I know it’s been a few months since the @U2 event in Boston to celebrate U23D’s release, but I didn’t want to miss the opportunity to share some photos taken from it. Special thanks to Ayaz for sharing his photos with us. Check them out on his site.
To update a story mentioned here a week ago (or so), Edge has announced he will donate 2 Gibson guitars and other personal items to the upcoming “Icons of Music” auction on May 31.
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!
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.
Billboard.com asked me to put up this amusing U2 3D video from the Sundance festival on @U2. It’s short, but amusing; and I like Bono’s Russian accent. 
http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/video/index.jsp?bclid=1276249299
Tassoula posted a few days ago about the @U2 U2 3D event in Seattle last weekend, and she included a few photos from the night. This is just a quick post to say I’ve finally caught up and added another handful of pix from the evening to our Flickr account. Our mini-set (8 photos) is at the link below:
Enjoy!
Thanks to everyone who came out to the Pacific Science Center and Jillian’s for the West Coast party last night. We all had a wonderful time and enjoyed meeting you (special shout-out to our guests from Pittsburgh—it was amazing you came all that way for us)!
Here are just a few photos from the evening:
(Above) A U2 fan helps Matt hang our @U2 banner before the film.
(Above) Portland fans Melly, Scott and Kim play a game of pool with @U2’s Matt McGee during the afterparty at Jillian’s.
(Above) Portland fan Melly takes a break at Jillian’s with @U2’s Matt McGee and
Tassoula Kokkoris.
@U2 Reader Heather Romney was one of the lucky 100 people allowed in for the screening and Q&A with the band at Sundance last night. She was kind enough to share some of her photos with us and with fellow readers. U2’s 3D glasses look way cooler than the ones we have here!
Heather also shared some thoughts about the experience:
“One question that was asked was whether or not the band had any new material, or whether they would be coming out with an album soon. They responded that they were working on it, and hoped to release it in 2008. But no solid new information, unfortunately. Before the film they welcomed everyone and Bono joked that Edge indeed does not appear as big on screen as he does in real life. The Q & A was fairly short, unfortunately. The whole band looked really tired and pretty jet lagged the entire time, so Bono did most of the talking until Adam spoke up and mentioned that they’d have to go. Someone else asked whether or not there would be any more 3D concert movies that U23D in the future with a deeper narrative, such as “Yellow Submarine”, etc. and Bono stepped up and jokingly told him to “Fuck off, my narratives are better than Yellow Submarine.” During the movie, however, people were singing, holding up their cell phones, the whole thing. It really was like being there. I think that any non-U2 fan would be impressed by the movie too.”
Thanks, Heather!
First, I have to give props to my friend Scott for alerting me to something U2-related that I was unaware of. Not many people can do that, though many try.
And here’s the scoop: Indy Hub has scheduled a free sneak preview of “U2 3D” for 7:25 p.m. Monday, Jan. 21, at the Indiana State Museum IMAX theater in downtown Indianapolis.
Indy Hub is an organization for young professionals that promotes involvement in the Indianapolis community. And there’s certainly no better way to get me involved in the community than to invite me to a free U2 event!
Visit Indy Hub to RSVP; there’s room for 404 people. Sure, it’s a school/work night. But it’s U2! For free! Leaping out of the screen at you!
Hope to see you Hoosiers there! Now maybe I’ll find out just how many @U2 readers are in my midst. But if you can’t make it to the preview, you can still see “U2 3D” at the Indy IMAX (for a fee, of course) starting Jan. 23, according to their Web site.
It was the best dressed general admission line I had ever stood in as a few thousand mortgage bankers and associates filled the Hynes Convention Center in Boston, Massachusetts today to hear Bono give the keynote address at their annual convention. The buzz was going through the building about Bono’s appearance very early on.
The doors to the general session room did not open until 8:15 a.m., and yet people were lining up well before the sun came out around 7 a.m. One woman standing in line said she received a phone call from a colleague at 7:15 a.m. who said that there were already 20 people in line waiting for the doors to open. As people were arriving and lining up for the doors to open, there was that same, familiar vibe in the room as if it was a concert and those in GA weren’t sure if they’d be able to get the position they wanted. The only things missing were sharpie numbers on hands and wristbands. Well, we all had to wear a namebadge, so I suppose that’s similar.
Bono’s remarks to the Mortgage Bankers Association can be seen as another opportunity to tell the story of what’s going on in Africa. The hardest sell was to convince mortgage bankers to forgive the loans - you think asking governments to do that is hard? Try mortgage bankers! Over Bono’s 45 minutes, he kept on message and dazzled (as he usually does) those with the thickest skin on issues that impact everyone in one way or another.
It was just surreal being in a room with roughly 2000 people in their business suits holding out their cell phones and cameras as if it was a U2 show - snapping photos throughout the remarks. There were a few people wearing their ONE Campaign or (RED) shirts, but the majority of the room was dressed in either black or navy blue.
Even Bono was in a black suit with his trademark shades, thick-soled shoes, mild 5 o’clock shadow, and deep greenish blue business shirt (half buttoned, mind you).
I was fortunate enough to get a question asked and answered at the end of the Q&A session - you’ll be able to hear that in our October podcast.
A friend of ours, who happens to also be a friend of yer man’s, had the good pleasure of visiting with Bono after the Liberty Medal award ceremony on Thursday night. Kevin O’Donoghue of A2C Consulting shared a couple photos with us, and said we could share them with you. Enjoy!
Kevin puts an American Flag pin on Bono’s lapel
Kevin & Bono - peace!
Thanks for the pix, Kevin!
