From Yahoo News:

This photo supplied by the Jesse Helms Center shows Bono, wearing hat, posed with former North Carolina Sen. Jesse Helms and his wife, Dot, seated center, and family and friends at a pre-concert meal at the new Charlotte Bobcats Arena before Irish rockers, U2, played to a crowd of 17,000 Monday night, Dec. 12, 2005, in Charlotte, N.C. Since they were introduced several years ago, the archconservative Republican known as ‘Senator No’ and Bono have become close allies in the fight against the AIDS epidemic in Africa.(AP Photo /Jesse Helms Center,John Dodd)

[Note: some of you may also recognize the gentleman on the right. --KE]

Bono, still wearing hat, arm wrestles Senator Helms for the last piece of fried chicken, presumably.

[Note: that caption was made up by me. --KE]

I am happy to report that I received my copy of U2.COMMUNICATION in the mail today. You will need your U2.com log-in information and password in order to unlock the CDRom. You only need to unlock it once. The package did not come shrink-wrapped, and it came in a plain tan-colored package from U2.com in California.

The CDRom includes various wallpapers: one which looks like the design on Adam’s pants he has been wearing on this leg of the tour. Another wallpaper looks suspiciously like the security box outside of Hanover Quay studios. There is also a video clip of Vertigo from Milan, which looks absolutely beautiful, but it’s a little too quick cut for me. (Then again, that was what folks didn’t care about in the Chicago video).

I did find it a little difficult to use the audio tracks on the CDRom as I am working on a computer with 2 screens. As soon as my mouse is directed away from the screen accessing the CDRom, I lose the audio. Instead, it scrolls all the way to the Extras on the CDRom. This is a bit frustrating.

The screen savers are cool - especially the DNA “Miracle Drug” one. The Yahweh heart screensaver is also really neat as we normally only see the pixeled one during U2’s live performance. The same holds true with Catherine Owens’ work with the Yahweh dove screensaver. It’s amazing the detail that you do see on the beaded curtains during the show, but to see it in this fashion makes you appreciate the level of detail to the artwork. The Declaration of Human Rights is also there with the audio reading. Unfortunately, it picks up at Article 3 and ends at Article 6. It would have been nice to have had the full declaration on there.

As for the audio CD, it’s a great little gem to have the professional recordings include the audience to a certain level. (I forgot how funky Edge’s guitar sounded on The Fly in Milan).

It’s important to point out that there are rules associated with the disc:

Overall, much better than a metal card that sets off security checkpoints in airports. It’ll join my copies of Melon and Mexico City from the ol’ days of Propaganda.

For full packaging photos, visit here.

Yes, the reports were true…it was absolutely bone-chillingly cold in Hartford yesterday, but not *as* cold as Montreal (so I’m told). Despite the below-freezing temperatures and the occasional snow squall, fans (myself included) waited patiently by the back entrance of the Hartford Civic Center to greet the band as they arrived. After hearing about Bono’s Christmas list for Santa in Boston, two fans were able to personally deliver Edge’s train set to Bono. As we all shivered, Bono was kind enough to greet the fans, sign a few autographs, all the while keeping a scarf around his neck and mouth to protect his throat as best as he could. (He’s always overly generous to fans, and on behalf of the 30 or so of us out there, thank you for sharing our shivers!)

As for the show - it was *the* tribute to John Lennon, with several references to the tragic day 25 years ago when he was taken from this world. It was as if they had used the Boston 12/5 show to practice for Hartford. When Bono and Edge went to perform Norwegian Wood, there was a great deal of feedback during the first 20-30 seconds of the song, as if the spirit of Lennon came into the room to tell Bono something. After the song concluded, Bono let everyone in on a secret that there was more to come later on in the show. Sure enough, both Help and Instant Karma made it into the set. Earlier in the night, he sang a little bit of Happy Christmas (War is Over.) As mentioned on U2Tours.com, Bono’s introduction to Original of the Species was more of an ode to John Lennon, saying, “Everything tonight is in the memory of John Lennon. Here is a song we stole from him.” During Pride, he sang “Sing this song for Martin Luther King….for Rosa Parks….for John Lennon.”

Before performing Help, Bono congratulated Edge on all of the work he had been doing on behalf of Music Rising, to benefit the hurricane survivors in Louisiana. He also thanked all of the One volunteers for their work down there and then introduced Help as “a show tune.”

Most of the fans who have submitted reviews on U2Tours.com hit the nail on the head about the show - it didn’t match the intensity of Boston, but then again Hartford is a smaller market. Many in attendance had seen the show either in New York or Boston as Hartford is in between both major cities. The audience did sing its hearts out during Pride, Mysterious Ways, and even hitting the high notes in Original of the Species. The breakout performance of the evening went to Jacob, a young boy brought up on stage to sing “No More!” during Sunday Bloody Sunday. He really got into it - screaming it at one point (I forget how high pitch a young boy’s scream can get). Bono’s genuine laugh and amazement when he said his name was Jacob was priceless, saying “he IS a son of Abraham!”

Bono thanked Connecticut’s Governor Jodi Rell, and a whole bunch of other politicians on behalf of the work he’s doing, as well as a few poets and other special guests in attendance before breaking into One. He also said, “Seven more dates to go. I’m gonna miss it - 20,000 screaming people greeting you as you get out of the shower.” You know they’ve got the countdown going for the end of this leg of the tour.

This is it ’til Portland for me, but we have other @U2 staffers picking up the torch to bring you updates from the other locations. For photos from last night, visit here.

Oh by the way…if you’d like to buy the keyboard Adam and Larry use,…Amazon.com sells them - but you’ll have to put the key markings on there yourself.

An @U2 reader received this response from the Savvis Center when inquiring about the general admission process for the December 14 show (thx John):

- All doors will open at 6:00 p.m., 1 1/2 hours prior to the start of the event.
- The 14th Street entrance will be used for all guests with General Admission tickets.
- Guests may line up 24 hours in advance of the concert. The General Admission line will be on a first-come-first-served basis. The line will be outside of the building and there will be no restroom facilities available.
- All guests and items are subject to search upon entering into the building. Please review the Savvis Center website www.savviscenter.net regarding a list of prohibited items.
- Once entering into the building, guests with general admission tickets will receive a wristband. The wristband and ticket are required in order to access the floor. Lost wristbands will not be replaced.

U2 treated everyone to their Christmas Party at the Garden to finish off their seven nights of shows in Boston. Perhaps it was the fan who dressed up as Santa, or maybe it was all of the requests for “(Christmas) Baby Please Come Home,” or maybe it was just because there’s only 19 shopping days ’til Christmas. The mood in the Garden was celebratory to say the least. Integrating “Jingle Bells,” “We Wish You a Merry Christmas,” and the very much requested “(Christmas) Baby Please Come Home,” Bono managed to find the time to give Santa his gift wishlist: a firetruck, 5 million people for the One campaign, World Peace, more time with his kids, and for Edge a new train set. Bono also integrated “See Santa Claus right in front of You” during “Beautiful Day.” We all found out during Mysterious Ways that Santa did have some great dance moves as he was brought up on stage and danced with Bono (Scottish Highland dancing to be exact), then Bono lead him around the ellipse where he met up with another fan, dressed as Elvis, and then all 3 proceeded to the front of the stage. Bono motioned to both Santa and Elvis to continue dancing behind the stage. It was quite the surreal moment in the show - and something you just can’t anticipate! Larry and Adam’s laughter during this was quite contagious.

After treating fans to a gift you just can’t gift wrap earlier in the day (meet/greet outside of the hotel), there were hints to a John Lennon “tribute” of sorts as we are coming up to the 25th anniversary of his passing. Bono and Larry were both wearing peace pins (Bono’s was black and white, Larry’s was hot pink and black - I know I know…hot pink), and Bono was able to pull off Norwegian Wood for the first time since Chicago on May 12 (sang over 75% of the song!) along with Instant Karma and bits of War is Over.

A fan from Tennessee had let Bono know that December 6 (today) is the 17th anniversary of the passing of Roy Orbison, taking Bono by surprise. Bono did not dedicate “Sometimes You Can’t Make It On Your Own” to his dad for the show, instead dedicating it to Roy Orbison. Bono said “Thank you for the shades” towards the end of the song - a tribute to the trademark both Roy and Bono share. To show Bono’s spontaneous side, he ended “One” with “She’s a Mystery to Me.”

During “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For,” Bono made a profound discovery - “The Edge is human!” Bono started thanking a bunch of people for coming out (Larry Summers and all at Harvard, Tom Brady, Dean Kamen, and a few others), he turned to Edge and asked if there was anyone he liked to thank. Edge walked over, and tried to tell Bono something, but he was focusing too much on the guitar. When he finished saying what he needed to say, we all noticed that Edge kinda didn’t keep the notes right, and Bono declared “The Edge is human.” We all cheered. Edge wanted to thank all of those at the Angiogenesis Foundation for all their work on cancer research. (Edge is *such* the scientist!)

As a side note, Bono mentioned that Dean Kamen was at the 12/4 show and he wanted to thank him for creating a device that “will turn piss into water.”

Other people thanked at the show include local promoter, Don Law, and music critic for the Boston Globe, Steve Morse. Bono mentioned that Morse was leaving the Globe (after being there for 31 years), mentioning that Morse was one who would give the band a kick in the arse when they needed it. After a few seconds, Bono jumped to the side and said, “Ouch!” as if Morse had given him a kick in the rear. Another celebrity sighting was Aerosmith’s own Tom Hamilton.

The fans on U2.com’s Zootopia boards were able to get many in GA to hold up the white signs with the word “ONE” on them at the start of One, with Bono saying “That’s a beautiful sight.”

I was quite impressed with the ability for the sold-out Garden to match the cheering level from the 12/4 show. Bono took out his earbud at the end of Pride, grinning from ear to ear, at everyone’s singing of the “whoa oh oh oh’s.”

This show felt like it was a fan’s show; and after seven shows in Boston, we figured this was at least the 2nd show for most in attendance. Some people compared it to their 6/8/01 “Free Ray Bourque” show, and it did have that feel about it. (I did not attend, but after listening to the show - I agree that it did.) At several points in the show, Bono addressed the crowd with “last show in Boston” or “seven days/seven nights” or “last night of the tour in Boston” as well as “Merry Christmas.”

It was a different energy that filled the Garden, as compared with the gig on the night before. If I were to choose which gig was better, I couldn’t. Each had a magical quality to the show. It’s like having children (so I’m told) - each child is special in their own way and no one child is a favorite of a parent. That’s how I feel about these two Boston shows. Each rocked - each rolled - and each blew the roof off!

Here’s to a great 7 shows in Boston, and here’s to hoping it won’t be too long before they roll through “mast-a-chew-setts” again. (side note: that’s how Bono pronounces Massachusetts).

For photos from the show, visit here.

Allrighty! All the address lists have been sent to fans who signed up before December 1st for the U2 Fan Holiday Card Exchange. If you signed up but haven’t gotten an address list, email u2christmas (at) gmail.com, and the elves will sort through the records to find out where it all went wrong.
I did the address lists a little differently this year. You should see your name somewhere on the list you got. Please, when you start making out cards, start with the name after yours and then go down the list–don’t just start with the first name. Lemme show you what I mean. Let’s pretend you’re Bono and your list looks like this:

1. David Evans
Harlech Castle
Wales
UK

2. Bono
That pretty white mansion on the hill
Dublin, Ireland

3. Adam Clayton
That really nice mansion with all the fancy old carpets
Dublin, Ireland

4. Larry Mullen Jr.
Address Unknown
Dublin, Ireland

…and so on. Since your name is number 2 on the list, you’d send your first card to Adam Clayton, then Larry Mullen, and keep going like that down the list.
(Obviously if you plan to send cards to everyone on your list, you don’t have to worry about this, but if you plan to send only ten, then this’ll help make sure everyone gets at least ten cards.)

Also–I’ve gotten a few emails from people after the deadline who want to join the exchange, so I’m making a “last chance deadline” for December 10th. If there’s anyone else out there who still wants to join the exchange, now would be a good time to send your name and address in to u2christmas (at) gmail.com.

Merry Christmas, everybody!