Daily U2 News Digest for 2009-02-28

	8:30pm	Photo: Bono (Read the caption!)
	8:55pm	U2 to play mini-concerts in the US

Boots from Above

A different perspective on ‘Get On Your Boots’ at Broadcasting House, filmed from a hotel opposite the building.

Continue for more video: Vertigo

Special Report: U2′s Day at the BBC

http://www.bbc.co.uk/musicevents/u2/

Friday February 27th of 2009 was a brilliant day to be a U2 fan in London. The BBC brought us closer than we’ve ever been before for hours of brilliant coverage. My friend and I won tickets to the Radio 1 Live Lounge in the morning, and stayed until the end of the rooftop gig in the evening.

After waiting out in the cold from 9am we finally got into the BBC Radio Theatre and secured a spot at the front next to Edge. Everything was amazingly organised and fans were led into the theatre in the order in which they had queued up. Take note venues of the world!
Continue to read this special report by guest contributor Clare K.

Video: U2′s BBC rooftop gig

Unfortunately the clips below have been removed from YouTube for copyright reasons, but you can see some lovely fan-shot footage here.

U2 stop London traffic with a gig on Broadcasting House

U2 played Get On Your Boots, Magnificent, Vertigo (with snippets of Substitute and She Loves You) and Beautiful Day on top of BBC’s Broadcasting House in London’s Langham Place tonight while about 5,000 fans watched from below. Police closed Portland Place in Westminster to divert traffic away from the area.

The short set was broadcast live on BBC digital TV (‘red button’)

Preparations for U2′s London rooftop gig underway

U2tour.de have captured crew preparing for U2′s ‘secret’ concert, while fans are waiting in front of the building. The band are going to play from the roof of the BBC’s Broadcasting House, at the top end of Regent Street on the corner of Langham Place.

Tune in to Radio 1 online for a live report from 7.15pm GMT.

Note the P.A. one step down from the rooftop, captured by liamam:

U2 play for 350 fans at BBC’s Radio Theatre

U2 performed live in front of 350 fans (competition winners and guests) at the BBC Radio Theatre on Friday afternoon. The band played Get On Your Boots, Magnificent, Beautiful Day and Breathe.

Earlier today we posted some pictures of the band arriving at the studio.

U2′s 12-page interview in Hot Press magazine

Bono talks about taking on characters to write the songs on No Line On The Horizon: “I’d just kind of worn out my own biography or autobiography. The last two albums were very personal. And I’m not sure if I could bear it any more, let alone anyone else. The irony is, of course, as Oscar Wilde taught us, the mask reveals the man. So you end up in fancy dress revealing your true self. You end up in these very emotional places which you shouldn’t understand, but somehow do.”

There’s a 12-page interview with U2 in Ireland’s Hot Press magazine this week. The interview will eventually be available from HotPress.com, after the magazine goes off sale two weeks from now. Here’s a lovely hi-res image of the cover. And you can read an excerpt from the U2 interview on Hotpress.com now.

U2 at the Beeb for their Live Lounge session

http://www.bbc.co.uk/musicevents/u2/

U2 are special guests at BBC Radio including a special Live Lounge session on BBC Radio 1.

The band will be performing three tracks for a Radio 1 Live Lounge session in Jo Whiley’s daytime show from 10.00am. Later today on BBC Radio 2, Chris Evans will play host to U2 on his drivetime show at 5.00pm, interviewing all four members of U2 about the secrets of their success, from their formation in Dublin in 1976, to nine number one albums in the UK and 22 Grammy Awards.

A number of lucky Radio 1 listeners will be able to watch the band live at the BBC Radio Theatre. U2log.com hopes to be able to bring you a special report from inside the theatre.

Update: The band played Get On Your Boots, Beautiful Day und Breathe on the Jo Whiley show. They also recorded Magnificent for another show. See also U2tour.de twitpics.

Continue reading »

“U2 fans have bigger egos than U2″

In this Irish Times interview Bono quotes will.i.am saying U2 fans have bigger egos than the members of the band:

“The thing about U2 that nobody seems to get,” says Bono, “is that the very things people think about us, which is the megalomania and the immodesty, they’re so far from the truth. People don’t see that. We had will.i.am doing some work on the new album and he was shocked by the absence of ego. He said: ‘Your fans have bigger egos than you do.’

Discuss.