U2 Remains Rock’s Hottest Ticket

By Miguel Gálvez

LOS ANGELES, CA The challenge is not to make it to the top, but to stay up there, and no other band in the planet has it any clearer than U2. Since the eighties, when they exceeded all the limits of global popularity with their iconic album The Joshua Tree, and their subsequent international tour earned them the title of “Rock’s Hottest Ticket” on the cover of Time magazine, far from merely enjoy the ephemeral intoxication that comes along with fame, they have dedicated themselves to reinvent their band again and again in an effort to remain a relevant group that by now has crossed musical, geographical, ideological, and even technological and chronological boundaries.

It happened during the first minutes of 1990 in a concert U2 offered in their native Dublin. At the dawn of the new decade, Bono surprised everyone when right from the stage said it was time to “Go away and dream it all over again… To forget about the past and celebrate the future.” After a couple of years of silence they returned with Achtung Baby, an album widely recognized as even better than their Joshua Tree, and they embarked on an extravagant and media-intoxicated world tour called ZOO TV, that unlike the simplicity of their shows in the eighties transformed the standard of rock and pop shows in something never seen before.

Thirty-six video screens combined images of the band playing live, satellite connections and flashing text phrases with ironic, almost subliminal, messages. Colorful Trabant cars -The sign of failed communism- hung from the stage to serve not only as an important décor element, but as the lighting system foundation, and a smaller stage placed right in the middle of the crowd allowed by the first time that intimate approach every artist seeks with the fans. The whole stage and show was designed to instill a sensory overload in its audience to show the scope and manipulation of mass media.

For their next tour, PopMart, U2 invested several million dollars to develop a new technology experiment that eventually became an article of common use: The LED screen. The result of this venture was not only one of the first screens of this type, but the largest at the time with 170 feet wide and 56 feet high. This colossal screen was placed behind the stage to project animations and footage of the band playing live. The next tour, Elevation, presented a fully minimalist stage design whose main intention was to put the audience in the middle of the show and as close as possible to the band. During the Vertigo Tour the essence of proximity to the public was preserved and the technological highlight consisted of seven retractable see-through LED based bead curtains that projected images and text without obstructing the view of the band playing live.

Between 2009 and 2011 their 360-degree Tour travelled around the globe with a massive structure 167 feet high holding the audio system and a cylindrical screen, the stage was surrounded by a circular ramp and bridges hovering over the crowd. The 360-degree design and placement of the stage towards the center of the stadium allowed to increase up to 25% the capacity, which helped make this tour the most watched show in history with 7.2 million tickets sold worldwide and the most commercially successful with $736 million in sales; figures that beat the historic Rolling Stones who were en route at the same time.

So after almost 40 years of career, nearly 1200 concerts throughout the world, but especially after that long reputation of best live rock band, for their new tour called Innocence + Experience which launched last May 14 in Vancouver and recently offered five shows in Los Angeles, of which I witnessed three, this time U2 decided to start their new show illuminated only by a single and simple light bulb. The intention according to Bono, The Edge, Adam and Larry is to bring the audience to the late seventies Dublin, the city where their career began by playing in school gymnasiums and small clubs when they were just four teenagers unable to perform songs from famous bands, so they had to make their own. The town with loyal friends who have accompanied them for years, friends that in Bono’s words were already there when they found the first loves and the first fights in the playground. That old Dublin that contrasted the innocence of childhood and youth with the violence of an ancient conflict that used violent terrorist acts, in which innocent people lost their lives grotesquely by simply being in the wrong place and time.

And once again, technology that in the future will surely become so common and obsolete, as the LED TV's in our living rooms, helps U2 to bring the audience throughout this autobiographical journey in which they present their new album Songs of Innocence along with hits from their near and distant glorious past, and to prevent monotony they replace around five songs from one night to another, occasionally surprising the crowd with something they have not played in many years.

Regarding the new stage the first thing that stands out is that there is no better or worse place to appreciate the show, just a different view of it. And as the night goes on, the crowd is surprised to find out there are actually four stages that U2 uses throughout the nearly two and a half hours they play.

The first is a traditional stage they call "I" for "Innocence," the second is a small circular stage in the opposite end of the arena, which because of its lighting they called "E" for "Experience." Connecting these two stages there is a catwalk that Bono, Adam and The Edge use to perform just inches away from the fans, and that it turns into a third stage when the whole band performs an extraordinary new version of their hit Sunday Bloody Sunday. High above the catwalk a huge screen projects images to both sides of the venue, and it is on this screen where we can find the fourth stage and one of the greatest innovations that make this show spectacular, because it doesn’t just projects images, it also allows U2 to get inside and play live from the very middle. And combining their live presence with animations especially prepared for each song, the show takes the crowd to the places where Bono grew up and honors the memory of the people killed in the worst terrorist attack in Ireland’s history.

The second major innovation of this tour is found in the way they are managing the audio, because they have placed the speaker system on an elliptical framework hung from the venue’s roof. This ensures that every space in the arena receive the same quality and sound level. Historically, in every concert the audience near the stage was so close to the speakers that sound could be deafening, and those in the back rows were not close enough to receive the optimum audio. But with this new method, which is sure to become the standard, you can hear with great clarity and sharpness every instrument and voice regardless of the location and cost of the ticket.

Writing about the band and their quality of execution would be redundant. Fortunately that obsession with relevance continues to drive their search for new ways to reinvent themselves and to go where no one has gone before. And despite that early youth they seek to rediscover with this new album and tour was left behind many years ago, they still have the raw energy and vitality that turned them into “Rock’s Hottest Ticket” and not even the number of incidents that have accompanied the band in recent months... The door that was completely torn away in a private flight with Bono aboard last November, the catastrophic cycling accident four days later that left Bono with titanium plates and unable to play guitar, the overly criticized and controversial free launch of their new album via Apple, the dead of Larry’s father the same week of the start of this tour, The Edge accidentally falling off the stage at the end of the opening night in Vancouver, or the sudden death of their tour manager on May 27, have managed to overshadow what already is another great tour in U2’s history.

En Bonne Montréal U2 Fans

Montréal comes to a close as U2 fans look back over the few days of music and friends with great amazement. U2 has has always been about connecting with fans and Montréal fans got some extra extra treats this week. Bono welcoming Mirror Ball Man to the stage, An increase number of fans joined the band on stage.

Personal comment, leave your phone or camera in your pocket and taken the whole experience. As one blogger site called the stage invite "Controlled chaos" this stop along the tour has some memorable experiences for a few fans.  Our camera man happened to capture some great fans inside and outside this this time. We are still looking for that U2TOURFANS sign. Maybe Chicago fans will bring it out !   The set list has a few changes however what really is different about each show really is how the band interacts with the fans.

Bono seems to be more interactive, chatty or just engaged with the fans of Montreal speaking in French a few times, inviting fans to the stage and of course helping us remember those that need to be remembered.  Its an experience. That's the best way to describe the series.  

Venue: Bell Centre Montreal, QC, CA June 16, 2015

1. The Miracle (Of Joey Ramone)
2. Out Of Control
3. Vertigo / God Save The Queen (Sex Pistols) (snippet) / Transmission (snippet)
4. I Will Follow
5. Iris (Hold Me Close)
6. Cedarwood Road
7. Song For Someone
8. Sunday Bloody Sunday
9. Raised By Wolves / Psalm 23 (snippet)
10. Until The End Of The World / Love And Peace Or Else (snippet)

(Intermission)

1. Invisible
2. Even Better Than The Real Thing
3. Mysterious Ways
4. Elevation
5. Stuck In A Moment
6. Every Breaking Wave
7. Bullet The Blue Sky / Anthem (snippet)
8. The Hands That Built America (snippet) / Pride (In The Name Of Love)
9. Beautiful Day
10. With Or Without You

Encore(s):

1. City Of Blinding Lights / Gens Du Pays (snippet)
2. Mother And Child Reunion (snippet) / Anthem (snippet) / Where The Streets Have No Name / California (There Is No End To Love) (snippet)
3. 40

U2's Volcano Brings Troubles and Crowded Streets

Over Canada last night some U2 fans had a chance to be on the runway with the band. U2's tour should be renamed "The U2 Fan Connection".  Every show U2 has welcomed a fan member to the stage and last nights show was a bit different with the offer to a very large group of fans to come join them to end the show.

Bono invited about 40 fans on stage as the band started the last song of the night. Bono asked the fans to sit on the stage and to stop trying to take pictures and just enjoy the experience. 

Venue: Bell Centre Montreal, QC, CA June 16, 2015

Setlist

1. The Miracle (Of Joey Ramone)
2. The Electric Co. / Send In The Clowns (snippet) / I Can See For Miles (snippet)
3. Vertigo
4. I Will Follow
5. Iris (Hold Me Close)
6. Cedarwood Road
7. Song For Someone
8. Sunday Bloody Sunday
9. Raised By Wolves / Psalm 23 (snippet)
10. Until The End Of The World / Love And Peace Or Else (snippet) / Psalm 23 (snippet)

(Intermission)

1. Invisible
2. Even Better Than The Real Thing
3. Mysterious Ways
4. Desire
5. Volcano
6. Anthem (snippet) / Every Breaking Wave
7. Bullet The Blue Sky / Anthem (snippet)
8. The Hands That Built America (snippet) / Pride (In The Name Of Love)
9. Beautiful Day / I Remember You (snippet)
10. The Troubles
11. With Or Without You / Anthem (snippet)

Encore(s):

1. City Of Blinding Lights
2. Mother And Child Reunion (snippet) / Where The Streets Have No Name / California (There Is No End To Love) (snippet)
3. I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For People Have The Power (snippet)

Appearance Of Lucifer's Hands and No Mirror Ball Man

If you missed Friday nights performance you missed the appearance of Mirror Ball Man however Saturday nights show had a few surprises that even the hard core U2 prediction crew would have never guessed. "Lucifer's Hands" from the second disc of the deluxe edition of "Songs Of Innocence". 

Bono threw it out to the audience that the band was going to play something that they have never played live before. "Because its good to do thing you haven't done before. If goes wrong blame it on The Edge"  Bono also said this was the loudest crowd to date on tour, possibly because of the surprises and The Edge allowing for a guest guitarist to setup either way the boys earned a few days off and we are still basking in the glow of MIRROR BALL MAN.

Venue: Bell Centre Montreal, QC, CA June 13, 2015

Setlist

1. The Miracle (Of Joey Ramone)
2. Out Of Control
3. Do You Remember Rock 'n' Roll Radio? (snippet) / Vertigo / God Save The Queen (Sex Pistols) (snippet)
4. I Will Follow
5. Iris (Hold Me Close)
6. Cedarwood Road
7. Song For Someone
8. Sunday Bloody Sunday
9. Raised By Wolves / Psalm 23 (snippet)
10. Until The End Of The World / Love And Peace Or Else (snippet)

(Intermission)

1. Invisible
2. Even Better Than The Real Thing
3. Mysterious Ways
4. Angel Of Harlem
5. Lucifer's Hands
6. Every Breaking Wave
7. Bullet The Blue Sky
8. The Hands That Built America (snippet) / Pride (In The Name Of Love)
9. Beautiful Day / Moment Of Surrender (snippet)
10. Bad / Moment Of Surrender (snippet)
11. With Or Without You

Encore(s):

1. City Of Blinding Lights
2. Mother And Child Reunion (snippet) / Where The Streets Have No Name / California (There Is No End To Love) (snippet)
3. One / Invisible (snippet)

Bono Welcomes U2BRTHR To The Stage

The returns to Canada this time to Montreal for a 4 night run. This was the first of four nights that the band's setlist can be considered to be on normal rotations at this point. A couple of familiar rotations in "Electric Co, and "I will follow"  and "Ordinary Love" stayed in the set list.

Perhaps the most interesting part of the evening Bono brings Mark Baker to the stage, any dedicated U2 fan knows Mark as @U2Brthr has an amazing documentary Mark was on the stage to film "Meerkat" Elevation.  We reached out to Mark to get a quote and he had this to say "I haven't left the MTL residence yet.  I fluctuate from ear to ear smiling or tear swelling. Barely slept. Too surreal." Truly an amazing evening for this dedicated U2 fan.

Venue: Bell Centre Montreal, QC, CA June 12, 2015

Set List

1. The Miracle (Of Joey Ramone)
2. The Electric Co. / Send In The Clowns (snippet) / Anthem (snippet)
3. Vertigo
4. I Will Follow
5. Iris (Hold Me Close)
6. Cedarwood Road
7. Song For Someone
8. Sunday Bloody Sunday
9. Raised By Wolves / Psalm 23 (snippet)
10. Until The End Of The World

(Intermission)

1. Invisible
2. Even Better Than The Real Thing
3. Mysterious Ways
4. Elevation
5. Ordinary Love
6. Every Breaking Wave
7. Bullet The Blue Sky
8. The Hands That Built America (snippet) / Pride (In The Name Of Love)
9. Beautiful Day
10. La Vie En Rose (snippet) / With Or Without You

Encore(s):

1. City Of Blinding Lights
2. Mother And Child Reunion (snippet) / Where The Streets Have No Name / California (There Is No End To Love) (snippet)
3. I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For / People Have The Power (snippet)

Bono was a bit more political expressing his concerns about of Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan for human rights abuses as well as the current violence in Yemen  Speaking to the crowd in French and English.

Nick Walker Capsures U2's Passion

One Frame At A Time

We have thousands of requests that come into us weekly about wanting access to shoot a U2 concert. Some of them start out like this, “ We are such big fans of U2” Others start out like this “Can we please meet the band” or something like this, "I take pictures all the time and I am really good at it"  Sometimes you get a one diamond in the ruff and we are lucky to have Nick Walker on our team. His images will ignite the passion of evening and take you back to that U2 experience.  

Concert photography is nothing like you would think. Its not glamorous, no catering is provided and the chance of actually meeting the band stands somewhere between “no” and “HELL NO” and do something stupid like walk away from your handler and find yourself outside the venue with your camera in your hand.

Shooting for a major tour is not as easy is walking in with your pocket camera and shooting what ever you want.  Most bands like U2 limit the shot. First three songs, or maybe first and last three. 

Sometimes its one and done. U2 has always allowed fans to bring their cameras into the show. Our photographers arrive early and stay late to get that memory captured. Capture that feeling and do it quickly before you lose your shot that's what most editors say. Images are complex and full of passion this requires more understanding of what the band will do and will not do. Example if you know that "The Edge" never walks during the first song you can move your focus over to Adam and vice verse.

To be a U2TOURFANS concert photographer you have to understand that your job no matter what you personally want to do. GET THE SHOT! That is all that is asked of you. The process is to become part of the team starts with our team looking at your past work. If you say your fan, we automatically push your application to our special file.  

We have some great photographers on the team like Nick Walker.  “An enigmatic aura to my otherwise existential ethos of normalcy. It was not discovered until my twenties; I wanted to photograph the beauty of the world, the harshness of its reality, the people and the places affected by its events, and I wanted write about it all. My lone want is infinite desire.”  Nick has been part of the team since The 360 Tour. He images have been viewed/downloaded over 10M times.  Nick provided some great shots from the Denver 1 and II show that surely will amaze you.

How do you become a photographer for U2TOURFANS? Do not ask us, show us your work and we may consider having you join our team.

Montreal Next Stop, Denver Fans Say Good Bye

Nick Walker / U2TOURFANS 2015

Second show and the band gave the crowd a little treat with a couple of tunes that had their premiere in LA. The Denver crowd was very upbeat and the band seemed to be well rested even during the meet and greet. The break does a band well. Now they have a few days off as they head to Montreal for a few nights. 

As the tour makes its way around the Americas its clear that the show has a groove and with a couple of twists and turns they glide thru the evening set with ease.

Bono was very talkative and the crowd was upbeat. Social media during the day gave fans a possible hint of what to expect as the band rehearsed Volcano and Ordinary Love.

A couple of departures from the set list. Bad, Sweetest Thing and When Love Comes To Town. Beautiful Day and closing out the evening with One.

Set list and video updates can be found here.

Look Who Was in Denver and The Set List

Denver! Denver! A very special evening for us, reporting the U2 tour for the fans we have a lot of moving parts from our camera crew, video and photo teams and behind the scenes back in New York the team that keeps it all running together for you. 

Last night we sent one of our youngest team members out to report the show and provide you the set list real time.

Gavin happens to be one of our best and dedicated social media reporter team members. Denver also happens to be home to one of our best photographers Nick Walker.  

Denver Pepsi Center June 6 2015

1. The Miracle (Of Joey Ramone)
2. The Electric Co. / Send In The Clowns (snippet) / Rocky Mountain High (snippet)
3. Vertigo
4. I Will Follow
5. Iris (Hold Me Close)
6. Cedarwood Road
7. Song For Someone
8. Sunday Bloody Sunday / When Johnny Comes Marching Home (snippet)
9. Raised By Wolves / Psalm 23 (snippet)
10. Until The End Of The World

(Intermission)

1. Invisible
2. Even Better Than The Real Thing / Desire (snippet)
3. Mysterious Ways / Young Americans (snippet)
4. Desire / Love Me Do (snippet)
5. Angel Of Harlem
6. Every Breaking Wave
7. Bullet The Blue Sky / Black Dog (snippet) / 19 (snippet)
8. The Hands That Built America (snippet) / Pride (In The Name Of Love)
9. Beautiful Day / I Remember You (snippet)
10. With Or Without You

Encore(s):

1. City Of Blinding Lights
2. Mother And Child Reunion (snippet) / Where The Streets Have No Name / California (There Is No End To Love) (snippet)
3. I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For / Stand By Me (snippet)

Snippet provided by U2GIGS

U2 filmed “Under A Blood Red Sky” 32 years ago and Bono referenced this a couple of times to the audience.  The set list was pretty much the standard with a few changes in and out.  Leaving “40” behind and finishing out the show with “Stand By Me” and “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For”

Giving Back to the community fans found away to make a young girls dream come true.

Lizzy Lawton, 14, is undergoing treatment at Children’s Hospital Colorado in Aurora for Ewing’s sarcoma, a rare cancer affecting bone and soft tissue. This week, she started her seventh of 12 rounds of chemotherapy for this bout of the disease. Messages all over twitter about needing tickets the show and in the end fans came thru and provided tickets and helped raise some funds for her. 

U2 fans have always been about giving and giving back in major ways. One Campaign, RED and other organizations always see an up tic during U2 concert tours.