http://www.u2gigs.com U2gigs.com news, pictures, setlists and reviews en-us hourly 1 19 December 2010, and tickets are on sale NOW via Ticketmaster.

This is the first time U2 have scheduled two stadium concerts in Perth on a single tour - and in fact, it is the first time U2 have ever played a Perth stadium full stop. The band's three previous visits were all hosted in arenas, including the sole Popmart arena gig.

U2 tickets have sold fast in all five cities. GAs flew out the door, and Melbourne, Brisbane, and Auckland are virtually sold out at the time of writing, with only a few seats left. Sydney appears to have sold a little slower, due to the massive size of the venue, but still looks headed for a quick sell-out. Rumour has it that second gigs are possible in all cities, and we'll let you know when they are announced.]]> http://www.u2gigs.com/article712.html http://www.u2gigs.com/article712.html Fri, 03 Sep 2010 04:40:17 GMT Youtube channel.

Mysterious Ways:

Every Breaking Wave (new unreleased song; performed for the second time ever):

]]> http://www.u2gigs.com/article711.html http://www.u2gigs.com/article711.html Tue, 31 Aug 2010 02:43:26 GMT gallery.



We also have two more photo sets from the Vienna concert by Uli Schneider and Ingrid Granig.]]> http://www.u2gigs.com/article710.html http://www.u2gigs.com/article710.html Tue, 31 Aug 2010 02:21:56 GMT
Before the show, the crew conducted a lengthy soundcheck that included City Of Blinding Lights, Vertigo, Moment Of Surrender, the piano from three songs (New Year's Day, Miss Sarajevo, and Walk On), and the guitar riff from Desire. The original printed setlist was changed just before the concert began; between I Still Haven't Found and In A Little While, the original set had "North Star or Every Breaking Wave" and then Glastonbury. Neither Glastonbury nor North Star were performed.

The setlist the band performed, however, did include Every Breaking Wave. This is just the second time it has ever been played, after its debut nine days ago at in Helsinki. The first song of the second encore has become rotational at recent concerts, and in Vienna, the position was filled by Ultra Violet rather than Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me. The Unforgettable Fire remains missing in action. Amusingly enough, one Vienna newspaper printed the setlist before the concert even began - and as you can see in this picture, got it wrong.

The full setlist was:

[setlistlinks]1639[/setlistlinks]]]> http://www.u2gigs.com/article709.html http://www.u2gigs.com/article709.html Mon, 30 Aug 2010 23:24:40 GMT here.

]]> http://www.u2gigs.com/article708.html http://www.u2gigs.com/article708.html Fri, 27 Aug 2010 20:36:39 GMT 25 November 2010 in Auckland, at the northern end of the North Island, a campaign has begun to bring U2 to the South Island's largest city, Christchurch.

The campaign is being conducted on Facebook, where the page "Bring U2 and Jay-Z to Christchurch in Nov 2010" has been created by Chelsea Daly, a Christchurch resident disappointed that the city has been omitted from the tour schedule.

It has already received coverage in the media here, where Daly says her aim is to attract at least 2,500 supporters. This campaign is modelled on a similar one earlier this year that succeeded in bringing Metallica to Christchurch after the city was originally not included in their tour itinerary.]]> http://www.u2gigs.com/article707.html http://www.u2gigs.com/article707.html Thu, 26 Aug 2010 10:42:19 GMT YouTube channel.

Knockin' On Heaven's door with Russian artist Yuri Shevchuk:

New Year's Day in heavy rain:

]]> http://www.u2gigs.com/article706.html http://www.u2gigs.com/article706.html Thu, 26 Aug 2010 01:20:38 GMT
Before the concert, Pride, In A Little While, and an acoustic Desire were soundchecked. In the setlist itself, for the first time this year, the band only played one unreleased song: the brief opener, Return Of The Stingray Guitar. All previous 2010 shows have featured at least two unreleased songs. Slotting in at tenth in the set was Pride, the earliest it has been played on the 360° Tour, while Sunday Bloody Sunday was restored to the setlist in its usual position after being dropped at the previous gig. The encore was extended when Yuri Shevchuk, most famous for his band DDT, joined U2 to cover Knockin' On Heaven's Door. Although Bono performed the song recently, on 24 December 2009, it has not been performed by the whole band since 2 December 2001.

The full setlist was:

[setlistlinks]1638[/setlistlinks]]]> http://www.u2gigs.com/article705.html http://www.u2gigs.com/article705.html Wed, 25 Aug 2010 21:39:21 GMT Oceania leg go on public sale on 3 September 2010. U2.com has now posted information - but it's not yet where you would expect it, in an article or on the tour page. At the time of writing, it is in a forum post.

Update: the presale information is now on the tour page. It presumably didn't appear at time of writing due a redesign underway on U2.com.

The presale takes place this week, in less than two days. It will occur in two distinct phases. All times in the following information are local to the venue.

For all existing fanclub members, the the presale begins on Thursday, 26 August at 11am and runs until noon on Monday, 30 August. Yes, that is for all four old subscriber groups: Horizon, Breathe, Magnificent, Boots.

For new fanclub members, there will be a separate presale after the presale for existing members. New members will be allocated to a fifth subscriber group, named Cedar. The Cedar presale begins on Monday, 30 August at 1pm and runs until midday on Wednesday, 1 September.

U2.com have updated their presales FAQ to be relevant for the upcoming presales. It confirms that you can use your presale code to buy 1-4 tickets for ONE concert only, the same as the European presales earlier on the tour.]]> http://www.u2gigs.com/article704.html http://www.u2gigs.com/article704.html Tue, 24 Aug 2010 06:32:50 GMT click here.

]]> http://www.u2gigs.com/article703.html http://www.u2gigs.com/article703.html Mon, 23 Aug 2010 13:08:28 GMT on U2.com too. After importing an opening act last time in the form of Kanye West, U2 have again decided not to give a local band the chance to prove themselves on the big stage and are bringing Jay-Z down under as their support act.

Jay-Z made a guest appearance with U2 for Sunday Bloody Sunday on 5 November 2009, and co-wrote Stranded (Haiti Mon Amour) with Bono earlier this year. The concerts he will open are:

Thursday, 25 November 2010: Mt Smart Stadium, Auckland, New Zealand
Wednesday, 1 December 2010: Etihad Stadium, Melbourne, Victoria
Wednesday, 8 December 2010: Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane, Queensland
Monday, 13 December 2010: ANZ Stadium, Sydney, New South Wales
Saturday, 18 December 2010: Subiaco Oval, Perth, Western Australia

Looks like the days of U2 inviting exciting local bands to support them, such as 3Ds in Auckland on 4 December 1993, aren't coming back any time soon.]]> http://www.u2gigs.com/article702.html http://www.u2gigs.com/article702.html Mon, 23 Aug 2010 12:31:47 GMT click here.

]]> http://www.u2gigs.com/article701.html http://www.u2gigs.com/article701.html Mon, 23 Aug 2010 11:38:00 GMT announced today that Israeli music star Aviv Geffen will be a support act for U2 at their concert in Athens on 3 September 2010. He joins an opening line-up that already includes Snow Patrol.

Funnily enough, Aviv's website boasts in his biography that he "comfortably outsells Madonna, Coldplay and U2 in his home country". He is, however, better known in the English-speaking world for his work in Blackfield, a band he formed with Porcupine Tree founder Steven Wilson.]]> http://www.u2gigs.com/article700.html http://www.u2gigs.com/article700.html Mon, 23 Aug 2010 04:09:47 GMT confirmed that U2 will tour Australia and New Zealand at the end of this year. Some extra information has now come to light, as listings have appeared on ticketing agencies. (U2.com have merely posted the promoters' press release and did not add any new details, but they do have a video at the end with comments from the band.)

But first, to save you having to click through to anywhere, the dates again:

Thursday, 25 November 2010: Mt Smart Stadium, Auckland, New Zealand
Wednesday, 1 December 2010: Etihad Stadium, Melbourne, Victoria
Wednesday, 8 December 2010: Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane, Queensland
Monday, 13 December 2010: ANZ Stadium, Sydney, New South Wales
Saturday, 18 December 2010: Subiaco Oval, Perth, Western Australia

Full ticketing details are not yet known, but Ticketmaster and Ticketek have all posted U2 micro-sites. They currently have limited features. Ticketmaster's micro-site is here (Melbourne and Perth shows), Ticketek's Australian micro-site is here (Brisbane and Sydney shows), and Ticketek's New Zealand micro-site for the Auckland show is here.

Tickets will be priced between $39.90 and $349.50. General admission tickets to the standing-only field will be a fairly reasonable $99.90, the same as in 2006. We do not currently have confirmation as to what the exorbitant $349.50 tickets will be.

There will be a pre-sale for U2.com members, but details have not been posted yet. The public sale begins on Friday, 3 September 2010 at 9am, local time of the venue. This means the New Zealand tickets will go on sale first, followed by Melbourne, Sydney, and Brisbane two hours later, and finally Perth will follow two hours after the eastern Australian cities.

Asian dates are conspicuous by their absence.

And by the way, rumour has it that extra Oceania gigs are pencilled in for all five cities. If a given city's first night sells well enough, its second show will then be added to the itinerary.]]> http://www.u2gigs.com/article699.html http://www.u2gigs.com/article699.html Sun, 22 Aug 2010 10:23:03 GMT
Let's start with brand new, unreleased song Every Breaking Wave:

Another surprise was the semi-acoustic No Line On The Horizon which was performed for the first time on the 3rd leg:

For more videos from the second Helsinki show check our YouTube channel.]]> http://www.u2gigs.com/article698.html http://www.u2gigs.com/article698.html Sat, 21 Aug 2010 23:42:03 GMT confirmation of U2's Australia/New Zealand tour, but there is also significant live news from Helsinki, where the band have performed and shook up the setlist. Yesterday, U2 performed their third-ever concert in Finland, and first for over thirteen years. Today, they are playing their fourth Finnish concert; this is the first time U2 have ever performed two shows in Finland on the same tour. Prior visits in 1982 and 1997 were for single shows. U2 made this concert special, premiering an unreleased song called Every Breaking Wave.

The surprises were hinted at in the soundcheck; the band rehearsed Bad, No Line On The Horizon, Pride, and I Will Follow. All four songs were yet to be performed this year, or in the case of I Will Follow, on this tour at all. Interestingly, No Line On The Horizon was rehearsed as a semi-acoustic version. As it happened, three of the four songs made it out of the soundcheck and into the setlist tonight; Bad was the only one to miss out.

I Will Follow debuted early in the setlist, occupying the position that New Year's Day has held at recent concerts. This marks the first performance of any song from Boy on the 360° Tour, and maintains Boy's record of being represented on every U2 tour ever. A few songs later in the setlist, No Line On The Horizon was performed for the first time in 2010, and the band played the semi-acoustic arrangement that they soundchecked; although a bit unpolished, it had a raw energy. The song was last performed on 28 October 2009, then in its traditional full electric arrangement.

After another few songs came the biggest surprise of all, the live debut of an unreleased song titled Every Breaking Wave. It was immediately followed by another unreleased track that U2 have been playing live lately, Glastonbury. The Unforgettable Fire was omitted from the setlist again, but the band did not neglect the album of the same name - Pride was resurrected after an absence of 25 shows, taking Sunday Bloody Sunday's place after Crazy Tonight. Pride was last performed on 12 September 2009. This is the first time Sunday Bloody Sunday has missed a gig since the Vertigo Tour's public dress rehearsal on 26 March 2005, or if you are only going to count full tour gigs, then 30 September 1997. Today's concert is the first since 27 June 1997 to feature no songs from the War album at all.

Finally, Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me returned to the setlist after being displaced by Ultra Violet at the first Helsinki show. The full setlist was:

[setlistlinks]1648[/setlistlinks]]]> http://www.u2gigs.com/article697.html http://www.u2gigs.com/article697.html Sat, 21 Aug 2010 20:13:34 GMT This article was edited at 5:30am Australian time to reflect the press release of official confirmation by the tour promoters. When this article was first published around two hours earlier, it relied upon unofficial confirmation via newspaper articles.

In the wee hours of Sunday morning, Australian time, major newspapers in all the eastern state capitals as well as across the Tasman in New Zealand have been running stories on the forthcoming U2 tour of Australia and New Zealand. This is the Sunday newspaper scoop alluded to in our previous article on the topic. Examples include articles from Stuff.co.nz and the Sydney Morning Herald. These were soon followed by U2fanz.com posting the official press release from the promoters. The Oceania tour is now official.

The official dates, unchanged from our earlier rumoured report except for the addition of the New Zealand show, are as follows:

25 November 2010: Mt Smart Stadium, Auckland, New Zealand
1 December 2010: Etihad Stadium, Melbourne, Victoria
8 December 2010: Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane, Queensland
13 December 2010: ANZ Stadium, Sydney, New South Wales
18 December 2010: Subiaco Oval, Perth, Western Australia

The venues in Auckland, Melbourne, and Sydney are the same as those used on the Vertigo Tour; Brisbane sees the venue upgraded from the dismal Queensland Sports & Athletics Centre to Suncorp Stadium; and Perth receives its first ever outdoor U2 concert. A temporary stand is even being built at Mt Smart Stadium to accommodate extra fans.

Tickets will go on sale on 3 September as previously reported. General admission will cost $99.90, while the cheapest seats will be a mere $39.90. We will post full ticketing details when they become known, though keep an eye on here; Ticketmaster has already established a U2 micro-site for the Melbourne and Perth gigs.

Unfortunately, Adelaide looks like it has missed out on a gig, despite swiftly selling out in 2006. U2's pattern of performing in either Adelaide or Perth continues, despite the two cities being thousands of kilometres apart. On both eighties Australian tours, U2 visited both cities, but since then, ZooTV and Vertigo visited Adelaide while Popmart and the current tour hit Perth.]]> http://www.u2gigs.com/article696.html http://www.u2gigs.com/article696.html Sat, 21 Aug 2010 19:56:38 GMT here). Check out our YouTube channel for videos of Beautiful Day, Mysterious Ways, Until The End Of The World, I Still Haven't Found / North Star, Miss Sarajevo, City Of Blinding Lights, Crazy Tonight (incomplete) / Sunday Bloody Sunday, Ultra Violet, With Or Without You, and Moment Of Surrender. We also have a brief clip of the crew fixing the screen when it got stuck down before the show began.

Our friend terrorsittich has also posted a couple of videos from Helsinki. They capture arguably the two most newsworthy moments of the show. Watch them below, and check out terrorsittich's channel for more videos from previous concerts.

North Star, performed for only the second time ever:

Crazy Tonight; the playback failure is between 1:50-2:20:

]]> http://www.u2gigs.com/article695.html http://www.u2gigs.com/article695.html Sat, 21 Aug 2010 01:58:33 GMT
These posters include Australian concert dates. As they are for the Australia market, they do not include any possible New Zealand dates. The itinerary given on the posters (but NOT officially confirmed!) is:

1 December 2010: Etihad Stadium, Melbourne, Victoria
8 December 2010: Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane, Queensland
13 December 2010: ANZ Stadium, Sydney, New South Wales
18 December 2010: Subiaco Oval, Perth, Western Australia

These shows will, according to the posters, go on sale at 9am on Friday, 3 September 2010 via the usual outlets - Ticketmaster or Ticketek, depending on the venue's ticket agency arrangements.

We must emphasise again that these dates are NOT YET officially confirmed. If they are true, then U2 will be visiting Perth for the first time since Popmart on 17 February 1998; it would also be their first outdoor stadium concert in Perth. The venues for Melbourne and Sydney are the same as in 2006, just under new names. There appears to be space in the schedule for additional dates in the listed cities; unfortunately, Adelaide does not appear in this itinerary, continuing U2's habit of performing in either Adelaide or Perth.

It looks like an official announcement is imminent - stay tuned! We will let you know when it is made, and whether the above dates are accurate or bollocks.]]> http://www.u2gigs.com/article694.html http://www.u2gigs.com/article694.html Fri, 20 Aug 2010 22:47:48 GMT 9 August 1997. Before today's gig began, the band did some soundchecking in the afternoon. It included new songs North Star and Glastonbury, as well as Discotheque's riff, Miss Sarajevo, and City Of Blinding Lights.

The setlist itself was slightly shaken up in the middle of the main set. For the second show in a row, The Unforgettable Fire was omitted, but Until The End Of The World returned after its absence at the second Horsens show, this time slightly earlier in the setlist than usual - it was performed between Elevation and I Still Haven't Found. The biggest development was that after I Still Haven't Found, U2 performed unreleased song North Star for only the second time ever. It had only previously been performed at the first show of the current leg, 14 days ago in Turin.

There was also a change in the encore. After returning to the setlist in Horsens, Ultra Violet remained in the set today, this time opening the encore. Contrary to initial reports, Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me was not performed today; this is the first show it has missed since its live resurrection in Turin. On a humorous note, there was a funny moment during the show when the band's playback failed during Crazy Tonight - it had to happen one day!

The full setlist was:

[setlistlinks]1637[/setlistlinks]]]> http://www.u2gigs.com/article693.html http://www.u2gigs.com/article693.html Fri, 20 Aug 2010 22:31:18 GMT