U2's Larry Mullen Jr. Heads to Cannes as the 'Man on the Train'

The drummer is about to take a turn in the spotlight as a star, producer and composer of the crime drama.

 When it comes to U2's public face, it's usually Bono and The Edge in the spotlight. But Larry Mullen Jr. -- one of the band's "quiet ones" -- is about to take a turn.
The drummer is set to make his film debut as a star, producer and composer of the crime drama Man on the Train, which Sierra / Affinity and Preferred Content will be selling in Cannes next month. The film also stars Donald Sutherland, Graham Greene, Tony Nardi, Carlo Rota and Kate O'Toole in an adaptation of Patrice Leconte's 2002 film L'Homme du Train, about a retired small town school-teacher (Sutherland) prepping for open-heart surgery who crosses paths with a stranger (Mullen Jr.) planning to rob the local bank.
Mary McGuckian (The Bridge of San Luis Rey) directed the film and produced with Mullen Jr. and Martin Katz. Jon Goodman served as executive producer. The film is an Irish-Canadian co-production produced in association with Windmill Lane Pictures in Ireland and Maple Pictures in Canada.

source : http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/

U2.COM : Next Up - Mexico!

Thirteen years ago Mexico City was the scene of a legendary live show by U2.

PopMart was the tour, and that 'sci-fi disco supermarket' was caught for ever in the live DVD PopMart (Live From Mexico City).

One of the stand-out tracks on the 2007 tour was Even Better Than The Real Thing, recently reimagined to open the U2 360° in South America.

Here's what Even Better Than The Real Thing was like on PopMart.

Bono battles to save troubled 'Spider-Man' with drastic revamp

U2 frontman Bono is on his way to New York to perform a drastic revamp on the troubled 'Spider-Man' musical which has already cost $70m (€49.1m).
After a critical mauling, the lights have gone out on 'Spider-Man: Turn off the Dark' for the next three weeks while rehearsals begin for a new version of the show.
The production is the most expensive Broadway show ever staged, and despite a record 140 previews, it has never officially opened. It has been plagued by technical problems and producers are now putting the finishing touches to a revised version of the show, which they hope will be more crowd-pleasing and easier to understand.

Stories About Boys

Four of U2's original inner circle recall the band's eventful early days in Dublin.

Frank Kearns (Frankie Corpse & The Undertakers, The Modulators, Cactus World News)

Larry Mullen was my mate when I was in Mount Temple. When he was having the guys around the kitchen for that very first audition I was hanging around. We'd sit down and watch them come in and they'd practice, playing songs like Peter Frampton's 'Show Me The Way'. The guys were playing songs they could play easily. Then somebody brought in a distortion pedal and they played 'The Boys Are Back In Town' which I thought was brilliant.

U2's secret '"concert" in Brazil!

April 14, 2011 at Sao Paulo, Brazil

Venue: Bar Secreto

Main Set: Let's Dance, Miss You, The Wild Rover, Psycho Killer

Comments: Bono, Edge, and Larry sing a few songs at a party in the early morning hours following the last show of U2's South American tour. We're not sure the order of songs. Larry sings The Wild Rover a cappella. Edge sings Let's Dance with Larry and Dom (from Muse) on drums, and sings Miss You with local guitarists. Bono sings Psycho Killer also with Larry and Dom on drums. It's part of a regular Wednesday event at the bar called 'This Is Not A Karaoke' where real musicians play while song lyrics show on a screen in front of the singer.

source : http://www.u2tours.com/

Bono's daughter Eve set for Cannes debut

BONO's daughter Eve Hewson will join Hollywood veterans Sean Penn and Frances McDormand in the French Riviera next month after the Irish-made film 'This Must Be The Place' was chosen to compete at the 64th Cannes Film Festival.
The film will compete for the coveted Palme d'Or with 19 other films in the Official Competition -- regarded as the most prestigious category.
The so-called "indie" film co-stars Talking Heads frontman David Byrne, Hollywood actor Judd Hirsch and Irish actor Simon Delaney. Directed by the Italian Paolo Sorrentino, it stars Penn as a fading 50-year-old Goth rock star living off his royalties in Dublin.
Eve Hewson (19) co-stars as a young Goth punk fan who befriends Penn.
And despite her famous father's Hollywood connections, it was her talents alone that landed her the role, said Dublin-based Element Pictures producer Ed Guiney.
"She auditioned along with a lot of other people but it was utterly on her own merits that she got the role," he told the Irish Independent last night.

- Allison Bray

source : http://www.independent.ie/

Adela Micha interviews U2 (Part 2)

Adela Micha interviews U2 (Part 1)

Bono sings 'Psycho Killer' in secret bar, Sao Paulo!

U2 & Seu Jorge São Paulo 2011-04-13 The Model

U2.COM : Nominated!

U2.com has been  nominated both for The Webby Award and for The Webby People's Choice Award - and that's where you come in!

If you appreciate U2.com for keeping you up to speed with what the band are up to and helping connect the online community of fans worldwide, add your support.

Visit the Webby site here.

When you register with a username and password, they instantly send you a link to confirm your account.

Click on that and you’re in: look for the Celebrity/Fan category and vote for U2.Com.

Thanks!

U2.COM : Out Of Control in Sao Paulo

Subscribers Special: In Sao Paulo Adam sat down and explained to us how surprisingly easy it was to bring the band's first ever single back into the show.

'Those songs from that first album era, and up to about 'War', a long time ago, they are the ones you remember easiest.'

U2.COM : 'This Show Will Last For Ever'

'Tonight is our last night in South America and we wanted to remember this,' said Bono after Until The End of the World. 'So we're going out live on radio and online across the whole of your mesmerising continent as an excuse so we can have the record of this show. This show will last for ever.'

And for another capacity crowd at this third and final night at the Morumbi Stadium in Sao Paulo, as well as those listening online and on the radio in Venezuela, Peru Colombia, Ecuador, Chile, Argentina, Brazil - and all those tuning in worldwide on U2.com - this was surely a night we won't forget.

U2 setlist - April 13, 2011 at Sao Paulo, Brazil

Venue: Morumbi Stadium

Opening Act(s): Muse

Main Set: Even Better Than The Real Thing, I Will Follow, Get On Your Boots, Magnificent, Mysterious Ways, Elevation, Until the End of the World - He's Got the Whole World In His Hands, I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For, Pride, The Model, Beautiful Day - Gracias a la Vida, Miss Sarajevo, Zooropa, City of Blinding Lights, Vertigo - It's Only Rock and Roll, I'll Go Crazy (remix) - Relax - Two Tribes, Sunday Bloody Sunday, Scarlet, Walk On - You'll Never Walk Alone

Encore(s): One, All I Want Is You - Where the Streets Have No Name, Hold Me Thrill Me Kiss Me Kill Me, With or Without You, Moment of Surrender

Comments: Brazilian singer Seu Jorge joins Bono to sing a cover of Kraftwerk's 'The Model' with Edge on acoustic guitar. During the intro to Beautiful Day, a fan comes on stage and recites the lyrics in Portuguese. Bono struggles with his voice during parts of the show, and asks the audience to help sing during I'll Go Crazy. Bono again dedicates Moment of Surrender to the children who died in last week's school shooting in Rio. Steve Lillywhite is at the show.

source : http://www.u2tours.com/

U2.COM : Moment of Surrender [video]

U2.COM : 'Slide Down The Surface of Things'

Give me one more chance, and you'll be satisfied.
Give me two more chances, you won't be denied.

It came from nowhere to open the show and here it is live from Sao Paulo on the second night in Brazil - 'Even Better Than The Real Thing'.

U2.COM : Live From South America

The band bid farewell to South America this Wednesday with a live audio webcast of the third show from Sao Paulo.

The show will be free on the web and terrestrial radio in South America and worldwide to U2.com subscribers.

U2 fans across South America can follow the U2360° show from  Morumbi Stadium in Sao Paulo via Terra u2.sonora.terra.com.br and also on radio in Brazil on OiFM.

U2.COM : Zooropa in Sao Paulo

The heavens opened and drenched everyone ahead of the band taking the stage for the second night in Sao Paulo but this turned out to be a memorable night for all kinds of other reasons.
'Real Thing' opened the show and then, 'for special reasons, this is our first single' announced Bono as  the band broke into a surprise that  sounded as fresh and fierce as the day of its release in 1979.
'I had the feeling it was out of control
I was of the opinion it was out of control....'

U2 - Sao Paulo 2011-04-10 Zooropa, EBTTRT, Out Of Control [videos]

U2 setlist : April 10, 2011 at Sao Paulo, Brazil

Venue: Morumbi Stadium

Opening Act(s): Muse

Main Set: Even Better Than the Real Thing, Out of Control, Get On Your Boots, Magnificent, Mysterious Ways, Elevation, Until the End of the World, I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For, Pride, North Star, Beautiful Day - Singing in the Rain, Miss Sarajevo, Zooropa, City of Blinding Lights, Vertigo, I'll Go Crazy (remix), Sunday Bloody Sunday, Scarlet, Walk On - You'll Never Walk Alone

Encore(s): One, Amazing Grace - Where the Streets Have No Name, Ultraviolet, With or Without You, Moment of Surrender

Comments: Out of Control is played for the first time since Dec. 4, 2006. Zooropa is played for the fourth time ever, and the first since Aug. 12, 1993. Moment of Surrender is dedicated to the victims of the recent school shooting in Rio de Janeiro; their names show on the screen as U2 performs the final song. With tonight's show, U2's 360 tour becomes the highest-grossing tour of all-time, surpassing the $558 million dollars that the Rolling Stones' 'A Bigger Bang' tour earned.

source : http://www.u2tours.com/

U2.COM : On The Way To Estadio Morumbi

U2.COM : 'Tonight is Saturday in Sao Paulo...'

'Trem das Onze', a samba composition by Adoniran Barbosa, was playing ahead of the band's arrival on stage tonight. It's one of the most famous of all Brazilian songs but when it gave way to 'Space Oddity' finally Brazil knew that U2 were heading to the stage and before we knew it we were all caught up in 'Even Better Than The Real Thing'.

'Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo...' Bono sang, the whole stadium grateful that there was no rain coming down as the first of three shows here got underway. 'Even Better', already in contention for the best opening track of the tour to date, led into I Will Follow and then 'Boots, two tracks written thirty years apart but you'd never know it from the reaction of this super-passionate audience. Phenomenal sound from all around.

U2 setlist : April 09, 2011 at Sao Paulo, Brazil

Venue: Morumbi Stadium

Opening Act(s): Muse

Main Set: Even Better Than The Real Thing, I Will Follow, Get On Your Boots, Magnificent, Mysterious Ways, Elevation, Until the End of the World, I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For, Happy Birthday, Stuck In a Moment, Beautiful Day, In A Little While, Miss Sarajevo, City of Blinding Lights, Vertigo, I'll Go Crazy (remix), Sunday Bloody Sunday, Scarlet, Walk On - You'll Never Walk Alone

Encore(s): One, Help - Where the Streets Have No Name, Hold Me Thrill Me Kiss Me Kill Me, With or Without You, Moment of Surrender

Comments: Bono leads the crowd in singing Happy Birthday for Julian Lennon, who's at the show. Later, he brings a fan on stage before Beautiful Day and she recites some kind of poem/message, then gets a kiss from Bono. Setlist above is likely missing at least a few snippets. Will be updated as we learn more.

source : http://www.u2tours.com/

U2.COM : Touchdown in Sao Paulo

Did you get Bono's autograph? Or to shake the hand of The Edge ?

It's been five years since U2 were last here and Brazil's most passionate fans were out in force to greet the band as they arrived in Sao Paulo.

'Phenomenal' response to U2's musical education initiative

A €7 million initiative part-funded by U2 to promote musical education in Ireland has attracted a "phenomenal" response, its organisers said.
Music Generation, the national music education programme for young people, received expressions of interest from all 34 local authorities.
Of those, 23 followed up with costed proposals to receive funding in the first round which will be announced next month. Many applied for the full amount of €200,000.

U2.COM : Meeting The President

Flying in to Brazil today, the band met with President Dilma Rousseff at her official residence, the Palacio da Alvorada.

Visiting a chapel at the residence and sharing lunch, they expressed their sympathy over the tragic events in Rio and discussed how the world could learn from Brazil's achievements in fighting poverty.

'She has great passion as an anti-poverty campaigner,' said Bono. 'And is proud of Brazil's achievements in poverty reduction, although impatient about their need to achieve more.
'We also talked about corruption and the inspiring Ficha Limpa campaign in Brazil. I asked her to support the ONE campaign's call for transparency in the way that global gas and mining companies operate. The band and I appreciated her giving us so much of her valuable time.'

The band's arrival was greeted by passionate Brazilian fans who've been camped outside the residence for days. There was also a chance to take in the architecture of Oscar Niemeyer who designed the residence and much of the city.  Later the band flew on to Sao Paulo to begin rehearsals for Saturdays' opening show in the country.

U2 set to break Rolling Stones record

Band's '360' tour is set to gross more than $700 million (£428 million)

U2 are set to make history on Sunday (April 10) when their '360' world tour becomes the highest-grossing tour of all time.

The band are playing in Sao Paolo, at the Morumbi Stadium that night. Following the performance their tour will have grossed over $558 million (£341 million).

This surpasses the record set by The Rolling Stones for their 2005-07 tour 'A Bigger Bang.'

According to Billboard, when the tour finishes in Nebraska on July 30, it will have grossed more than $700 million (£428 million).

During their '360' tour U2 have played to an average crowd of 63,600 and grossed $6.4 million (£3.9 million) per show.

The tour began in 2009 in Barcelona and it has since visited over 30 countries.

U2 headline Glastonbury this June.

source : http://www.nme.com/

U2 working on "futuristic" album

RedOne has revealed that U2's next album will have a "futuristic" sound.

The hit producer, who has previously worked with Lady GaGa and Nicole Scherzinger, admitted that he is still experimenting with the band for their 13th studio record, but said frontman Bono is hoping to create a "sci-fi" theme for the opus.

"We've put down a few ideas, but we don't know how many will end up on there," he told Billboard.

"They have a very special way of working. A song is never done until the day before it comes out almost, so you never know. They're always experimenting, so it's not like, 'OK, we're finished'. It's still an ongoing process."

He continued: "Bono described [the album as] futuristic. U2 going sci-fi, or something. That's how he described it, but I don't know."

Asked about his approach to making music with the band, he admitted: "I'm a guitar player, so it was just me and Bono and Edge playing guitar, exchanging melodies. We were just like musicians jamming. I loved it."

U2 are scheduled to headline this year's Glastonbury alongside Beyoncé and Coldplay.
source :  http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/

U2.COM : U2360° Goodbye Argentina [video]

U2.COM : Wide Awake In Buenos Aires [video]

'Into the night, and through the rain
Into the half light and through the flame...'

In the canon of legendary U2 songs, 'Bad', from 1984's The Unforgettable Fire, has a special place.

On U2360 it's appearance has been rare, unpredictable... and breathtaking. So it was in the half-light and rain of Buenos Aires on April 3rd, 2011, when we captured this performance for our U2.com subscribers.

U2.COM : Follow The Shows in Sao Paulo

Got tickets for the shows in Sao Paulo ? Planning to follow online? Here's how.


If you want to follow the build up to the shows in Sao Paulo this week, take a look at this thread and join the chat.

U2.com Subscribers might like to check in on this thread for live updates from fans at the shows   as it all happens.

On each show day, open another window for the home page of our Community area and join fans tweeting from the show and others following online.

If you're tweeting from - or about - the show, use the hashtag #U2360BRA or #U2360SAM - that way we can feature your updates in our rolling feed.

U2.COM : Until The End of The World - Buenos Aires 2 [video]

U2.COM : 'Let Me Be Your Lover Tonight...' [video]

'Give me one more chance and you'll be satisfied...'

On the first night in Buenos Aires the band surprised everyone by opening the show with a remixed edition of a dance-floor classic from Achtung Baby.

From rehearsals in an empty stadium to the opening of the show, U2.com followed the band as 'Even Better Than The Real Thing' got everybody in the groove in Argentina.

U2.COM : 'Argentina, Argentina...'

Thunder and lightning set a dramatic scene for tonight's final date in Buenos Aires. The Argentine national anthem was followed on the stadium sound system by Soda Stereo, another tribute to Gustavo Cerati, and just as we were expecting the new show opener... we didn't get it.

There's nothing predictable about this show. Tonight The Return of The Stingray Guitar was back to announce the arrival of the band on stage with Bono singing 'Argentina, Argentina...' as the unreleased track segued into Beautiful Day. They were among the first of five changes to the show including the return of Pride and, for the first time in 2011, to Bad.

U2.COM : 'We're late, let's go!'

U2 setlist : April 03, 2011 at La Plata, Argentin

Venue: Unico Stadium

Opening Act(s): Muse

Main Set: Return of the Stingray Guitar, Beautiful Day - Rain, I Will Follow, Get On Your Boots, Even Better Than the Real Thing, Mysterious Ways, Elevation, Until the End of the World, I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For, Solo le Pido a Dios, Pride, Bad, In A Little While, Miss Sarajevo, City of Blinding Lights, Vertigo, Funky Town - I'll Go Crazy (remix) - Two Tribes, Sunday Bloody Sunday, Scarlet, Walk On - You'll Never Walk Alone

Encore(s): One, Mothers of the Disappeared - Where the Streets Have No Name, Hold Me Thrill Me Kiss Me Kill Me, With or Without You, Moment of Surrender

Comments: Argentine singer Leon Gieco joins Bono & Edge to sing a brief version of his most famous song, Solo le Pido a Dios. Gieco takes the lead while Bono plays and sings with him. Bad is performed for the first time in 2011. Magnificent is dropped, making this the first U2 360 show in which it's not played, and the first U2 360 show with only three songs from No Line On The Horizon.

U2.COM : Police Escort, Buenos Aires [video]

U2 - Even Better Than The Real Thing - La Plata [Proshot]

U2.COM : 'Tonight is Saturday Night'

 
Even before the band arrived on stage tonight, we had a great ovation from another full house when over the PA came a track by Soda Stereo, the Argentinian band led by Gustavo Cerotti, now hospitalised in a coma, and to whom Bono paid tribute at the opening show on Thursday.

Even Better Than The Real Thing again signalled the arrival of U2 onstage and what an inspired choice it's turning out to be as a show opener - everyone in the groove from the off. It closed with Edge making his way to the piano which almost certainly meant that New Year's Day was back in the show - and it was, to universal delight. Adam Clayton was introduced for the uninitiated, along with The Edge ('On guitar and everything else...') and Larry Mullen Jr ('On drums and everything else...')

U2 setlist - April 02, 2011 at La Plata, Argentina

Venue: Unico Stadium

Opening Act(s): Muse

Main Set: Even Better Than The Real Thing, New Year's Day, Get On Your Boots, Until the End of the World, Magnificent, Mysterious Ways, Elevation, I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For - Stand By Me, Stuck in a Moment, Beautiful Day - Gracias a la Vida, In a Little While, Miss Sarajevo, City of Blinding Lights, Vertigo - It's Only Rock and Roll, I'll Go Crazy (remix) - Two Tribes, Sunday Bloody Sunday, Scarlet, Walk On - You'll Never Walk Alone

Encore(s): One, Amazing Grace - Where the Streets Have No Name, Ultraviolet, With or Without You, Moment of Surrender

Comments: The last song before 'Space Oddity' tonight is by Gustavo Cerati's band, Soda Stereo - continuing the dedication that Bono did a couple nights ago. There's a tribute to Argentine singer Mercedes Sosa before Beautiful Day, which prompts Bono to sing a Gracias de la Vida - a song by Violet Parra.