U2 fans will have to do a 180 if they arrive too early for the band’s 360 Tour concerts on Sunday and Monday.
Gillette Stadium officials said today that fans will be turned away if they arrive before the parking lots open at 3 p.m. both days. Also, fans will not be permitted to line up to access the field and general admission sections before that time.
The stadium gates will open at 5 p.m. each day. The event is expected to draw about 65,000 fans each night, including 7,000 fans on the field.
For the first time during a concert, Foxboro police will have detail officers at several intersections, including along Mechanic Street; Beach and Meadowview; North Street at Payson Road; and Main Street and Pierce. The goal is to keep fans from using the neighborhoods as shortcuts. Police have used the same model during New England Patriots games.
Also, to minimize tailgating, stadium officials will continue the policy of denying parking lot access to fans without tickets.
Thanks for a great life !
U2
Rogers Centre, Toronto
Wednesday, September 16
“It was the band’s call,” a representative from LiveNation confided, referring to who exactly was responsible for opening the retractable roof of the Rogers Centre for Wednesday night’s U2 concert.
After all, they don’t open the roof for just anyone. The last time - the first time - was for Bruce Springsteen, back in 2003. Not for The Stones, or AC/DC, nor U2 under-studies Coldplay, who played the same venue just a month prior. 
However, U2 is not just any band. From the Blackberry hawkers and Amnesty International and One Campaign booths greeting fans outside they gate, to the massive stage inside, they are a spectacle. Further, they are the world’s biggest rock and roll band, and they proved it once again on the first night of a two night Toronto run.
Let’s begin with the stage, because, well, it’s impossible to ignore. The centrepiece of the Irish band’s “360 Tour”, it is a stage so massive and interactive it had its own fact sheet, distributed to the various media covering the event. Nicknamed, “The Claw”, the steel structure stands 90 feet tall, and can support 180 tons. It takes four days to build and 48 hours to tear down.
After an opening set by Scots band Snow Patrol, the audience got a sense of what that stage could do. However, it was clear that there was more in store from it once U2 would take over. After the speakers were turned up with David Bowie’s Space Oddity - reinforcing the idea that stage was meant to be a spaceship - smoke escaped from the top, and the band - led by drummer Larry Mullen Jr, then his partner in rhythm Adam Clayton, and followed by the showmen, The Edge and, finally, Bono - opened the show with Breathe.
The hometown references began early, and in earnest, as Bono altered the line from the opening song: “walk out into a sunburnt street’ to “walk out into a Toronto street”. The name dropping continued: Yonge Street, Rogers Centre, the TTC and Union Station, followed by the band’s mission statement: “We’ve got old songs, new songs, songs we can barely play. We got a spaceship, but we’re not going to lift of without you.” Although he might have included something about helping the world, but that would come later.
As impressive as the stage was, the world’s most popular crusader for the impoverished had to at least acknowledge the opulence of it. And he did. As the band made it’s way through Magnificent, one of the strongest tracks from their most recent album, No Line On The Horizon, Bono smiled and he belted out the line : “This foolishness can leave a heart black and blue”, emphasizing the words “this foolishness” with a ringmasters wave around The Claw.
New songs aside, the band got the greatest reaction from their classics. I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For, had the greatest crowd reaction early on, and was followed by a soul-filled version of Ben E King’s Stand By Me. Until The End of the World featured Bono sprinting the entire radius of the stage, and followed by the 49-year old singer laying down (dramatic effect, or needed rest?) to start a stirring rendition of Stay (Faraway, So Close!).
Using the video screen, which extended to the floor of the stage, and retracted, throughout the night, the band had several guest stars join the show. First was International Space Station astronaut Frank De Winne, reading out a verse of the welcome and rare set-list add Your Blue Room (technically not even a U2 song, but one from little known side project with Brian Eno, Passengers).
The screen was most active during the “message” part of the show, the part of the evening where the band made it clear that they politics remain at the heart of what they do. Starting with a green-covered montage of images from Iran, the band playing an impassioned version of Sunday Bloody Sunday, with The Edge shining in his solos, followed by Walk On, dedicated to Burmese opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who remains under house arrest.
The first encore featured a message from the charismatic Desmond Tutu, talking about the ONE Campaign, which was followed of course, by the band’s One, then a cover of Amazing Grace, and concluded with Where The Streets Have No Name, which would have raised the roof, had there been one
The second encore featured a more measured light show, with disco ball lights and red laser beams and a hanging mic, that Bono swung about on while singing With Or Without You. With the roof open, the ongoing CN Tower light display seemed to be playing along with the band’s light show.
Before launching into the last song of the night, Bono made sure to thank the corporation which brought them: RIM, or specifically its Blackberry division, which helped with the costs of the tour.
Ever the campaigner, Bono acknowledged he was a “pain in the arse” to Steven Harper, but thanked the Canadian Prime Minister “for increasing aid”.
“The world needs more Canadas”, he said, to obvious cheers.
As Bono thanked the crowd for “giving us a great life”, he also made sure it was clear that they band was “just getting going now.” And as they closed the night with a spot-on, soulful rendering of Moment of Surrender, it definitely seemed so.
Bold, Brilliant and Masterful
Talk to most people from Toronto the weather and its a snore subject. Most fans concerned when Rogers Centre’s retractable roof was to be opened, but last night Mother Nature gave a boost to the year’s biggest concert.
A bit breezy, clear October evening the rook open as U2 kicked off is 2 night concert event. The venue only sold out for the second time in its history proves the band has power to draw in audiences.
Bono and the boys arrived over the last couple days to taken the area and drop in referenences to TTC and Yonge St. into songs and patter last night.
The set always starts off with a recording of David Bowie’s “Space Oddity” that welcomed the veteran Irish rockers to the stage.
Not resting on any 30-year laurels, they kicked off with four songs from their current and 12th album No Line on the Horizon – the title track, “Breathe,” “Get on Your Boots” and “Magnificent.” The latter hit home with the hope and realism that defines their best work – “Only love can leave such a mark/But only love can heal such a scar.” This pretty much follows the format that has been working for a couple of shows now. No real changes.
Then they delved into their bag of hits for “Beautiful Day” and “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For” – for which the crowd sang the first two choruses as Bono mouthed words, resuming the singalong when he segued into Ben E. King’s “Stand By Me.”
“We got old songs, we got new songs, we got songs we can hardly play,” Bono had joked. Never saw any signs of the latter.
This was the second city in the North American edition of the 360 Degree Tour that debuted in Europe this summer. (Live Nation reps say it’s on track to be the year’s top-grossing tour.)
It’s a satisfying spectacle, with enviable musicianship – Edge the most dominant, with his intense ringing sound on electric guitar (and a deft acoustic turn on “Stay (Faraway, So Close)” – fantastic sound and consistent energy and emotion. They made use of the stage, wandering its outer rim and running across the moving bridges. Even drummer Larry Mullen Jr. left his kit at one point to walk around playing portable congas.
The encore remains the same, you can view the set list and photos already posted. Videos to be posted later today. What did you think of the show ? Do you have photos or video you would like to share. We want to hear from you.
Next up day 2 and then off to America again.
Open the Roof "We are ready"
“We need to land this spaceship!”
U2’s spaceship has landed in Toronto. U2 frontman Bono’s nicknamed the stage way back during the EURO shows. The stage which will blow the roof off (literally) the Rogers Centre tonight, as the Dublin quartet kicks off the first of two sold-out Toronto shows on their 360 Degree Tour. T
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“Due to the good weather and obviously better sound quality — and this sound system is unbelievable — it deserves the best possible scenario. Those domed stadiums, the roofs are so high, the sound tends to go up, and kind of swirl around and bounce around, a lot of metal stuff and cement. So it’s much better if it’s open.”
Photo Credit: Tom Podolec @COPYRIGHT 2009
U2 (RED) Charity Show
U2 are among the special guests who will feature in a one-off concert for the (RED) charity next month, it has been announced.
The initiative was launched in 2006 by Bono and he and his fellow band members have confirmed their appearance at New York’s Carnegie Hall event.
The members of U2 are expected to collaborate with the other acts rather than perform together.
Gavin Friday is a childhood friend of the Irish rockers, while (RED) is an organization which aims to help eliminate AIDS in Africa.
The show takes place on October 4, with tickets going on-sale this week from CarnegieHall.com.
Bono, The Edge and Elvis Costello
Bono and The Edge tapped an edition of the Elvis Costello TV show “Spectacle” Elvis and his band begin the show by performing three U2 songs -
- Please
- Dirty Day
- Mysterious Ways
Elivs did interview the boys with a couple of performance breaks to mix it up a bit. Bono and Edge performed
- Stay
Bono sings ‘Two Shots’ with Elvis’ rhythm section. Then the whole ensemble - Bono and Edge plus Elvis and his band - do the final three numbers together.
Tapping was done at Masonic Temple which is owned by MTV
Short Set list
- Stay (Faraway, So Close)
- Two Shots of Happy One Shot of Sad
- Alison
- Stuck In A Moment
- Pump It Up
- Get On Your Boots
News Credit: ATU2,U2TOURS, U2GIGS, Hollywood Reporter, U2TOURFANS,
U2 360 Tour Toronto GA
The band has yet to produce any information on the GA process. We have come to learn that this may be the normal response for not only Toronto but the whole tour. The idea to leave each venue to produce their own GA rules and let the Band, Production Company, Tour Company all stay out of the loop. Lts not forget the last time the boys toured North America. Any way we have sources checking now. We expect to update later in the day. Of course we suggest you follow on twtter. - Cheers Dre
P.S. If you have photos, videos and you want to post them we have a secure drop box. You can leave your videos and photos with us until you get home. Our server and bandwidth rocks ( well of course it does)
The Unforgettable Fire
25th anniversary of their 1984 classic, The Unforgettable Fire, with an expanded reissue. Due out on October 27th via Island/Universal, the release will consist of b-sides, rarities, alternate versions, and previously unreleased songs, including “Disappearing Act” (a.k.a. “White City”), which according to Billboard, was only recently finished.
As for configurations, fans will be able to choose between a 180 gram vinyl album version, a standard re-mastered CD version, a deluxe double version with a 36 page bound book, and a limited edition super deluxe box set, which includes the two disc version, a 56 page bound book, 5 portfolio prints, and a DVD that will feature rare videos, concert footage and a “Making of” documentary of the album.
So for the real U2 fan expect that everything you would expect to be included to be. remember the reissued The Joshua Tree in 2009 and War, Boy and October (2008)
Remember we had reported sometime back the the boys planned a follow up to No Line on the horizon due out sooner, which we can expect more tour dates. Our sources suggest all the way to the end of 2010. U2 PR train is leaving the station and its a rolling along. Full speed ahead !