U2 Fan Record

A U2 site and blog for fans by fans. News, audio, and video.

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U2 meet the moment.

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[Laughs] I haven't thought about it, but then again if you'd asked me five years ago about a Joshua Tree one I would have laughed at you. It would have to be called Zoo.Com.

Bono on the possibility of an Achtung Baby tour in 2021

Fingers crossed.

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We've got the questions, Bono has the answers.

From the U2.com interview with Bono:

Haha, nostalgia is a thing of the past, as Edge is always telling me… and it’s true! As a band we are not known for the rear view mirror… I suppose that changed with the writing of Songs of Innocence. It kind of forced us and me in particular to look back. I began to think that indeed the past is a place worth a visit, even if only a fleeting one, as not to spend any time there can really mess with your ability to deal with the future. Not trying to be clever here, just sometimes, to quote one of my favourite writers – Eminem – you’ve got to go back to tidy your room. The Joshua Tree Tour is a recent idea… it started out as us just doing one or two shows, maybe even a festival for fun, but the more we thought about it, the more excited we got, and the more apt the subject matter of those songs felt for these times.

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Review: U2 worth the 30-year wait

U2 brought its Joshua Tree Tour 2017 to Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, celebrating the 30th anniversary of the band’s biggest album.

There was a personal element to this concert that has been missing from U2 for years, as the band spent its time blowing our minds with giant claw-shaped stage designs and other eye candy. This time around, the group simply let the music do the talking — and it said volumes.

And the songs — encompassing such themes as spirituality, drug addiction, the plight of mine workers and politics in the Reagan/Thatcher era — sounded fresh and relevant, even though the band didn’t update them in any way.

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Michael Jackson was 'obsessed' with U2 and used to spy on them

It has been claimed that Michael Jackson used to be obsessed with Irish rock group U2 and became so concerned that they were going to overtake him in the success stakes that he even sent a private film crew to spy on them.

Speaking out about the bizarre incident, U2 frontman Bono told The Sun: “Michael wanted to observe us in our natural habitat.”

However, neither Bono or his U2 bandmates commented any further.

This can't be real.

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U2's Pop Album Turns 20: Good Ideas With Flawed Execution

U2's album celebrates its 20th anniversary. Combining rock and electronic music, Pop has a neat concept but struggles under its weight.

March 3 marks the 20th anniversary of U2’s ninth album Pop. Sadly, there is little celebrating of this milestone.

Still one of my favorites.

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WATCH: SON shares her cover of U2's 'Exit' exclusively with Hot Press

The husky-voiced backing singer with Propeller Palms and King Kong Company, Susan O'Neill, aka SON, showed up at Hot Press HQ to do a cover of U2's 'Exit' as part of Hot Press' celebration of the 30th anniversary of The Joshua Tree.

U2 covers are nearly impossible, but this one works.

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The Blind Leading the Blond – U2’s Pop Turns 20 - Louder Than War

U2’s last big risk, a decadent and dark beast that almost blew the band apart - we revisit Pop twenty years on

Pop gave the band positive reviews, but they didn’t last – their attempt to reinvent pop music for a generation raised on wry apathy hadn’t quite worked, but they were lauded for their guts to try. After this, though, U2 would stick to playing it safe – 2000’s All That You Can’t Leave Behind was a return to their roots, and only the mild experimentation of 2009’s No Line On the Horizon has hinted they’ll ever try anything as bold, brave and fierce as Pop again.

This year, U2 will celebrate the 30th anniversary of their seminal record The Joshua Tree with a world tour. Whether they will give Pop the same attention remains to be seen, but as a last bastion of restless creativity, it’s a record that was ahead of its time.

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U2 confession: Frontman accused of using ‘made-up’ words for lyrics

IT’S official, Bono sings a load of nonsense.

Bono revealed: “I’ve been making s*** up on the microphone since we were 17. Sometimes it turns into words, sometimes it’s just like sound paintings. I’ve only got semi-literate recently.”

This is one of the reasons I became a fan of the band. No two performances are ever the same.

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Life on the road with U2: ‘There were supermodels everywhere’

Music and creative consultant Suzanne Doyle talks U2, MTV, life on the road and bringing it all back home

When a phenomenon like U2 accelerates, it tends to carry others along with it as it steamrolls its way around the globe. While minding her own business and repeating her Leaving Cert in 1987, Suzanne Doyle was plucked from anonymity and taken on tour with the band, a role which kicked off a lifetime working in the music industry, often in the orbit of one of the biggest bands in the world. How she got there in the first place was luck, chance and a Geography teacher.

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'Rolling Stone Music Now' Podcast: The Edge on U2's Joshua Tree Tour

Why is U2 replanting 'The Joshua Tree'? The Edge explains the tour, and he looks forward to the band's next album and more.

U2 is taking their 1987 masterpiece The Joshua Tree on tour in stadiums across America and Europe this year in honor of the album's 30th anniversary. It's a chance for the band to re-connect with fans after the rather disappointing reception to their 2014 LP Songs of Innocence, and it gives them a chance to hit the road while continuing to put the finishing touches on their upcoming album Songs of Experience. So why is U2 replanting The Joshua Tree? The Edge tells Rolling Stone's Andy Greene how the current political climate led U2 back to The Joshua Tree, how the shows will work and what U2's future looks like.

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Bono sends queuing U2 fans a special delivery

Many of U2's diehard fans queued outside the St Stephen's Green Shopping Centre in Dublin in the hope of bagging tickets to their upcoming Croke Park gig, and their loyalty was rewarded by a special gift from Bono.

Rosie said: "We weren't expecting this at all. It was a big surprise when the delivery came, they said 'It's a gift from Bono!'

"It was like ten pizzas. I was like 'What?! Oh my God'. It was very kind, he cares about the fans."

There is a long history between Bono, the fans, and pizza.

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16 Memorable Moments From U2's First 'Joshua Tree' Tour

Here are 16 facts about U2's first 'Joshua Tree' tour.

An obscure act called the Dalton Brothers debuted between sets by the BoDeans and Los Lobos at U2's Nov. 1, 1987, show in Indianapolis. The reason you've likely never heard of them is because the group – which donned cowboy outfits and wigs, playing down-home versions of "Lucille" and Hank Williams' "Lost Highway" – were, in fact, U2. "Alton," "Luke," "Duke" and "Betty" Dalton later appeared in Los Angeles and Hampton. A webpage dedicated to the fictitious group mentioned a love of Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash and Loretta Lynn, while noting that the brothers "play two kinds of music: country and western."

Read More: 16 Memorable Moments From U2's First 'Joshua Tree' Tour | http://ultimateclassicrock.com/u2-joshua-tree-tour-facts/#photogallery-1=8?trackback=tsmclip

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At first, it was just to honor this album that meant so much to us. It wasn't any grand concept. It was, "Shouldn't we do something? What can we do that would be special?" Then we came up with some of the idea and the thing just ran away with itself and the more relevant we realized it was. I know from reading reviews and hearing from people we've done it without being nostalgic. It's like the album has just come out. Nobody is talking about it as an historical thing. People are talking about its relevance now.

Bono on 'Joshua Tree' Tour, Trump, U2's Next Album - Rolling Stone

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The Edge Breaks Down U2's Upcoming 'Joshua Tree' Tour

U2 guitarist the Edge discusses the group's upcoming 'Joshua Tree' anniversary tour and the status of 'Songs of Experience.'

I think the two songs the fans are most dying to hear are "Acrobat" and "Drowning Man." They've never been done live. Is there a chance they'll finally be done?

That's very interesting. I didn't know that fans were interested in "Drowning Man." I mean "Acrobat," for sure, I guess. It was one of those kind of more dramatic pieces from Achtung Baby. But that's interesting. I'll take note of that. We always want to listen to our fans because in our experience, music fans are seldom wrong. There's something to what they say, so I'll take note of that. I'm not saying we'll definitely do it, but we're at this wonderful situation where we've got a blank canvas.

He went there! Excellent interview.

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Bono led U2 in a musical and poli sci masters class at AT&T Stadium

Not even the venue’s reputation for ruining concerts with bad acoustics could derail Bono’s train of hits and politics Friday at a show dedicated to the 30th anniversary of the group’s album “The Joshua Tree.”

If U2’s “The Joshua Tree” tour has shown fans and critics anything aside from one of the most well executed performances of 2017, it’s that rock’s most outspoken frontman is more than equal to the fast and furious news cycle associated with a Donald Trump presidency.

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100 Greatest Guitarists

We assembled a panel of top guitarists and other experts to rank their favorites and explain what separates the legends from everyone else.

A lot had already been said about the guitar by the time the Edge picked it up. His secret is that he taught himself to play – that's why he's so unique. He's got such an innovative mind: Every U2 album that I've been involved with had a new sound from the Edge. There's not a lot of strumming in his playing; he's very much a servant to the melody. He focuses on the interplay between his guitar and Bono's vocals. The Edge is a scientist, and a poet by night; he's always got a little rig at home. He'll take home a Larry Mullen drumbeat, then come back into the studio the next morning and say, "Bono, I have one for you" – and present "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For," with a simple jank-a-jank Dublin/Bo Diddley riff that spearheads the entire direction of the song.