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U2 Eucharist returns at First Presbyterian

Springfield’s First Presbyterian Church becomes a “rock ’n’ roll” church Saturday with a worship service featuring the music of superstar Irish band U2.

U2 Eucharist — Six will feature music recorded by U2, plus performances by the Southeast High School Sensations vocal music group, and musicians playing saxophone and African drums. The service also will raise money for the humanitarian crisis in the Darfur region.

Eucharist will be offered, and food from around the globe will be served.

The Rev. Clifford J. Hayes, pastor of First Presbyterian, said Saturday’s service recasts U2’s music that is usually heard in secular settings as part of a worship service that draws people of a variety of faiths.

And while the service will feature live and recorded music, it’s not a concert.

“It’s not a performance. It’s participatory,” Hayes said. “You’re not coming to listen to U2 music. You come to sing along.”

Hayes said the sixth U2 Eucharist service the church has hosted will raise money for the people of the Darfur region of the African country of Sudan.

According to an Associated Press article, Sudan’s Arab-led government has been battling ethnic African rebels in Darfur since 2003. Up to 300,000 people have been killed and 2.7 million driven from their homes. Leaders there have not been allowing humanitarian groups to work in the region in recent weeks.

Hayes said U2’s primary songwriter, Bono, allows his music to be used for services that help people who are living on less than $2 a day.

This is the fourth local celebration that will help Darfur. Other causes First Presbyterian has helped with the U2 Eucharist are children orphaned when their parents died after developing AIDS and purchasing mosquito nets to stop the spread of malaria.

Since forming in the late 1970s, U2 has addressed weighty subjects in its music — “Sunday Bloody Sunday” is about a 1972 mass shooting in Northern Ireland, and “Pride (In the Name of Love)” is about the life and death of civil rights leader Martin Luther King. The band has continued tackling politics and social justice in its songs, even as it experimented with dance music and other styles.

Band members have publicly said they are practicing Christians, and later U2 recordings include the songs “Jesus Christ” and “God, Part 2.”

Lead singer Bono in particular has raised his profile outside of music, using his celebrity to tout causes ranging from eliminating malaria in Africa and spending more money on education to feeding the hungry. Bono has become famous outside of the band for getting audiences with world leaders and addressing the United Nations General Assembly.

But when people gather Saturday at First Presbyterian on Saturday, Hayes said he hopes there is a feeling of community here in Springfield.

“At the end, we play the song ‘One’ (one of the band’s biggest hits),” Hayes said. “Instead of people recessing out, we ask people to get tight together up front and come together symbolically as one. The emotions are just palpable. It’s a powerful experience.”

Sounds Like U2

Plain Jane Automobile is not as simple as their name implies. After going through a lineup change a few years ago, PJA has reinvented itself as one of Orlando’s best pop/rock bands. The catchy Brit-pop tinted melodies of members Duke Crider [vocals], Luis Mejia [lead guitar], Paul McCorkell [bass] and James Dickens [drums] helped garner them local radio airplay and packed shows across the United States. Metromix recently talked to Crider about the band’s new album, what it’s like being a local nationally-touring band and why the ladies dig their music.

http://www.plainjaneautomobile.com/

89 Edit

Press Release from 89 Edit

89 Editorial's Duncan Shepherd has teamed up with director Tom Krueger for a new video from the rock legends U2.

The video features U2 playing to a small crowd in an intimate venue in Somerville, Massachusetts. The Somerville Theater is known for being the first place the band originally played in the US. Kreuger shot the video on eight HD CAM cameras and four HDV camcorders in a freewheeling experiment designed to harken back to the days of punk rock, resulting in a variety of interesting, ever-shifting camera angles. Shepherd and Kreuger worked closely to choose a grade for each camera to achieve various sorts of bleach bypass looks, giving them a set of dailies similar to the type of graded dailies of a traditional, film-shot music video. By utilizing multiple cameras in such a manner, the crew was able to tweak individual shots as they went along. In order to avoid the flat, unfilmlike finish that so often accompanies HD footage, Duncan edited the whole project on Final Cut Pro in HD format and used the program's internal color correction to apply a more interesting look and feel to the dailies before commencing shot selection.

89 Edit's East Coast Managing Director Sharon Lew notes, "Tom (Kreuger) did a great job capturing all the footage, and Duncan got to try out some interesting new editing techniques that are helping to transform us into a more efficient, dynamic studio."

The process of editing the video was a watershed moment for 89, which was able to output a finished, uncompressed HD edit straight to the Smoke/Flame suite from a laptop using Final Cut Pro, rather than replicating all the work "online" at a later stage, saving time and money and allowing them to spend more time on digital cleanup. The crew found that, while there were still good reasons for editing many projects "offline" in SD, individual projects - like this U2 video - are ideally suited for editing with this new technology.

"Whether dictated by cost, time constraints, or simple creative realities, editors, directors and producers have a range of options open to them that previously were unrealistic or impractical," noted 89's Duncan. "The fact that all this power is available on set, or even in a field in the middle of Wyoming just shows that the way we've been editing all these years may be about to get a lot more fun. I wouldn't say that I've made a total conversion yet, but, being a bit of a control freak, I like having the power to do the finish work, too, and this could get addicting."

The Creds:

Artist: U2
Song Title: Magnificent

DP/Director: Tom Krueger

Post/Effects: Headlight
EP: Steve Holiner

Editorial: 89 Edit
Editor: Duncan Shepherd
Managing Director: Sharon Lew

Shoot Location: Somerville, Massachusetts

About 89 Edit:
89 Editorial, a bicoastal creative editorial & design company presents an award-winning editorial roster servicing leading advertisers and content creators worldwide at their state-of-the-art studios. The company, along with sister brand Headlight Design + VFX provides comprehensive servicing from rough-cut editorial through completion for TV commercials, music videos, emerging media, feature and long-format clientele. The two companies have collaborated on many notable efforts, most recently GEICO and Walmart for The Martin Agency, Olay for Saatchi and American Express for Ogilvy, NY amongst others.

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Now playing: U2 - No Line On the Horizon (2)
via FoxyTunes

No U2 for Eno

Correction: they're not off to the studio
16 April 2009 - Representatives of Brian Eno have contacted 6 Music to ask us to correct last week's report that he is in the studio with U2 this week.

A spokesman said Eno isn't working with the band at this time.

Listening Party provides feedback to NOLO


"No Line on the Horizon"

Larry really shines here; pay close attention to the intricate tom-tom fills appearing in the right channel at 1:13-1:52. He later shifts to a nice, military-style snare fill (that time in the Artane Boys Band was well spent), also in the right channel, at 3:33-3:48.

"Magnificent"

Several details in this one. Hand claps in the right channel and tambourine in the left at 0:46-1:09, and beautiful interaction amongst Larry's hi-hat (right channel) and Adam's bass (center) at 1:15-1:51. Edge double-tracked his main riff in left and right channels, and the result is spectacular. Edge also differentiates the parts at 2:25-2:59, where he's playing some subtle melodic stuff in the left channel and rhythm guitar in the right (unless of course he's playing with Lanois, in which case it's anybody's guess who's playing what). Bono lends some lovely light vocal support to the keyboard part at 4:12-4:27.

"Moment of Surrender"

There's a nice organ in the left channel and piano in the right at 0:47-1:14. Adam has a wonderful bass wind-down to the song at 6:41-7:14.

"Unknown Caller"

There's a sound collage at 0:21-0:58 composed of several instruments that almost seems like animals waking up. There's even what sounds like a high-pitched processed guitar sound reminiscent of a "digital butterfly" flitting by in the left channel at 0:38-0:41 and again at 4:35.

"I'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight"

Hear the rising whirr from 0:00-0:02, very much like the intro to "I Will Follow" -- perhaps intentional, perhaps not. Interesting rhythmic acoustic guitar parts are in the right channel at 0:12-1:02; could be Lanois. The double-tracked guitar part at 3:03-3:19 is a nice surprise.

"Get On Your Boots"

Listen for percussive electric guitar bursts from Edge in the right channel at 0:20-0:25, 0:39-0:48, and 1:27-1:35, and for cool, double-bass kick drum work from Larry at 2:31-2:36.

"Stand Up Comedy"

There's wonderful variation in parts on this one. Adam's bass is a real treat in the verses. Edge appears to have unleashed what could only be called a "giant wasp attack" at 2:47-2:58. (I now can't hear this part without imagining him running around the studio in a bee costume singing the rare Who b-side "Wasp Man" at the top of his lungs.)

"Fez - Being Born"

It begins with market sounds and some hand drums, and at 0:19-0:22 two different voices appear in the right channel, speaking in what sounds like an Arabic language. (Can someone out there translate?) Larry plays a variation of his "No Line" drum part at 1:03-1:34. At 1:45-1:53, an odd cross between a moped engine and a sitar crosses from left to right, and appears again at 2:55-3:02. A classic Eno synthesizer break -- very reminiscent of his '70s solo work -- appears at 3:06-3:26. Eno again interjects with some nice variations at 4:26-4:50. Edge adds some nice, mellow riffing in the right channel at 4:53-5:12.

"White As Snow"

There are backwards guitar loops in the left channel from 0:00-0:25. A fingerpicked guitar in the left channel starts at 0:31, with another alternating-bass style guitar part in the right channel; an educated guess tells me it's Lanois on the left and Edge on the right. A gorgeous, eerie mandolin part arrives in your right ear at 2:28-2:52 and, at least for me, really strengthens the emotional tenor of the song. Hear the beautiful two-part harmony vocals at 3:56-4:23.

"Breathe"

There are lots of harmony vocal overdubs all over the song. Mixed low at 2:22-2:33 is some nice, Elton John-style piano chording in the right channel. There are massed background vocals at 3:54-4:12. There are some slurred cello parts throughout the song in the right channel, a la "I Am the Walrus."

"Cedars of Lebanon"

This begins with a sample of Eno's and Harold Budd's "Against the Sky" from their wonderful record, The Pearl, and then builds on it with hip-hop snare shuffles from Larry, fingerpicked arpeggios from Edge in the left channel, and even some infinite guitar at 2:51-3:07. (Has it really been 22 years since "With or Without You"?) A vocal sample appears throughout the song, maybe in an Arabic language again?

I do hope this has given you a nice taste of "active listening" and an enhanced experience of one of U2's most creatively and sonically diverse records. In the 28 years I've been listening to this band's recorded work, No Line on the Horizon stands out as a wonderful surprise that blossoms under scrutiny and repeated listening. It is well worth the time to sit back, relax, and soak up the sounds in a distraction-free environment such as the darkened room I mentioned before. Enjoy!

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Now playing: U2 - Magnificent
via FoxyTunes

Marriage to Bono can be interesting


Bono's wife, Ali Hewson, has said that she couldn't imagine living anywhere but Ireland. The down-to-earth wife of the U2 singer said she feels that staying in Ireland has given the family the stability they needed. Ali (48) described her life at home as "rounded but frantic" but said it is important her family grew up here.

"It helps for us to live here, where we're part of the community," Ali said. "Ireland is what keeps us grounded -- the Irish are no-nonsense and we're Irish and it's home."

And the founder of the EDUN fashion label said that it helps that family and friends all live relatively close to the couple's mansion in Killiney, Dublin. "My mum and dad are always close by and so is Bono's brother and the rest of U2," she added.

And it seems as if Ali is not perturbed by Bono's many female fans or rock-star status. "It's about having respect for each other -- allowing each other the space to grow and respecting that growth," she said.

In the interview with Harpers Bazaar, the Dubliner revealed that her marriage is often difficult, particularly when Bono has to travel with U2. "There is no fairy tale," she said. "As in any marriage, there's a lot of hard work. But if you can get through the difficult moments, then you enter a new phase of a relationship that is better than before."

The couple who have two daughters, Jordan (19) and Memphis Eve (17) and two sons, Elijah (9) and John (7), first dated as young teenagers. Bono was 14 when he turned to Ali after his mother died from a brain aneurysm at her own father's funeral.

Faith

"I don't think Bono would want to lose another woman in his life," she revealed. "Knowing someone's memories is when you really know them inside out -- when you've grown up with them and made that journey through adulthood together," she added.

Ali is the patron of Chernobyl Children's Project International, the organisation which works with children, families and communities who are affected by the nuclear disaster. And the human rights campaigner said that her belief in God has got her through some of the more difficult times in her life.

"I couldn't live without faith," Ali said. "I would find that a very dark place to be."

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Now playing: The Last Shadow Puppets - My Mistakes Were Made for You
via FoxyTunes

See them up close and personal

It's a good new for U2 concert fans in the greater Tampa area!

U2 360° tour will be stopping at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa! Fortunately, you can find cheap U2 tickets without a hassle here. Since it comes to U2 tickets in Tampa, these limited seats at Raymond James Stadium are certain to be selling out fast!

Buy U2 tickets now and experience the U2 Concert LIVE in Raymond James Stadium!

Section:Lower 139 ROW B Seats provided at time of purchase due to security - Sorry - Rules must be followed -

http://tiny.cc/LIKkj

U2 and Eno Again

U2 and Eno Again

Producer says they're off to the studio
Brian Eno’s revealed that he’s heading back into the studio with U2 next week.

The legendary producer didn’t give any more details at all – but made the comment at the very end of an event last night in which he discussed philosophy and politics with US trumpeter and composer Jon Hassell.

The talk at London's South Bank Centre was the opening to this year’s Ether Festival, and on Sunday and Monday night Eno will perform alongside David Byrne as part of the same event.

The legendary producer and former Roxy Music member is credited with the invention of ambient music, and during his career has worked with the likes of Talking Heads, David Bowie, U2 and Coldplay as well as producing numerous world music records.

Hassell collaborated with Eno on the 1980 album ‘Fourth World Vol. 1: Possible Musics,’ and early in his musical career worked with the revered composer and sound pioneer Karlheinz Stockhausen.

In his career Eno has recorded more than forty solo and collaborative studio albums, beginning in 1973 with Here Come The Warm Jets, and most recently last year’s Whatever Happens Will Happen Today with David Byrne.

6 Music will be at Byrne and Eno’s gig on Sunday night – so tune in to our music news bulletins and check the website on Monday for reviews and reaction from fans.

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Now playing: Plain Jane Automobile - While They're Watching
via FoxyTunes

U2.com has posted the schedule for this week's pre-sales

The last batch of pre-sales for the 2009 tour. Here ya go:

Raleigh, NC (October 3rd), Dallas, TX (October 12th), Houston, TX (October 14th), Norman, OK (October 18th), Phoenix, AZ (October 20th), and Las Vegas, NV (October 23rd).

Tues. 10AM local venue time - Horizon
Wed. 10AM EDT/9AM CDT/8AM MDT/7AM PDT - Breathe
Wed. 6PM EDT/5PM CDT/4PM MDT/3PM PDT - Boots
Presale ends Thursday 5PM local venue time.

UPDATE: The first five shows listed above will all be sold via Ticketmaster. Pre-sales for the Las Vegas show, however, will be sold through www.getfirstaccess.com, because Sam Boyd Stadium is not part of the Ticketmaster system.

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Now playing: Plain Jane Automobile - While They're Watching
via FoxyTunes

Taco Bell, Twitter and Stuff


First its time to update everyone on the real dealo here. Yes Taco Bell is our snack of choice when witting the U2tourfans blog. Now the list of really important stuff. All questions asked over the last month are answered below.

  1. Yes, we are looking for sponsorship.
  2. We rank over 10m page views per day, yea who would have thought that this stuff was interesting to anyone but me.
  3. Yes, you can follow via Twitter
  4. No, we do not promote bands, or work for the band or play in the band.
  5. Beer and Wings are great
  6. Patron is a friend
  7. Yes we have tickets to the Tampa Show
  8. No you can't come with us
  9. Yes, we will be posting 2 fan tickets for sale over the next few days
  10. Yes we will provide a link
Now its your turn post your comments, thoughts questions or anything and let get ready for a great tour season. Peace - Taco Taco

U2 Final North American Dates Set - Sold Out Everywhere

U2 has added new North American dates to its fall 360 Tour, which has seen the Irish rockers smash sales records each time the box-office windows open.

Newly announced cities comprising what the group is calling its "final 2009 concert dates" include shows in Raleigh, NC (10/3); Dallas (10/12); Houston (10/14); Norman, OK (10/18); Phoenix (10/20) and Las Vegas (10/23). On-sale dates are included with the complete itinerary below.

The tour gets underway with two shows (9/12-13) in Chicago, before moving on to Toronto, suburban Boston (Foxboro, MA) and East Rutherford, NJ, with a pair of nights in each location. U2 will hit 16 North American cities on the trip, which follows a run of European dates over July and August. The band's overseas schedule can be found at the official U2 website.

The tour sold 450,000 tickets Monday morning (4/6), when a new batch of shows went on sale, according to a press release, with the total number of tickets sold for the tour throughout North America and Europe now topping 2.5 million since the trek was announced in late March. The Oct. 25 performance at Pasadena, CA's 90,000-seat Rose Bowl sold out in a matter of hours, marking the largest concert performance to ever take place in the historic venue, as well as the quickest sell-out, according to tour promoter Live Nation.

Additionally, according to the band's publicist, 160,000 tickets for the July 24 and 25 concerts in Dublin, Ireland's Croke Park sold out in less than 40 minutes, leading to a quick announcement of a third show in the group's home city.

U2 previously announced a few of the opening acts that will join the band on tour. Snow Patrol will open the Chicago and Boston-area shows; Muse will handle opening duties for the NYC-area engagements; and The Black Eyed Peas are on board for the Pasadena date.

The upcoming tour, which begins with a 14-city European leg this summer, supports U2's recently released 12th studio album, "No Line on the Horizon," which debuted at No. 1 in 30 countries, including the US, where it posted first-week sales of about 484,000 copies.

Live Nation claims SELL OUT TOUR

First let me say I have 8 tickets for Tampa, show and I will be selling two of them - Yes two tickets very good "FAN CLUB" seats. Read often and bidding will start soon.

With sales this morning (March 30) of more than 82,000 tickets sold in New York, 72,000 in Boston and 65,000 in Chicago, the U2 360° Tour will set the largest single-day attendance record in each city, according to tour producer Live Nation.

In London, with more than 6,700 tickets sold in 60 seconds, ticket sales for U2 at Wembley Stadium resulted in the highest sales rate ever in the U.K. At Dublin's Croke Park, 160,000 tickets for U2 360° Tour performances in July 24-25 sold out in 40 minutes, leading the announcement of a third and final event in that city. Second performances were added in Gothenburg and Amsterdam and sold out within hours of going on sale.

Zagreb sales broke all sales records in that country, and last week U2's tour opener in Barcelona sold out in 54 minutes, becoming the fastest ever sold out show in the history of pop music in Spain, Live Nation says.

The North American tour opener in Chicago on Sept. 12 at Soldier Field was an instantaneous sellout. Due to demand, a second and final performance on September 13, also with special guest Snow Patrol, has been confirmed. In Boston, in addition to the sold out Sept. 20 performance, U2 with special guest Snow Patrol at a second event -- Sept. 21 at Gillette Stadium.

In New York at Giants Stadium, Muse will be the special guest and both the Sept. 24 and now second and final performance on Sept. 25. In Toronto, a second performance was announced prior to on sale this morning and both performances, Sept. 16-17, at Rogers Center are also now sold out.

Also confirmed this morning, U2 360° Tour will visit Washington, D.C., Sept. 29 at FedEx Field; Charlottesville, Oct. 1 at Scott Stadium; Atlanta, Oct. 6 at the Georgia Dome; Tampa, Oct. 9 at Raymond James Stadium; Los Angeles, Oct. 25 at the Rose Bowl; and Vancouver, Oct. 28 at BC Place Stadium.

Tickets in Charlottesville will go on sale April 3. Tickets for all additional performances, including the second shows in Chicago, Boston and New York, will go on sale next April 6 at 10:00 a.m.

BONO BUSTED !


The curse of Facebook has now hit U2 lead singer Bono.
Pictures of the 48-year-old rocker with his arm around two bikini-clad teenagers in St Tropez were posted on the popular social site complete with diary details.
Bono was on vacation with long-time friend Simon Carmody, a musician and former member of Irish band Golden Horde

This may be it- Yup Bono Suggests the possible end

Bono fears U2 will split up. The singer says he and his bandmates - guitarist The Edge, drummer Larry Mullen Jr. and bassist Adam Clayton - are determined to enjoy their upcoming world tour because they fear it could be their last. He said: "We want to play for each other as much as we want to play for the crowd this time. You just don't know how long you are going to be doing this. When we walk out on stage, the hairs on people's necks go up - but what people don't know is that the hairs on our necks go up too."Larry is concerned their fans won't want to part with their money to watch them, even though tickets have been priced reasonably. He said: "Will we sell it out? Who knows? Will the economic situation have an impact? Probably. But that's not going to stop us." Larry recently admitted he wants the group to retire while they are still at the top.He said: "There will be a time when it's like, 'It's time to go.' I would like that to be on a high when you're still achieving as opposed to the curve down. That'll be sad for me. I think it'll be a more dignified time to go."

New Logo


Shinnier, more modern and perpahs with a futuristic touch, the new logo for the upcoming tour has been launched.