U2

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"Bomb" Away: U2 Piracy NightmareEOnline.comby Charlie AmterNov 9, 2004, 8:45 AM PTThis isn't the kind of bomb U2 expected to be dropped.Pirated copies of the Irish group's forthcoming How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb hit file-sharing sites late last week--some two weeks before disc's official release date.The disc has long been scheduled to drop Nov. 23.Paul McGuinness, the band's manager, is reportedly in high-level discussions this week with both the band's label, Interscope, and Apple iTunes executives in an effort to possibly move up the album's release date to stave off wholesale looting of the band's 11th studio record.The move would certainly not be an unprecedented one this fall. Several high-profile fourth-quarter releases have already seen their release dates moved up due to piracy concerns.Eminem's new release, Encore, was just moved up four days, to Nov. 12; shortly thereafter, Geffen Records announced it was bumping up Snoop Dogg's new album, R&G (Rhythm & Gangsta): The Masterpiece, one week, to Nov. 16.While cursory searches of several file-sharing sites have so far failed to turn up any Snoop or Eminem tracks (the latter's two new singles notwithstanding), there are now several new U2 songs in circulation.Aside from the lead single "Vertigo," at least two other cuts--"City of Blinding Lights" and "Miracle Drug"--are making the rounds on the Web to the consternation of record execs but to the delight of fans, who can't wait to get a hold of the new (and by all accounts stellar) material. The music represents the band's first new studio set in nearly four years, and those who have heard the disc are already saying it is the band's best work since The Joshua Tree.Earlier this year, the band reported the theft of an early, unfinished version of Atomic Bomb while the band was recording in France. Whether or not that MIA disc represents the source of the Internet leak is not clear.After the France July theft, Bono said he would rush-release the album online to counteract piracy."If it is on the Internet this week," he said, "we will release it immediately as a legal download on iTunes, and get hard copies into the shops [as soon as possible]?Once it's out, it's out."Such a move could compromise the U2's carefully orchestrated promotional schedule.The band's music is already getting crucial prime-time exposure via Apple's ubiquitous iTunes spots featuring "Vertigo" and a new black U2 iPod is due in stores later this month. Meanwhile, the Grammy winners' music has been appearing on CSI and The O.C. and the group is confirmed as the Nov. 20 musical guest on Saturday Night Live.

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EOnline.com

 

BOMBS AWAY: MTV.com and VH1.com announcing an exclusive premiere of U2's new album, How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb , beginning Nov. 16, one week before the album's official release date. Fans can log onto the sites to stream the album free and can sign up to pre-order the album and have it delivered on the day of release.

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EOnline.com

 

BOMBS AWAY: U2 planning to kick off a world tour on March 1 in Florida in support of its new album, How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb, per Billboard. Band manager Paul McGuinness said the group would play about 35 shows in the U.S., then head to Europe for 30 shows, return to the U.S. for 35 more shows, then wrap up in Japan and Australia. Atomic Bomb is due out on Nov. 23.

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U2 Ready to "Bomb" World

EOnline.com

by Josh Grossberg

Nov 16, 2004, 2:30 PM PT

 

U2's plans for world domination are complete.

 

With the Dubliner's new album, How To Dismantle an Atomic Bomb, hitting stores on Nov. 23 and their tunes already featured in everything from iPod commercials to episodes of CSI and The O.C., the group is now making plans to blanket the globe.

 

Billboard reports that U2--which last rocked North America four years ago on their mega-successful Elevation trek in support of the 2000 release All That You Can't Leave Behind--will kick off their jaunt March 1 in Florida.

 

"We'll play approximate 35 shows in the arenas in the spring in the U.S.," the group's longtime manager Paul McGuninness tells Billboard.

 

U2 will then head over to Europe to headline another 30-plus concerts this summer before returning to the States in the fall for another 35-date arena run. The band will wrap up the year with a series of gigs in Australia and Japan.

 

No official word yet on an opening act, but U2 is rumored to be mulling fellow Irish outfit Snow Patrol or quirky American new wavers the Scissor Sisters.

 

"We love Snow Patrol. Their producer, Jacknife Lee, also worked on U2's album and they're Irish. There's a close connection," McGuinness tells Billboard.

 

Although All That You Can't Leave Behind was a critical and commercial success, selling over 4 million copies, winning seven Grammys and grossing nearly $110 million on tour, it only generated one hit tune, "A Beautiful Day."

 

This time around, Bono and the boys are pulling out all the stops to make sure no one forgets they are the reigning "world's most popular rock 'n' roll band."

 

To that end, the band has been crafting a promotional plan that began with the release of the first single, "Vertigo," on Apple's iTunes Music Store. The band followed up with a video/commercial for the iPod and iTunes that has been in heavy rotation for the past month. The group has also partnered with Apple to release their own special-edition black iPod.

 

Meanwhile, the band is rolling out new music on episodes of The O.C. and CSI during the current November sweeps and will cap their TV run with a Saturday Night Live gig this weekend.

 

And when an Internet leak of Atomic Bomb threatened to upend the carefully orchestrated marketing campaign, the band managed to turn around and get yet more publicity by streaming the new album on MTV.com and VH1.com beginning today.

 

Aside from the new album and tour onslaught, U2 is a shoo-in for enshrinement in Rock and Roll Hall of Fame when the new class is announced next month.

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Bono and the rest of U2 give New Yorkers an early Christmas gift: a free midday performance Monday through the streets of Manhattan, including a Times Square stop for "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town." The stunt, which had the band on the back of a flatbed truck, was to promote their new album, How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb, due Tuesday.

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EOnline.com BOMB'S AWAY: U2's critically acclaimed new album, How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb, hitting stores Tuesday, weeks after bootlegs turned up on Internet file-sharing networks.U2 ADD: To promote the release, the Irish rockers performed on a flat-bed truck that drove around Manhattan Monday and also put on a surprise show at a waterfront park underneath the Brooklyn Bridge. The concert will air on MTV on Dec. 2.

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Page SixSIGHTINGS THE Edge chowing with pals at Matsuri after the surprise U2 show in DUMBO, while Betsey Johnson speared sushi at a nearby table . .

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U2 Bombs the ChartsEOnline.comby David JenisonDec 1, 2004, 1:05 PM PTIt took an atomic bomb to dismantle Eminem 's encore.U2's How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb blew Em's Encore out of the top slot the latter had occupied for two straight weeks. Atomic Bomb , the Irish quartet's 11th student album, exploded with 840,000 in sales for the week ended Sunday, according to Nielsen SoundScan data, to debut on top of the Billboard 200.U2's first-week numbers mark a career best for the band and the third highest open for 2004, trailing only Usher's Confessions (1.1 million) and Norah Jones' Feels Like Home (1.02 million). Eminem's Encore, rush-released to stores, sold a whopping 871,000 second-week copies, giving Atomic Bomb takes the fourth best week overall for the year. U2 benefited from huge radio play for the lead single "Vertigo," a multimillion-dollar Apple iPod/iTunes campaign and a carefully orchestrated marketing strategy.Chiefly produced by Steve Lillywhite, Atomic Bomb survived a piracy scare when unfinished tracks went missing last summer. And even though the album was leaked early to song-swapping sites, it nearly doubled the opening sales of their previous disc, 2000's All That You Can Leave Behind . The latter peaked at three on the charts and went on to win seven Grammys, including Record and Song of the Year in 2000 for "Beautiful Day" and Record of the Year in 2001 for "Walk On."Eminem's latest, meanwhile, slipped to number two, selling 471,000 to bring the rapper's 17-day total to just over 3 million served. His previous, The Eminem Show, held the top spot for five straight weeks in June 2002 and made an encore at number one in August of that year.Despite griping about her disappointment over the release, No Doubt's Gwen Stefani's solo debut, Love, Angel, Music, Baby, opened at seven with 309,000 copies. That tops her group's last album, Rock Steady, which debuted at nine on 255,000 copies in late 2001.Season three American Idol winner Fantasia sold 239,000 copies of her rookie album, Free Yourself, to bow at eight. This marks the first time an Idol champ's debut failed to open atop the album charts, as previous winners Kelly Clarkson and Ruben Studdard did in 2003.That said, Studdard's sophomore disc, I Need an Angel, also hit the charts this week at 20, marking a new low for a former Idol champ; Studdard, sidelined by bronchitis , was unable to promote his disc last week, likely hurting sales. Clay Aiken, who finished second to Studdard, proved more bankable as his Merry Christmas with Love remained strong. The disc, which opened at four last week, currently sits at 11. (Clarkson's second disc dropped this week and will make its play on next week's chart.)In the spirit of Thanksgiving, the rest of the Top 10 were leftovers: Shania Twain's Greatest Hits at three, Destiny's Child's Destiny Fulfilled at four, Toby Keith's Greatest Hits 2 at five, Now That's What I Call Music! Vol. 17 at six, Snoop Dogg's R&G (Rhythm & Gangsta): The Masterpiece at nine and Lil Jon & the East Side Boyz's Crunk Juice squeezing into the 10 spot. With the holiday shopping season in full swing, 19 albums moved more than 100,000 copies last week.Creed, who called its quits earlier this year, debuted at 15 with its Greatest Hits selling 158,000 copies. Jessica Simpson's Re-Joyce: The Christmas Album --ripe with such Yuletide plums as "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus" and Hark! The Herald Angels Sing"--followed at 16 with 152,000 discs sold. Simpson's holiday disc also helped her 67-week-old In This Skin leap 61 spots to 64.Despite a steep price tag, the long-awaited Nirvana box set With the Lights Out scored an impressive debut at 19 on nearly 106,000 copies sold. The four-disc (three CDs, one DVD) set includes live songs, radio performances and obscure demo tracks from the band's archive.Bluegrass queen Alison Krauss and Union Station fiddled their way to number 31 with Lonely Runs Both Ways, while Evanescence's double-disc live CD/DVD Anywhere But Home followed at 39. Dropping in one spot behind at 40, Kenny G blew his way onto the charts with At Last...The Duets Album, on which Mr. G collaborates with Richard Marx, LeAnn Rimes and Daryl Hall, among others.Another notable debuts included The Diplomats' Diplomatic Immunity II at 46, The Blue Collar Comedy Tour Rides Again at 50 and actor Robert Downey Jr. showing off his pipes with The Futurist at 121.Here's a recap of the Top 10 albums for the week ended Sunday:1. How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb, U22. Encore, Eminem3. Greatest Hits, Shania Twain4. Destiny Fulfilled, Destiny's Child5. Greatest Hits II, Toby Keith6. Now That's What I Call Music! 17, various7. Love, Angel, Music, Baby, Gwen Stefani8. Free Yourself, Fantasia9. R&G (Rhythm & Gangsta): The Masterpiece, Snoop Dogg10. Crunk Juice, Lil Jon and the East Side Boyz

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people.comRANKED: U2 earned its sixth No. 1 album on the pop charts as its new disc How To Dismantle an Atomic Bomb sold almost twice as many copies in its first week as 2000's All That You Can't Leave Behind. The new Interscope album by the Irish quartet moved 840,000 copies in the Thanksgiving holiday week ended Nov. 28, according to Nielsen SoundScan. All That You Can't Leave Behind, entered ? and peaked ? at No. 3 in November 2000 with sales of 428,000 copies and has sold a total of 4.2 million to date.

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people.com

 

 

ANNOUNCED: Irish rockers U2, R&B singers The O'Jays ("Love Train"), soul balladeer Percy Sledge ("When a Man Loves a Woman"), The Pretenders and blues guitarist Buddy Guy are to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame during the foundation's 20th annual induction ceremony March 14, the organization announced Monday. Musicians, industry professionals and journalists vote on the nominations, which were announced in September. Artists are eligible to be inducted into the Rock Hall after at least 25 years have passed since their first record was released.

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And they're off! U2 frontman Bono and 5-year-old son Elijah head to the Leopardstown Races, an annual four-day horse-racing event, in Dublin on Sunday.

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EOnline.com ODD PLACE FOR A PREMIERE: U2 planning to debut its video for "All Because of You" during halftime of Tuesday night's college football national championship game in the Orange Bowl.

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U2 Tour Delayed

EOnline.com

by Charlie Amter

Jan 22, 2005, 11:05 AM PT

 

It's not vertigo that pushed back U2's highly anticipated upcoming U.S. tour.

 

A family illness has postponed U2's return to American arenas in support of How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb.

 

The tour was originally scheduled to start Mar. 1 in Miami, but the Irish foursome will now kick off its worldwide Vertigo Tour March 28 at the San Diego Sports Arena, Billboard reported Friday.

 

No word on the extent of the family emergency or which band member--Bono, the Edge, Larry Mullen Jr. or Adam Clayton--was affected.

 

In any case, the band is ready to tour America for the first time since 2001.

 

The full list of tour dates will officially be unveiled Monday, but a list of leaked dates has been taking a tour of its own--online.

 

Among the big dates for the U.S. portion of the jaunt, according to the unofficial list circulating among U2 fan sites and news groups, is a four-night stand in L.A. in May at the Staples Center. The soon-to-be inducted Rock and Roll Hall of Famers also may play a St. Patrick's Day show in New York at Madison Square Garden.

 

The two-month spring leg will purportedly conclude with a May date in Boston.

 

Tennessee rockers Kings of Leon will open the first leg of the American swing.

 

Billboard estimates the cost of tickets this time out will range from $49.50 to $165.

 

"This tour will be not unlike the last production in that the lowest priced tickets will be on the floor," U2 manager Paul McGuinness told Billboard. The best seats are the cheapest, and we want people to get excited."

 

The shows are expected to sell out quickly in most cities, and provide a much-needed shot in the arm for an ailing concert business. U2's Elevation Tour was the top-grossing tour of 2001, pulling in an estimated $109.7 million in North American receipts.

 

Following the 2005 American arena engagements, U2 will take the tour to Europe for the summer--hitting London in June 18 and Paris July 7.

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I missed them in 2001, no chance I'll miss them again. I can't wait! I hope they play some of their old stuff, it reminds me of all the dumb things I use to do while their songs played in the background.

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By George Varga

UNION-TRIBUNE POP MUSIC CRITIC

January 22, 2005

 

U2 will kick off its worldwide "How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb" concert tour March 28 at the San Diego Sports Arena.

 

An official announcement of the full tour itinerary is expected Monday. The San Diego opening date was confirmed yesterday by a spokesman for the show's promoter, Avalon Attractions/Clear Channel Entertainment, and by a representative for Kings Of Leon, the young Tennessee rock band that will open the first leg of the tour. By coincidence, Kings Of Leon also performs here next Monday at 'Canes in Mission Beach.

 

It is not yet known when tickets will be available for the Sports Arena show or other dates on the tour. However, Billboard.com, the Web site operated by leading music industry publication Billboard, reports that ticket prices will range from $49.50 to $165, with an average price of $90 for most seats. (Tickets for U2's 2001 tour ranged from $45 to $135.)

 

As on U2's last tour, which also included a San Diego Sports Arena show, the lowest price will be for general admission standing-room tickets will go on sale to the general public, while others will be available to radio contest winners, according to U2 manager Paul McGuinness.

 

McGuinness also told Billboard.com that U2 will release a live concert DVD toward the end of its year-long tour. The band is also exploring the option of making concerts available for fans to download immediately after each show, possibly through a partnership with iTunes and Apple Computers.

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ticketmaster.comFri, 04/01/0507:30 PM U2 Arrowhead Pond of AnaheimAnaheim, CA More Infopresale beginsTue, 01/25/05 10:00 AMTue, 04/05/05 U2 STAPLES CenterLos Angeles, CA More Infopresale beginsTue, 01/25/05 10:00 AMWed, 04/20/0507:30 PM U2 Pepsi CenterDenver, CO More Infopresale beginsTue, 01/25/05 10:00 AMSat, 05/14/0507:30 PM U2 Wachovia CenterPhiladelphia, PA More Infopresale beginsTue, 01/25/05 10:00 AMSat, 05/21/0508:00 PM U2 Madison Square GardenNew York, NY More Infocurrently not on saleTue, 05/24/0507:30 PM U2 FleetcenterBoston, MA More Infopresale beginsTue, 01/25/05 10:00 AMThu, 05/26/0507:30 PM U2 FleetcenterBoston, MApresale beginsTue, 01/25/05 10:00 AM

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One of my local radio stations said:Mon, 03/28/05Staples CenterSan Diego, CApresale beginsSat, 01/29/05 10:00 AM

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Tickets go on sale in 15 minutes. Guess who's not going to miss them this time.

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Bloody fucking hell, I kept hitting reload on ticketmaster until time to purchase, typed in 2 tixs and now they say they're sold out!!

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Tried a few more times, tixs are gone.

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They added a second San Diego date 15 minutes after original date went on sale. March 30th. I got tixs for second date, lower level great seats!!

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people.comTickets for U2's Vertigo tour start selling Saturday amid a fan uproar over a presale for priority seating. Earlier this week, hundreds of fans who had paid $40 on the band's Web site to access a special code for the Ticketmaster sale complained that they got bad seats – or none at all.U2 promoter Arthur Fogel tells Billboard.com that huge demand and computer glitches are to blame, but he adds, U2 "will do whatever they can to make sure people are taken care of." The tour, with tickets costing up to $163, kicks off March 28 in San Diego.

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This Is LondonU2 guitarist, The Edge, has begun a court battle to prevent a newspaper from reporting about the illness of a family member, it emerged today.The 43-year-old has obtained a temporary injunction against the Sunday World tabloid which published details on January 8 about the illness.At the High Court in Dublin today lawyers for The Edge applied for a two-week adjournment of the case.Mrs Justice Macken granted the adjournment and agreed to delete the Sunday World's main shareholder, Independent Newspapers, as a named party in the action.Philip Lee Solicitors, the Dublin firm representing the star, will be seeking a permanent injunction against the newspaper to prevent it was publishing any further information about the illness.The Sunday World article on January 8 included pixellated photo of the family member.The case will be one of the first of its kind in Ireland to test the right to privacy of a celebrity under the Irish constitution and European Convention of Human Rights.The Sunday World is claiming that the story was first disclosed in Rolling Stone magazine and was of huge public interest because it could have led to the cancellation of U2's world tour.

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U2: Sorry for Fan Club Bomb

EOnline.com

by Josh Grossberg

Feb 4, 2005, 10:30 AM PT

 

You might say U2 is rattled and bummed about the flawed Internet presale for its upcoming Vertigo Tour.

 

After receiving countless complaints from subscribers to the band's fan club at U2.com, drummer Larry Mullen Jr. took the unusual step Wednesday of issuing a formal apology to those faithful who failed to find what they were looking for last week when the best seats were snapped up by ticket brokers. The tickets later turned up for sale by scalpers at sky-high prices.

 

"This is not something that I would normally do, but I feel that I have to do something to redress this situation," the rock vet said in an "open letter" emailed to members. "There was a mess up in the way the tickets were distributed through U2.com for the Vertigo presale. Some of it was beyond our control, but some of it wasn't. I am now in the process of figuring out a way of distributing the tickets for our intended return to North America in the fall."

 

Mullen said that U2 will make amends to its most devoted supporters--members of the now-defunct 20-year-old Propaganda fan club who have made the jump to U2.com--first dibs on the fall leg of the tour. After that, members will be given priority in the order they signed up.

 

For those thinking they got a lemon of a deal after forking over the $40 membership fee and either missing out on seats or winding up with nosebleed or obstructed-view tickets, the band is offering to give subscribers their money back.

 

"Many people who joined U2.com and didn't get tickets are understandably angry. They now have the option to get a full refund of their subscription fee," Mullen said.

 

"The idea that our long-time U2 fans and scalpers competed for U2 tickets through our Website is appalling to me. I want to apologize to you who have suffered that. If your U2.com presale experience has left you feeling disappointed, I hope this will go some way towards reassuring you of our total commitment to our audience."

 

Details on how to obtain a refund are available on U2.com. Mullen concluded his letter by taking a parting shot at "those so-called U2 fans who are quick to accuse U2 of unseemly behavior. I've only got two words for you..."

 

U2.com members were supposed to be part of a presale pool with shots at the best seats. But soon after the presale last week, reports began surfacing about how fan club members in cities like New York, Los Angeles and Philadelphia were shut out, and scalpers were reselling the general-admission floor seats before the tickets were on sale to the general public. The band, its management and Ticketmaster were viciously targeted by critics and news reports.

 

Since then, U2 has been working round-the-clock to dismantle the bad feelings.

 

Because tickets have yet to be printed and shipped, the group has also urged fans to report any scalper activity.

 

"Technology is helping us connect scalpers' offers with the original purchase of tickets," the Dubliners said, adding that after they identify "rogue U2.com subscribers," they'll terminate their orders and redistribute tickets to those fans left empty-handed.

 

Citing a clause in the U2.com subscription agreement, the band said it has the right to cancel any ticket orders for scalpers, ticket brokers or their suppliers; anyone using automated technology to obtain tickets; or whose ticket order "exceeds the stated limit."

 

U2 has already sold out stops in Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, Boston, Anaheim, Philadelphia and San Diego, where the tour is scheduled to kick off on March 28. After a spring swing in the States, the Irish rockers will head over to Europe for the summer before returning for additional fall and winter dates in North America.

 

Before the launch of the Vertigo Tour, U2 will join the Pretenders, the O'Jays, Percy Sledge and Buddy Guy the latest inductees into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame at an all-star jam session in New York on March 14.

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EOnline.com

 

PRIZEWORTHY: Bono and sitar master Ravi Shankar among the nominees for the 2005 Nobel Peace Prize.