Bits & Bytes

A collection of the latest U2 news and announcements posted by our staff.

July Forum Recap

Only days away from the band taking the stage again, our forum members have been doing their best to burn off the excitement that comes with U2 being back on tour. Some of us have taken a moment to recall what our first U2 show was like. Others are thinking about other cultures by discussing their favorite foreign-language films. And of course, a fair number of us are chomping at the bit to see what the band will be including in their set list as they take to the stage. That discussion has already begun for the Turin show.

If you have a few moments to spare, we'd love to have you share your thoughts with the other forum members.

Rehearsals, Rumors, & More from Turin

Look, it's an Edge sighting outside Turin's Olympic Sports Hall:

That photo was taken by a fan that we believe is associated with U2place.com. (If said fan comes forward, we'll gladly give credit where it's due.) You can see this photo in full on Yfrog.com, along with a second photo taken at the same time. Here's what else is going on:

U2place.com reports that Edge, Adam, and Larry arrived at Olympic Stadium at around 6:00 pm local time on Thursday. There were no sightings of Bono. The band is believed to be rehearsing indoors at the Sports Hall, while Willie Williams and the crew do audio, video, and lighting work inside the stadium. You can see some new, nighttime Claw photos in this Facebook photo set. U2Italia.com says the stage lights went dark at about 11:45 pm local time tonight.

Rumor: Word on the street is that U2 have been shooting videos of some sort inside the Olympic Sports Hall since they arrived on Wednesday. It could be new video segments for use during the show ... or something else.

U2Italia.com reports that Bono will be interviewed Friday by Beppe Severgnini for the Italian TV show, Zona Severgnini. The interview is expected to air Sunday evening in Italy.

U2 in Turin, Rehearsing New Songs?

U2 has arrived in Turin and already rehearsed two new, never-before-heard songs at Olympic Stadium. That's the word from this article on Italian site U2place.com, which got the news from fans hanging around outside the stadium. The article says that Bono's voice and Edge's guitar were "readily recognizable" inside the stadium. Commentary: No doubt that U2 knows fans are listening outside the stadium and will spread news online about everything they hear/see. So, to begin day one of rehearsals with two new songs is a bit of a throw-down. It would've been quite easy and predictable to crank out "Get On Your Boots" and "Vertigo," but no.

UPDATE: U2place.com has now removed the mention of two new songs being rehearsed and says the fan reports are a bit confusing.

Fans outside the stadium also report that U2 is expected to move some of its rehearsals to the Palaisozaki, an indoor facility adjacent to Olympic Stadium. That'll give the band freedom to work on the show (presumably) out of fans' sight and sound. They did a similar thing last summer while rehearsing in Barcelona.

Claw is Built; U2 Expected Soon

U2 has apparently not arrived in Turin yet, but when they do, the U2 360 tour stage will be ready and waiting for them. U2place.com has posted three photos from inside Olympic Stadium. Here's one:

It looks like everything related to the Claw itself is done, except the video screen is missing. And the stage where the band and gear goes isn't there yet, either.

Meanwhile, U2Italia.com says that the band may not arrive in Turin until Thursday, and rehearsals could start on Friday.

Vintage U2

With over 6,000 items in our news archives, it's a safe bet you haven't read all of them! This month, we continue the look back at 1983.

Operation Uplift, Trouser Press

"There are few instruments that get across aggression as well as a distorted guitar; it's physically brutalizing. The power of a rock 'n' roll concert is that it stimulates you emotionally, as you follow the singer, and physically, as you dance and are hit by the music. It also has a cleansing effect; it's a great release."

Articulate Speech of the Heart, Hot Press

"I walked out of the backstage door in San Francisco and there were about 30 or 40 people waiting for a chat and for autographs, and I was scrawling my name on bits of paper as they were handed to me. I got this one piece of paper and was about to write on it and something in me said 'hold on a second.' The paper was folded and when I opened it, there was this big dogma thing looking for signatures -- I was about to sign my name on a petition to support some guy I'd never heard of....And I got worried at that stage."

U2 in America, Creem

Bono Vox is pondering the remainder of a nearly empty bottle in his hands. "You know," he says, holding the vessel at an arm's length, "touring can really turn you into an animal. You find yourself drinking maybe two or three bottles of Orange Crush a day."