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"As a person, as a performer, you're looking for wholeness. On a spiritual level, I think that's God's design for us. And that often amounts to embracing contradictions." -- Bono, 2000 |
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"As a person, as a performer, you're looking for wholeness. On a spiritual level, I think that's God's design for us. And that often amounts to embracing contradictions." -- Bono, 2000 |
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Column: off the record..., vol. 9-350
@U2,
March 15, 2009
Well, what a week. Or rather, what weeks! U2 was in London for a week, on Letterman's show for a week, in LA, in Chicago, in Boston... The publicity engine is on a roll, and it has given us many great moments. I especially like the fact that the guys seem to really enjoy the ride and provide their fans with some hilarious moments. Even Larry took the time to give a short interview in New York and was clearly having a good time. Especially his response to the last question was priceless. But, of course, the biggest news was the tour announcement. Was that really only one week ago? It already feels like a lifetime to me. A lifetime of nervous jitters, that is. But in the end, it all went well. I have the tickets I wanted, which is in a large part thanks to my sister and a good friend, who exercised their index fingers frantically this week. ;-) Thanks guys! I'm sure I'm not the only U2 fan who'll be owing their friends and family these coming months for their help in the hunt for U2 tickets. For all those who have yet to get tickets, good luck and don't forget to have a look at @U2's ultimate guide to buying U2 tickets. However, regular U2 fans are unavoidably not the only people vying for tickets. Ticketing agencies and so-called fans that "unfortunately can't make it to the show" have already surfaced, asking obscene amounts of money for tickets. Earlier this week, some of the ticketing bureaus wanted to make people believe that they had "the last tickets" for U2's shows in Amsterdam, for instance, while they hadn't even gone on sale to the public yet. Others are selling their U2.com pre-sale codes on auction sites like eBay for as much as $1,000. Thankfully, U2.com stands up to them and asks fans to keep an eye out for pre-sale codes surfacing on auction sites. If you find any, you can report them in the U2.com forum. Meanwhile, U2 is doing some auctioning of their own: VIP tour packages are being sold to the highest bidders. Part of the proceeds will go to (RED), but the auction sites don't say how much. I think it's a good idea, but I do hope that the donation will be a significant amount, not just a symbolic one. The upcoming 360 tour marks the first time where sponsorship of U2's tour is very obvious. Paul McGuinness issued a statement to explain the choice of RIM: "This tour announcement marks the first stage of a relationship and shared vision between RIM and U2 that we expect will lead to new and innovative ways to enhance the mobile music experience on the BlackBerry platform for U2 fans." Of course, there was a lot of buzz in the media bout U2 having dropped Apple in favour of RIM. Let's have a look at some of the comments about the deal U2 made with Apple in 2004. Back then, the drive was mainly about innovation in the area of digital music. "We want our audience to have a more intimate online relationship with the band, and Apple can help us do that," Bono said at the time. Edge commented: "Because it's music, it felt very natural. It didn't feel conflicted at all. It felt like this is our culture, part of what we're doing." Hmm, I wonder what's so natural about RIM's sponsorship and what's in store for us. For we should notice the detail in McGuinness's announcement: the tour sponsorship is only "the first stage." Does that mean we can expect to see U2 BlackBerries in the near future? According to Explore Music, Bono hinted at something like that in a short interview in Boston last week. So... let the speculating begin! Less than four months' time until we get to see the real thing. And finally ... since U2 has a thing for fruity corporate deals, maybe the next deal will be with this company?
See ya next time... © @U2, 2009.
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