How cute is that with the baby? And did you hear Bono ask, “Were you at New York?” and then say, “Second night … I think that might be the best night of the tour.”

Too freakin’ cool.

It’s funny … U2 (the business side) really struggles at times in its relationship with U2 fans. Fan club problems and ticket pre-sales are a good example of that. But U2 (the band itself) is almost always phenomenally generous and genuine when relating to U2 fans on a one-to-one basis. And this video is a great example of that.

This is a post from the @U2 blog.

You and Bono, alone in a restaurant

(you can click to view the image on Flickr)

The general/public ticket sale for Oakland just began today, so the timing makes sense.

This is a post from the @U2 blog.

U2 360 Marketing: Live Nation Gets the Word Out

As of 7:15 a.m. EST, Fanfire confirmed that they are having “system-wide issues” in regard to U2.com’s presale codes and their customer service phone numbers suddenly being “out of service.” Fortunately, I had kept a very old email that had a different phone number that actually worked.

I spoke with “Mary” at Fanfire this morning to discuss my presale code suddenly stating that it had been used, which I know for a fact hadn’t. (Nothing like logging into U2.com to get the presale updates for this week only to find out that green presale code is no longer there and it’s been replaced by a red “this code has been used.”) She said that a supervisor will be coming in “in about two hours” to handle the situation and that there have been countless phone calls already today regarding this issue.

While I feel relieved that it’s not just me, it underscores the frustration fans are feeling towards Fanfire and why they’re now paying 25% more for U2.com when it seems the company fueling the site just can’t get things right.

At least they have 24 hours before the next round of presales.

I’ll update this blog post when I find out more.

UPDATE: 10:40 a.m. EST – Fellow @U2er Scott just renewed his membership this morning and got the same error message that the new code had been used. Definitely system-wide fail. Still no update from Fanfire on an ETA for fix.

UPDATE: Noon EST – Upon logging into U2.com and visiting “tours” the codes are now fixed. For those wondering, U2’s management was contacted about the issue and the fix happened quite quickly after that.

UPDATE: 1 p.m. EST – U2.com has issued a statement: “Some people have been reporting problems seeing their presale codes when they log-in. This is a temporary problem which will be fixed by the time the presales open. Rest assured that if you have a presale code in an email from us as a subscriber – and it has not been used for tickets – it will definitely work in the presales this week.”

FINAL UPDATE: 11:15 a.m. EST on Tuesday – successfully acquired 2 GAs using renewal presale code. No problems to report. Hurrah!

This is a post from the @U2 blog.

U2.com Presale Issues

Mick Jagger joining U2 for Stuck In a Moment (video):

Note: If his dancing is throwing you off, try and get over it. He’s Mick Jagger. I advise closing your eyes, if that helps. Ha. From 1:59 on, for me, it is pretty much gold, especially the part where he sings to Bono “You are such a fool …”.

U2 with Mick Jagger and Fergie (from the Black Eyed Peas) covering the Rolling Stones song Gimme Shelter (video):

Note: Sorry there is a gap at the 0:56 mark. I had turned my camera off (in protest, ha!) when I mistakenly thought this was going to be a song with just the Black Eyed Peas.

Before Jagger (and the Black Eyed Peas) came out, U2 had opened their set with Vertigo and Magnificent. Then on song three, Bono called out Bruce Springsteen and Patti Smith and, joined by Roy Bittan (E Street Band keyboardist), they all went into a sort of classically U2-ish “oh crap, we’re screwing up this song” moment. They butchered the beginning of Because the Night (video):

Note: The screw up was not that big of a deal in the end. You see Patti’s microphone give feedback (at 1:07) and then she starts the verse late, and then woah, the timing for all of the musicians goes off (it gets pretty ugly starting at 1:40 in). And then Bono does his “Everyone be quiet on stage and I’m going to fix it by making the crowd sing” move right before the 2:00 in mark and then they are off. They then played it again to make sure the HBO cameras captured them doing it right.

U2 also played I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For with Springsteen accompanying them. Bruce and Bono traded verses. The song ended with Bruce singing the line “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For” on repeat and Bono simultaneously singing words to Bruce’s song The Promised Land “Mister I ain’t a boy, no I’m a man, and I believe in the promised land.”

After Bruce left the stage, U2 played a version of Mysterious Ways that segued into Where Is the Love by the Black Eyed Peas. They were joined on stage by all of the Black Eyed Peas. This pairing did not appeal to me or make sense to me in this Rock and Roll Hall of Fame type setting. At all. But much of the crowd in the arena was going WILD with glee. Bono sang a brief snippet of One during Where is The Love. Then some of the Peas left to make room for the next guest (Jagger).

Oh, to be able to cause an entire arena to erupt with screams just by slithering out onto a stage. Mick Jagger is that guy. Or one of them. He’s a ROCK STAR. And that’s what this night was all about. I loved every silly second of his performance up there.

U2 ended their set with a one-song encore, Beautiful Day. This fan would have appreciated it if U2 had played a few more songs and represented their catalog’s depth a bit more. (Full setlist details are here.) However, I’m not going to complain about seeing U2, Bruce Springsteen, Patti Smith and Mick Jagger in one night. Together. (I might add, the act preceding U2, Metallica, with guests Ozzy Osbourne, Ray Davies and Lou Reed, was also pretty phenomenal.) And the U2-Jagger moment alone was worth the price of admission, for me. (Then again, I was in the cheap seats.)

-This post brought to you by Scatter O’ Light.

This is a post from the @U2 blog.

Scattered Thoughts and Videos from the Rock Hall Concert

Bono and the band will set your ears ablaze with this deluxe reissue of the 1984 album that ignited the foursome’s artistic rep. The bonus DVD (with live footage) and hardcover book make it truly unforgettable.

This is a post from the @U2 blog.

EW’s Must List

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Ron Wood Interviews Bono

This is a post from the @U2 blog.

Sometimes you can’t stand the sight of a puppy

No, this isn’t a Halloween joke. It’s how Dallas Cowboys’ owner Jerry Jones tramples all over Bono’s name — twice, mind you — in this recent TV interview.

(via here)

This is a post from the @U2 blog.

Introducing U2’s new singer…

We’re all very excited to launch this line of branded @U2 products. We think this will allow us to revolutinize dynamic marketing channels and create bleeding-edge, dot-com synergy to build on the global mindshare of @U2. It’s our way of harnessing integrated solutions to enhance the distribution channels that people use every day. We’re always thinking out-of-the-box and trying to redefine holistic relationships with our readers.

Okay, that’s all a bunch of B.S. (sorry for the foul language) This is actually a funny/gag birthday gift that Sherry and Steve sent me, no doubt inspired by my frequent use of the word “awesomesauce.”

I love it. I’ll never, ever open this bottle of ketchup.

PS – you can make your own Heinz ketchup bottle, too: http://www.myheinz.com/home.asp

This is a post from the @U2 blog.

Would You Like Some @U2 Ketchup With That?

This is a post from the @U2 blog.

Restart…and…Reboot Yourself