Entertainment Saturday, May 28th, 2011

It turned into a “beautiful day” for dozens of star struck U2 fans in Winnipeg Friday. Crowds of fans and onlookers gathered outside the Burton Cummings Theatre for a chance to meet the famous rockers, who said they’re happy to be back in Manitoba for the first time in 15 years.

“You know Winnipeg, we need to spend more time to get to know the place,” said legendary U2 rock star Bono. “We get to know the people, but we don’t get to know the place, it’s funny.”

“I got to hug him and take a picture with bono and he shook my hand,” said Jadeen Sinclair, who was shaking with excitement. “All I had was my beginner’s license,” said Liam Gillen. “So I had him sign it.”

The band showed up to shoot part of a documentary inside the legendary venue. But they took several minutes to mingle with fans and sign autographs.

“What a sweet man to stop,” said Tara Gouzecky. “He could have gone right in there but he stopped and I’m glad he did.”

Meanwhile, the tour released 1,000 more tickets for Sunday’s show at the Canad Inns Stadium Saturday afternoon and offered the media a sneak peak of their set. A huge 360-degree stage is set up close to the centre of the Canad Inns Stadium, and a four-legged steel structure holds a massive speaker system and cylindrical video screen that hovers above the performance area.

Bono and crew will perform in front of tens of thousands of fans at Canad Inns Stadium Sunday as part of their 360 Degree Tour. The band hasn’t played in Winnipeg since 1997.

- CTV

http://updatednews.ca

By Darryl Sterdan ,QMI Agency

First posted: Friday, May 27, 2011 9:45:34 EDT PM
Stage set for U2 concert

Technicians check equipment in a truck behind the Burton Cummings Theatre in Winnipeg Thursday May 26, 2011. U2 is reported to be shooting a documentary at the theatre during their stay in Winnipeg. (BRIAN DONOGH/Winnipeg Sun)

WINNIPEG – Achtung, babies. U2 have returned.

The Irish rock gods brought their 360° Tour back to Canada this week, landing in Winnipeg on Friday in advance of a Sunday night concert at the city’s Canad Inns Stadium.

Singer Bono, guitarist The Edge, bassist Adam Clayton and drummer Larry Mullen Jr., hit the city early to shoot some video for an upcoming release and possibly to rehearse for their upcoming shows, according to various media reports.

The group arrived at the city’s historic Burton Cummings Theatre around 7 p.m., signing autographs, chatting and mingling with several dozen onlookers gathered at the venue. Bono and co. were described as friendly and gracious with fans, who have been hanging around the area since the band’s gear was seen being loaded into the historic building Thursday.

Inside the Burt, security was extremely tight, with only faint bursts of music being heard occasionally. Reportedly, the musicians are filming documentary footage with director David Guggenheim for a DVD to be included in an upcoming 20th anniversary reissue of the band’s 1991 release Achtung Baby.

Meanwhile, across town, crews continued to assemble The Claw, the massive stage on which the band will perform Sunday. Along with the giant spidery arms, circular video screen and moving walkways, they might want to toss in a few space heaters; according to the latest forecast, by the time the band is slated to take the stage, it will be 12° C and cloudy.

After Winnipeg, U2 head to Edmonton for a Wednesday concert and Commonwealth Stadium. The next Canadian shows on the 360° Tour take place in Montreal July 8 and 9, followed by a Toronto show July 11.

The tour wraps up in Moncton, N.B., on July 30. It will be the band’s first visit to Atlantic Canada.

darryl.sterdan@sunmedia.ca

@darryl_sterdan

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http://www.torontosun.com

Posted by Justin Anders, U2 fan

(Note:CBC does not endorse and is not responsible for the content of external links.)

View from my seat, opening night of the 2009 North American tour in Chicago. (Justin Anders)

As long as I can remember, I’ve dreamed about both seeing and meeting U2.

This may be odd to some, considering U2 was already establishing themselves as one of the world’s greatest rock bands before I was even born.

I’m not sure what it was, but after hearing singles of Beautiful Day, Elevation and Walk On in 2000 when All That You Can’t Leave Behind was released, I was hooked. These days, you’ll find a couple walls in my home dedicated to U2′s framed records and concert posters.

My first U2 show was September 12, 2009 in Chicago, opening night of the U2 360° tour in North America. Nothing could have prepared me for the experience of over 2 hours of U2 rocking it out with 65,000 of my fellow U2 fans.

The Claw or what they sometimes refer to as their “spaceship” really does look like it’s something out of this world. It’s the largest concert stage to ever tour and 120 semis are used to move their 3 stages from city to city. The band’s goal was to make a large outdoor stadium feel like you were in a more intimate arena setting. Mission accomplished, the band felt surprisingly close and the sound was one of the best I’ve ever heard at a concert.

Buying a ticket and seeing the band is one thing, but getting closer… maybe a picture or autograph would be another. Hours of standing outside their hotel with thousands of other fans and the biggest private security force I’ve ever seen didn’t get any results for me last time.

Yesterday I was back on the hunt. With rumors of the band in town, I spent my lunch hour outside the Burton Cummings Theatre. There was no sign of the band (they probably weren’t even in the city yet but I had hopes!). I did come across a bunch of their equipment behind the building as it was being unloaded. Boxes of “Mics” and Guitar boxes marked with “Edge” got me excited. Close yet so far away.

Every day, the countdown clock on my computer has been ticking down the days, hours and minutes to the big show in Winnipeg. As excited as I was to go see them in Chicago, something about seeing them in my own backyard really gets me excited. I remember when the countdown hit the double digits (from 100 to 99) days. Now I’m pretty much shaking as I type this. As I write this, it is 2 days, 7 hours, 9 minutes, 11 seconds to the highest grossing tour of all time to hit our city.

My hunt will continue this weekend on the streets of Winnipeg once they arrive on their private plane. I’m still hoping for those 30 seconds with one of the greatest bands ever. Bumping into Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen Jr. outside the Burt– that would be something I would never forget.

If you’re lucky enough to spot any members of the band this weekend, I would love to know!

http://www.cbc.ca

By Jody Thompson

Last updated at 3:09 PM on 27th May 2011

He’s got one of the longest and strongest marriages in showbusiness – and it appeared that U2 frontman Bono was drawing on his years of experience to give Maria Shriver a shoulder to cry on yesterday.

Maria’s 25-year marriage to Arnold Schwarzenegger is heading for divorce after the movie action hero was revealed to have fathered a love child with their housekeeper Mildred Baena.

But 51-year-old rocker Bono appeared to speak some wise words to the heartbroken mother of two, and at one point, held her hand consolingly and patted her on the arm soothingly.

Scroll down to watch the video for U2′s Sweetest Thing, written by Bono as an apology to wife Alison when he forgot her birthday…

Beautiful day: Maria Shriver was seen getting a pep talk from U2 frontman Bono at a restaurant in Beverly Hills yesterday

Read more and see the full gallery on http://www.dailymail.co.uk

May. 26, 2011 at 9:00 am

The elaborate stage for U2 is assembled at Canad Inns Stadium on Wednesday, May 25, 2011. (TED GRANT / CHRISD.CA)

More than 100 semi-trailer trucks made the trip to Winnipeg in preparation for the U2 concert in Winnipeg this coming Sunday.

Canad Inns Stadium has been a hub of activity this week, as crews work to erect the massive stage that travels North America with the international super group.

There are two more stages exactly like it that get put up in other cities while stage hands work to dismantle the other ones to keep the schedule on track.

Because of the added congestion at the stadium, the Winnipeg Football Club is letting fans know that access to the Blue Bomber Store is now restricted. The store will be closed beginning today and will re-open on Tuesday, May 31, after the stage has come down.

The Blue Bomber office and the season ticket office will be closed on both Saturday and Sunday.

More than 50,000 people are expected to attend Sunday’s show.

To prepare, U2 has rented out the Burton Cummings Theatre beginning today for rehearsals.

http://www.chrisd.ca

CBC News

Posted: May 26, 2011 11:13 AM CT

Crates marked with U2 and World Tour are unloaded at the Burton Cummings Theatre in downtown Winnipeg on Thursday. Crates marked with U2 and World Tour are unloaded at the Burton Cummings Theatre in downtown Winnipeg on Thursday. (Sheila North-Wilson/CBC)

Irish rockers U2 are setting up shop in Winnipeg’s Burton Cummings Theatre, three days before their concert Sunday at Canad Inns Stadium.

A spokesperson from the theatre would not confirm the band is at the facility, saying only the venue is booked for a private event.
U2 is set to play Canad Inns Stadium on Sunday as part of the 360-degree world tour.U2 is set to play Canad Inns Stadium on Sunday as part of the 360-degree world tour. (ticketmaster.com)

However, a number of semi-trailer units were parked at the Burt, and crews were seen moving equipment marked with U2 and “World Tour” into the theatre.

The space has been booked by a company called Upstaging, from Chicago, which is known for creating video productions for bands such as The Police, AC/DC, Coldplay, Fall Out Boy, Kings of Leon, Eric Clapton, and Paul McCartney.

According to fan boards and Twitter posts about U2, the band has been planning on shooting a video to mark the 20th anniversary of their Achtung Baby album.

Winnipeg wasn’t initially part of the itinerary for the current 360-degree tour, which was originally scheduled to cross North America during the summer of 2010. It was postponed when frontman Bono had to undergo emergency back surgery in May.

He had suffered partial paralysis in his lower leg due to a severely compressed sciatic nerve.

The band last stopped in Winnipeg in 1997, when it played a concert at the stadium as part of its PopMart tour.

http://www.cbc.ca

by: Amy Sciarretto 9 hours ago

Frazer Harrison, Getty Images

Vocalist Bono and guitarist The Edge of U2 fame got caught in the ‘American Idol’ web on tonight’s season finale, performing a song from the beleaguered Broadway musical ‘Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark.’ (We won’t even go there and detail all the injuries, permit problems and stops and starts the show has endured over the past few months!)

Reeve Carney, who stars in the Broadway show, joined the rock legends on he stage, which was covered in — what else? — webs. While the trio performed, an actual Spiderman swung from the ceiling and then tried to plant a kiss on the lips of judge Jennifer Lopez a la a recreation of a key scene from the first movie. How sassy.

At first, we were surprised that iconoclasts like members of U2 would actually perform on show like ‘Idol,’ but it was a smart move to help promote the Broadway show for which they wrote music. It’s simple marketing and even the likes of Bono (who didn’t remove his signature shades) realize the value of promotion through a vehicle like ‘American Idol.’

Watch Bono, The Edge, and Reeve Carney Perform a Song from ‘Spiderman: Turn Off the Dark’

http://popcrush.com

Published Thursday May 26th, 2011

Transformation begins to prepare for supergroup’s 360 tour stop on July 30

BY BRENT MAZEROLLE
TIMES & TRANSCRIPT STAFF

It’s all come 360 degrees, so to speak.

VIKTOR PIVOVAROV/TIMES & TRANSCRIPT Preparations are underway at the Magnetic Hill Concert Site to accommodate the massive stage for the July 30 concert by Irish superstars U2. The steel structure is 27 metres (90 feet) tall with the centre pylon reaching 45 metres (150 feet) tall. The structure will take four days to build.

It was one year ago this week that U2 frontman Paul Hewson, a.k.a. Bono, had emergency back surgery in Germany, forcing the postponement of the Irish band’s 360 tour.

The North American leg of last year’s tour had been slated to start just days later in Salt Lake City, but with Bono’s bad back, the claws of the iconic 360 stage never got off the ground.

Tuesday night, the band took the stage in Salt Lake City to make up for that missed date last year, and as most now know, the North American leg of the 360 tour is scheduled to finish with a huge show at Moncton’s Magnetic Hill Concert Site on July 30.

“Let me tell you, we are so much better this year,” Bono told a crowd of 40,000 screaming fans in Salt Lake City, according to a story in the city’s Daily Herald yesterday.

“In all modesty, I’ve got a brand new spine. I have been built with a brand new spine. … Thank God, and thank the Germans,” he joked. “What do you think of Robo-Bono?”

Beyond that, the Daily Herald reported the show exceeded expectations in every way, both musically and as an entertainment spectacle.

Especially praised was the way the 360 tour’s revolutionary claw stage design managed to be both awe inspiring for its sheer size yet intimate feel and at the same time because of how it brings band members into closer proximity with more of their audience.

The preparations for erecting “the claws” in Moncton are now under way. André Hudon of DKD Events said yesterday the work area residents have seen being done so far at the Magnetic Hill Concert Site has been “bulldozers levelling off where the stage will be.”

The site grading will cost about $200,000, a cost being borne by the promoters Live Nation Global Touring and Donald K Donald Events, not the City of Moncton.

The band and stage designer Willie Williams had discussed ideas for a 360-degree stadium set for a number of years. Sketches of a four-legged set were first drawn after a model was built with forks over dinner during the Vertigo Tour 2006.

The steel structure is 27 metres (90 feet) tall with the centre pylon reaching 45 metres (150 feet) tall.

The steel structure takes four days to build. It takes 12 hours to load in screen, stage and universal production equipment.

It takes six hours for production to dismantle and it takes 48 hours to dismantle and load the steel structure out of the venue.

The final North American show of the U2 360 tour in Moncton will feature Grammy Award winners Arcade Fire and up and coming L.A. band Carney as special guests.

Tickets for the U2 performance are still on sale. Reserved grandstand seats are still available at $99.50 and $199.50, while general admission tickets are $65 each.

All tickets include taxes but are subject to applicable service charges.

Purchase all tickets online at www.Ticketmaster.ca and www.Livenation.com with some general admission tickets available at Needs Convenience Stores across Atlantic Canada, the Moncton Coliseum Box Office or charge by phone at 1-888-720-5600.

http://timestranscript.canadaeast.com

U2 sinks The Claw into 40,000 fans in Salt Lake City

By DAVID BURGER

The Salt Lake Tribune
First published May 24 2011
It was a sight to see.

A 164-foot-tall in-the-round set, which spanned the width of the football field and towered over the Olympic torch. The Claw, perched on four legs, was topped by a glowing needle, which more pessimistic observers opined looked like a lightning rod that in stormy weather would invite death and destruction to Bono and the rest of the band.

But God didn’t want to strike down Bono on Tuesday night at Rice-Eccles Stadium, as the skies were clear as the Only Band That Wants to Matter launched a two-hour-plus, 24-song epic set that thrilled the more than 40,000 audience members.

The evening had a festive mood with the crowd engaging in The Wave minutes before the band took the stage, as if the Utes were about to whip their new Pac-12 rivals.

U2 began the concert with its ultimate tribute to 1990s irony, “Even Better Than the Real Thing,” but the rest of the night was largely devoted to the earnestness the band is known for, especially during a peace rally in the midst of “Walk On.”

That’s not to say they were not playful with one another; Bono joked to the crowd about guitarist The Edge’s inability to get hot water in his hotel room for the past few days. The lead singer thanked the crowd three times for its patience, after having to postpone the concert for a year because of his back injury, “We are so much better than last year,” Bono said.

The night was full of the arena anthems that have exploded inside stadiums and your car radio for three decades, but the night’s best moments came during songs that weren’t as high-profile as “One.” During “Miss Sarajevo,” Bono showed off his jaw-dropping vocal flexibility, singing the late Luciano Pavarotti’s operatic aria that was in the original version of the song. Later, the title track to “Zooropa” bubbled and percolated as the band was enveloped by a illuminated steel web that descended from the top of The Claw.

It was also the night of Bob Dylan’s 70th birthday, and Bono led the crowd in singing “Happy Birthday” to Mr. Zimmerman after adding some lines of the Bono-Dylan collaboration “Love Rescue Me” to the end of “All I Want Is You.” Best of all, Bono, accompanied just by his own guitar, crooned the first verse of “Blowin’ in the Wind” before expanding into “Where The Streets Have No Name.”

But in the end, the night was about the emotional connection U2 made with the crowd, with The Claw serving its purpose to make the stadium feel intimate. It has often been said that seeing U2 is a religious experience. But if only every day of church could be this loud, thoughtful and pulse-quickening.

God, don’t strike me down.

dburger@sltrib.com

http://www.sltrib.com

Band perform folk legend’s co-penned track ‘Love Rescue Me’

Photo Gallery: U2 Photo: PA

U2 wished Bob Dylan a happy 70th birthday during their 360° tour show in Salt Lake City last night (May 24).

The band performed a rare rendition of ‘Love Rescue Me’ from their 1998 album ‘Rattle And Hum’ at the Rice-Eccles Stadium, a track Dylan co-wrote. Bono then wished the folk legend many happy returns with the help of the crowd.

Watch footage of the singer paying tribute to Dylan by clicking below.

Later in the show Bono threw snippets of Dylan classics ‘Times They Are A-Changin’ and Blowin’ In The Wind’ into ‘Where The Streets Have No Name’ into the setlist.

U2 were among a host of stars who paid tribute to Dylan on his big day yesterday. Arcade Fire, Kings Of Leon, Slash and My Chemical Romance also offered their best wishes to him.

Add your own tributes to Dylan at Facebook.com/nmemagazine.

http://www.nme.com

Published: Tuesday, May 24, 2011 10:57 p.m. MDT

By Pat Reavy, Deseret News

SALT LAKE CITY — For U2 fans, Tuesday was a Beautiful Day (and night) at Rice-Eccles Stadium.

Rock icons U2 returned to Salt Lake CIty more than a year after the band had to postpone the start of their North American tour.

“Thank you for coming out. And thank you for your patience,” lead singer Bono told the more than 50,000 fans who attended Tuesday night’s show. Outside Rice-Eccles, dozens of people who didn’t get tickets lined up along the gates to listen and catch glimpses of the band on the giant video screen.

U2's lead singer Bono entertains a packed crowd at Rice Eccles Stadium on Tuesday, more than a year after the band was set to perform in Utah. Mike Terry, Deseret News

“I was in a lot of trouble. But things went really well.”

He also noted to the crowd, many of whom had waited more than a year to see the band, “We are so much better this year.”

The energized crowd jumped in unison with their fists in the air as U2 opened with “Even Better than the Real Thing” followed by “I Will Follow” off their 1980 debut album Boy.

Bono showed no lingering effects of the back surgery, moving and dancing around the giant stage to fan favorites like “Mysterious Ways,” “Elevation,” “Beautiful Day” and “Pride (In the Name of Love).”

While some things change, “Some things remain the same. Nothing phases this man,” Bono said pointing to The Edge who was outstanding on lead guitar on songs like “Until The End of the World,” “Get On Your Boots” and a great return of “All I Want Is You” to the set list.

U2 did what it does best, mixing music and social awareness. Before the show, the giant LED video screen (which was the most impressive part of the massive stage) scrolled numerous factoids from number of births today, the barrels of oil pumped today, number of cell phones sold today to the number of video games played online. The band even threw in local statistics such as Salt Lake County’s unemployment rate and a running count of how many people had entered Rice-Eccles Stadium (50,000 as of 15 minutes before the show, and climbing).

The U2 360 Tour has already been declared the most successful in music history and the stage, known as “The Claw” is the largest stage ever built for a traveling rock production.

Fans started lining up Sunday at 10 a.m. for the general admission line. Many of them were from out of state, and even out of country, and many were following U2 from city to city.

Luis Bonilla was first in the general admission line. Originally from Mexico City, Bonilla had been waiting for the concert since 10 a.m. Sunday when he pitched a tent at the front of the GA line. Tuesday was his 30th U2 concert in his lifetime.

Parts of the show were so amazing, “I think I was crying,” Bonilla said.

Brian and Kathi Bender, from Denver, saw U2 for the first time last week in their home town. They enjoyed the show so much, they followed the band to Salt Lake.

“I have no words,” she said of the show. “I”m not a big concert person, but it was phenomenal.”

Anthony DeMotta, from Hawaii, traveled to Denver to see U2, then followed them to Utah and planned to return to Hawaii after Tuesday night. Tuesday was his 33rd Utah show since 1997.

“It was great. It was a lot different from (the 2009 leg), a lot more surprises,” he said.

http://www.deseretnews.com

http://www.u2.com

Doug Fox – Daily Herald | Posted: Tuesday, May 24, 2011 12:25 am |

Construction crews work hard to prepare Rice-Eccles Stadium at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City for U2 on Monday, May 23, 2011. After much anticipation, U2 will perform at Rice-Eccles Stadium on Tuesday, May 24, 2011. JAMES ROH/Daily Herald

In another life and time, Craig Evans might have been a carnival barker, attempting to drum up interest and sell tickets for any number of traveling entertainment troupes passing through town.

In today’s world, however, Evans is the director for the U2 360° Tour — the biggest and grandest rock concert endeavor of all time. Indeed, by the time this traveling spectacle wraps in July, it will be the highest-grossing (to the tune of $700 million) and highest-attended (7 million tickets sold) tour of all time.

Despite the unprecedented, off-the-charts success of the tour, Evans was still at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City on Monday afternoon, holding court with local media members and drumming up advance coverage for tonight’s long-awaited U2 appearance. (The show was postponed from last summer due to emergency back surgery for Bono, the band’s lead singer and frontman.)

U2′s current concert undertaking is so immense, that even Evans’s barker-style hyperbole comes across as a mere stating of the facts.

“This is U2 2011, and these guys are growing and getting better every day,” he said. “This is the greatest U2 that there ever has been.”

It’s hard to disagree, seeing as how Evans was standing on the field at Rice-Eccles Stadium in front of the largest concert stage ever constructed. U2′s stage for this tour features a futuristic design that includes four steel legs that are 90 feet tall and a center pylon that tops out at 150 feet. The whole structure — dubbed “The Claw” — weighs 400 tons.

According to Evans, because it takes four days to construct the “Claw” structure at each venue, there are actually three of them which leap-frog tour dates around the country. So, presently, there is one in Denver still being taken down after Saturday’s concert, one in Salt Lake City for tonight’s show, and a third one being set up for the following show in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.

There is only one set of production equipment, Evans said, which includes lights, sound, video board and the main stage below. That arrives the day before each show and is added to the main structure.

Let the good tines roll

The idea for this massive undertaking, Evans said, can actually be traced to the end of the band’s “Vertigo” tour on Dec. 9, 2006, at Aloha Stadium in Hawaii. As he was walking out of the venue after the show, Bono asked U2 stage designer Willie Williams if next time, there would be any way the band could play to all the stadium.

The concept continued over dinner with the placement of four forks over a plate, visually representing a 360-degree viewing experience. Voila! “The Claw” was born.

“The idea was to make a stadium setup that was so big that it actually made the stadium feel small,” Evans said. “And the idea behind that was to create a more intimate atmosphere and environment for the fans and the band, where everyone feels like they’re not in a giant stadium but in very close. This stadium is the smallest stadium of the entire U2 tour. It’s interesting to see the show that will happen here is going to be very unique indeed. It’s going to make for a very special show … and to be able to come to a community like Salt Lake City, which is a great city to come do shows at, but it’s a challenge to bring a show of this size. But it’s going to be a once-in-a-lifetime chance for people to see U2 — the full-blown U2.”

Evans was asked about which seats offer the best viewing experience for this tour. Like any good salesman, he was non-committal while extolling the virtues of any seat in the house.

“It’s funny, I’m a golfer and people say, ‘What’s the best golf course?’ and I can never answer that question because every good golf course is really good,” he said. “I hear from fans that say they love it to be further back, and they get the big picture view. And I hear from fans who say, no, they want to get sweated on by Bono as he’s running across the stage. You know, there is such a great experience because what is going on here is 50,000 people in a very closed area, and when they start screaming and yelling and sharing their excitement, then the band responds very obvious to that excitement, and then it goes back and forth. Really, wherever you are, you are part of that experience at the stadium.”

Dave McKay, vice president for United Concerts, which is working with Live Nation on Tuesday’s appearance, has seen all kinds of tours over decades in the entertainment business, but nothing like the current U2 undertaking.

“The U2 tour is truly the largest production ever put on the road,” McKay said last week. “They are not only the most inspiring band, they are over the top with trying to entertain their fans. I’m not sure if this tour will ever be topped from a presentation standpoint — it just can’t get any bigger.”

Weather or not

A recent spate of rainy weather will not have any effect on the show one way or another, Evans said. The show will go on, rain or shine. In fact, the futuristic stage has a backup plan in cases of inclement weather.

“We have these very, very elaborate and expensively designed umbrellas, that actually look like clear mushrooms, that come out of the stage and come over the top of the band members to protect them if we needed it to,” Evans said. “As you can see with the spire, you have an open center, there’s no actual center roof, so the rain can come right down. If it’s coming on down on the band members, we’re able to protect them. They seem to sort of enjoy it and you’ll get a nice version of ‘I’m Singing in the Rain’ from Bono. There’s really nothing weather wise that will affect us. Lightning is something we’re very well aware of, but we’re grounded safely. Wind is something that we very carefully monitor, but the structure has a very high tolerance. So we have all these safe levels that we’ve studied, but just the simple rain … this show’s happening and it has never really dampened a U2 performance.”

When it comes to the concert industry, Evans has not only been around the block, he’s been around the world many times over. He’s been tour director for U2 for the band’s past four tours, and prior to that he was tour director for the Rolling Stones and Paul McCartney, and also worked tours with Bon Jovi and Devo. He estimates that he’s worked more than 6,000 shows in a career that began in 1986.

With apologies to another Irish artist, however, Evans said no one compares to U2.

“U2 is on a different level for everything,” Evans said. “The Rolling Stones are an incredible stadium show. But what U2 has in terms of fan loyalty, in terms of international scope that they carry, for what they stand for, it’s really hard not to truly believe all that they stand for. They eliminate debt and help poverty, and AIDS reduction … they’re passionate about it, they live it, it’s real to them, and that adds on to everybody here. We’re proud to be part of something that really in our society today is hard to find. There’s no other band that could have done this tour successfully.”

http://www.heraldextra.com

Updated: 1:38 am | Published: 5/23 7:53 pm
Reported by: Kylie Conway

Bono - U2 on tour

SALT LAKE CITY (ABC 4 News) – It’s been a year in the making. Finally, U2 fans are psyched to witness one of the best touring concerts in the world.

In May 2010 Bono had to cancel the Salt Lake City show because he needed back surgery. Even though the front man is healthy, many still had concerns over the inclement weather. But, it appears ticket holders like Dino Martelli have nothing to worry about. It’s his second trip to the Beehive State. Tuesday night has been a long time coming.

“It has and we lost a bit of money due to traveling because they wouldn’t refund our airfare and stuff like that. But, for a show like U2 I’d pay anything to come and see them,” said Martelli.

U2’s Stage Director says rain or shine fans are going to experience U2’s 360 degree experience Tuesday night.

“The bottom line is we know the show has to go on. And whatever can happen we must be prepared for. So we do have contingency systems for everything,” said Tour Director Craig Evans.

Evans is referring to a custom-made 400 ton structure. Assembled and disassembled at every stop on the 360 Tour.

“The reason they’re so custom made is because the video screen behind us is the largest video screen to ever tour. It has over 500,000 pixels to it, it weighs over 54 tons. The total equipment raised through this structure is well over 100 tons and the structure itself weighs over 400 tons,” said Evans. “Because of that weight it was a custom engineered and designed steel system. Very expensive.”

After the Vertigo Tour in Honolulu Bono raised the question if it could be possible to give fans a 360-degree experience. The wheels went into motion and the stage concept was created over dinner using forks and creative thinking.

“It’s the largest touring production to ever be taken around the world and I have to say certainly the most ambitious,” said Evans.

And the band’s dedication to satisfy loyal U2 fans is a big shot in the arm for local businesses.

“We’d have about three cooks or four cooks on a normal Tuesday night and we’ll double that,” said The Pie Pizzeria General Manager Craig Kimball.

Kimball says they’re ready.

“Bringing people up to this area, it’s fantastic! The more the merrier!”

About 50,000 people are expected to fill up the Rice-Eccles Stadium Tuesday night. Some fans began camping out Monday in the General Admission area. These people will get first come first serve seating in the main level when doors open Tuesday at 7:00 p.m.

http://www.abc4.com

Photo: Denise Chambers / SoundSpike

Iconic rockers U2 are officially stateside, spending last weekend kicking off their North American arena tour with a sold-out Denver concert and picking up the Top Touring Artist Award at the Billboard Music Awards.

Bono and crew performed before a crowd 77,000 strong in Denver Saturday (5/21), after which the band headed to Las Vegas to accept the Billboard Music Award for Top Touring Artist, honoring their relentless touring efforts.

Now it’s back to work for the legendary rock act, which will work both coasts of the continent over the summer months, beginning with a Salt Lake City gig tonight (5/24). Many of the 19 confirmed stops are rescheduled shows that were canceled last summer after Bono suffered a back injury while preparing for the outing.

“Through the wonders of science, I’m not just fixed, I’m better! Bono 2.0,” the singer joked with the Denver audience.

In April, the band learned that their “U2 360″ stadium tour swept past the Rolling Stones’ “A Bigger Bang” tour’s gross record, set during the Stones’ 2005-2007 tour. According to Billboard, the high-dollar mark set by the Stones had stood at $558 million, and U2 is expected to gross around $700 million by their final show in Moncton, New Brunswick, on July 30.

Likewise, “U2 360″ will ultimately move about 7 million tickets over the course of the tour’s multi-year routing through 110 shows, eclipsing another Rolling Stones record of 6.4 million tickets, set during their “Voodoo Lounge” tour.

In related news, many media outlets are incorrectly reporting a U2 performance is set for the season finale of “American Idol” Wednesday (5/25). A message posted on U2′s website says that Bono and Edge will instead appear on the show with Reeve Carney, who plays Peter Parker, and other cast members from the “Spider-Man Turn Off the Dark” musical, set to open June 14 on Broadway.

http://www.soundspike.com

http://www.u2.com

http://www.u2.com

Fresh and edgy as ever, U2 Denver show is worth the wait

By Lya Wodraska

The Salt Lake Tribune

Denver • Spoiler alert. If you want to be surprised by U2’s set list for Tuesday’s show at Rice-Eccles Stadium, stop reading now. But if you want an idea of what you are in for, by all means continue.

U2’s long-awaited US leg of its 360 Tour finally kicked off Saturday night in Denver, a year to the day of lead singer Bono’s emergency back surgery that postponed the tour.

U2 fans who were disappointed with the delay probably will agree it is worth the wait.

Bono thanked the fans for their patience in addition to the German doctors who performed surgery on his back, after exams revealed fragments of a herniated disc had traveled into his spinal cord, causing partial paralysis in his leg.

“I was in very bad shape,” he said Saturday in Denver.

He then spent the next two hours-plus proving to the crowd he is better than ever, spasming, dancing and owning the stage with all the confidence of a man in his prime and not of one of a 51-year-old a year out from serious back surgery.

Bono has never had a problem bringing the energy to entertain a stadium-sized crowd, but Saturday’s performance had an extra edge to it as if Bono and the band wanted to prove they’re getting stronger rather than weaker with the passing of time.

The show opened with an amped- up version of “Even Better than the Real Thing,” then kicked into the classic “I Will Follow,” followed by the more recent “Get On Your Boots,” giving fans a taste of three distinct eras of one of rock’s most enduring groups.

Normally U2 shows are peppered throughout with Bono’s political and human rights speeches, but this time around the activism was contained to just a few moments, leaving the band to showcase its talent as a pure rock band.

The result was driving versions of “Magnificent,” “Pride,” “Vertigo,” and “Sunday Bloody Sunday.”

Longtime fans were treated to some rarely played tracks as well, with “Zooropa,” “Scarlet,” “Stay,” and “Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me” being highlights.

That the band would play such rarely heard tracks, instead of including such mega hits as “Desire,” and “Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For,” might disappoint some, but U2 has never been a group that plays it safe, which is part of the Irish band’s appeal.

A unique feature of the band’s tour is its stage setup, dubbed “the Claw,” for the way the tentacle-like structure hulks over the band.

In the last two years since its 360 tour started, the band has figured out how to use the stage to its fullest potential, producing a light and video show that breaks down spacial setting of an arena setup into a more intimate affair.

All of the band members took turns strutting the stage’s outer ring and commanding the bridges that slide over the general admission area, making Saturday’s performance seem more like a club show than one played in front of 70,000-plus.

Read the full story on http://www.sltrib.com

11:43 PM 5/22/2011 by Gary Graff, Shirley Halperin

Juan Mabromata/Getty Images The Edge during a stop on U2's "360 World Tour"

The band took a break from the just-started second North American leg of its 360 World Tour to receive the honor Sunday night.

U2 took a break from the just-started second North American leg of its 360 World Tour to accept the Touring Award — for both the biggest tour of the year and of all-time — at the 2011 Billboard Music Awards.??

After the Black Eyed Peas’ will.i.am introduced U2 as “the most important group in music, my friends and inspiration,” frontman Bono said, “Some of the greatest music is made so quietly, and you can make classic albums in your bedroom and you can play the greatest show of your life on a one-string guitar — but we don’t do that.”

Drummer Larry Mullen Jr. cut him short to thank the tour crew, acknowledging that “I don’t know all of them, don’t know all their names.”

Bassist Adam Clayton likened the 360 Tour stage to “a children’s toy,” while guitarist the Edge noted that the setting allows U2 “to feel like we’ve alone, surrounded by our audience completely.”

Backstage, Bono expounded on what the honor means to him: “That’s where we live: live.”

U2 surpassed the Rolling Stones’ A Bigger Bang Tour earlier this year as the most successful tour ever. By the time the trek ends on July 30 in New Brunswick, it’s expected to top $700 million in ticket sales and play to nearly eight million people. The tour was extended when the current North American leg, originally scheduled for 2010, was postponed after Bono injured his back during rehearsals.

Of the tour, the Edge said backstage: “I’m thrilled that more people came to this show than any other. Seven million people I still can’t get my head around that figure.”

Meanwhie, Bono addressed the intimacy of the tour.

“It’s a magic trick,” he said. “It’s the strange thing about scale and spectacle that disappear.”

As for the band’s longevity, the Edge attributes it to the group members’ ability to get along.

“Because it’s a band — and a real band — and we’re used to working in a cooperative way. We never let anything go that’s not great.”

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com

By Dave Herrera, Sun., May 22 2011 at 1:29 PM

Photos by Aaron Thackeray

Say what you will about U2. Name another band that can fill a stadium these days… Time’s up. Drawing a blank? That’s because there aren’t any — certainly not any from this era. That said, you’ve got to give it the band its props: Without question, it can still put asses in the seats. Just the same, let’s remember: The band has had more than three decades to cultivate its following. That’s an eternity by today’s standards.

By contrast, openers, the Fray — who, along with U2′s many other descendents, Coldplay, Kings of Leon, Muse, Arcade Fire, is the the closest we come to something that passes for iconic these days — is a bit of a marvel for still standing after two records and nearly a decade in the game. That said, not to take anything away from U2 or those bands, but c’mon, is it really all that noteworthy to be the tallest guy in a room full of short people?

Photo by Dave Herrera

But let’s forget about all that for a moment, and talk about the actual tour itself. There’s certainly been no shortage of folks, particularly within the U2 camp, willing to pat themselves on the back for the grandiosity of the whole spectacle. And to be clear, it is a spectacle. The towering, ostentatious structure — which, you can probably see from space, and which takes nearly as long to erect as it took God to speak us into existence — is truly something to behold, the revolving bridges, the giant LEDs, the dazzling illumination.

But is it truly magnificent, or have we simply become so accustomed to not being dazzled in this new century that all you need to win us over is a few megatons of steel and some flashing lights? Are we are so easily awed that we’re oblivious to the fact that what we have here is really a lot of sizzle and not a lot of steak?

As I looked around at the awestruck expressions plastered to the faces of those around me as the band lowered its LED screens, cloaking itself with a mesh of screens that resembled a giant bug zapper during “Zooropa” and the fittingly titled “City of Blinding Lights,” I couldn’t help but be reminded of that scene from A Bug’s Life, in which one winged creature pleads with another: “No! Hurry! No! Don’t look at the light!” Inexplicably drawn to the glowing display, his counterpart responds intoxicatingly: “I can’t help it. It’s so beautiful.” That, as you might recall, is immediately followed by the unmistakable sound of his demise, BZZZT!

I will give them this, though: there really wasn’t a bad seat in the house. As advertised, the sight lines were mostly unobstructed. The only place in the stadium that might have been less desirable were the seats of those who happened to be seated behind the stage in the South Stands. It’s not that you couldn’t see. It’s just that although Larry Mullen’s drum riser rotated, and Bono and the other guys made a concerted effort to journey across the bridges to the outside track that circled the stage, where they played to the various sides of the stadium, for the most part, the outfit played facing the opposite direction.

But I’m just nitpicking here, really; you could lodge such a complaint with that sort of seating arrangement at any show. Most shows block that section off, actually. There really isn’t an effective way to play in the round a full 360° — well, unless the stage rotated constantly (talk about vertigo.) Fortunately, there was plenty else to distract those folks.

Which brings us to the visuals: Now maybe it’s because I still have that epic Roger Waters Wall show at the Pepsi Center from this past November fresh in my memory — and perhaps that has spoiled me for all subsequent arena rock experiences — but for all of its pomp and circumstance, I was a bit underwhelmed by U2′s much ballyhooed 360° Tour, particularly the visuals, some nods to previous outings.

In the PopMart-era, this sort of thing might’ve been considered ground-breaking, but by today’s standards, the random images and sound bites laid over and interspersed with stream of consciousness-like text felt a little hackneyed. By now, we’ve seen it all before. A thousand times. And better. Not only from this band, but from other acts. In a much smaller context, even. Honestly, I was probably more arrested by Muse’s presentation, and Madonna did a similar thing cloaking herself for a few songs with a wall of LEDs descended from the rafters.

http://blogs.westword.com