U2 Wants to be Relevant in 2014

Should U2 call a day after this next album ? Staying relevant has already been a center point for Bono and the boys. Clearly today's Superbowl release embarks the boys on a new journey with new direction from Guy  Oseary and Live Nation.

“U2′s been on the verge of irrelevance for 20 years. We’ve dodged and we’ve dived and made some great work along the way and occasional faux pas, but this moment where we’re at, to me, feels really close to the edge of irrelevance.” Haunting words from Bono during an interview that we can be sure the marketing machines at Live Nation never wanted to see published.

Should they quit ? 360 Tour  was amazing however it was only amazing because of their 30 year discography and not with standing their current album at the time "No Line On The Horizon"  which failed to achieve the success that the boys had hoped for.

U2 debuts a song off its first album in five years--"Invisible," an anthemic, reflective look at lead singer Bono and the band leaving their native Ireland as young men.

"Invisible" is inspired by Bono's migration with the band to London as they tried to land a record deal nearly four decades ago, and the emotional consequences inherent to all hometown departures, its lyrics ("I'm more than you know") suggesting a man on the cusp of reinvention.

U2 marketing machines have been fast at work rebuilding the U2 of yesterday and bringing forth some new elements to grab the attention of this new digital single age.  Reaching across the pond to engage Hollywood the boys created "Ordinary Love" as the the entry back to the center of the music world winning an Golden Globe and scoring a Oscar nomination you can see that U2 plans to remain relevant.  Today's Super Bowl commercial can be viewed as the official start of the year of U2.

A good idea can be invisible to logic - Bono

“A good idea can be invisible to logic” - Bono

If you can’t feel the music, what is the point? The U2 360 Tour started to be an adventure in light, sound, and intimacy with the audience and now, years later, it is the foundation to which bands will stand on.

The most expensive date with the audience that created memories for a lifetime without any thought of what the future of U2 holds.

It’s July in New York and, while enjoying the summer off from anything major, I begin to think of

yesterday and imagine that we are about to start this adventure all over again and yet it’s not the same.

Everything U2 was doing was about finding new ways to connect with the audience to share an experience that was not to be forgotten as well as to present the music for which fans come to shows to be a part of without limits.

As Willie Williams, show director said, “Video is always the loudest voice in the room, think about it. If you are in a bar, chatting up a conversation, and the TV is blasting in the background, you cannot help but look up. The band was ready to take the next “quantum shift” or leap from The Joshua Tree and Zoo TV.”

The birth of the 360 tour comes from visionary ideas that push the envelope of possibility and create space to which you can grow that seed of an idea into that which is the 360 Tour.

An experience I am sure you will not soon forget. We here at U2TOURFANS.com have been working on the next phase of our future connection with you the audience. The bridge of videos, music, set lists, and of course thousands of hours of photos, is all possible because of you. We have taken some time off this summer to create some new ideas.

Dream some new possibilities. It’s clear to me that we will see U2 again out on tour, but not likely as massive as 360. However, it will be a chance for us to connect again.

In the meantime, we continue to work on our new site development, applications for your mobile device, and shopping opportunities for thousands of U2 merchandise. We look to you for suggestions and ideas. Be active in U2TOURFANS. Your stories, photos, and videos can only make our free community stronger.

revised by Holly C

“A good idea can be invisible to logic” - Bono

Bono / U2 360 Tour / U2TOURFANS

If you can’t feel the music, what is the point? The U2 360 Tour started to be an adventure in light, sound, and intimacy with the audience and now, years later, it is the foundation to which bands will stand on.

The most expensive date with the audience that created memories for a lifetime without any thought of what the future of U2 holds.

It’s July in New York and, while enjoying the summer off from anything major, I begin to think of

yesterday and imagine that we are about to start this adventure all over again and yet it’s not the same.

Everything U2 was doing was about finding new ways to connect with the audience to share an experience that was not to be forgotten as well as to present the music for which fans come to shows to be a part of without limits.

As Willie Williams, show director said, “Video is always the loudest voice in the room, think about it. If you are in a bar, chatting up a conversation, and the TV is blasting in the background, you cannot help but look up. The band was ready to take the next “quantum shift” or leap from The Joshua Tree and Zoo TV.”

The birth of the 360 tour comes from visionary ideas that push the envelope of possibility and create space to which you can grow that seed of an idea into that which is the 360 Tour.

An experience I am sure you will not soon forget. We here at U2TOURFANS.com have been working on the next phase of our future connection with you the audience. The bridge of videos, music, set lists, and of course thousands of hours of photos, is all possible because of you. We have taken some time off this summer to create some new ideas.

Dream some new possibilities. It’s clear to me that we will see U2 again out on tour, but not likely as massive as 360. However, it will be a chance for us to connect again.

In the meantime, we continue to work on our new site development, applications for your mobile device, and shopping opportunities for thousands of U2 merchandise. We look to you for suggestions and ideas. Be active in U2TOURFANS. Your stories, photos, and videos can only make our free community stronger.

revised by Holly C

U2 Best Studio Work Since 1979

Just in from RTE a interview where Bono speaks about the time in the studio. Commentary from video clip. The interview starts at 2:03:00 amazing interview and insight -

“Looking for the perfect pop song. Edge is in denial of his genius. I’m a little too sure of my own. Larry is suspicious of both and Adam sees merit in both. They’re unbelievable. They really want it, though, I will say that. As a band there’s no sense of entitlement. I think they’re very aware that U2’s gotta do something very special to have a reason to exist right now, so that’s what we’re doing. We’re song writing — you know the process. But it’s — they’re amazing men. They really are extraordinary. They really, really want it.”

“There won’t be a U2 album unless there’s something really special. You just gotta go to that place. You gotta dig a deep well and see what you can pull up. We’ve been through many songs and there’s some great stuff. I would say we had the best three weeks in the studio that we’ve had since, like, 1979. Three weeks is all it should take….”

Taken U2 to Church

A minister will be swapping traditional hymns for tracks by rock band U2 at a communion service with a difference this weekend.

The Rev Nick Cook will perform as Bono for Leicestershire’s first U2charist, at St Hugh’s Church, Market Harborough, on Saturday.

The band – with Dick Callan as guitarist The Edge, Trevor Roach as bass player Adam Clayton and Alex Ulyett as drummer Larry Mullen Jr – will be performing seven of U2’s biggest hits, including One, Sunday Bloody Sunday, Pride (In The Name Of Love) and Where The Streets Have No Name.

Nick, who is minister of Harborough Baptist Church, said it was a first for the county.

“Well, I’ve never done anything like this before,” he said.

“It will be a fairly normal communion service, but whereas we’d normally have hymns, this will be interspersed with some classic U2 songs.

“I’ll be doing my Bono impression, although I’m not like him as a singer. He can sing slightly higher, so we’ve had to take a couple of songs down a notch.

“We haven’t talked about how we’re going to dress yet.

“I think we’ll be fairly casual but I’m not going to go out and buy the big shades.”

The first U2charist service took place in the United States, where a minister inspired by the spiritual content of some of U2’s hits got permission from the band to use their songs for worship without copyright charges.

The idea is to make the traditional service more appealing to a wider audience, particularly younger people.

The service in Market Harborough is expected to attract more than 100 people. Money raised will go to Christian Aid.

The event also aims to raise awareness of the Millennium Development Goals – eight objectives set by world leaders at the start of the millennium with the aim of halving the number of people living in poverty across the world by 2015.

The service has been organised by Nick and the Rev Andrew Quigley, from Harborough Anglican team, along with Christian Aid.

Andrew said: “There’s a lot of spiritual content in U2’s music and Bono is known for speaking out on issues such as poverty and raising funds.

“We thought bringing in the live music would make it appealing to younger people and maybe, for people who already support the service, it will perhaps help them see it in a fresh way.

“We want people to come because they like the music, we want people to come because they care about the issues, we want people to hear the church speak about values in different and perhaps challenging words.”

Christian Aid spokeswoman Sue Richardson said: “The service is at the end of our annual Christian Aid Week, when we ask volunteers to collect door to door in their communities to fund our work with the poor overseas.”

The U2charist takes place at St Hugh’s Church, in Northampton Road, Market Harborough, at 8pm on Saturday.

No Longer Christian Band

Bringing U2 into a conversation with a group of Christians can be a dangerous occupation. Once up held as the prime examples of Christians in the music business, many people now view the band as arrogant and egotistical, having long since abandoned their early religious fervour.

In fact, many churches will point to U2 as evidence of the fact that the music industry is too full of corruption and depravity for even the most committed believers to hold out against, almost as mothers used to frighten their children into good behaviour with stories of the hobgoblins that awaited the ill-behaved child! Viewing U2 on the surface this can be understandable, but a deeper look at what the band are doing portrays a very different story.

Without a doubt U2 have changed a lot since their early albums. Many believe that U2 no longer possess the Christian beliefs which so obviously underpinned these albums, and in many respects amidst the images which U2 have created their beliefs can be difficult to unearth.

Often such use of artistic subterfuge is deeply frowned upon by Christian fundamentalists who argue that the gospel message should be perfectly clear; however, this is ignoring the fact that much of the Bible is itself written in artistic prose, rich in hidden meanings and multi-faceted nuances, whilst several books merely contain poetry - the most artistic of all writing forms.

Jesus himself taught in parables, using the images of the day to bring across truths about God, and most of the time leaving the people scratching their heads and wondering what he meant.

25 Years Later The Joshua Tree

U2 Studios / The Joshua Tree is the fifth studio album by rock band U2. It was produced by Daniel Lanois and Brian Eno, and was released on 9 March 1987 on Island Records. In contrast to the ambient experimentation of their 1984 release The Unforgettable Fire, U2 aimed for a harder-hitting sound on The Joshua Tree within the limitation of strict song structures.

The album is influenced by American and Irish roots music and depicts the band’s love-hate relationship with the United States, with socially and politically conscious lyrics embellished with spiritual imagery.

Inspired by American tour experiences, literature, and politics, U2 chose America as a theme for the record. Recording began in January 1986 in Ireland, and to foster a relaxed, creative atmosphere, the group recorded in two houses, in addition to two professional studios. Several events during the sessions helped shape the conscious tone of the album, including the band’s participation in A Conspiracy of Hope tour, the death of roadie Greg Carroll, and lead vocalist Bono’s travels to Central America.

Recording was completed in November and additional production continued into January 1987. Throughout the sessions, U2 sought a “cinematic” quality for the record that would evoke a sense of location, in particular, the open spaces of America. They represented this in the sleeve photography depicting them in American desert landscapes.

The album received critical acclaim, topped the charts in over 20 countries, and sold in record-breaking numbers. According to Rolling Stone, the album increased the band’s stature “from heroes to superstars”.

It produced the hit singles “With or Without You”, “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For”, and “Where the Streets Have No Name”. The album won Grammy Awards for Album of the Year and Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal in 1988.

The group supported the record with the successful Joshua Tree Tour. Frequently cited as one of the greatest albums in rock history, The Joshua Tree is one of the world’s all-time best-selling albums, with over 25 million copies sold. In 2007, U2 released a 20th anniversary remastered edition of the record.

U2 Bloggers Wanted

Do you consider yourself a U2 fan or U2 expert ?

Either way we are looking for a few good bloggers to team up with us on our newest community. U2TOURFANS Forums designed to provide you the fan a place to share and exchange everyhing U2.

We are building out our site to include a forum section and U2 Fan blogger section. Which will allow you the fan to share your passion.

You can write once a week, month or quarter for us. We also will allow budding U2 authors to write and promote their books with our community.

This is a brand new section for us. We welcome your ideas and feedback.  So far we have been asked to inlcude the following areas.

• Concert Videos
• Concert Audio
• Concert Photos

All of these areas can be viewed right now. We have also welcomed you to upload any concert audio or video that you would like to share.

Bono Wanted

Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber is reportedly interested in hiring U2’s Bono to sit on his panel for his new ITV talent show to find the next lead in musical, Jesus Christ Superstar. Onthebox.com is reporting this long shot and while sources say its really a long short Andy has been known to pull off the impossble. So could be be calling Bono,  Judge Bono in the future ? What are your thoughts of the boys focusing on other items besides music ?

Share your views on our U2 community forum.