The project launched back in December, and the 50+ angels have been on tour around Ireland since then.

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Edge Has an Angel

The most telling part of the article is where Edge predicts the next decade:

What you foresee for U2 in the next decade?
I can’t think that things will change radically for us, because we are already enjoying being in the band. It matters to us that we still make music that connects, and we are still capable of potentially doing our best-ever album. It’s not a foregone conclusion that our best work is behind us. That still makes it really exciting.

So, if Edge is correct, then it’s going to be very much the same-as-usual we have been experiencing over the past 30+ years of U2.

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Decade of U2

Advert on Edge's twitpic page

I have been thoroughly enjoying seeing the tour through Edge’s Blackberry with all of his subtle nuances and unique perspective on the world. It’s been fun keeping up with it all.

I know that users can’t control what advert pops up on their twitpic page, but I found this to be ironic – Ticketmaster’s TicketsNow inviting you to purchase U2 tickets. This would make it seem like U2 (or Edge himself) may be promoting the TicketsNow service.

When I clicked on another photo, the ad changed to a television show, a lose weight without dieting website, and then a hair therapy shampoo. Now, if I were to use the same mentality of “hey, Edge must be promoting this…” then it would be very odd to have him promoting a dieting site or a hair therapy shampoo. Instead, a hat company would be far more likely, wouldn’t it? I’m having flashbacks to “Even Better Than The Real Thing” at the moment!

By the way, in my every-so-often check of Ticketmaster, you can still pull tickets in very large blocks for Raleigh, Atlanta, Tampa, and a few other Southern states. (For those keeping track).

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Truth In Advertising?

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Edge v. Malibu

However, Broadway.com reports that the date has been moved up to January 16, 2010, and advance group orders for tickets are already being accepted. Click on this link: http://www.broadway.com/SpiderMan/broadway_show/5021941 to read the full story.

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Spidey is Coming…Sooner

During the quiet times in U2-land, my friends and I start to ponder the “what if’s” to keep ourselves from going bonkers as we wait for something new. My husband stumbled upon this amazing guitar (or should I say guitars) and asked me if Edge would consider adding this to his fine collection. While scary to look at, it could serve a real purpose should Edge feel like experimenting with U2’s sound a bit more.

My friend, Phil, sent along this from Engadget where someone’s figured out how to rig their Nintendo Wii controller up to their *real* guitar to use “the acceleration data on the Wii controller and capturing movements of the instrument and translating that into different effects.” I think Edge could totally rig a Wii controller up to his space station and bring a whole new dimension to “The Fly” or anything off of Passengers for that matter!

Man, will the new material come already? I’m turning into a techno-geek without really trying!

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Holy Guitars, Batman!

CBS’s The Early Show featured Saturday’s Music Rising “Icons of Music” auction this morning. They also listed some of the estimated prices items will go for.

Here are some of the items The Early Show featured:

Bono Stage-Worn Bullet Leather Jacket From the 2005 Vertigo Tour

Black leather and cotton appliqué jacket designed by Sharon Blankson for Bono to wear onstage during the Vertigo tour in 2005-06. “The design of this jacket was inspired by a red jacket of recycled leather and military detailing found in LA. Worn by Bono with black trousers and T-shirt, creepers, colored glasses and a white headband. Bono usually changed into this jacket onstage for the ‘Love and Peace’ through to ‘Bullet the Blue Sky’ part of the show. All versions of this jacket differ slightly with varying appliqué, webbing and printed patches owing to the recycled nature of many of its component parts.” — Sharon Blankson, U2 Stylist (est. $6,000-$8,000)

Edge Stage-Played Gibson Explorer Guitar

1976 Limited Edition Reissue Gibson Explorer electric guitar, serial number 00230010. Mahogany body and neck, rosewood fingerboard, 500T and 496R ceramic humbucking pickups with gold hardware in a natural finish, with black leather Allan’s Music guitar strap, an extra brown leather Levy’s guitar strap and 10 packages of replacement strings.

“This guitar has been in my collection for 22 years. I am always on the lookout for these limited edition Gibson Explorer guitars. They are not as rare as the original 1958 edition but still very hard to find. Dallas found this one in Cincinnati and it became of the backup instruments for my main 1976 reissue Explorer during the 1987 Joshua Tree world tour and many U2 tours since. The guitar has the sound that gives U2’s early albums their unique timbre. Combined with a Memory Man Deluxe and a Vox AC30, most of the sounds of the Boy, October, and War albums are achievable. It’s a classic design and in my mind one of Gibson’s most innovative.” — The Edge

“It comes with all original parts and the original case. It has a very fine neck, and is overall in very good condition, considering how well-traveled it is.” — Dallas Schoo, U2 Guitar Technician (est. $80,000 and up)

Edge-Worn U2 Rings

Silver adjustable rings, one a “U” with a brick wall design behind it, the other a “2,” both in bas relief on a square, stamped “STURE” and accompanied by a copy of the Achtung Baby CD. These silver U2 rings were designed by Joe Casely-Hayford and are one of two sets created for The Edge during the early 1990’s. A pair is featured and worn by The Edge on the cover of the album Achtung Baby, which was photographed by Anton Corbijn. These were also worn by The Edge for various videos and photo sessions around that time. (est. $2,000-$4,000)

For more on this story, visit CBS News’ page here.

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Music Rising Auction Preview

In an interview with the Associated Press by phone while the band was in the studio, Edge said, “No one could ever come close to repaying the debt of those who have established this form (of music) that we all take totally for granted, this hybrid of European melody and African-American rhythm that’s given us jazz and R&B and rock ‘n’ roll. There’s something powerful about musicians giving instruments they own to an auction to aid musicians who are going through a particularly difficult time.”

The AP story also said that Aaron Neville is scheduled to perform at the May 31 auction, held at the Hard Rock Cafe in New York City. Edge will host the auction.

If anyone is planning on attending the auction, let us know. We’re looking for special correspondents to cover this event!

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Update on Icons of Music auction

For those who didn’t get what they wanted at auction last year will have another opportunity at bidding on items generously donated from fellow musicians…Julien’s Auctions is hosting the “Icons of Music” auction to benefit Music Rising. The auction is set for May 31 at the Hard Rock Cafe in New York City. There are a few locations hosting a viewing of the items:

Museo de la Moda in Santiago, Chile – March 25 thru April 18
Newbridge Silverware Vistior’s Center in Kildare, Ireland – May 2 thru May 14
Celebrity Vault in Beverly Hills, California – May 22 thru May 24
Hard Rock Cafe in New York City – May 26 thru May 30

Session 1 of the auction begins at 1 p.m. on May 31, with session 2 beginning at 6 p.m. The site is advertising a “Special Performance” at 5 p.m. that day. Who knows – maybe Edge will teach the winning bidder how to play the guitar they just won!

For more information about the auction, check out the official site here.

If you wish to order the catalog for $50, click here.

According to Multichannel.com, some of the items up for auction this year include: “a signed Miley Cyrus guitar, suits worn by The Beatles while promoting A Hard Day’s Night, a Miles Davis owned and used trumpet – 400 lots in all.” The site also mentions that, “Startup Auction Network, a Tulsa-based Web and cable network headed by a passel of former TV Guide Network executives in Oklahoma, will do a six-hour interactive Webcast of the auction, working with Julien’s Auctions of West Hollywood, Calif.”

So, if you can’t make it to NYC, you can still participate. Check your local cable operator to see if you get the Auction Network.

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Icons of Music Auction – May 31

With (RED) items in the local shopping mall for sale, Edun apparel available as well, fans have choices to make a difference in people’s lives while at the same time helping to keep others alive in Africa. The Edge has also been a little busy in this front too.

Back in November, you might remember reading that The Edge had contributed a start-up jingle for the XO laptop computer from the OLPC (one laptop per child) organization. Headed up by MIT Media Lab’s founder Nicholas Negroponte, OLPC hopes to provide a connected laptop to each school-aged child in developing countries to empower and enable them to learn.

OLPC has extended their “Give One, Get One” program through the end of the year – for $399, you can buy an XO laptop for your family, and OLPC will give a laptop to a deserving child in the areas they are serving. If you live in the U.S., $200 of that purchase is tax deductible

The Edge has been collaborating with the MIT and the MIT Media Lab for quite a while now. He has served as a panel judge for a ringtone contest, contributed to an exhibit, and helped lead the now-disbanded MIT Media Lab Europe with Bono and a few others.

Creating start-up jingles isn’t a first for the creative members of U2. You might recall that Brian Eno created the Windows 95 start-up tune.

UPDATE: CNN posted this story on Monday about a laptop village in Peru that is benefiting from the OLPC project.

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Last Minute Christmas Shopping