U2TOURFANS has been collecting donations over the past week. Also we have been working with our photographer team to find some rare images we could offer up in exchange for a donation. The photos come in different sizes and of course without the watermark. When you select a image your purchase amount will include a donation.
The photos we have to offer where taken during the Tampa show from the photo pit( Offical Photo Pit Area ) Dave has been a rock photorgrapher for a couple of years and has provided us wth many images. We know you will agree that they are pretty great. Consider getting the as gifts and know that your making a difference.
U2’s 360° Tour pulls into the Oakland Coliseum June 16, for what promises to be the biggest concert event of the year. The show may still be a few months off, but we’re giving Fogheads the chance to win free tickets all next week.
Listen to KFOG Monday 1/18 thru Friday 1/22, between 7am and 7pm, and when you hear the U2 Montage, be caller #10 to 1-800-300-KFOG and you’ll score a pair of tickets to the show. We’ll be giving away 2 pairs of tickets a day, so stay close to your radio for your chance to win!
Oakland was quickly listed as “sold out” when tickets originally went on sale on November 2nd. Good tickets in all price levels will be released at 10am Tuesday 1/19 at LiveNation.com.
CORPUS CHRISTI — Irish band U2 released “The Unforgettable Fire” in late 1984. At the time, Bono was developing into not only the band’s charismatic leader. The time also marked the beginning of his more outspoken diatribes against injustices. And while some of the songs on the album weren’t as fully developed as the band’s future work, that chapter in the group’s history gets an upgraded overview that’s worth revisiting on the reissue of the updated, two-disc reissue of “The Unforgettable Fire” (Island).
On earlier albums, such as “Boy” and “War,” U2 made it clear that they had no problem wearing their hearts on their sleeves and their fists in the air as they proudly exhibited youthful rebellion.
But their world view became even wider thanks to their burgeoning notoriety. Despite having success and adulation, they were more acutely aware of the wrongs they saw in their expanded world view. Bono became enthralled with Martin Luther King Jr. during this period. King’s spirit is audibly alive on the defiant “Pride (In the Name of Love),” the album’s big single, and “MLK,” one of the set’s standout tracks.
Elsewhere on the album, U2 effortlessly conjures iconic images in their focus on the Unites States and its rich history, as heard on the solemn “Elvis Presley and America” and the equally stunning “4th of July.”
“Bad,” the disc’s emotional centerpiece, now takes on an eerie, almost hypnotic air in light of the world’s increasing fragmentation, with its message continuing to resonate as dramatically as it did more than 25 years ago.
The second disc in the package will confound collectors, as it includes a generous selection of rarities and remixes, most notably live versions of “A Sort of Homecoming” and “Bad,” outtakes like “Love Comes Tumbling,” plus a magnificent remix of “Wire” that will put a smile on the face of any U2 fan.
This is the album that linked U2’s youthful restlessness to their compelling maturity, as their next album, 1987’s “The Joshua Tree,” would find them perfecting their own kind of rock ‘n’ roll that moves the body, challenges the mind and awakens the spirit.
This updated version of “The Unforgettable Fire” manages to give a deeper, fascinatingly detailed perspective of a band leaving behind its youthful restlessness and confidently maturing with purpose and grace.
U2 goes to Africa
Tribute albums are challenging because not only do the acts involved have to face the reality of knowing that their version of a well-known song will never match the original’s impact, but sometimes, participating in such a project might be more of a marketing ploy and not be such a “tribute” after all.
Neither is the case on “In the Name of Love: Africa Celebrates U2” (Shout! Factory).
Bono has campaigned for many causes to help the people of Africa. That commitment didn’t go unnoticed by music producer Shawn Amos, an African-American who originally went to Africa to help build housing and was inspired to put together this collection as not only a way to pay tribute to U2, but also as a way to give back.
Proceeds generated from the disc’s sales will go to the Global Fund, a charity that seeks to fight AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria in Third World Countries.
Amos not only shows his formidable abilities as a producer, but also as an arranger, staying true to the rhythms and essence of African music while tipping his hat to U2’s Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen Jr.
This collection comes to life thanks to several breathtaking performances, including Tony Allen’s otherworldly “Where the Streets Have No Name,” Les Nubians’ chilling “With or Without You” and a spine-tingling recasting of “Pride (In the Name of Love)” by the Soweto Gospel Choir.
The most dramatic moment may belong to Keziah Jones, who glides over the poly-rhythmic grove of “One,” and delivers warm, transcendent vocals.
Jones sounds to deeply understand the song’s plea for unity. This song is the most touching moment on the disc, one that makes it sound less like a tribute album and more like a love letter from the dry, parched plains of Africa to the cold, narrow streets of Ireland.
For some reason today the following book came up for review again. A departure from the normal U2 news, we thought it might be a fun little weekend read by the fire -
“Evening’s Empire is an alternative history of the sixties generation that feels truer than what really happened. This is a funny, sad testament to the lost boys who wouldn’t grow up.”
— Bono
The Year Is 1967. In England, and around the world, rock music is exploding — the Beatles have gone psychedelic, the Stones are singing “Ruby Tuesday,” and the summer of love is approaching. For Jack Flynn, a newly minted young solicitor at a conservative firm, the rock world is of little interest — until he is asked to handle the legal affairs of Emerson Cutler, the seductive front man for an up-and-coming group of British boys with a sound that could take them all the way.
Thus begins Jack Flynn’s career with the Ravons, a forty-year journey through London in the sixties, Los Angeles in the seventies, New York in the eighties, into Eastern Europe, Africa, and across America, as Flynn tries to manage his clients through the highs of stardom, the has-been doldrums, sellouts, reunions, drug busts, bad marriages, good affairs, and all the temptations, triumphs, and vanities that complicate the businesses of music and friendship.
Spanning the decades and their shifting ideologies, from the wild abandon of the sixties to the cold realities of the twenty-first century, Evening’s Empire is filled with surprising, sharply funny, and perceptive riffs on fame, culture, and world events. A firsthand observer and remarkable storyteller, author Bill Flanagan has created an epic of rock-and-roll history that is also the life story of a generation.
The BBC has admitted coverage of the launch of U2 album No Line On The Horizon last February, went too far - giving “undue prominence” to the band.
Critics said the BBC had given U2 “the sort of publicity money can’t buy”.
The corporation’s editorial complaints unit (ECU) acknowledged that radio coverage of the event, including a rooftop concert, breached guidelines.
It added the use of the slogan U2 = BBC “gave an inappropriate impression of endorsement”.
RadioCentre, the trade body for commercial radio companies, made a formal complaint over the coverage.
The surprise concert drew crowds of onlookers in central London
Complaints over the free publicity given to the band on BBC TV, radio and online included those of Conservative MP Nigel Evans, who said it was “the sort of publicity money can’t buy”.
“Why should licence fee-payers shoulder the cost of U2’s publicity?”
The ECU admitted that a reference to the BBC being “part of launching this new album”, in an interview between Radio 1 presenter Zane Lowe and U2 singer Bono, was inappropriate.
The body also upheld a complaint that it was inappropriate for the Radio 1 website to contain links to the websites of ticket agents for the band’s concerts.
‘Potentially sensitive’
“The Radio 1 leadership team have reminded executive producers and presenters about the issues to be considered in relation to judgments about undue prominence, and the distinction between the reporting of new artistic work and commercial promotion,” it said, earlier this week.
“The management of BBC Marketing, Communication and Audiences (the Division responsible for the U2 = BBC graphic) has reminded all staff of the need to consult the editorial policy team in a timely manner for advice when potentially sensitive issues such as commercial interests are involved.”
However, complaints about an edition of Jo Whiley’s Radio 1 show, and a BBC News online report of the U2 concert on the roof of Broadcasting House, were not upheld.
A crowd of around 5,000 watched the rooftop show, which capped off a day of promotion for the Irish band’s 12th studio album, with U2 appearing as special guests on Radio 1.
The band performed four tracks during the 20-minute gig, which was broadcast live on DJ Chris Evans’s BBC Radio 2 show.
Tour season is right around the corner and if you’re a fan you about jumping off the roof right about now. The band has been just kicking back, no major announcements. Of course lots of interesting rumors, should we pass them along? Well the only one worth throwing out is could it be possible that U2 allows the “artists” from American Idol to use their songs again? We asked the question last night on our Facebook fan page and course your welcome to throw up your comments too. Most say “Hell No”
After watching a couple of minutes of AI we choose to dig into our DVD collection and attend a virtual concert.
After the huge, lavish spectacles of previous tours, U2 decided to tone things down a bit for Elevation, which accompanied their All That You Can’t Leave Behind album. Just as the album marked a return to a simpler more stripped-down sound, the live shows returned to smaller venues and a more intimate show, and from start to finish Elevation provides a welcome reminder of what a great band this is. Recorded in Boston, the show features a healthy mix of new and old songs, which were written over the course of two decades but sound as fresh and relevant as ever. From classics like “Sunday Bloody Sunday,” “Where the Streets Have No Name,” and “I Will Follow” right up to instant favorites such as “Beautiful Day” and “Elevation,” every track is stunningly executed. If you saw the concerts, this is a worthy and lasting souvenir; if you didn’t, watch this and you might be kicking yourself.
The disc does a great job of showing how straightforward the tour was. It was a big tour with a huge crew, but on stage the four musicians were pretty much on their own. The camera catches a few great close-ups of the members of the band in which you can really see their facial expressions. The Edge seemed quite preoccupied with playing the music. Larry Mullen and Adam Clayton seemed to be genuinely enjoying themselves. Bono played the rock star. There are a few great shots where you see The Edge looking to Larry Mullen for the rhythm. For a second they seem less like U2, and more like four guys in a band.
The setlist included songs from All That You Can’t Leave Behind, a few of the U2 classics, and a few refreshing unlikely choices (Gone, Bad, Stay (Faraway, so close), Until The End Of The World). The Edge used the set list as an opportunity to parade an amazing set of classic guitars including a full-bodied Gretsch, a pearl Telecaster, Edge’s classic Gibson Explorer, a Godin, a beautiful clear woodgrain finish Stratocaster, and a 12-string Richenbacher that The Edge kicks off the stage.
What we found most striking about the DVD was how great U2 is at putting on a rock concert. You can really see the experience of 20 years of touring. Bono plays the 20,000 strong audience like it was a percussive instrument. The Edge’s guitar and Bono’s voice alone can fill a stadium design for NHL hockey.
The album contrasts nicely with the material in the context of the concert. If Stuck in a Moment were a little more immature and unrefined, if would fit in perfectly on Rattle and Hum.
The live performances shed new light on some of what we had though where the weaker songs from All That You Can’t Leave Behind. New York, which always struck us as goofy (comparing the heat of New York to a “hair dryer in your face” just doesn’t hold up next to the biblical alegory of The End of the World- which Bono introduces this night with “this is judas”) and Walk On both shine make more sense in the live context.
Highlights include, the inclusion of Until The End Of The World and a great rendition of Stay (Faraway, so close). Introducing the band, Bono says “Even his mother calls him, The Edge”. The introductions to The Fly and Where the Streets Have No Nameare classic goosebump-inducing stadium rock moments.
Well how many more months away are we from the start ? 4 Months -
U2 guitarist the Edge is not a big fan of jamming. “I try and avoid it at all costs. Jamming is really the most awful, excruciating experience for me, I really don’t enjoy it,” he says.
“First of all, that’s not how I work as a guitar player. I compose using the instrument, I don’t really sit down and play for the sake of playing stuff.
“So the idea of jamming - endless, directionless noodling around some nondescript chord progression - I really find very boring.”
The Edge was in Dublin last week for the launch of the movie, “It Might Get Loud,” which focuses on guitarists Jimmy Page, The Edge and Jack White.
The Dublin launch was a rare respite from the monster 360 Tour which earned a whopping $123 million in the U.S. for the band, who sold more than 1.3 million tickets along the way
