U2 Singapore, U2 Holidays and 2017

New York City:  In a strange way, sort of me too statement U2 also will be on their way to Singapore next year (2017) for a possible stadium tour. Coldplay announced their 2017 tour dates with a stop over in Singapore National Stadium. 

Some noise around the boys from Dublin suggests that the long-awaited "Songs Of Experience" may be released in 2017 with a massive global stadium tour.  The Singapore stop would the first time that U2 has performed in Singapore.  Don't start packing as of yet. The boys have not confirmed anything, and sources inside the band have not commented.

We know everyone has been waiting for the next release even talks of a release before Grammy voting season dashed by not releasing anything before October the boys have effectively knocked themselves right off the list of contenders for 2016 which could have been a solid showing for the boys. 

Now it surely looks to be a 2017 release. Which as we stated before this is a big album for U2. The release needs a solid entry on the Billboard charts, not just one hit, a couple of solid placements within the top 10 Rock charts to remain relevant and bring along those new fans from the previous album. 

Now long-time U2 fans will say that they would rather have a solid album and not care too much about the business side. However, this is a business, and the band has been acutely aware that the machine needs to be treated and fed with a successful release.  We hear from U2 fans often that say the business side does not concern them, which our view frankly states that the music has a hard time getting exposure without a solid business plan. In other news, the holidays just around the corner and we have been busy with restructuring the operations side of our community. 

Totally not ready for any major announcements however we can say we plan to scale up in some parts of our social communities and scale down within some.  The bottom line is that we are looking to streamline our communities to reduce our costs and provide a better experience.  Hiring will start in 2017 early for some key members which we will announce shortly.

Holidays !

Yea this is the time of the year we all gather around our friends and family to enjoy some holiday cheer.  We have been working with Mark Peterson to produce a couple of exclusive items for this holiday.

Watch for a release in a few days for Holiday Cards that you can personalize, Calendars and two brand new U2 Photo books and as a bonus a digital access key to the picture vault to download some very exclusive items.  Yea we thought this was a pretty cool way to finish out the year. All proceeds go directly to Mark's touring budget which if you have been following we had Mark around a few cities during the last tour.  Cheers and Be well U2 fans 2017 is right around the corner.

Bono Joins #GlobalCitizen

Bono has joined the lineup of activists, world pioneers and big names who will be in front of an audience for the counter neediness Global Citizen Festival in New York City on Saturday (Sept. 26). In Central Park on the Great Lawn.

Bono will present Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf with a Global Citizen Movement Award for her work on women's equality. Crown Princess Mary of Denmark, Malaysia Prime Minister Najib Razak and U.S. Congress members Earl Blumenauer, Charlie Dent and Kay Granger also are expected to attend.

The 2015 Global Citizen Festival is on September 26th in New York City’s Central Park. Take Action to end extreme poverty on this page for your chance to earn FREE tickets. The video to the left explains how your actions will earn you tickets.

2015 is the year for the movement to end poverty. This September at the UN General Assembly in New York, world leaders from 193 countries will announce new GLOBAL GOALS designed to fight inequality, protect our planet, and end extreme poverty by 2030.

The festival is a critical lever for achieving policy and financial commitments that will shape the success of the Global Goals over the next 15 years.

Boston In the Review Mirror, New York City Lights Ahead

Boston:   Boston Strong was the theme of U2's four night appearance. Bono and the boys had not performed consecutive shows since Elevation Tour June 2001.  The band and fans have a great love affair going on for sometime.

Daily sound checks offer possible mix ups in the set list. A bar offered a U2 experience that finally U2's twitter feed had to set the record straight. Kind of reminds us to be young NOT dumb.

One of the interesting things on the tour has been @u2bike which not many have picked up on. A member of the crew has been out around each city taking some wonderful images of the city as well as the venue. 

Social media was a buzz "I heard the Fly" " Was that the Fly" mixed in with Invisible. The Fly has not made an arrival this tour. We have go all the way back to May when we heard an acoustic version. During last nights intermission video "The Wanderer" was replaced with a video mixed by Gavin Friday and over the PA was The Fly.  ( Yea we heard that Gavin was in the house) A visual awakening with messages flashing from ZooTV.  "Gloria" made her appearance early in the evening.

Boston Strong! "No bomb can break you" U2 may have physically have left Boston however their message of uplifting hope will carry on until they return. Will they return ? Surely as the Summer turns to a Boston Winter. 

Venue Boston TD Garden July 15, 2015

1. The Miracle (Of Joey Ramone)
2. Gloria / Van Morrison's Gloria (snippet)
3. Vertigo
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 / Sisters Are Doin' It For Themselves (snippet)
4. Volcano
5. Stuck In A Moment
6. Every Breaking Wave
7. With Or Without You / Shine Like Stars (snippet)
8. City Of Blinding Lights
9. Bullet The Blue Sky / 19 (snippet)
10. The Hands That Built America (snippet) / Pride (In The Name Of Love)

encore(s):

1. Beautiful Day / Happy Birthday (snippet)
2. Mother And Child Reunion (snippet) / Where The Streets Have No Name / California (There Is No End To Love) (snippet)
3. One
4. 40

** Snippet provided by U2Gigs

Bono On A Bike in NYC Video

Yep that's Bono and jimmy Fallon riding bikes outside the Rockefeller building #newyork #city

A video posted by Ron Grady (@ronnyg777) on May 3, 2015 at 2:33pm PDT

Bono and the boys happen to be in New York working on some skits for the Tonight show. This video was posted on instagram by Ron Grady.

It looks to be a skit where Jimmy rides up to Bono who happens to be on a bike outside of 30 Rock.

We have a couple of more images that we will post to our Facebook page.

If you spot the boys in NYC send in your images to  concertphotos at u2tourfans dot com and we will share them. 

Or use our new mobile app and just click and send.

U2 Parties Up NY's West Villiage

The Spotted Pig is a fashionable resto and saloon in Manhattan’s West Village. Your chance of spotting a celeb there is fairly high. At around 8:30 Sunday morning, the New York Post reports, you could have seen all of U2 coming out of the place.

The boys and their entourage had been celebrating the end of their endless, $736-million-grossing world tour by having themselves quite a party, starting after 3 a.m., the paper says.

“People were doing quadruple takes when U2 came out of the bar in their rock ‘n’ roll clothes,” the paper’s eyewitness said. “There were SUVs with the drivers sleeping in the front. When the band came out, the drivers slapped themselves awake and drove off.”

NJ/NY U2 Fans Warned 2 Plan Ahead

Taking a train to the big U2 concert tonight?

A transportation debacle resulted nearly two years ago after twice the number of expected concert-goers tried to pack NJ Transit trains for a concert of the Irish supergroup at the old Giants Stadium.

Hundreds of frustrated commuters were feeling “Vertigo” as they pressed together like canned mackerels and jostled through lines to buy tickets or board trains at Secaucus Junction. The train station can handle about 10,000 people an hour but was getting twice that amount, leading to anything but a “Beautiful Day.”

The Edge was more than just the name of the band’s guitarist — it was what commuters were on. At the end of that show on Sept. 23, 2009, it took some people two hours to board trains.

NJ Transit reported fewer problems the next night, when more people bought round-trip ticket

To accommodate expected crowds for U2’s show with Interpol 7 p.m. today at New Meadowlands Stadium, NJ Transit officials have announced a number of adjustments:

• Substituting some single-level rail trains with multilevels, increasing seating capacity by about 20 percent

• Using portable ticket vending machines to help with demand in New York and Secaucus

• Pre-printing Meadowlands sports complex tickets to expedite purchases

• Increasing the number of customer service representatives and employee volunteers to help concert-goers.

NJ Transit also sent an email alert to customers telling them to anticipate heavy travel on all trains between New York Penn Station and Secaucus and possible platform changes at Secaucus.

The concert was initially planned for a year ago, but was rescheduled due to the back surgery of U2 lead singer Bono.

The Meadowlands Rail Line connects to the Meadowlands sports complex from 11 of 12 NJ Transit rail lines, with connections at Hoboken Terminal and Secaucus.

NJ Transit officials cautioned that customers should expect crowds after the concert and might want to allow additional travel time to make connections to other rail lines.

They made these suggestions:

• Purchase round-trip tickets in advance from any NJ Transit rail ticket vending machine or ticket office. Select “Meadowlands Sports Complex” as your destination.

• Travel early. Rail service to the Meadowlands will begin at 4 p.m.

• Take note of your last train to your final destination. Signs will be posted around the station.

Customers connecting from Northeast Corridor or North Jersey Coast Line trains must use their ticket to pass through the fare gates at Secaucus Junction. Each ticket will open the fare gate one time.

Trains to the Meadowlands depart from the lower level.

‘Spider-Man’ opens to mixed reviews

’60 Minutes’ went behind the curtain to give the world a glimpse at “Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark” on the evening it opened on Broadway. So far the reviews from the preview performance have been mixed.

The musical which was frequently delayed and cost $65 million to stage features music from U2’s Bono and The Edge. Entertainment Weekly said the music “sounded terrific…or bombastic”.

The snippet from ’60 Minutes’ (see right) features footage of Bono powering through some songs that he co-wrote. It also has some shots of the amazing visuals and wire acrobats zooming around the theatre.

On Sunday night the opening preview, at Foxwoods Theater in New York, lasted 3 hours and 20 minutes and included some pauses due to technical difficulties.

New York Post critic slammed the show calling it an “epic flop”.

He said “At various points, overhead stage wires dropped on the audience, scenery appeared on stage missing pieces - and the show’s star was even left swaying helplessly over them midair during what was supposed to be the climatic end to the first act.”

New York Daily News’ review also mentioned the stops and said that a number of the audience left the performance.

However the fans on the ground, speaking to the newspaper seemed impressed. One gentleman said “It was really good…I was pleasantly surprised.”

According to WENN the show’s scheduled full dress-rehearsal was to cancelled on Saturday night so Sunday night’s preview was the first time the show had been performed in full on the stage.

It has taken nine years for “Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark”, the most expensive Broadway musical in history, to become a reality. Here’s hoping that it pays off.