In this exclusive footage shot of U2 rehearsing for Glastonbury last year, the Edge explains why his experience of playing with other bands will not affect his loyalty to U2.

Source: Guardian.co.uk

UPDATE: New video from U2Vevo – Winnipeg 2011

Fans still basking in the glow of U2′s Winnipeg performance may live to regard May 27, 2011 as a not-so-beautiful day.

The road manager for the world’s biggest rock band is threatening never to return to Manitoba after an international stage union chose this province to launch an attempt to certify workers employed by U2′s Ireland-based management, as well as Winnipeg’s largest film production company.

On Friday, the New York City-based International Alliance of Theatrical and Stage Employees, which represents thousands of movie, TV, concert and theatre production workers across Canada and the U.S., began Manitoba Labour Board proceedings to certify employees of both Dublin’s U2 Principle Management and Winnipeg’s Mid Canada Production Services.

IATSE’s move came in the midst of a three-day documentary shoot at Winnipeg’s Burton Cummings Theatre. A Los Angeles production company hired Mid Canada to produce the shoot, which supplemented U2 footage from Berlin.

The Winnipeg production used 26 Mid Canada employees, including 12 IATSE members, as well as eight non-unionized Burton Cummings Theatre staff, said Chris McIvor, Mid Canada’s operations director.

Other local members of the union — which has been embroiled in a dispute with concert promoter True North Sports & Entertainment since 2004 — picketed outside the documentary production. U2 singer Bono, a labour-movement supporter, stopped to chat with some of the protesters.

The labour-certification application that followed the documentary has little to do with Mid Canada, said McIvor, noting his company pays all of its employees above IATSE scale.

“We had three days with U2 and a two-day private concert. Explain to me how the IA crew was not treated well,” McIvor said. “This has nothing to do with the shoot. As far as publicity goes, U2 is a big name.”

The architect of the certification drive agreed. “We’d prefer it was U2, plainly speaking,” said Barny Haines, IATSE’s Winnipeg representative. He described the timing of the application as “happenstance, for the most part.”

On May 30, the Manitoba Labour Board gave U2 Principle Management two days to submit a list of its production employees, including names, addresses and specific job titles. U2 road manager Jake Berry, who has also worked with the Rolling Stones and Lady Gaga, did not react well, McIvor said.

“His basic response was ‘We don’t have time to deal with this. We’re just going to ignore it. We’ll just never step foot in Manitoba again,’ ” McIvor said.

“I find it peculiar, with respect to U2 and the persona of the band when it comes to human rights,” Haines said in response. “I find it questionable for U2 to say it won’t return here because of an attempt to exercise the rights Canadians have celebrated for decades.”

Mid Canada’s McIvor said he is traumatized by the certification attempt because he considers himself a union supporter even though he believes there is not enough film-production work in Winnipeg to support a fully unionized shop. Roughly one quarter of his company’s 80 full-time employees are IATSE members. Mid Canada has also done work for Manitoba unions and the Manitoba New Democratic Party.

“I totally understand the need for IA on film shoots. It’s a good thing, because they protect film workers. IA is important, but not to the point of choking the industry,” McIvor said.

In response to the certification effort, Mid Canada is considering closing up shop or laying off all its production staff and becoming an equipment-rental outlet. It may also fight the certification process.

Haines said McIvor need not worry. “Unions aren’t in the business of putting anyone out of business,” he said, noting a collective agreement could benefit Mid Canada and its workers.

“Instead of gloom and doom, we should be embracing the optimism so pervasive in Winnipeg right now, with the NHL returning.”

Source: Winnipeg Free Press

 

A recent appearance on “American Idol” to promote the beleaguered Broadway musical “Spider-Man: Turn off the Dark” couldn’t dampen the Manitoba capital’s enthusiasm for a concert by U2.

But a pre-show display of factoids that made reference to the province as a “state,” and spelled the city “Winipeg,” led a few of the more than 50,000 fans at Canad Inns Stadium on Sunday night to chortle at a condescending acknowledgment of their city.

Serving as guest editor of The Globe and Mail for a special Africa edition last May, alongside Bob Geldof, might have helped frontman Bono recognize the error. “Hello Winnipeg,” he announced, “with two Ns.”

The chilly outdoor date on the U2 360° world tour, which started in Barcelona almost two years ago, was postponed last June after the singer had to undergo emergency back surgery.

As a result, Montreal and Toronto will be visited in July, a year after originally scheduled. The long-overdue closing date is scheduled for Magnetic Hill in Moncton on July 30.

U2′s tour director, Craig Evans, stopped by New Brunswick to size up how the former papal visit sitecould be successfully transformed for the evangelical Irish band, and a similarly spiritual opening act, Arcade Fire.

The 198-foot-high concert stage, dubbed ‘the spaceship’ by the band, will temporarily become one of the tallest free-standing structures in Moncton. A week will be spent putting it together, and two additional days will be spent hauling it away, a process that has given the Irish band spare time to save the world, or visit some local pubs.

Still, there are three different versions of the stage, even though the 60-tonne cylindrical video screen has to be hauled from one show to the next.

Naturally, as U2 played in Winnipeg, construction was underway for Wednesday night’s show at Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton. A second crew has packed up the screen, sound and lighting equipment for the drive west.

The Edmonton Journal reported on the extent to which U2 has boosted the local economy for the week, as the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees Local 210 put about 300 workers on the job, and brought in extra riggers, climbers and machine operators from Calgary and Vancouver to calmly meet the deadline.

Still, the attention paid to the geographical gaffe in Winnipeg proved that, even if everything technical comes off without a hitch, spelling still counts in rock ‘n’ roll.

(Reuters Photo)

source ca.news.yahoo

‘Fourteen years ago we played a show here we will never forget. It’s a privilege for us to come and play for you.’

It’s always good to be in Canada and although it was one of the coldest nights of the tour, the threatened rain never materialised and the warm reception of this capacity audience kept the temperature rising all night long.

As Walk On closed, Bono recalled the origins of Amnesty, before raising a pint of Guinness in tribute:

‘Fifty years  ago Amnesty was formed because two Portuguese students were imprisoned for seven years for raising a toast to freedom, so in their honour tonight we raise a toast to freedom and might you join us in singing Happy Birthday to Amnesty International…’

U2.COM review here and here

Only One could follow that and it did before ‘Streets’, ‘Hold Me, Thrill Me…’ and finally With or Without You when the cellphones of Winnipeg turned ‘this place into the milky way.’

‘What a wonderful night, thank you, thank you…’

Below, you can see the best videos we got so far and link to constantly updated photo album, credit to the several U2 fans attending the show.

SETLIST

Opening Act(s): The Fray

Main Set: Even Better Than The Real Thing, I Will Follow, Get On Your Boots – Oh Canada, Magnificent, Mysterious Ways, Elevation, Until the End of the World – Where Have All The Flowers Gone, All I Want Is You, Stay, Beautiful Day – Heart of Gold, Pride, Miss Sarajevo, Zooropa, City of Blinding Lights, Vertigo – You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet, I’ll Go Crazy (remix) – Discotheque – Life During Wartime – Psycho Killer – Please, Sunday Bloody Sunday, Scarlet, Walk On – You’ll Never Walk Alone, Happy Birthday

Encore(s): One, Will You Love Me Tomorrow – Where the Streets Have No Name, Hold Me Thrill Me Kiss Me Kill Me, With or Without You

Note: Although Moment Of Surrender was on the printed setlist, the show ended right after With Or Without You.

VIDEOS

U2.com Official

Fan Videos

(Thanks to U2News for the compilation)

Arrows posted on screen for navigation to all videos

PICTURES

Click in the link below to see all photos

Band Members Off-Show: Here

Show Photos: Here and Here

 

Enlarge Image

U2 lead singer Bono, guitarist The Edge and bassist Adam Clayton perform at Canad Inns Stadium in Winnipeg Sunday night. (DAVID LIPNOWSKI/WINNIPEG FREE PRESS)

WINNIPEG — Rock fan and cheerful cheapskate Todd Paquette had arguably the best free seats to Sunday night’s U2 concert, perched atop the wooden fence surrounding the stadium.

“I scoped it out for Bon Jovi and the Eagles and AC/DC,” Paquette said.

He was only a couple hundred feet from fans who had paid well over $100 for tickets and he could hear opening band The Fray as well as anyone inside the stadium. He also had a clear view of the big screens.

“For AC/DC, I could only see half the screen. I was standing up hanging on to this tree the whole time,” he said.

Despite Winnipeg’s mythically overblown cheapness, a large-scale, Blue Bomber-style tailgating party didn’t materialize Sunday outside Canad Inns Stadium. The stadium parking lot was closed to most vehicles and the vacant lot where the Winnipeg Arena once stood was filled with tour trucks and buses, making it tough for RVs and lawn chairs to find a spot.

But a few hearty souls, many who’d been recently laid off or were starving students, squeezed in along medians or in nearby parking lots to catch what they could of the show.

“It’s my birthday and she’s taking me to the U2 concert,” quipped Debra Fehr, who set up lawn chairs on Maroons Road along with her friend and U2 fan Linda Bonner.

The duo snacked on Doritos and sipped iced tea in wine glasses. They were saving a tiny bottle of champagne for when the show really got going.

Far from lamenting their exclusion, fans outside the stadium said it was a more enjoyable way to see a rock concert — lots of room to dance, cheap eats, no security pat downs and no lines.

That’s what drew Lisa Schmid to a nice sheltered spot outside the Toys R Us, armed with some snacks and a fresh Tim Hortons coffee.

“When she said it was U2, I was like, right there,” said friend Mellissa Pollard.

Earlier in the day, about a hundred hard-core U2 fans — one from as far away as Tokyo — waited in line with sleeping bags and lawn chairs overnight from Saturday to get close to the stage when the gates to the concert opened Sunday night.

Makiko Tamai came by herself from Japan to see the show — the third of five U2 concerts she’s planning to see during its 360 Tour.

Tamai expected cold weather in Winnipeg but was surprised by the warm welcome of friendly Manitobans in line at the stadium parking lot.

“They gave me a chair and barbecue,” she said huddled in a sleeping bag with a group.

“All are very kind.”

sourceBy: Winnipeg Free Press