U2, Usher and Lady Gaga for Bill Clinton tribute

Posted on September 13, 2011 by Rita Simonian / Marta Henriques

Bono and The Edge will play an acoustic set for A Decade Of Difference: A Concert Celebrating 10 Years Of The William J Clinton Foundation.

The gig takes place in the Hollywood Bowl on October 15 and will be streamed live at news.yahoo.com/decade-difference-concert.

“I’m proud that some of today’s most influential performers are coming together to raise awareness about the work of my Foundation,” says former President Clinton.

“In the past decade, commitments to my Clinton Global Initiative have improved the lives of more than 300 million people around the world. We’ve lowered the cost of AIDS and HIV treatment, combated climate change, strengthened economies, increased access to education and healthcare, provided financing and mentoring for small businesses. This celebration marks ten years of these efforts and demonstrates how much we can do to make a difference in the years ahead.”

Source: Hot Press

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U2 Admit They’ve ‘Been on the Verge of Irrelevance for 20 Years’

Posted on September 10, 2011 by Rita Simonian / Marta Henriques

Q&A session available to be seen here.

A reflective and melancholy Bono confessed today that watching Davis Guggenheim’s brand new film, ‘From the Sky Down,’ has forced him to confront some harsh truths about his band’s continued artistic relevance.

At a Toronto International Film Festival press conference Friday (Sept. 9) in support of the U2 doc, Bono was surprisingly candid and open about his feelings.

More photos here.

“There’s a giant chasm between the very good and the great, and U2 right now has a danger of surrendering to the very good,” he said. “In those times, 20 years ago and before that, we were crap and we were great. There wasn’t much very good and I think that I was reminded of how crap we were, watching the film. I found it really awful and yet… it was a self-imposed crapness. We were trying to make music that we didn’t understand and the band seems to do its best work when it’s in that environment.”

“When it gets comfortable, it’s not as interesting. So there may be more crap coming up,” he laughed.

Things took a more serious turn as the press conference was about to wrap up.

“I was asking a question to myself why we might have agreed to this film, having spent our whole life consciously ignoring anything we did yesterday, and I think we agreed to this because we are at that moment again where U2 has dodged being irrelevant.”

“Well,” he admitted, nearly choking up, “U2′s been on the verge of irrelevance for 20 years. We’ve dodged and we’ve dived and made some great work along the way and occasional faux pas, but this moment where we’re at, to me, feels really close to the edge of irrelevance. We can be successful, we can play big music in big places, but whether we can play small music, for radio or clubs, remains to be seen. And we have to get to that place again, if we are to survive.”

Source: Spinner

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U2′s Bono says he’ll be a proud American on 9/11

Posted on September 9, 2011 by Rita Simonian / Marta Henriques

As the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terror attacks draws near, U2 frontman Bono admits he’s “a very proud American on 9/11.”

He says “it’s just too big a moment in all our lives. Even if you’re not American, everyone became an American that day.”

Bono will be in New York on Sunday with his wife, Ali Hewson, for a fashion event promoting a men’s collection for their EDUN line. The couple launched the not-for-profit fashion company in 2005 to raise awareness for business opportunities in Africa.

Source: Associated Press

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Bono: U2 together until we die

Posted on September 9, 2011 by Rita Simonian / Marta Henriques

U2 frontman Bono believes the chart-topping band will stick together until they die.

The quartet – still going strong 35 years after they formed – are “unemployable” beyond their roles in the band, the singer said.

He and guitarist The Edge were attending the Toronto Film Festival to launch a new documentary, From The Sky Down, about the making of their 20-year-old album Achtung Baby.

Bono said the group – which headlined Glastonbury Festival this summer – were united by “a kind of belligerent respect” for each other. He added: “We’re unemployable, you know, it’s like the priesthood, there’s only one way out, in a coffin.”

The film – made by director Davis Guggenheim – examines the making of the album in Berlin, Germany, which helped to reinvent the band. But Bono said he found it difficult to trawl through the past.

“I found it very hard to watch to be honest with you. We’re not very good at looking back at things. I mean Edge – when he put together our Best Of collections – forced me, actually had to physically force me, to listen to it before it went out.”

“I’m just not interested in what we’ve done, I’m always more interested in what we’re about to do. But you know, for this album, we made an exception.”

The millionaire rock star said he is intrigued about why someone would want to see how the LP was assembled.

“It’s like a load of songs and they turned out pretty good in the end, and this is a film about how they nearly didn’t. I don’t know why anyone would watch it, I really don’t,” Bono said.

The Edge – whose real name is Dave Evans – added: “I think it’s not a movie about us, per se, it’s really about how bands function, or in this case, don’t function.”

Source: Press Association

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U2 film opens Toronto Film Festival

Posted on September 9, 2011 by Rita Simonian / Marta Henriques

U2 documentary From the Sky Down became the first documentary to open the Toronto Film Festival on Thursday.

Both Bono and guitarist The Edge were on the red carpet, for the opening night of the annual 11-day event.

More photos here.

‘High and lows’

The U2 documentary examines the making of the Irish rock band’s 1991 album Achtung Baby in Berlin.

The seminal album, which followed on from their successful 1987 album, Joshua Tree, and the less well-received Rattle and Hum, was credited with reinventing the band.

“It was them at their very highest highs and their very lowest lows,” director Davis Guggenheim told Reuters.

Guggenheim won an Academy Award for the 2006 documentary, An Inconvenient Truth, which explored Al Gore’s campaign to make the issue of global warming a recognized problem around the world.

U2 approached him to make a film, after The Edge appeared in his 2008 documentary, It Might Get Loud, about the history of the electric guitar.

“I think it’s not a movie about us, per se, it’s really about how bands function, or in this case, don’t function,” said the Edge, on Thursday.

“I don’t know why anyone would watch it, I really don’t,” added Bono.

Source: BBC News

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