24 Years Later "The Joshua Tree"

Wednesday marks the 24th anniversary of “The Joshua Tree” Most will agree that in addition to being one of the most culturally significant rock ‘n’ roll albums ever recorded which managed to sell over 25M copies and made U2 ” The Worlds Greatest” Band and the title remains. Greatest does not start with a plan or a road map as to where your heading. You can pick up your own copy here

The Joshua Tree (Deluxe Edition) [Remastered]

Today some would say who cares about U2? They have past their time and that the music may not relate to the masses today. However what does a pre-teen Justin lover really know about the world? U2’s message is clearly directed towards the college crowd to guide them to making a difference in the world. Becoming something more than a pay check collecting person.

The idea that one is no greater than another is not a new concept, what’s different is the idea of main streaming the thoughts of being good to each other and looking for ways to help one another.  24 years later and the message still matters. The only difference today is that we may have to tweet it, or shoot a video to get the message out.

The bio is not provided for the dedicated U2 fan rather the possible new U2 fan. Music moves you beyond your space and time.

The Joshua Tree is the fifth studio album by rock band U2. It was produced by Daniel Lanois and Brian Eno, and was released on 9 March 1987 on Island Records. In contrast to the ambient experimentation of their 1984 release The Unforgettable Fire, U2 aimed for a harder-hitting sound on The Joshua Tree within the limitation of strict song structures. The album is influenced by American and Irish roots music and depicts the band’s love-hate relationship with the United States, with socially- and politically-conscious lyrics embellished with spiritual imagery.

Inspired by American tour experiences, literature, and politics, U2 chose America as a theme for the record. Recording began in January 1986 in Ireland, and to foster a relaxed, creative atmosphere, the group recorded in two houses, in addition to two professional studios. Several events during the sessions helped shape the conscious tone of the album, including the band’s participation in A Conspiracy of Hope tour, the death of roadie Greg Carroll, and lead vocalist Bono’s travels to Central America. Recording was completed in November and additional production continued into January 1987. Throughout the sessions, U2 sought a “cinematic” quality for the record that would evoke a sense of location, in particular, the open spaces of America. They represented this in the sleeve photography depicting them in American desert landscapes.

Subscribers Get An "We See"

U2 fans you expected an answer. Well U2.com has posted an answer to the swell of upset subscribers. Here is the answer in whole. No editing just straight answer from the Dot Com team. We suggested that we post some of what we would like to see different. So now that we have someones ear. Lets be sure to ask for what we want. - Post your comments. on Facebook

 

We see that some fans are unhappy with the service at U2.com, we take the point.

Some issues raised hit hard, particularly about ‘Duals’ because a lot of work went into it. And it’s fair to say that if you’ve been following the band continually since the very early days, you might have collected these tracks, but for everyone else, there’s some great music here and we’re glad to hear you’re looking forward to receiving the CD.

Also, we’d like to clarify that subscribers are always first in line for tickets and our allocation is reserved to ensure we get the widest choice in a venue. We are sometimes beaten to the draw with news stories - that’s because we have no choice but to only run confirmed information. We are the official word.

If we get a tour date or set list track wrong or mislabel a lithograph - genuine mistakes - we’ll check and correct it.

But it’s not satisfactory that U2 fans feel aggrieved. So we’re going to investigate all of your concerns, including customer service.

We are always looking to improve the U2.com experience and the service we offer to subscribers as our recent live webcast from Cape Town shows. Thanks for your great response to that and thanks for raising these issues.

The U2.com Team 

U2 wakes up Discovery Crew

(NECN/NASA TV) - Astronauts on the shuttle Discovery woke today to “City of Blinding Lights” by U2.

The song was chosen by Steve Kopra, who was supposed to lead the final space walk but was grounded after a bicycle accident.



This will be a day of rest for the crew following Wednesday’s successful walk in space.

Discovery is scheduled to undock from the International Space Station Sunday for the trip back to earth. This is the final flight for NASA’s oldest space shuttle as the program winds down.

U2TOURFANS Chief Editor Speaks Up

U2 fans over the past few days we have begun to see a series of reports that fans are upset with the current state of the U2.com fan site. Upset that the cost of $50.00 does not really provide them anything of great value and that many other U2 fan based sites provide a current view of the band and updated stories hours before the U2.com site.

I have to agree with all of the comments. I do believe that the non profit fan based sites tend to have a true pulse on the fan and the band. We don’t have all the resources of a Live Nation supported site we do seem to keep ahead of them. We seem to really tell the story of the tour, the music and provide a wide selection of options to get our U2 news.

You have choices. Those choices range from a paying site such as U2.com or any of the hundreds of free ones in any language you would like. The only true difference was the ticket selection. Which from my view seemed to be a waste of money too.

Since the start of the tour we have purchased tickets and used our codes. What we have found is that our code did not provide any better seat than our ticketmaster skills or our relationship with the many of the sponsored ticket systems.

I support the fans interest in pointing out concerns with the current fan site model. I agree some changes need to be made to support fans real time need to be informed. What I don’t agree with is the idea that fans can rant and rave about an issue and not provide any suggested solutions.

What would you like to see from a U2.com fan base site ? How would it support your interests? How much should it cost? How often updated and so on. Why not share those thoughts too. Its better to offer suggestions and try to work with the fan club to make changes that make sense and provide real value for all of us.

Its about the music.

Your Editor in Chief

Dre

P.S. We have some wonderful fan sites. I support them all and believe that we all have a place within the U2 fans heart.

U2 Fan Club Fans Not Happy

Members of U2’s official fan club have created an online petition voicing their displeasure over paying a $50 annual membership fan club fee “for a product that is embarrassingly sub par.” The petition had 665 signatures with a goal of 50,000.

In a letter written by “The Fans” titled ‘The Fanclub Is a Cannibal — U2.com, Fans Need More,’ and published last week on Petitionspot.com, fans addressed six main problems, including customer service issues such as orders being canceled or delayed, as well as “generic and uninformative” responses when fans inquired about the former.

It seems that the two main issues concern concert presales and the value fans get from the $50 membership. Previously, fans paying for U2.com membership often got first chance at concert tickets but that no longer happens due to sports teams and “certain credit cards” often offering the same opportunity.

Regarding the value, fans say that aside from posts like ‘Willie’s Diary’ there is very little value offered. “REM subscription is $12 and members receive actual unreleased tracks,” the letter says. Pearl Jam — whose fan club membership is $40 — are also cited for giving streaming radio access, a magazine, free tracks available for download and vinyl, t-shirts and a coupon enabling fans “to download a free ‘bootleg’ Pearl Jam concert of their choice.”

Before we go a head and start blaming Live Nation lets consider the options. Today you have your choice of thousands of U2 sites and many of the offer the same bit of information as the next one. Sometimes you can even find the same stories. So before ew trash the U2.com fan site lets look at what we as fans would like to have. Lets start the conversation as to whats important and build from that list. 

Frankly its a couple of fan based sites that may be adding fuel to the fire that has been burning for a couple of years. Maybe to position their site as the best option for U2 fans. 

Our position is clear. We are a fan based site. We are focused on you the fan. All the other crap can just sit by the waste side. Hell who has the time to spending all day bitching about some fan club. When all we really want is good music, and a band that respects their fans to not produce crap. End of story 

Oh not really - We have been working behind the covers of our site to add new team members. We will be posting our job requirments within a few days. Yes of course you already know that a couple of other fan sites are expanding too. We support their growth and believe that we can all support the U2 fan base. 

On Tour With U2TOURFANS

Its offical we are heading out on the North American tour this summer. Across America we will travel to each show. As we cross America we will be recording our travels for an up coming movie project as well as a book.

The 2 1/2 Month Trip will take our star reporter to every show as we begin the summer tour season we have an oppertunity for a sponsor to a part of the whole project. The U2 shows across North America have been sold out for 2 years and demand for the shows contiues to grow.

U2TOURFANS offers exceptional branding opportunities that will enhance your company’s visibility to a highly desirable audience. The U2TOURFANS staff will work with you in partnership to create a custom package designed specifically to meet your marketing goals.

U2TOURFANS has a complete 360 Social Media property list that includes all of the top social media outlets. We have the audience for your product or message.  To get more information about pricing and when we plan on hitting the road email us directly at fanmail @ u2tourfans dot com

U2TOURFANS Tour Sponsor  

  • Sponsor receives a custom web banner on the U2TOURFANS website, where the advertiser identifies their business to our viewers.
  • Sponsor will be able to supply products for onsite product engagements
  • Sponsor will be positioned at every North American show
  • Sponsor will be identified as a Title Sponsor on all collateral materials (flyers, t-shirts, program booklet, etc.).
  • Sponsor will be featured daily on all social media outlets and positioned within the daily updates from around the tour.
  • Tour buses can be wrapped to incorporate Title Sponsor logos along with the U2TOURFANS logo for increased visibility.
  • Sponsor will be featured in YouTube daily news video updates.
  • Sponsor can position promotional items.

Presenting Sponsor 

  • Sponsor receives a custom web banner on the U2TOURFANS website, where the advertiser identifies their business to our viewers.
  • Sponsor will receive opportunity for product sampling.
  • Sponsor will be mentioned in promotional media outlets
  • Sponsor will be identified as a Presenting Sponsor on all U2TOURFANS social media sites.

Gold Sponsor 

  • Sponsor receives a custom web banner on the U2TOURFANS website, where the advertiser identifies their business to our viewers.
  • Sponsor will be mentioned in social media, local media outlets
  • Sponsor will be identified as a Platinum Sponsor on all collateral materials (flyers, t-shirts, program booklet, etc.).
  • Participating Sponsor 
  • Sponsor a custom web banner on the U2TOURFANS website, where the advertiser identifies their business to our viewers.
  • Sponsor will be identified as a Participating Sponsor on all collateral materials (flyers, t-shirts, program booklet, etc.).

 

U2TOURFANS offers exceptional branding opportunities that will enhance your company’s visibility to a highly desirable audience. The U2TOURFANS staff will work with you in partnership to create a custom package designed specifically to meet your marketing goals.

U2TOURFANS Tour Sponsor  

·         Sponsor receives a custom web banner on the U2TOURFANS website, where the advertiser identifies their business to our viewers.

·         Sponsor will be able to supply products for onsite product engagements

·         Sponsor will be positioned at every North American show

·         Sponsor will be identified as a Title Sponsor on all collateral materials (flyers, t-shirts, program booklet, etc.).

·         Sponsor will be featured daily on all social media outlets and positioned within the daily updates from around the tour.

·         Tour buses can be wrapped to incorporate Title Sponsor logos along with the U2TOURFANS logo for increased visibility.

·         Sponsor will be featured in YouTube daily news video updates.

·         Sponsor can position promotional items.

Presenting Sponsor 

·         Sponsor receives a custom web banner on the U2TOURFANS website, where the advertiser identifies their business to our viewers.

·         Sponsor will receive opportunity for product sampling.

·         Sponsor will be mentioned in promotional media outlets

·         Sponsor will be identified as a Presenting Sponsor on all U2TOURFANS social media sites.

Platinum Sponsor 

·         Sponsor receives a custom web banner on the U2TOURFANS website, where the advertiser identifies their business to our viewers.

·         Sponsor will be mentioned in social media, local media outlets

·         Sponsor will be identified as a Platinum Sponsor on all collateral materials (flyers, t-shirts, program booklet, etc.).

Participating Sponsor 

·         Sponsor a custom web banner on the U2TOURFANS website, where the advertiser identifies their business to our viewers.

·         Sponsor will be identified as a Participating Sponsor on all collateral materials (flyers, t-shirts, program booklet, etc.).

Street Mission Added to Soundtrack

A long-forgotten U2 song has been unearthed for the soundtrack of a new film about the band’s early days.

Street Mission was a track recorded by Bono, The Edge, Larry Mullen, and Adam Clayton in the late 1970’s when they were The Hype.

In the upcoming British film Killing Bono, the track will be performed by the actors playing the Irish rockers.

The comedy, which is based on the lives of the two schoolmates who quit the band that was to become U2, is based on Neil McCormick’s memoirs, I Was Bono’s Doppelganger.

The Chronicles of Narnia star Ben Barnes will portray McCormick in the film, which is set for release in Britain in April.



Bono and the boys headline Glastonbury

U2 have been announced as the headliner for the first night of the 2011 Glastonbury festival, one of the world’s largest outdoor music events.

The band will join Coldplay and Beyoncé at the top of the festival’s bill, which will take place June 24th-26th in Somerset, England.

Rolling Stone: Three decades of U2

U2 were originally scheduled to perform at last year’s Glastonbury festival but had to drop out when Bono injured his back. Gorillaz were brought on as a last-minute replacement headliner.

Rolling Stone: US’s magazine covers

U2’s Glastonbury performance will fall in the middle of the next American leg of their 360 stadium tour.

Given that they would need to bring their elaborate production overseas and back again in the span of a couple days, it seems safe to say that the band will be abandoning their 360 stage for this performance.

In other U2 news, an early song written by the band when they were known as the Hype will appear on the soundtrack to “Killing Bono,” a comedy film about the two members of the Hype who did not go on to join U2.

The song, “Street Mission,” has been bootlegged by U2 fans for years.

KILLING BONO soundtrack

KILLING BONO, the upcoming Irish rock movie about the rise of two Irish bands, one of which turned out to be U2 is to feature a brand new U2 song called ‘Street Mission’, the previously unreleased song is credited to ‘The Hype’ - which is the name of Bono’s band before they renamed it U2.

The soundtrack will also include U2 classic ‘I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For’. Grammy Nominated song writer Joe Echo has also written eight new songs for the album, which are performed by the film’s stars Robert Sheehan, Ben Barnes and Martin McCann.

The soundtrack is released on March 28th and the film will open in Ireland on April 1st.

U2 reveal massive Twitter and Facebook project

U2/ Facebook/ Twitter/ U2TOURFANS Irish rockers U2 have revealed a new social media that allows concert goers to tag themselves in the audience via email, Twitter or Facebook.

Last year the Orange, a brand of France Télécom used a similar system. They used a high-powered camera that allows you to zoom on every single fan in the stadium.

At U2’s concert in Johannesburg earlier this month a photograph like this was taken. This massive image allows users to zoom into the crowd and see if they can spot themselves. They can then tag their images.

These panoramic images are taken with what is known as a Gigapixel camera. Now we of course has a chance to test this out during the South Africa show. What see that amazed us is how clear each image of every person as well as the equipment was ( or is). We found all of our team around the stadium and thought this might be something new for us to spotlght in the weeks ahead.  

Blew the Cape off Capetown

U2 360 Tour Capetown 2/18/2011Several U2 fans said Friday night’s performance at Cape Town Stadium was a “life changing experience”.

The Irish super group wowed over 72,000 screaming fans for the band’s final leg of the 360 Degree Tour in South Africa. Special appearances by Yvonne Chaka Chaka and Miriam and Amadou had the audience chanting for more.

Fans told Eyewitness News that U2’s giant stage “The Claw” was the main draw card of the show.

They added that the whole experience was breathtaking.

Other fans enjoyed the moving screens and said the performances “blew them away”.

Top selling international rock band, U2’s Cape Town concert this Friday, February 18 will be broadcast live on Highveld and KFM in South Africa, alongside a live stream on Dstvafrica.com , only available and free throughout the African continent.

U2 played a huge show in Johannesburg last Sunday night, returning to South Africa for the first time since 1998. On the PopMart tour, U2 also played 2 shows and the Johannesburg concert was broadcast live. The audio stream on DStvafrica.com will be broadcast into, Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkino Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Comores, Congo, Cote d’Ivoire, Djibouti, DRC, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Kenya, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sao Tome & Principe, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, South Africa, St Helena, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The webcast is flash-based and therefore will not work on devices not supporting that technology. The stream will be available www.dstvafrica.com

U2’s manager Paul McGuinness said “The band had a great night in Johannesburg and I’m sure we’ll deliver another big show in Cape Town”.

DStv Online CEO John Kotsaftis said: “At the Soccer City show Bono said ‘This place feels like the future’ and we are excited to be making the future happen right now on dstvafrica.com with this first ever live streaming of a U2 concert in Africa. We are very proud and excited to be working with Universal Music and U2 on this initiative and this is just one of many innovations we have lined up for our online audience in 2011.”

Want to work for U2 ?

Organizers of a U2 concert in Moncton this summer are on the hunt for hundreds of temporary workers needed to erect a massive stage, grandstands and lighting and sound systems at Magnetic Hill.

Pascal Dube of Stage Crew Inc. of Moncton is looking for riggers, forklift drivers, truck loaders, stage hands and general labourers.

It will be a huge job that will begin about a week before the concert.

The U2 stage, a huge metal claw with four legs and giant video screens that stands about 50 metres tall, will likely be the biggest yet erected at the outdoor venue.

As a contractor to the touring company, Dube will be responsible for working with U2’s road crew to make sure everything is set up and ready to go when the band arrives.

He can’t say exactly how many people he will need but said the AC/DC show in Moncton in 2009 required more than 200 people — and the U2 show is expected to be bigger with up to 100,000 spectators.

“We have people coming from all over New Brunswick, P.E.I. and Nova Scotia to work at the show. And they don’t come just for the work because they have other jobs — they gotta love doing it,” Dube said.

“In this job you get to meet people from all over the world and get to be part of putting this big show together. It’s all about the music.”

The July 30 show will be the final North American date of the U2 360 Tour. The opening act is Montreal’s Arcade Fire, which received a best album Grammy last weekend for The Suburbs.

Besides all the riggers and stagehands, the U2 concert is expected to provide many other short-term jobs in security, food service, beverage service, traffic control and the box office.

Shane Porter, the City of Moncton’s supervisor of special events, said extra security will also be recruited while traffic control in and out of the site will be handled by the RCMP.



Cape Town Fans !

CAPE TOWN’S fan walk will be opened again on Friday for U2’s 360° Tour concert.

The concert is due to start at 7.30pm with gates opening at Cape Town Stadium at 4.30pm. The fan walk will be opened at 3.30pm.

City of Cape Town spokeswoman Kylie Hatton said the city saw the fan walk as an important access point for people using public transport to get to the stadium.

“It is a good way of moving people safely from Cape Town Station, where a lot of people will be getting off, to the stadium. The fans will get to walk in a cordoned-off area past murals and other attractions.”

The fan walk will feature large print murals depicting the Irish band’s history as well as iconic elements from some of their best-selling albums.

Marc Le Chat, from Celebrity Service Africa, which is in charge of organising events along the fan walk, said Cape Town band Almost Famous would perform from the roof of a building on Somerset Road in Green Point and would also perform a repertoire of U2 hits.

He said there would be an LED screen at St Andrews Square that would display the band’s music.

Le Chat said they would also place sky search beams at Exchange Place, St Andrews Square and along Main Road towards the stadium and beam through the night. Fire dancers would perform after the concert on the route.

 

 

Meanwhile, fans still desperate to get their hands on tickets can win some with Kfm.

 

Since yesterday, stages have been set up and will be moved to locations across the city where fans who know the lyrics off by heart can sing their way to the tickets up for grabs.

Kfm programme manager Ian Bredenkamp said:

“If Kfm crosses live from the studio to the U2 activation site, the person currently singing on stage will win eight tickets. You don’t need to be good, you just need to be there.”

Tomorrow the Kfm stages will be at the Edgemead Spar Centre (Letchworth Drive) from 9am to 10am and Thibault Square between noon and 1pm; on Thursday at Tyger Valley Mall and the V&A Waterfront between noon and 1pm; and on Friday outside Cape Town Stadium between 8am and 9am and noon to 1pm.

 

For more information visit www.kfm.co.za

Full details of road closures are obtainable at www.capetown.gov.za or at 0800 65 64 63.

U2 wows crowd in Joburg

With a roar that could rival the one seen last week in Tahrir square, Cairo, fans at the FNB Stadium last night gave U2 a rousing welcome.

But unlike the relief of Egyptians at President Hosni Mubarak’s exit from his position, fans here were celebrating seeing their favourite band playing in their own back yard.

And as lead singer Bono led the band up a stairway to the stage milking the applause and waving to all corners of the dimly lit cauldron, you knew why they’d sold over 150 million albums worldwide.

After the deafening welcoming screams, Bono wasted no time in belting out one of their biggest hits, Beautiful Day.

For another hit, I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For, legendary trumpeter Hugh Masekela was called on stage - to yet another massive cheer.

Former president Nelson Mandela also got a special mention, and even a video of his speech calling for “a united South Africa” was played on the big screen. Bishop Desmond Tutu sent a video message.

In between songs, Bono said: “We told you in 1998 that we’d be back … never trust a rock star. Anyway, we’re not finished yet … we’re happy to be back.”

Fans marvelled at the massive cylindrical big screen, as it expanded and contracted to create a kaleidoscopic mosaic.

Earlier in the evening, two unruly fans who got involved in a scuffle with security, were kicked out before U2’s roadies were done with sound checks. By the time the Malian duo of Amadou and Mariam, said their “merci beaucoup”, the stadium was rocking.

Local outfit the Springbok Nude Girls, led by the energetic Arno Carstens, played an impressive and compact set, which included the songs Gang Gang, I Love You, Genie and Bubblegum.

Almost an hour and a half before the Irish rock band hit the stage, thousands of fans, some in wheelchairs, others heavily pregnant and others drunk, took pictures and danced under the imposing “Claw” - the name given to the band’s 360-degree stage.

There were scores of fans in their U2 attire, standing in queues for refreshments and for toilet breaks.

Eyewitness News was inundated with calls about long queues, traffic problems and a lack of water at the concert. Jack Longford, CEO of organisers Big Concerts, denied there was a shortage of water or food and said people needed to be patient.

The band will play at the Cape Town Stadium on February 18 before heading to South America. The tour ends in July.

Thanks Media Sponsor #U2Highveld

We have to thank our friends for their support. If your in S.A. you should tune into 94.7 - Follow todays show on twitter #U2Highveld #U2TOURFANS
94.7 Highveld Stereo is Joburg’s No.1 Hit Music Station.  It broadcasts on 94.7 FM in the greater Gauteng metropolitan areas to almost 1.4 million listeners who love life and love to laugh.  94.7 target an affluent audience, LSM 7 to 10 and age 25 - 49.  More than half of the listeners are in LSM 9 & 10 and 70% of the listeners have a household income of more than R11 000 per month.  The station has a very even gender split with 53% female and 47% male.

U2 Ready 4 SA

The greatest rock band in the world wake up every day with the fear of mistaking themselves for great. That’s what Bono says. “If you get to be very good, (you find) there’s a huge chasm between very good and great.”

But there’s little chance that U2 fans will feel that divide when they play at FNB Stadium in Joburg tonight.

The spider that arches its magnificent tentacles over the 360º stage where the band will step up as night covers Soweto, dwarfs the World Cup final pitch.

Suddenly it’s intimate. It holds you tighter. As evening laces over the dazzling orange seats, shadows crossing the boundaries, Bono’s promise that every fan there will get the same visual thrill is a sure thing. Their rehearsal pounds over the ground, the light checks turning the stadium into a giant pulsar, a roaring disco for the imagination of the faithful.

The band is having dinner in a box above the spider. It’s Friday night, and they flew into Joburg the day before, but there’s no glimmer of jet lag. Bono is taller than expected, by quite a bit. The Edge says he’s hardly recognisable out there in the world, and trusts the media gathered can make him “more interesting”.

We have resources all around the show tonight for you to be apart of the show.

Twitter.com /

Facebook.com/u2tourfans

twitter.com/u2tourfans

U2 South Africa Team Twitter


U2 to perform

JOHANNESBURG — It’s fitting that one of the most politically plugged-in rock bands is debuting its world tour in South Africa on the anniversary of Nelson Mandela’s first major rally after being released from prison, and at the same stadium where the anti-apartheid icon enthralled tens of thousands.

And it’s a coincidence, U2 members told reporters Friday before a rehearsal at the historic FNB Stadium — known as Soccer City when it hosted the World Cup opening and closing games last year, for which it underwent a major renovation.

Guitarist The Edge said he only learned the day before that Sunday’s concert fell on a historic day.

“It’s such a beautiful, poetic day,” he said.

Lead singer Bono noted that history was being made at the other end of Africa. In Egypt Friday, Hosni Mubarak resigned as president after three decades in power and weeks of pro-democracy protests.

“This continent is on fire,” Bono said, adding he hoped Egypt would benefit from leadership as visionary as Mandela’s.

The Edge added: “The real hope for Egypt is that it actually will become more democratic after this.”

Bono said Mandela and retired Cape Town Archbishop Desmond Tutu — who makes a virtual appearance in U2’s current show — have inspired his global campaigns against AIDS and poverty. Bono was planning to visit AIDS projects in South Africa between Sunday’s concert and a second one in Cape Town on Feb. 18. U2 last played in South Africa in 1998.

The band may also visit Mandela, who is 92, ailing, and retired from public life. Bono said he had been in touch and learned Mandela was doing well after being hospitalized last month with an acute respiratory infection. Bono said a visit was possible, but he would not push.

“The last thing you want to be is the visit that the great man has to endure,” he said.

The band discussed their musical and well as political heroes with reporters Friday. Bassist Adam Clayton said he would like to work with the Malian duo Amadou & Mariam, an opening act for their South African shows. Bono spoke of an early dream of having John Lennon produce their work, laughing at their naivete in their teens.

The band members, together three decades, said the secret to their longevity was friendship.

“We actually started out as friends, and then became a band,” The Edge said.

See U2 live

Fourteen state-of-the-art cameras, 150 tons of heavy metal digital cylinder screens and a mega-revved-up sound system – this is what’s in store for the almost 95 000 U2 fans who will be dancing under the special “The Claw” stage tomorrow evening.

And if you fancy being part of history, in what has been dubbed the biggest rock tour to hit South Africa, Computicket has announced that a fresh batch of tickets is on sale.

“We have gone overboard with the sound system. Nothing like this has ever been done before,” said production director Jake Berry during an interview with the Saturday Star at the FNB stadium yesterday.

He said up to five cranes were needed to create the stage’s flat surface which is 48m deep.

“The grass had to be ripped out in order to make way for the cranes. It will however be (restored) after the concert,” he said.

What many fans will be happy to know is that no power shortages or blackouts have been predicted on the day.

“Everything you see here is ours. No mention of cable theft or any event that has taken place during the last four days will affect the concert in anyway,” Berry said.

The U2 360º tour is a world-wide concert tour which was launched in support of the group’s 2009 album titled No Line on the Horizon.

The tour has been touted to visit various stadiums this year.

Berry, however, reflected on the weather, saying the only concern for them was lightning.

“It’s more about safety than anything else. If lightning was to occur then we would have to monitor the situation, which would even result in halting the performances if need arises,” Berry said.

It took U2’s 134-member crew and a South African production crew comprising 150 members to assemble the stage in just over eight days.

“We couldn’t have done this without local help,” Berry said.

The production crew also said the stage had been structured in a way that would make the stadium look bigger.

Why Soweto and why FNB?

Berry said the essence of hosting the tour at the former World Cup stadium meant that it would be a visually bigger concert.

“Apart from that we love performing at new buildings,” he added.

Manager Paul McGuiness said while Irish singer Bono and his band had not performed since Australia last December, it made logical sense to stop in South Africa and perform a couple of shows before jetting off to other destinations.

A Cape Town performance will follow at the Green Point stadium on February 18.

Meanwhile, fans have been advised to arrive three hours before the show kicks off.

Gates to the stadium will be opened at 4.30pm and the show is due to start at 8pm and end at 11.30pm.

Organisers also revealed that trains and park-and-rides were also available to ease traffic congestion.

Security will also be beefed up on the day as the South African police services and more than five security firms keep over-eager fans under control. - Saturday Star