U2 And The Daunting Challenge of The Innocence and Experience Tour

Admin May 18, 2015

Will The Spirit Still Walk Through The Room?

U2 And The Daunting Challenge of The Innocence and Experience Tour

Nashville: JB Brookman

The age of the internet has backed the greatest band on the planet into a corner…

The Beatles, Johnny Cash and the Stones never had to deal with the backlash that a band of U2’s caliber is currently toe to toe in a death-match with. In this day and age, it’s hip to be a hater and the land of Facebook and Twitter is dominated by them. When U2 and Apple put together a brilliant (26 U2 titles shot on to the iTunes top 200 albums chart at once) and fan-friendly marketing strategy to give Innocence and Experience away for free, the naysayers swung with all their might and did so in droves.

The media jumped on the backlash and painted a negative image of an album that had nothing to do with the music. The “5th member of U2” Paul McGuinness left as the band’s manager, leaving them in unchartered territory.

Many feared that this could be the end of U2. Had they become irrelevant? Had Bono’s earnestness and political fighting's for Africa become an image-killer? Had manufactured music, boy bands and sex selling female vocalists completely taken over the landscape in 2015?

The first time this writer saw U2 live (1985 Unforgettable Fire Tour- Sports Arena, Los Angeles), Bono was able to scream out notes in full register and recklessly climb up speaker clusters, wrapped in an Irish flag to confront and demand the attention and respect of fans. Now, it is some 30 years later and the challenges of life have battered Paul Hewson’s 55-year old body. A serious and possibly life-threatening back injury delayed the 360 Tour in 2009 and Bono’s recent New York bicycle accident has left him with permanent arm/hand damage that has even stolen his ability to strum a guitar (Larry Mullen has also dealt with injury in the past and Adam Clayton has dealt with addiction and depression issues).

“God is in the room… It feels like there’s a blessing on the band right now. And I don’t know what it is, but it feels like God walking through the room, and it feels like a blessing, and in the end, music is a kind of sacrament; it’s not just about airplay or chart positions.”

— Bono (Heath, Rolling Stone, May 10, 2001)

Needless to say, the next 6 months are the pivot point in the career of U2. They will either fade gently into that goodnight or ascend and re-take their place as the greatest live band in music history. They have always found a way to fight through new ground, in a live show. Rumors of the new tour include a state of the art sound system and a show that takes over the entire span of arena floors. Bono has always said that there is a special time in each U2 show where “the Spirit walks through the room” and a certain magic happens. Can the band tap into that same life force this Summer?

The truth is this… U2 are a scrappy, hard-nosed crew with a monster work ethic. They are at their best, when it’s time to change… time to burn down what they were, reinvent themselves and rise again from the ashes. They battle and innovate and are willing to take risks that other groups have never taken.

Whether it was putting their financial futures in check with the gigantic, groundbreaking Zoo TV and PopMart Tours or tearing down the Joshua Tree and making a new sound with Achtung Baby, this has been true. The Irishmen are the first ones to the scene of the fight and they aint going down until you put them in the dirt.

A month after the Apple roller coaster, Rolling Stone named I & E their Album of the Year and the band has entered the ring for their North American Tour that opened this weekend in Vancouver. As “Volcano” from the latest album says: “The world is spinning fast tonight, You can hurt yourself tryin’ to hold on, To what you used to be. I’m so glad the past is gone” Yes, U2 have a legendary past. But, now is their time to create a new powerful and relevant future.

JB Brookmam

Rock and Roll Celebrity Concert Photographer Founder/Editor of Nashville Live Magazine and Hollywood Icon Magazine Concerts & More: www.jbbrookmanphoto.com

U2 iNNOCENCE + eXPERIENCE Tour Vancouver Review

Admin May 17, 2015

VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA: Tim Durkan

Photo by Kevin Mazur/WireImage / U2TOURFANS 2015

First and foremost - those of you planning to see U2 on their innocence + experience World Tour are in for a magical, one of a kind experience that you’ll never forget.

It’s been Nearly 4 years since their hugely successful 360 Tour wrapped up here in Canada and here is where
they’d open up their widely anticipated tour for capacity crowds in Vancouver B.C.

There had been a lot of speculation about possible delays after Bono’s serious accident earlier
this year and followed by last week’s passing of Larry Mullen’s father - but the band pressed on.
After 5 weeks of intense rehearsals here in the mountain town renowned for it’s warm hospitality, U2 signaled to the world that they are not only up for the rigors of a world tour - they
are excited to perform.

With no opening acts scheduled, the band finally took the stage and Thursday and Friday nights
to very receptive and capacity audiences. Opening night had them breaking into their signature song off the new album “Miracle (of Joey Ramone) followed by ‘Out of Control’ ‘Vertigo' and ‘I will Follow’. It was clear the band was ready to give the crowd what they came for - a mix of new songs, signature favorites and a level of emotion that only grew with every song.

Admitting his last few months of recuperation were tough, Bono thanked the doctors who took care of him and told the crowd he wasn’t going to ‘stay in the past too long’ as he and the band had their sights set on the future. Having recently voiced the band’s concern over maintaining relevancy after nearly 40 years of making music, Bono also alluded that this tour was to be much more intimate and scaled down from the massive 360 production - almost as if he was trying to curb our expectations in
advance. Well played Bono!

Within 10 minutes of their opening night, the band showed they are still more than capable of
thrilling fans worldwide - and more importantly that they still care about making great music.
Their nerves seemed to settle also as they broke into their first live performance of ‘Iris’ (a
moving song about Bono’s mother), ‘Cedarwood Road’ (reflections of growing up in 70’s Dublin)
and ‘Song for Someone’ (an ode to Bono’s wife). Any concerns someone might have had about
an ‘irrelevant’ or ‘predictable’ U2 would quickly evaporate as a dazzling, high-def curtain of
animated lights descended from the ceiling to recreate in colorful fashion both whimsical and
poignant moments along the band’s journey over the years.

U2 combined this spectacular display with songs from the new album in spectacular fashion as homage was paid to those people and events which influenced over the years. Lennon, Bowie, Sex Pistols, David Byrne, Lou Reed, BB King, The Ramones and many others all played an important part in making U2 who they are today - and they recognized that fact in grand fashion.

Equally profound was the way in which they honored the notion of peace and love - love of
parents, friends, family, hometown and the memories that clearly inspire them every day.
The band performed segments of the show inside this semitransparent curtain of lights along a
narrow walk way leading to another stage on the opposite side of the arena. U2 has always
been known for their close interaction with their audience over the years and this tour is
probably the best ever in that respect.

It was on opening night that The Edge pushed that experience to the max when he accidentally stepped off the stage and into the audience below - a move that left him a little bruised and embarrassed but otherwise ok - thank goodness! Bono had a little fun with the guitarist’s misstep the following night when he and the other bandmates offered to accompany The Edge down the same walkway to ensure his safety. The quip caused The Edge to break out in a big smile and the audience to have a laugh with the band - life happens, even to rock stars.

Both nights saw the show really begin to take shape and flex it’s personality during renditions of
‘Sunday Bloody Sunday’ and ‘Raised by Wolves’. It was at the end of ‘Wolves’ that a tribute to the 33 people killed in the 1974 Dublin car bombings was presented when the faces of those killed were presented along the 100 foot screen - a somber, powerful moment.

Equally strong towards the end of both shows was Bono’s (positive) message to get involved with their red.org in an effort to eradicate HIV worldwide, a worthy goal to be certain. This while a touching rendition of ‘Where the Streets Have No Name’ began to play which really got the audience dancing in the isles.

U2 took a considerable amount of heat over the release of this new album, but at the end of the
day their music and performance during this tour remains faithful to the overall ‘soul’ of the band
- and that is the key to their long success. Yes there may be a few missed notes, improvised
lyrics and technical glitches but it’s precisely why we love them so much - they’re real. And in a
world of overly produced and formula driven musical ‘talent’ where over-hyped news (mostly
bad) travels faster than an automatically downloaded album - U2 has managed managed to
remind us all that being relevant in any aspect of life means taking risks, remembering your
roots and staying true to one’s self. Thank you for that gentlemen.

Tim Durkan is a photographer and music enthusiast from Seattle Wa.
He first saw U2 perform in 1987 during their Joshua Tree tour in Ireland and has since seen
them in 4 countries over the last 30 years. Please feel free to visit him on Facebook at
facebook.com/timdphotos or timdurkan.com

When Love Comes To Town U2 Honors B.B. King Second Night

U2TOURFANS May 16, 2015

VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA — Opening night ended a bit early when The Edge walked right off the stage. Last, nights show had everyone taking a couple of jokes about the little spill. "Somebody said that the Edge had downloaded himself into the audience without asking permission," he said. "I thought that was great." Second night with a brand new stage, new songs the band sure did not play it safe with using the same set. They mixed it up and honored B.B King playing "When Loves Come To Town" for the first time in 23 years. Hearing the tune with Bono covering all of King's lines was a sad reminder that B.B. truly is gone. "Wow," Bono said at the end. "The thrill will never be gone." Complete show wrap up can be found via our city link.

U2 iNNOCENCE + eXPERIENCE Tour Opener - Vancouver

U2TOURFANS May 15, 2015

VANCOUVER - Get the kids a sitter for tonight and come out and see the show. This is a totally different experience, yet that seems to be a statement with U2. The band started the evening off with "The Miracle (of Joey Ramone)". The band was ready to release some pressure that has building up for a few weeks. The boys have been in town working on the show and last night they proved that hard work always pays off. We have lots of images and videos available and we will be posting as much as possible all day today. You can check the set list and see what other images we have.

*Photos by Kevin Mazur/WireImage)

U2 IE TOUR Vancouver Review

U2TOURFANS May 15, 2015

(Photo by Kevin Mazur/WireImage)

VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA — Scaled down and personal, yet the most amazing thrilling evening created by scaling down their performance to create the intimacy that only U2 has been able to find with its audience. This band understand how to create a personal yet over the top rock show that has a lot of state-of-the art features that will surely make other bands stop and look. Check the complete review:

Edge Ok After Fall Of Stage

U2TOURFANS May 15, 2015

U2 fans were given a scare last night as Edge was walking towards the stage from the runway and seemed to miss the connecting point between the runway and back of stage. The Edge posted to instagram that he was OK. We will have our full concert report shortly with lots of videos and photos.

We will be on site again tonight. #U2ieTOUR

U2Tourfans Show Info

Dre May 14, 2015

We will have people live on the ground reporting in from the show. Here is a list of some important facts.

Show starts 7:30 PM local time PST
Twitter Feed #U2ieTOUR
Videos and Photos - We will post them once we cleared them. Your welcome to send any photos or videos you like with full credit given: concertphotos@u2tourfans.com
Mobile App works for sending images in CONNECTEDU
Periscope, we will forward the streams we find ( we will not have one )
Streaming Show - No sorry we will pass on doing this.
Show Review / Set List we will update the list as quickly as possible (* we validate our set list against U2gigs)

Sit back and enjoy the show. Its going to be a late night for the east coast however we believe its worth it.

U2 Fans Arrive To Vancouver

U2TOURFANS May 14, 2015

Not sure if loyal works to describe U2 fans. However fans are arriving in Vancouver all day today as well as the past few days. GA ticket holders have been lining up outside across the street of course that's all unofficial. The goal is simple get in and as close to their favorite band member. The process of planning on how to get in is as daunting a task as planning to go to the bathroom while waiting in line.

The GA Process

Its all very unofficial and yet it seems to operational to work very well. The registration system starts with you placing your name on the list. Once on the list a great big red sharpie is used to write a number on you. This is your Keeping order and allowing fans to arrive early and hang out below the noise of the Sky train. Its the experience that fans travel around the world for. Its not just a concert for some its fellowship Its about connecting to someone else and they connecting you.