Who knew that you had to have a name that starts with the letter K to open in the U.S. … Kings of Leon, Keane, Kanye West. Made me wonder who else we might see on the 3rd leg…..

Killers
Kaiser Chiefs
Kid Rock
Kiss
Kasabian
Korn
Kraftwerk
Lenny Kravitz
BB King
Mark Knopfler

Or maybe they could lure these artists out of retirement:

Krokus
Kool & The Gang
Katrina and the Waves
Kansas

The possibilities are endless!

from Contactmusic.com:

Rock matriarch Sharon Osbourne has slammed Irish superstars U2 as “boring” and she finds their stage efforts especially pathetic.

The outspoken reality TV star has blasted the Irish rockers for treating their shows as a politically-laden news broadcast rather than a gig and insists they need to inject more energy into their performance.

Osbourne, whose husband Ozzy once bit the head off a bat on stage, says, “Talk about a knees-up? Have you seen U2’s live show?

“It’s boring as hell. It’s like watching CNN.”

For all of you who paid the $90 for a “retro” t-shirt during U2’s first two legs of the Vertigo Tour - you might not want to read this…but U2.com’s shop section is selling the retro shirts for only $50 now.

There are other Vertigo tour items for sale - mostly at what you’d pay for it at the concerts with the exception of the tour book (selling now for $15) and the “retro” shirts. Not all merchandise is available online (like the sweatshirts, jewelry, or pins), but a good amount of the tshirts are available.

It makes me wonder why the “retro” shirts are marked down so dramatically - could it be because no one in their right mind would pay $90 for a t-shirt with a design you really couldn’t see? Or, is it because U2’s fanbase knows better than to pay $90 for a t-shirt? It’ll be very interesting to see what is available for purchase on the third leg - and if the pricing will be reasonable. We’ll only have to wait another 3 weeks or so to find out!

All this talk about U2 possibly playing Fenway Park in Boston next year has the local Boston newspapers making the comparisons between the Stones and U2. The Boston Herald went so far as to tell it’s readers not to tell U2 that the Stones were the biggest rock band in the world (until October when U2 comes back to the ‘hub and then THEY’LL be the biggest).

My husband and I went to Fenway Park on Friday night to listen to the Stones’ soundcheck. Part of it was curiosity as we were already in that part of town, and the other part was to see how the Stones fans were reacting to their beloved band playing on the other side of the ballpark wall. There were about 30 or so middle-aged fans (the both of us were definitely bringing down the average age of those outside the ballpark), and they were all happily playing air guitar to Keith Richards, dancing around, singing along and just pleased to be listening to Mick & co. sing songs like Shattered, Beast of Burden, and Miss You (among others for the 2 hours of the setlist).

Contrast that with us sitting outside of the arena in Los Angeles back in March, or outside of Miami Arena in ‘01 with a vibe among U2 fans that we would be let into the soundcheck - it was almost an expectation of sorts. We weren’t let inside in ‘01, but we were in ‘05. (Granted, waiting outside of the stadium in Las Vegas back in ‘97 would have been a little better of a comparison as you could hear the music - people would honk their horns and cheer in delight to songs being performed).

The point I’m trying to make is that it seemed from our experience outside of Fenway that the U2 fan community seems to have a higher standard in regard to fan expectations. The Stones’ fans outside of Fenway were not upset or the least bit bothered by not being inside the ballpark to witness the soundcheck - people were just happy to hear the music. With U2 taking a few extra days in Toronto before the start of the third leg, I wonder how many people will wait outside the arena with the expectation they’ll be let inside - and if the band will feel obliged to let fans in.

The Stones’ fans at Fenway gave me a different (and dare I say refreshing) perspective on just how much U2 caters to their fans above and beyond what they really need or have to do. I can picture U2 at Fenway next summer, and the streets around the park will be full of U2 fans…hopefully…hopefully we’ll all just be happy enough to be outside the park for a soundcheck.

Oh - side note….for U2’s crew specifically (if Dennis Sheehan is reading this) - the Stones’ had a TON of their equipment and stacks outside the ballpark on Yawkey Way with very little (to almost no) security around them. Hopefully, you’ll protect your gear a little better than they did. We were able to walk right up and through the boxes and staging stacks left outside the ballpark. Nothing like trying to convince a drunk guy not to take something as the band would be needing it for the rest of their tour! Anyhoo - just an observation from what we saw.

From philly.com:
“Pras Michel (of Fugees fame) aims to keep it real and funky on “Win, Lose or Draw” (Universal/Motown), straddling hip-hop, reggae and pop worlds and pushing the cause of audience participation with repetitive, sing-along-style choruses. Old bandmate Wyclef Jean is heard on “Angel Sings.” Sean Paul and Spragga Benz show up at the “Dance Hall,” and Sharlie McQueen sings on Michel’s rendering of U2’s “Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For.”

This from the Boston Globe on 8/18:
U2 at Fenway in ‘06?
By Carol Beggy & Mark Shanahan, Globe Staff
Before Mick Jagger has even set foot on the stage at Fenway Park, the whispering has begun about next summer’s boffo shows at the ballpark. How do you follow Bruce Springsteen, Jimmy Buffett, and the Rolling Stones? How does U2 sound? Word is the Irish lads, who are on a never-ending tour to promote ”How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb,” are nearing a deal to occupy the outfield next summer for two nights. Neither the Sox nor Clear Channel would comment yesterday, but the band has demonstrated it’s a big fan of Boston. In May, Bono and the boys played three sold-out shows here, and they’re returning for two more at TD Banknorth Garden Oct. 3 and 4. But wait, there’s more. According to the trade publication Pollstar, U2 is bound for Boston yet again in December, playing shows at the new Garden on Dec. 4 and 5.