U2 @ Giants Stadium: Vision Over Visibility

The lights began to dim. The stadium began to rumble. The band’s massive, claw-shaped 360° began to billow smoke. David Bowie’s “Space Oddity” counted down from the outsized speakers: “5… 4… 3… 2…” One by one, Larry, Adam, Edge and Bono took their positions, then launched headlong into a pulse-racing, soul-shaking block of stadium anthems:…

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That Dust Cloud Disappears Without A Trace

Yesterday morning at 11:27 I Tweeted, “Noon meeting. Two o’clock flight. Nine o’clock U2 show. Bets, anyone?” At the time, I wouldn’t have wagered even a gentleman’s handshake; the communique derived from Overland Park, Kansas, some 1,201 miles west of Giant’s Stadium. Too many moving parts were in play, not the least of which an…

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It Might Get Loud

Director Davis Guggenheim’s new documentary love letter to the electric guitar, “It Might Get Loud,” is loaded with unbelievable moments. First, he manages to shoot Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page’s visit to Headley Grange, the East Hampshire, England, home studio where the band recorded “Led Zeppelin IV.” Page is regal in his puffy, white shirt…

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Shooting U2

Frankly, my mind had been blown nearly half a dozen times already, and that was before I waltzed past the well-guarded barricades outside the Somerville Theater and bumped into U2 sound checking “Magnificent” just a few feet in front of me. First, there was getting tapped for the trip to begin with. It happened like…

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U2 Treat Boston Fans To Surprise Show

BOSTON — “It was an unwieldy event,” Bono told MTV News’ Sway Calloway just seconds after stepping off the tiny club stage at Wednesday’s surprise performance. “But that’s the way we like ’em.” No strangers to spectacle, U2 wrapped up their 10-day, four-city campaign for Biggest Band in the World — and celebrated No Line…

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Infinity Is A Great Place To Start

Thirteen years at MTV News, and finally I get my close up! Ok, so it was a two-shot, but still. I knew today was special from the moment I forced myself from my warm sheets: my pre-order of U2’s “No Line On The Horizon” was waiting on iTunes. I spent the few minutes it took…

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Come On Up For The Rising

It took less than an hour for my inaugural cynicism to fade. It wasn’t the bunting, the banners, or the red, white and blue. It wasn’t The Mall, the monuments, or the museums. It wasn’t even hope, change, or unity. It was Bruce. My colleague, Gil, and I were walking off lunch with a long…

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Hide & Seek: A Consideration Of REM & U2

In the fall of 1987, two scrappy rock bands stood poised for world domination. REM’s fifth release, “Document,” catapulted the band from college rock staples to mainstream mainstays. The band’s Top 10 hit, “The One I Love,” cracked the top ten. The album went platinum, paving the way for a five-album, $80M Warner Bros. deal.…

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With Or Without You

The release of “U23D” has prompted a wave of quips about how even a 70mm IMAX screen can’t hold Bono’s oversized ego. I dragged my pal Brian to a screening on Thursday night, my second. Once again, what struck me wasn’t its size, volume, or depth (though all remain impressive, especially in front of a…

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U2 Talk ‘U2 3D’ Movie, New Album At Sundance

PARK CITY, Utah – The hot ticket at the Sundance Film Festival this weekend wasn’t an edgy Hollywood indie. It was a slick, super-saturated 3-D concert flick from Dublin. Park City’s Eccles Center was pulsing with an arena-sized dose of anticipation Saturday night for the premiere of U2’s “U2 3D.” Fans whooped and hollered at…

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