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New Stories:
CNN: Bono Timeline (12-12-2001)
CNN: Part 3 - Unforgettable fire (12-12-2001)
CNN: Part 2 - Unforgettable fire (12-12-2001)
CNN: Part 1 - Unforgettable fire (12-12-2001)
YouTwo.net: Daniel Lanois LA Concert Tonight! (12-12-2001)
IFTN: The Yard wins Contract Production of 'Elevation 2001' DVD for U2
(12-12-2001)
Garbage.com: Shirley Describes Last U2 Show in Her Tour Diary (12-12-2001)
RTE: Rock musicians to feature on Irish stamps (12-12-2001)
Hits Daily Double: Keys to Grammy Kingdom (12-12-2001)
RockOnTV: U2 to Appear in 'ABC 2002' TV Special (12-12-2001)
YouTwo.net: Collector's Item Reissued with New Title (12-12-2001)
YouTwo.net: U2 Chosen as Best Group in Humo Magazine Poll (12-12-2001)
MRIB: Mariah To Sing At Superbowl (12-12-2001)
Reuters: Bono to appear on Irish commemorative stamp (12-12-2001)
Wrestling Resources: Triple H chooses 'Beautiful Day' as theme song (12-12-2001)
Virgin.net: Review - America: Tribute To Heroes (12-12-2001)
Sonicnet: Mariah To Sing National Anthem At Super Bowl (12-12-2001)
Washington Post: Kiki & Herb cover U2 (12-12-2001)
MediaWeek: Clear Channel Makes Super Bowl Music (12-12-2001)
Ananova: Mariah Carey to sing national anthem at Super Bowl (12-12-2001)
Entertainment Weekly: No Doubt Invades New York's Times Square (12-11-2001)
IFPI: U2 Receive November 2001 Platinum Europe Award (12-11-2001)
Time: Italian tenor likes music with passion (12-11-2001)
Rolling Stone: Mariah to Sing at Super Bowl (12-11-2001)
Sports Network: Mariah Carey to sing at Super Bowl (12-11-2001)
Business Wire: NFL Selects Mariah Carey to Sing National Anthem At Super Bowl
XXXVI (12-11-2001)
Live Daily: U2's big money (12-11-2001)
The Guardian: A Mohan moment (12-11-2001)
Herald Sun: How to get fresh (12-11-2001)
Jam!: U2 nominated for Best Live Act (12-11-2001)
Asian Wall Street Journal: Nobel Peace Prize Spotlight on Aung San Suu Kyi
(12-10-2001)
YouTwo.net: U2 Tribute Band to Perform Final Show of 2001 (12-10-2001)
Hits Daily Double: 'America: A Tribute to Heroes' Should Bow in Top 10
(12-10-2001)
Irish News: Man Utd takeover at hands of Irish (12-10-2001)
Providence Journal: After a famine, Dunkin' Donuts Center now on a roll
(12-10-2001)
Ananova: Manchester United edges higher as new Irish investor emerges
(12-10-2001)
Arizona Republic: Review: 'U2 - Elevation Tour (Live from Boston)' (12-10-2001)
Rocky Mountain News: Part 2 - Flag-Hugging Stirs Up U2 Fans (12-10-2001)
Rocky Mountain News: Part 1 - Flag-Hugging Stirs Up U2 Fans (12-10-2001)
Chicago Tribune: Memorable rock moments (12-9-2001)
Undercover: U2's Bono named European of the Year (12-9-2001)
The Guardian: Newspaper apologizes to The Edge (12-9-2001)
The Guardian: U2 mention in Stereolab review (12-9-2001)
YouTwo.net: 'Beautiful Day' used in WWF Vengeance (12-9-2001)
Spin: Part 4 - U2 Band of The Year and Issue Cover (12-9-2001)
Spin: Part 3 - U2 Band of The Year and Issue Cover (12-9-2001)
Spin: Part 2 - U2 Band of The Year and Issue Cover (12-9-2001)
Spin: Part 1 - U2 Band of The Year and Issue Cover (12-9-2001)
Liverpool Echo: Bono accolade takes the biscuit (12-9-2001)
Irish Times: Cox on the rocks? (12-9-2001)
Miami Herald: U2 leaves its heart, mark at arena (12-9-2001)
Guardian: Third Irish tycoon buys Manchester United stake (12-9-2001)
Guardian: Mystery buyer adds to speculation over bid (12-9-2001)
Telegraph: Man United faces fresh Irish threat (12-9-2001)
Herald Sun: Garbage express (12-9-2001)
Newport Daily News: Athletic Club members 'spin' in marathon charity workout
(12-9-2001)
The Sun: NY showed us heroes (12-9-2001)
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CNN: Bono Timeline (12-12-2001)
May 10, 1960
Paul David Hewson is born in Dublin, Ireland, the second
child of Iris Hewson, a homemaker, and Bobby Hewson, a
postal worker.
September 14, 1974
Iris Hewson dies of a brain hemorrhage.
1976
Hewson responds to a note posted by Larry Mullen Jr. at Mount Temple
Comprehensive School looking for musicians to join a band. A subsequent jam
session leads to the formation of what will become U2.
1978
The band wins a talent contest with a prize of 500 Irish pounds and studio
recording time. After discarding Feedback and the Hype as band names, the group
settles on U2. By this time, Bono also has picked up his nickname from a friend.
1980
The band signs a contract with Island Records. U2's first
album, "Boy," reaches No. 52 on the British charts. The band
plays its first U.S. shows.
1981
"Boy" is released in the United States, where it reaches No. 63 on the charts.
The
band's second album, "October," is released.
August 21, 1982
Bono marries his high school sweetheart Ali Stewart.
1983
"War," U2's third album, earns the band its first gold record.
1984
"The Unforgettable Fire" becomes U2's first platinum record.
1987
"The Joshua Tree" album spawns two No. 1 singles: "With or Without You" and "I
Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For."
1988
U2 wins two Grammy Awards and releases "Rattle and Hum," the soundtrack to the
concert movie documenting "The Joshua Tree" tour.
1989
U2 wins two more Grammys.
1991
The "Achtung Baby" album is released and later tops the charts in Britain and
the
United States.
1993
The "Zooropa" album hits No. 1 in 13 countries.
1994
"Zooropa" wins the Grammy for best alternative album.
1997
U2's "Pop" album reaches No. 1 in 29 countries.
1998
Bono plays at a Belfast concert in support of the "Yes"
campaign for the Good Friday peace agreement, a
compromise accord on how the British-ruled province of
Northern Ireland should be governed.
1999
Bono presents a petition to the G-8 Summit in Cologne, Germany, with 17 million
signatures supporting the Jubilee 2000 campaign, aimed at erasing the debts
owed by developing nations to Western governments. He also addresses the U.N.
General Assembly and meets with Pope John Paul II to promote the debt-relief
campaign.
2000
U2 receives the Freedom of Dublin honor and releases the album "All That You
Can't Leave Behind" and the single "Beautiful Day."
2001
"Beautiful Day" wins three Grammys. U2 launches its "Elevation 2001" tour.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CNN: Part 3 - Unforgettable fire (12-12-2001)
Staying grounded
Despite all the success, Bono tried to stay grounded, working hard to carve out
time for his growing family. He and Ali have four children.
"He's a mad dad; they get in cars and go
to strange places, but he just loves to
spend time with his family," said Barry
Devlin, a friend of the band since its
early days.
In 2000, even though the band was
working hard on a new album, Bono
devoted a large amount of time to the
Jubilee 2000, a campaign that lobbies
Western governments to cancel the
debts of Third World nations.
Bono asked the U.S. Congress for
funding to help pay off the debts and
met with U.S. President Bill Clinton, British Prime Minister Tony Blair and
German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder to ask for their support.
He and other debt relief supporters met with Pope John Paul II. Knowing the
value of publicity, Bono gave the pontiff his rock star sunglasses, and the pope
tried them on. Afterward, Bono told the media that John Paul was the world's
first "funky pontiff."
It snagged far more copy than a dry speech in favor of debt relief. "People have
a
short attention span; you need a picture of a pop star and a pope together, that
usually gets their attention," Bono said.
In 2001, when tragedy struck the United States on September 11, Bono, like
many, was deeply shocked.
"The world was completely and utterly changed at that moment," he said in an
interview with CNN.
It was not long before Bono devoted his time and his talents to raise money for
victims.
In late October, Bono released a remake of Marvin Gaye's "What's Going On?," a
song recorded by some of the industry's top artists. Originally recorded to help
raise money for AIDS relief, the release was re-formatted to help both causes --
AIDS relief and the United Way's September 11 Fund.
"Music fills in for words a lot of the time when people don't know what to say,
and I think music can be more eloquent than words," he said.
U2's 2001 "Elevation 2001" tour, which opened in March, ended in Miami,
Florida. Bono says the tour changed after September 11, as did the meaning of
the band's music.
"If September 11th has taught us anything, it's certainly that the world has
never
been so interdependent. It is impossible now to be an island of prosperity in a
sea
of despair," he said.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CNN: Part 2 - Unforgettable fire (12-12-2001)
In 1978, U2 won a talent contest in Limerick, with a prize of 500 Irish pounds
and a studio recording session. They produced a three-song single "U23."
In 1980, the group signed with Island Records and released its first album,
"Boy."
Critics hailed the band for its original, shimmering sound, marked by the Edge's
echoey guitar and Bono's yearning voice.
"I think his voice, which is this soaring instrument, ... and the Edge's guitar
playing, which is full and doesn't sound like anything else, and it's just
rousing
and inspiring to hear. It's a great sound," said Kurt Loder of MTV.
Only nine people showed up for one of U2's first London shows, according to
U2.com, the band's official Web site. But slowly the group built up a following
through its original sound and uplifting live performances, including its debut
before American audiences in 1980.
Bono took time out of the band's busy touring schedule in 1982 to marry Ali
Stewart, whom he met while they were both students at Mount Temple. Clayton
was Bono's best man.
"I'm lucky I have an extraordinary friend that I've been married to for a long
time, seems like (since) we were kids," Bono said.
Weathering conflicts
The group continued to evolve its sound and expand its political voice. Its 1983
album, "War," featured "Sunday Bloody Sunday" and "New Year's Day," a tribute
to the Polish Solidarity movement.
U2 was one of the standout acts at the
1985 Live Aid concert in London, giving
an electrifying performance that was
broadcast worldwide. The next year, U2
dedicated two weeks to the "Conspiracy
of Hope" tour that benefited the human
rights group Amnesty International.
The band's profile became larger with
the 1987 album, "The Joshua Tree,"
which spawned the hit singles "With or
Without You" and "I Still Haven't Found
What I'm Looking For."
The band moved from arenas into stadiums for a major tour of America. The
resulting concert film, "Rattle and Hum," reflected the band's growing interest
in
American music genres such as country and the blues. But some critics attacked
the soundtrack, which included recordings with B.B. King and Bob Dylan, as an
attempt by U2 to elevate itself to the status of such music icons.
So the group sought to reinvent its sound on the 1991 album "Achtung Baby,"
which moved beyond the solid structures U2 had employed so successfully on
"The Joshua Tree," by adding industrial and electronic textures to its sound.
Initially, there was disagreement among band members over the new sonic
direction. But their bond was strong enough to weather the conflicts.
"A band is a very difficult thing to keep going, and when you're in a good one,
you try to make it work whatever way you can. I don't think any of us would
have imagined we'd still be together after so many years, but it's great that we
are," the Edge said.
The band also radically revised its live act. Its 1992 "Zoo TV" tour featured
the
band playing while surrounded by televisions that broadcast an array of images,
both taped and live, at the audience. Bono adopted a persona called the Fly,
which
represented the ultimate rock star, and another one called the Mirrorball Man,
which parodied television evangelists.
For the European leg of the "Zoo TV" tour, Bono put on a gold lamé suit,
platform shoes and red horns to portray a character called MacPhisto, which he
said was the Fly when he was old, fat and playing Las Vegas.
The band's willingness to innovate has paid off artistically and financially.
Critics
gave favorable reviews to "Achtung Baby" and the follow-up record, 1993's
"Zooropa," and the band's gross revenues topped $1.5 billion during the 1990s.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CNN: Part 1 - Unforgettable fire (12-12-2001)
Unforgettable fire
U2 lead singer brings passion
to issues and music
(CNN) -- Bono is not your average rock
star.
He is just as comfortable meeting with
the pope or world leaders to lobby for
social causes as he is being the lead
singer for U2, the enduringly successful
Irish band with total record sales of
more than 75 million.
"Rock stars are good at making noise," Bono said, explaining his talent for
getting
out messages he thinks are important.
In 2001, the 41-year-old rock star seems at the top of his game.
U2 is going strong after more than two decades. Its latest album, "All That You
Can't Leave Behind," topped the charts in 31 countries and racked up the largest
first week sales for any U2 release in the United States. The band's North
American tour "Elevation 2001" ended in November after 113 shows in 64 cities.
But U2's phenomenal commercial success is not
the only thing that makes it noteworthy. The
band distinguished itself early on by using music
to make overt political statements, a sensibility
shaped by its Irish origins. One of its most
famous anthems, "Sunday Bloody Sunday," is
about the conflict in Northern Ireland between
Catholics and Protestants.
A band is born
Bono was born in May 10, 1960, in Dublin,
Ireland, as Paul David Hewson. He was the
second child of Iris, a homemaker, and Bobby, a
postal worker. They were a typical middle-class
couple but were considered a mixed marriage by
Irish standards because he was Catholic and she was Protestant.
The young Bono grew up in the Dublin neighborhood of Ballymun, wedged
between the countryside and the city. Tragedy struck in 1974 when his mother,
Iris, died suddenly from a brain hemorrhage.
That fall, Bono entered the nondenominational, coeducational Mount Temple
Comprehensive School. His years there would have an enormous influence on his
life.
Larry Mullen Jr., then 14, posted a notice on the school bulletin board in 1976
to
recruit people for a band. Bono, 16, showed up for a jam session in Mullen's
kitchen, along with fellow Mount Temple students David Evans and Adam
Clayton. Bono's charisma was evident even then.
"I was in charge for the first five minutes," Mullen told TIME magazine in 1987.
"But as soon as Bono arrived, I was out of a job."
Around this time, a friend gave Bono his nickname after a Dublin hearing-aid
store called Bonavox, which happened to be pidgin Latin for "good voice." Evans
played guitar and also gained a nickname, the Edge, while Clayton played bass
and Mullen was the drummer.
The fledgling group called itself Feedback, a wry reference to its early sound.
The group later changed its name to the Hype before it finally settled on U2.
"We formed a band before we could play our instruments," Bono said. "It's really
like a street gang, you know, people who are joined by their sense of humor and
their sense of what they are against more than what they are for. We were a
pretty crap wedding band actually."
Dublin businessman Paul McGuinness recognized the band's spark when he went
to see it at the urging of a local music journalist.
"They were doing then badly what they now do very well, but the constituent
parts of it are exactly the same," McGuinness said. "It's the primary colors of
rock 'n' roll: guitar and bass and drums and vocal and four guys on a stage
making an enormous noise and producing something very exciting."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
YouTwo.net: Daniel Lanois LA Concert Tonight! (12-12-2001)
Thanks to Elizabeth for the following:
Daniel Lanois is playing at Largo (432 Fairfax) at 9PM
tonight, $20 cover charge.
The club is located between Melrose and Beverly on the
east side of Fairfax. Their # is 323.852.1073.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
IFTN: The Yard wins Contract Production of 'Elevation 2001' DVD for U2
(12-12-2001)
From IFTN:
The Yard wins Contract Production of 'Elevation 2001' DVD for U2
The Yard, the Irish company providing broadcast facilities, was awarded
the contract to provide a complete solution to Dreamchaser Productions
for the development of a brand new DVD for U2. The six hour, two disc set
called Elevation 2001- U2 Live from Boston DVD, was created in NTSC
and PAL and composed for 5 regions across the world. The Yard was
awarded the contract against several international DVD facility house
who also pitched for the business.
Lawrence Fee, Managing Director of The Yard added,"The Yard fought off
stiff competition from both European and American companies to win this
contract. It was a superb opportunity to show that an Irish company can
produce a world-class product of this standard. The DVD not only
complements U2's progressive style but also firmly establishes Ireland as
a world-leading centre for DVD expertise."
The DVD is a twin disc set. Disc one features the full 1 hour 47 minute
concert. Disc two has a multi-camera facility that allows the viewer to switch
between the main show, Fancam and Directorcam (where the viewer can
see the interior of the OB truck and watch Hamish Hamilton directing the
show). The DVD also features a documentary showing the 'Making of?' and
previously unseen material. Disc two also features DVD ROM material
including web links and screen savers as well as additional video clips
from ZooTV and Popmart.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Garbage.com: Shirley Describes Last U2 Show in Her Tour Diary (12-12-2001)
From Garbage.com:
Shirley Manson's Tour Diary
Sunday, December 2nd
Tonight here in Miami was our last show opening for U2 and indeed
the last show of U2's entire world tour. It was a very emotional evening
all around and mercifully, to add to the occasion we had such a killer
show! The audience seemed to be really up for being entertained so
the atmosphere was pretty electric to begin with and when Larry
Mullen Jnr. joined us on stage and played the closing song of our set
with us which happened to be "Only Happy When it Rains", the crowd
went OFF and just about lifted the roof right up from the stadium. How
can I possibly describe what a thrill it was for us to play with him? We
were all grinning like village idiots. It's strange......Duke and I were talking
about this the other day...........when you do what we do for a living you
find yourself in the priviliged position of meeting all the "stars du jour"
and sometimes.......or should I say MOST times, they prove themselves
to be horribly, disappointingly NASTY.
The incredible thing about U2 is this: They are not in the least bit NASTY.
They're kind, intelligent, funny and down to earth human beings who
also happen to retain that aura you want from rockstars......that quality
that sets them slightly apart yet does not distance them from the common
man........... still be capable of creating MAGIC........an alternative universe
to the one down here.
Tonight after our own set I slipped into "The Heart" to watch the U2 show
from start to finish and nearly died of a mixture of embarassment and
delight when Bono spotted me three or four songs in, lay down and sang
the middle break of "The End of the World" right there infront of me. I just
about swooned into a happy death right there and then.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
RTE: Rock musicians to feature on Irish stamps (12-12-2001)
From RTE:
Rock musicians to feature on Irish stamps
Late Irish rock musicians Rory Gallagher and Phil Lynott are to
feature on a set of commemorative stamps next year.
Van Morrison and U2 will also feature on stamps to mark the
achievements of Ireland's rock music industry.
The government yesterday endorsed a recommendation from
An Post that the commemorative stamps programmed for next
year should include ones featuring some of Ireland's most
successful rock stars.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hits Daily Double: Keys to Grammy Kingdom (12-12-2001)
Condensed from Hits Daily Double:
KEYS TO GRAMMY KINGDOM
Alicia Looks To Lead the Pack When Nominations Are Announced
December 11, 2001
It's Alicia Keys and everybody else at next year's Grammys.
If you were laying odds on the 44th annual awards ceremony, it would
be a good bet Clive Davis ' latest soul ingenue will be up at L.A.'s Staples
Center podium more than once come Feb. 27. Nominations will be
announced at a press conference on Friday morning, Jan. 4.
Keys' "Songs in A Minor" and her hit single, "Fallin'," could well emulate
Davis' achievement with Carlos Santana in 1999, when the veteran
guitarist nailed eight Grammys, including Record of the Year and Album
of the Year.
Keys could well nab all four major awards--Album of the Year, Record
of the Year, Song of the Year and Best New Artist--as well as assorted
R&B categories.
Other Album of the Year candidates (released between Oct. 1, 2000-Sept.
30, 2001) include Bob Dylan's critically acclaimed "Love and Theft"
(Columbia), U2's "All That You Can't Leave Behind" (Island/IDJ; which
came out within the eligibility date, though the single, "Beautiful Day," won
last year), "O Brother Where Art Thou?" (Mercury Nashville/IDJ) and
OutKast's groundbreaking "Stankonia" (Arista).
Keys' album could well pull an Ichiro Suzuki (who nabbed both Rookie of
the Year and MVP) and end up on top, though there is a precedent for a
soundtrack like "O Brother" in previous winners "The Bodyguard,"
"Saturday Night Fever," "The Concert for Bangladesh" and Henry Mancini 's
"Peter Gunn." Dylan's "Time Out of Mind" was honored in 1997 in this
category, while albums by U2 and OutKast just made it under the wire to be
eligible this year.
Dark horses could include Linkin Park's multi-Platinum "Hybrid Theory"
(Warner Bros.), Mary J. Blige's highly praised "No More Drama" (MCA),
Nickelback's "Silver Side Up" (Roadrunner/IDJ), perennial Grammy fave
Diana Krall's "The Look of Love" (Verve), Usher's "8701" (Arista) or, in a
post-Sept. 11 universe, Enya's soothing, new-agey "A Day Without Rain"
(Reprise).
Aside from "Fallin'," Record of the Year candidates include Usher's "U Remind
Me," NellyFurtado's "I'm Like a Bird," Staind's "It's Been Awhile," Five for
Fighting's "Superman," Moby/Gwen Stefani's "South Side," Eve/Gwen Stefani's
"Let Me Blow Ya Mind," MissyElliott's "Get Ur Freak On," Mary J. Blige's "Family
Affair," Enya's "Only Time," EltonJohn's "I Need Love," U2's "Walk On" and
Train's "Drops of Jupiter."
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RockOnTV: U2 to Appear in 'ABC 2002' TV Special (12-12-2001)
Thanks to Firas for the following.
From RockOnTV:
Show: ABC 2002
Episode: ABC 2002
Network: (ABC) American Broadcasting Corporation
Date: Monday - December 31, 2001
Time: 06:30 pm - 10:00 pm ET
Featured Artists
Arlo Guthrie, Sting, U2
About ABC 2002
Peter Jennings will anchor an evening of reflection and anticipation for
the New Year, live from the Rose Center for Earth and Space at the American
Museum of Natural History in New York City.
The ABC News special, "ABC 2002," will feature New Year's Eve celebrations
from across the globe from such locations as London, Rio de Janeiro,
Capetown, Moscow and Jerusalem. The show will also include performances
from some of the world's top musical artists, including Sting and U2.
Joining Jennings at the Rose Center and from around the world will be ABC
News correspondents, newsmakers and entertainers and other special guests
who will gather together for this year-end broadcast to share their
stories, thoughts and hopes for the coming year.
Incorporating many of the highly successful elements of the 24-hour "ABC
2000" Millennium coverage, the program will feature the best of the grand
celebrations and the intimate assemblies taking place this year in the
United States and throughout the world, from such far-flung locations as
London, Capetown, Moscow, Jerusalem, Tokyo, Rio de Janeiro, Deer Valley,
Utah (setting for the Olympics skiing competition), Washington, DC,
Afghanistan, Pakistan, Edinburgh (Scotland), Salt Lake City, Minneapolis
and, of course, New York's Times Square.
"ABC 2002" will narrow the focus of its lens to explore the issues and
events that brought us to this New Year and the challenges that we face in
the coming year with special guests and newsmakers who provide particular
experience or insight into our world on this memorable day. The program
will also celebrate our successful journey to this year-end with
performances from some of the world's most accomplished entertainers
through live or taped performances across the country and around the world.
These will include U2, Sting, Arlo Guthrie and many others. Guthrie will
perform "This Land Is Your Land," a song originally written and performed
by his father, the legendary Woody Guthrie.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
YouTwo.net: Collector's Item Reissued with New Title (12-12-2001)
Thanks to Mary for the following:
The Edge appeared on Russell Mill's "Undark" CD, which was released
in 1996. This has been a hard-to-find collector's item as the CD didn't
have a wide release. The CD has been reissued on the BellaUnion
label with the title "Strange Familiar." It has the same track listing as
the original, but new CD cover art:
http://youtwo.net/pictures_archive/undark1.jpg
The CD may be ordered online at http://www.bellaunion.com.
They are located in the UK and do ship to the United States.
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YouTwo.net: U2 Chosen as Best Group in Humo Magazine Poll (12-12-2001)
Thanks to Peter for the following.
I read in today's issue of Humo (www.humo.be), a very popular
Belgian weekly magazine about TV, radio, and rock music, that
Humo readers have chosen U2 to be the best group of the last
three decades.
Every year, Humo organizes a pop poll. Readers may submit their
choice of top three politicians of the year, man of the year, group
of the year, etc. Humo compiled the results of the past 30 years.
U2 came in first place with 34 points. The Rolling Stones (27),
R.E.M. (24), The Beatles (12), and Abba (11) followed on the poll.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
MRIB: Mariah To Sing At Superbowl (12-12-2001)
From MRIB:
Mariah To Sing At Superbowl
Troubled pop diva Mariah Carey has been invited to sing The Star
Spangled Banner at next year's US Super Bowl XXXVI. Her
performance at the game, which takes place at New Orleans's
Louisiana Superdome on February 3rd, will Mariah her follow in the
footsteps of Whitney Houston, Cher and Faith Hill, who have all
previously led the crowd in a rousing version of the national anthem.
U2 are also expected to provide half-time entertainment at the annua
l US football game, which is expected to attract around 900 million
TV viewers worldwide. With any luck, the invitation will put a smile
on poor old Mariah's face, as she discovered this week that her
Greatest Hits set is currently resting at a disappointing No. 46 in the
UK charts.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reuters: Bono to appear on Irish commemorative stamp (12-12-2001)
From Reuters:
Stamp of approval for Irish rock heroes
DUBLIN (Reuters) - U2 frontman Bono and Manchester United soccer club
captain Roy Keane are among a gallery of Irish rock and sporting heroes
set to appear on commemorative stamps next year, Ireland's Post Office said.
The first of the stamps, intended to celebrate the world impact of Irish musical
and sporting talent, will go on sale in mid-2002, costing 38 euro cents.
The rock star line-up, due for release next October, will feature, along with
Bono's U2, Belfast-born singer Van Morrison, guitar legend Rory Gallagher
and Phil Lynott, lead singer with popular 1970s band Thin Lizzy.
Joining Keane in the soccer series, due for release ahead of the World Cup in
June, are national team legends Paul McGrath, Dave O'Leary, and Packie
Bonner.
A spokeswoman for the Post Office said on Wednesday that postal authorities
were expecting an enthusiastic response to the issues.
"Irish stamps are hugely popular with collectors around the world because of
the time and detail we put into them, and we expect -- given the themes -- big
interest in these in particular," she told Reuters.
She added that the finer details were still being finalised and that changes to
the line-ups could not yet be ruled out.
Another planned series commemorating the 250th anniversary of the
Steeplechase, a sporting event first recorded in Ireland, will feature some of
the country's best-known race-horses -- Arkle, Dawn Run, L'Escargot, and
Istabraq.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Wrestling Resources: Triple H chooses 'Beautiful Day' as theme song (12-12-2001)
Condensed from Wrestling Resources:
WWF Desire:
A video package was shown, featuring Triple H with U2's "Beautiful Day"
playing as the theme.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Virgin.net: Review - America: Tribute To Heroes (12-12-2001)
From Virgin.net:
Album review
Various
America: Tribute To Heroes
Label: Columbia
Released: 10/12/01
Virgin.net verdict:*****
While the televised US telethon for the victims of September 11 (from
which these live recordings were taken) managed to create a surreal
blend of nauseating Hollywood self-indulgence with truly touching,
heart-stirring and emotive performances, there is no blur of distinction
with this double album. It is a tremendous release and a worthy addition
to any record collection.
Purchase is justified for the enjoyment to be had from the electrifying
opening track alone. My City Of Ruin by Bruce Springstein was penned
by The Boss just days after the horrific events and it bleeds with emotion.
On the night of the telethon, watched by hundreds of millions of people
around the world, it explicitly captured the confusion and heartache that
united so many. A haunting aching beauty flows from the live
performance - hear to believe.
Other pearls include the genius of Dave Matthews: witness the magic one
man and a guitar can create on his solo performance of Everyday, the title
track from his recent album release. Paul Simon gives the perfect tribute
with a soaring performance of Bridge Over Troubled Water, while Mariah
Carey provides a welcome reminder that before she was crazy she used
to make rich powerful ballads like the classic Hero. Sheryl Crow also
reminds us of forgotten genius, and her staggering live prowess, with a
beautiful rendition of Safe And Sound.
Additional magic is provided courtesy of Faith Hill, U2, Eddie Vedder, Alicia
Keys and Billy Joel. Rock pensioners Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers are
even allowed out of their nursing home for a crackling performance of the
classic I Won't Back Down.
Many will be cynical, but have no doubts, this album is quite priceless. A
unique, historical collection of musical genius, a glimmer of beauty from the
darkest of times.
by Justin Stoneman
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sonicnet: Mariah To Sing National Anthem At Super Bowl (12-12-2001)
Condensed from Sonicnet:
Mariah To Sing National Anthem At Super Bowl XXXVI
U2 will perform during halftime show at Louisiana Superdome.
Whitney, Cher and Faith have done it, so why not Mariah?
Pop diva Mariah Carey will join those elite ranks on February 3 when
she sings "The Star-Spangled Banner" before Super Bowl XXXVI at
the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, the NFL announced
Tuesday (December 11).
This year's game, to be televised on Fox, is expected to attract 130
million viewers in the United States and 800 million viewers worldwide,
according to the NFL. The Super Bowl is traditionally the most viewed
annual event on television.
U2 will perform during the halftime show. Pregame show performers
will be announced next week.
-- Corey Moss
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Washington Post: Kiki & Herb cover U2 (12-12-2001)
Condensed from The Washington Post:
For Kiki & Herb first-timers, "There's a Stranger in the Manger!" provides
background on the duo, who ostensibly met decades ago in an unspecified
government-run institution outside Erie, Pa. This year they are joined by two
special guests: a plastic baby Jesus doll and a tiny little dove of peace,
which,
Kiki says proudly, "has flown here all the way from Jalalabad."
A sartorial nightmare in a sparkling turquoise bell-bottom pantsuit, overlaid
with a transparent shimmering poncho, Kiki rants about the recession,
unemployment and the cheerful reports of CNN's anchors. She never
makes fun of the tragedies of Sept. 11, but she does mock some of the media's
sillier responses to them. And like many other New Yorkers who'd never admit it,
Kiki relishes the paucity of shopping tourists who usually make Midtown
virtually
impassable this time of year. "You can get things done!" she gloats.
But the duo's specialty is its mocking renditions of pop music's great
pomposities,
including U2's pretentious "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For," David
Bowie's grandiose "Space Oddity" and Dan Fogelberg's maudlin "Same Old
Lang Syne." Maudlin is what Kiki does best, and as she sinks into drunken
despair, she reminisces about Christmases past: broken piano strings, broken
hearts, broken marriages, broken spirits.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
MediaWeek: Clear Channel Makes Super Bowl Music (12-12-2001)
From MediaWeek:
Clear Channel Makes Super Bowl Music
The National Football League last week selected Clear Channel Entertainment as
the
producer of the "E*Trade Halftime Show" for Super Bowl XXXVI, which will be
played
Feb. 3 at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans. U2-which recently wrapped up
its
2001 Elevation Tour, also produced by CCE-is scheduled to perform live. An NFL
representative said Clear Channel was chosen in part because of its ability to
promote the
event using its vast media holdings, which include the U.S.' largest radio group
with 1,200
stations. The game and halftime show, to be broadcast on the Fox network, is
expected to
draw 800 million viewers worldwide, 130 million in the U.S.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ananova: Mariah Carey to sing national anthem at Super Bowl (12-12-2001)
From Ananova:
Mariah Carey to sing national anthem at Super Bowl
Mariah Carey has been invited to sing The Star Spangled
Banner at next year's Super Bowl.
The game takes place at the Louisiana Superdome in New
Orleans on February 3.
Whitney Houston, Cher and Faith Hill have previously led
the Super Bowl crowd in singing the American national
anthem.
U2 are also due to provide half-time entertainment at the
annual US football game, which is expected to attract
around 900 million TV viewers worldwide.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Entertainment Weekly: No Doubt Invades New York's Times Square (12-11-2001)
From Entertainment Weekly:
No Doubt Invades New York's Times Square
WHO: No Doubt
WHAT: in-store performance
WHEN: Tuesday, December 11, 4:00 pm
WHERE: Virgin Megastore, Times Square
WHY: To celebrate the release of No Doubt's ROCK
STEADY
Madness will befall Times Square today. Come watch the
craziness as MTV's TRL and an army of No Doubt fans swarm
Virgin Megastore. Fans will go wild, finally able to get their
hands on No Doubt's much-anticipated album, ROCK
STEADY, released today on Interscope Records. Having
recently opened 13 dates on U2's Elevation 2001 tour, No
Doubt are scheduled to perform on Saturday Night Live
December 15.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
IFPI: U2 Receive November 2001 Platinum Europe Award (12-11-2001)
Condensed from IFPI:
November 2001 - Platinum Europe Awards
New stars, cover stars and compilations predominate
December 5, 2001
November was a record month for the Platinum Europe Award with
14 new awards, five double awards and four multi awards, bringing
the total of award-winning albums to 23 - more than in any other
single month since the Award started in 1996.
...alongside Bocelli's Romanza is U2 with their 1998 release The Best
of 1980 - 1990, which enters the elite list of Platinum Europe Awards
given to albums topping six million European sales.
About IFPI Platinum Europe Awards
Platinum Europe is the recording industry's pre-eminent music award
in Europe. Launched in Brussels in 1996, Platinum Europe honours
that elite community of artists who have achieved sales of 1 million
copies of an album since January 1 1994. The award is now recognised
as the established hallmark of success for artists in Europe.
Platinum Europe is also a celebration of the music market and the music
industry in Europe. It reflects the extraordinary scale and diversity of the
European music market, which has doubled in size in the last decade, is
now worth $US 13 billion annually (1998) and accounts for more than
one third of the global music retail market. And the award underlines the
importance of an industry which employs, directly or indirectly, 600,000
people across the continent.
The awards give artists in the European market place a public profile and
perception of a measure of success that exactly mirrors the situation in
America where a million sales qualify an artist for a Platinum Award.
Platinum Europe honours international, not just European talent - but
significantly the award reflects the flourishing state of European repertoire
which, since the award's launch, has consistently accounted for some two
thirds all Platinum-qualifying albums.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Time: Italian tenor likes music with passion (12-11-2001)
Condensed from Time Magazine:
From Italy, with pipes
Ellin Martens
He could be the tastiest Italian import since sliced prosciutto.
ALESSANDRO SAFINA, 36, a smoothvoiced tenor whose
selftitled CD has hit the States, is here to sell his brand of
"melodious, romantic pop opera." Achieving crossover success
is tricky, but Safina is on the right track. "I like music with
passion," he says, "Rachmaninoff, Puccini ... U2 ." Safina
performed on the sound track of Moulin Rouge, singing backup
to star Ewan McGregor on Elton John's Your song, and he has
also toured with Coolio, UB40 and the Pretenders' Chrissie
Hynde.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Rolling Stone: Mariah to Sing at Super Bowl (12-11-2001)
From Rolling Stone:
Mariah to Sing at Super Bowl
Mariah Carey will perform the National Anthem before the kickoff of
Super Bowl XXXVI, scheduled for Sunday, February 3rd at New
Orleans' Lousiana Superdome.
Carey adds her name to a long list of performers -- including Garth
Brooks, Jewel, Cher, Faith Hill and the Backstreet Boys -- who have
sung the "Star-Spangled Banner" on American sports' biggest stage.
Last week, the NFL announced that U2 will perform live at halftime,
and the roster of entertainers for the always-lengthy pregame show
will expand within the next few weeks.
Super Bowl XXXVI will air on Fox.
AUGUSTIN K. SEDGEWICK
(December 11, 2001)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sports Network: Mariah Carey to sing at Super Bowl (12-11-2001)
From Sports Network:
Mariah Carey to sing at Super Bowl
New York, NY (Sports Network) - Mariah Carey is slated to sing the
National Anthem at Super Bowl XXXVI at the Louisiana Superdome
in New Orleans on Sunday February 3, 2002.
Carey, a singer, songwriter and producer, is the top-selling female
pop artist of the 1990s.
The game will be televised on FOX and is expected to draw 130 million
viewers in the United States and 800 million viewers world wide. The
Super Bowl is annually the nation's highest-rated TV program and the
most-watched single-day sporting event.
Performing the E*Trade Super Bowl halftime show will be U2, a 10-time
Grammy Award winner.
The Super Bowl this season was pushed back due to the September 11
tragedies.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Business Wire: NFL Selects Mariah Carey to Sing National Anthem At Super Bowl
XXXVI (12-11-2001)
Condensed from Business Wire:
NFL Selects Mariah Carey to Sing National Anthem At Super Bowl XXXVI
NEW YORK (BW SportsWire) - Singer, songwriter and producer MARIAH
CAREY will sing the National Anthem at Super Bowl XXXVI at the Louisiana
Superdome in New Orleans Sunday, Feb. 3, the NFL announced today.
Super Bowl XXXVI will be televised by FOX to an expected 130 million
viewers in the United States and 800 million viewers worldwide. The Super
Bowl is annually the nation's highest-rated TV program and the most-watched
single-day sporting event.
The NFL previously announced that U2 will perform live during the E*TRADE
SUPER BOWL HALFTIME SHOW. Performers for the pregame show will be
announced in the next few weeks.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Live Daily: U2's big money (12-11-2001)
From Live Daily:
U2's big money
U2's 2001 tour, which wrapped up earlier this month, grossed more
than $143 million over 113 shows worldwide, Amusement Business
reported. All of the concerts sold out.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Guardian: A Mohan moment (12-11-2001)
Condensed from The Guardian:
A Mohan moment
Dominic Mohan showcases his extraordinary literary talent once more
in his exclusive interview with U2's Bono in today's Sun. Getting all
analytical, Mohan writes: "Bono's dad is dead, so is George Harrison.
The twin towers have gone and the world is at war. It weighs heavy on
Bono's heart." Help is at hand, however. The next line reads: "Luckily
he, along with bandmates Larry Mullen Jnr, The Edge and Adam
Clayton, love touring."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Herald Sun: How to get fresh (12-11-2001)
From The Herald Sun:
How to get fresh
SO FRESH has become the compilation success story of the year, spawning a DVD
as well as the CDs.
The latest instalment, So Fresh: The Hits of Summer 2002, is likely to be one of
the
biggest-selling albums this Christmas. It contains hits from this year as well
as
possible future chart toppers.
The album features songs from Alien Ant Farm, Eve, S Club 7, Pink, Something for
Kate, Craig David, Dido, Destiny's Child, Jennifer Lopez, Five, Nelly Furtado,
U2,
Westlife, Afroman, Stella One Eleven, Weezer, Vanessa Amorosi, City High,
Gabrielle,
Selwyn, Bob the Builder, Jamiroquai and more, over two albums.
For your chance to win a copy of So Fresh, call 1900 969 535.
Calls cost 50 cents. NewsConnect. Higher from mobile or public phones. Lines
close
midnight tomorrow. Winners notified by mail.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jam!: U2 nominated for Best Live Act (12-11-2001)
U2 is nominated in Jam's year end poll for Best Live Act. You can vote for U2
at:
http://www.canoe.ca/Jam2001/home.html
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Asian Wall Street Journal: Nobel Peace Prize Spotlight on Aung San Suu Kyi
(12-10-2001)
Condensed from The Asian Wall Street Journal:
Free Burma
This past weekend marked the 100th anniversary of the Nobel Peace
Prize. Hundreds of people, including previous prize winners and
celebrities such as rock star Bono, descended on Oslo to celebrate
the idea that peace is better than war and that recognition of human
rights is better than oppression. But such banalities notwithstanding,
the spotlight this year actually was shone on a worthy cause: Burmese
dissident Aung San Suu Kyi's fight for democracy.
On Saturday, 24 peace laureates signed a manifesto demanding the
release of Ms. Suu Kyi and her fellow political prisoners. The timing of
this Nobel declaration is appropriate, as it was 10 years ago that
Ms. Suu Kyi herself received the prize. She has spent much of the time
since under house arrest, which is the Burmese junta's way of
responding to the resounding victory of her National League for
Democracy in the 1990 election, which it nullified. As Norwegian Nobel
Committee Secretary Geir Lundestad said: "We are looking forward to
the day when [Ms. Suu Kyi] will actually come [to Oslo] and deliver her
Nobel lecture." So are we, although sadly it doesn't promise to be any
time soon.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
YouTwo.net: U2 Tribute Band to Perform Final Show of 2001 (12-10-2001)
Los Angeles-based U2 tribute band Exit are currently in the studio working
on original songs. On Saturday, December 15, Exit will be performing a
show to thank fans, family, and friends for their support over the last year.
Rusty's on the Santa Monica Pier
Saturday, December 15, 2001 at 10:00 PM
All ages, $5 cover
256 Santa Monica Pier, Santa Monica, CA
Phone: (310) 390-7437
Exit is offering a new mp3 of the band performing Electric Co. at their web site
at http://www.u2lafans.com. Also at the site are photos of band member Captive
on stage with U2 at Staples Center and a story that explains why The Edge
has an Exit flyer in his guitar case.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hits Daily Double: 'America: A Tribute to Heroes' Should Bow in Top 10
(12-10-2001)
Condensed from Hits Daily Double:
INTERSCOPE NAILS TOP TWO BOWS WITH "TRIBUTE," BIZKIT
"America: A Tribute to Heroes" Should Bow in Top 10 with 150k, with
Bizkit Remix Album in the 125k range
Let Fred Durst be your Santa Claus.
Limp Bizkit has a hand in what will be next week's two largest debuts
on the HITS Top 50 album chart.
The band appears on the highly anticipated America: A Tribute To Heroes
album performing Pink Floyd's "Wish You Were Here" with the Goo Goo
Dolls' John Rzeznik, and in a remixed fashion on the fashionable remix
album, New Old Songs. Both records are on Interscope.
Based on first-day sales from retailers around the country, the all-star tribute
record will sell in the 150k range, landing it in next week's Top 10. The
two-disc set includes tracks from Bruce Springsteen, Neil Young, Billy Joel,
Enrique Iglesias, U2, Alicia Keys and Sheryl Crow , among others, from the
live concert that took place less than two weeks after the Sept. 11 tragedy.
Proceeds are being earmarked for victims. Last week's Concert For New
York City on Columbia Records, bowed at #24 with almost 100k sold.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Irish News: Man Utd takeover at hands of Irish (12-10-2001)
From The Irish News:
Man Utd takeover at hands of Irish
By James Stinson
A GROUP of top Irish businessmen could be about to launch an ambitious
takeover of Premiership giants Manchester United.
Reports at the weekend suggested that JP McManus and John Magnier who
between them own nearly nine per cent of the club, are preparing to
significantly increase their shareholding.
The pair have already had discussions with BSkyB, which owns 10 per cent
of the club, about buying its share.
Although BSkyB said it was not interested in selling it is believed Mr McManus
and Mr Magnier have approached the company again in recent weeks.
If successful, such a move would give the pair's Cubic Expression Group the
largest single shareholding.
It would also give them boardroom representation and a springboard to launch
a bid for commercial control of the club.
Despite flagging fortunes on the pitch in recent weeks, Manchester United
recently had its position as the richest club in the world reconfirmed.
However, as with all football clubs its value has plunged over the last 12
months,
making a possible takeover more likely.
At the weekend it was revealed another wealthy Irish businessman has bought
a stake in Manchester United.
The mystery buyer is thought to have acquired up to three per cent of United.
Speculation suggested the mystery buyer is OJ 'Ossie' Kilkenny, the Dublin
accountant best known for having handled rock group U2's financial affairs.
Mr Kilkenny, a United fan, is interested in the commercial side of the sport.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Providence Journal: After a famine, Dunkin' Donuts Center now on a roll
(12-10-2001)
Condensed from The Providence Journal:
After a famine, Dunkin' Donuts Center now on a roll
Arena managers are expecting to wrap up the year with at least a dozen
concerts on the books.
BY GREGORY SMITH
Journal Staff Writer
PROVIDENCE -- In its heyday, the Civic Center was a major New England
destination for concert performers. In 1986, for example, 43 concert acts
played the Civic Center. And the next year, 45.
By the mid-1990s, the once-proud Providence Civic Center was hanging
its head.
The corridors were dingy and many seats were tattered or broken. Concert
performers steered clear. And all people could talk about, it seemed, was the
brand spanking new Rhode Island Convention Center.
When it hit bottom, the average number of acts that came to town each year
had fallen to five.
Arena managers are whistling a happy tune these days. They're basking in
the two sold-out concerts last month by the rock 'n' roll group U2. By year
end, they'll have had a dozen.
...PART OF THE explanation for Providence's success is that the concert-touring
business is up nationally, according to Gary Bongiovanni, editor and publisher
of Pollstar, a music industry magazine that tracks concert trends.
In 1999, the industry grossed a record $1.5 billion in ticket sales in North
America
and in 2000, $1.7 billion, although much of that was due to ticket price
inflation,
he said.
Professional management is "a plus," Bongiovanni agreed. Management
companies generally are more aggressive and sophisticated in recruiting shows
than local directors of civic arenas, he said.
"It's quintessentially a relationship business," Robert Cavalieri, regional vice
president for Aramark, said of concert-booking. For example, according to
[Dunkin' Donuts Center Acting Executive Director, Lawrence J.] Lepore, former
promoter Michael Evans now works for Aramark and it was his business
connection that brought U2 to Providence.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ananova: Manchester United edges higher as new Irish investor emerges
(12-10-2001)
Condensed from Ananova:
STOCKWATCH
Manchester United edges higher as new Irish investor emerges
Shares in Manchester United PLC were higher in morning trading after
it emerged that yet another Irish businessman has built a significant stake
in the football club, further increasing speculation of a possible bid,
dealers said.
The Sunday Telegraph reported that Ossie Kilkenny, a former accountant
to rock group U2, has built a 2% stake in Manchester United.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Arizona Republic: Review: 'U2 - Elevation Tour (Live from Boston)' (12-10-2001)
From The Arizona Republic:
Review: 'U2 - Elevation Tour (Live from Boston)'
Compared with the average ticket price ($76) to see this band's recent tour, the
advertised discounts on this two-disc set are an amazing bargain. Plus, you
get a heckuva lot better seat.
Filmed in Boston on June 6, the concert features seven songs from U2's latest
album, plus a good mix of older favorites, all directed with precision and
energy.
Especially good are performances of "Where the Streets Have No Name,"
which features lead singer Bono sprinting around the stage's heart-shaped
exterior, and the bittersweet "Kite," about "letting go of someone you don't
want to let go of."
FEATURES: If you're a big enough fan, you could conceivably watch
this concert nearly four times and never view it the same way twice,
thanks to "Another Perspective," an elaborate and engaging multiangle
feature.
The control-room cam -- which provides a surprisingly hypnotic peek at
the concert director, his beat-keeping assistant, and the goings-on
behind the scenes -- is an unadvertised bonus that covers 12 of the 17
tracks.
A short "Road Movie" set to "Walk On," additional tracks (including a
rooftop rendition of "Beautiful Day" in Toronto), trailers for Zoo TV and
PopMart and various DVD-ROM material round out an excellent
package.
BOTTOM LINE: For all those U2 fans who still haven't found what they're
looking for, this energetic and comprehensive concert DVD is a sure
thing.
Rating: Above average.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Rocky Mountain News: Part 2 - Flag-Hugging Stirs Up U2 Fans (12-10-2001)
From James Martin: "What you said was needed in a big way. Hypocrisy is a
major reality with rockers who are always telling people where it's at and doing
otherwise. The '60s turned out to be rife with hypocrites. My only reservation
is
that you ever thought Bono had principles. I remember during that giant
telethon for Africa years ago when everyone in rock was swallowing their egos
Bono couldn't resist pulling the little Chickies out of the front row to fawn
over
him. He is total (B.S.) in my book. Maybe that's what made John Lennon so
special. No matter what you think about where he was at he seemed to really
try to live honestly in conjunction with those beliefs."
From Steve Salibian of Toronto, Ontario: "I consider myself a true fan of U2.
But you're right on this one. Somebody had to say it."
From U2RULES: "Have you BEEN to a U2 concert before September 11th?
Every concert during the Elevation Tour before September 11th, he hugged an
Irish Flag. There are even videos of him hugging an Irish flag during the Zoo TV
tour which was in 1993."
Matthew Martin of California: "Does the fact that Bono hugs an American Flag
every show during the same time diminish the meaning to the true fan?
No...Sometimes a good act is meant to be one."
Steve: "Sure, each night he has a staged performance of patriotic passion. But
it is polished and deliberate; he gives us fodder for the hole we have in our
hearts."
From Kelvin: "I think that early on this leg of the tour Bono clutched the flag
for
the first time in an unplanned and spontaneous gesture and it was truly
genuine and a spectacular moment...but being that it was spectacular, I think
he was attempting to recreate that moment for fans who did not get to
experience that moment."
From Jennifer: "The fact that Bono is offered a flag repeatedly, and takes the
flag repeatedly, does not make it 'schtick.' It does not make it 'utterly
staged.' It
makes it a tradition."
Lynn Skinner of Denver: "I think a lot of artists are exploiting the tragedy by
using it as a hook to get people to attend their concerts. I, too, feel ripped
off
when I see a performer do something that I thought was spontaneous -- when
in fact it was staged. I feel manipulated and disappointed in those moments,
even when they represent something as poignant as the shock and devastation
we all felt from the attacks."
Kim from Georgia: "I just read your article about 9-11 tragedy and U2 'staged'
moments. I am a HUGE U2 fan and all I have to say is...You are right on the
money. I couldn't have said it better myself...I am a real fan of who U2 used to
be. I hate to see a real tragedy like 9-11 used to present 'staged' emotional
reactions. When the show started and those things started happening...I felt
sickened. I looked around and wondered just how many people were really
believing this stuff. Obviously quite a few. I feel sure U2 feels bad for what
happened, as I do, but in some small way they have lost some of my respect
for doing this sort of thing."
Jason: "Bono and his band-mates grew up in a country where terrorist attacks
(though not of this scale) were far too common. They know this pain...I think
your criticism is misplaced. Bono is both egomaniac and humanitarian, but I've
always believed his heart was in the right place...Is hugging the flag
showmanship? Absolutely. Is it sincere? I'm a cynic and I believe it is."
Jeff from Chicago: "These shows are 'performances' after all, and there is
always an element of theater present, regardless. It doesn't make Bono
disengenuous, however."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Rocky Mountain News: Part 1 - Flag-Hugging Stirs Up U2 Fans (12-10-2001)
From The Rocky Mountain News:
Flag-Hugging Stirs Up U2 Fans
It's been a week of hate-mail from fans of a band that preaches love. Actually,
that's not true; the e-mails and phone calls have been split about 50/50
regarding last week's column on U2 and other musicians who have injected a
Sept. 11 element into their music, be it live or in the studio.
The column (still available at www.rockymountainnews.com) said it felt like a
gimmick when Bono hugged the U.S. flag at the same time every night in
"Sunday Bloody Sunday," shtick based on Sept. 11.
Everyone agreed on one thing: It's a staged performance every night. Some
were disgusted by it; others felt it was utterly sincere, whether Bono did it
every night or not.
A fair amount of the flat-out hate mail was from the Bono-is-God hardcores; it's
too irrational to reprint or respond to. It's a fascinating phenomenon, though.
If
U2's music carries any one theme, it's about understanding and tolerance.
Fans love the band for that reason. Yet if someone dares have any opinion
other than theirs when it comes to the band or it's music, that person is
stupid.
But generally U2 fans are bright and articulate, and many had interesting
perspectives. I'm still not convinced; Bono's flag-hugging still seems like a
contrived, cynical moment.
But here are some excerpts of the varying opinions that came in via the phone
and e-mail, with the writer's name attached when he or she could be identified:
From Rob M. in New York City: "Yes, it was staged, I saw Bono do the same
thing in New York, but does it really matter? When President Bush addressed
the nation and Congress for the first time after 9-11, do you think that that
speech was given on the fly? No, it was rehearsed and 'staged' for the
maximum effect. I'm not trying to compare the two necessarily, but rather I'm
trying to convey that something does not have to be spontaneous for it to be
heartfelt...I don't believe that U2 ever meant it to be spontaneous."
From Frances Katz of Atlanta, Ga: "I'm so glad somebody drew this hollow
moment to the attention of U2 fans -- of which I am one. I saw U2 in New York
City, shortly after 9-11. When Bono took the flag from the audience member, I
really thought he meant it. It was New York, nerves were raw, and the place
was packed with comped rescue workers. I found the whole thing very moving.
Then I find out he's done it in every city probably before and since. I'll still
be a
U2 fan, but a lot more skeptical, probably the last thing they want."
From Gordon Chang in New York City: "So what if Bono taking the flag and
holding it singing 'wipe your tears away' from 'Sunday Bloody Sunday' is
staged? Does that mean that Bono is less genuine, and less informed about
what happened on September 11th? That has as much validity as taking a
crack at singing the national anthem at every baseball game, or giving your
wife, mother, girlfriend, and boyfriend a hug when you see them. Staged or
pre-planned acts do not necessarily detract from the act's significance...We
can see preplanned hugs and kisses still have meaning, preplanned rehearsed
songs and lines still retain value...All I am saying is it wasn't empty."
(Continued)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chicago Tribune: Memorable rock moments (12-9-2001)
Condensed from The Chicago Tribune:
Memorable rock moments
Joshua Klein
Published December 9, 2001
Recent TV specials from Bruce Springsteen, Garth
Brooks, Madonna and Britney Spears are just the tip of
the concert-film iceberg. Alongside new DVD releases of
the Springsteen and Madonna sets comes a high-profile U2 live DVD, just out last
Tuesday, as well as a hotly anticipated interactive Nine Inch Nails concert
movie (set
for January release). In light of all the competition, what better time to
consider some
of the greatest concert films of all time?
(YouTwo.net note: U2 isn't on the list.)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Undercover: U2's Bono named European of the Year (12-9-2001)
From Undercover:
U2's Bono named European of the Year
Bono from U2 has been named European of the
Year for his work for debt relief for the world's
poorest countries.
The U2 frontman was chosen by a panel of
journalists and opinion leaders who selected
through 50 nominees for the award.
"The year has been very mixed for both personal
and global reasons" Bono said. "It was one of the
best ever in that U2 is doing its best work 20
years after it was formed, and I've been blessed
with another son. The worst is that I buried my
father in August, and on September 11 the world
grieved".
His prize was 5,000 Euros which he immediately
donated to Irish charity Concern.
Other award winners included British Prime
Minister Tony Blair and American President
George W. Bush. Blair won in the 'leader of the
year' category while Bush was voted the 'non-EU
citizen of the year' who had the biggest impact
on the EU in 2001.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Guardian: Newspaper apologizes to The Edge (12-9-2001)
(YouTwo.net: The original story can be seen here:
http://www.youtwo.net/news_archives.adp?newsid=13524
)
Corrections and clarifications
Monday December 10, 2001
The Guardian
In a column headed Stars in their own eyes ( Weekend, page 5,
November 24), the following statement appeared: "There was the
idiot from U2 who repeatedly shouted 'I am the Edge!' at the
policeman who arrested him for a motoring offence." We accept
that we have no evidence to show that the U2 guitarist Dave
Evans (Edge) was ever arrested or behaved in such a manner
and apologise for any distress caused.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Guardian: U2 mention in Stereolab review (12-9-2001)
Condensed from The Guardian:
Stereolab
Manchester University
Dave Simpson
Monday December 10, 2001
Once upon a time, the independent sector was hung up on the
spurious notion of "selling out". The idea was that bands could
build up a following over years, only to see their entire fan base
wiped out overnight by the merest dalliance with a Smash Hits
photoshoot or a Top 40 hit. The likes of U2 and New Order
managed to combine commerciality with barely damaged
credibility, but the chart books are littered with bands - Bauhaus
a notable example - whose enormous hardcore followings never
forgave them for going on Top of the Pops.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
YouTwo.net: 'Beautiful Day' used in WWF Vengeance (12-9-2001)
U2's 'Beautiful Day' was used in a piece on
HHH's recovery from knee surgery during WWF
Vengeance Sunday evening.
The entire song was used in the short video.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Spin: Part 4 - U2 Band of The Year and Issue Cover (12-9-2001)
How do you think the four of you have been able to stay intact as a
band for over 20 years?
The Edge: Maybe because we were friends before we were in a band. We're
not like so many groups you hear about where the members don't ever talk
offstage or out of the studio. It's not like that with us -- quite the opposite.
If we
end up at a party, at the end of the night you'll probably find the four of us
off in
a corner hanging out. Sometimes, in the middle of a show, it just dawns on
me, wow, I better really enjoy this moment because it's amazing. It is amazing!
Those moments happen quite a lot these days. It's also a weird thing, that a
bunch of guys our age are essentially in the same street gang they got into
when they were 17. There's just a very, very deep connection between the four
of us. And I hope there always will be, whatever we end up doing. We've come
this far.
Bono: One really exciting thing is that we're a bunch of musicians who don't
sound like anything else in the world when we play together. Remember that
when you listen to the radio -- take the singer out and ask yourself, "How much
of what I'm hearing sounds like they're the only people who could make this
music?" Just ask that one question and the musical landscape changes
drastically.
Mullen: It's inexplicable. There's no way to try and put it in a box and say,
"This is the formula." It's about something much bigger than the four of us,
even
bigger than music. It's outside of that. And that's kind of scary, in its own
way.
What is this? What's going on? Sometimes I feel like it's an out-of-control
spinning top -- you start watching it, thinking, well, I wonder when it's going
to
stop.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Spin: Part 3 - U2 Band of The Year and Issue Cover (12-9-2001)
Bono: I think the Dalai Lama said, "If you want to consider life, start with
death" -- the journey toward enlightenment starts with that. And that's what
happened to me when my mother died when I was a kid in school, and at my
grandfather's funeral. I was this really confident kid, aggro and smartarse, a
freckled face -- I looked like a baked bean when I was a kid, I really did. Then
a
nose started to appear. It was a bit of a shock -- out of this baked bean came
this nose. I was a little alarmed, and then this chin came, until the two of
them
finally called it quits. I had the courage of somebody who didn't know anything,
who didn't know fear yet, and then came the cold water of your home turning
into a house and your relationship to women changing forever. I was 14. But
now I see it was a great gift to me. Hopefully most people can avoid that until
they're older, but some people have it young. I don't know what age New York
City is.
You came into this project saying, "We want the job of best band in the
world back." And here you are, Spin's band of the year. Does that feel
fulfilling, or has so much changed this year that it maybe doesn't carry
the thrill it would in the past?
Bono: It's the most extraordinary feeling. We pushed our audience so far, and
we pushed ourselves so far that we were almost unrecognizable to our closest
friends. I am so proud of the work along the way, of an album like [1993's]
Zooropa and that tour. We took our position as far as any band that was big in
the mainstream ever had, and I am really proud of that. I always wanted to
follow a band that would really push it like Bowie used to do, and I think we've
done that. But we didn't push so far that there were only a few people left in
the
room.
Mullen: There's no sense of "mission accomplished," but there's a sense of
real appreciation, like, "This is really amazing, and it's only the beginning."
We're working on what we're gonna do next to consolidate what we've achieved.
We'll continue on and screw up and maybe fail, and then we'll get back up
again. But it means a different thing now, because there's nobody out there
doing this. I love the new R.E.M. record, and I love Radiohead, Pearl Jam --
those people are our contemporaries, and I want them with us, and I believe it
will happen -- it's just that this is our moment, and maybe next year it will be
somebody else's.
But Pearl Jam made a very active decision that they didn't want to be
the biggest band in the world. R.E.M. did the same. Is it hard to
maintain that ambition when there's no real competition and you've got
to find it in yourselves?
The Edge: I think complacency is really the thing you have to watch out for,
the assumption that just because you had one successful record that you
suddenly think it's easy [laughs]. Every time we go into the studio to make a
record, it's the same intensely difficult process. I think if you go in knowing
that, it helps. We've survived a few less-than-perfect endeavors, be they albums
or tours or whatever, whereas maybe for other groups that might have
completely destroyed them as a band.
Mullen: I think a lot of that comes from Bono, because he will put his ass so
far out there. He's got an extraordinary capacity to deal with blows and to
rebound, an incredible instinct. There are very few people like that, and there
are very few bands who are prepared to take the risks that U2 takes, and that's
because of the way he is.
Bono: When a politician meets me, it's really our audience that he's afraid of.
It's the constituency of rock 'n' roll, which is probably people ages 15 to 30.
They're terrified of that because that's the floating vote. After 30, they say
people make up their minds. So that's the bracket that can shift everything.
[Irish politics and history have grown] out of the imagination of playwrights
and
painters as much as from politicians. And I would like to see us be the salt in
the process. In every Irish pub there's somebody up against a wall and
somebody like me haggling in their face, or it might be me up against the wall.
Where we grew up it was my father at the table on Christmas Day, with all of
us just shouting our heads off at each other. I got prepared for being in a band
because that's what being in a band is.
Have you been writing at all on tour?
Bono: I just started writing two days ago. I went to Bali for six days. I really
haven't had time to grieve for my father, who died a few weeks back, so I went
to this place, and I was just really moved by these very religious people who
give offerings, like, every hour of the day. Their whole life is a sort of
ceremony,
and they seem happy to see you because I think they know that they're
teaching you. So I just started writing down five or six songs, mostly lyrics. I
worked on a song about my dad that Noel Gallagher and I had started, called
"One Step Closer to Knowing," and I think that's going to be very special.
Another one is called "Electrical Storm," and another is called "You Can't Give
Your Heart Away," and there's this thing called "A Man's a Man," for a movie
called Gangs of New York, which Martin Scorsese is directing.
After the tour ends, do you think you'll go straight back into the studio?
Bono:Yeah, I think we've been given this new audience, and I think it's time to
take this thing, this spirit, and keep the momentum. But with the same
songwriting discipline -- 'cause this has been a journey into songwriting all
over
again.
The Edge: That's what he always says. No, I don't think so. I think there's a
certain energy that can sometimes carry you from one project to the next, but I
think at the end of this tour we need to actually take some time. When you're
writing songs, it's about input, about what you're listening to, what you're
studying -- that all comes through. On the road, in some ways you're
disconnected. I think the next record needs to develop into something distinct.
Right now, I think it will be a guitar record.
But you have to say that!
The Edge: But actually, I didn't for so many years. That's the funny thing.
Really, until quite recently, most of my guitar playing was an attempt to
obliterate the conventions of guitar playing. But I'm very excited about the
sound of electric guitar again, the raw sound. I think the guitar as an
instrument
is really about to come back into its own.
At this point U2 is in totally uncharted territory. There's never been a
band that's stayed so vital for so long.
Bono: I don't think it's that extraordinary, actually. I just think it's
extraordinary
that more people haven't taken it up. Because if I were a novelist, or a
photographer, or a film director, the audience would just be kicking in. This is
roughly the age Scorsese probably was when he made Raging Bull.
The Edge: It's always been the same goal for us. It's about writing the perfect
record. In the end, that kind of fuels everything. I don't think U2 is going to
go
on forever. I don't know how much longer we will go on. But while we are still
working well together and while everyone's still up for it, we're just gonna
keep
plugging away, because it's not gonna be around forever. To be part of a great
rock 'n' roll band is so rare, and if we've learned anything over the last 20
years,
it's that fact. None of us is taking that for granted right now.
(Continued)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Spin: Part 2 - U2 Band of The Year and Issue Cover (12-9-2001)
Spin: Does it feel different on stage now than it did a month ago?
The Edge: Every lyric takes on a whole new meaning, especially a song like "I
Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For," which we hadn't played for a good
few years. And a song like "Peace on Earth" -- when we finished our record, I
was surprised at how certain themes were so strong, a certain sense of
mortality, of trying to cope with loss. We shied away from some of those songs
when we put the tour together, but now that side of the album has new
relevance.
Mullen: "Beautiful Day" takes on a whole different meaning, 'cause that was
the thing on September 11 -- it was a beautiful morning. It could have been a
video, the beautiful day being destroyed.
Bono: There's a lot of stuff that goes through your head, and the songs can
completely change their meanings. Something like "With or Without You"
becomes about your audience. It's wild how a song can change. I really learned
that from listening to Sinatra, because he didn't write lyrics, but he turned
them
on their head. Like one of the last versions he ever sang of "My Way" -- it's a
duet with Pavarotti, and it's no longer a boast, it's an apology. Same lyric.
Does the threat of terrorism feel familiar at all after growing up in
Ireland?
Bono: When I was 13, I used to go through the city center in Dublin to school.
I'd take a bus through town every day, to record shops. That's where I first
heard the Stooges and all that stuff. There was a little coffee shop, and one
day
I stopped by like I often did, and then I left, and an hour and a half later the
coffee shop was blown to bits. In that sense, it's not as much of a shock for
us,
but it has clearly altered the mental and emotional landscape of America.
There's a new fear in the room, and America has always been about faith --
faith in yourself, faith in an idea of God -- to a point where you might walk
all
over somebody sometimes -- and it's just different in Ireland. That's not how we
think.
The Edge: I fully expect people to get back to normal quick. That was always
what was amazing to me about Belfast, because whatever threat we were
experiencing in Dublin, London or Birmingham with the IRA bombings in the
past, to go up to Belfast or Derry, you really were in the middle of it there.
What was amazing was how normal life was. People just got on with it, even
as they were stepping around the paratroopers with their shopping.
Bono: Whenever you see this kind of darkness, there is extraordinary
opportunity for the light to burn brighter. Not to sound too corny, but there's
a
real opportunity here for a whole new way of seeing the world. I think in the
history books this will be seen as the end of America as an island -- the
isolationism and the sense that you didn't actually need the rest of the world.
Relatively few Americans even have passports -- you were an island entirely
unto yourselves, and now that's no longer the case. You need to be able to get
on with the rest of the world because your might is so powerless against this
kind of hatred -- it's a whole new thing. There are some very smart people who
have already figured out that the only resolution here is to deal with the root
of
this, which is abject poverty. So the hard questions that have to be asked and
answered are going to bring in a new era, a good karma for this country, and
I'm really excited about that.
Is is frustrating that there are really no young bands that have taken up
your sense of mission for rock 'n' roll?
Bono: One of my favorite groups is the Beasties, and their journey is really one
to watch, from just having fun with their own middle-classness to a growing
awareness of the way the world is. I mean, we were freaks. Somebody once
said, comparing us to Van Morrison, that most people start off writing songs
about girls and get to writing songs about God. We did it totally backwards!
Clayton: American music is kind of odd because there are certain times when
it seems political, and then suddenly it doesn't seem to recognize politics at
all. But maybe that just represents typical culture. You have something on the
scale of Marvin Gaye, very much writing for a generation, or Crosby, Stills,
Nash & Young. And then on the other end of the scale, there's nothing.
Mullen: I think it's much harder now for bands because, culturally, things have
changed. In the last ten years, people have been so affluent and not worried,
wanting a bigger house with two cars, and then a bigger house with three cars,
and then a holiday home. That's what's been going on. So anybody coming in
and trying to mess with that has not been taken in -- including U2 over the last
ten years. U2 have been in a kind of a wilderness, to an extent. We came back
with a record that was about the band. It was clear about what it was -- it was
11 songs on a record, and they were carefully chosen, and we hadn't done that
in a long time.
You also acknowledged that it was going to take work to get this album
across to today's audience.
Clayton: With this record, we took the attitude that the business had changed
an awful lot and we knew we couldn't just do the things that we relied on 15 or
20 years ago. So we did TV, we did TRL, and we enjoyed doing it.
Bono: One thing that's striking about the tour is that the demographic is
getting younger and younger. The real surprise, even before September 11, was
that a song like "Walk On" would get as much reaction as the old hits. It was a
shock for us. The album does lack a bit of some of the things that I think our
band does [well], some of the anarchic, slightly abstract things; it might be a
little too tightly constructed. But we could feel the lure of progressive rock
coming and thought, we've been there, we've gone through that, let's go right
into the deep structure of pop music. It was Larry who actually said to me at
the end of Pop, in a very Larry kind of way, "Next year, why don't we actually
make a pop album, instead of just calling it Pop?"
Mullen: We were very conscious of wanting to be on the radio. We wanted to
compete with what was going on around us, with the boy bands and with the
Christinas and all that. And why not? There's no point being in the ghetto.
Unless we're making music that's vital and that people can hear, we're wasting
our time. We play nine or ten songs from the new album in the set, and that's
pretty extraordinary. They fit in a way that's seamless. It's not that they
sound
the same, it's just they share the same spirit.
So many people have gone back to the album since September 11, to
songs like "Walk On" and "Peace on Earth," on which you sing, "Sick of
hearing again and again that there's gonna be peace on Earth."
Bono: Now that's a bitter little song! I think people get the bitterness now,
'cause before I think they thought it was lovey-dovey, "wouldn't it be nice," as
opposed to "fuck off, God!" Which I hope is even stronger coming out of the
mouth of a believer.
Clayton: There was an emotional depth that we felt comfortable with, and a lot
of that was about friends and family. It was created against the backdrop of
Bono's father having a terminal illness. So all that was on the album, but
people that didn't have a recent tragedy in their lives weren't necessarily
going
to get that. And somehow the events in New York and D.C. have actually
focused people on that aspect of the record that is about loss, which is
amazing. You couldn't have planned it.
(Continued)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Spin: Part 1 - U2 Band of The Year and Issue Cover (12-9-2001)
Thanks to Ben for the following.
From Spin:
Band of the Year: Rock's Unbreakable Heart;
After more than two decades, U2's music and
message were more relevant than ever this year
(YouTwo.net note: The issue's cover can be seen at
http://youtwo.net/pictures_archive/spin2001.jpg)
"I always believed that music is a transcendent thing, a healing thing," says
Bono. "I just didn't think that I would have to depend on it as much as I did
this
year."
The Elevationair jet cruises through the October Canadian sky. Just minutes
ago, U2 were onstage in Montreal's Molson Centre, driving home the second
show of the third leg of their monumental Elevation tour. Now, 29,000 feet up,
in
the front row of the band's 44-seat private 727 on the hour-long flight to
Toronto,
Bono slouches, shoes off, and in a voice barely above a whisper, reflects on a
year marked by triumph (the stunning success of U2's tenth album, All That
You Can't Leave Behind, and the accompanying tour) and painful loss
(including the death of his father in August and of one of his musical idols,
Joey
Ramone, who spent his last minutes listening to a U2 song).
"I think if we hadn't been on tour, if we'd been at home, this would have been a
very hard year for me," says the singer, who just this morning sneaked in a
meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien and a visit to the Montreal
International Film Festival with director Wim Wenders and still made it to
soundcheck in time. "I'm grateful to this band and grateful to our audience, but
more so to the God that's in the music -- whatever piece of God you find."
It's been a remarkable run for Ireland's Finest. The multiplatinum All That You
Can't Leave Behind, celebrated as a return to form for the band when it
was released in October 2000, stayed steady on the charts for the entire
year. After U2 launched the album with a series of riveting TV appearances, it
spun off four singles: "Beautiful Day," "Elevation," "Walk On" and "Stuck in a
Moment You Can't Get Out Of." U2 won three Grammys this year for "Beautiful
Day," and it's safe to assume the album will pick up some more nominations in
2002. At the 2001 MTV Video Music Awards, they were given the Video
Vanguard Award for lifetime achievement. In addition to his campaign for third
world debt relief, Bono helped organize the all-star benefit remake of Marvin
Gaye's "What's Going On," personally corralling a new generation of stars from
Britney Spears to Fred Durst to Nelly in an effort to raise money for worldwide
AIDS relief and the United Way's September 11th Fund.
But mostly, there was the tour. U2 played more than a hundred shows in 2001,
performing in front of some two million people. After the massive spectacles of
their last two global operations (1992's Zoo TV tour and 1997's PopMart
extravaganza), they stripped down to a basic stage design and a set list that
showcased the full scope and force of their 23 years playing together with the
same lineup. Bono, 41, guitarist the Edge, 40, bassist Adam Clayton, 41, and
drummer Larry Mullen Jr., 40, schooled bands half their age about what a rock
show could really accomplish.
And then there was September 11. In the wake of the attacks on New York and
the Pentagon, even people who hadn't thought about the band in years began
to rediscover the power of U2. In a horrible flash, the depth and substance of
the band's work shone in vivid contrast to the superficial gloss and thud of the
last decade of pop music. The sense of community and conscience that
always defined U2 felt necessary, rather than just admirable. Hopeful songs
like "Walk On" and "Peace on Earth" took on new relevance and became
reassuring presences on the radio. All That You Can't Leave Behind started
climbing back up the charts. The shows became, incredibly, even more
emotional and uplifting. There was no longer any question about who the Band
of the Year really was.
As the latest go-round of the Elevation marathon kicked off, one month after the
attacks, the members of U2 spent several days -- on their plane, backstage,
and in their Toronto hotel -- looking back on the tumultuous year, and on the
unprecedented longevity of their career as true rock 'n' roll heroes.
(Continued)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Liverpool Echo: Bono accolade takes the biscuit (12-9-2001)
From The Liverpool Echo:
Bono accolade takes the biscuit
DEBBIE JOHNSON
HE alleged reform of the House of Lords has turned into a farce worthy of Yes
Minister.
The so-called People's Peers list includes two professors and a bucketload of
sirs and ladies.
Exactly whose 'people' are they? I think we can guess.
Tony and co probably don't like the idea of Fred the Milkman and Doris the
School Dinner
Lady having anything to do with running the country.
But let's face it, your average housewife would probably make a better job of it
than the bunch
of buffoons we've got at the moment.
And these are clearly lean times for charismatic world leaders.
Tony was voted the European Leader of the Year by a Brussels-based magazine who
canvassed
the opinions of EU nations.
But he was beaten to the ultimate accolade of European of the Year by Bono.
Says it all.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Irish Times: Cox on the rocks? (12-9-2001)
Condensed from The Irish Times:
Cox on the rocks?
The award could not have come at a better time but then the campaigning skills
of Pat Cox
are legendary. The Munster MEP is fighting another great battle - to be voted
President of
the European Parliament by 626 MEPs in Strasbourg on January 14th. This week, he
was
named MEP of the Year by the European Voice and he donated his 5,000 pounds,
presented
at a dinner in Brussels, to Goal's Afghan appeal.
Journalists and opinion leaders across the EU selected 50 candidates and readers
chose the
winners. Despite the predominance of Eurocrats among readers of the
Brussels-published
weekly, there were some surprises. Bono was European of the Year, Tony Blair
Leader of
the Year and Chris Patten Commissioner. The award for Fixer of the Year went to
EU foreign
policy chief Xavier Solana, the Visionary was Lars von Trier, the Danish
film-maker, and the
Politician was the anti-Nice MEP Jens-Peter Bonde. The Achiever award went to
the French
anti-globalisation farmer known for his protest against McDonalds, Jose Bove,
and the
Campaigners of the year were British greengrocers Steve Thoburn and Neil Herron,
described
as metric martyrs for their stand against compulsory metrication.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Miami Herald: U2 leaves its heart, mark at arena (12-9-2001)
From The Miami Herald:
U2 leaves its heart, mark at arena
``We're doing it for the fans,'' is a pop-star cliche.
It's what acts say to justify their latest ambition, be it album, tour, reunion,
credit card.
Often, what it really means is, ``we don't enjoy doing this anymore -- we don't
even like
each other really -- but we need to maintain our financial status, so here we
come
again.''
The Atlanta trio TLC named their last album Fan Mail because they said that if
it
hadn't been for letters from supporters, they would never have made it. (This
fan is
grateful they did.)
Of course, somehow the fans usually wind up paying for the stars' supposed
altruism.
If it is being done for them, shouldn't it be free?
U2 wanted to dismantle the pop-star poses they'd become wrapped up in on their
tour
of America and Europe this year. At the opening show at the National Car Rental
Center in Sunrise in March, the band unveiled a stage that enlarged a design
used by
TLC on the Fan Mail tour. (U2's music and message have long been reverential
reinventions of black American culture.)
U2's set featured a catwalk that extended out and around the audience, lassoing
several hundred fans. The heart-shaped mosh pit allowed acolytes to get close to
the
musicians who on previous tours had been hidden by the smoke and mirrors of
multimedia spectacles.
Still, singer Bono seemed hesitant about the whole enterprise opening night,
unsure
whether to trust the fans as they reached for his legs -- unsure of the stage
itself,
slipping and falling during an early venture down the ramps. U2 hedged their
bets,
dropping large, gauze-like screens between them and the audience for much of the
performance. A show based on fan-artist interaction was an enticing, but dodgy,
concept.
Nine months later, for the tour's closing night Sunday at Miami's
AmericanAirlines
Arena, Bono walked that heart as if it were a path he had broken with his own
feet.
The screens were gone, except for one song. And when a fan pushed excitedly
against the barricade, like a punk rocker ready to stage dive, Bono pulled him
up and
gently embraced him. The singer's arms hugged the man's bare back, which was
covered in black tattooed lettering -- as if the tour-date list of a concert
shirt had
burned into his skin. The two men stood holding each other as the arena filled
with
cheers, then they swayed into a slow dance.
``So we began and end in Miami,'' Bono said early Sunday night. ``We knew from
the
first minute we walked out on the stage here in beautiful Florida, something
special
was going on with our band and our crowd.
``It's -- out of control,'' he continued, segueing into the band's next song.
Nine months is the time it takes a fertilized egg to become a human baby. It's
also an
amount of time in which the world can fall apart. U2 performed like a band
reborn
Sunday, a band that has found new purpose in a time that seems without reason.
From their very beginnings in the early '80s, U2 differentiated themselves from
other
postpunk acts with their political passion and religious spirit. They're from
Dublin, after
all. One of the most moving moments at AAA came during Sunday Bloody Sunday,
an old song about an Easter massacre in Northern Ireland. Bono grabbed an Irish
flag
and an American flag from audience members, knotted them together, then pulled
them behind him on the catwalk, as if they were wounded soldiers being slowly
dragged from the battlefield.
Singing, ``Wipe your tears away,'' Bono pressed the Stars and Stripes to his
cheek --
not wrapped in the flag, not waving it, but caressing it.
Americans are learning what people in other parts of the world have already
struggled
to learn: how to mourn, heal and move beyond hate.
For U2's encore, a list of names of people killed Sept. 11 scrolled on a screen
behind
the band, then swirled across the entire audience. After briefly slipping into
George
Harrison's My Sweet Lord, U2 finished the show, the tour, with a song from their
latest album, Walk On.
``Leave it behind, you've got to leave it behind,'' Bono sang, as the names rose
up
over the faces and disappeared. This time, it really was for the fans.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Guardian: Third Irish tycoon buys Manchester United stake (12-9-2001)
Condensed from The Guardian:
Third Irish tycoon buys Manchester United stake
Denis Campbell, sports news correspondent
Sunday December 9, 2001
Another wealthy Irish businessman has bought a stake in Manchester United,
amid growing expectation of an imminent struggle for control of the club.
The mystery buyer is thought to have recently acquired up to 3 per cent of
United. His decision to buy into the club comes a week after The Observer
revealed that Irish racing magnates J.P. McManus and John Magnier were
planning to try to get control of Old Trafford.
Sources in the City of London who helped broker this latest deal have
revealed that the club's new investor is Irish. There is growing specu lation
that it is OJ 'Ossie' Kilkenny, the Dublin accountant best known for having
handled U2's financial affairs.
Kilkenny, a United fan, is keenly interested in the commercial side of sport.
He is a former associate of Dermot Desmond, the leading figure in the
so-called Coolmore Mafia of rich Irishmen who share common sporting and
business interests, and which includes McManus and Magnier, whose famous
stud farm in Co Tipperary gives the group its name.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Guardian: Mystery buyer adds to speculation over bid (12-9-2001)
Condensed from The Guardian:
Mystery buyer adds to speculation over bid
Denis Campbell
Sunday December 9, 2001
Crisis-hit Manchester United have acquired a mystery new Irish investor,
as speculation mounts about an impending bid for control of Old Trafford by
super-rich racing magnates JP McManus and John Magnier.
The buyer has recently taken a stakeholding in the club thought to be up to
three per cent. The decision to buy shares comes a week after The Observer
The buyer's identity has not yet been confirmed, but City sources who helped
broker the deal suggest that it could be OJ 'Ossie' Kilkenny, a wealthy Dublin
accountant best known for having handled the financial affairs of the group
U2.
Kilkenny, a keen United fan, is very interested in the commercial side of
sport. He has no known links to McManus or Magnier, but is a former
associate of Dermot Desmond, the major share holder in Celtic. Desmond is
also a leading figure in the so-called 'Coolmore Mafia' of super-rich
Irishmen who share common sporting and business interests. The members
include McManus and Magnier, whose stud farm in Co Tipperary gives the
group their name.
The Irish duo already own 8.65 per cent of United PLC and have held initial
exploratory talks with broadcaster BSkyB about possibly acquiring their
9.9 per cent, a move that would give Cubic Expression Limited, McManus
and Magnier's jointly-owned company, almost 19 per cent of the club and
make them by far the biggest shareholders.
However, Kilkenny said yesterday that he had not bought any shares in
United and would not invest in any football club because players' wages have
spiralled to a dangerously high level. But he acknowledged that United's
healthy wages-to-turnover ratio, 39 per cent, meant they were an
exception to football's usual economics.
If Kilkenny were to become a United shareholder, his expertise in
broadcasting and the internet could prove useful to McManus and Magnier,
were they to succeed in obtaining control of the club. Sources close to them
say they are in no hurry and will continue to buy shares that become
available at the right price.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Telegraph: Man United faces fresh Irish threat (12-9-2001)
From The Telegraph:
Man United faces fresh Irish threat
By Neil Bennett (Filed: 09/12/2001)
ANOTHER Irish businessman has emerged on the
share register of Manchester United, increasing
speculation that a bid for the club may be imminent.
Ossie Kilkenny, the former accountant to rock group
U2, has been quietly building a stake of up to 3 per
cent in the club, taking advantage of the currently
weak share price.
Kilkenny is thought to have been buying shares in
the past three weeks and while the exact size of his
stake is still unclear, it is thought to be around 2 per
cent, worth 7m pounds. But since his stake is less than 3
per cent he is not required to disclose it under Stock
Exchange regulations.
The club is thought to be aware of his growing
investment in the club and Peter Kenyon, the chief
executive, is expected to contact him shortly to ask
his intentions. Kilkenny is a renowned Irish financier,
best known for his work with U2, although he split
from the band acrimoniously several years ago.
His interest follows the move by JP McManus and
John Magnier, the two Irish tycoons. Cubic
Expression, their investment vehicle, took an 8.65
per cent stake in the club earlier this year. While the
businessmen have said they do not plan to bid for
the club, speculation has persisted.
It is not known whether Kilkenny has any links with
McManus or Magnier or whether he has bought his
stake independently. But it appears he has
managed to buy his stake for less than 140p a
share, barely half the level they stood at a year ago.
Kilkenny is thought to have bought part of his stake
from Royal & SunAlliance, which announced on Friday
that it had sold some of its shares and now held
less than 3 per cent.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Herald Sun: Garbage express (12-9-2001)
Condensed from The Herald Sun:
Garbage express
By Paul Stewart
09dec01
THEY have been nominated for prestigious Grammy awards, asked
to write a theme song for a James Bond movie and sold millions of
records. But Duke Erikson of Garbage is much prouder of a
lesser-known fact involving his band.
"Because the three guys in the band have worked as producers,
people think we are some kind of studio act," he said from London
this week talking up the band's visit here for the Big Day Out next
month.
"But we were all long-time musicians first and foremost, and the fact
that we have never missed a show is a true achievement for us.
"We had to cancel a show opening for U2 recently because our
drummer was so sick -- the first show we have ever pulled out of.
"I think we have made our point now because we played more than
250 shows to promote our last album.
"People use to think that Shirley Manson was just some hired singer
with a studio act behind her, but she actually makes just as many
production decisions as the rest of us."
The band recently released their third album, Beautiful Garbage,
which already has produced the hit single Androgyny.
The band survived a major crisis when drummer Butch Vig came
down with Hepatitis A.
"It is always a mystery how you get that kind of thing, but he suspects
some bad seafood was involved," Erikson said.
"We missed that one show, but actually got in another drummer for
the rest of the tour with U2."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Newport Daily News: Athletic Club members 'spin' in marathon charity workout
(12-9-2001)
Condensed from The Newport Daily News:
Athletic Club members 'spin' in marathon charity workout
By James J. Gillis/Daily News staff
MIDDLETOWN - Teams at the Newport Athletic Club are "spinning" today for
charity, hoping to turn the wheels of fortune.
Spinning is a form of aerobics on stationary bikes, and the club teams
started a major fund-raising drive Friday night that will continue today until 6
p.m..
The marathon will benefit Stopover Services of Newport County, the Rhode
Island Community Food Bank, the Ronald McDonald House and the East
Bay Chapter of the American Red Cross.
On Friday night, spinning instructor Marcy Seale worked the first team of 12
riders
into a group sweat, varying the pace with a soundtrack of tunes by U2, George
Thorogood and UB40. "OK," Seale said as the musical tempo climbed, "here we go."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Sun: NY showed us heroes (12-9-2001)
From The Sun:
'NY showed us heroes'
By DOMINIC MOHAN
IT was arguably the most emotional concert U2 have played.
They took the stage at New York's Madison Square Garden
on October 27, just over six weeks after the terrorist attack
which plunged the city into mourning.
Bono was determined the show had to go on, even though he wasn't sure
how subdued the crowd might be -- or even whether a crowd would want
to turn up at all.
He needn't have worried. It became a momentous, uplifting night which
saw the world's biggest band joined on stage by some of the heroes of
the World Trade Center carnage.
It saw thousands of New Yorkers let themselves go after weeks of
tension and grief.
It saw the band play in front of the names of victims of the disaster.
And it saw Bono drape himself in a US flag which he was handed from the
audience. The U2 frontman told me: "No one's going to forget that night.
"Our Elevation tour has encapsulated a weird time in the world. When we
put tickets on sale for the second leg of our American tour we didn't
know whether anyone would want to go.
When we walked on stage at Madison Square Garden that was the biggest
night out for the people of New York since the attacks. I've never heard
noise and screams like it. I felt we were The Beatles at Shea Stadium --
but they weren't screaming at us, they were screaming at each other.
"It was New York on a night out and we were just the excuse and it was
great to be that excuse.
"We had about 20 firemen come on and the crowd lost it because of
what they mean there. One guy grabbed the microphone and said, ‘I lost a
brother a few weeks back. He was a great firefighter but all he ever
wanted was to be in a rock and roll band and play at the Garden.'
"Then he stopped, turned, and said, 'John, I'm doing this for you.'
"People lost it. Then he said, 'New York, we're your fire department. Just
dial 911 and we'll be there for you.'
"One of the good things to come out of September 11 is that it really
disturbed the idea of what celebrity is. Firemen and the cops became the
celebrities in New York. No one was interested in rock stars -- it was
interesting, it turned things around.
"OK, you don't know how long that's going to be for. It was a reminder of
what is real -- true heroes.
"I know I'm a spoiled-rotten rock star and I know I've been given a great
life by our audience and I think I'm in a great band.
"I'm proud of all of that but I know that real heroes are a lot different to
that. They're nurses and firemen and we should remind ourselves of that
when the Hollywoodisation of celebrity goes too far."
Bono continued: "We think the only fitting memorial for those who lost
their lives on September 11 is to build not just a safer, less dangerous
world but a fairer world where all people have a chance to live life.
"We're working on a deal for Africa and Tony Blair and Gordon Brown are
working on this and we have a lot of support in the UK.
"I'm working to try to get the Americans on board. I've got a lot to do,
I'm not going to lose the plot, I haven't got time to."
He added: "This has been without doubt our best tour ever and we want
to keep it going. We're playing so well and we don't want to leave it too
long.
"We felt we neglected Europe a bit. We played one concert in Spain and
one in France and we feel we might not have been fair to Europe, so we
might go back next year and we want to go back to Sarajevo.
"It would just be a bit of fun for a few weeks, not a long tour.
"We have to keep recording. There could be another album soon -- we're
in the studio this week.
"We just thought it would be very interesting to come straight off the
tour and go straight in. We'll see."
Rarely in U2's 20-year history have there been stories of fall-outs and
splits -- but Bono puts me right: "We have our moments and things can
get pretty rough out there.
"But unlike some bands like The Who, The Kinks or Oasis who can actually
feed off that kind of aggression, our band only really plays these kinds of
shows when everyone can look each other in the eye.
"As people get older they always want to rid the room of argument and
be king of their own castle. That's what is great about the band -- it
keeps you sharp because no one person can be king of the castle.
"At least, that's what I tell them as I'm pouring oil from my turret."
He's joking, Edge!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Releases:
December book release: U2 the Complete Encyclopedia by
Mark Chatterton
--------------
TV/Live Events/Appearances:
December. U2 Month on DirecTV
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In Print:
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