U2 Gets Their Own Tribute Band
For those who didn’t already know that Elvis Presely was a great singer, the fact that so many Elvis impersonators have performed over the years should be evidence of this greatness.
Elvis, move over: Now the rock band U2 has a tribute as evidence of their own brand of musical greatness. The band calls itself 2U, and they played to a great reception in early October in Raleigh, NC.
True, their performance wasn’t at a huge sold-out arena. Rather, they offered their musical tribute, which according to reports sounds very close to the real thing, at Napper Tandy’s Irish Pub in downtown Raleigh over a three-day weekend. These same reports say that the best member on the band was the one singing Bono’s part. He supposedly had the real Bono’s voice down so close that without looking, you could not tell the difference between the two. Even his mannerisms were similar.
While I’ve never seen 2U yet (but hope too), and have seen U2, I have a feeling that seeing and hearing this tribute band in person must be similar to what it was like in the early days of Bono & Company, when the band played at some of the smaller venues doting the Ireland landscape.
The songs which 2U plays span the entire career of the original U2, from their earliest great hits to several of their more recent releases. And they do justice to them all, accordng to those who have seen both bands.
Incidentally, if you’re a U2 fan, don’t look at 2U as an attempt to steal the original band’s thunder. It’s not. They make it clear that they recognize that their own success stems only from U2′s greatness. In fact, at one of the Raleigh concerts, the real Bono had only good things to say about 2U.
There’s one other thing, that we agree with: 2U bills themselves as “The World’s 2nd Best U2 Show.” That’s appropriate, because, as fun and sensational as 2U might be,
nothing beats seeing the real thing among 70,000 or 80,000 or 100,000 other enthusiastic fans. Because after all, without the original, the imitators are pretty worthless.
If you’d like to see the original U2 in concert, remember that the best tickets at the best prices are always available here: http://u2tickets.com
“Unforgettable Fire” by U2
The 1985 release of the “Unforgettable Fire” by U2 catapulted their career into full blast. They were on the main stage to say. The band was thrown into video rotations around the world. As well as sending them full bore into the arena rock that we are now so familiar with. The album was loaded with multi faceted layers from the guitarist The Edge and style of Bono and his eccentric voice. The album also implemented a keyboard to add to the harmonizing ensemble. Some said that the album was over produced. This is also where Bono got his trademark his emotional breathing. That is still prevalent in the albums they produce today and his wild on stage performances.
The album is loaded with rapturous hit after hit. While it does have a few weak points the album as whole the great singles even though album out. It includes such richness to their character that was previously unheard in their music. There style changes throughout the album from high paced with ripping guitar solos followed by powerful heartfelt lyrics by Bono. While the next song could be a mellow quaint song with a particular ambience.
The album has strong roots. While some hem on their homeland of Ireland. Giving listeners to the song a feel of being in the grassy shoals of their homeland. Or of their new found love of the American way of life. That they have embellished during their world tour. Also on the album is a hit tuned for Martin Luther King Junior. As U2 has always stood for people and their fight against social injustices around the world.
The album really shows the progression of the band in the in the four years since there previous album release. To many people it is one of their greatest projects to date. For the older fans that have been there from the beginning the album will bring them back to their wild days of youth. There is an emotional passion in this album that really brings the listener back to the early days off rock. It kept other musicians of the day on pace and made sure that the feel of rock stayed in their music as well. This album is one of the best ever put out and if you want to hear U2 at the pinnacle of their career this album is the one you want to download to your music player pop the head phones in and rock out with. Or just get the cd put it in the player and crank out some good old U2 for everyone to enjoy.
Want to see this great band in concert? As always the best tickets at the best prices are available here: http://u2tickets.com
Review of The Classic “All that You Can’t Leave Behind”
U2 has done is again with an outstanding new single “Beautiful Day”. They single quickly shot up to the top of the U.K. billboard to number one. The single also garnered similar results in the United States. Their latest album sweeps through ones mind much like there early hits with a newer vigor. After a brief hiatus from pop the musicians are at it again roaring and ready to go.
There latest album their tenth production as a band is a subtle epiphany towards early days. The new album seems to jump back and forth between numerous eras of their strong and long lived career. Well some of the hits may sound like something they would have put out years before and others more modern up beat. They have been reinvigorated by their brief hiatus and well some thought that they would produce another average album they have created another masterpiece.
The Edge and Bono are back into their old swing. While The Edge has amped his style back and revitalizes what he once did. His guitar solos are to die for and leave ones heart pacing ready for another. While he picks away and shows everyone his own personal rock style. Bono is still whipping his pencil and creating new jams for the modern day. While still keeping his spirituality in the songs he creates. That keeps the audience and fans captivated as ever.
Some say that their album is an attempt to go back to their roots. Back to when they were the wild children of rock and roll, and there action packed live performances that they were so well known for. While others say that their still experimenting and changing while trying to recreate themselves. Which they have done numerous times with great success switching between electronic ensembles, dance loops and the early rock of days long past.
While Bono has been wailing on the microphone for many years this album shows the strain that performing has on ones voice. The tedious days of singing every night to sold out crowds and screaming fans have done a number to the powerful singers’ voice. But that doesn’t hurt the band it’s new and brings out a deeper emotion from the lead singer. He still has the power in his voice to hypnotize and mesmerize the crowd and listener with his never ending lyrical affixation. With that being said there is little doubt that they will produce another album in the upcoming years and amaze the people again.
Want to see this great band in concert? As always the best tickets at the best prices are available here: http://u2tickets.com
A Look Back at The Joshua Tree
After the nearly 21 years since the album’s debut on record U2 has decided to release the LP of their classic, THE JOSHUA TREE, on cd. The new deluxe cd release includes some original art from the first release among other unique things. The cd covers mimic the original release of the albums vinyl cover. The deluxe edition comes in a box set that includes a hard cover book that has numerous essays from the band, as well as lyrics and photos. There are also some photos from the original tour printed on an antique looking paper to give the owner more of a feel for the original tour.
They music has been revamped from the original and has a better quality to it than the previous edition thanks to new technology. Well the music is still original and holds the same ambience the volume of the tracks has been greatly increased. The new mix keeps all the original music with no clipping from other tracks or performances. Fans will appreciate the fact that they tried to keep it as original as possible while upgrading the quality.
The bonus track included with the box set includes 14 singles that have never been combined before though available separately on many different tracks. Almost half of the songs on this disc were either a rare find or never released before. The songs range in worth from excellent to I could have lived without. But if you’re a fan looking for a complete collection of U2 then this is a must have.
Also included on DVD is the Joshua tree live concert from Paris in 1987. The concert covers most of the albums songs excluding a few. But made up for with other singles that have rarely been seen in the many years following this tour. The video is plain and not jumbled with a bunch of new age interviews and what not like their previous documentary. Giving a more human look other then the God like look Rattle and Hum gave the band.
This being said it is a must have for any diehard fan. The singles on this track are hard to come by since this is the first time it has been released since the original LP came out. So if you’re one of those people that love this band that’s been around for over three decades then head on down to your local music shop and pick up this super deluxe release of The Joshua Tree LP.
Want to see this great band in concert? As always the best tickets at the best prices are available here: http://u2tickets.com
U2: What a Concert
U2 has been performing for many years and put on a lively show. There most recent one was at Soldier Field. Where they had a set that lasted over two hours and at moments resembled a club like atmosphere. Their show was intensified with astounding theatrics and bright lights. There shows are riveting and an enjoyment for all. Some may say that they out did their self with a stage that was too busy. Bono switched styles throughout the show from a high paced full of energy to a more mellow mood. This all depended on what single they were performing.
During the bands more intense moments Bono was all over the stage and pitching his voice to the high paced rhythm set by his band members. They had a light show during one song that light up the sky. Well during other times when the mood was more serene and the song a little lass in the tempo they had a strobe light radiate a certain ambience throughout the crowd. During these moments bono matched his tempo and vocals to harmonize with the son and varied the pitch in his voice for the variety of singles that they performed.
They stage was an awe inspiring thing in itself. It made the band seem like they were ants. It was like something out of a movie with the size and brilliance from it. They show was very high tech and spacey. Bono even wore a jacket to add to the fiction type affect it had. His jacket was highlighted with neon colors and was just as unique as the stage itself. The reason for this out of world show was to promote their new single. And to revert there style that had become too modernized and conventional for there ever growing audience. In other words they were becoming like so many performers plain. So they decided to amp it up and go cutting edge for the show. This is not the first time they have done something of this magnitude. They had done similar things in the early nineties.
It is no reason why these big time performers keep the fans coming back for more. With there ever changing lyrics and style and out of this world performances they are a must see band. They are definitely a band to see if ever given the chance. They have always been known to be an outstanding live show since there early years as a band. So for fans of U2 that have never been and like there recorded hits then hit up the next concert if possible and enjoy the live music of the band that’s been around for over thirty years.
Want to see this great band in concert? As always the best tickets at the best prices are available here: http://u2tickets.com
More on U2′s Charitable Contributions
The band U2 has always been involved with charities. They started off early in their career. There first gig for charity was in 1985 when they performed for Live Aid. Well some thought that this would hurt the relatively young group it only increased their fan base. The reason for the concert was to help with the famine in Ethiopia. This in turn sprang world headlines and helped them catapult to new heights. Since then they have helped numerous charities and organizations throughout the world.
They have worked with many different types and continue to do so. There biggest focuses are on human rights and social justices. They have worked Amnesty International which conducts human rights missions and helps to protect people that are wrongfully imprisoned mostly in third world countries. They also help many people in the modernized parts of the world as well.
Bono has his own charity that he started up as well. It is known as the DATA which stands for debt, AIDs, and trade in Africa. Bono and the rest of his band contribute greatly to the world relief and many of the foundations for relief. They have worked with Nelson Mandela in Africa to raise awareness and funds for victims of the AIDs virus and the many people of Africa diagnosed with the disease.
Aside from Africa the band also puts on shows promoting green peace and performed in London at the Live 8 concert promoting female activists in Burma and there courageous attempts to be free. Following the devastating hurricanes Katrina and Rita, Edge a member of U2 started a charitable organization for the musicians in New Orleans and the surrounding area. The reason for this is New Orleans is a very musical area and there music is there culture. This charity helps these individuals get back there instruments. Which can be very expensive and hard to get depending on the instrument.
So these band members and long time friends have been helping there communities and the world for almost as long as they have been around. They continue to do great work every year and Amnesty International awarded them the Ambassador Conscience Award for their hard work in promoting human rights. He has campaigned with many influential people from around the world and could possibly be nominated for the Noble Peace Prize in my mind for his huge contributions to society.
Want to see this great band in concert? As always the best tickets at the best prices are available here: http://www.u2tickets.com
The Early Years of U2
U2 is one of the biggest bands that have ever rocked the free world. They have been around many years and continuously produce music that hits the top of the charts. There music is one of a kind and they have won many awards in the long career. As many now Bono is there lead singer and guitarist. As well as acting like a spokesman for the group on different organizations.
They formed the band in the mid seventies. They have had much success and have been awarded many Grammys. There total count as of now is twenty two and that is more than any other band in history. As you can see they produce great music and have a strong fan base from around the world. They have also sold many records the count is over one hundred and forty five as of now. There sure to make more albums and keep their fans happy.
The band started in Dublin, Ireland when they were just teenagers. It didn’t take long for them to start hitting the international scene after their 1976 formation. During their first ten years they had little fame in the world picture. But within ten years the put out there first mainstream album and quickly made it to the top. Before that release they had some releases which mostly flopped and were better known for their live performances.
During the early years they struggled with success until a fateful Saint Patrick’s Day talent competition. One could say it was the luck or the Irish. The won a small pot and studio time to record their first demo. After a few singles and an album that was only released in Ireland which hit the charts they got their chance. The put out a single that was world released and shortly after they had a multi nations tour. They hit the United States and received average reviews but Bono was noted to be a young charismatic singer with a lot of potential.
From then on out they started focusing more on their music and focused in on what they needed to do while building there song base and increasing their fans. Since then they have had many top singles hitting number one numerous times and they continue to do so. There music will be forever remembered even long after they are gone and of the stage. There music brings hope and happiness to the people and fans that listen to them play.
Want to see this great band in concert? As always the best tickets at the best prices are available here: www.u2tickets.com
U2 360 Tour; You will find what you’re looking for
Your favorite rock band is on a world tour in support of its new album and they’re coming to a town near yours – Toronto, in this case. You’re excited, naturally, but then you see the ticket prices and you begin to hedge a bit. Do you really want to spend that much, and drive that far? And what if they take up most of the concert playing stuff off the new album?
Well, if your favorite band happens to be Irish rockers U2, you can calm your fears – at least when it comes to their play list. Based on last weekend’s Dublin shows, Bono’s theatrical vocals, The Edge’s shimmering guitar thrum, and the pulsating beat of the rhythm section’s Larry Mullen, Jr. and Adam Clayton will be heavily weighted toward the classics.
According to several websites dedicated to the band, the Sunday, July 25, set list in Dublin included among its twenty-three songs a Baker’s dozen of monster hits. To be sure, the show’s opening was heavy with tunes from No Line on the Horizon, the new album. Four of them in a row, in fact, including the title track. But after that U2 played only two other cuts from the new release, most notably the concert’s closing song, Moment of Surrender. Give the boys their due; the first new drop since 2004’s How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb, naturally they’re going to want to show off the new sounds, if only to prove that, after nearly thirty years of rocking, they can still write new songs.
But relevance, shmellevance. If you’re laying out your hard-earned dollars, you want to hear Where the Streets Have No Name and With or Without You and Pride. You need to hear Bono soar on One and The Edge strum the opening notes (or note) of Vertigo. Have no fear. Judging from the Dublin shows, you will get to hear those favorites and more. How about I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For, with a nod toward Stand By Me tossed in for fun? Or Beautiful Day with a snippet of The Beatle’s Here Comes The Sun and, best of the best, Sunday Bloody Sunday with a dash of The Clash’s Rock The Casbah. Angel of Harlem? Mysterious Ways? The Unforgettable Fire? All there, and more.
So if you’re thinking about heading north to Toronto’s Rogers Centre on September 16 or 17 to hear U2 in its latest incarnation, go with the assurance that it won’t be so different from previous incarnations. And that’s a good thing. For more visit: http://u2tickets.com
U2 Supports the Musical Education of Ireland’s Youth
The dedication of U2’s members to music is more than an avocation, more than a passion: it is a belief that music can make positive changes people’s lives. As their 2009 world tour continues after rapturous back-to-back performances in their home town of Dublin, efforts are underway to ensure that the music will continue long after the tour winds down.
The band, in conjunction with the Music Network organization, plans to fund and staff the musical instruction, both vocal and instrumental, of Ireland’s youth by providing tuition and instructors in classrooms throughout the nation. The instruction will reach a growing number of communities each year and will provide training in classical, traditional, jazz, and popular music. U2 has pledged five million Euro to the cause to ensure its successful implementation through 2015. Another organization, the Ireland Funds, has pledged an additional two million Euro.
U2 has a long history of involvement in philanthropic endeavors. In the mid-eighties they participated in Band Aid and Live Aid addressing starvation in Africa, “A Conspiracy of Hope” supporting Amnesty International, and “Self Aid” for the unemployed in Ireland. In the nineties they turned their attention to the conflicts in the Bosnian war, writing “Miss Sarajevo” and honoring a promise to play in that city in 1997. A year later they used a performance in Belfast to promote the Good Friday Agreement, a step in the peace process in Northern Ireland.
Their work has continued in the new millennium with efforts to cancel third-world debt, using the stage at the Live 8 performance in 2005 to state their case. The Edge’s involvement in the “Music Rising” foundation has replaced thousands of instruments lost by local New Orleans musicians and by school music programs in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
The band’s long involvement in humanitarian initiatives has resulted in a certain expertise when it comes to choosing plans and organizations that they believe stand the greatest chances of success. The Music Network plan is based upon successful pilot programs initiated by Vocational Education Authorities in Donegal and Dublin. It calls for the use of existing classroom facilities and requires participants to pledge matching funds and to demonstrate sustainability over the long term. It also has the combined support of Government, existing philanthropic organizations, members of the music education community, and, of course, U2. For this reason the Music Network plan is poised to make a lasting contribution to the musical and cultural education of Ireland’s youth.
And remember you can get great tickets, great seats at great prices by visiting www.u2tickets.com
U2: The Culturally Relevant Band
The cultural impact of rock music is a well-known global phenomenon of the twentieth century. In the 1950s, parents and religious or political leaders alike feared the degeneracy of their children into characters closely resembling Marlon Brando in The Wild One. Rock music was not just an enjoyable sound; it became a defining feature of youth culture. Rock music spoke to a new, jaded generation, who were embracing modern attitudes while rejecting the standards of their parents. Today, though we generally do not see the first incarnations of rock music as particularly scandalous, rock still has the powerful ability to shape our cultural and societal attitudes.
Few bands have been able to become a permanent feature in this cultural zeitgeist of rock music. For many of us among Generation X or Y, U2 has always been a staple in our music collections. Though my first U2 cassette tape of The Joshua Tree has long been lost with my Atari and VCR, the band continues on, seemingly having drunk from the fountain of youth. Now embarking on a new world tour, the image or presence of U2 in American and world culture feels as significant as when they first achieved prominence. Gone may be the days of clerks shooing away hooligans emulating James Dean from their store fronts, but the impact of timeless rock bands like U2 feel just as crucial in our societal consciousness.
Part of this enduring quality of U2 results not just from their music, but the image they have created. Songs including I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For have a timeless message, but U2 is one of the few bands whose cultural role surpasses individual songs. A large part comes from the iconography surrounding the activism of front-man Bono, whose philanthropy may be one of the most well-known of any cultural figure—but why is this especially significant in 2009? While the early pioneers of rock and roll music inspired fear among established members of society, U2 has turned that notion on its head. Although it sounds a bit corny, they may have made rock music a rebellion against rebellion – it is cool to be an activist and help others – something even mom won’t object to. Though the average person who buys a ticket to U2’s concert or downloads one of their songs might not be actively engaging in humanitarian efforts, they nonetheless become advertisements for charitable participation. Just like any commodity, as patrons of rock music, we consume not only the music as itself, but also everything behind it. U2 remains relevant not just because of the quality of their music, but because we as cultural consumers have made the conscious or subconscious decision to continue to support the band’s philosophy and image.
As U2 embarks on their U2 360° tour, the name feels very appropriate. Though the name is inspired by the stage design, it also illustrates the bands cultural resiliency. It has been over two decades since they made their iconic video Where the Streets Have No Name on an LA rooftop, but U2 still continues to be relevant–tickets for one of the tour stops in Spain sold out within an hour in an era where even big name acts have trouble filling large venues. Perhaps fans are really excited about some of the band’s newer music—or perhaps they just want to be a part of the experience of a group that revised the genre’s definition. We may laugh at the fears of our grandparents over the gyrations of Elvis’ hips, but maybe that is only because we underestimate our own personal investment in the music we consume.
And remember, you can get great tickets at low prices by visiting www.u2tickets.com
