U2’s Bono writes in to comment on a Rolling Stone review of their first album ‘Boy’ that was recently re-released. If you can get past his verbal diaharea style of writing, there’s a few little gems to be found:
Entering the blogosphere, a review of BOY from the singer who was one at the time of recording… We the members of said post punk combo are very complimented by DAVID FRICKES 4.5 star review of our debut, an album we always believed in. I remember now a generous JON PARELES review from the VILLAGE VOICE in 1980, a line something along the lines of “this is peter pan, I hope they break up before they grow up”.
People often ask when I started playing guitar and so I thought I’d pull out an old video I took of myself back when I was 11 and first started. I really like U2, even back then, and so this is my rendition of With or Without You. It’s a little rough but c’mon, I was only 11!
If a jaded, cynical music critic like Bob Lefsetz is excited about a concert film you know it’s something you should check out. I’ve seen U2 3 times in concert and am a big fan so I know I’d love this. I’d imagine that even if you’re somewhat sick of U2 or gave up on them back when they sold out to the man (??) you’d still get a kick out of this concert video.
The closest theatre showing it is all the way over in Winnipeg - they completely skipped Saskatchewan and Alberta! Grr. I’ve emailed the Regina IMAX to see if they are going to be showing this but I’m not holding my breath. (Update: Here’s their response - “Thank you for your note regarding the line up at the Kramer IMAX theatre. We are looking at bringing in that feature, but not in the very near future. The prints when they are first released are fairly expensive for us and we have to typically wait for the pricing to go down.”) If you want to see if there’s a theatre in your area, visit the website and click on ‘find a theatre.’
One more quote from Bob:
I don’t give a *** if you like U2 or not, you owe it to yourself to check this movie out. Because this is the closest thing to the live experience other than being there. Hell, I’d rather pay ten bucks to see this movie than sit in the upper deck in the soccer stadium the gig takes place in. And I’d like to tell you it’s about being so close to Bono, being within touching distance of the band, but more important it’s about feeling a part of something, of rock and roll. My absolute favorite moments were when they situated us at the back of the pit, with those in front of us thrusting their hands in the air. I felt the pulse, the sweat, the vibe, the MUSIC!
I cannot hype this movie enough. This is not Andy Warhol’s 3D, you positively feel like you’re there. Is this the future of rock and roll shows? I don’t know, but even if this is “In Rainbows”, a one time stunt, don’t let it pass you by. The only place you can see it is at your local theatre. Make the trip. You’ll tell every living soul about it. You won’t come down for days. It’s just like going to the show, in some ways even BETTER!
U2 are playing today with Green Day (or vice versa if you’re a Green Day fan I suppose) at the reopening of the Superdome in New Orleans. Rolling Stone has an interesting article on how it all went down. Looks like they’ll be playing “Wake Up When September Ends” and “The Saints Are Coming/Beautiful Day.”
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