Blackberry owners, often a forgotten group in era of the iPhone app, now have one up on their Apple-owning friends: the U2 Blackberry app is finally available.

Actually, it’s being called a Mobile Album. The audio/visual aspects to the app are audio samples of the album’s tracks, short videos (ranging from rehearsal clips to a Blackberry television commercial) and interviews related to the songs.

App users who want to buy an album download ($9.99) or individual tracks ($1.49 each) are taken to the U2 Mobile Shop that’s powered by 7digital.

The app also has a news feed (it’s the same news that’s available at U2.com) and a photo gallery (a small collection of live shots and promo shot — not as good as the photos gallery on U2.com).

A location-based function that will allow concertgoers to communicate and share their experiences is not yet active. Once that feature is enabled, the Mobile Album will go from a nice little promotional tool to something that actually enhances a fan’s experience.

As it stands, the Blackberry U2 Mobile Album feels more like a learning experience than a fully formed product. Give it a few years and these things will be much improved. (Blackberry)

- Billboard.biz

Achtung babies! U2’s first stateside stadium tour in a decade is on the horizon.

On Sunday and Monday, Gillette Stadium will host about 140,000 fans for the Irish icons’ 360 Tour’s New England stop. To get you psyched for these beautiful nights, we’ve unearthed some tour details.

The songs: A big chunk of the set doesn’t change from night to night, including U2 opening with a quartet of new songs “Breathe,” “No Line On The Horizon,” “Get On Your Boots” and “Magnificent.” But among the new tunes and expected hits (“Beautiful Day,” “Vertigo,” “One,” “Bad,” “With Or Without You”) are some surprises. Last week, the band debuted “Your Blue Room,” a song from the “Original Soundtracks 1” album recorded under the pseudonym Passengers. Also, the band has been tucking in snippets of covers, including “All You Need Is Love,” “Blackbird,” “King of Pain,” “Stand By Me” and “Amazing Grace.” Read the rest of this entry »

Countdown to “360” North American leg: 4 days!!

U2 in Barcelona - Photograph: LLUIS GENE/Getty Images

It’s coming down to the wire for U2 fans in North America as the band gets ready to play the first show of their world tour, “U2 360”, in North America this Saturday night.

U2 will play two shows in Chicago this weekend, before heading out to Toronto next week.

Since I’m seeing the tour three times (NYC and Raleigh, when I go to the U2 conference in Durham), I know I’ll be taking loads of pictures and I want everyone to get to see them. I usually post my pics on my Facebook page, but if I link it to here, it might ask everyone to log in or something.

So I set up a Flickr instead and I will be uploading all my “360” pictures when my concerts come up. Right now I have my photos from when I met the band in March during their weeklong stint on “Late Show with David Letterman” in NYC. It was on March 3rd (when “No Line” came out), but on my calendar it’s listed as ONE OF THE GREATEST DAYS OF MY LIFE! So check them out. And if anyone has ever met the band, do share! What was your experience like? Read the rest of this entry »

U2 will take a break from playing stadiums on its current tour to do a couple songs in a smaller venue — the “Saturday Night Live” studio.

The band, which is in the midst of touring in support of its album “No Line on the Horizon” and playing the likes of Giants Stadium and the Rose Bowl, will be the musical guest on the “SNL” season premiere on Sept. 26. They’ll join host Megan Fox on the show.

That, at least, is the word from “SNL” cast member Bill Hader, who told “Access Hollywood” that U2 would be part of the season premiere. NBC hasn’t issued official word yet; an announcement from the network is expected next week.

U2 will be making its third appearance on the show. The band previously performed on “Saturday Night Live” in 2000 and 2004. The timing works out as well; the band is playing two shows at Giants Stadium in New Jersey on Sept. 23 and 24 but has open dates until a performance in Washington on Sept. 29.

The U2 concert previously scheduled for FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 25th, 2009 at Giants Stadium in New Jersey has been moved to WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 23RD, 2009. The performance on Thursday, September 24th will proceed as scheduled.

The change was necessitated by the rescheduling of the New York Jets football game on Sunday September 27, 2009 from 4:15pm to 1pm out of respect for the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur, which starts that evening. Yom Kippur is the holiest day of the Jewish year.
Read the rest of this entry »

IT was one of the most eagerly anticipated gigs of the year.

And for 70,000 fans, it delivered on every count.

When U2 rolled into Cardiff last night for the last leg of their European 360 Degree Tour, they blew the audience away.

Taking centre stage and most of the audience’s breath away in the Millennium Stadium was the £20m set dubbed The Claw – which towered over the main circular stage.

As the iconic front man Bono emerged last night, clad in black and wearing his trademark sunglasses, the crowd erupted with delight.

The almost capacity 70,000 audience made it a record-breaking attendance for any gig at the stadium, outselling Take That’s 64,000 audience earlier this year.

After opening with Breathe, from the new album No Line on the Horizon, the band treated fans to a mix of their many hits from the last three decades and new songs from their latest CD.

Highlights included Beautiful Day, Mysterious Ways, Vertigo, Pride and One, as well as newer stand out songs, Get On Your Boots, Crazy Tonight and Magnificent.

Homage was also paid to The Edge’s Welsh roots, with Bono confessing to having once had singing lessons from the guitarist’s father, Garvin Evans.

“He told me to look after the consonants and the vowels will look after themselves,” Bono told the crowd, who lapped up his every word.

The Edge, whose family were in the Cardiff crowd, received a rapturous applause simply by saying “Cymru Am Byth”, before the band launched into I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For while the adoring masses sang along.

Of course, no U2 gig would be complete without a political message of democracy and freedom, and this was no exception.

The band dedicated their tracks Walk On and MLK to imprisoned Burmese leader Aung San Suu Kyi, and Arch Bishop Desmond Tutu gave an uplifting video message before the song One.

Fans hailed the gig as possibly the greatest spectacle seen in the stadium’s 10 year history.

Martin Howarth, 25, from Swansea, said: “I’ve seen the Red Hot Chili Peppers at the stadium and the Rolling Stones but U2 were much better.

“They get such a mixed crowd because they have been going for so long. Some people knew all the words of the old stuff and others only knew the recent albums.

“You have to give them credit and say they are one of the best live bands in the world.

“I would definitely go back and see them again if they came to Cardiff.”

Lloyd James, 24, from Swansea, said: “It was unbelievable. I have never seen a gig like it before.

“The sound was fantastic and the stage looked immense.

“I’ve been to some pretty special rugby games in the Millennium Stadium before but the atmosphere was something totally different to those.

“It’s the best gig Cardiff’s ever had.”

Read more at WalesOnline

- WalesOnline.co.uk