[Originally published in Flux]

Things could have turned out a lot differently for The Airborne Toxic Event’s lead singer Mikel Jollett, if three years ago he hadn’t had the worst week of his life. In a single week, while working on his novel, he found out that his mother had been diagnosed with cancer, his girlfriend dumped him and he was diagnosed with an auto-immune disease which left him with Alopecia areata and Vitiligo.

It was at some point during that week, or in the surrounding weeks, that Mikel turned his attention to songwriting for the first time, putting his career as a music journalist and novelist on hiatus.

“I think it sort of gets played up about what happened that week, as if it was some sort of lightning,” Mikel explains. “It was more like I had been playing a little bit of music, and then I kind of started playing a little bit more music and then I kind of started playing a lot of music. It really wasn’t an overnight kind of thing…
“I heard it differently in my head, I can’t explain why. I had spent a long time home recording and playing songs, literally years playing songs alone before I had that ambition [to record an album].”

While the band has already begun preparing songs for their next record, Mikel acknowledges the incredible differences between where they are now and when they were beginning recording on their first album.

“This record, we made over two years ago at our friend’s house and we didn’t have a label, we didn’t have a manager, a producer. We just went to our friend’s living room, like sat on his fireplace recording guitars or whatever. And you can even hear Korean radio in the background. We were just a local band who was playing shows and we recorded the songs that we were doing live. We didn’t have a whole lot of big plans for it.”

But for the band, their success has been almost overnight. By August 2008, they had released their self-titled debut album, and at the start of 2009 Island Records, who primarily sign hip-hop acts, took on the band.

Up until that point, the band had been on the Majordomo label, a small indie imprint label. But not much has changed with the move.

“Well, it was a lot harder to get hookers on an indie label,” he jokes. “With the major labels, every morning when you wake up you got three hookers and blow just waiting for you, so it’s rad, much much better. You get to strangle puppies and kill young children. And also, you think Satan is a dick but when you meet him he’s actually a pretty good guy.”

But being one of the only indie rock bands on a label that boasts names like Jay-Z and Kanye West has been surreal for the group.

“They’re sort of charmed by us, we’re like ‘the little band that could’. It’s like ‘these little indie rock fuckers, what the fuck’. Compared to, like, Beyoncé they’re just like ‘aw how cute they’re playing for 2000 people, how adorable. They just think it’s funny.”

The band take their name from the Don DeLillo novel White Noise, which explores the media saturation and consumerist culture of the mid-to-late twentieth century. It’s fitting then that Mikel is vexed, he says, by the focus of the media on unimportant aspects of musician’s lives.

“As much as people make hay about the Jack White/Meg White [of The White Stripes] relationship, whether they’re brother and sister or husband and wife or, you know, what goes on behind closed doors, and this thing or that thing. Or why The Strokes wear what they wear. So much ink is spilt about all these things which are just bullshit, it doesn’t matter. What matters is honest bands and worthwhile songwriting.”

This time last year, Pitchfork Media delivered a damning review to the band’s debut, awarding it just 1.6 out of 10. The band, Mikel says, don’t give much weight to reviews like this, and prefer to leave it up to the listeners to judge for themselves.

“Most of the press that we’ve gotten has been positive. Up until that point we were given the moniker critic’s darling. No one reads a critic and says ‘hey, that’s what that sounds like’. They go and they listen and they decide for themselves.”

The band have attracted fans such as U2’s Adam Clayton, who selected their single Sometime Around Midnight as one of his favourite of 2008. And Jollett is full of mutual praise for the Irish, but not so much for the English – or at least the English press culture.

“Irish people are more like Americans than English people,” Jollett declares. “In English culture, you can like change a keyboard or a guitar sound 3% and someone will write like a 10,000 word essay on why you made that decision and how it relates to the fall of you know, the British empire in India or some bullshit. It’s just like incestuous masturbatory press culture in England.

In Ireland, people want to hear fuckin’ rock ‘n’ roll shows, and if you play a show, they want to hear it and they want to be part of it. I shouldn’t say that about all English people, but I mean English press are just fuckin’ stupid. Saying that is probably a good way to curry favour with Irish journalists, but I think everybody knows it.”

The band play Dublin’s The Academy on November 11, part of their international tour. Following the tour and the new album, or indeed at some distant point in the future, Mikel also hopes to complete his novel, which is “about halfway done” and has sat unfinished since the inception of the band in 2006.

“I really want to sit alone in a cabin and finish this novel. It’s up there in things I want do in my life like plant a tree, father a child, that kind of thing. I just haven’t been able to ‘cos we’ve been touring. I feel like I’ve been caught up in this whirlwind, a vortex just came and like picked me up and then like took me away, and my life suddenly is doing all this other stuff, you know.”

It’s been a busy year for the band in all respects, and like any new indie band, they have drawn comparisons to other similar bands at every turn. They are conscious, however, not to get bigheaded. Jollett, at least, holds bands like The Arcade Fire and The White Stripes on a pedestal, and considers any comparisons a major compliment.

“I don’t think we deserve to be in that bracket, at least not yet. Maybe we will some day, but it’s sort of like if you play like the lead in the school play when you’re nine years old and you’re playing the carrot. And you do a really good job playing a carrot, and someone says, ‘You’re going to win an Oscar!’ I mean, you might, but between playing the carrot when you’re nine years old and winning an Oscar there’s years and years of creativity, dedication and hard work required. We’re just a new band on our first record so I think it’s premature.”

A coluna Diário da Fonte, da Sonia Racy, publicada nesta quarta-feira no Estadão dá conta que o U2 confirmou que vem ao Brasil em 2010, com a “360º Tour“. Os irlandeses teriam fechado contrato com a produtora Live Nation para quatro apresentações em Terra Brasilis, três em Sampa e uma no Rio. A declaração é atribuída a Jânio Quadros Neto, consultor e amigo pessoal de Bono Vox. Segundo a jornalista, só o palco da nova turnê do grupo, que faz giros completos no local dos shows, está orçado em US$ 12 milhões.

So as of late it’s been a sincere discussion and thought process to me to really examine all that goes into music in worship, and this being general in some manner and particular to me as well. I don’t think that there is a hard and fast exact way that all of the different styles and expressions of worship in music can be reconciled or objectively decided upon because style, Biblically, has little to do with it. Biblically it comes down to “worship in spirit and in truth”. I want to set that aside as the definite and, not taken for granted, but as the foundation of any other thing that would follow.
I have been struggling with some stylistic elements of Awaken as far as making things not too entertaining that people would focus on the created rather than the Creator in worship. I read a quote today that I want to just throw out there as another step in my thinking, and don’t judge me because it comes from a member of my favorite band U2. It is relevant because when you look at what they are doing with their current tour, which is the largest tour in history, it does make me wonder why? Adam Clayton said this in the October 15th issue of Rolling Stone, “Somebody asked us last night, ‘Do you need this stuff?’ And the truth is, you don’t really need this stuff. But part of the show business is you have to change people’s perceptions, you have to find ways to make the songs touch people more, to disorientate people so they’re more open to being touched.”
Now I know that you scholars out there are already thinking, “Church is not show business” I’m not saying that it is in any way. I’m agreeing with that statement in maybe restating it like this, “do we need all of the lights, smoke, screens, speakers, instruments, logos, etc…NO. we don’t need it. Christ is completely sufficient, but part of the spread of the gospel is that you have to change people’s perceptions of the Jesus and the local church, we have to find ways to make the gospel touch more people, to disorientate people, to un-program the bad programming, the prejudice, the ignorance, the bias so they’re more open to being touched.
The “stuff” of modern worship is part of the front door for the unchurched and the dechurched. The “stuff” is a catalyst not only for the those two types of people but also for the devoted follower of Jesus as long as the “stuff” has a clear and definite purpose of expressing the truth of gospel in a way that makes it more clear than it would have been in spoken word alone. I think about why Jesus taught in more than one place. He didn’t get all of his apostles together and say, “ok lets get our place together and get folks in here.” He taught on mountainsides, and houses and in synagogues, by the roadside, the waterside, he brought the setting of creation into the environment of teaching. We have a chance once a week where “the masses” will gather. We have our chance to express the truth of the gospel in word, song, and image. The Holy Spirit will move sometimes in spite of our efforts but I’d rather be making a place of worship that is completely about Him where He is working through our efforts.
The church is a place of worship for the believers, yes, but also an open door for the hurting and nonbeliever. The preaching of the gospel must be happening outside the walls of the church building as well.
So let me be clear about what I’m not saying. I’m not saying that this subject is the most important thing pressing the modern church today. I’m not saying that doing one way over another is correct. I am saying that with the foundation of exalting Christ above all else I’m leaning toward wanting to use all assets afforded me to purposefully point all worshipper’s hearts to Christ.

In 2005, I saw U2 during their Vertigo Tour at Twickenham Stadium along with 70,000 other people, and it was phenomenal.

This past weekend, I got to see U2 during their 360 Tour at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena along with 96,000 other people, and it was OUT OF THIS WORLD.

The setlist:

• Breathe
• Get On Your Boots
• Magnificent
• Mysterious Ways
• Beautiful Day / In God’s Country / God Only Knows / The Maker
• I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For / Stand By Me
• Stuck in a Moment You Can’t Get Out Of
• No Line on the Horizon
• Elevation
• In A Little While
• Unknown Caller
• Until the End of the World
• The Unforgettable Fire
• City of Blinding Lights
• Vertigo / It’s Only Rock ‘n’ Roll (But I Like It)
• I’ll Go Crazy If I Don’t Go Crazy Tonight / Two Tribes
• Sunday Bloody Sunday
• MLK
• Walk On / You’ll Never Walk Alone
• One / Amazing Grace
• Where the Streets Have No Name
• Ultraviolet (Light My Way)
• With or Without You
• Moment of Surrender

Here are a few pics from the evening, and below is the concert in full as streamed on YouTube.

U2 show in 25.10.09 – 583mb – mp4 – x264

LINKS DOWNLOAD

1. http://rapidshare.com/files/298843936/u2.youtube.show.mp4.part1.rar
2. http://rapidshare.com/files/298853706/u2.youtube.show.mp4.part2.rar
3. http://rapidshare.com/files/298862551/u2.youtube.show.mp4.part3.rar

Not to be a jerk, but Adam Clayton (bassist for U2… i.e. guy with the easiest job in the world) has a serious clam in the U2 Rose Bowl Youtube broadcast. Check out 17:30 on the video. Bummer man. Right after his huge rock star pose too (17:20). Apparently playing the main bass line in the CHORUS of a song you play every night while walking across a stage bridge is too difficult even for Adam Clayton.

Seriously though, the rest of the show is great.  The broadcast was live this past Sunday night, but the video (all 2.5 hours of it) is still up on U2’s youtube channel.  Well worth the time, and I don’t know how long it will be there, being that the “normal” youtube video is 9 minutes max.

That was the gift that was given me last night.

No, not the actual guitar. Being that close to that guitar. If the gift had been the actual guitar, that means that Edge and I would really have gone out for frozen yogurt. And I suppose then, to have given me that guitar, he would have had to have been really impressed by my knowledge of tone. And both of those things are of course, almost incomplete impossibilities. I really enjoy U2’s music; so I like to joke around about my obsession with them. But hopefully it’s clear that when I say things like, ‘I hope I meet Edge at True Tone’, I’m not actually expecting to meet Edge at True Tone. It just makes for much more fun and conversation-spurring posts. And I tend to like fun and conversation. At the very least, it’s a bit more fun (in my very humble opinion) than throwing up a twitter: ‘gearin’ up for the U2 show.’ I like to keep it interesting.

But in all seriousness, U2 is an experience. And I know that sounds kitsch and over the top if you don’t like them, and have never been to one of their shows. I’ve heard that said over and over again, and I thought I understood it. I’ve got the dvd’s of previous tours, and watch them a fair amount. But when I got there, and stood in front of Edge’s amps as he drove out perfect note after perfect note on ‘Breathe’, taking a rather normal base chord structure to levels you wouldn’t think it could go to, and as Bono quite literally sang his heart out, and 97,000 people for just 2 hours got to drop their learned inhibitions and allow songs to take them somewhere they might not otherwise be able to go……as over the top as it might sound, it is a spiritual experience.

So as much as I joke about the night not being fulfilled until security escorts me out for trying too hard to touch Edge, Bono, Larry, Adam, or even one of the stage crew, once you get there, it’s just about letting yourself go. Now, U2 is not for everybody. They’re obviously for a lot of people, but not for everybody. But I can pretty much guarantee you that if you were to go to a live show of theirs, and leave any preconceived notions at the door, you would at the very least feel something. Something you weren’t expecting. For me, U2 has a way of lending these orchestrations with the perfect mix of countering yet simplistic lines, to support a melody that aches and yearns as much as it gives joy. In fact, the joy probably comes out of the ache. And they do it with power and with passion, and it sings to people. Not to everyone, but to at least 97,000 people last evening at the Rose Bowl. To be able to sing with my wife with tears in our eyes during ‘City of Blinding Lights’. To be able to be crushed by 2490 fans in the inner circle jumping to ‘No Line on the Horizon’ as I in turn crush the 10 in front of me. To sing ‘No more!’ until you think you’re going to collapse, but it’s okay because thousands of other people from 5 years old to 65 years old are singing the same thing with the same intensity around you. And of course, to almost be able to touch Edge’s guitar when he leaned over the rail. And above absolutely everything else, to hear the untouched and pre-mic’d tone directly from his amps. Not to sound overly sentimental (as if the last few sentences didn’t take care of that already), but it was a special couple days.

So, the last post lays out everything in chronological order. If you didn’t read that one, I’ll give you the cliff notes here: we waited in a 2500 person mob for 12 hours, there was a stampede, and we ended up getting spots in the one place that mattered most. The inner circle, about 10 feet from the stage, directly in front of Edge’s amps. The sound system was incredible, but if I’m going to be there, I’m going to need some stage volume. I wanted to hear some of Edge’s tone from his own speakers. And it was glorious.

Here’s where we were, and the opening of the first song. And by the way, if you hadn’t heard, they not only filmed this concert in Pasadena for a dvd, but they broadcast it live over youtube; and as of now, you can still watch the re-broadcast. Way better quality than my little camera. But we still took just a couple videos for mementos. Here’s some pics, and the end of the opening song (and me screaming…just a little bit loudly):

(Where we were. With the amps facing us, and that’s about 15 feet from Edge…even though the picture makes it look farther. We’re almost right on the rail, but then there’s still a good five feet between the rail and he stage so that the security guards can glare at us…like the one on the far left there. hehe But they were cool. They even hit a couple beach balls back to us. Which is fairly rare amongst most of the shows I’ve been to. I was impressed.)

(And that’s what it looked like from another fan’s vantage point. Absolute craziness. Amazing.)

I have to tell you; hearing that sound and power coming from Edge’s amps…indescribable. Perfect weight, clarity, warmth, and focus. You could feel his sound rushing through your body. Seriously, people were responding to some of his guitar parts as if they were vocal parts. He sings with that thing. And to be right in front of it…an amazing experience, and a definite learning experience.

And then the world stood still. This is what the picture is from at the beginning of this post. On U2’s ‘Until the End of the World’, the outro just pumps my heart. It’s some of my favorite musical anything ever. (How’s that!) Edge just lets his fuzz go crazy, and he plays this killer riff around the 2,3, and 4 notes…never hitting the 5 or higher octave that is anticipated. And then just when you feel it has to go there, he hits the seventh instead, giving it this great aching and driving quality. I absolutely love it live. And then it happened. As he’s playing it, he’s on the bridge, to my right. And suddenly the bridge starts moving towards me. And he ends up playing it directly over me. And then, I don’t even remember it happening…his guitar is in my face, and he’s leaning over the railing of the bridge, looking right at me. I was about 3 feet from him. Now, the camera was in my hand. And I had pushed record. But that’s about it. So, I’ve got the video of it, but it’s just sheer craziness, and then whoa!…Edge’s guitar is right there. hehehe I laugh every time I watch it. But there are very few moments in life when you’re literally not thinking about anything. And that was this moment for me. By the time the bridge passed back over me and over to the second bridge that Bono was on, I realized that I was laying diagonally with my full weight on some guy, who was also laying diagonally, with his full weight on some other guy, and I guess the rest of the pit was just supporting us. It was awesome. Here’s the worst video ever of the best moment ever:

And some stills from the video:

So those are the things that I had to talk about in depth. And much as I’d like to go through every song, I’m sure none of you would like me to go through every song. But there was a ton to take in, and a ton to mull over, learn, and experience. So here’s the highlight reel.

The Good

• The first thing was how intimate this show was…and then at times how much it challenged your senses. On certain songs, the band was all around you…on bridges, behind the stage, on the outer circle stage…and yet they would still connect musically and facially with each other. The end of Beautiful Day with just Edge and Bono standing next to each other improvising was amazing. Could have been two guys playing in a coffee shop. And the whole band standing around each other doing Still Haven’t Found. Intensely intimate.
• Yes. I did cry. Literal tears. During Walk On, and the Amazing Grace intro to Streets. But my wife cried too, and so did a lot of other people around us.
• The sonic power yet space they create is incredible. That makes no sense, I know. You have to see them live to get it.
• Edge holds those songs together. He is doing so much…guitars, loops, backing synths, piano, vocals, and at times leading the band. The parts he chooses are just perfect for the textures of each song, whether the song needs something in the background, something structural, something driving, something to pull the band along, or to support it. And many times it’s not at all where you would expect a guitar player to go. But it’s just what the song needs. I’ve known this, but to see it unfold live right in front of you, is something else.
• They played 24 songs. And believed every one of them.
• These guys play as a band better than anyone I’ve ever seen. They play to loops and click tracks live, are moving all over the stage of 360 degrees and with an outer ring and two bridges, and yet still somehow manage to improvise. In at least 5 songs, Bono was motioning to the band to give certain dynamics and to hang on or cut out, and they followed and supported perfectly. It’s awesome to watch Edge at those times. He watches Bono like a hawk.
• The passion that pours out of Bono. Say what you like about him, and I will too. He does do some dumb things on stage. But seeing him live…he feels the living daylights out of every word he sings. It’s inspiring to watch.
• Edge’s sound is fantastic. I know, I know, I’ve said that before. But honestly, I was a little nervous hearing it live for the first time, in case it didn’t measure up. And it actually went beyond my expectations…even though I mentally prepared myself to be objective about it if it wasn’t up to snuff. The sheer weight of the tone coming from the amps…and yet still clear…but yet still warm…can tone be icy and warm at the same time? I didn’t think so, but I guess it can. Amazing.
• Adam is cool. And every bass player should take a page from him on how well he supports the melodic lines of the other instruments.
• Bono’s voice sounded incredible live! I know it’s changed from when he was younger, but last night it sounded crisp and full, and just grabbed you. He’s still got it, and in a large way. Some of the improvised melodies on With or Without You, Streets, Walk On, Magnificent…wow.
• U2 has a lot of fun. It was awesome to see them just laughing with each other, playing around, to see Edge smiling and shaking his head good-naturedly at some of the dumb things Bono said, and to see Bono laughing at himself after saying certain things. Very, very cool to see, and gave the whole night a very natural and close feel…even amongst 97,000 people. At one point, Bono even caught Edge off guard. He was saying something about some random song they did a little piece of…I think it was Stand by Me, after Still Haven’t Found. And then he just off the cuff asked Edge if he had anything to add. And Edge just kind of said, ‘Oh! Uh…no…he’s great, like you said.’ And then Bono said something like, ‘Whoa. He doesn’t speak much; but when he does!’ lol It was great, and just set you at ease.
• Larry is ripped.
• I love seeing the mistakes. On the beginning of Beautiful Day, something went wrong with Edge’s guitar. The first few harmonics were incredibly low in the mix. And the look he gave his guitar tech, Dallas, under the stage…haha. Yikes. The best look ever as he motioned with his hand to up the volume. It was very funny.
• The sound system was amazing! Everything was so well balanced. You could hear the backing vocals…but not too loud. You could hear Larry’s toms…but right where they should be. That was cool, and very refreshing, too.
• I hate to harp on it…but what a ride on that wave of emotion, fueled by sound and melody. It was so rad to see Edge feeling that same thing too. I’d watch him as he played parts, just gaze across the enraptured audience, and then just close his eyes as he finished out his part, allowing the sound to come over him as well. Feeling like you and the band are one, and feeling the same things…now there’s an experience.
• No Line plays really well live.
• Being in a crowd like that, everyone just screaming the songs and throwing their bodies at the songs…wow. Humbling to be a part of something that big. I yelled constantly.
• Their songs simply moved me. To a place I’ve never been before.
• And get this. Tone is hugely in the hands. Gear is really, really important, too. Don’t get me wrong. But right before U2 came out, Edge’s tech Dallas came out and tested a few of his guitars, and all his different effects for each song. And I almost had a heart attack. The tone, from Edge’s exact gear, was thin, brittle, a little harsh, and yet also very unclear. It was still good tone, but it was far from the best I’d ever heard. And that’s nothing against Dallas, either. I’m sure he’s a great guitarist in his own rite. But on Edge’s gear, it just wasn’t Edge’s sound. And then Edge came out…and whoa. Immediate touch difference. It was a softer touch…almost as if he was coaxing the sound out of the guitar. And suddenly there it was. Edge’s sound. I also noticed this waiting in line outside the stadium when they were sound-checking his guitar. Through that awesome sound system, his sound just wasn’t that great. But…once he starts playing…there it is. Very interesting.
• The live arrangement of Moment of Surrender is way better than the album version. Album is decent. Live is goosebumps and open-heart surgery.
• Like I said, Bono does some odd things for showmanship. And I have most of their live dvd’s. I know his antics. But live? This is gonna sound weird…but they work live. It’s almost as if he turns off the filter of thought, and just acts on sheer adrenaline and emotion from the particular song, and just goes. And some of the stuff that watching back looks dumb, is actually really, really fun live. And it really gets the crowd engaged. Even if it’s laughing and hooting. Definitely something to learn there.
• Larry is the tightest drummer I have ever heard. Perfect.
• On City of Blinding Lights, towards the end, something must’ve gotten bumped on Edge’s delay setting. Because it was ever so slightly off. (Or maybe I’m just crazy.) But he realized it, and started playing off the beat ever so slightly to compensate. It was amazing. And that is a beautiful song.
• I almost lost it so many times. The soul on the solo of Unknown Caller, the candor of In a Little While, the love of Streets, the ambience of Magnificent.
• Oh, Edge’s sound.
• Not even joking, earlier this year, my wife asked me what were the songs that I hoped they’d do but that I was sure they wouldn’t. And both Ultraviolet and and Unforgettable Fire were on my list. And they did them both. It was incredible to be there with her.

The Bad

• U2 is not perfect. (Much as I’d like to think they are.) But I tried so very hard, and ended up succeeding, in just for one night, turning off my critical mind, and allowing myself to be taken somewhere. It’s extremely therapeutic to allow that to happen to you every once in a while. The trouble is finding something worthy enough to have that happen with. So I didn’t notice too much bad. And I watched back most of the youtube broadcast afterwards…and there really wasn’t much bad anyway! Just a special, special experience. But the little things, mics not being on, Adam on the wrong string for a couple notes, most of that was absolutely lost on me, and the rest of us in the pit. I was way too busy just singing my heart out, jumping on people, yelling loud enough to scare myself, and letting the music take me. I highly suggest it. Just for a night. I’ve never felt better.
• And if you’re looking for some bad reviews, feel free to check the internet. There’s plenty. They don’t run around enough/they run around too much and it’s not intimate enough. The crowd wasn’t into it enough/people were too into it and squished me. They played too many songs from x album/they didn’t play enough songs from x album. Bono’s not a good enough showman/Bono’s showmanship annoys me. It’s too loud and muddy/it was too soft and tinny. We’ve all got opinions, and many of them are valid. But this whole post was more so about letting go and feeling the music. Some incredible music.

So…as is my regrettable custom, I start off by saying something is beyond words; and then I use a ton of words to describe it. So I should probably stop now. But here’s the rest of the pictures and videos. Terrible quality video, but it’ll be out on dvd soon.

And lastly, my favorite picture of the night. It’s like, the perfect personification of how Edge exists in my mind:

hehe Just a brilliant white light. lol This was not planned…it’s just an extremely oddly symbolic picture. haha

I am so sorry, but nothing else does this evening justice: a spiritual experience.

Splendid.
Karl.

U2’s concert on Sunday night, October 25th at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, CA that was broadcast live on You Tube can now be viewed anytime on You Tube. To watch the concert, go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V4QLFVrZ-fw or click below:

The concert is approximately two hours and 20 minutes in length.

In other U2 news, the band has revealed that they are disappointed in the lack of hits from their latest album, No Line On The Horizon. None of the album’s singles–”Get On Your Boots,” “Magnificent,” and “I’ll Go Crazy If I Don’t Go Crazy”–has performed particularly well in the charts. On the subject of the dearth of hits from the new album, Bono told the Associated Press:

“We weren’t really in that mindset. We felt that the album was a kind of an almost extinct species, and we should approach it in totality and create a mood and a feeling, and a beginning, middle, and an end. And I suppose we’ve made a work that is a bit challenging for people who have grown up on a diet of pop stars.”

Adam Clayton added:

“What is rock ‘n’ roll in this changing world? Because, to some extent, the concept of the music fan — the concept of the person who buys music and listens to music for the pleasure of music itself — is an outdated idea.”

For more on this story, see the article from XFM London.

October 25, 2009
U2 360 Tour
The Rose Bowl, Pasadena, CA

Bono – you’ve made some mistakes, but all is forgiven.

U2 – with The 360 Tour, you reminded us why you’re #1 (you were facing some competition there for a while).

The Claw: this is what $750,000/day buys you

Some amazing new music has been released and several extraordinary live shows have been experienced this year.  I questioned whether U2’s “Claw” was worth a $750,000 per day operations budget (the cost, regardless of if the band is playing a show or has a day off) and 200 trucks to transport it. I was so conflicted about this show (the band’s largest ever)  in particular that I wrote about it in advance of the event (see: The Pilgrimage of U2).

When I go to a U2 show, I go to see U2. I don’t need the spectacle. I’m not disappointed if they conserve some electricity, tone down the light show and just play their songs. One of my favorite U2 concerts was shortly following 9-11, when U2 performed without an elaborate stage set-up. The set was simple, just a few screens that displayed the names of 9-11 victims in memoriam. That show moved most of the audience to tears.  A band like U2 doesn’t need to go above and beyond with their production.  In fact, they’re often criticized when they do.

Until last week, I didn’t care one way or another about the elaborate stage set-up for U2’s 360 Tour.  I would have gone to the show without the big production.  However, I did consider that U2 could save money and the environment if “The Claw” truly didn’t add much to the experience and, therefore, ceased to be part of the show. At the same time, I was happy to hear that 333 people are employed to assemble the stage during this tour. If nothing else, U2’s 360 Tour is  stimulating jobs.

Astronomy lessons with U2

Although I didn’t recognize it at the time, it was only fitting that this weekend began with an Astronomy lesson on the streets of Pasadena.  In addition to celebrating the largest U2 concert of all time, Pasadena was paying homage to Galileo and the 400 year anniversary of  the telescope.  As we were walking to dinner Saturday night, 4 Astrophysics PhD students stopped us and asked if we’d like to “see Jupiter’s moons.”  “How much does that cost?” we asked.  After they assured us it was free, we took turns peering through the large telescope the students had set up at a busy intersection of Downtown Pasadena.  It was a magnificent sight, if you really thought about what you were witnessing (and we did).  With the assistance of the powerful telescope, one could clearly see Jupiter and four of its moons in perfect alignment.  This sparked numerous questions which the graduate students were kind enough to answer during an impromptu astronomy lesson on the street corner.  We discussed galaxies, the universe, and the recent blasting of the moon in great detail. Later, when we sat down to dinner, we noticed an informational film about Astronomy was playing on the large movie screen in the main courtyard, outside the restaurant.  This was either a lucky coincidence or a masterfully planned stunt by U2 as they descended upon Pasadena in their spaceship (aka “The Claw”).

A space creature introduces "Ultraviolet"

The show was entirely “space” themed, with Bono often referring to the stage as a spaceship.  In fact, it did feel as if we were traveling through the universe (see video footage below).  Bowie’s “Space Oddity” filled the stadium just prior to U2’s entrance.  The Claw lit up; bridges and arms of the stage spun around; light shot into the sky from all directions, intersecting above the needle of the “spaceship.”  We were greeted by an alien who introduced “Ultraviolet (Light My Way).”  We viewed images of the Earth from above as we shot further through space. The last verse of “In A Little While” was spoken by an astronaut in the International Space Station.  Bono replaced the line “you turn me on” with “space travel turns me on” during the same song.

The Claw as Space Station

“Are you ready for lift off?” Bono asked the crowd just prior to launching into “Elevation.”  Bono himself seemed to defy gravity as he drifted above the stage, swinging from a large illuminated microphone, during “Ultraviolet (Light My Way).” U2 and nearly 100,000 fans visually “created a galaxy” at The Rose Bowl during “Moment of Surrender.”

A Pasadena yogurt shop welcomes U2 fans

The “360″ in U2’s 360 Tour seems to refer to more than just the stage set up.  The experience itself surrounds you from every angle.  Preparation for last night’s show included arriving in Pasadena early (in some cases, days early) to avoid traffic and secure parking and transportation.  A Pasadena frozen yogurt shop welcomed the band and fans with “U2 Vanilla Bean” ice cream. It became the focus of local news media, as if all of Los Angeles truly were boarding a spaceship and shooting into space.  Not only did U2 take over The Rose Bowl, Pasadena, and YouTube (the concert was broadcast globally via live stream), they managed to capture three of Twitter’s Trending Topic positions throughout the show.

The live stream of the concert on YouTube effectively allowed U2 to cover the globe from all angles.  Rocco, one of the 333 people responsible for assembling The Claw each night, kicked off the evening with a statement that summarized the magnitude of this event: “This time, when you raise your voices, you won’t only be heard here, but all around the world.”  He further elaborated, “Tonight’s show is the biggest global concert ever.”  In that vein, historically, U2’s show at The Rose Bowl might rank among one of the most spectacular live events.

The voices of the audience quickly overtook Bono’s voice as the band played “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For,” until Bono held the mic behind his back and turned the vocals over to the crowd.  The amplification of nearly 100,000 voices singing the chorus in unison made it sound as if perhaps Bono was still on the microphone.  I’ve witnessed plenty of audience sing-a-longs at U2 concerts, but this one was the most phenomenal. Watch the video here (more after the jump):

The entire audience waved their hands in the sky, from left to right during “Mysterious Ways.”  Moments like these illustrated that the visual spectacle at U2’s 360 Tour is not solely a result of The Claw.  As with the thousands of voices singing “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For” in unison, seeing tens of thousands of people waving their hands in the air was magnificent as well.  Watch below  (more after the jump):

The Edge strummed his acoustic guitar during a stripped down version of “Stuck In A Moment” and Bono’s voice sounded phenomenal and better than ever throughout the 2 hour 20 minute concert. Larry Mullen, Jr. added more soul and fire to “I’ll Go Crazy If I Don’t Go Crazy Tonight,” banging passionately on a bongo drum.  Adam Clayton’s bass line also sounded more pronounced in this energetic live version of the song. And that’s just the music – which is what I thought I came for. . .

When I first saw The Claw, just prior to The Black Eyed Peas opening set, I wasn’t all that impressed.  At 164 feet tall, the sheer size of The Claw could not be ignored.  The massive racks of speakers suspended around the top of the contraption were also worth paying attention to.  But other than that, illuminated by the stadium lights, The Claw just looked like an over-sized mechanical hand that picks up stuffed animals in an arcade game.

The Claw, powered up

Considering the cost of The Claw (both environmentally and financially), I’d come to expect that it would actually pick us up and transport us through space.  With the help of spectacular visual effects and lighting, a cylindrical screen that moved vertically throughout the show, the light of the moon shining over the stadium, and the audience’s incessant jumping during “Elevation,” it felt as though we indeed did launch a spaceship.

Blast off

It was visually overstimulating as smoke shot up from the set, beams of light shone hundreds of feet into the sky, the needle of the spaceship illuminated and morphed into various colors, lights flashed throughout the stadium seating, and the arms (or fingers) of The Claw itself lit up.

Images are projected 360 degrees

At the same time, the screen moved up and down during the songs.  In its simplest form, we were able to follow footage of the band playing on screen.  Animated characters and pulsing light shows were also projected on screen.  “Reality” became blurred as live video of the band was inter-cut with canned footage of the band and then layered with visual effects.  Check out the use of the screen during “I’ll Go Crazy If I Don’t Go Crazy Tonight” (more after the jump):

The visual impact of “City of Blinding Lights” was also extraordinary and helped further bring the spaceship experience to life (more after the jump):

As the band began playing “Moment of Surrender,” Bono suggested that fans raise their cell phones into the sky.  The majority of lights dimmed, while the glow of mobile phones and flickering blue and white lights pulsed throughout the stadium so that it looked like we were surrounded by a mass of stars.  As Bono promised, the effect of this coordinated effort was the creation of a virtual galaxy.  Watch the transition here (more after the jump)

While introducing “Moment of Surrender” (at 6:41) Bono instructs the crowd to raise their cell phones into the sky and “create the Milky Way”:

The virtual galaxy continues to unfold throughout “Moment of Surrender”

Halfway through the show, the man standing to my left leaned over and said, “I think the stage is worth it.”  I’d have to agree.

"Radio Tehran, can you hear us?"

As is the case with most U2 shows, messages of peace, empowerment, social movements, and positive change were highlighted.  “Sunday Bloody Sunday” was dedicated to Iran, “Walk On” was performed in honor of Aung San Suu Kyi, and video of Archbishop Desmond Tutu stating, “God will put a wind at our back and a rising road ahead, if we work together as one, ” served as the introduction to “One.” Bono also thanked fans for supporting (RED) and ONE.

“Don’t leave us now.  We hope this is not the end,” Bono said just before the band walked off stage for the evening.  Well, much to the dismay of thousands of people, they couldn’t leave even if they tried.  As could be expected, there was one more light show to be had – the lights of brakes on cars formed a steady, line leading to the nearest exits.  For those of us on foot, getting out of the Rose Bowl was was much more expedient, although as somebody exclaimed while climbing through a chain-linked fence, “this is like a human maze.”  We passed cars rapidly and followed the line of traffic up the hill.  In an attempt to take a short-cut, dozens of people then scaled a steep, grassy hill that was full of mole holes, climbed through two chain-linked fences, only to find themselves on the edge of a freeway.  People darted across the freeway exit, and then raced across the freeway entrance to the safety of a path that lead directly to Colorado Boulevard.  The final challenge was dodging rotating sprinklers while walking on the last stretch of sidewalk leading to Colorado Blvd. Of course, there’s always that one guy who has to get in the sprinklers.  Just as the adventure of this event began before the concert itself, the experience of U2’s 360 Tour did not end when the band walked off the stage.  To further punctuate that sentiment, within minutes of walking out of the stadium 2 emails arrived via my Blackberry – one from Live Nation and one from U2.  The message of each was the same: U2’s 360 Tour will continue into 2010, with more North American dates added next summer.

At the band's request. . .

U2 – that show was impressive, one of the most spectacular events I’ve attended.  Individually and collectively you have done a lot of good in the world.  You’ve personally impacted the lives of millions and have empowered individuals with information and tools to make contributions to the greater good as well.  The results of your dedication and commitments to the world include helping people enjoy a longer life, providing clean water, food, and medication.  All of that is fantastic and nobody expects you to “do it all” or single handedly “save the world,” but one can only image that your carbon footprint from this tour is more massive than The Claw itself.  If you’re not already doing so, please consider taking additional steps or making a financial contribution to offset the carbon footprint of your 360 Tour.  If you are already doing so, please have your publicist let the world know because it’s not being recognized by the media nor your fans.

Important message from the space creature who introduced “Ultraviolet (Light My Way)”

Don’t forget to join HW Design Inc. as we tune in to YouTube, tonight at 8:30pm PST.  U2 Live from Pasadena, California at the Sold Out Rose Bowl show.

Here’s the link.

Nos hacemos eco de una extensa y reveladora entrevista a Dallas Schoo, en la que cuenta los entresijos de su trabajo como asistente de The Edge (guitarrista de U2). La revista Musicradar.com se pasó por el estadio de los Giants de New York para preguntarle por las guitarras que utiliza “su jefe” y por todo lo que supone el montaje y preparación de los shows de la gira 360º. Los aficionados a la guitarra se frotarán las manos cuando lean los detalles que cuenta. En U2News han tenido la gentileza de traducirla para todos nosotros.

El U2 360º Tour es una operación masiva y no sería un eufemismo llamarlo como “El Mayor Show En La Tierra”, o de cualquier otro lugar.

Apodado como La Garra, una torre y una estructura de aspecto robótico dice ser la más grande y costosa producción en la historia del rock and roll, que se ofrece en estadios con una vista panorámica de la banda.

Faltan cinco horas para el inicio del show en el vasto Giants Stadium. El campo y los gradas con una capacidad para 80 mil espectadores esta vacío, pero fui sacudido por una inmensa explosión de música producida por tres músicos en el escenario quienes ofrecieron la segunda mejor versión de “City Of Blinding Lights” que alguna vez haya escuchado.

Podrían ser Edge, Adam Clayton y Larry Mullen Jr., pero el trío que estaba escuchando eran sus técnicos, Dallas Schoo, Stuart Morgan y Sam O’ Sullivan, respectivamente.

Es increíble cómo suenan igual a sus jefes. Schoo cambia guitarras y algunas configuraciones en la pedalera de Edge. Algunos cambios más de guitarras, una Rickenbacker, una Music Rising Les Paul, una Stratocaster negra, y fragmentos de canciones que continúan (partes de “Ticket To Ride”, “Angie” de los Rolling Stones y… ¿qué cosa?, “Stairway To Heaven”).

Entonces Schoo me ve y me pide que me suba al escenario. El amable nativo de Kentucky me saluda cálidamente mientras le digo que el y sus compañeros técnicos podrían ser la mejor banda tributo a U2. Entonces Schoo ríe a carcajadas. Cuando le pregunté si U2 haría el intento de hacer el cover de Led Zeppelín esta noche, se volvió a reír y me dijo, “No, no, no. Solo nos estábamos divirtiendo. Estamos probando sonidos, pero jugamos a ser estrellas de rock cuando trabajamos.”

Con 43 guitarras y un camión de equipamiento electrónico que cuidar, Schoo podría ser el hombre más trabajador de la empresa. Mientras el trabajo de Edge es hacer que la magia sónica suceda cada noche, Schoo sube y baja, revisando la agenda para cada interpretación, planeando los cambios de guitarra y manteniendo la partitura de cada cambio de las configuraciones de efectos.

Ah, y no olvidemos el cambio de las cuerdas en esas guitarras, en un día cualquiera, el personalmente le cambia las cuerdas a 20 de ellas. “La mayoría son fáciles,” dice. “Solo empieza a sentirse como un tarea cuando estoy trabajando en una de 12 cuerdas.”

Schoo ha sido la mano derecha de Edge desde 1986. Habiendo trabajado con todos desde Hall & Oates a James Taylor, tuvo una llamada para reunirse con U2 cuando ellos finalizaban “The Joshua Tree”. Pero la oferta de salir de gira con la banda irlandesa fue difícil de aceptar. Schoo consulto al famoso promotor de concierto Hill Graham por un consejo. Graham, que reconoce a estrellas cuando las ve, le dijo a Schoo, “Estos chicos van a ser gigantes.”

Veintitrés años más tarde, Schoo no es solo el único técnico y empleado a tiempo completo de Edge, sino que es un confidente de confianza, estando al lado del guitarrista en cada concierto y sesión de grabación. “Eso es lo más asombroso sobre Edge y la banda,” dice, “la acumulación de fe que ellos tendrán en ti si pruebas tu valía. Todavía debo pellizcarme cuando Edge o Bono me consultan sobre ideas en el estudio. Pienso dentro mío, hey, tu eres el genio. Tu escribes la canción, la tocas, yo solo soy un asalariado aquí.”

Luego de unas confirmaciones por parte de la producción, le lleva por un tour guiado por una alucinante selección de amplificadores, efectos y guitarras que componen el sonido de Edge.

Dallas, aun encuentro extraño estar debajo de una enorme garra.
[Risas] “Suele tomar un par de minutos aclimatarse. Pero lo olvidas rápidamente. Se ve bastante impresionante en la noche con todas las luces y la pantalla de video.”

¿Cuán diferente es para Edge trabajar un escenario como este? Hay mucho más espacio para que el se mueva, sin obstáculos.
“Eso es verdad. Hay más espacio para ocupar. No se encuentra atado a una pequeña área y no está parado frente a su pedalera tanto como solía hacerlo. Eso esta muy bien porque la da al público un show muy en vivo, pero presenta cuestiones de configuraciones de sonido que él y yo tuvimos que entender.”
“Durante los ensayos en Barcelona, cuando vimos el escenario por primera vez y la banda empezó a familiarizarse con el, Edge me preguntó si lo iba a poder hacer todo el show, es decir, ¿podría ser el hombre que cambiara los efectos pero que también mantuviera listas a las guitarras?”
“Edge es un guitarrista muy específico. La última noche usó 21 guitarras diferentes en 24 canciones. El ha ajustado el sonido de cada guitarra más que en cualquier otra gira. Así que tengo que estar concentrado cada segundo. Debo estar siempre listo con una nueva guitarra, y debo estar listo para todos las entradas de efectos.”

[Apuntando a la larga pedalera Skrydstrup] Pero el tiene su propia pedalera. El esta trabajando sus propios efectos en algún momento, ¿verdad?
“Si, así es, pero cada vez que se aleja de la pedalera, que suele ser a menudo, todo cae sobre mí. Y déjame decirte, esta gira ha sido un desafío al respecto. Durante el show, cuando estoy abajo [señala las escaleras que lo llevan debajo del escenario], todo lo que tengo es una ventana de 150 mm para poder verlo.”

¿Una ventana de 150 mm? ¿Cómo puedes verlo todo el tiempo?
[Risas] “No puedo. No todo el tiempo. No es fácil. Y lo que lo hace más difícil es, que por primera vez, Edge usa un micrófono inalámbrico que tiene siempre en su cabeza, así que puede cantar por todo el escenario. En el pasado, debía regresar al micrófono y me daba indicaciones. Ahora el tiene que tratar de poner su mano sobre el micrófono y darme instrucciones, o trata de hacerlo con expresiones faciales.”

¿Cuánto tiempo les tomó a ti y a Edge estar sincronizados? ¿Cuán largo es el proceso de ensayos entre ustedes dos?
“Puede tomar varias semanas. Las cosas cambian mientras estamos en la gira. Algunas canciones van y vienen. Lo bueno es que he estado mucho tiempo junto a él, así que hay una historia entre nosotros. Tenemos un código.”

Cuéntame de la configuración de amplificadores que tenemos acá.
“Bien, por supuesto tenemos el principal AC30 del ‘64. No puedes hacer un show sin ese. Luego tenemos el Fender Deluxe del ‘58 con un altavoz Vox y un Deluxe ‘57 con altavoz Jensen. De acá vamos al Fender Harvard de mediados del ‘50, una rareza por cierto, y con un sonido fantástico, y puse un altavoz Vox en ese. Además, tenemos algunos amplificadores Vox de los ‘70 como respaldo.”

Pero la estrella es el AC30 del ‘64.
“Absolutamente. Es la base del sonido de Edge, en vivo y en el estudio, además, de lo que tiene en su cabeza y sus manos y la magia que trae en lo que hace.”

Repasemos algunas especificaciones del amplificador. Este el que se conoce como un ‘AC30TB.’
“Así es, es un ‘Top Boost.’ La carcaza es de 1964 pero está colocado en un gabinete de los ‘70, así es como vino cuando Edge originalmente lo adquirió. Los altavoces son un Jensen Blue Alnico de 12″ de los ‘60 y un Silver Jensen Alnico de 12″. Reemplacé al Blue Alnico en 1986 por el Silver Jensen porque el anterior explotó y ese es el que tenía en el depósito de U2 en Dublín como repuesto.”

¿Podría Edge decirnos la diferencia entre los dos altavoces?
“Totalmente. El conoce cada cambio que hice a ese amplificador. No se le escapa nada. Afortunadamente, le gusta la combinación de altavoces, así que nos quedamos con eso.”

Sin embargo, has tenido que hacer algunos cambios a lo largo de los años. Ciertamente no es estándar.
“No es estándar para nada. Tengo capacitares Marshall ahí dentro, capacitares y resistores Fender. Es totalmente único en su clase, un real Frankestein. A Edge le encanta este amplificador tanto que confía en el. Es probablemente más importante para el que cualquier guitarra.”

¿Has tenido algún percance grave durante algún show?
“Solo algunos, gracias a Dios. Pero cuando algo sucede, es serio. El peor momento fue durante el Vertigo Tour. El audio simplemente se cortó, la potencia estaba, pero no había salida. Nada.”

Eso suena como un problema.
“Oh, tu lo sabes. No solo es que Edge esté completamente cómodo con ese sonido, sino que el 95 por ciento de las configuraciones está saliendo por el amplificador.”
“Llegué rápidamente a reemplazar el amplificador Vox en el escenario, pero incluso así, fue uno de los peores shows, incluso para Edge a nivel personal. El público no tenía idea de que estaba mal, pero él estuvo muy decepcionado. Cuando estas ahí arriba y estás entregando todo pero no obtienes la clase de sonido que quieres, es muy desalentador. Puedo decir que estuvo frustrado todo el tiempo.”

¿El amplificador de reemplazo, está conectado de igual manera que el AC30 principal?
“Bastante. De los amplificadores Vox 14 que tenemos, es el más cercano al AC30 principal, pero solo que no tiene la misma compresión. No puedes introducirle compresión con altavoces que no tengan horas de uso. Edge lo llama ‘la chispa’.”
“Pienso en el sonido que obtiene desde su Strat en ‘Where The Streets Have No Name’, ese sonido cristalino. Eso es lo que es ‘chispa’. Es un sonido especial que puedes sacar del altavoz, y la única manera de obtenerlo, si es el altavoz correcto, es cuando tiene algo de ‘kilometraje’ encima, cuando ha sido usado.”

Creo que no hace falta decir que el AC30 de Edge es similar al Blackie de Clapton.
“No tiene precio. Si lo tuviera que subastar, no se a cuánto se vendería. Se que tengo cuidar mucho de el. He tenido que volar sentado al lado de el en primera clase, no hay manera de no tenerlo a la vista.”

Hablemos sobre el delay. He notado cuando estaban tocando “City Of Blinding Lights” que hay un delay único en el sonido de la guitarra, incluso en un estadio vacío. ¿Aun tienes los delays programados en 3/16ths?
“No. Tenemos nuevos tempos en el show. Diría que el 80 por ciento de los ecos del show, Edge aun está usando su propio Korg SDDs 2000s, que tiene que ser manualmente incrementado. Tienes que pasar por ellos para obtener la correcta configuración. Y no puedes bajar, tienes que subir. Así tienes que ir 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 y así hasta llegar a 4. ‘Pride’, ‘With Or Without You’, ‘Streets”, se qué número quiere y yo tengo que programarlo manualmente. Pero a veces los tempos cambian, así que tengo que tenerlo todo anotado.”

Y he visto que no hay monitores en el escenario, ¿Edge está escuchando el sonido de su guitarra a través de sus auriculares?
“Sí. A través de sus auriculares y de lo que viene desde detrás de él. No quiero decir que es un compromiso, pero es algo a lo que todavía debe acostumbrarse. Lo que es gracioso, es el que el sonido ha sido notablemente consistente. Desde lo que escucha Edge en el escenario y desde lo que el público escucha que sale, no tenemos problemas con el sonido.”

Hablemos sobre algunas de las guitarras que Edge usa en la gira. Tienes una auténtica tienda de guitarras alrededor tuyo.
[Risas] “Traemos algunas, sí. De hecho, debería estar colocando cuerdas en las guitarras justo ahora. Vamos, bajemos las escaleras.”

Descendimos por las escaleras hacia el área de trabajo de Dallas, lleno con equipamiento electrónico y guitarras alineadas en sus soportes.

¡Mi Dios! ¿A cuántas de esas debes cambiarle las cuerdas cada día?
Generalmente, a 18 o 19. En la última noche fueron 21. Tengo un sistema: las guitarras son descargadas del camión de la banda entre las 9:30 y las 10 AM, que es cuando empiezo a encordar y estirar. Usualmente, puedo tener 14 guitarras listas al momento que la banda llega para la prueba de sonido. Entonces trato de tener otras cuatro listas para cuando la banda soporte llega.”
“Mientras eso sucede, tengo casi una hora para colocar las últimas cuerdas y afinar cada guitarra para el show. Tengo un procedimiento y un ritmo bastante buenos para todo eso, pero los momentos para las comidas pasan a un segundo plano si hay alguna guitarra que reparar.”

¿Así que Edge quiere cuerdas nuevas cada día? ¿No le gusta un poco de polvo en las cuerdas?
“Noooo. Y hasta me preguntará mientras esta haciendo la prueba de sonido, ¿Dallas, estas son cuerdas nuevas? El puede decirlo.”

[Apuntando a algunas Gibson Explorers] Esas guitarras de aquí… ¿una de esas es la famosa Explorer del ‘76?
“No, finalmente la retiramos. Es una guitarra tan importante para la grabación que finalmente lo convencí para que la dejara en la casa. Nada serio la ha sucedido, pero ha pasado años al sol, bajo la lluvia, los shows al aire libre hacen eso. Quise cortar las cosas de raíz mientras pueda.”
“Es una guitarra con un sonido brillante, muy exclusiva, como el AC30, es una de los más importantes componentes de su sonido. Así que le dije, ‘Déjame ver alrededor. Encontraré algunos increíbles reemplazos,’ y vine con estas tres Explorers 1976, todas con el acabado natural.”
“Las correctas son difíciles de encontrar porque Gibson tiene dos diferentes Explorers en producción este año. Las que fueron producidas desde junio hasta diciembre tienen el mástil fino, pero los modelos que fueron producidos durante la primera parte del año tienen el mástil como un bate de béisbol. Esas son las que prefiere Edge. Gibson no hizo muchas de esas, apenas unas 1800 más o menos, y la gente se las queda. Encontrar algunas de ellas fue casi como un trabajo de detective.”

[Viendo una desteñida Alpine White Les Paul] Ahora, se que Edge subastó su Les Paul ‘75 unos años atrás… ¿Qué es esto?
[Saca la guitarra de su soporte] “Déjame contarte una historia, Joe. Esta es algo increíble. Si, Edge subastó su Les Paul para la campaña Music Rising, consiguiendo una fenomenal suma de dinero [el precio final fue de 280 mil dólares]. Fue duro para el desprenderse de ella.”

Puedo imaginarlo. El solía usarla en “New Year’s Day”, “Loves Come To Town”…
“Muchas canciones clásicas. Es una guitarra crucial para él. Pero era una gran causa, así que no pudo decir no. Sin embargo, era época navideña, y yo estaba en micas de Colorado, y un gran paquete de UPS llegó a mi puerta. Lo abrí y tenía un nuevo estuche Gibson. Me gustó, ‘OK, ¿qué es esto?’ Abrí el estuche y vi en su interior y pensé que estaba alucinando… ¡era la Les Paul ‘75 de Edge!”

Pará… ¿Gibson la compró de vuelta? Pensé que era parte de la “Guitar Center’s Legends Collection”.
“Lo es. Al segundo de tener la guitarra, empecé a inspeccionarla. Mira esto [gira la guitarra y me muestra los arañazos y los golpes]… era inquietante. Al principio pensé que alguien había cometido algún tipo de error. ¿Me habrían mandado la guitarra para autenticarla o algo así?”
“Así que lo llamé a Edge y le dije, ‘¿No sabes nada de esto?’ Y dijo algo como, ‘No ¿Quién te enviaría la guitarra de vuelta?’ Algo que no tenía ningún sentido: no enviarías una guitarra como esta por UPS, la entregarías en mano. Edge no sabía lo que estaba pasando.”
“Ya empezaba a enloquecerme. Así que destornillé la placa trasera… nuevo cableado. Nuevas perillas, todas. Seguí chequeando, un nuevo conector. Saqué los micrófonos… nueva madera dentro.”

¿Gibson hizo una réplica de la Les Paul ‘75?
“Sí. Hicieron una réplica exacta. Gibson quiso que Edge tuviera la guitar incluso sabiendo que la había subastado. Aun recuerdo cuando la conectó y la tocó por primera vez, fue algo así como, ‘¡Es esta! Es la misma guitarra.’ No lo podíamos creer.”
[Admirando la parte trasera del instrumento, pasando sus dedos sobre la calcomanía con el "2"] “Quiero decir, mira esto. Le pusieron incluso la misma calcomanía y le destiñeron tal cual era la original. ¡Asusta! El peso, todo. Quiero decir, como puedes obtener el mismo peso de la madera, una madera nueva va a ser diferente que la madera vieja. Totalmente increíble. Edge la usa en ‘No Line On The Horizon’, la quiere demasiado.”

¿Y la Strat negra ‘73… dónde está?
“Tenemos esta. [Agarra una Stratocaster negra de su soporte.] Esta es la Strat de ‘Where The Streets Have No Name’. También suele usarla para ‘Bad’ y ‘Still Haven’t Found’. Es una guitarra hermosa. Lo que realmente me gusta de esta es la manera que das en la afinación incluso con el sistema estándar del trémolo. Esta es, de hecho, la segunda guitarra en importancia después que tuvo la Explorer. Mucha historia con este bebé.”
“El mástil de arce en esta guitarra es muy brilloso. Esta guitarra a través del AC30 con un viejo delay analógico… eso es una combinación mágica. Le das esas herramientas a Edge y el te llevará a lugares con ellas.”

¿Alguna nueva guitarra con la que estés tratando?
“Mmmm… Está esta Epiphone Casino ‘64 que usa en la canción de apertura ‘Breathe’; que suena bastante lindo. También está la Fernandes Sustainer que usa en la nueva versión de ‘Ultraviolet’.”

Te recuerdo tratando de conseguir que vuelvan a tocar esa canción nuevamente por mucho tiempo.
[Risas] “Sí, ¡me encanta esa canción! Por años le estado pidiendo que la tocaran de nuevo. Por supuesto no se si puede reclamar algún crédito porque la hayan puesto de nuevo en el set o si solamente fue una cuestión de tiempo. Pero ahí están, y la Fernandes suena increíble en ella.”

Edge ha comenzado a usar inalámbricos en esta gira, ¿es así?
“Sí. El quiere moverse por alrededor más y trabajar en el escenario, es ese tipo de show. Pero hace como tres noches atrás, volvimos al cableado; nos enchufamos nuevamente. La razón es bastante obvia: la señal es directa y verdadera. Lo inalámbrico, está bien. Pero no hay comparación.”

¿Cómo funcionan los pedales ‘Death By Audio’?
“Oh, ¡son geniales! Estamos usando el ‘Supersonic Fuzz Gun’ y el ‘Harmonic Transformer’. Este tipo, Ben Curtis, gran tipo, hizo estos diferentes pedales de distorsión y nos los entregó.”
“Al principio, no sabía si Edge iba a ser capaz de usarlos. Ellos sonaban como con un poco de ruido blanco para mí, ruido blanco con algunos parámetros. Pero Edge los escuchó y fue como, ‘No, no, hay algo ahí.’ Y empezó a engancharlos con sus ecos, y ¡vualá! Empezó a hacer música.”
“El ‘Fuzz Gun’ está en ‘No Line On The Horizon’, con el gran sonido de introducción. También está en ‘Ultraviolet’, es fantástico. El tipo está buscando algo nuevo para poder crear música, y el está jugueteando con u pedal o un dispositivo por días hasta que pueda hacer algo que el quiera.”

Además de trabajar con Edge en las giras, también estás con él en el estudio, eres un empleado a tiempo completo.
“Eso es correcto. Edge y yo tenemos una gran relación y su confianza en mí es muy gratificante, así que sí, trabajo con la banda en el estudio. Las guitarras y los amplificadores necesitan en todo momento estar programados para la grabación, yo estoy ahí, ¡donde quiera que sea!” [Risas]

¿En el nuevo álbum, hubo momentos en los que ayudaste a Edge con el sonido de la guitarra, si es que hubiera algo que lo frenara?
“Hubo una instancia en el nuevo disco donde sucedió algo como eso. Por lo general es Bono el que me dice, ‘Dallas, estoy en problemas en tal y tal cosa en una canción. Necesito la actitud correcta. Necesito algo de inspiración. Antes que Edge llegue, ¿puedes trabajar en algunas cosas, con guitarras y efectos?’ Y por supuesto, es extremadamente halagador cuando hace eso.
“Hubo una canción llamada ‘Stand Up’, que… los chicos estaban un poco la rutina. Estaba buena, pero estaban frustrados. No sentían que fuera al próximo nivel. Estábamos en los Olympic Studios. Bono esta sentado en sofá escribiendo. Steve Lillywhite entró y dijo, ‘La canción no tiene jugo. La media octava no está sucediendo. No hay un sonido inspirador. Creo que deberíamos cortarla de la grabación seguir adelante.’ Danny Lanois y Brian Eno estaban totalmente de acuerdo.
“Ahora, estoy pensando, Edge es el mejor guitarrista del mundo. Se que puede hacer que esta canción funcione. Entonces Bono me dijo, ‘Dallas, esta canción puede volar. ¿Puedes ir al estudio y pensar algo?’.”
“Así que entre y me fui hacia tres pedales de distorsión y un eco analógico. Lo enchufé en la Explorer y salí con este realmente ofensivo sonido de distorsión. Pero entonces hice algo: puse apagué el volumen de la guitarra, toqué un acorde y entonces giré violentamente la perilla del volumen.”

Trabajaste como el volumen de un pedal.
“¡Sí! Se creó ese increíble sonido como de sirena. De repente, cada rostro en el estudio estaba iluminado y Bono dijo algo como. ‘¡Edge, entra ahí! ¡Eso es!’ Edge entró corriendo, tomó la guitarra, y desde ese punto todo estuvo en sus manos; el encontró el patrón de notas correctas, los lugares correctos para tocar, y el totalmente torció la canción y la hizo ganadora.”

Aun así no hubiera sido posible sin tu aporte.
[Se encoge de hombros modestamente] “Ah, a veces tienes suerte.”

Guía definitiva del equipamiento que usa Edge en vivo

Un especial agradecimiento a Dallas por proveernos de la siguiente lista del equipo que Edge usa en vivo en el “U2 360º Tour”. Desde guitarras y amplificadores hasta cuerdas, slides y correas, todo está detallado aquí por primera vez:

Equipos de efectos bajo el escenario de Edge:

Furman Pro Rack Power (110V)
KORG SDD Digital Delay (VOX) (240V)
Korg SDD 3000 Digital Delay (240V)
Line 6 DM4 Pro(A) Custom made rack device
Line 6 DM4 Pro (B) Custom made rack device
TC 2290 Digital Delay (“A”) (240V)
TC 2290 Digital Delay “(B”) (240V)
Line 6 Pod Pro (110V) (A)
Line 6 Pod Pro (110V) (B)
Korg A3 Multi Effects (240V)
TC 2290 Digital Delay (C)
TC 2290 Digital Delay (D)
KORG A3 Rack Multi Effects Unit (110V) (B)
Furman Pro Rack Power #2
Eventide H3000 Harmonizer
Lexicon PCM80 Digital Effects Processor
Lexicon PCM70 Digital Effects Pro
Custom Audio Elec AMS Interface
AMS SDMX Digital Delay (A)
AMS SDMX Digit Delay (B)
Custom Audio Elec Remote Wah
Custom Audio Elec Dual Stereo Mixer
Rocktron Bradshaw DVC Pedal VCA
Custom Audio Amp Selector
Custom Audio Patch Point (110V)
Skrydstrup MR9 Loop System (A)
Skrydstrup MR9 Loop System (B)
Skrydstrup MR9 Loop System (C)
Skyrdstrup System Interface
Electrix “Filter Factory”
Pedales de efectos individuales de Edge:

Durham Electronics “SexDrive” Dist pedal
BOSS CS-3 Compressor Sustain pedal
DIGITECH “Synth Wah” Pedal
Death By Audio “HARMONIC TRANSFORMER” Dist Pedal
Death By Audio “FUZZ GUN”
Electro Harmonix “POG” pedal
Line6 DM4 Distortion pedal
Death By Audio “Soundwave Breakdown”
Boss Noise Suppressor NS-2
Boss EQ GE-7 pedal
Skrydstrup “Bufferooster” pedal
Boss FET FA-1 Amplifier
Drive Breaker Distortion pedal
Pedalera principal de escenario de Edge:

Skrydstrup SC1 + SC1 Extensions + Extension Plus Controller + Dunlop Crybaby Rack Wah Controller
Digitech WH1 Whammy Pedal
Peterson V-SAM Tuner
Pedalera fuera del escenario de Dallas:

Skrydstrup SC1 + SC1 Extension+ Extension Plus
Amplificadores de escenario de Edge:

1964 VOX AC30TB Grey Panel
1970’s VOX AC30TB Grey Panel
1972 VOX AC30TB Grey Panel
1957 Fender Tweed Deluxe
1958 Fender Tweed Deluxe
1959 Fender Tweed Deluxe
1956 Fender Harvard
Amplificadores fuera de escenario de Edge:

1974 VOX AC30TB Red Panel
2008 Marshall 50Watt 1987X Amp Head
1966 4 X 12″ Closed Back Cabinet c/Celestion Vintage Speakers (Mick Ralphs owned)
Sistema inalámbrico de Edge:

(8) SHURE U4RS Dual Receivers
(13) SHURE UR1-J5 Beltpacks (Individually Set/dedicated gain Structures to Each Show Guitar)
“Rab Tronix” (6) Way Selector Box
Guitarras de gira de Edge:

Gibson 2005 “Music Rising” Les Paul
Gibson 2006 “Music Rising” Les Paul
Gibson 1976 Natural Explorer
Gibson 1976 Natural Explorer (spare)
Epiphone 1962 Sunburst Casino
Epiphone 1964 Sunburst Casino w/Bigsby
Fernandes 2003 Native Sustain Guitar
Fernandes 2009 Retro Rocket Sustain Guitar
Fender 1975 Brown Custom Telecaster
Fender 1966 Cream Telecaster w/Maple Neck
Fender 1969 Cream Telecaster w/Maple Neck
Gretsch 1963 Chet Atkins Walnut Country Gentleman
Gretsch 1968 Chet Atkins Walnut Country Gentleman
Gretsch 2009 Chet Atkins Walnut Country Gentleman w/Piezo Fishman Acoustic System
Gretsch 1959 Sunburst 6101 Country Club
Gibson 1966 Cherry SG Les Paul Standard
Gibson 1965 Pelham Blue SG Les Paul Standard
Fender 1968 Tobacco Stratocaster w/Rosewood Neck
Fender 1973 Cream Stratocaster w/Maple Neck
Fender 1975 BlondeTelecaster w/Rosewood Neck
Fender 1974 Black Telecaster w/Maple Neck
Gibson 1973 Cream Les Paul Custom
Gibson 2008 Cream Replicated Les Paul
Fender 1973 Black Stratocaster w/Maple Neck
Fender 1976 Black Stratocaster w/Maple Neck
Fender 1974 Black Stratocaster w/Maple Neck
Rickenbacker 1966 Fireglo 330-12
Rickenbacker 1966 Fireglo 330-12(Spare)
Rickenbacker 1967 Maple Rickenbacker 330-12
Rickenbacker 1967 Maple Rickenbacker 330-12(Spare)
Rickenbacker 1968 Black 325
Gibson 2008 Sunburst SJ-200 Acoustic/Electric
Gibson 2006 Blonde “Pete Townshend” SJ-200 Acoustic/Electric
Gibson 2008 Blonde SJ-200 Acoustic/Electric
Gibson 2005 Sunburst J-45 Acoustic Electric
Martin 1972 Natural D12-28 Acoustic/Electric
Martin 2009 Natural D12-28 Acoustic/Electric
Epiphone 1966 Sunburst Texan Acoustic/Electric
Fender 1994 Arctic White Telecaster(Japanese)
Line 6 2005 Red/Black “Variax” Modelling Guitar
Gretsch 2009 Black G6136 Falcon w/Fishman Piezo Acoustic System
Fender 2009 Sunburst American Vintage ‘52 Telecaster w/Piezo Acoustic System
MOOG 2009 MG-001 Tobacco Sunburst Sustain Guitar
Cuerdas para guitarras de Edge:

D’Addario EXL110 XL Reg Lite .10-.46
D’Addario EXL115 XL Blues Jazz .11-.49
D’Addario EXL116 XL Medium Top Heavy .11-.52
D’Addario EXL 140 Light Top/Heavy Bottom .10-.52
D’Addario EXL 150 Light Elec 12 String .10-.46
D’Addario Phosphor Bronze Wound EJ15 Extra Light .10-.47
D’Addario Phosphor Bronze Wound EJ26 Custom Light .11-.52
Martin MSP 400 Bronze .10-.47
Martin MSP 4050 Bronze Custom Light .11-.52
Martin M500 Extra Light Acoustic Bronze 12 String .10-.47
Ernie Ball P02233 12 String Electric .009-.046
Instrumentos y accesorios adicionales para el show de Edge:

YAMAHA CP80 Electric Piano + Roland JC 120 Combo Amplifier
EBOW hand held Sustain Chrome and Plastic Electronic Bow
D’andrea medium Nylon Picks
Herdim German Medium Nylon Picks
Datum Machining/Dallas Schoo Custom Machined Finger Brass Slides
Dunlop Brass Full Slides
Levy Leather Guitar Straps
Dallas Schoo usa Peterson VS-R Strobo Rack Tuner, Peterson V-Sam Tuner, Peterson VS-Strobo Flip, Boss TU12 Guitar Tuner

U2 Changes with the Times

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091023/ap_en_mu/us_music_u2

Preparing for Sunday’s show at The Rose Bowl

A Pilgrimage

“Every time we play here it’s like a pilgrimage” Bono said to my friends and me following U2’s 2005 show at Croke Park Stadium in Dublin, Ireland.  That show was also a pilgrimage for the four of us – two traveling in from New York, one traveling from San Francisco, and myself coming from Los Angeles.

When I was 13 years old and feeling trapped in a small town, listening to U2 albums was my escape.  I remember the precise moment, sitting alone in my bedroom blaring U2 and thinking, “I want to see this band play in Dublin.  Someday, I’ll see them play in their hometown.”  I knew then that in order to realize that dream, I’d have to get out of my hometown.

At 13-years old I had a very influential pep-talk with myself about the path I was headed down and the drastic changes that were necessary if I was going to experience a life that involved fulfilling my dreams around the world.  To the people who discount the impact and influence of music — that night in my bedroom, under the influence of U2, I made the decision to turn my life around for the better.  For that reason and their music, U2 will always remain one of my favorite bands.

U2 Claw - The 360 Tour

Tickets for this weekend’s concert at The Rose Bowl went on sale months ago.  I was vaguely aware that the show was approaching this weekend, but hadn’t thought much about it.  Then Wednesday, thanks to a very helpful blog posted by the LA Weekly, I was reminded.  I was also alarmed by the article’s headline: “U2 in Pasadena: Clusterf*ck Nearly Guaranteed Unless You Read This Post.”

U2, Honolulu 2006

I’ve been to a lot of big concerts around the world over the years, including U2 in Dublin (82,000+ in attendance) and Honolulu (the closing show of the tour), without any hassle whatsoever.  So it didn’t occur to me that this one, in my own backyard, could be a “clusterf*ck.”  I hadn’t given it any thought.  The show started at 7:00pm, I’d leave my house at 6:00pm, park, and stroll right into the Rose Bowl. Wrong.

As LA Weekly reported, nearly 100,000 people are expected to descend on the Rose Bowl Sunday.  LA Weekly and the Rose Bowl’s official website offer warnings about the lack of ample parking and encourage very early arrival (between noon and 4:00pm).  Traffic is sure to be extremely congested.  This is LA – traffic is congested even without U2.

With that I had a look at my ticket.  $250.  Suddenly I was pissed off.  It’s not that I feel a U2 show isn’t worth $250, but during the past 7 weeks I’ve seen amazing shows, at small venues, minus the “clusterf*ck,” for much less money.  Nine Inch Nails’ last show ever was only $65.  Thom Yorke’s secret show at The Echoplex, with fewer than 700 people in attendance, was a $20 ticket.

It wasn’t a question of whether or not to attend Sunday’s concert – it became a question of “how?”  I called a wise friend who suggested getting a hotel room in Pasadena Saturday night.  “Relax, hang out by the pool, wake up, have brunch, walk around Pasadena, and stroll over to the Rose Bowl.  That’s the only way to experience this show without a headache,” he suggested.  So at 10:00pm Wednesday night I began researching hotels in Pasadena.  Apparently my friend is not the only wise person and evidently a fair amount of other wise people actually planned ahead for this event.  Website after website, phone call after phone call, I was met with the words “SOLD OUT!”

Finally, it seemed a room was available online.  I called the hotel to inquire about parking.  “Oh, we’re sold out,” they told me at the reservations desk.

“Well, it says you have a room online,” I replied.

“It might say that, but our computers update more frequently than the website and we’re definitely sold out.  Oh wow – all of our properties in the area are sold out!”

“Do you have a wait list?” I asked.

“No, no, we don’t.  Sorry,” she said.

I ran back to the computer and clicked the “reserve now” button on the screen that showed 1 available room.  Thankfully, the website must have considered my request “in progress” and held the room for me while I was on the phone with the reservations desk.  As quickly as I could type, I filled in the required fields and practically begged the hotel to charge my credit card.

When I received the confirmation screen I smiled and relaxed.  Took a few deep breaths. . .  Entertained the gracious thoughts swirling around my mind. . . And then, realized the absurdity of it all.  I’m staying in a hotel, to see a concert 25 miles from my home.   “This U2 show better be good!!!” I thought to myself and then Tweeted to the world.

Delivering a message of peace

A few hours later I reconsidered the weekend.  Saturday afternoon I’d be sitting by the pool, surrounded by friends.  After a day by the pool we’ll head to dinner, have some laughs, and catch up.  Everybody who’s in Pasadena this weekend will be there to see U2.  I recalled the vibe on the streets of Dublin prior to the concert in 2005.  Every shop was playing U2 songs.  The energy was high and so were the people.  Just kidding – but everybody was in a very happy, outgoing mood.  Pasadena will likely feel the same.   Sunday night, we’ll all be treated to an amazing performance.  I say that with confidence because this band will not subject you to a “clusterf*ck” and then disappoint.  U2 puts on spectacular live performances. I remembered the roar and shake of the stadium as 82,000+ fans experienced U2 at Croke Park.  There will be nearly 100,000 fans at The Rose Bowl.

See you guys Sunday

Bit by bit my perspective shifted. I thought about the power of this band and their music to inspire 100,000 people to endure traffic, limited parking, and crowds, in order to gather at a single location, for 3-4 hours of live music.  I thought about the crowd at Croke Park and how their feet rarely touched the ground as they jumped incessantly during the concert in 2005.  I remembered that night in my bedroom, in my small town, and considered the amazing, worldly life I’ve lived ever since.  This is what I love about music.  Music brings people together.  Music is a movement.  Music is a dialog.  Music can inspire change and positive action.  Music can articulate how you feel when nobody seems to understand.  This “clusterf*ck” is evidence of the importance of music.  It’s the result of a band that’s been creating and playing music, while remaining relevant and making a positive difference in the world for three decades.

Suddenly I was thankful that U2 has once again provided the opportunity for a pilgrimage.  What’s even more impressive is that it’s a pilgrimage within my own city.  Now I know what Bono meant when he used that word to describe playing in Dublin 4 years ago.

Beautiful.

There are two kinds of people in this world. Those who embrace the beauty, and those who lie. And as usual, I’m kidding…just not very much. U2 somehow manages to sneak into so many posts here, that I try very hard to do precious few (the emphasis being on ‘precious’) posts solely on them. But this weekend I must make an exception. For they will be in Southern California. This is where I live. They will be close to me. How close, however, is dependent upon a few things:

• How little sleep can I function on?
• How many cops will be surrounding them?
• Is getting a chance for the Edge to tell me the secret to great tone worth a few nights sharing a small, barred room with the wonderful citizens of Los Angeles?
• If I do get close enough to Edge for him to tell me the secret to great tone, and he says, ‘it’s in the hands’, how many years of depression will I suffer?
• Adam Clayton will probably have no security. Perhaps he’s a better target…I mean, mark. Nope. A better person to casually hunt for. Ugh. Um, to hope that perhaps there is an off-chance I might see?
• Will Edge visit True Tone Music in Santa Monica?
• Probably not.
• But if one of his ‘76 Explorers mysteriously ‘goes missing’, will he then have to visit True Tone for a replacement?
• Will Edge let me hug him? (Bono probably would, but that’s a different thing entirely.)

So in order for these things to come true (except for the stealing of an Explorer…Edge, I will not do that…but the hugs? Oh most definitely), my wife and I are leaving tomorrow for the great ‘Edge Watch’ in Hollywood. We’ll scope out True Tone, Vintage Gear Hollywood, Guitar Center (I guess…my respect for Edge will significantly go down if I see him there, hehe…no…it won’t), and maybe Amp Shop in Ventura. My goal is to find him in a guitar shop, silently usher him towards a bench in front of a Matchless, hand him a Gibson ES335, and say, ‘Go.’ And then I will watch, and there will be much rejoicing. (Oh, and we’ll probably have to stick a Damage Control Timeline delay in that 335–>Matchless chain somewhere. I’ll just keep that in my back pocket for when the time comes.)

But in all seriousness, Sunday will be a wonderful day. I’ve never seen them live, due to some previously unfortunate personal musical tastes, two of their tours ago, involving finger-tapping, pinched harmonics, and Tourniquet; and then on their last tour, I had a little problem with my finances (meaning, I had none). So I’m very, very stoked. And expecting my life to never be the same again. And it must be said how incredible a wife I have. Those of you who are as of yet unmarried, should you happen to meet a girl who, when accidentally overhearing of a big boy crush you may or may not have on a certain band…should she actually be okay with that…marry her now. My wife not only bought the tickets for my birthday, but she is also traipsing around Hollywood with me tomorrow as I try to spot Edge (you thought that one was a joke, but oh…it is not), and got us a hotel room by the Rose Bowl so that we can get in line early enough to be in the inner circle during the concert. Either she really, really loves me, or she’s planning on getting a really, really nice anniversary getaway from me later on this year. I’m going with both. (I love you, Sweetheart.)

And to add to the gloriousness, they are filming this concert for a dvd, and broadcasting it live over youtube Sunday night. Now, as much as I joke about it, I do understand that there are people (inexplicably) who do not dig U2. However, go ahead and watch the broadcast, and look for me. I promise I will make it worth your while. Granted, it will still be more worthwhile to U2 fans, but hey. Here’s how to spot me:

• I’ll be in the inner circle, Edge’s side (of course), and sweet-mercy-I-hope-so, in the very front.
• Look for the cluster of security guards.
• Listen for probably the only expressions of love and adoration coming from a male voice.
• Watch for blue Herdim picks being thrown at the Edge, in hopes that he will actually use one that has touched my guitar.
• Look for the glistening tears reflecting the ‘City of Blinding Lights.’
• If you hear someone yelling, ‘Edge! Face-melting solo!’ , it is definitely not me.
• Oh, and I do plan on leading the crowd in chants of ‘Please! Get up off your knees! Now please…’ right before the first encore. And I fully expect them to just burst into it. ‘So you never knew love…’ Oh. I am getting excited.

I will try to post updates throughout the weekend here on the blog as much as I can (and maybe actually use that cursed little thing called ‘twitter’…which I vowed never to use), but for the most part, I’m just going to enjoy myself, and my time with Jamianne. But ya…if Edge actually does walk into True Tone, and we go have frozen yogurt and talk shop, you’ll definitely hear about it. (Kind of sad that in my wildest fantasy, I’m having frozen yogurt with another guitarist.) U2 is another type of experience altogether. And I plan on being close enough to catch some stage volume from the Vox’s.

Splendid.
Karl.

P.S. Ambient pad and loop, free downloads will be up soon, as will a Diamond Memory Lane demo, and a Tim/Fulldrive/Liquid Blues shootout. I understand that the last few days have been some probably fairly useless and perhaps slightly annoying posts. So my apologies. I’ve been trying to keep the blog going, while playing a full schedule of churches the last two weeks, recording pads, and getting ready to see U2. Oh, and keeping my normal job going, and watching my little sis get married. I try not to go into too much personal stuff here, but just so it’s clear that it’s not that I’m losing interest, it’s that life itself has just been extremely interesting lately. As always, thanks for reading, and I truly hope that in some small way, this blog has been able to help at least a little bit with finding new and passionate ways to glorify our Creator through two of His greatest creations…music and life. Cheers.

O texto do tricolor Paulo Ricardo na Folha/Ilustrada desta terça-feira sobre show do U2  pela região de NY/NJ me levou a procurar mais informações sobre  360º – nova turnê da banda que começou no Camp Nou, Barcelona, 30/06/09.  Que pena, nenhuma notícia sobre América do Sul ainda. Concertos em outubro de 2010 na Europa com ingressos esgotados… O jeito é ficar de olho no show deste domingo, 25 de outubro, no Rose Bowl (o mesmo estádio do… É TETRAAAA!!!!, final da Copa de 94, em Pasadena, na Califórnia). Ele vai ser transmitido ao vivo para o mundo todo via internet pelo U2be - página da banda no You Tube. Show previsto para 8:30 PM de Los Angeles – 1h30 da madrugada de domingo para segunda, horário de Brasília. Evento que a banda chama de a primeira transmissão global de um concerto na rede. Saiba mais no sites da banda, U2be ou da tour 360º.

P.S. – dá para ver o concerto aqui.

I had another U2 dream this morning

Adam and Larry are in a limousine. I open the door of the limo and they invite me in! I have to choose who I’m going to sit next to… I can’t sit in the middle, so I ask if Bono is coming. He’s not, so I really have to choose where to sit. They are both smiling very kindly and I decide to sit next to Adam, because he was sitting a little bit closer to where I was standing. I sit down and think “Wow! I’m actually sitting next to Adam!!!!!” I could not say anything, but then Adam asks me what risk factors are. I start talking about insurances and cars and I’m perfectly happy!

After that dream I’m in a helicopter with House and I’m talking about the fact that I didn’t get tickets for the U2 concert in Paris. I somehow think it was his fault (?) and I’ve written him about 50 letters because of that. He had replied at last with a letter and I guess that it said that I should come to the helicopter. He looked me in the eyes and gave me tickets for all the U2 concerts!!! When my first shock was over and I begin to worry about how I’m going to get to all of the concerts, he says to me that the helicopter will always bring me!

House is always so kind in my dreams!
Always?
Well, I’ve had 8 dreams with House so far and he was always kind
Maybe I’ll post them another time, some are just too funny/adorable not to

Mary J. Blige with U2 – One

Originally, “One” was the third track from U2’s 1991 album, Achtung Baby and was released as the album’s third single in March 1992. While recording Achtung Baby, conflict arose between band members over the direction of the U2’s sound. Tensions almost prompted the band to break up, until they rallied around the improvised writing of “One”.

Looking for inspiration following the falling of the Berlin Wall and the subsequent German reunification, U2 began the recording sessions toAchtung Baby in Berlin’s Hansa Tonstudio in late 1990.  However, the mood was bleak, as the studios, in addition to the hotel the band were staying at were run-down. Conflict arose within the band over their musical direction and the quality of their material. While bassist Adam Clayton and drummer Larry Mullen Jr. preferred a sound similar to U2’s previous work, vocalist Bono and guitarist The Edge were inspired by alternative rock and European electronic dance music of the time and were advocating a change.  Mullen, in particular felt his “input was being diminished”, as The Edge was delving into drum beats from electronic music, while Mullen was focusing on learning to play differently.

A breakthrough was achieved when The Edge combined two separate bridge sections of a song. Playing alone in another room, The Edge was improvising chord progressions, which he did not like in the context of the song on which he was  working.  Producer Daniel Lanois overheard him and asked him to play the separate sections together.  The Edge did so on acoustic guitar, catching the ear of those in the studio.  Bono joined in with vocals, improvising lyrics and melodies.  The other band members joined in.  Soon, the band had improvised the piece of music into “One.”

Following the song’s initial improvisation, tapes of the recording sessions were delivered to producer Brian Eno in order to gather his input.  The band were rather anxious about the quality of their material, but when Eno arrived in Berlin, they were surprised to hear that he liked most of the tapes.  However, as Bono recalls, Eno said, “There’s just one song I really despise, and that’s ‘One’.”  Eno felt that they needed to deconstruct the song.

The band returned to Dublin in 1991 to record at the “Elsinore” mansion on the Dalkey coastline.  The band continued to work on the song there, adding various overdubs, but not finding a mix they were satisfied with.   The Edge thought that they had the foundation for the song, but that it needed “foreground”.  Eno interceded and created his own mix, which gave the band a better idea of an arrangement they liked.  Eno wanted the band to remove the melancholy elements of the song and persuaded them to remove the acoustic guitar from the song.   Eno also worked with Lanois and Edge to “undermine the ‘too beautiful’ feeling”, which is why the “crying guitar parts that have an aggression to them” were added.

Engineer Flood was unconvinced by the song’s mix, saying he “was the nagging doubter. I always felt it was a bit straight, until we did the final mix.”  The final mix was completed at Windmill Lane Studios in August 1991 on the last night of the album’s recording sessions, when some last minute additions were made to “One”. Bono did not like a line in the vocals and spent most of the day re-recording it.  Later, after the song’s mix had just been completed by the production team, The Edge came up with a guitar part he wanted to add to the song’s end near the lyric “Love is a temple”.  After convincing the production team to allow the addition, Edge played the part once and had it mixed in ten minutes later.

After the release of Achtung Baby, “One” received praise from both critics and listeners.  The song is widely considered to be one of the band’s greatest songs and is consistently featured in lists of the greatest songs of all-time.  Rolling Stone ranked the song #36 on their list of “The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time”, and Q ranked the song at #1 on its list of the “1001 Greatest Songs of All-Time”. The song has been played by U2 at every one of their concerts since the song’s live debut in 1992, and it has appeared on many of the band’s concert films.

“One” has been covered by many artists, including,  but not limited to, Johnny Cash, Joe Cocker, Mary J. Blige, R.E.M. and Shinedown.

U2 invited Mary J. Blige to join them on stage at a New York concert in 2005, where she performed the song and received a standing ovation.  A recording of the song was later created with Blige on lead vocals, Bono supplying additional vocals, and the band performing the music.

Information from Wikipedia.org

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Wembley Stadium; 14th August 2009

Touring with an album that has a somewhat disappointing run with the public is both risky and shows signs of uncertainty. But to tour that kind of album in stadiums across the world for 2 or 3 years is pushing it.Then again, this is U2 we are talking about, not some avant garde act who decided to go for bigger venues. They are the innovators of stadium shows let alone stadium rock. Since their breakthrough ZooTV tour, they have always been the leading act in the world to bring both intimacy and technology into the forefront of musical concerts.

U2 360 is no exception. Their stage set up features a four-legged claw that support the heavy sound, lighting and video equipment all suspended in the air and further asserting their authority as masters of the stadium. Furthermore, U2’s stage doubles the size of the previous biggest stage – set by the Rolling Stones – by standing at a neck straining 165 feet.

I am not here to read you the numbers nor the statistics. How does the music fare? Does the technology control U2 or the opposite? Does it show if U2 are just a Greatest Hits Parade or remain relevant in a age where relevancy lasts only but a whimpering breath?

To start their set with an arsenal of new tracks from their latest LP, No Line On the Horizon, follows on U2 tradition of starting things fresh and new. In fact, it contains 4 tracks in comparison to the 2 tracks from their 2 previous tours. The rumble of drums from Breathe, the wails of No Line On the Horizon, the chainsaw riff of Get On Your Boots (which surprisingly got the crowd roaring despite all the negative response with its single release) and atmospheric familiarity of Magnificent truly demonstrate the great contrast between their past two albums. The crowd despite not knowing virtually any words, jumped, screamed and held hands in the air as Bono played, prod and crooned with his loyal audience.

Most of their set is from the 21st century. Gutsy. They have the back catalogue to whip out favourites from their Boy, War, Zooropa, Achtung Baby – well, to put simply, their past 11 critically and commercially successful albums. But no.

The music does work well with the stage. The screen produces 21st century karaoke in unison with Unknown Caller; the screen expands and evolves during the soaring 1984 The Unforgettable Fire; the stadium turns into a glittering disco during Ultraviolet with Bono equipped with a swinging steering wheel and LED jacket as the sea of lights morphs the stadium into a twinkling space simulator.

The song choices, however, are at times too low or mid-tempo and lacking energetic songs – barring Vertigo and Get On Your Boots. Where is The Fly? Mofo? Discotheque? Even Better Than the Real Thing? Until the End of the World – songs that cause riots and eternal amounts of energy?

Some songs just don’t blend well at all, for instance a techno version of I’ll Go Crazy If I Don’t Go Crazy Tonight into the political Sunday Bloody Sunday? It’s like throwing a bucket of Arctic water over a newborn baby. Plus, a mini acoustic set in the form of Stuck In A Moment You Can’t Get Out Of just screams “toilet break!”

This is likely to be the last great stadium show spectacle. With climate change and green organizations in full throttle, no way the world’s governments will allow touring like this on this level to happen again. Unless they switch to 100% renewable energy but that’s another story.

I’ll eat my words if their next show covers the length of the Grand Canyon but that’s just a tad too ambitious…..for now.

Siguiendo con la serie de lanzamientos por parte de MTV Games y Electronic Arts, Rock Band ha lanzado hasta ahora las series de Metallica, The Beatles, y a esto podría sumarse la agrupación irlandesa. Adam Clayton, bajista de la banda, comentó al respecto: “Definitivamente es algo que nos gustaría hacer, en el pasado no logramos un acuerdo ya que no compartíamos ciertso intereses, sin embargo eso puede cambiar. Me encanta la idea de que el videojuego sea una fuente de donde las personas escuchan nuestra música, y nos encantaría entrar en este mundo. Ya llegaremos a un acuerdo“.

Via:Warp