Happy Birthday Adam Clayton

U2TOURFANS March 13, 2015

Happy Birthday Mate, Enjoy your special day.

“Life was pretty chaotic. I don’t really like that kind of intensity, I don’t like that sort of activity, so whilst I was able to go along with it, I wasn’t really in control, it would be fair to say. Every night was a party, but I don’t think I felt much contentment or peace, that’s for sure. I’d be fine during the day, I’d be fine for the gig but afterwards it was too easy to go out all night or just keep drinking in your room. I was beginning to realize that every time I drank, I couldn’t really be sure of the result. And it always made the next day worse. So I decided to lay off and stop drinking during the final leg of the tour.”

— Adam Clayton

Adam Charles Clayton was born to brian and Jo in Oxfordshire, England on 13th March 1960. At the age of 5 the family moved to Yellow Walls Road in Malahide near Dublin, where sister Sarah and brother Sebastian were born. Adam was sent to St. Columba's boarding school due to the nature of his father's job (RAF pilot) which meant that the family could be called away at very short notice.

As a bass player, Adam Clayton's most recognizable basslines include "New Year's Day", which evolved out of an attempt to play Visage's song "Fade to Grey", and "With or Without You" His style includes Motown and reggae influences.and cites artists such as Paul Simonon of The Clash as influences on his musical style.

When Clayton first joined the fledgling U2, he did not have formal training in the bass. In the band's early years, he generally played simple parts in 4/4 time. Bono said of Clayton's early bass playing, "Adam used to pretend he could play bass. He came round and started using words like 'action' and 'fret' and he had us baffled. He had the only amplifier, so we never argued with him. We thought this guy must be a musician; he knows what he's talking about. And then one day, we discovered he wasn't playing the right notes. That's what's wrong, y'know?"

Clayton has sung on several occasion, including on the song "Endless Deep", the B-side to the single "Two Hearts Beat As One" from 1983. Clayton also sang backup vocals on "I Will Follow" during live performances in 1983 and 1984. He also spoke the last verse of "Your Blue Room". Clayton can be heard speaking on "Tomorrow ('96 Version)" (a rerecording of "Tomorrow" that he arranged) a song from U2's 1981 album October.He plays the guitar on a few occasions, most notably the song "40", where he and guitarist The Edge switch instruments. He also plays the keyboard introduction to "City of Blinding Lights".

U2 Release New Vinyl on Record Store Day

U2TOURFANS March 11, 2015

Record store day is a little over a month away. U2 will release "Songs of Innocence" (Record Store Day Deluxe Exclusive Vinyl) which is listed on RSD site as

DETAILS
Format: 2 x 12" Vinyl
Label: Universal
Release type: RSD Exclusive Release
More Info: White, dye-cut gatefold center hole vinyl sleeve on front and back covers. Double black vinyl. Numbered.

We should expect the following tracks

LP 1: Songs Of Innocence with 10 tracks.

LP2 SIDE C:

Lucifer's Hands
The Crystal Ballroom
The Troubles (Alternative Version)
Sleep Like A Baby Tonight (Alternative Perspective Mix by Tchad Blake)
Invisible

LP 2 SIDE D:

Acoustic Sessions

Every Breaking Wave
California (There Is No End To Love)
Raised by Wolves
Cedarwood Road
Song For Someone
The Miracle (Of Joey Ramone) Busker Version

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No Truth in Rumors of Delay Tour Start

U2TOURFANS March 8, 2015

We did some checking and well this one is untrue ! Sorry independent reported this in error it looks like they should have been referencing Bono's back injury which in fact delayed some of the dates of the 360 show.

Tour Delay Rumor

U2TOURFANS March 8, 2015

We saw this post over the week with the Independent an Irish paper. The comment towards the bottom of the article suggests that the tour has been delayed, now before we get all crazy we will be checking into the rumor and getting back to you later in the day.

The full section can be viewed below

http://www.independent.ie/business/irish/rich-list/apples-100m-deal-with-u2-sees-band-top-irish-celebrity-sunday-independent-rich-list-31049109.html

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The Relevancy of U2: It’s In The Lyrics

Nikki Vee March 2, 2015

When I first noticed U2, it wasn’t the lyrics that hooked me, it was the raw, post-punk sound they created. Generally, when I listen to music, it’s the beat and the sounds that hook me. A mood has to be created regardless of the lyrics.

Years later I continue to experience epiphanies over the lyrics of a song I’ve loved since the 70’s. Perspectives change and something wakes up. You hear something you haven't heard before. That's the beauty of these lyrics and the beauty of the growth of the band. Over the years as they grew up, we were also growing up. We began to have different, more worldly experiences and we related to all of it within the lyrics. It wasn’t until much later that I began to appreciate the poetry of Bono. I’ve come to prefer metaphor over straight story-telling. Metaphor leaves and air of interpretation to the listener.

Several fans left comments on my last piece about how U2’s music has helped them in hard times, inspired them, and made a difference in their lives. When people have this kind of relationship with music, that makes it relevant. I know for me, things started changing when I began randomly focusing on these lyrics from Summer Rain:

It’s not why you’re running, it’s where you’re going

It’s not what you’re dreaming, but what you’re gonna do

It’s not where your born, it’s where you belong

It’s not how weak, but what will make you strong

Perhaps I was having a bit of a spiritual crisis at that time, but these words suddenly made everything alright. I now had permission to feel the way I’ve been feeling for a number of years. These lyrics defined for me, a turning point that got me off my ass. Something suddenly became crystal clear. I posted these lyrics in my work area and read them every day. And they ring true for everyone whether we know it or not. Society's pressure vs. your dreams and intentions.

I remember the days when I would run to the local music store for the latest release. I would pick up that new (vinyl) album, hoping the lyrics were printed on the album’s sleeve. I would sit and play the record from beginning to end, singing the lyrics over and over and over again. I hadn’t felt that way in a long time but when “Ordinary Love” was released, I found myself inserting my ear buds with that old, excited, passionate feeling about U2’s music. In classic fanatical form, I set the disc to repeat and listened a few times in succession, singing the lyrics until I knew it by heart. It was mostly a repetitive, memory response; not until recently (last 5-10 years) was it about the lyrics.

We can't fall any further

If we can't feel ordinary love

And we cannot reach any higher

If we can't deal with ordinary love

Then it struck me: talk about relevancy! Isn’t this the modern day struggle? Isn’t this one of the fundamental problems humanity faces; that we are so far away from Love we can’t get any lower and we can’t reach for any more if we have no love for ourselves or others.

We can find something relevant in every U2 song.

Hello, hello,

I’m at a place called Vertigo

Lights go down and all I know

That you give me something…

I can feel your love teaching me how

Your love is teaching me how to kneel, kneel

For me, it’s about that thing or that person of whom you can’t get enough. You’re brought to your knees; it’s dizzying, it makes you crazy. This is your addiction; this is your religion.

We interpret meaning based on our own situations and experiences; therein lies the relevancy of this band. Lyrics and music have the power to change lives and thus, change the world. As long as U2 continues to write songs that touch the human condition, will they remain relevant. All the talk about the irrelevancy of this band can and should be buried.

What U2 lyrics have impacted/shaped your life? Share them here...

Final Commments on the Passing of Father Jack Heaslip

Dre February 27, 2015

Earlier this week we reported the passing of Father Jack Heaslip. Father Jack has been a spiritual leader to the boys since secondary school. Many of the media outlets provided photos of the funeral. Those images quite personal have been posted around the world. We here at U2TOURFANS have posted those images too without any idea of the customs of our friends in Ireland. I personally on behalf of our staff and technical team extend our deepest apologies to our Irish brothers and sisters.

Editor-In-Chief Dre

Father Jack Heaslip

U2 joined around 100 mourners at the funeral of their 'travelling pastor' Jack Heaslip, who passed away at the weekend. Bono was accompanied by his wife Ali Hewson to the service at St Mary's Church, Howth yesterday afternoon as they paid their respects to their friend. The 71-year-old clergyman passed away at his home over the weekend after a prolonged battle with motor neurone disease. Their relationship with the pastor dates back to the 1970s, when he worked as a guidance counsellor in Mount Temple Secondary School which they all attended. When the band was on tour he helped the hundreds of staff and crew members - who were away from homes and families - cope with the challenges of isolation and long-distance travel.

Bono Fit and Ready to Report May 14

Admin February 26, 2015

“It’ll be a battle to be match fit for May 14th. My southpaw is a bit tricky, but my right hook is ready to rumble for sure. We’ve got something beyond incredible planned. And I’m ready to fight for it.”

— Bono

Gasps, heard around the world last November when U2 fans heard of Bono’s bicycle accident in New York’s Central Park.

Fans began to wonder if this could be the final performance for Bono with injuries that included a facial fracture, pins in the arm and a long road to recovery.

However has Bono continues to work on his health one thing is clear. The relevancy of U2 shall never be in question again.

U2 dominance in the digital download space and recurring listener space has proven that U2 can create new audience by simple smart marketing.

The Kantar report , which sampled 978 iOS users drawn from a larger panel of more than 2,500, 23 percent of them listened to U2 in January. In comparison, 11 percent listened to at least one song by Taylor Swift.

"Haven't got a clue!" Bono admits when asked about Kantar and its methodology. "I guess it's possible they could have randomly selected thousands of individuals with impeccable taste," he cracks, "who are not unduly influenced by the feeding frenzy that the blogosphere seems to become if there's a spot of blood in the water." The Edge had some comments in a RS interview that highlighted. That lots of music fans simply just download music or sign up for services with reading the fine print.

"Lots of people, including me, don't read the instructions. When you select automatic download on iOS, you're signing up to be pushed free content. It's not exactly small print, it's just a box you tick or don't. I understand how and why people got annoyed. But really, with all that's going on in the world. . .come on. Apple and U2 were genuine about this whole thing. Apple were being generous and we were trying to do something different to get through the noise. There's always a few teething problems when you're in new territory. . .One of which was that people thought we were giving the album away, that we'd suddenly become all about free music, when the opposite is true. We fervently believe all artists should be paid for their work. But we, like every musician, have to look at other models of getting paid. We were in the position where we can take a chance like this and weather the storm. There's some phrase about breaking eggs and omelets that's probably appropriate here. "

When asked what have you learned about the digital era, The Edge replied we're in the dawn of it. The thing it's easy to forget when you live in modern times is that they're modern for about another 30 seconds. . .more so than ever. In a few years we'll look back on this time like we look back on VCRs and rotary phones. When the radio arrived, everyone thought that was the end of sheet music. I think music has become devalued and disposable in the commercial world – but not to music lovers or the people who make it, and not all big tech either. Apple – and U2 – fight hard for artists to be paid.

In the future, technology has to be a better servant of music, and not its slave master. We can take advantage of the benefits of technology, and we do, but it's also beholden on those of us who have been so well rewarded by music to figure out a way to preserve the ability for artists to create and thrive. Fans have always shared U2 music either by cassettes or cd’s the next phase was not as challenging as one would think. Digital music is here to stay how people pay for it remains to be up for possible interpretation. U2 has always had bright young marketing people around them to think out of the box when it comes to promoting U2 music. The survey proves that nothing can be left to chance. Creative minds should be looking at new ways to reach their audience.

Bono said it sounds boring, but our drug of choice at the moment is songwriting, and trying to take U2's to the next level. What is clear is that U2 is not going into that discount record bin anytime soon and that the future is as bright as they want it to be.

Source: http://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/u2-reflect-on-troubled-innocence-release-these-songs-have-staying-power-20150226?page=2

U2 Delivers A Knockout to the Music Industry

U2TOURFANS February 25, 2015

The music industry may have thought the U2 marketing machines may have been a bit crazy to suggest "giving" the album away. The cross promotion created opportunities that exposed the holes within the music distribution. U2 created a a deal that included delivery of the complete album to every iTunes account free of charge and the band providing the promotional support to Apple during their annual developers conference. Its been suggested that Apple paid 100 million for the right to release the album. As the smoke cleared U2 released their album to the world apple users and over night increased their audience.

Four months after Songs of Innocence’s September release, U2 accounted for “23% of all music listened on iOS devices throughout January 2015,” according to an independent study conducted by the Kantar Group and announced by the band.

Even more impressive, the numbers put Bono & co. as the “most-listened-to act” on the iOS platform as a whole, beating out fan favorites Taylor Swift and Katy Perry, who garnered 11% and 8% of all plays, respectively.

An independent study has concluded that U2 accounted for 23% of all music listened on iOS devices throughout January 2015.

The study, conducted by the Kantar Group, found that not only was U2 the most-listened-to act on the iOS platform, but that more users were listening to U2 than the second (Taylor Swift at 11%) and third (Katy Perry at 8%) runners-up combined.

Additionally, Kantar found that 95% of the U2 listeners listened to one or more tracks from the band’s current album, Songs Of Innocence.