Pete The Chop

“There’s a lot of things, if I could I’d rearrange” is one of my favorite lines in “The Fly.” One thing I’d rearrange is the fact that my hotel was non-refundable by Giants Stadium, and as I’m writing this I should be inside the stadium listening to an opening act. But, thankfully there are always silver linings that emerge. For example, we are currently in a severe thunderstorm warning with the prospect of some wicked thunderstorms occurring around the same time U2 would be taking the stage. We had an awful storm this morning that caused the power to go out, and with us staying only 2 miles from the stadium, it wouldn’t have been fun for U2’s crew either. Mix that with highs today in the upper 90s with horrible humidity, it was certainly a day that was “hot as a hair dryer in your face.”

As our plans had to change, we decided to head into New York City with the family and stumbled upon the Hilton Theatre in Times Square. Outside it is quite clear that it is the home of the Spider-Man Turn Off the Dark show. Posters are proudly displayed outside the theater and they are most certainly using “Music by Bono and the Edge” as the primary marketing. The actors are secondary in the main marketing at the theater.

Peeking in, gear boxes are being stored near the doors and in the lobby area. Speaking with a theater staffer working at the stage door, he said that rehearsals are going strong and that previews are still slated for late October/early November. The box office will not open until just after Labor Day in early September. He said that rehearsals are not at the theater currently.

While there wasn’t anything exciting happening at Giants Stadium this evening, I still felt a little bit of enthusiasm and excitement knowing that it would appear that it’s all systems go for Spider-Man.

This is a post from the @U2 blog.

Stuck In A Moment

Tags: Tours & Live Shows, U2 Fans by U2isABLE
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In a recent interview with London’s Daily Star, Sex Pistols front man Johnny Rotten proclaimed “U2 — that’s a band that never should have existed.” He went on to say that there’s “no life experience in any of their songs,” as he whined about not getting any bids to play the summer music festivals (U2 would have in Glastonbury).

He’s re-launched his band Public Image Ltd. to very little fanfare, and while he’s making ridiculous comments like these, I’d say that’s no surprise. Maybe it’s not so cool to be rotten anymore?

This is a post from the @U2 blog.

Rotten Says Rotten Things About U2

Tags: In the News..., Johnny Rotten, Sex Pistols, Tours & Live Shows by Tassoula
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There’s been a few key events over the past month or so that made me thankful (to an extent) that the 3rd leg of the U2360 tour was postponed. First, there were a couple of earthquakes (5.9 on June 14 around San Diego and 5.0 on June 23 around Toronto) that could have impacted claw movement or construction. Second, the new Giants Stadium has not completed its construction. According to their website’s FAQ, the stadium is “scheduled to be completed by August 1, 2010.” Their site also states that visitors are not allowed at the stadium during ongoing construction. Given this, U2’s July 19 concert would have been prior to the stadium being completed. Not that it matters, really, as Bon Jovi performed at the new Giants Stadium on May 26, 27 and 29. They’re also playing there later this week. As one concert goer wrote of their May experience, “The first few minutes I thought I was hallucinating, until complete strangers on all sides of my seat began voicing my concern. Our section, and our section only, was shaking. I’m not talking ‘rock the house’ shaking; I’m talking standing on a bridge during a pretty substantial earthquake….Aside from the near-death-ness: the lack of vendors and thick layer of construction dust that sent my allergies into a frenzy were clear examples of a stadium that is not ready for patrons.”

I realize that six weeks can make a lot of difference in construction of a facility, but knowing the stadium isn’t completed would definitely impact my concert going experience. For that and a few other reasons, I’m glad that the 2010 dates are being moved to 2011.

Oh, and another person wrote of the parking situation at the new Giants stadium, saying, “the parking situation was horrible. It took 2 hours to get to the car and get out of lot Y.” I know fans had issues with parking at the old Giants Stadium, so it’s a comfort to know some of the old stadium issues will be coming with the new stadium too.

This is a post from the @U2 blog.

Silver Linings

Tags: Tours & Live Shows by U2isABLE
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As you may know, the Rolling Stones new flick, Shine a Light, directed by Martin Scorcese is hitting theaters this week. Critics have already started comparing this film to the recent hit U2 3D, as both flicks feature major bands delivering energetic, inspiring performances. I’ll admit, I’m not nearly as big of a Stones fan as [...]

Tags: In the News..., Tours & Live Shows by Tassoula
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