|
 |
|
|
|
|
"We always encourage people interested in covering our songs, as long as they're not completely crap." -- Edge |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
"We always encourage people interested in covering our songs, as long as they're not completely crap." -- Edge |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
 |
 |
Inside Night One of 'U2 3 Nights Live'Hollywood Setting Delivers on Intimate Experience
@U2,
March 09, 2009
Sort-of-bad news: U2 didn't perform at Capitol Records in Hollywood during the first night of the band's U2 3 Nights Live radio broadcasts.
What-made-it-OK news: They entertained a crowd anyway -- in an intimate, Romper Room-like setting. And they do plan to perform live during the next two radio broadcast nights, in Chicago and Boston, possibly even offering "sporadic street performances." About 200 people sat on the carpeted floor, cross-legged, in a recording studio at Capitol Records to see and hear Bono, Edge, Adam and Larry interviewed, in tall chairs set up right in front of the audience, for one hour by Shirley Manson, lead singer of Garbage. The interview aired live on radio stations around North America starting at 9 p.m. EDT. About half the people there (wearing green wristbands) were lucky fans from around the country who won tickets to see the event in person. The rest (with red wristbands) were radio promoters and people from the record label, reporters, music-industry folks and their guests. Bono gave a shout-out to a few people in the room, including manager Paul McGuinness, Interscope chairman Jimmy Iovine and Los Angeles Times writer Robert Hilburn. The interview started off with only three U2 Musketeers: Bono, Edge and Adam. Larry, who wasn't feeling well, arrived for about the last 15 minutes, cheerful but a little pale. Jennifer Vertican of Huntington Beach, Calif., and her brother Nick, who won tickets from Los Angeles radio station STAR 98.7, said the winners met at the Rennaissance Hotel in Hollywood earlier in the afternoon and took two shuttles to Capitol Records, where they waited outside until being let in to the studio. During the interview, during which Edge surprisingly got in about as much talk time as Bono (Adam was his usual endearing, quiet self), the band answered questions interspersed with songs played from No Line on the Horizon. Note: Very few listening experiences will compare to listening to NLOTH on the equipment in a Capitol Records studio (my pitiful iPod earbuds need a major sound boost now). The band talked about NLOTH being more experimental than the previous two albums, and the new, very effective experience of including Daniel Lanois and Brian Eno as songwriters for the album. Bono said the band has "two instincts" that are polar opposites: to "experiment and be outside ourselves" and to "be ourselves." When the two are balanced, "we're at our best," he said. During commercials and while the songs played over the air ("No Line on the Horizon," "Magnificent," "Moment of Surrender," "Unknown Caller," "I'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight"), the band chatted among themselves and bantered with the fans in the audience, who called out a few comments and questions but were mostly a quiet, tame bunch. Often while the music was playing, the guys just listened themselves and seemed very into the songs -- closing their eyes, nodding their heads, tapping their legs. Bono mouthed a few vocals and, in a nod to Adam, pointed out the bass line several times. (Before that, Adam had blushed and tried to deflect attention when answering a question from Manson about being the "star" of the new album.) They also talked about the Fez recording sessions, the just-announced 360-degree tour set-up ("It's never been done before the way we're going to do it," Bono said) and their "soft spot" for Los Angeles. Answering a question from an audience member, they said the Red Rocks concert in Denver was probably their favorite "rock experience." The recent pre-inaugural concert for Barack Obama rated high as well. When asked where the band would go next for album musical inspiration, a la Fez, Bono replied, "We seem to like places that are crossroads, places where different cultures meet, whether that's Miami, South America, the Caribbean, Cuba, Sarajevo, Berlin." He then asked if the audience had "any suggestions for where we should go next?" At the end of the interview, off the air, those with green wristbands were allowed to surge forward to get autographs, photos, hugs, etc. from the band for about 10 minutes. Edge even came down and walked around on the floor. Outside afterward, Southern California fans who didn't win tickets to the interview waited, hoping the band might perform on the roof of Capitol Records or some other outdoor location, but despite the relatively balmy weather (somewhat chilly for Los Angeles, but way warmer than London), the band took off without playing. Perhaps I should have been disappointed, too, but it's really hard to complain when I just had the privilege of sitting for an hour close enough to see Adam's shoes, observe Edge nudge his bandmates, and make eye contact with Bono and watch him mouth the lyric "only love" as "Magnificent" played. It was Romper Room for adults. © @U2/Lindell, 2009.
|
|
|
||||||
|
||||||||
