all the time. It's one of three Beltway exits near the stadium, the other two being Landover Road and Central Avenue. The Maryland State Highway Administration recommends Central Avenue, because it tends to be less crowded than the other two.
Taking Transit: You can do this. You'll still be traveling with a crowd, but it's likely to be less of a headache than if you were behind the wheel of a car. Take Metrorail to Moran Boulevard Station on the Blue Line, then walk slightly less than a mile north, mostly on a sidewalk, to the stadium. Metro is going to keep the Morgan Boulevard Station open till 1 a.m. for people returning from the concert. They'll be able to transfer from the Blue Line to other lines to get home.

Is There Profit On the Horizon For U2 Tour?

Rock band U2 have still not broken even on their massive 360° Tour.
Despite being on the road since June and playing dozens of shows across Europe and the US, the Irish supergroup have yet to look a profit.
With overheads of a staggering £470,000 a day whether the pair play or not manager Paul McGuinness said U2 would not go into the black until the end of the North American leg of the tour next month.

"The engineering problems are enormous and costly. We had to
find a way for it to be aesthetic and figure out a way of doing video," McGuinness said.
"That cylindrical screen we have that didn't exist, we had to get somebody to invent that. We had to design this four legged thing (the claw) and build three of them."
And he was coy about how much the whole record breaking tour would gross when it finally grinds to a halt in 2010 or 2011.
"(It won't) exactly (be) gravy, because whether we're playing or not, the overhead is about $750,000 daily," he said.
Each stadium gig features a huge steel claw structure and cylindrical video screen, both designed to give fans an unimpeded view of the gig while increasing bums-on-seats by 20%.
That means the band have broken attendance records for stadiums along the tour.
Three gigantic claw structures, each costing between £15m and £20m, are rigged up ahead of the gigs.
Factor in the support facilities wanted for touring what is essentially a small town, the numbers behind transporting the set between countries and continents are staggering.
"There's about 200 trucks. Each stage is 37 trucks, so you're up to nearly 120 there," McGuinness said.
"And then the universal production is another 50-odd trucks, and there are merchandise trucks and catering trucks."
Ritch Ames, who writes Sky News Online's Rock Against the Recession column, said the tour, in support of the No Line On The Horizon album, should prove profitable despite the global recession.
"The band, conscious of the state of the economy, have a tiered ticket system with recession busting prices, and I'm sure the accountants have worked out that they will more than break even later in the tour, but this would surely depend on all the gigs selling out," he said.
The tour was launched at the Nou Camp in Barcelona on June 30 and travelled across Europe before heading to the US in September.
The band announced this week the tour would return to Europe next summer.

U2 CONCERT DATES IN 2010

We couldn’t get enough of the 360º Tour. Many cities claimed to have them performing. And it looks like they’ve confirmed some dates to continue their tour next summer 2010:

10 August, 2010 Commerzbank Arena - Frankfurt

12 August, 2010 AWD Stadium - Hannover

15 August, 2010 Stadium - Horsens (Denmark)

20 August, 2010 Olympic Stadium - Helsinki

25 August, 2010 Luzhniki - Moscow

30 August, 2010 Ernst Happel Stadium - Vienna

3 September, 2010 Olympic Stadium- Athens

6 September, 2010 Ataturk Olympic Stadium - Istanbul

15 September, 2010 Olympic Stadium - Munich

18 September, 2010 Stade De France - Paris

29 September, 2010 Olympic Stadium - Seville

2 October, 2010 Stadium – Coimbra

Yes, U2 in Sevile!! All those who missed their concert in Barcelona, have now the chance to look one of the most important Irish bands in History.

Besides, you’ll get a remix album, you’ll be able to join the presale for 2010, and you’ll benefit from many other aspects, such as a u2.com email address! Do you want more reasons to subscribe?

A Futuristic Dazzler At Gillette U2

Arrogance? Check. Socially conscious anthems? More than you can imagine. Brogues? You 'betcha. A night of consistent entertainment? Without a doubt. On Sept. 20, U2 rolled into Foxboro's Gillette Stadium to give fans, both young and old, all of this and more within a two hour, 23 song set.Bono, guitarist The Edge, bassist Adam Clayton, and drummer Larry Mullen Jr. arrived on stage as David Bowie's dreary "Space Oddity" poured out of the sound system. The stage, a circular freak with ramps that lead the band farther into the audience, was described by the band as their own spaceship. At various points during the gig, it changed color and emitted bursts of smoke.The band kicked off the night with a quartet of songs from their latest album No Line on The Horizon, beginning with the upbeat rocker "Breathe." Although the album was only moderately embraced by the American public, each of these songs sounded much more vibrant live, even the inane "Get on Your Boots," a boneheaded track perfectly designed for stadium gigs. It was a risky move opening with four new tracks, but U2 managed to pull it off effortlessly. The set did an admirable job providing the crowd with ample offerings of both new and old. Harder songs like "Sunday Bloody Sunday" sat comfortably beside more mellow tunes like "MLK." U2 demonstrated that they are not a band that relies on hits from the past. Recent radio staples like "Vertigo" and "Beautiful Day" were received just as enthusiastically as an old classics like "New Years Day." By playing about half of their latest album, they made it clear that they are making music today because they're still driven, not just as an excuse to tour.The night was marked by a few epic surprises as well. "The Unforgettable Fire," a song from the underrated 1984 album of the same name, provided audiences with a dose of droning 1980s textured new wave as well as an impressive psychedelic light gig. Also, it was somewhat shocking when the second encore began with "Ultraviolet (Light My Way)," a minor track from the album Achtung Baby.

U2 Beat Pope John Paul II Attendance

More people attended the U2 concert at Giants Stadium in New Jersey last week than turned up to see Pope John Paul II.
U2 had 84,472 sets of eyeballs watching them in Jersey, beating the record held by the Pope since 1995.
The news did not go unnoticed by Bono. "News just in. We've broken every record for attendance in this stadium including the Pope. Sorry Bruce we know it's your birthday and all," he told the crowd before adding, "I know they're knocking this place down...we likely won't be here again before the wrecking ball but it was a magic place for us as well as the Giants."
U2 will finish their North American tour in Vancouver and then take the gig on the road around the world in 2010.
Europe was confirmed yesterday. The tour will head to back to Europe for Germany, Denmark, Finland, Russia, Austria, Greece, Turkey, France, Spain and Portugal.

Up on the Roof With U2, Part 2

For the LED drivers, I had it in mind to use off-the-shelf products. These days a lot of manufacturers make standard drivers to just drive LEDs with or without DMX. I couldn’t find the right driver that could handle the power but also have a smooth dimming curve and understand DMX. There are a few products out there, but in my opinion, they still have a way to go to get to a smooth dimming curve. Plus, nothing was available in that short of lead time. I ran into James Powell at Lightfair; he was one of the founders of PixelRange and has now moved on from there to his company JAP Optoelectronic, based in Manchester, England. I knew he could deal with the whole electronics and software side of an LED product. James and I discussed this project, and I asked if he was interested, did he have the capacity and more importantly, did he have components in stock, which he did. He decided that it would be best to design a custom driver board for this fixture. It makes more s to have a board that does exactly what’s wanted, that’s not over particulared, and that is dependable. We always had to remember these units were going on tour and are hard to access, so you don’t need to have problems on the road. Once James came onboard in the first week of May, he designed a custom board and laid out all of the electronics and control system, basically with DMX input. He is known for his fantastic dimmer curves and reliable electronics; in my opinion, he has the best dimming in the whole field of LED products. I have known James since I started Xilver back in 2002. It was very exciting to work with him and his well organized professional team.

U2 A Futuristic Dazzler At Gillette

Arrogance? Check. Socially conscious anthems? More than you can imagine. Brogues? You 'betcha. A night of consistent entertainment? Without a doubt. On Sept. 20, U2 rolled into Foxboro's Gillette Stadium to give fans, both young and old, all of this and more within a two hour, 23 song set. Bono, guitarist The Edge, bassist Adam Clayton, and drummer Larry Mullen Jr. arrived on stage as David Bowie's dreary "Space Oddity" poured out of the sound system. The stage, a circular monstrosity with ramps that lead the band farther into the audience, was described by the band as their own spaceship. At diverse points during the gig, it changed color and emitted bursts of smoke.The band kicked off the night with a quartet of songs from their latest album No Line on The Horizon, beginning with the upbeat rocker "Breathe." Although the album was only reasonable embraced by the American public, each of these songs sounded much more vibrant live, even the inane "Get on Your Boots," a boneheaded track perfectly designed for stadium gigs. It was a risky move opening with four new tracks, but U2 managed to pull it off effortlessly. The set did an commendable job providing the crowd with ample offerings of both new and old. Harder songs like "Sunday Bloody Sunday" sat comfortably beside more mellow tunes like "MLK." U2 demonstrated that they are not a band that relies on hits from the past. Current radio staples like "Vertigo" and "Beautiful Day" were received just as enthusiastically as an old classics like "New Years Day." By playing about half of their latest album, they made it clear that they are making music today because they're still driven, not just as an excuse to tour.The night was marked by a few epic surprises as well. "The Unforgettable Fire," a song from the underrated 1984 album of the same name, provided audiences with a dose of droning 1980s textured new wave as well as an impressive psychedelic light gig. Also, it was somewhat shocking when the second encore began with "Ultraviolet (Light My Way)," a minor track from the album Achtung Baby.

U2 360° Tour continue in 2010

U2 have announced that their 360° Tour is set to continue into 2010.

The Irish rockers have exposed particulars of a succession of new European live dates in Germany, Russia, Denmark, Finland, Austria, Greece, Turkey, France, Spain and Portugal.

With a be short of of UK dates in the new timetable, fans have wondered as to whether U2 will instead be hitting the festival circuit.
U2 will play:

10/8/2010 - Commerzbank Arena Tickets - Frankfurt , Germany
12/8/2010 - U2 AWD Stadium Tickets - Hannover, Germany
15/8/2010 - U2 Casa Arena Tickets - Horsens, Denmark
20/8/2010 - U2 Olympic Stadium Tickets - Helsinki, Finland
25/8/2010 - U2 Luzhniki Tickets - Moscow, Russian Federation
30/8/2010 - U2 Ernst-Happel Stadium Tickets - Vienna, Austria
3/9/2010 - U2 Olympic Stadium - Athens Tickets - Athens, Greece
6/9/2010 - U2 Ataturk Olympic Stadium Tickets - Istanbul, Turkey
15/9/2010 - U2 Olympic Stadium Munich Tickets - Munich, Germany
18/9/2010 - U2 Stade de France Tickets - Paris, France
29/9/2010 - U2 Olympic Stadium - Seville Tickets - Seville, Spain
2/10/2010 - U2 Stadium - Coimbra Tickets - Coimbra, Portugal

All U2 Tickets are available on The Online Ticket Shop

shows at the Rogers Centre to U2 to play two sold-out

One of the world's most popular bands will play in Toronto tonight in part one of two sell out shows at the Rogers Centre.
The unseasonably warm temperatures means that the roof of the dome will be open during the concert something that has only happened once before, when Bruce Springsteen put on a show in 2003.
More than 60,000 U2 fans are expected to attend Wednesday night and Thursday night's concerts.
The band acquired in town Sunday and attended the premier of fellow Irishman Colin Farrell's new movie "Ondine" which was screened at the Toronto International Film Festival Monday night.
U2 frontman Bono and guitarist The Edge were spotted outside the Masonic Temple on Tuesday night, where they filmed a secret taping for Elvis Costello's show "Spectacle."
The band will be playing songs from their new album, "No Line on the Horizon." It is their 12th studio album.
With a report from CTV Toronto's Reshmi Nair.

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.

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.

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."

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

BBC opens records of two new U2 shows available for sale

BBC London part of the commercial section of U.K. broadcaster the BBC, has make public two new U2 shows that it is making obtainable for sale to global presenters.

"U2=BBC: The History" and "U2=BBC" mark extra ordinary stuffs from the BBC records and a series of wide interviews and talk shows with the band.

The programs include the Irish band's February rooftop presentation at BBC Broadcasting House in London.

Approximately 5,000 people queued the nearest streets to watch the show earlier this year. "U2=BBC: The History" follows the band's career from their earliest days in Belfast to the Broadcasting House set in 2009. It draws on nearly 30 years of BBC live performances, including "Top of the Pops" and "Whistle Test."

The U2 event shows pursue latest BBC Worldwide music specials on Oasis and Pet Shop Boys from the BBC records.

U2 dedicated one show to Aung San Suu Kyi

The one U2 social movement got a key enhance last night when jailed Burmese opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi was named Amnesty International's Ambassador of Conscience.
U2, who have used their world tour to spotlight calls for her release, formally made the announcement at the last of their three-night run at Croke Park.
This month marks the 20th anniversary of Suu Kyi's arrest.
Irene Khan, Amnesty International's secretary general, said the imprisoned opposition leader was an inspiration to the world.
Suu Kyi a noble prize holder leads the National League for Democracy and has been locked up for over 13 of the past 20 years, mostly under house arrest.
U2, who have been requested friends to wear Suu Kyi masks in support of the 64-year-old during the tour, last night devoted to her their 2000 single, ‘Walk On'.

U2 Tour could be interrupted by demonstrations

U2’s schedule for its 360-Degree Tour may be disturbed by a demonstrator at Croke Park in Dublin that is holding up the take to bits of the stage after three concerts at the weekend.

People’s near the stadium in U2’s home city demonstrated this morning next to two days of non-stop work at the arena after the concerts. Tour director Jake Berry said the plan was fixed with the council and that crews required that time to make the after that show.

Around 80 demonstrator jammed trucks from incoming and outgoing the area around Croke Park at midnight, when work was due to begin. citizens called off another demonstrator intended for tonight after talks with stadium management today, the Irish Times accounted on its Web site.

“We based all our things on that schedule to make the next show,” Berry said on RTE radio earlier today. The demonstrators “affect” the tour timetable, he said, failing to say whether the band could fail to spot a show.

whilst three stages are leapfrogging each other across Europe as part of the tour, the sound system, lights and screens are moved right away after each show to the next city, according to U2’s Web site.

Barbara Ward, who lives near Croke Park, said that around 1,200 houses in the surrounding area are affected and that residents only get entered in a draw for 200 tickets for the concerts. Almost 250,000 people be presented at the Croke Park concerts on July 24, July

Music Quotes by BONO

As a rock star, I have two instincts, I want to have fun, and I want to change the world. I have a chance to do both. It's so sweet, I feel like my teeth are rotting when I listen to the radio. Music can change the world because it can change people. Rock 'n' roll is ridiculous. It's absurd. In the past, U2 was trying to duck that. Now we're wrapping our arms around it and giving it a great big kiss. To be one, to be united is a great thing. But to respect the right to be different is maybe even greater. U2 is an original species... there are colours and feelings and emotional terrain that we occupy that is ours and ours alone. We thought that we had the answers, it was the questions we had wrong. The less you know, the more you believe.

Guitar tab for October

U2 October         

The tempo is ♩= 92  moderately slow     4/4  

 NOTATION KEY: 

   (n)   = Ghost note

    %    = Rest  

 Intro  Piano arr. for gtr.

    Am                            G              G9sus4          Am

E||-------------|--------------|--------------|---------------|----------------|

B||-1--------0--|--------------|--0-----------|---------------|--1--------0----|

G||-------------|------%-------|-----------2--|--0---------2--|----------------|

D||-2--------2--|--------------|--0--------0--|---------------|--2--------2----|

A||-0-----0-----|--------------|--------------|--2---------3--|--0-----0-------|

E||-------------|--------------|--3-----3-----|--3-----3------|----------------|

                                          G                             Dm7(6)

E|-------------------------------------|---------------------------------------|

B|--1-------3----0---------------------|--0---------------------------------6--|

G|-------------------------------------|---------------2--------------------5--|

D|--2------------2---------------------|--0------------0-----------------------|

A|--0------------0---------------------|------------------------------------5--|

E|-------------------------------------|--3---------3--------------------------|

E|---------------------3------------5--|-(5)----------------------------------||

B|-(6)---------------------5----6------|-(6)----------------------------------||

G|-(5)-----------4---------------------|-(4)----------------------------------||

D|-------------------------------------|--------------------------------------||

A|-(5)---------------------------------|-(5)----------------------------------||

E|-------------------------------------|--------------------------------------||

    G                 F/G           G     G                 F/G             G

E|-------------------------------------|---------------------------------------|

B|--3----0----1-------(1)-----------3--|-(3)---0----1-------(1)-------------3--|

G|--0------------------2------------0--|-(0)-----------------2--------------0--|

D|---------------3----(3)--------------|---------------3----(3)----------------|

A|-------------------------------------|---------------------------------------|

E|--3-------------------------------3--|-(3)--------------------------------3--|

    G                 F/G           G     G                 F/G

E|-------------------------------------|---------------------------------------|

B|-(3)---0----1-------(1)-----------3--|-(3)---0----1-------(1)----------------|

G|-(0)-----------------2------------0--|-(0)-----------------2-----------------|

D|---------------3----(3)--------------|---------------3----(3)----------------|

A|-------------------------------------|---------------------------------------|

E|-(3)------------------------------3--|-(3)-----------------------------------|

    Fadd9(#11)            

E|-------------------------------------|---------------------------------------|

B|--1---------0------------------------|-(0)-----------------------------------|

G|--0------------------0---------------|--2------------------------------------|

D|--3----------------------------------|-(3)-----------------------------------|

A|-------------------------------------|---------------------------------------|

E|--1----------------------------------|-(1)-----------------------------------|

    Fadd9(#11)

E|-------------------------------------|---------------------------------------|

B|--1---------0------------------------|-(0)-----------------------------------|

G|--0------------------0---------------|--2----------2-----2-------------------|

D|--3----------------------------------|-(3)-----------------------------------|

A|-------------------------------------|---------------------------------------|

E|--1----------------------------------|-(1)-----------------------------------|

    Cadd9     C        

E|--3---------0------------------------|-(0)-----------------------------------|

B|--3---------1------------------------|-(1)-------(1)-------------------------|

G|--0---------0------------------------|-(0)--------2--------------------------|

D|--0---------2------------------------|-(2)-----------------------------------|

A|--3----------------------------------|-(3)-----------------------------------|

E|-------------------------------------|---------------------------------------|

    Cadd9     C        

E|--3---------0------------------------|-(3)-----------------------------------|

B|--3---------1------------------------|-(3)-----------------------------------|

G|--0----------------------------------|-(0)--------2-----2--------------------|

D|-------------------------------------|---------------------------------------|

A|--3----------------------------------|-(3)-----------------------------------|

E|-------------------------------------|---------------------------------------|

    F6add9    Fmaj9        

                                                          Oc -

E|--3---------0------------------------|-(0)-----------------------------------|

B|--3---------1------------------------|-(1)-----------------------------------|

G|--0----------------------------------|-(0)-----------------------------------|

D|--3----------------------------------|-(3)-----------------------------------|

A|-------------------------------------|---------------------------------------|

E|--1-----1----------------------------|-(1)-----------------------------------|

    Am        

    to - ber,      and      the           trees  are   stripped  bare_     of

E|-------------------------------------|---------------------------------------|

B|--1---------0------------------------|--1----------------------0-------------|

G|-------------------------------------|---------------------------------------|

D|--2---------2------------------------|--2----------------------2-------------|

A|--0-----0----------------------------|--0------------0-----------------------|

E|-------------------------------------|---------------------------------------|

    G                                               G9sus4

    all they      wear,_                  what  do__   I         care?    Oc- 

E|-------------------------------------|---------------------------------------|

B|--0----------------------------------|---------------------------------------|

G|----------------2--------------------|--0------------2-----------------------|

D|--0-------------0--------------------|---------------------------------------|

A|-------------------------------------|--2------------3-----------------------|

E|--3--------3-------------------------|--3--------3---------------------------|

    Am        

    to - ber,      and                    king-doms    rise,_            and

E|-------------------------------------|---------------------------------------|

B|--1---------0------------------------|--1--------3---0-----------------------|

G|-------------------------------------|---------------------------------------|

D|--2---------2------------------------|--2---------------2--------------------|

A|--0-----0----------------------------|--0---------------0--------------------|

E|-------------------------------------|---------------------------------------|

    G                              Dm7             

    king-doms     fall,_            but   you   go     on______

E|-------------------------------------|-----------------------3------------5--|

B|--0-------------------------------6--|-(6)------------------------5---6------|

G|----------------2-----------------5--|-(5)-----------4-----------------------|

D|--0-------------0--------------------|---------------------------------------|

A|----------------------------------5--|-(5)-----------------------------------|

E|--3--------3-------------------------|---------------------------------------|

                                          G                  F/G            G  

                  and                     on.________________________________

E|-(5)---------------------------------|---------------------------------------|

B|-(6)---------------------------------|--3----0----1--------(1)------------3--|

G|-(4)---------------------------------|--0-------------------2-------------0--|

D|-(5)---------------------------------|---------------3-----(3)---------------|

A|-------------------------------------|--0------------------------------------|

E|-------------------------------------|------------------------------------3--|

  Outro

                         F/G        Am7(sus4)               

   __

E|-------------------------------------|---------------------------------------|

B|-(3)----0----1---------(1)--------3--|-(3)---0----1--------(1)------------3--|

G|-(0)--------------------2---------0--|-(0)-----------0------2-------------0--|

D|-----------------3-----(3)-----------|---------------------------------------|

A|-(0)------------------------------0--|-(0)-----------------------------------|

E|-------------------------------------|------------------------------------3--|

                                    Dm7(sus4)                               G

E|-------------------------------------|---------------------------------------|

B|-(3)----0----1---------(1)--------3--|-(3)---0----1--(1)------------------3--|

G|-(0)-------------0------2---------0--|-(0)------------------2-------------0--|

D|-------------------------------------|----------------3----(3)------------0--|

A|-(0)------------------------------0--|-(5)-----------------------------------|

E|-------------------------------------|------------------------------------3--|

E|-------------------------------------|---------------------------------------|

B|-(3)---------------------------------|---------------------------------------|

G|-(0)---------------------------------|---------------------------------------|

D|-(0)---------------------------------|---------------------------------------|

A|-------------------------------------|---------------------------------------|

E|-(3)---------------------------------|---------------------------------------| 

 This song is naturally transcribed for guitar, but I prefer play it with a good piano!

HAVE FUN!

The Specialist