January 2017 Archives

Bassist on how band will approach classic 1987 album onstage, when to expect upcoming studio LP

By Andy Greene, Rolling Stone

Thirty years ago, the wild success of The Joshua Tree transformed U2 into the biggest band on the planet. Radio hits "With or Without You," "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" and "Where The Streets Have No Name" catapulted them from arenas into stadiums and found then hobnobbing with Frank Sinatra, appearing on the cover of Time magazine and sharing the stage with Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen and B.B. King. "Certainly looking back on playing the tour at that time, it should have been an extraordinarily, freeing, joyful opportunity," says bassist Adam Clayton. "But it was actually quite a tough time trying to deliver those songs under the pressure of growing from an arena act to a stadium act. I, for one, don't remember enjoying it very much."

He'll probably enjoy it more this summer when U2 take The Joshua Tree on a victory lap three decades down the line. "I think this summer run is almost an opportunity to take it back," he says, "and look at those songs and look at what was going on then and see where we are now." We spoke to Clayton about the impetus for the tour, how the show will be structured, if fans can expect to hear rarities and what's happening with Songs of Experience.

Watch Larry accept the award and talk at the National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) conference in Anaheim, California:

Also, check out these clips of Larry Mullen playing drums on these classic U2 songs:

by Hugh McIntyre, Forbes Magazine

From the moment U2 announced they were going on tour to celebrate the thirtieth anniversary of their album The Joshua Tree, it was sure to be a massive success, but few could have predicted just how incredible the response would have been from fans.

According to Live Nation, the company behind the worldwide tour, over 1.1 million tickets were sold in just a single day, easily making this outing one of the most popular and fastest-selling in history.

Post-US election, the band are taking time to reconsider their already completed new LP, which they might alter in light of the result

by Mazin Sidahmed, The Guardian

U2 has decided to delay their upcoming album after the surprise victory of Donald Trump, band members said in an interview, as they plan to reconsider certain songs in the wake of a Trump presidency.

Speaking with Rolling Stone, guitarist the Edge said that the band was placing the album's release on hold and taking some "breathing space" to consider what they wanted to say following Trump's ascension to the White House.

"We just went, 'Hold on a second - we've got to give ourselves a moment to think about this record and about how it relates to what's going on in the world,'" the guitarist said.

Guitarist also reveals status of band's upcoming 'Songs of Experience' LP and discusses rare songs fans might get to hear live

By Andy Greene, Rolling Stone

Since their formation in 1976, U2 have aggressively avoided any move that even hints at nostalgia. But this year they're going to finally look back by taking their 1987 masterpiece The Joshua Tree on tour in stadiums across America and Europe in honor of the album's 30th anniversary. It's a chance for the band to re-connect with fans after the rather disappointing reception to their 2014 LP Songs of Innocence, and it gives them a chance to hit the road while continuing to put the finishing touches on their upcoming album Songs of Experience. A couple of weeks before the shows were formally announced, U2 guitarist the Edge phoned up Rolling Stone to talk about the tour, reviving rare songs onstage, their next album, Donald Trump and much more.

Band will spend summer playing 1987 LP at stadiums across North America and Europe

By Andy Greene, Rolling Stone

U2 will celebrate the 30th anniversary of The Joshua Tree this year by performing the seminal 1987 album in its entirety at stadiums across America and Europe, including a stop at Bonnaroo. The festival slot will mark the group's first-ever headlining set at an U.S. festival. The tour - which features Mumford & Sons, The Lumineers and OneRepublic rotating as opening acts - kicks off May 12th at BC Place in Vancouver and wraps up July 1st at FirstEnergy Stadium in Cleveland before heading over to Europe for a run of eight shows with Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds.

U2: The Joshua Tree Tour 2017 will mark the group's first time playing a classic album in concert. They picked one packed with hits, including "Where The Streets Have No Name," "With or Without You" and "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For." For hardcore fans, the tour is an opportunity to hear rarely played deep cuts like "Exit," "Trip Through Your Wires" and "In God's Country." It will also feature the first live performance of "Red Hill Mining Town."