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MIAMI (Reuters) - Irish rockers U2 ended their hugely successful “Elevation” tour Sunday night in the same neighborhood as they started but with a show that poignantly reflected the events that have shaken the world since the band set out nine months ago.
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MIAMI (Reuters) - Irish rockers U2 ended their hugely successful
“Elevation” tour Sunday night in the same neighborhood as they started but
with a show that poignantly reflected the events that have shaken the world
since the band set out nine months ago.

At the outset of the trek, the band had said they wanted the concerts to
focus on the songs after the theatrical extravaganzas of their previous few
tours. Following the Sept. 11 attacks on the United States and the launching
of U.S.-led war against terrorism, many of those songs have taken on a new
resonance.

Several times during the concert at Miami’s American Airlines Arena, lead
singer Bono, often a fervent critic of U.S. government policy, declared the
band’s affection and sympathy for the United States.

“I’d like to say how much we love this country and we wish you safety and
prosperity,” he told the crowd at one point.

U2 have always been a politically and socially involved band — usually as a
champion of the underdog.

Songs such as the vintage “Sunday Bloody Sunday” about the troubles in
Northern Ireland, with its chorus of “how long must we sing this song,”
were delivered with new fire and relevance in light of the conflicts raging
in the world today.

During the song, Bono picked an Irish tricolor and a U.S. flag from fans in
the crowd, tied them together, then buried his face in them. The gesture was
greeted with whoops of appreciation.

The show moved to an emotional climax with the encore ”One,” a plea for
peace and harmony, as a screen behind them scrolled the names of victims of
the Sept. 11 attacks, Bono by then wearing a New York Fire Department
T-shirt.

More than 2 million fans in North America and Europe have seen the 109 shows
the band has played this year. The tour has reaffirmed U2’s claim to be the
greatest rock and roll band in the world - and, according the latest figures
by Pollstar grossed $69 million by mid-year, the biggest earning of the
year.

Sunday night’s tour closer, like the others, featured songs from throughout
the band’s two-decade career, from the 1980s classics that seemed to delight
the crowd most to the strong performances of their Grammy award-winning 2000
album “All That You Can’t Leave Behind.” Not a few people in the crowd
were parents with their children.

“So we began in Miami and we finish in Miami,” Bono said. ”Something
special is going on with our band and our crowd — it’s like a church.”

Among the notable moments:

– Bono and guitarist the Edge, playing an acoustic guitar, singing
“Please,” a song, Bono explained, originally written about “religious
nuts and political fanatics” in their native Ireland and now directed at
Osama bin Laden (news - web sites).

– During the anthem “Bad”, Bono plucked a fan from the crowd and danced
with him on stage — the fellow had tattooed on his back all the U2 concerts
he had attended.

– In a ringing version of “Pride (in the Name of Love)”, screens showed a
video of Martin Luther King, the song’s subject, then King’s words were
broadcast and melded into the song.

The encores, packing a heavy emotional punch, began with a scorching
“Bullet the Blue Sky” - a song about air raids on civilians in Central
America, then Marvin Gaye’s “What’s Going On,” about America’s confusion
in the Vietnam era.

Then the elegy “New York,” from the new album, when silk screens
emblazoned with skyscrapers were lowered from the rafters. “Even Miami
Loves New York,’ ad-libbed Bono, the significance being lost on no one.

“One,” with the Sept. 11 roll call, followed, then a few choruses of “My
Sweet Lord” in tribute to late Beatle George Harrison. Then with a poignant
“Walk On,” with its call to struggle through adversity, U2 closed this
chapter of their career.

From Launch: U2 Wraps Up Latest North American Tour This Weekend (11/29/01, 3 p.m. ET) — U2 wraps up the latest North American leg of itsElevation world tour this weekend, with shows Friday (November 30) inAtlanta, Saturday (December 1) in Tampa, and Sunday (December 2)in Miami, just down the road from Fort Lauderdale, where the tour openedon March 24.
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SOURCE: DIRECTV Inc. December is U2 Month Exclusively on DIRECTV Sold-Out U2 Elevation Tour 2001, Plus Additional U2 Programming to be Broadcast Free of Charge
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SOURCE: DIRECTV Inc.
December is U2 Month Exclusively on DIRECTV
Sold-Out U2 Elevation Tour 2001, Plus Additional U2 Programming to be Broadcast Free of Charge
EL SEGUNDO, Calif., Nov. 28 /PRNewswire/ — DIRECTV Inc., the nation’s leading digital TV service provider, will premiere an exclusive U2 television event in December free of charge to its more than 10.3 million residential and commercial customers. DIRECTV will roll out this commercial-free U2 broadcast as part of its DIRECTV? FREEVIEW? event series to customers beginning Saturday, December 1, and continuing throughout the month.

This original four-hour U2 event will include a concert film of the band’s sold-out Elevation Tour 2001, recorded live in Boston this past June. Other than the limited exhibition on DIRECTV, this long-format version is only available on U2’s new DVD. In addition, DIRECTV will premiere more than two hours of additional U2 programming including never-before-seen archived interview footage and music videos.

DIRECTV is also aligning with both VH1 and Best Buy to promote the launch of U2’s new DVD release featuring the concert film, “Elevation 2001 — U2 Live From Boston.” Through in-store promotions, as well as national print and outdoor marketing, Best Buy will drive demand for the new release and promote U2’s television broadcast on VH1 and DIRECTV. VH1 aired a shorter version of the concert film and conducted a radio contest to promote the availability of U2’s DVD at Best Buy and the U2 broadcast on VH1 and DIRECTV. DIRECTV will continue the promotion throughout December with extensive print and on-air promotions. While all three companies have worked together in the past, this is the first time they have aggregated their resources to deliver a national promotion designed to generate heightened awareness and demand for U2.

“DIRECTV is proud to be associated with U2, one of the hottest rock bands in history. We know that our more than 10.3 million subscribers will appreciate the chance to see and hear this exclusive compilation of incredible U2 performances all month long,” said Michael Thornton, senior vice president, Programming Acquisitions. “The DIRECTV? FREEVIEW? event series is indicative of our mission to bring the highest level of quality programming to our customers and to deliver exclusive features not available on any other multi-channel service. This collaboration between DIRECTV, VH1 and Best Buy has enabled all three companies to deliver one dynamic platform where musicians can reach millions of fans throughout the United States. We look forward to working with our partners to bring more events and promotions like this to fruition.”

Premiering on Saturday, December 1 at 6:00 AM (ET), “U2 Month” will air on DIRECTV channel 103, 24 hours a day through December 31. DIRECTV customers who tune in to the programming block can expect to see U2 perform hits from their illustrious career. Additional footage includes “U2 Legends” produced by VH1; The making of “All I Want Is You,” never before seen in the U.S.; “The Sweetest Thing” video; “Bullet the Blue Sky” filmed during the Rock the Vote election campaign; the Trabantland and Lovetown documentaries, and the “Lemon,” “Please,” “One,” and “Beautiful Day” music videos.

DIRECTV began airing its DIRECTV? FREEVIEW? event series in November 1999 with a concert from progressive rock group YES. Since then, DIRECTV customers have been treated to performance events from artists as diverse as Sting, Paul McCartney, Barry Manilow, David Gray, Neil Young, Journey, Randy Travis, the Go-Go’s, Psychedelic Furs, Wynonna Judd and Sugar Ray.

DIRECTV is the nation’s leading digital satellite television service provider with 10.3 million customers. DIRECTV and the Cyclone Design logo are trademarks of DIRECTV, Inc., a unit of Hughes Electronics Corporation. FREEVIEW is a registered trademark of Hughes Electronics Corporation and is used with permission. HUGHES is the world’s leading provider of digital television entertainment, broadband services, satellite-based private business networks, and global video and data broadcasting. The earnings of HUGHES, a unit of General Motors Corporation, are used to calculate the earnings per share attributable to the General Motors Class H common stock (NYSE: GMH - news). Visit DIRECTV on the World Wide Web at DIRECTV.com .

For further information, please contact Bob Marsocci of DIRECTV Inc., +1-310-726-4656.

In an interview for Rolling Stone back in 1987, Bono, lead singer for U2,told reporter David Breskin: "If Bob Dylan walked into a record company (today) and played them`Subterranean Homesick Blues,’ and told them it was a hit record, they’dshow him the door. If Jimi Hendrix came along now, he wouldn’t get a deal. The companies would file him under `black and confused and out of time’…"And if U2 came along now — four 20-year-old upstarts with a big, raw andconfused sound — here’s what you could expect: It would get rejected by the big labels and ignored by mainstream radio and MTV.
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