Brian Eno won an award for his collaboration with David Byrne. They won in the category of "recording package." I'm not sure what that is, but kudoz to them.

U2 lost big time to Green Day. I was really looking forward to their performance, but instead I got a glee club performance. Green Day on Broadway? I thought they were way too cool for such a thing! Speaking of Broadway, will Spiderman ever see the light of day?

I was disappointed with the Michael Jackson tribute. I think it could have been so much more--longer for one. I was expecting hip hop and rocks brightest performing Jackson's greatest hits-not Celine Dion and Carrie Underwood. Slash was in the house so why not let him rock out to Thriller or Beat It?

I now understand Lady Gaga. She is the love child of Ziggy Stardust and Elton John. Yes, I realize that both Bowie and John are male, just go with it.

So that you don't think I am a total arse, I enjoyed Pink's trapeze performance. It was graceful and elegant.

Finally, Dave Mathews (I am a fan) demonstrated that his dancing is worse than all of the members of U2 put together. What started out as a nice love song quickly turned into a hoe down.

The decade started with U2 releasing their first album of the twenty-first century. Rumored to be a return to their rock n' roll roots, U2 had their careers riding on the album's success. The band had spent the 90's experimenting with new sounds. While these albums were successful creatively, they left critics and some fans scratching their heads. The band had in the past thrived under pressure, and this was no different. ALTYCLB proved to be a success both artistically and financially. U2 had reclaimed their position at the top.

The lyrics in ALTYCLB seemed to echo the times as the U.S. tried to cope with the aftermath of 911. U2 showed their support by displaying the names of the victims on a screen during their concerts. Bono also took to wearing a jacket lined with an American flag.

As a band, no award could be greater than when U2 were inducted into the Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame, permanently cementing their place in history.

U2 followed up their success with Vertigo. This album contained many of the same themes and sounds as its' predecessor. However, the lyrics on Vertigo were less general and/or political and much more personal. The band members had undergone many trials and emotional trauma, namely Edge's daughters' battle with cancer and the death of Bono's father.

After spending the 90's doing stadium concerts, the band decided to keep it simple and instead played arenas. They brought back the concept of general admission and proved that it can be done in a safe manner. (General admission was being frowned upon after a serious of injuries and deaths at major rock concerts, most notable the death of a fan at a Pearl Jam concert.)
Controversy was no stranger to the band. The new U2 studio was protested against for many reasons, one being that it blocked out the sun. Bono and Edge's attempt to renovate their hotel was put on hold do to complaints that the hotel structure is considered a historical building. Bono, who in the 80's spoke of money as being the root to all evil, became friends with the moguls Bill Gates and Warren Buffet. Edge's Malibu construction is being frowned upon by environmentalists.

The band ended the decade with a new album. No Horizon is an uneven mix of new age rhythms accompanied with Bono's usual lyrics of spiritual searching, combined with pop melodies about boots and cockatiels. They returned to stadiums with a worldwide sold out tour, partially thanks to the claw stage designed by Willie Williams.

U2 start the next decade with an already sold out summer tour and the promise of a new album. Historically, U2 change gears every ten years. Will this game plan keep them on top? Or, will the next decade see U2 reach the mountain top and start to decline? No matter what happens, their fans are sure to be along for the ride.

They were nestled all snug in their beds,
While visions of music notes danced in their heads;
When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,
They sprang from the bed to see what was the matter.

When, what to their wondering eyes should appear,
But U2 fans riding reindeer
There were a lot fans, lively and quick,
U2 wondered, "What of St. Nick?"

More rapid than eagles the fans they came,
And they whistled, and shouted, and called them by name;
Now, Bono! now, Edge! now, Adam! and Larry!
Come Out! Come Out! You all in a hurry!

And then, in a twinkling, the fans were on the roof
They danced and sang with the reindeer's little hoof.
As U2 got worried and was turning around,
Down the chimney fans came with a bound.

They were dressed for fun from head to foot,
And their clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot;
Their eyes -- how they twinkled! Their cheeks how merry!
Their mouths were like roses, their noses like cherry!

They were singing and jolly just like Santa's elves,
And U2 laughed when they saw them, in spite of themselves;
A wink of an eye and a twist of a head,
Soon gave U2 to know they had nothing to dread;

They spoke not a word, but went straight to their work,
And took their souvenirs and then turned with a jerk,
And laying their gifts they stood in a pose
And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose;

They sprang to their deer, and then gave a whistle,
And away they all flew like the down of a thistle.
But u2 heard them exclaim, ere they drove out of sight,
"HAPPY CHRISTMAS TO U2 AND TO ALL A GOOD-NIGHT!"

I could say many things about all of the performances, but I will stick to U2's performance for my blog. I did notice that the editors of this program gave a bit more time to U2 footage (coming in second only to Bruce Springsteen who got almost a full hour of coverage).

U2's duet with Bruce Springsteen for "I Still Haven't Found what I'm Looking For," was pure genius. I would of liked to have seen Springsteen and U2 perform a few more songs.

U2 and Patty Smith "Dancing Barefoot"
U2 and B.B. King "When Love Comes to Town"
U2 and Lou Reed "Satellite of Love"
U2 and Metallica "Bullet the Blue Sky" (think about it)
U2 and Mick Jagger "Waitin' on a Friend" (Rolling Stones song)

Bono and Mick Jagger's version of "Stuck in a Moment" conjured up an image of two drunken buddies in a karaoke bar. Not saying that this is bad, just being truthful. This is what makes rock n' roll so great--a bunch of friends can get together and start a rock band. Most often than not, they end up in obscurity, but ever so often, they make rock n' roll history.

This got me thinking about other bands that have opened for U2 throughout the decades. Which ones do I remember most? What one do I wish I could forget?

P.J. Harvey blew me away during the ATYCLB tour. I still can't believe that strong voice comes out of such a tiny body. I am now a big fan. Her album, "Stories From the City, Stories From the Sea", remains one of my all time favorite albums. Her more recent work has not captivated me as much, but I will never forget seeing her live.

I missed seeing Garbage open during ATYCLB because they cancelled due to one of the band members being sick. Instead, U2 found a replacement with some band whose name I can't remember. I do remember that they were a bunch of old guys that I had never heard of.

During Pop the band opened with some group that had a song with a line about Scooby Snacks. Scooby Snacks is the only thing I remember, and I only remember it because I absolutely love Scooby Doo.

Of course, not every opening act is going to be a hit. And I am sure that there are people out there that hated P.J. Harvey but loved Kings of Leon. I can't imagine anyone not liking Muse.

I'm looking forward to more great opening acts in 2010.

U2 in Charlottesville was a fantastic experience. The stage is probably the best in rock n' roll history. The band performed a powerful show. Bono, as usual, was the ultimate PR person, bringing in local facts when he addressed the audience.

I could of been inside of the inner ring but I opted out for an outside wall because I heard you can view more of the screen and stage from that angle. I wasn't disappointed by the visual affect and several times U2 came out near where I was standing. The Edge and Bono performed most of one song directly in front of me and I got smiles from both of them (perhaps it was my Guinness hoodie).

I absolutely loved Ultraviolet and I would of liked to have seen the laser jacket used for another song. This was also a big hit with the audience including those that were not hard core U2 fans.

Security was especially confused about the masks and I noticed that they seemed to be pressured to pass out all of them. Individuals in the audience were reluctant to take one and a few thought they had to pay for them. I suggested that they just tell everyone to take one and pass them back (just like in school). It worked and my good deed paid off when a security person gave me the staff notes for the show. It had lots of interesting information on it like: the arrival and departure times for U2, the phone number to the command center back stage, etc.

I'm sorry to say that Blue Room was a real snooze. I love this song but it just doesn't work well live. I thought that the astronaut reciting the lyrics at the end was just cheesy (sorry guys). Perhaps it would of been more interesting if the visuals of earth had been different. I've seen some fantastic photos of earth from outer space and it is unfortunate that none of those made it.

Muse was totally awesome and now I am a big fan. In fact, I'm going out and buying their album this weekend.

Charlottesville is the home base for Dave Mathews, so one would think that they would be unimpressed by rock stars, but apparently not. The venue emailed not one, but twelve page of information about parking and directions. I'm glad they had their act together, but I really didn't need twelve pages of information.

The venue where the concert was held, is designed with one side open to view (like a baseball stadium). This in itself caused traffic jams throughout the day as people in cars stopped to view the magnificent stage set up. I thought one elderly driver was going to run off the road.

This was definitely the most fun U2 concert experience I have ever had.

My parents were rather old when I was born, both in their 40's. All of my cousins were older than me and still dedicated to their hippie music and lifestyle. I remember at a young age seeing all of the long hair, fringe, and tie dye. My one cousin, Marilee, was living with a guy, David, who had a "devil dog" patch sewn to the crotch of his pants. (For those of you too young to know, Devil Dog was a cup cake brand popular in the 70's). I'm sure that at the young age of 5, I would not have made the connection of devil dog with this man's crotch if my parents had not made such a big deal about it.

Linda was the Elvis freak. Her claim to fame was that she once kissed Elvis. This was during his Las Vegas years and during that time getting a kiss from "The King" was not that hard to do. All you had to do was go see his Vegas act. Women were allowed to line up at the bottom of the stage. If they were lucky Elvis would bend down at some point and give them a kiss. Critics argue that Elvis was way past his prime by the time he reached Vegas. Linda will argue that those were still the lips of "Elvis the Pelvis".

My favorite story comes from Marilee and David. They hitchhiked across the U.S. Once they made it to California, they were determined to experience the LSD scene. They met some people that invited them to tag along to a local bar to see a new band called the Doors. They were unknown at this point, so it was no big deal to walk right up to the singer named Jim, who was sitting at the bar.

"What was he like," I asked.

"I don't remember much after that point," my cousin Marilee replied.
"How can you not remember Jim Morrison?" I asked.

"Well," she said, "we were ALL tripping on acid."

They left California and never gave a second thought to the Doors until about a year later, when their music hit the air waves.

So, what is my place, if any, in rock n' roll history?

I never saw the Beatles but I did see Zoo TV in JFK stadium. Just like Carol, I had nose bleed sheets. I wish I could say that U2 looked like ants, but I couldn't even see the stage. My entire view was blocked by a press box. I missed all of the cool graphics and everything, but at least I can say I was there.

I never kissed "The King", but I did get a peck on the cheek from Bono after a Jubilee press conference. Does that count?

I never hitchhiked or dropped acid with an unknown poet. I did, however, have a drunken binge in Dublin that ended in me being passed out in front of Bono's gate.

The rest of the story, as the saying goes, is rock n' roll history.

I take the time to read the forums here and on other sites and what I wrote was a direct response to much of what I was reading. If my blog is not relevant to our readers, then it is just useless fluff.

As for my opinion on the An Sun Sukyi mask--this mask is not going to produce the result needed, which is getting her released from imprisonment. I am all for showing support for this cause, but I am in more support of seeing her released. I would rather take the time to electronically sign a petition or donate a dollar, than spend wasteful energy printing out a mask to be worn for no one to see except other U2 fans.

For the second time in my life I have had to deal with cancer--this means surgery, radiation, tons of vomit and a whole host of other nasty things. I am not saying this to get pity from our readers. I am saying this so that everyone understands that I do not have time for BS or ass kissing.

I kind of like the lazer jacket because I think it may be a cool effect to those sitting in seats higher up in the stadium. i even like the rope, which I affectionately call the "monkey rope". I think this suits Bono and will be great once he figures out what he should do with it. What I don't like about it is that it looks like a big steering wheel with the microphone in the middle. As a monkey rope, it works well. As a microphone hanging down from the top of the stage, what the fuck? Or, maybe my complaint is that it covers his face during most of the song. Please tell me, is this the only song that uses this micriophone contraption?

After watching the concert footage, I realized something that I haven't thought of, no mater how close I get to the stage, at some point I will be looking at butt. (Because the stage rotates). Now, I love U2, but I can see old butt sitting in my living room.

The stage concept is Magnificent. But it screams for some hard core Pop or Achtung Baby.

As for the mask, I have a better idea. Hey U2 Gods, if you are lsitening, instead of having us download and print out a ridiculous mask, how about just having each one of us donate a dollar to Amnesty International? I figure it will probably cost me about that much in paper and ink (and time) to print out that mask. Imagine how much money that would be if each concert goer donated a dollar?

Now that I have complained, let me just remind everyone that we are U2 fans and we finally get to see a concert. Perhaps we should not look a gift horse in the mouth!

Achtung, Baby!!!!

Even though the U2 tour doesn't come my way until October, my friends and I are already eagerly anticipating it and making our plans. I'm already planning a trip to the stadium to take a look at parking and a decent place to eat before the show. Like everyone else, we are just die-ing to know the set list. Let's face it,the rumors may or may not be true, but it is just so much fun to wonder what they may perform. A U2 tour does not happen very often, us fans have to milk it for every bit of excitement we can get.
What would I change about the set list? I agree that the stage set up just screams Pop and lets' not forget Zooropa. Lemon is one of my all time favorite songs and they hardly ever perform it live. What about Zoo Station or Even Better Than the Real Thing? I absolutely love City of Blinding Lights, Beautiful Day and Elevation. I never get tired of these, no matter how many times I hear them. A snippet of a Desmond Tutu speech might work really well as an intro to Where the Streets Have No Name (remember the MLK speech in Pride during the Zoo TV tour?). But I don't get it as an opener for Ultraviolet. Don't get me wrong I LOVE Moment of Surrender and Unknown Caller, but I really don't think they will work live. I picture everyone taking a bathroom break during these songs.
Well, at least we won't have to wait long to find out what they actually do play during those first shows. Let's not forget that the show may change a bit during the earliest days of the tour.

I was having an especially bad day the other day. I had radiation, which makes me weak and hungry. But, before I could eat or go home, I had to go to city hall and pay my overdue gas bill. The last thing I wanted to do was fight for parking and stand in line. But, there i was standing in line when I noticed that the guy walking up to stand behind me had on a U2 t-shirt. I couldn't help myself--I had to smile!!!

A few day later and I was in a restaurant devouring my food when u2's "Beautiful Day" came over the sound system. I listened to the words and let the energy of the music wash over me. Then, I remembered: Yes, it really is a beautiful day.

The next concert I saw was during the PopMart tour and it was in the same stadium. By then I figured out how to get good seats. This time I was sitting right next to the cat walk. So, I got to see everything. up close. This was the show where it hailed and the screens were damaged. It was nice having the band "stuck" in DC for a few days, even if they did spend most of their time in a basement rehearsing.

Of course, since then I have seen them countless of times during the last two tours. Those shows were great, but I have to admit that I am looking forward to seeing them in a stadium again. Also, they are playing near me on my birthday. You can't get no better than that.

By now, most of you have seen the Bono/Clooney interview that we have streaming. You may not agree with all that Bono has to say, but you can't deny the fact that he has managed to put himself in a position to meet with world leaders and has influenced much of what is being talked about. At the very least, he did not just stick his feet in the water and get out quickly. He stayed for the big waves.

I was glad to hear him mention Jubilee and the "Drop the Debt" campaign. I have volunteered for them off and on over the last 9 years. It was through Jubilee that I met Bono at a press conference. I'm not a Jubilee supporter because of Bono. But, I can't deny that it wasn't a thrill to meet him.

Should celebrities be in politics? I guess it depends on the celebrity and the politics. Jubilee was blessed to have Bono because he, along with Bob Geldof, helped us to get the attention of the mass media. The problem is that we shouldn't need cebebrity endorsements in order for people to take an interest in what is going on in Africa, or Haiti. People should care because its' the right thing to do. You can't just put the blame on the masses. We must also blame the editors of newspapers and magazines that don't want to put these issues on the front pages where people can see them, without there being a celebrity name attached to it.