The End Of A Great Experience ! U2's Return to Paris

U2 / Bono/ Adam /  Mark Peterson / U2TOURFANS

U2 / Bono/ Adam /  Mark Peterson / U2TOURFANS

Paris:  It's a rock show !  Its a rock show !  Monday night U2 returned for a second show to a sold out crowd and an expected HBO audience to snub the noses of terrorists that would have us fear for our way of life. Its the final show of a very long tour that for sure will have some interesting watermarks.

From the start this tour had several different issues come up. Last nights show was clearly an emotional evening for many. Bono said “Now there’s nothing left except to introduce you to some people whose lives will forever be a part of the city of Paris,”  The show came to an end with “One.” “These are our brothers, our fellow troubadours. They were robbed of their stage three weeks ago, and we would like to offer them ours tonight.”

Then he welcomed the Eagles of Death Metal onstage to lead a rousing rendition of “People Have the Power” by Patti Smith, who had joined U2 for the same song on Sunday  

People that's what a U2 show is about. Its about people connecting to people. This show was packed with a few extra guest. Those in attendance had been the lucky few invited on stage during the tour. Its was a special evening for so many. 

For many fans they noticed that U2's tightly calibrated show was a bit loose a bit free form and yet seemed in control. The band was fully engaged in a ROCK "N" ROLL show and would allow the spirit to be taken away.

The Edge / Bono / Mark Peterson / U2TOURFANS

The Edge / Bono / Mark Peterson / U2TOURFANS

From the business side. December dates seemed to fit right into the sweet spot for everyone. Dublin was to be the end with the band, crew and equipment to be scattered. Art Fogel with his hands full worked to figure how to make it possible. As Art said “Obviously we figured it out, and everybody was able to stay together to complete the shows. It was something the band really felt was important to do, as we all did, and it ended up working out well for the wrap of the tour for this year.”  Refund amounts was at a minimal with the tickets resold just as quickly.  Security was beefed up however Paris was just back to normal with a little bit more aware.

U2’s 2015 Innocence + Experience tour wraps as a critical and commercial success, though not one without its obstacles, including the death tour manager Dennis Sheehan early on in the tour. Through Nov. 3, the tour reported grosses totaling $133.6 million and attendance of 1,125,624 from 64 shows, according to Boxscore. “[Innocence + Experience] was a run that had some incredible challenges,” says Fogel, “but, in the end, it was a complete triumph, critically and every other way. They are truly a great band and have proven that once again.”


October Arrives Early to Madison Square Garden

Mark peterson /u2tourfans 2015

Mark peterson /u2tourfans 2015

New York City: The North American tour will come to close in New York City on July 31st.  The band held their normal sound checks with an addition of "October" which has not been played publicly since 1989. "October" has normally been positioned as lead in to "New Years Day" not last night.

"October" arrival in the second set proved once again that the boys have such a vast catalog of music that a few mix ups in the set list can and will happen. MSG has been a special place for musicians.

Selling out the place is a hard thing to do in New York no matter who you are due to the vast nightly event list. New Yorkers have all types of entertainment available nightly. Fans that have traveled to NYC to see the show have lots to do around the city during the day. 

Tickets for the show have been sold out for some time. Fake tickets have been spotted around the venue. Fans get up set that ticket scalping goes on at all of the U2 shows. 

However the band and Live Nation have put in controls to curb the scalping of tickets the amount of tickets available on the secondary market continues to grow.

One thing we noticed about this, fans are selling their own tickets back to secondary brokers. Those tickets then become available for sale. The fake tickets around the venue are not from secondary brokers rather from scammers with a printer and time.

Our photographers have been spotted around town taking photos of the fans.  GA Line has a life all to its own. The hardcore U2 fan that will wait in rain or snow in line for that small little space upfront close to the band. U2 fans are the most dedicated fans around the world. Some traveling as far way as Iceland to see the show.

This is their time to connect with other U2 fans and share the experience. U2 fans also connect socially using twitter to follow the show and share their views of how the evening has been going, its a community that has been connected by music. 

Seven more shows over the next few days and a couple of breaks in the middle and that's it North America will be in the can as the boys take off to Italy. A much deserved break in the middle. 

Venue: New York Madison Square Garden July 18, 2015

Set List

  1. The Miracle (Of Joey Ramone)
  2. The Electric Co. / Send In The Clowns (snippet) / I Can See For Miles (snippet) / On Broadway (snippet)
  3. Vertigo / God Save The Queen (Sex Pistols) (snippet)
  4. I Will Follow
  5. Iris (Hold Me Close)
  6. Cedarwood Road
  7. Song For Someone
  8. Sunday Bloody Sunday / When Johnny Comes Marching Home (snippet)
  9. Raised By Wolves / Psalm 23 (snippet)
  10. Until The End Of The World / Love And Peace Or Else (snippet)

(Intermission)

  1. Invisible
  2. Even Better Than The Real Thing
  3. Mysterious Ways / Burning Down The House (snippet) / Young Americans (snippet)
  4. Elevation
  5. Ordinary Love
  6. October
  7. Every Breaking Wave
  8. With Or Without You / In The Garden (snippet) / Shine Like Stars (snippet)
  9. City Of Blinding Lights
  10. Bullet The Blue Sky / 19 (snippet)
  11. The Hands That Built America (snippet) / Pride (In The Name Of Love)

Encore(s):

  1. Beautiful Day / I Remember You (snippet)
  2. Mother And Child Reunion (snippet) / Where The Streets Have No Name / California (There Is No End To Love) (snippet)
  3. One / Invisible (snippet)

** Snippets Provided by U2GIGS

October made its first appearance in a U2 setlist in 25 years, 8 months, and 7 days (or 9,380 days) The rest of the set list and news can be found on the http://www.facebook.com/u2tourfans

U2 And The Daunting Challenge of The Innocence and Experience Tour

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…

(Kevin Mazur/WireImage) U2TOURFANS 2015

(Kevin Mazur/WireImage) U2TOURFANS 2015

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? 

(Kevin Mazur/WireImage) U2TOURFANS

(Kevin Mazur/WireImage) U2TOURFANS

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

U2Tourfans 2015 Tee Shirts Available

U2 fans we are not the only fan based community that has tee shirts for sale.  Some sites have launched their campaigns already others will launch within a few weeks. 

We are totally supportive of all the fan based communities around the world.  Fans make everything possible. Music is universal and its the glue that binds us.  If your able to support more than one community great. If your not and you have already supported an another site.

Thank you. Yes we said thank you. Because no matter what fan based community you support we all benefit from the support. 

The tour happens to be right around the corner. We have been focusing on adding more server space and bandwidth to be able to provide you the best fan based experience.

Our social experience platform connects you to all of the concert videos, photos and daily updates from around the tour.  We have a camera crew that heads out on the road as well as some other features that help us bring you closer to the experience.

This is all made possible from donations and purchases of the products we provide.  We are non profit. Yup all of the money goes right back into providing you the best experience possible.

Want to help ?  Well glad you thought about it. We  have a couple of options. You can purchase a tee shirt.  You can make a donation out right.  You can download our new mobile app or if you have a business that is looking for global awareness we can work with you to build your brand into our experience. 

We do have rules. Sorry no gambling, no drugs and most of all no spammy vibes accepted. We have built a trust that we will not break. I would rather put more of our personal money on the table before we take one dollar from something we do not believe in.  If you have questions are your interested drop us an email and lets see what we can do to work together.

We know you have choices when it comes to fan sites, we thank you for your dedication and support to us. We have and will continue to work hard to keep your trust in us and we will always remember its your experience and we are only intrusted to provide you the best experience possible. 

Warmest Regards

 

Connecting U2 Fans to U2 Fans Around The World

The concept is as simple as it sounds. U2 fans connecting with other U2 fans around the world. No walls ! Share your passion. Share your joy, stories, videos and more. Its open access for all.  We have all of our best features available in one simple easy to use mobile app.

Facebook: Your connected, we are connected and now the U2TOURFANS page is easy to view and available right on your device. Upload videos, photos or show notes direct to the page. Its your fan site too.

News: Remember when news was fun ? Heck neither do we. News can be fun its its about the boys in the band and about the events coming up and not about the daily drama or rumor.

Heck we leave that all behind and now focus on the positive vibes that U2 music brings to all our lives.

Fan Connection:  U want to meet up with some fans around the world in NYC, Chicago, Stockholm or Dublin our fan connection allows you to real time access fans around the world. 

Its about connecting to U and U 2 U and U.

U2 Radio: Only the best U2 online radio station around. Now you take it 2 go. Yes in deed bring the music with you. Click, Listen and share. 

Community:  Sell your tickets, trade your tickets. Interested in starting a community wide conversation about any topic ?

Well almost any topic. We ask that you leave the drama for those that live and die by it.

Concert Direct:  Now you can send your video directly to us before you even leave the show and we will credit and post it for you.

Yes we will credit and post it for you. No worries, just upload and get back to the show.

Videos: Thousands of hours of concert videos from around the world.  No charge to you. Enjoy as you fly, drive to the show.

Store: Yea we have a store, however its only if you want to buy some U2 swag. You support our concept with your purchase. Not interested ? Fine skip over it.

Announcement: We push it out to you. If we have some really important news or 411 for U we will push it out to you. Heck its gotta be very important. So don't worry about getting pushed about by us. We don't mean to bug you. 

Humm now that's funny we have a bit of a typo on one of the screens. (*which has been fixed) However if you spot it and drop us a note you get a free download ( yea we could only do that once or twice, Dre is cool however not that cool)

Spotify: We love our friends over at SPOT so we created a playlist that we update as we feel the vibe. Check it out and enjoy.

OK so that's the deal on our app. We build it with you in mind. We would love to get your feedback, post them on Apple or send them in to us direct. Most of all remember its yours. You can suggest some new ideas and we can see what we can do about adding it to our update schedule. 

We connect U to U and U that's what we have always been about and that's what we will continue to be about.  We thank you for your support. 

 

U2 Fans New Pre-Sale Schedule (This Week)

Sold out shows leads to more shows. Its that easy. U2 has announced add on shows and also introduced a new schedule for pre-sales fans. 

What did you learn from the last time ?

Make sure you have a good credit card, sign in early, wait for it, wait, just wait and throw a couple of prayers out to "Mary" for good measure. 

New York, Chicago, Boston, Montreal, Amsterdam, Stockholm, Berlin and Paris.

Pre-sale schedule for U2.com Subscribers this week: ( see this weeks schedule)

  • Wednesday, Dec 10 - 10am (local) - Pre-sales open for eXPERIENCE Group
  • Thursday, Dec 11 - 12noon EST (North America) or 10am local (Europe) - pre-sales open for iNNOCENCE Group
  • Friday, Dec 12 - 12noon (local) - Pre-sales end
  • Monday, Dec 15 - Public on sale

U2 Heads Back to Island

island-records_logo-blk_f.jpg

U2 headed back to where is all started for them. Island Records discovered them in the 70’s and the band left them more than 7 years ago, unhappy with the treatment at Island the boys moved on. However, the return to Island comes with new management, new possibilities and a new album.

Once Jason Iley moved over to Mercury, everything began take on a sour note.  The boys packed up and followed Jason over to Mercury a sister label to Island. Early this year, the parent company Universal closed down Mercury, moving many of the acts to a new company, Virgin/EMI, although a question mark remained over where U2 would end up, with the band and record labels remaining silent on what would happen.

Sources have confirmed that the band will head back to Island, which has had a change of management since their departure. "They are going back to their spiritual home," the source said.

U2 displayed their affection for the label by continuing to include its logo on their releases even though they had headed to Mercury.

The boys dropped by Island to meet the staff and check out their new home and everything seems to be shaping up for something big for 2014. New management, New label its clear that the band has a lot riding on this next release.

This message posted on the website may suggest that the band plans for another world tour. Or it might be just a reference to way they feel about Paul.

"Sometime soon, U2 will begin a new adventure around the world and we totally understand and respect Paul's desire to not run away with the circus – AGAIN."