Category Archives: U2

Adoption, U2

Adoption & U2=Awesome

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So the economy is in the toilet and work has been incredibly slow. No matter: The spring of 2009 has decided to be awesome.

Adoption
Most importantly, our adoption will finally happen. We got the referral a few weeks ago (it’s a boy!) and we found out yesterday that the court date will be Feb. 20, 2009. It’s a tentative court date and it could change, but the court date is what determines everything else. This is the legal process in Ethiopia where guardianship is transferred to us. If everything goes through OK they send us a birth certificate. If the birth certificate comes through OK then we’re able to get a visa and all that jazz and they can give us a travel date. Then we can book plane tickets and be on our way. They tell us travel usually happens 5-6 weeks after a court date, and in general we get 2-3 weeks notice before traveling.

Five to six weeks after Feb. 20 is March 27 to April 3. Not that I’m counting.

New U2
The spring of 2009 is also shaping up to be awesome because U2 will be releasing their first album in nearly four and a half years. OK, it’s not nearly as awesome as our adoption, but I’m still excited. The album, No Line on the Horizon, is due March 3. This means I can spend those final remaining weeks before we travel rocking out and I’ll have a ready-made soundtrack for those first months with our new kiddo.

Go 2009!

U2

Vote for the Best U2 Songs

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OK, so I’m still playing around with Squidoo’s new Plexo thingy. This time around, let’s vote for our favorite U2 songs. It’s a much broader field than the Five Iron list and probably appeals to more folks. Plus this time around you can add your own suggestions. I threw in a handful to get started, but it’s far from all the best songs.

plex5672


If you can’t see the list, check out my U2 lens to see it and vote.

Technology, U2

U2 and Apple?

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So U2 and Green Day welcomed the New Orleans Saints back to the Superdome in style with a mesmerizing 10-minute performance that rivals U2’s 2002 SuperBowl appearance. And you can watch it on YouTube. The highlight of the show was the groups performing “The Saints are Coming”, an old Skids song (Andrew Careaga’s got the history). The song and performance were a benefit for Music Rising, an organization the Edge started to help replace the instruments of Gulf Coast musicians.

Now here’s where it gets weird. U2, Green Day and Music Rising partnered with Rhapsody to offer downloads of the performance to benefit Music Rising. Rhapsody, which is incompatible with Mac and less than compatible with iPods? The song is going out to radio, and a commercial CD release is planned for November 7.

So if you’ve got a U2 iPod you may have a hard time getting the latest U2 song on it, at least for now. So what gives? Did U2 and Apple have a falling out? Was Apple not willing to give the benefits to Music Rising (doubt it, seems like Apple has done charity downloads before)? Or is music so last year and Apple is too focused on video? Weird.

U2

The Vertigo Tour: U2 in Minneapolis

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On Friday night I sat behind the stage, which isn’t quite as good as back stage, for the U2 show in Minneapolis. I first saw U2 in 2001 during the Elevation Tour when I was just becoming a fan. This time around I think I can say I’m more than a fan.

U2 has become far and away my favorite band. And I didn’t realize it until Friday night, but many of their songs have become worship music for me. I found myself pumping my fist along to “Sunday Bloody Sunday,” but also looking past the rafters and raising my hands to God during “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For.” The concert was more of a spiritual experience than a musical one. I think Tim said it better than I can.

Continue reading The Vertigo Tour: U2 in Minneapolis →

U2

Bono in Conversation

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Just received a copy of Bono: In conversation with Michka Assayas. It’s basically a big long Q&A with the lead singer of U2 and most iconic rocker in a long time. Looks like it’s going to be fun.

Who the hell are you, then?

I’m a scribbling, cigar-smoking, wine-drinking, Bible-reading band man. A show-off [laughs] … who loves to paint pictures of what I can’t see. A husband, father, friend of the poor and sometimes the rich. An activist traveling salesman of ideas. Chess player, part-time rock star, opera singer, in the loudest folk group in the world. How’s that? (43)

It also reveals that Bono’s favorite religious song is “Amazing Grace,” (I’m sure that was probably common knowledge among U2 fans, but it’s fun to know that my dad and Bono love the same song) and when asked about his favorite U2 song says, “We haven’t written it yet.” When pressed he mentions “Stay (Faraway, So Close)” and “Please” among his favorites (129-130).

Yeah, I’m just pulling from the press materials that came with the book, but how can you resist the 12 pages of utterly quotable Bono they provide? Unfortunately my book pile is growing higher, so it might be a while before I can get deeper into the book.

U2

Selling out U2

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Along with the big splash of U2’s new album last year came plenty of complaints about the band selling out. The complaints range from the type music (too commercial), to their appearance in the iPod commercial (sell out!), to licensing their songs, to the recent ticket debacle. This Chicago Tribune article covers most of the complaints from disgruntled U2 fans.

Now I’m a U2 nut (in case you haven’t noticed) and probably rather biased, but I still don’t get all this complaining. The ticket stuff I understand–they screwed things up and should have a better system. Though I don’t understand how that makes them a bunch of sell outs.

But all the other complaints just amaze me. They’re taking all these steps to get their music out there and be heard, and they just get slammed for it. As if licensing songs–making money from the work you did–is a bad thing. The band has a big ego (OK, Bono has a big ego) and they want to be heard. They don’t want to play music to their dying fans on some unending reunion tour. They want to make fresh music and be heard by new ears. I don’t see how that’s a horrible thing. It’s not like we’ve seen the U2 rap album (or worship album for that matter). It’s not like they’re appearing on TRL and trying to rock it with the youngsters.

Quit your bellyaching, people. It reminds me of the folks who piss and moan when 89.3 plays a U2 song: “Oh, they’re too commercial!” Grow up.