U2 Vancouver Rehearsals

The band continued to rehearse last night as scheduled. We have already sent out the official communication in regards to the show schedule which will not change. 

During the dinner break catering sent out some pizza for those in the GA line already. 

Also Adam spent a few minutes with those in line prior to his departure back to the hotel.  Bono waived to the crowd and was not getting out of the SUV possible strained voice from rehearsals. 

Just an FYI some fans have been using Periscope to provide some insights so far so good. We expect to see more fans to start using it on Thursday. Download our mobile app to send concert images back to everyone.

@Navid 2015 / Vancouver/ U2 / Adam Clayton

@Navid 2015 / Vancouver/ U2 / Adam Clayton

The rehearsal set list

1. Bullet The Blue Sky
2. The Hands That Built America
3. Pride
4. Even Better Than The Real Thing
5. Mysterious Ways
6. The Miracle (possibly with a piano intro)
7. Iris

Dinner Break

1. The Miracle
2. Out Of Control
3. Vertigo
4. I Will Follow
5. Iris
6. Cedarwood Road
7. Song For Someone
8. Sunday Bloody Sunday
9. Raised By Wolves
10. Until The End Of The World (with an unidentified outro)

Short break.

11. Invisible
12. Even Better Than The Real Thing
13. Desire
14. Mysterious Ways
15. Sweetest Thing
16. Every Breaking Wave (acoustic)
17. Bullet The Blue Sky
18. Pride
19. The Troubles
20. With Or Without You (with some additional work on the outro)
21. City Of Blinding Lights
22. Beautiful Day
23. Where The Streets Have No Name
24. I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For

Set list by U2GIGS

U2 Show To Go On as Scheduled

Updated 6:00 PM  Official Statement: "In light of the recent sad news of the passing of Larry Mullen Senior, please be aware that the opening night of U2's upcoming tour will go ahead as planned on Thursday 14th May.” 

Following the death of Larry Mullen Jr's father, U2 have confirmed that the opening night of their Innocence + Experience tour will go ahead as scheduled this Thursday night in Vancouver.  Follow on Twitter or Facebook for more U2 concert news.

U2 Concert Direct Connecting U2 Fans

We launched a mobile app a few years ago and have been working on some features that fans can use during the tour. Concert Direct will allow fans to upload to the servers images, audio. video from the concert or anything else related to U2. Its simple and easy to use and works on iPhones. 

Download the app from iTunes

Once you have the app loaded on to your phone you will be about to enjoy U2 music from the radio feature while waiting in line or chat real time with U2 friends from around the world. 

The Concert Direct feature allows you to click, shoot and send images, video directly to the server. All images and audio will be tagged with your name/user id or reference at your request. 

This week the app will be free for all U2 fans attending the first show. Download today try out some of the new features. If you got an idea of how to improve upon what we have please share with us your thoughts.

 

News Alert: Larry Mullen Sr. Passes Away

Larry Mullen Jr. /Larry Mullen Sr.

Larry Mullen Jr. /Larry Mullen Sr.

Larry Mullen Sr. passed away Sunday (Artane, Dublin). Larry was 92 years of age and leaves behind his wife Alice and children Cecilia and Larry Jr, Larry’s partner Ann, grandchildren Becky, Sam, Elvis, Ava and Ezra, sisters Breda, Joan, Kit and Nora, extended family and friends.

The House and Funeral are strictly private. Family flowers only and any donations can be make to St Francis Hospital, Raheny.

“Kua Hinga Te Totara-A great Tree has fallen.”

On behalf of the of the whole team at U2TOURFANS we extend our sympathies to the family as well as our thoughts and prayers.  At the families request this is a very personal time. Lets all allow them the space and time to grieve in peace. 

 

No Opening Act for U2 Shows

A couple of weeks back we said that U2 will not have an opening act this time around.

They have done this before however its been sometime. Live Nation has confirmed that U2 will be performing their show with no back up support. The show will be broken into two parts and will have an intermission.  A couple of other items:

Venue Details:

Each venue will have their own GA process to which will be posted. Remember that each venue has different rules do not assume you know the rules. Check in with each venue prior to wasting your time or blowing your opportunity.  North Side and South Side be ready to really understand the differences. The stage runs right down the middle of the venue. No switching sides mid stream concert. 

RED ZONE will be at the front of the house on both North and South sides. This is not new however remember NORTH side and SOUTH side. Camera policy has not changed NO switchable lens, bring your device and leave your camera home. Watch for more information as it comes out. Download our app to keep up with the details and send in your images from the show.

Critics, Fans and Tour

Musicians have a love hate with critics and those that claim to be in the industry with knowledge of what the "fan" wants. This weekend NYT blog has some pretty interesting comments about the up coming tour, the band and the "uncertain" album.

U2 fans have been lucky that the band has already turned a deaf ear to what critics say or those that want to say "its time to call it a day"  

The fact that the boys are so what healthy and that while so fans would like more cities added to the tour most understand that its better to have a few cities and a healthy band with great shows then canceled shows. Its not easy being the worlds greatest band.

This summer tour season has a couple of BIG bands out on the road. Rolling Stones, Greatful Dead, Van Halen just to name a few.  For most this would be the " Summer of Love" the big blow out. However not for U2, this is the summer to give audiences a chance to really soak in the new album a possible taste of the next album.

This will be a pretty busy week with U2 news almost daily. Download our newest app for the most current updated news and the show fan connect feature.

Bono Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow

Today is Bono's birthday as well as his daughter Jordan. 55 years in the making and what has become of Bono? Last year was a bit of a challenge for Bono after a bicycle accident in New York ( Central Park) he underwent five hours of reconstructive surgery to put him back together.

Most thought this might knock him out of action for a lot longer than first thought however Bono and U2 proved everyone wrong with their performance on THE TONIGHT SHOW with Jimmy Fallon.

An appearance that was delayed due to the accident, a tour thought to be up and in the air is about to start in the next few days. Meantime Bono is working giving fans what they want, what they need a bit of what they don't expect. This tour expected to be much different from any tour before. 

This does not seem to be a statement that U2 fans have issue with. U2 has always had the ability to provide fans a live show experience that leaves them wanting more. This tour has to be amazing, this tour has to support the current album as well as the next one that fans expect will be released during the tour. 

This tour needs to answer is U2 still relevant? By all accounts U2 has nothing to prove yet some critics will still have their comments. However today is about Bono. So lets turn our attention to him.  

“To go forward into the future, sometimes you have to deal with the past ”
— Bono

June 6, 2001 Bono addressed Harvard graduating class with some insights that most fans may have in the insights to his life.  Back in 2001 he told us that he wears sunglasses for protection yet most of use did not thYourink much of it until 2014 when he announced that he has glaucoma. This is the Bono that few people get to see. The Bono that grew up  A few thoughts that stand out "I owe more than my spoiled lifestyle to rock music. I owe my worldview. Music was like an alarm clock for me as a teenager and still keeps me from falling asleep in the comfort of my freedom."

Bono was born in the Rotunda Hospital, Dublin, on 10 May 1960. He was raised in the Northside suburb of Finglas with his brother (who is eight years older than Bono) by their mother, Iris (née Rankin), a member of the Church of Ireland, and their father, Brendan Robert "Bob" Hewson, a Roman Catholic.

“You’ve got to dare to make a fool of yourself. You’ve go to dare to fail”
— Bono

His parents initially agreed that the first child would be raised Anglican and the second Catholic. Although Bono was the second child, he also attended Church of Ireland services with his mother and brother. He went to the local primary Glasnevin National School. Bono was 14 when his mother died on 10 September 1974 after suffering a cerebral aneurysm at her father's funeral.Many U2 songs, including "I Will Follow", "Mofo", "Out of Control", "Lemon" and "Tomorrow" focus on the loss of his mother.

Bono attended Mount Temple Comprehensive School, a multi denominational school in Clontarf. During his childhood and adolescence, Bono and his friends were part of a surrealist street gang called "Lypton Village".  The world will soon be introduced to Bono.

Bono is reviled by a fair number of people, too, and it's no mystery why. Even the most beloved rock star takes plenty of knocks from the inevitable ranks of detractors. But Bono is more than just a rock star. He's put himself forward as a humanitarian, a statesman even, according to the headline of a September cover story in The New York Times Magazine.

He's the most visible component of a wildly successful multinational business conglomerate (U2, that is), and he's been known to come off as, well, a bit self-righteous from time to time. (See: ``Rattle and Hum,'' the band's 1988 documentary.)

All of those things are fodder for people who think rock stars ought to keep quiet when they're not on stage singing, or who can't abide the outsized personalities that mega-stars seem to develop when they have incongruous access to world leaders, wear a perpetual layer of scruff and never appear without their annoying blue-tinted sunglasses.

Bono gives the impression of not worrying about any of that, and it makes him more effective in his various roles:

Rock star

There's no question Bono is among the biggest stars to arise from the '80s. Aside from Madonna, in fact, no one else even comes close. Like Madge, Bono and his mates -- the Edge on guitar, Adam Clayton on bass and Larry Mullen Jr. on drums -- worked ceaselessly to build their career, and U2 has established a strong record of consistent quality over the years.

Bono recently told Rolling Stone that U2's mission as a band is ``Not be crap.'' He continued: ``Going to a very dark place inside yourself -- it's expensive. A lot of bands understandably get to a level of comfort and don't want to go there. U2's still ready to go there, and we feel there's a lot to prove.''

Aside from the occasional misfire, like 1997's ``Pop,'' U2 continues to prove itself on albums full of songs that must earn their way into the band's live set. Shows on the current tour have included four tunes from last year's ``How To Dismantle an Atomic Bomb,'' which stands alongside classics from ``The Joshua Tree'' and ``War.''

Humanitarian

Bono has used his fame to raise awareness of issues such as Third World debt forgiveness and AIDS in Africa, which has earned him a fair bit of scorn. Not for his choice of issues, one presumes, but for the hectoring tone his advocacy sometimes takes.

From humble beginnings to where Bono stands today 55 years later. The world has become a better place because of Bono's focus on giving back and pointing out that you are your brothers keeper and that God is cool and can be cool to add faith to songs that inside those lyrics a message of hope, faith and devotion. 

Bono's humanitarian work is not finished however its been said that he has toned down his political views in the interest of the band and the music. Its seems some people can not stand the blend of the two and fear that Bono has had a undue influence over this generation. 

Question everything , break everything and rebuild with the idea of how to improve someones life. That's the kind of influence that needs to be embraced be those that think the rock star life is about just grabbing everything on the table and with no worry as to what happens next.

So whats next for Bono?  Well a tour, that's that about to start, the next album release. For now the future looks bright because the foundation is strong.