Great news: if you couldn't go to Vegas to see U2, you can now spend a similar amount of money to go there anyway and just pretend they're still there! (Or if you did go, you can pay a fortune all over again to see a partial recording of the show you've already seen.)

https://www.u2.com/news/title/v-u2-an-immersive-concert-film-at-sphere-las-vegas/

I raised an eyebrow when Bono referred to the original ZooTV bellydancer Christina Petro as "this woman" in his book... and so did she! Christina sets the record straight in this funny and revealing video:

Thoughts on the new song Atomic City?



Also, the Vegas shows begin on Friday night! Anyone going, or planning to listen live? (I am hoping for Mixlr streams...)

I've just finished Bono's autobiography.

On the whole a really interesting read, from his working class Dublin background in the 70's (which I can relate to well) to musical success (which came pretty quickly in retrospect) to mixing with world leaders and involvement in political activism.

I must admit, I skim read a bit of the political interactions near the end of the book. I found the music and his creative process much more more interesting.

On the whole though, he's got a great writing style that crosses into poetry at times in a very natural way. There are some great monologues on life, his wife, God, death...

Not surprisingly, one of the best autobiographies I've read.

So..... any thoughts on Songs Of Surrender now it's finally out?

Also, unexpected new song!  I like it!

Theatre dates for Bono's book tour:

New York City Beacon Theatre - Wednesday 2nd November
Boston Orpheum Theatre - Friday 4th November
Toronto Meridian Hall - Sunday 6th November
Chicago Theatre - Tuesday 8th November
Nashville Ryman Auditorium - Wednesday 9th November
San Francisco Orpheum Theatre - Saturday 12th November
Los Angeles Orpheum Theatre - Sunday 13th November
London Palladium - Wednesday 16th November
Glasgow SEC Armadillo - Thursday 17th November
Manchester O2 Apollo - Saturday 19th November
Dublin 3Olympia Theatre - Monday 21st November
Berlin Admiralspalast - Wednesday 23rd November
Paris Le Grand Rex - Friday 25th November
Madrid Teatro Coliseu - Monday 28th November

Tickets on sale Friday at 10am, with a U2.com subscribers presale on Thursday at 10am local times. Anyone planning to go, or not?

If anyone hasn't already heard, there will apparently be an album released in November consisting of new versions of old U2 songs. I wonder what on earth will be included and why. Their best stuff surely doesn't need redoing and I'm not sure what could improve the less good stuff...

New U2 song from the animated movie Sing 2:

If anybody out there is looking for somewhere to chat about U2 now the @U2 forum is gone... this place still exists. :p

Posted on Zootopia a few months ago, posting again here in case anyone wants to steal it!

- List U2's studio albums in whatever order you want and number them from 1 to 14.
- Then answer the questions below!

THE QUESTIONS:
01. Which was the first U2 album you owned?
02. What were the first songs you heard from #3 and #13?
03. What were your initial opinions of #7 and #1, and have they changed since then?
04. Which album(s) are your favourite?
05. Which album do you prefer out of #10 and #4?
06. What are your favourite tracks from #6 and #12?
07. What memories do you associate with #14 and #8?
08. Which album would you listen to when feeling down?
09. Where would you rank #5 and #9 in your album preferences?
10. Which album has a better opening track, #2 or #11?
11. What are your favourite lyrics from #10 and #13?
12. Which album would you listen to when feeling happy?
13. How many songs from #7 and #2 have you heard live?
14. Which tracks from #8 and #5 should have been released as singles?
15. Which album do you listen to more, #11 or #3?
16. Which album has grown on you the most?
17. Which songs from #4 and #1 do you dream of hearing live?
18. Which album has a better closing track, #9 or #12?
19. Which album do you prefer out of #6 and #14?
20. Which album would you love to see played in full like on the recent Joshua Tree tours?

(You can repeat this as many times as you like just by listing the albums in a different order.)

LOL... remember that time I realised Edge is a Time Lord? (And volare  illustrated it?)

It turns out someone else realised it too, and made a whole comic strip about it. :D

I know I haven't written one of these since 2014, and I'm not sure if anyone is even still reading this community, but this is something I feel the need to write...

California (There Is No End To Love)

I am so tired of seeing how underrated this song is. Songs Of Innocence is a terrific album and this is one of my very favourite tracks on it - certainly the standout song on the first half for me - but it somehow came LAST in U2.com's Side 1 poll soon after the album was released. I've seen a number of fans speak very dismissively about it, as if its crappy worthlessness is self-evident. And even when people *do* love the song, they tend to say things like "It's straight-up light-hearted fun!" and "It really captures the feel of California!", which doesn't do it justice at all. There's so much more to appreciate here.

While it's set against the backdrop of the band's first trip to Los Angeles, this is a song about life after loss. Bono explained it briefly in a 2014 radio interview that I've never been able to find again since (probably one of these that's no longer available). He said they were all really excited about their adventure, but someone in their party - he didn't specify who - had recently suffered a bereavement and it was totally dragging the mood down for everyone. The result is this amazing juxtaposition of grief and joy that I can't recall hearing in any other song.

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Anyone going to the Joshua Tree shows this year? It's great that they are finally visiting some countries they haven't been to in ages, or ever!

Seen this asked in a few different places - which was your favourite tour out of Innocence + Experience, The Joshua Tree 2017, and Experience + Innocence?

I find it impossible to answer because I liked different things about each one - IE had the most impressive production and narrative, JT was the most enjoyable experience, and EI had MacPhisto!

Just over a fortnight until the European leg of the EI Tour... anyone here going to a show?

I just stumbled across this slideshow and found it quite amusing:

50 Photos of Bono Being Bono-y!

So.... has anyone tried to buy tickets for the North American shows? How did it go?

U2 are nominated for 'Best Live' and 'Best Rock' at the MTV EMAs. You can vote here - no sign-up required, and there doesn't seem to be any limit as to how many times you can vote?

The proper video for 'You're The Best Thing About Me' is here, and features U2 being goofy in NYC. The editing style is a bit too frantic for my taste, but it's kinda cute. :)