Good news for U2 fans..

[calvino]

I enjoy the Monster record - but I was not a huge fan of the live show on the cd deluxe edition -- enjoyed the music on the live set, but I thought Stipe's vocals were off -- to much straining, from what I remember. I have not listened to in a while.

 

Back to that  From the Sky Down DVD -- wish they would have done more about the recording of Achtung Baby.

Decent enough doc, though. I don't remember the Rattle and Hum film getting panned when it was released by critics and such - the band talks about in the Sky Down video - I remember enjoying upon it's release. 

[Analogman]

I think it was more made fun of or written off In Europe rather than here. I think it's great. I saw it twice when it played in theaters. 

[chuckrh]

3 minutes ago, Analogman said:

I think it was more made fun of or written off In Europe rather than here. I think it's great. I saw it twice when it played in theaters. 

BB King: Y'know, I don't play chords too well

Bono: Don't worry Mr King, Edge will handle that 

[Analogman]

It's a shame they don't release a boxset of that film/album with extra stuff. But I doubt they ever will. 

[calvino]

I agree - a box set would be great, but the way the band was talking about that time in the Sky DVD - I don't think they would want to revisit it. Maybe by 2038 they will be ready. 

[Analogman]

I have not watched that documentary. I think in the U2 by U2 book they also talk down the film/album. 

 

I am watching it now. I see what you are saying. That is pretty much the same stuff he goes on about in the book. It will be interesting to see if he carries on with those beliefs in his new book.

 

But to me my favorite U2 albums/time span will always be The Unforgettable Fire/The Joshua Tree/Rattle and Hum. 

[Analogman]

Mr. u2roolz - are you going to post about the new U2 album?

[u2roolz]

5 hours ago, Analogman said:

Mr. u2roolz - are you going to post about the new U2 album?

😏I will, but with a severe lack of enthusiasm. I don’t know if you remember, but I mentioned this “new” record back in the fall when it was supposed to be released alongside Bono’s book in November. It would’ve been a perfect holiday release for a Xmas gift, but releasing it in the middle of March makes little sense to me.
 

I view it as an obvious cash grab and the timing is kinda strange. They’re supposed to have a residency at the Sphere in Vegas in the fall and I can’t see how an “acoustic” record plays into a stadium show, hence why the whole things feels oddly placed. Maybe release it for the holiday season of 2023, after the residency in Vegas. I keep hearing that they will utilize the groundbreaking technology of the Sphere to focus on some sort of Zoo TV tribute or “reimagining”. 
 

I feel the same way about Jeff Tweedy’s Together At Last. I listened to it once and that was it. I love seeing his solo shows for the acoustic versions of his amazing music and hearing his witty banter, but something about releasing acoustic versions of your songs as a record doesn’t do anything for me. Maybe it’d better if it was a “gift” for his Substack subscribers, if we could go back in time. 
 

The coolest news that I heard about U2 recently was that they are upgrading all of the raw footage of Rattle & Hum to 4K. What do they plan on doing with that? I have no idea. Maybe release it to their YouTube page. Or include it in some 35th anniversary this year. That’s one record that hasn’t gotten the anniversary treatment and I’d rather spend money on that, instead of “acoustic” reworkings. 
 

I found an excellent audience recording on YouTube of Bono’s show which I sadly missed (search: Bono San Francisco 2022.) He seemed to show up and meet fans at the entrance of the venues on that tour. That would’ve been amazing. There’s footage of him interacting with fans outside the entrance of the Boston Orpheum. 
 

Bono’s show is pretty cool. I think the reworked songs work well with just him on the stage, but he tells his story in a well paced manner…for the most part. A few parts lag. 
 

I’m also extremely surprised that he’s going to do a residency at the Beacon in NY for 7 or 8 nights, instead of taking the show on the road. I’ve heard that two shows were filmed this past November: NY & Dublin. Maybe they’ll show up on a streaming service or somewhere else. It could be for footage for Letterman’s Netflix series, My Next Guest, for which Bono is going to be a guest in the next season. 
 

Then there’s the whole business with Larry Mullen, jr. possibly sitting out the Vegas residency, due to his back issues. I feel like this is the beginning of the end for them. He started the band and he can end it. Either way, the stuff that’s planned for the next few years feels like a swan song: that 40 song “acoustic” record in March, a Vegas residency in the fall, a new album whenever and that Netflix biopic series in 2024ish. 

[u2roolz]

One more thing…they do some cool releases for the official fanclub which is expensive when you consider it can be just a single audio disc or a DVD @$40. 
 

This collectible cd set of unreleased live versions of Achtung Baby was announced exactly a year ago. Ok. We didn’t get an official track list until last September. Lol. Then it took two more months for 2 song downloads to show up. Anyways, my gift appears to be coming to me on the last day of February. Lol! 
 

I laugh because around this time of year, they’re supposed to announce the 2023 gift. A couple of years ago the gift was a live concert from Berlin 2018 which was awesome and way better than a book or vinyl, in my opinion. 
 

Lastly, the real gem of this set is a rare live solo acoustic version of So Cruel taken from the outdoor Zoo TV show in Detroit’s Silverdome. It’s simultaneously exciting & frustrating that they have tons of shows recorded. Will ever ever see

them or hear them? It’d be a nice cash flow for them. Also keep in mind that they don’t have a live show presence at all on U2’s Sirius XM channel, like Pearl Jam does. 

 

 

[Analogman]

When I saw that thing about Vegas I wondered how they would do that without Larry. The Black Crowes did a similar release some years ago. It is actually pretty good. We'll see. 

 

I read his book. But I had to read it quick - it was through a library ebook. 

 

 

U2 is the only band releasing new albums that I am still buying. I have pretty much gave up on everybody else. 

[nalafej]

11 hours ago, u2roolz said:

Lastly, the real gem of this set is a rare live solo acoustic version of So Cruel taken from the outdoor Zoo TV show in Detroit’s Silverdome.

 

It's additionally impressive that they have this kind of material and that it sounds good enough to release - the Silverdome (indoor football stadium which has since been imploded) was notorious for terrible sound.

[calvino]

Larry Mullen, Jr. is definitely sitting out the Vegas shows --- be weird seeing them with Larry.

 

Via Relix

Quote

 

The press release also confirmed the absence of drummer Larry Mullen Jr., who had to undergo surgery earlier this year. They also shared that Bram van den Berg will fill Mullen’s role during his truancy. 

 

“It’s going to take all we’ve got to approach the Sphere without our bandmate in the drum seat, but Larry has joined us in welcoming Bam van den Berg, who is a force in his own right,” added his bandmates. 

 

 

[Analogman]

I sort of find it hard to believe they would do such a thing. But I should not be surprised I guess. 

[nalafej]

Yeah. We might need a new thread title. Larry not being on the stage with a performance billed as U2 is not good news for u2 fans.

[u2roolz]

Well, I’ll bring some good news…a rumor recently surfaced about a new U2 single that is set to drop on September 29th (the opening day of their Las Vegas residency at The Sphere). 
 

I’ve read that the band (minus Larry Mullen, Jr.) arrived in Vegas the day after Labor Day to begin rehearsals and are traveling to Los Angeles after rehearsals to finish up mixing this single. 
 

Good news: Larry recorded drum beats to use for future recordings, before he had his surgery, so he should be on this. 
 

The (sorta) Bad News: U2’s Instagram story a few weeks ago had music that sounded like an updated intro to Ultraviolet (Light My Way). Are they re-recording it? Could be. The residency is named U2-UV. 
 

It’d obviously be great to have an entirely new song. I think most people are over them trying to “reimagine” their own catalog to keep putting out, while they scramble to figure out the next step. 
 

There’s also the big possibility that they miss the rumored date and it comes out before the end of the year. 
 

Re: Larry missing Vegas - Yeah, I was extremely upset when I heard the rumors which turned out to be true. That was one of the things that they seemed to take pride in: always being the same 4 guys since high school. I know that it is/was a point of pride for the fanbase. 
 

I’ve seen tons of backlash online all over social media, as I’m sure most expected to see, including myself. However, I think almost every Vegas show is a near sellout.
 

I don’t have tickets. I’d really love to go to visit the recently announced Zoo TV exhibit at one of the casinos and catch the screenings of 5 U2 related films with rare concert & studio footage, etc. 

[Analogman]

They were the last intact (famous) band (since Dusty - ZZ Top - passed). I have to wonder if that will be permanent. The same thing happened with Cheap Trick and now Aerosmith (stand in drummers that is).

[u2roolz]

4 hours ago, Analogman said:

They were the last intact (famous) band (since Dusty - ZZ Top - passed). I have to wonder if that will be permanent. The same thing happened with Cheap Trick and now Aerosmith (stand in drummers that is).

As I was about to reply to you, I was perusing FB and saw a YouTube video of U2 (with Larry!!) performing a new song, Atomic City, on Fremont St in Vegas last night. Looks like it was a music video shoot.
 

Wow! This is getting odd. Larry is there for the music video shoot. Hmm. One of the dirty rumors from this past year was that Larry had already left the band, but the fans didn’t realize it yet. This must be mostly PR to keep things looking like everything is ok for a potential 2024 tour that would feature Larry. 
 

https://youtu.be/yG6nhiBs6Lk?si=sJIsFAwrycUiMFun

 

[Analogman]

That's interesting.

[u2roolz]

5 minutes ago, Analogman said:

That's interesting.

Yeah, very interesting. The song is in the same wheelhouse as The Miracle Of Joey Ramone, but I like this tune a bit better. Looking forward to hearing the single without all of the audience noise. 

[Analogman]

There was no cell phones the last time around. It did sound catchy.

[u2roolz]

26 minutes ago, Analogman said:

There was no cell phones the last time around. It did sound catchy.

I just read that they did perform I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For in between takes of the new song. I guess that music video was filmed on the same exact street: Fremont. Looks different, but I guess that’s what 36 years does to a place like Vegas…

 

I also found out that those were paid extras to be in the crowd. Not sure if they were told to take out their smart phones to make it look authentic.

[Analogman]

Aha - a bit of trickery going on.

[scribex6]

Since no one else has yet, I figured I’d share my experience seeing U2 at the Sphere in Las Vegas last week. (I’m a little behind as I was traveling after the weekend and busy with catching up on work.) I live in Southern California, so it wasn’t a long trip for me. I went two nights, Oct. 20 and 21, with my cousin, a friend of mine who lives in Vegas, and his wife.  My cousin and I are both members of the U2 fan club and were lucky enough to get general admission floor tickets for both nights. The floor at the Sphere is pretty small, about 1,200 capacity, so it felt like seeing them in a club or theatre setting, really up close and intimate. 

 

While you can find plenty of photos and videos of the Sphere online it’s quite something else to see it in person. The video images are crisp and clear and the full surround effect is amazing. Since we were on the floor, we didn’t get the full effect of the visuals but my friend and his wife who were in the seats did and it looked pretty cool from up there.

 

The clarity of the sound was one of the best I’ve heard in an arena. It never felt loud and overpowering and I didn’t need to wear earplugs. There were some technical issues on the second night when the vocals went out briefly and there was a little bit of feedback.

 

Of course, what matters the most is the performance. I thought they sounded great and fill-in drummer Bram did a good job. It’s not the same without Larry but both the band (and Bram) know that and acknowledged and paid tribute to him. Achtung Baby is my favorite U2 album so it was great to hear it in full, especially songs like “So Cruel” and “Love is Blindness” that haven’t been played since the Zoo TV tour.

 

The only criticism I have is that the setlist seems pretty static. It would be a shame if they don’t incorporate some Zooropa songs at some point.

 

Another aspect of it I enjoyed is that because it’s a destination concert, I felt like I was part of a whole community of U2 fans for the weekend. You’d see people with U2 T-shirts all over the adjoining Venetian casino, which also had a U2 exhibit and screening of films. I got to meet and talk to interesting people from all over including fans who came from Brazil, Australia, and two women from New Jersey who were seeing their hundred-and-something U2 show along with their 80-year-old mother who seen almost as many.

Here are some photos I took.

[nalafej]

On 10/27/2023 at 7:05 PM, scribex6 said:

Since no one else has yet, I figured I’d share my experience seeing U2 at the Sphere in Las Vegas last week. (I’m a little behind as I was traveling after the weekend and busy with catching up on work.) I live in Southern California, so it wasn’t a long trip for me. I went two nights, Oct. 20 and 21, with my cousin, a friend of mine who lives in Vegas, and his wife.  My cousin and I are both members of the U2 fan club and were lucky enough to get general admission floor tickets for both nights. The floor at the Sphere is pretty small, about 1,200 capacity, so it felt like seeing them in a club or theatre setting, really up close and intimate. 

 

While you can find plenty of photos and videos of the Sphere online it’s quite something else to see it in person. The video images are crisp and clear and the full surround effect is amazing. Since we were on the floor, we didn’t get the full effect of the visuals but my friend and his wife who were in the seats did and it looked pretty cool from up there.

 

The clarity of the sound was one of the best I’ve heard in an arena. It never felt loud and overpowering and I didn’t need to wear earplugs. There were some technical issues on the second night when the vocals went out briefly and there was a little bit of feedback.

 

Of course, what matters the most is the performance. I thought they sounded great and fill-in drummer Bram did a good job. It’s not the same without Larry but both the band (and Bram) know that and acknowledged and paid tribute to him. Achtung Baby is my favorite U2 album so it was great to hear it in full, especially songs like “So Cruel” and “Love is Blindness” that haven’t been played since the Zoo TV tour.

 

The only criticism I have is that the setlist seems pretty static. It would be a shame if they don’t incorporate some Zooropa songs at some point.

 

Another aspect of it I enjoyed is that because it’s a destination concert, I felt like I was part of a whole community of U2 fans for the weekend. You’d see people with U2 T-shirts all over the adjoining Venetian casino, which also had a U2 exhibit and screening of films. I got to meet and talk to interesting people from all over including fans who came from Brazil, Australia, and two women from New Jersey who were seeing their hundred-and-something U2 show along with their 80-year-old mother who seen almost as many.

Here are some photos I took.

 

Love this take. I'm doing GA in February!

[Albert Tatlock]

I think what they are doing with that live experience is incredible, but the new Atomic City (or whatever it is called) single sounds to me like the most phoned in piece of tat I've heard in a while.