For the second year in a row, U2 has been named the highest paid band by Forbes. Every year, the magazine releases a list of the 25 biggest-earning musicians. Acts that have gone on tour consistently throughout the year tend to make the top spots on the list and the rock band was no exception. U2 pulled it $195 million after bringing their 360 tour to a close, with the tour itself banking over $700 million. Coming in second was Bon Jovi, who made $125 million. Elton John came in third with $100 million. Lady Gaga earned $90 million and Michael Buble earned $70 million, to round out the top 5.
Bono is planning to transform some of Australia’s most famous landmarks into a sea of red to mark World AIDS Day. As the founder of AIDS organization Red, the 50-year-old U2 front-man has been invited Down Under to change the colour of Sydney’s Harbour Bridge and Opera House next Tuesday as part of the charity’s global awareness-raising day. The Daily Telegraph reported that Premier Kristina Keneally and Governor-General Quentin Bryce will host the ceremony and other landmarks of international fame, such as the London Eye, will also be given the same treatment.
Good news for U2 fans! Bono is feeling better and will come back on stage in August to continue the European tour , only 3 months after being hospitalized for an operation on his back. The band was forced to delay the North American tour and give up the Glastonbury performance. Now that Bono is feeling better, the band will hold their first concert of this tour, in Torino, Italy, in August. Also the Irish guys reprogrammed a few concerts from the North American tour, and the first concert will take place in Denver in next year’s May.
Well, their music is going to the World Cup anyway. ESPN has recently struck a deal with Bono and the rest of the boys to use their music for their coverage of the World Cup. More so, a gospel choir from South Africa has also recorded their own versions of some of U2’s songs for ESPN to use. Bono must be so proud of all of this… now he and his band mates can spiritually be at the World Cup competition, even though they might be off celebrating some other success of theirs in some other exotic part of the world.
The promoters of the Glastonbury this summer are looking to pick up Snoop Dogg to be a part of the festival. If the rapper does decide to sign on, he?ll be joining a bill of some other big stars, including the likes of U2. I guess it was just in time for the folks at Glastonbury that Snoop is finally allowed entry into the UK. I wonder what made them decide that they wanted Snoop on board for the music fest. It?s shaping up to be one eclectic mix of artists. So are you planning on catching the show or not?
If you missed watching U2?s live concert on YouTube, there?s another chance for you to see them for free in Berlin. Bono and the rest of the band will be belting out their music at no cost on November 5th to celebrate the 20 years since the falling of the Berlin Wall, which ended separation between east and west Germany. I thought that they were looking to get some profits off of their concerts. Why the heck to they keep doing free gigs? Oh well, it?s not like they need the money anyway. I?m sure a lot of their fans are enjoying all the freebies.
California, US: U2 have confirmed via video blog that their sold-out concert at the Pasadena Rose Bowl in California, Sunday 25th October 2009 will be streamed free, in full and live on YouTube. It’s the first time a show of this size will be streamed live.
The Rose Bowl show is the penultimate U2 show this year – with more to come in 2010 – and already is set to host the venue?s biggest ever audience of over 96, 000 fans. The 360? Tour, which has been critically acclaimed and ?re-invents rock?n?roll?*, will now boast unique access for fans worldwide – as fans in territories yet to be visited by the tour, or not at all, will be able to enjoy the whole show online. Managed in partnership with Live Nation, this sell-out tour has broken attendance records in most venues it has visited – its success due in part to increased capacity coupled with a lower ticket price and great sight lines afforded by the stunning in-the-round stage set. Visit U2.com or youtube.com/u2official for details of how to join in this ground-breaking on-line event.
U2 manager Paul McGuinness said – “The band has wanted to do something like this for a long time. As we’re filming the LA show, it’s the perfect opportunity to extend the party beyond the stadium. Fans often travel long distances to come to see U2 – this time U2 can go to them, globally.”
YouTube will be streaming live across five continents. The show will be available in the usual You Tube way, as video-on-demand, following two full replays – after the live stream – on both U2.com and You Tube.
“YouTube is thrilled to be able to provide our global audience with a live streaming performance from one of the world’s greatest bands” – Chris Maxcy, Director of YouTube Partner Development. “We are always looking for new ways to connect fans around the world with their favourite artists, and this is the perfect opportunity to do just that.”
U2 Announces European Tour Dates for 2010
In the midst of the North American leg of their 360? Tour, U2 has announced their fall 2010 European Tour dates. The 12-stop tour will hit Germany, Denmark, Finland, Russia, Austria, Greece, Turkey, France, Spain, and Portugal. Tickets for many of the shows went on sale as early as this week, with more presales scheduled for October 5th-7th. Visit U2.com for all the information.
Also new on the U2 website are some pictures from the band’s most recent tour stops. Check out the photo gallery here.
U2′s twelfth studio album No Line on the Horizon, as well as their I’ll Go Crazy If I Don’t Go Crazy Tonight Remix EP are available now on iTunes.
U2 kicked off the North American leg of their 360? Tour on September 13th, and cameras have been rolling during the shows and behind the scenes. Visit the official U2 YouTube channel to see video clips of songs from the concert, including “Your Blue Room” and “Vertigo” from the Chicago shows, a radio interview in Toronto, and an advance screening of an exclusive U2.com chat with the Edge.
Can’t get enough live U2? Download the new Blackberry app that lets you get inside the new album No Line On The Horizon. The app features song previews, news, tour updates, exclusive images of the band in the recording studio and on the road, and more! Find out the specifics on the Blackberry website.
No Line On The Horizon is U2′s twelfth studio album and is available now, in stores or through iTunes.
The Broadway adaptation of ?Spider Man? is having difficulty getting into the Great White Way but that?s not stopping U2?s Bono from giving away details about what the show is supposed to be like, including describing what kind of character the superhero would be. The singer said ?Our Peter Parker is much more?not Kurt Cobain, but a kind of slacker, a more kind of shy sort of guy.? Bono also said that the show will touch both opera and rock n roll. It?s not surprising considering it?s a musical of a different kind. What is surprising though is Bono?s praise for actress Evan Rachel Wood, saying ?She’s the greatest actor of her generation, she’s the one to watch. She happens to sing like a bird, it’s like a true voice. She’s a very pure spirit and a very bright mind and she brings the part of MJ to life really.?
If you find yourself in New York City this fall, you?ve got two amazing concerts to get to which will commemorate the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame?s 25th Anniversary produced by Tom Hanks and Cameron Crowe. The concerts? roster includes acts such as U2, Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band, Simon & Garfunkel, Metallica, Paul Simon, Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder, Crosby, Stills Nash & Friends and Eric Clapton, as well as some special guest presenters. The acts will be divided into 2 nights of performances on October 29th and 30th. The show will also be broadcast on network television two weeks later.
U2′s new single, ?Magnificent,? was released on May 4th by Mercury Records.
The video for ?Magnificent? was directed by French filmmaker Alex Courtes. Alex also directed the video for the band’s previous single, ?Get On Your Boots,? and alongside his former creative partner Martin Fougeral won a Grammy award for the “Vertigo” video. The video for ?Magnificent? was shot in the historic city of Fez, Morocco last month.
?Magnificent,? the second single from No Line On The Horizon, will be available in the UK as a download and on 7″ vinyl. The vinyl single will be backed with a live version of album track Breathe, recorded in the Somerville Theatre in Boston earlier this year.
?Get On Your Boots? has been directed by French film maker and artist Alex Courtes. Alex and former creative partner Martin Fougeral directed the Grammy winning video for ?Vertigo?, and also directed the video for ?City of Blinding Lights?.
The video was shot in London and features the band performing against complex graphic art designed by Courtes.
Speaking of the song and the video, The Edge has said, ?It’s based around the idea that men have f**ked things up so badly, politically, economically and socially, that it’s really time we handed things over to women. The finished video is brilliant. He’s really nailed it.”
?Get On Your Boots? is the first single from U2′s 12th studio album No Line On The Horizon, out 2nd March 2009.
?Get On Your Boots,? the first single from U2?s new album No Line On The Horizon, will be released on January 19th on Interscope Records. The album is currently available for pre-order and will be released on March 3rd.
Produced by Brian Eno, Daniel Lanois and Steve Lillywhite, sessions for No Line On The Horizon began in Fez, Morocco, and continued at the band?s Dublin studio, New York?s Platinum Sound Recording Studios, and Olympic Studios in London.
The album will be released in a standard format with a 24- page booklet and in digipak format. The digipak includes an extended booklet and the album?s companion film ?Linear? by Anton Corbijn. A limited edition 64-page magazine will also be available, featuring the band in conversation with artist Catherine Owens, and new Anton Corbijn photographs. No Line On The Horizon will be released on 180gm vinyl.
The cover artwork for the album is an image of the sea meeting the sky by Japanese artist and photographer Hiroshi Sugimoto.
The full track listing is as follows:
1. No Line On The Horizon
2. Magnificent
3. Moment of Surrender
4. Unknown Caller
5. I?ll Go Crazy If I Don?t Go Crazy Tonight
6. Get On Your Boots
7. Stand Up Comedy
8. Fez ? Being Born
9. White As Snow
10. Breathe
11. Cedars Of Lebanon
U2, MULTI-BRIT AWARD WINNERS, TO PERFORM
BRAND NEW SINGLE LIVE AT
THE BRIT AWARDS 2009 WITH MASTERCARD
www.brits.co.uk
The BPI, the UK record labels? body, today announced the exciting news that the mighty U2, one of the world?s biggest bands, will perform their brand new single ?Get On Your Boots? live at The BRIT Awards 2009 with MasterCard. This highly anticipated annual event takes place on Wednesday 18 February at London?s Earls Court.
This year?s BRIT Awards, the premiere event in the British music calendar, is shaping up to be one of the strongest yet, with U2 confirmed, Pet Shop Boys being honoured with the Outstanding Contribution to Music Award and further intriguing live performances to be announced over the coming weeks. The show will be a spectacular night of great music, featuring and honoring the hottest music talent and thrilling the eleven thousand audience at Earls Court, as well as making it a must tune-in for the millions watching The BRITs live on ITV1.
Ged Doherty, Chairman of The BRITs Committee said, ?We?re thrilled to be able to confirm that U2 have chosen The BRITs for their first global TV performance on their new album. Their addition to the line-up for this year?s show makes it possibly the best we have ever had. This cements The BRITs as one of the biggest TV events in the world.?
Formed in 1976, U2 consists of Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen Jnr. Over their three-decade career the band have sold over 140 million albums worldwide – with multiple gold, platinum and diamond certifications, and have amassed more awards than any other band. They have been awarded seven coveted BRIT Awards including five acclaimed Best International Group awards, Best Live Act and the Outstanding Contribution to Music Award in 2001.
With several chart topping albums under their belt, U2 will release their forthcoming album ?No Line on the Horizon? – tipped as their best to date – this spring and join the prestigious line up at The BRIT Awards 2009 with MasterCard ceremony at Earls Court, London on Wednesday 18 February.
Larry Mullen Jr., drummer of the rock band U2 has made a statement that has the potential to really irk frontman Bono and also has risked incurring his wrath. Larry Mullen Jr. has blasted the singer for cozying up to world leaders.
The rocker launched a tirade against the outgoing U.S. president George W. Bush and also meted out the same treatment for former British Prime Minister Tony Blair saying that both these world leaders were no greater than “war criminals”.
Mullen while speaking to British music magazine Q, said in his interview: “Tony Blair is a war criminal and I think he should be tried as a war criminal. Then I see Bono and him as pals and I’m going, ‘I don’t like that’.
Larry gets to have an opinion; he also gets to keep it to himself unless he’s thinking of making a change. But you also got to think it as we all have opinions and express it at will so Larry has done the same only if he could have kept Bono?s name out of the thing it would have been better.
No Line On The Horizon, the new studio album from U2, will be released in North America on Tuesday, March 3, 2009.
Written and recorded in various locations, No Line On The Horizon is the group?s 12th studio album and is their first release since the nine million selling album How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb, released in late 2004.
Sessions for No Line On The Horizon began last year in Fez, Morocco, and continued in the band?s own studio in Dublin, before moving to New York?s Platinum Sound Recording Studios. It was completed at Olympic Studios in London.
The album calls on the production talents of long-time collaborators Brian Eno and Danny Lanois, with additional production by Steve Lillywhite.
Rumors are going around that Black Eyed Peas member will.i.am is going to be working with rockers U2 on their upcoming album. Kanye West actually confirmed the news on his blog saying ?Will.i.am is producing U2?s next album. I?m sure it will be dope as s? judging from the crazy beats he?s done in the past 3 years!? will.i.am has also commented on the news saying ?I would love to do something with them. If that ever happens it would be a dream come true! I went to Bono?s house. He has these summer parties and I went and had great food. It was the best. Those guys are the nicest people in the world.?
