May 2009 Archives

Greg sent us another video update with the pylon being configured on "The Claw".

U2's 360 Tour: Big Stage, Big Energy

Band also mixing up set list, keeping prices low

Brian Hiatt, Rolling Stone

U2
Openers On Select Dates: Snow Patrol,
Muse, Black Eyed Peas
Tickets $30-$253

WHAT TO EXPECT:

Other artists may be scaling down for the recession, but not U2: Their first U.S. stadium tour since 1997's PopMart will be dominated by the largest set ever built for a rock concert, a monstrous stage nicknamed the Claw that will allow them to play in the round. "The crowd will be all around us," says the Edge, on a break from tour planning. "That energy will just make the performances fly." The band is selling some seats for as cheap as $30, as a nod to tough times and to make the shows accessible to young fans.

"We're talking about resurrecting songs we haven't played in a long time," Edge says. "I have a list of every U2 song -- some I can't remember anymore -- even some of the B sides that we've never played live. We were thinking how much fun it would be to play something like [Joshua Tree outtake] 'Luminous Times.' Certain songs from the last couple of tours, we may not play again. We want to find songs that feel fresh and valid."

© 2009 Rolling Stone

A U2 fan named "Constantine" (from Rotterdam) shot some pictures and more video of the assembly of the "Claw" for U2's 360° Tour in Werchter, Belgium.

A U2 Fan named Greg Dirick shot this video in Werchter, Belgium yesterday evening. The Stageco Staging Group is creating U2's new stage design for the U2 360 Tour. This is the first known video of U2's new stage setup.

Additional video from May 21, 2009 can be found here:

Rolling Stone

You can always count on U2 to deliver eye-catching music videos, but with director Alex Courtes, the Irish rockers may have found their muse. Together, the pair has produced some truly wondrous, cinematic stunners, including 2004's "Vertigo" and "Get On Your Boots," the first single from the band's twelfth studio set, 2009's No Line on the Horizon.

But while "Boots" presented fans with a striking, green-screen rendered visual collage amid a captivating performance from Bono and company set in the cosmos, the four-and-a-half minute clip for U2's second single, "Magnificent," which debuted on the band's site this morning, utilizes the beautiful city of Fez, Morocco, as its backdrop.

Chuck Hadad, AC360° Producer

My days are never boring as a producer at AC 360' but my latest assignment definitely goes down in the annals of producer history: shoot Bono interviewing George Clooney. Clooney is being honored by Time magazine as one of the world's 100 most influential people and Time asked Bono to write the profile. As Time's partner, we shot the interview and other famous pairings for an upcoming Time 100/Anderson Cooper 360' Special aptly titled "The World's Most Influential People."