Yesterday we posted a Crackberry.com post about the upcoming U2 app called “U2 Mobile Album“. Now here is the commercial that is starting to be seen in theaters & on TV.

By Neil McCormick

Early on in discussions for the launch of the latest U2 tour, Bono floated the possibility that they would become the first band to play a gig on the moon. Larry shot that idea down however. He pointed  out that there would be no atmosphere…

Ah, the old ones are … well, not the best … but the old ones, anyway.

Ever since U2 blew the possibilities for live event staging wide open with their multi-media Zoo TV tour, they have been caught in a peculiar trap: how to satisfy audience expectations for hi-tech, cutting edge spectacle while rooting the experience in the very human, emotional contact with fans that is at the heart of their appeal. In other words, how to make it bigger and more intimate at the same time.

U2 360 is their latest attempt to reconcile these sometimes conflicting demands. It cost over $100 million to stage, and the programme credits run to three tightly printed pages. Purpose built for stadiums, it is effectively a stage within the stadium space. U2 play in the round, roughly in the centre of the venue, complete with bridges and runways, so that no corner is too far from the action, with band members able to move easily around, constantly interacting with different sections of the crowd. Towering over them, standing on four great legs, is a construction housing the lighting rig, speakers and (rising and falling) a vast circular ring of screens on which are displayed artfully integrated images. The whole thing looks like a giant alien spaceship, and the sci-fi theme is pushed throughout, with the band entering to the countdown from David Bowie’s Space Oddity and exiting to Elton John’s Rocket Man. They even pause proceedings for a satellite video link up with the International Space Station in orbit around earth, allowing for some typical U2 calls for global peace and love with a futuristic twist.

Read the complete blog post by Neil McCormick on Telegraph.co.uk >>

(AP) — MADRID – Barcelona city authorities say they might fine band U2 for rocking too long and loudly during rehearsals for their latest world tour.

While the city says it is proud to host the beginning of U2’s world tour, it also said in a statement Thursday that one of its districts received a formal complaint by residents about the band playing after permitted hours and making noise.

The Irish quartet kicked off their “360 degree” tour at Barcelona football club’s Camp Nou stadium by playing 22 songs in front of 90,000 fans on Tuesday.

The show features a large, modernistic four-legged construction which houses what the band calls “giant spherical screen.”

Singer Bono told the audience after four songs, “This has been our neighborhood for the last couple of weeks.”

NEW YORK, July 2 /PRNewswire/ — Tuesday night saw the launch of (RED)ZONES at the first U2 360 Degrees concert in Barcelona where U2 kicked off their new tour to a rapturous sold out crowd of 90,000 fans.

(RED)ZONES are prime location areas directly adjacent to the stage which will be present throughout the U2 tour. The tickets for the (RED)ZONES are available through auction with the band’s portion of the ticket sales going to the Global Fund to help fund AIDS programs in Africa.

“We’re really proud and grateful to have the support of U2 in our work. In a short time, (RED) has raised over $130 million for the Global Fund through partners and events and that money has already supported programs that have reached more than four million people,” said Susan Smith Ellis, CEO, (RED).

“(RED)’s contribution to the Global Fund in just three years is over $130 million. This is not only helping hundreds of thousands of people in Rwanda, Swaziland, Ghana and Lesotho where the money is at work on the ground but (RED), through its partners’ marketing efforts is also having a tremendous impact on public awareness of the HIV pandemic in Africa. We are honoured to have both the crucial support of the money flowing in, and the vote of confidence in the Global Fund’s way of providing aid,” said Professor Michel Kazatchkine, Executive Director of the Global Fund To Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.

The U2 360 Degrees Tour will play 15 cities in Europe finishing at Cardiff’s Millennium on 22nd August before heading to North America, 20 shows starting in Chicago September 12th. In 2009, in just 44 shows the tour will perform for over 3 million fans. And (RED) will be at all shows, with our sister organization ONE, letting people know how they can get involved in both helping eliminate AIDS in Africa through (RED) and fighting extreme poverty through ONE. Along with ONE and (RED), the tour is also associated with the Burma Campaign, Amnesty International, Music Rising, the Angiogenesis Foundation and Mencap.

(RED)ZONES are a continuation of (RED)’s growing musical partnerships including (RED)WIRE (http://www.redwire.com/), an online music service that raises money for the Global Fund, and (RED)NIGHTS, a series of concerts that engages artists and their fans to raise awareness for the issue of AIDS in Africa.

About (RED)(TM) and (PRODUCT)RED(TM)

(RED)’s primary objective is to engage the private sector in raising awareness and funds for the Global Fund, to help eliminate AIDS in Africa. Companies whose products take on the (PRODUCT)RED mark contribute a significant percentage of the sales or portion of the profits from that product to the Global Fund to finance AIDS programs in Africa, with an emphasis on the health of women and children. Current partners are: American Express (U.K. only), Apple, Converse, Gap, Emporio Armani, Hallmark, Dell, Windows and Starbucks. Since its launch in the Spring of 2006, more than $130 million has been generated by (RED) for the Global Fund. (RED) money is at work in Swaziland, Rwanda, Ghana and Lesotho. 100% of the (RED) money goes to work on the ground in Africa. For more information, visit www.joinred.com.

About The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.

Since its creation in 2002, the Global Fund has become the dominant financer of programs to fight AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria, with approved funding of US $15 billion for programs in 140 countries. The Global Fund supports programs based on agreed performance targets and disburses money in response to proven results. At the end of 2008, programs supported by the Global Fund have averted more than 3.5 million deaths by providing AIDS treatment for 2 million people, TB treatment for 4.6 million people, and by the distribution of 70 million insecticide-treated bed nets for the prevention of malaria worldwide. For more information visit www.theglobalfund.org.

SOURCE (RED)

1. Breathe
2. No Line On The Horizon
3. Get On Your Boots
4. Magnificent
5. Beautiful Day / Here Comes The Sun (snippet)
6. I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For / Movin’ On Up (snippet)
7. Desire / Billie Jean (snippet) / Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough (snippet)
8. Party Girl
9. Electrical Storm
10. Unknown Caller
11. The Unforgettable Fire
12. City Of Blinding Lights
13. Vertigo
14. Crazy Tonight (remix)
15. Sunday Bloody Sunday
16. Pride (In The Name Of Love)
17. MLK
18. Walk On / You’ll Never Walk Alone (snippet)
19. Where The Streets Have No Name
20. One

Encore(s):
21. Ultra Violet (Light My Way)
22. With Or Without You
23. Crazy Tonight (normal version)
24. Moment of Surrender

Electrical Storm (1st time played live)

Back in March we first heard that BlackBerry would be sponsoring U2’s Tour (no, not that Tour) that kicked off in Barcelona on June 30th. Well there was no sign of a RIM back at the opening gig, but it does look like the U2 Mobile Album is on the way. A teaser on BlackBerry.com gives a quick run through of what looks to be a “U2 App” with music, photos, tour info and more. No big details on any of it, but certainly good things are to come…at least if you’re a U2 fan. You can sign up here to receive updates on the Mobile Album. Head over to http://na.blackberry.com/eng/u2/ for more info. Hat Tip to Matt for jogging our brains to post on this… we saw the site went live yesterday but somehow forgot to post on it (distracted by that other Tour perhaps).

- Crackberry.com

Check out exclusive footage from U2’s opening night concert in Barcelona! Includes performance clips and fan reactions.

Produced by Mark Haefeli Productions.

Direct Link
(This is an uncut/unedited clip)

Image: xmutee – alex

From U2Tours.com:

Main Set: Breathe, No Line On The Horizon, Get On Your Boots, Magnificent, Beautiful Day, I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For, Angel of Harlem, In A Little While, Unknown Caller, The Unforgettable Fire, City of Blinding Lights, Vertigo, I’ll Go Crazy If I Don’t Go Crazy Tonight, Sunday Bloody Sunday, Pride, MLK, Walk On

Encore(s): Where the Streets Have No Name, One, Ultraviolet, With Or Without You, Moment of Surrender

Comments: U2 opens the U2360 Tour. Bono calls Barcelona ‘the capital of surrealism.’ He dedicates ‘Angel’ to Michael Jackson, and sings bits of ‘Man In The Mirror’ and ‘Don’t Stop Til You Get Enough.’ After ‘Little While,’ U2 does a lengthy linkup with the Intl. Space Station. People walked around the catwalk with Aung San Suu Kyi masks during ‘Walk On.’ A Desmond Tutu video about the ONE Campaign plays before the encore. ‘One’ is a mess, and the band has to restart the song.

Audio courtesy of MacPhisto

U2 kicked off their first tour in three years, rocking a raucous Barcelona crowd of around 90,000 and reaching for the stars with a live link-up to the International Space Station.

Featuring one of the biggest concert stages ever built, the U2 360 Tour will visit 31 cities across Europe and North America and entertain an estimated three million people. More dates are expected to be announced in 2010.

Fans surrounded the circular platform inside Barcelona’s Nou Camp stadium, allowing for a bigger audience and lower average ticket prices during the global recession.

“All around Spain, all around the world, things are difficult. Thank you for coming back to us again and again,” Bono said during the high octane show.

The quartet, one of the world’s most successful acts, opened with Breathe from their acclaimed new album No Line on the Horizon, and the crowd came to life with the anthem-style Magnificent on a hot summer’s night.

U2 mixed old songs and new, playing classics including Beautiful Day and Sunday Bloody Sunday as well as Angel of Harlem, which the band dedicated to US pop star Michael Jackson, who died suddenly last week aged 50.

“We wrote this one for Billie Holiday but we are going to play it tonight for Michael Jackson,” said Bono. “Unspeakable talent, that’s all there is to say, really,” he added, and the song morphed into Jackson hits Man in the Mirror and Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough.

Half way through the concert, U2 linked up by video to the International Space Station.

“Very nice to hear you,” said one astronaut as the microphone floated around the cabin.

“Commander, can you see Barcelona?” asked Bono.

“Right now the most beautiful sight in our cosmos is the blue planet earth,” came the reply.

Great expectations

The tour is reported to be the group’s most expensive to date, costing an estimated $100 million, but industry experts suggest it could be money well spent.

Live performance is becoming an increasingly important source of revenue for major acts like U2 as sales of physical CDs declines sharply and online piracy remains rampant.

Billboard, an authoritative music industry publication, believes the U2 360 Tour could become one of the highest grossing ever, possibly eclipsing its 2005-6 Vertigo tour which earned the band $389 million.

The stage, which takes 120 trucks to transport, is another grand statement from U2, which has won more Grammy awards than any other band.

On the Zoo TV tour, huge video screens overloaded fans with flashing images of pop culture. On the PopMart tour, Bono appeared from inside a 12 metre glitterball shaped like a lemon.

The abiding visual memory on this tour is sure to be the Claw, a four-legged “monster” that towers 50 metres over the band’s heads and on which the sound system is mounted.

- Reuters

Here are some sights and sounds from opening night of the 360 Tour in Barcelona, Spain.

Setlist:

1. Breathe
2. No Line On The Horizon
3. Get On Your Boots
4. Magnificent
5. Beautiful Day
6. I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For
7. Angel Of Harlem / Man In The Mirror (snippet) / Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough (snippet)
8. In A Little While
9. Unknown Caller
10. The Unforgettable Fire
11. City Of Blinding Lights
12. Vertigo
13. Crazy Tonight
14. Sunday Bloody Sunday
15. Pride
16. MLK
17. Walk On
(Encore – Desmund Tutu speech plays leading into Streets)
18. Where The Streets Have No Name (With the red lights again! )
19. One – MESSED UP>> restart *
(Short break)
20. Ultraviolet
21. With or Without You
22. Moment of Surrender

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Take a sneak peak at U2’s upcoming 360 World Tour! Featuring stage construction, soundbites from band manager Paul McGuinness and tour producer Arthur Fogel. Stay tuned for the opening night piece which MHP will be posting tomorrow night!

As a practice, I don’t usually quote rock drummers on the subject of wealth and economic fairness.

But U2’s Larry Mullen had some choice words recently about the rich and the recent surge in populist resentment.

“Love them or loathe them,” the spiky-headed drummer said, “all those rich wives, all those rich guys with all those balls, all those women that you see organizing this and organizing that, without them we’d be in a very, very different state than we are now. A lot of people who are well off in this country make huge contributions with their time and with their money.”

Mr. Mullen was speaking specifically of Ireland, which has given some of its rich–including billionaire financier Dermot Desmond–a hard time. His thoughts were echoed by bandmates Adam Clayton and Bono, who cautioned against Irish people becoming “sour.”

“Melancholy and bile are not our greatest traits,” said the singer, who clearly knows a thing or two about bile and melancholy.

The U.S. isn’t Ireland, of course. But populism is clearly rising on both sides of the Atlantic. And when left-leaning super-groups start defending billionaires, you know maybe things have gone too far.

Perhaps U2 will even write a song about the disenfranchised rich. “Angel of the Upper East Side”? Or “Even Better Than A Millionaire”?

- Wall Street Journal

U2 are on the cusp of their 360 Tour, and are asking fans to remember Burmese democratically elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi by wearing a mask featuring her face.

“U2 believe the world must not be allowed to forget Aung San Suu Kyi and every night on the 360 Tour fans are being invited to wear the mask when the band play ‘Walk On,’ which was written for her,” the band’s website said today. “Put it on with thousands of others when Larry [Mullen, Jr., drums] and Edge [guitar] strike up the opening bars of ‘Walk On.’”

A downloadable mask is on the site with directions, but you’ll need Adobe Acrobat Reader to print the file.

“Wear it to work or college,” the post on the website reads. “Wear it on the bus or the train. Wear it in the pub or at the shops. And don’t forget. Bring it to a U2 show.”

Suu Kyi is a Nobel Peace Prize Laureate and won elections in Burma in 1990, but the military junta refused to accept the results. She has spent most of the last 19 years under house arrest.

Suu Kyi was recently tried for violating the terms of her house arrest after an uninvited visitor swam across Inya Lake in Yangon, Burma to visit her house twice. The trial was widely condemned as a sham by the United Nations and western nations.

U2 start their world tour in Barcelona on Tuesday. The tour, which is in support of the recently released No Line On The Horizon, hits Toronto in mid-September.

You can see U2 here:

June 30, July 2 Barcelona, Spain @ Nou Camp
July 7-8 Milan, Italy @ San Siro
July 11-12 Paris, France @ Stade De France
July 15 Nice, France @ Parc Charles Ehrmann
July 18 Berlin, Germany @ Olympic Stadium
July 20-21 Amsterdam, Netherlands @ Arena
July 24-25, 27 Dublin, Ireland @ Croke Park
July 31-Aug. 1 Gothenburg, Sweden @ Ullevi
Aug. 3 Gelsenkirchen, Germany @ Veltins-Arena
Aug. 6 Chorzow, Poland @ Slaski Stadium
Aug. 9-10 Zagreb, Croatia @ Maksimir Stadium
Aug. 14-15 London, England @ Wembley Stadium
Aug. 18 Glasgow, Scotland @ Hampden Park
Aug. 20 Sheffield, England @ Don Valley Stadium
Aug. 22 Cardiff, Wales @ Millennium Stadium
Sept. 12-13 Chicago, IL @ Soldier Field
Sept. 16-17 Toronto, ON @ Rogers Centre
Sept. 20-21 Boston, MA @ Gillette Stadium
Sept. 24-25 New York, NY @ Giants Stadium
Sept. 29 Hyattsville, MD @ FedEx Field
Oct. 1 Charlottesville, VA @ Scott Stadium
Oct. 6 Atlanta, GA @ Georgia Dome
Oct. 9 Tampa, FL @ Raymond James Stadium
Oct. 25 Pasadena, CA @ Rose Bowl
Oct. 28 Vancouver, BC @ BC Place Stadium

- ChartAttack