Holey moley, U2 in ‘worst lyrics ever’ chart

U2′s ‘mole’ has made it into the BBC 6 worst lyrics chart after a public vote. Sitting uncomfortably at #10 in this dubious list, among clunkers by Snap, Black Sabbath and Toto, are the following lines from Elevation:

“I’ve got no self control, Been living like a mole now, Going down, excavation, High and high in the sky, You make me feel like I can fly, So high, Elevation”

I can’t say I object. What are your worst-U2-lyrics-ever picks?

Sayonara Japan

U2′s final Vertigo show in Japan on Monday (Dec. 4) focused on paying respect to the country and its people. Early in the show, Bono expressed the band’s genuine love for the country, noting they had a wonderful stay in Tokyo. Bono spoke of his visit to Kyoto, where he toured the Church of Light, designed by Tadao Ando.

Bono was so charmed by Kyoto that he brought back three of its residents to Tokyo with him for the final show. During “Mysterious Ways,” Bono invited the three to dance with him on stage. Mouths dropped open when they saw Bono’s guests were geishas (perhaps actually maikos [geishas in training]) in full traditional wardrobe and makeup. Morleigh Steinberg ran alongside the women in the pit, directing them to dance with their fans, to the delight of the audience and Bono, who grinned from ear to ear. At the song’s conclusion, he bowed to them sweetly.

Another highlight of the show was a particularly moving performance of “Sometimes You Can’t Make It on Your Own,” which Bono dedicated to his father and the fathers of his friends Gavin and Guggi, who watched the show from the mix desk.

Setlist
City of Blinding Lights
Vertigo – She Loves You (snippet)
Elevation
Out of Control
I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For – In a Little While (snippet)
Beautiful Day
Angel of Harlem
The First Time
Sometimes You Can’t Make It on Your Own
Bad – Ruby Tuesday (snippet)
Sunday Bloody Sunday
Bullet the Blue Sky – When Johnny Comes Marching Home & Hands That Built America (snippets)
Miss Sarajevo
Pride (In the Name of Love)
Where the Streets Have No Name
One

The Fly
Mysterious Ways
With or Without You

The Saints Are Coming
Window in the Skies
Vertigo (“For us!”)

‘Window in the Skies’ premieres in Japan

U2′s first Vertigo tour show in Japan was so special that the band actually took Promo Bono’s advice and performed “Window in the Skies” for the first time live. My human counterpart introduced the song by telling the audience, “If this doesn’t sound good, blame Edge.” The warning turned out to be completely unnecessary, as the song and the Edge sounded fantastic.

Setlist
City of Blinding Lights
Vertigo (She Loves You snippet)
Elevation
I Will Follow
I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For
Beautiful Day (Sgt. Pepper’s & Blackbird snippets)
Window in the Skies
Walk On (Acoustic — dedicated to the oldest Japanese fan club)
Sometimes You Can’t Make It on Your Own
Bad (40 snippet)
Sunday Bloody Sunday (Rock the Casbah snippet)
Bullet the Blue Sky
Miss Sarajevo
Pride (In the Name of Love)
Where the Streets Have No Name
One

The Fly (Satisfaction snippet)
Mysterious Ways
With or Without You
The Saints Are Coming
Angel of Harlem
One Tree Hill

U2′s Aussie Vertigo Tour kicks off in Brisbane

U2 played their first show of the 5th leg of the Vertigo Tour on Tuesday night in Brisbane. The Aussies were treated to the following setlist:

City of Blinding Lights / Vertigo / Elevation / Until The End Of The World / New Years Day / Beautiful Day / Yahweh / Walk On / Sometimes You Can’t Make It On Your Own / Love And Peace Or Else / Sunday Bloody Sunday / Bullet The Blue Sky / Miss Sarajevo / Pride / Where The Streets Have No Name / One / encore: Zoo Station / The Fly / With Or Without You / The Saints Are Coming / Angel Of Harlem / Kite

• Yahoo news: U2 blasts back in Brisbane
• Sydney Morning Herald: A hitch or two, but undoubtedly you know who
• ABC: U2 rocks Brisbane
• The Australian: City sees blinding light as U2 better late than never

Some more details courtesy of various fan lists/forums.

U2 in the land Down Under

U2 have arrived in Queensland, Australia and set up camp in a reportedly ‘stupid expensive’ hotel on the Gold Coast. While their crew continues to work on getting the venue ready for the show, the band will take a few days to acclimatise. Bono told the press: “I don’t really feel like Bono at the moment, I looked in the mirror and saw a little man with sunken eyes.”

Their Denton interview from March this year is going to be repeated on Monday and the band will appear on Rove on Tuesday night.

The stage in Brisbane is almost fully set up.

We haven’t had any info yet on how GA lines are going to be handled. Aussie fans, we welcome your reports and tips.

• The Daily Telegraph: U2 touch down, in pictures
• The Courier Mail: Bono’s soundcheck
• New.com.au: U2 lands for Vertigo tour
• The Gold Coast bulletin: Still a beautiful day for jetlagged U2
• News.com.au: We will rock you says U2
• The Courier Mail: Another day in paradise

Meanwhile, Billboard publishes the U218singles track list, including the new song ‘Window in the Skies’, and U2place.net has what might be the album sleeve.

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English football star caught in the act…

… of singing along to U2.

A video of former England striker Alan Shearer has turned up on video sharing site bebo.com. Apparently the clip was posted by Shearer’s daughters Chloe and Hollie. The clip, entitled ‘dad lmao’, shows him whistling and singing along to Elevation.

• Watch the video
• Telegraph article

Goodbye Brazil

Last night Morumbi Stadium was filled with 70,000 Brazilians, but 20,000 more without tickets listened to the show outside the stadium in the rain. They just wanted to be there to say goodbye to the biggest band on the planet.

Bono brought two girls to the stage, one during “Desire” (she stole a kiss from Bono and The Edge) and one during “Mysterious Ways.” The highlights of the show were during “Pride” and “Where the Streets Have No Name,” when the audience sang louder than Bono. The setlist was full of surprises. Take a look:

City of Blinding Lights
Vertigo
Elevation
Until the End of the World
New Year’s Day
I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For
Beautiful Day / Blackbird
The First Time
Desire
Sometimes You Can’t Make It on Your Own
Love and Peace or Else
Sunday Bloody Sunday
Bullet the Blue Sky / When Johnny Comes Marching Home / The Hands That Built America
Miss Sarajevo
Pride (In the Name of Love)
Where the Streets Have No Name
One
Zoo Station
The Fly
Mysterious Ways
With or Without You
Yahweh
All I Want Is You / Love Rescue Me

Photo slideshow

Mexico part II

Last night U2 performed again for the Mexican fans, possibly their loudest audience so far. Despite the long queues and cold temperatures the fans have endured over the last few days, Azteca Stadium was full of energy and the band responded in full form. All over the GA field, balloons with the colours of the Mexican flag filled the place.

Concert highlights include Bono pulling one girl to the stage to dance during “Mysterious Ways,” and his adding a “Cielito Lindo” snippet to the end of “Beautiful Day.”

Setlist:

City of Blinding Lights
Vertigo
Elevation
Mysterious Ways
Until the End of the World
New Year’s Day
I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For
Beautiful Day / Cielito Lindo / Norwegian Wood
Original of the Species
Sometimes You Can’t Make it on Your Own
Love and Peace or Else
Sunday Bloody Sunday
Bullet the Blue Sky / The Hands That Build America / When Johnny Comes Marching
Miss Sarajevo
Pride in the Name of Love
Where the Streets Have No Name
One / Unchained Melody
Zoo Station
The Fly
With or Without You
All Because of You
Yahweh
40

At the last concert held in Monterrey, the band dedicated “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m looking For” to the memory of Kirsty MacColl, and Bono addressed the Mexican goverment asking for justice for her. Yesterday, the office of President Vicente Fox made an official statement with the promise of a new investigation of the MacColl case.

U2 treat Toronto to a Pop-selection

Boom. Cha. While we await full reports from our troops on the ground, we’re going to tease you with this short and simple statement: They played Discotheque!

Set: City of Blinding Lights / Vertigo / Elevation / Electric Co. / The Ocean / Beautiful Day / Miracle Drug / Sometimes You Can’t Make It On Your Own / Love and Peace or Else / Sunday Bloody Sunday / Bullet the Blue Sky / Miss Sarajevo / Pride / Where the Streets Have No Name / One / Discotheque / The Fly / With or Without You / All Because of You / Fast Cars / Yahweh / 40

Daniel Lanois plays guitar on One, Eddie Vedder joins them near the end for a few bars of Ol’ man river. The ‘Pop Muzik’ intro starts the encore and the screen shows PopMart imagery.

Bono, The Edge review their opening gig on 2FM

RTE 2FM’s Gerry Ryan spoke to Bono, The Edge and Paul McGuinness shortly after the band got off stage in San Diego. U2′s manager was scheduled to speak to the Irish DJ, but Bono and The Edge weren’t. When they heard McGuinness was about to do the interview they told their manager ‘we want to talk to Gerry’.

RTE have put the entire interview online. Listen to it in Real Audio, or continue reading. (Unable to record we interpreted our notes taken during the interview.)

• full version
• shortened version

McGuinness took the call, said it was their ‘best ever opening night’ then started to laugh because ‘a half naked man’ had entered his room. Bono took the phone and said that for Gerry Ryan he would go fully ‘nekkid’.

Bono seemed high on energy, a bit delirious, said it had gone ‘fantastic’. He gave a report in a Jack Charlton accent, using football jargon as if he were reporting on an Irish team game, something like ‘the team gave 110%’.

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