U2 360, London August 15 2009

Second and last show in London’s Wembley stadium tonight. Newspapers reviewed the first show as “a qualified triumph for vaulting ambition“, “with a sound so hissy that it might as well have been coming from a clapped-out transistor radio” (more reviews in our lifestream).

Support acts of tonight are The Hours and Glasvegas and during a last minute soundcheck the band played New Year’s Day and Until The End Of The World.

Among tonights attending celebrities are Kevin Spacey (in the royal box), Lars Ulrich, Jimmy Page, Robert Downey Jnr and (the inevitable) Neil McCormick.

Reports are the roof is opened further than previous night, which benefits the sound.
When the last notes of tonights show fade out U2 will have played before an estimated 1.600.000 people in 21 gigs, with three more European shows to go…

The setlist gets a bit of a mix-up with the inclusion of UTEOTW, New Year’s Day and Stay:

1. Breathe [video]
2. No Line On The Horizon
3. Get On Your Boots [video]
4. Magnificent
5. Beautiful Day (“Here comes the sun” and “London Bridge is falling down” snippet) [video]
6. Until The End Of The World (Break on through snippet) [video]
7. New Year’s Day [video]
8. I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For (Stand by me snippet) [video] [snippet]
9. Stay (Far Away So Close) [video]
10. Unknown Caller
11. The Unforgettable Fire (A Day Without Me snippet) [video]
12. City Of Blinding Lights [video]
13. Vertigo [video]
14. I’ll Go Crazy If I Don’t Go Crazy Tonight remix
15. Sunday Bloody Sunday
16. Pride (In The Name Of Love)
17. MLK [video]
18. Walk On [video]
19. Where The Streets Have No Name [video]
20. One
21. Bad (Fool to Cry and “40″ snippets) [video]
22. Ultraviolet (Light My Way)
23. With Or Without You
24. Moment Of Surrender [video]

Before they play Stay Bono tells the crowd Joe O’Herlihy has buried one of Edge’s guitar picks in the foundation of Wembley stadium when he was visiting the building site…

Big thanks to the Editor-in-chief of U2log and her fabulous live feeds!
All video links courtesy of u2gigs.com/u2006com

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U2 360, London August 14, 2009

U2 bring their 360 production into London for the first of two shows. Tonight Wembley stadium will welcome its biggest crowd ever, with 88.000 people attending (former record holders: Rod Stewart in 1995 and Foo Fighters in 2008, both played in front of 83.000 people). Total attendance over two shows is estimated 170.000.

Mysterious Ways and Your Blue Room were played in full during soundcheck, as well as fragments of Beautiful Day and Get On Your Boots.

Support acts for this first night are The Hours and Elbow.

Among the celebrity guests spotted in the star studded capital are Noel Gallagher, Lars Ullrich, Richard Curtis, Bill Nighy, Roman Abramovich, Will Champion, Brian Eno, Paul Greengrass & Neil McCormick.

For the second time the Bishop Tutu intro is played before One instead of Streets and Mysterious Ways makes a suprise appearance as closer of the ‘main’ set

Setlist:

1. Breathe
2. No Line on the Horizon [video]
3. Get On Your Boots
4. Magnificent
5. Beautiful Day (with “London calling” intro, “London Bridge is falling down” & Blackbird snippet) [video]
6. Elevation
7. I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For (Moving on up snippet) [video]
8. Stuck in a Moment You Can’t Get Out Of
9. Unknown caller
10. The Unforgettable Fire [video *]
11. City of Blinding Lights
12. Vertigo (Aqcuiesce snippet)
13. I’ll Go Crazy If I Don’t Go Crazy Tonight (remix) (Two Tribes and O Come All Ye Faithful snippets)
14. Sunday Bloody Sunday (Rock The Casbah snippet) [video *]
15. Pride (In The Name Of Love)
16. MLK
17. Walk On (You’ll Never Walk Alone snippet)
18. Where the streets have no name [video *]
19. One (Tutu intro)
20. Mysterious ways (tiny snippet of Norwegian wood) [video]
21. Ultra Violet (Light My Way) [video]
22. With Or Without You [video *]
23. Moment of Surrender (dedicated to Brian Eno, “a national treasure”) [video]

All video courtesy of the great u2006.com, except * by Liamjd2008.

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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’)

Bono, Brandon and Coldplay do it together for War Child

Immediately after Wednesday night’s Brit Awards, Coldplay and The Killers performed a benefit concert for War Child at Shepherd’s Bush in London. Bono and The Killer’s Brandon Flowers joined Coldplay on stage to play The Killers’ All These Things That I’ve Done together. U2tour.de was on the scene and captured this picture. Click it to see it enlarged.

The NME reports:

Then, having only rehearsed minutes beforehand backstage, The Killers and Bono joined Coldplay onstage to perform ‘All These Things That I’ve Done’ together.
Although the U2 man was a bit shaky on the lyrics to The Killers song, the three frontmen led the crowd through a rousing sing-a-long as they repeated the tracks “I’ve got soul/ but I’m not a soldier” refrain.
“This is going to be the best encore you’ll ever see!” declared Martin as the three acts wrapped up the night.

U2′s sessions in Fez: the video

The Observer’s Sean O’Hagan, a long time friend of the band, spent 18 months following them from Fez to Dublin, as they recorded New Line On The Horizon.

He’s captured his travels on film and in part one of this exclusive – but brief- footage the band begins sessions in a converted riad in Morocco.

Watch the video on guardian.co.uk

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U2 announces new album ‘No Line on the Horizon’

Mark your calendars! U2.com reports that ‘No Line on the Horizon’, the new studio album from U2, will be released on Monday 2nd March, 2009.

They write:

Written and recorded in various locations, No Line On The Horizon is the group’s 12th studio album and is their first release since the 9 million selling album How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb, released in late 2004.

Sessions for No Line On The Horizon began last year in Fez, Morocco, continued in the band’s own studio in Dublin, before moving to New York’s Platinum Sound Recording Studios, and finally being completed at Olympic Studios in London.

The album calls on the production talents of long-time collaborators Brian Eno and Danny Lanois, with additional production by Steve Lillywhite.

Billboard runs the story and has a quote from a ‘source’ who heard songs in their early forms: “…amazing and a little out there. I hope they don’t change anything.” (Read more.)

The Edge to present Peter Gabriel with Ambassador of Conscience Award

Peter Gabriel is the recipient of the Amnesty International ‘Ambassador of Conscience Award’ 2008, Art for Amnesty has announced. The award will be presented to him by The Edge at a the Hard Rock Cafe in London, on September 10th, 2008.

The Ambassador of Conscience Award recognises exceptional individual leadership and witness in the fight to protect and promote human rights. In 2005, U2 and Paul McGuinness were the recipients of the award.

It’s a fun packed week for Edge as the Davis Guggenheim documentary ‘It Might Get Loud‘ in which he’s featured alongside Jimmy Page and Jack White will officially premiere at the Toronto Film festival this Friday, September 5th.