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U2 is an Irish rock band from Dublin formed in 1976. The group consists of Bono (main vocals and rhythm guitar), Edge (main guitar, keyboard, and backing vocals), Adam Clayton (bass guitar )), and Larry Mullen Jr. (drums and percussion). Originally rooted in post-punk, U2's music style evolved throughout their career, but has retained an anthemic sound built on Bono's expressive vocals and Edge-guitar-based texture effects. Their lyrics, often decorated with a spiritual image, focus on personal and socio-political themes. Popular for their live performances, the group has held several ambitious and elaborate tours over their careers.

The band formed at Mount Temple Comprehensive School in 1976 when members were teenagers with limited musical abilities. In four years, they signed a contract with Island Records and released their debut album, Boy (1980). Subsequent work such as their first British number one album, War (1983), and singles "Sunday Bloody Sunday" and "Pride (In Love Name)" helped build U2's political and socially conscious reputation. By the mid-1980s, they had become globally famous for their live performances, highlighted by their performances at Live Aid in 1985. The group's fifth album, (1987), made them stars international and is their biggest critical and commercial success. Topped music charts around the world, producing number one singles in the US, "With or Without You" and "I Still Have Found Not What I'm Looking For".

Facing creative stagnation and counterattack following their documentary/double album, Rattle and Hum (1988), U2 rediscovered themselves in the 1990s through new musical direction and public image. Starting with their acclaimed seventh album, Achtung Baby (1991), and the intensive-multimedia Zoo Zoo Tour, the band integrated the influence of alternative rock, electronic dance music, and industrial music into their voices, and embraced a more ironic and brash image. This experiment continues through their ninth album, Pop (1997), and PopMart Tour, which is a diverse success. U2 regains critical and commercial help with notes All That You Can not Leave Behind (2000) and How to Unload The Atomic Bomb (2004), which established more conventional, mainstream sound for groups. The tour of U2 360Ã, Â ° them in 2009-2011 is the highest and best-selling concert tour in history. The thirteen group album, Songs of Innocence (2014), was released free of charge through the iTunes Store, but received criticism for its automatic placement in the user's music library.

U2 has released 14 studio albums and is one of the best-selling music artists in the world in history, having sold over 170 million records worldwide. They have won 22 Grammy Awards, more than any other band, and in 2005, they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in their first year of eligibility. Rolling Stone rated U2 at number 22 on the list of "100 Greatest Artists of All Time". Throughout their careers, as a band and as individuals, they campaign for human rights and causes of social justice, including Amnesty International, Jubilee 2000, ONE/DATA campaigns, Red Products, Child War, and Music Rising.

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History

Formation and early years (1976-1980) /h3>

The band was formed in Dublin on September 25, 1976. Larry Mullen Jr., then a 14-year-old student at Mount Temple Comprehensive School, posted a note on the school bulletin board to find a musician for a new band - six people answered. In the kitchen, Mullen is in drums, with Paul Hewson ("Bono") on the main vocals; David Evans ("The Edge") and his older brother Dik Evans on guitar; Adam Clayton, a friend of Evans's brother on bass guitar; and initially Ivan McCormick and Peter Martin, two other Mullen friends. Mullen then described it as "'The Larry Mullen Band' for about ten minutes, then Bono came in and threw every chance I had for the lead." Martin, who brought his guitars and amplifiers for the first practice but could not play, did not stay with the group, and McCormick was dropped in a few weeks. This group assigns the name "Feedback" because it is one of the few technical terms they know. Most of their initial material consists of cover songs, which the band admits is not their skill. Some of the earliest influences on this band appeared punk rock, such as Jam, Clash, Buzzcocks, and Sex Pistols. The popularity of punk rock convinces the group that musical ability is not a prerequisite for success.

In April 1977, Feedback played their first show for paid audiences at St. Andrews High School. Fintan. Shortly after, the band changed their name to "The Hype". Dik Evans, who is older and currently in college, becomes a freak. The rest of the band is leaning towards the idea of ​​a four-piece ensemble. In March 1978, the group changed their name to "U2". Steve Averill, a punk rock musician (with Radiator) and a Clayton family friend, has suggested six potential names from the band that choose "U2" for ambiguity and open interpretation, and therefore a name they dislike the least. In the same month, U2, as a four-part, won a talent contest in Limerick sponsored by Harp Lager and Evening Press. The prize consists of Ã, Â £ 500 and studio time to record a demo to be heard by CBS Ireland, record label. The victory was an important milestone and an affirmation for the novice band. Within days, Dik Evans was officially removed from the band by a farewell concert at Presbyterian Church Hall in Howth. During the show, which features a group that plays the closing songs as Hype, Dik officially walks off stage. The remaining four members of the band then return at the concert to play the original material as U2. As part of their contest prize, the group recorded their first demo tape at Keystone Studios in Dublin in April 1978, but the result was largely unsuccessful due to their nervousness.

The Irish Magazine Hot Press is very influential in shaping the future of U2; In addition to being one of their earliest allies, journalist publisher Bill Graham introduced the band to Paul McGuinness, who agreed to become their manager in mid-1978. With the connections he made in the music industry, McGuinness booked a demo session for the group and attempted to collect them recording contract. U2 continues to build their fan base with performances across Ireland, the most famous being a series of Saturday evening shows at Dandelion Market Dublin in the summer of 1979. In August, U2 recorded a three-song demo with producer Chas de Whalley at the Windmill Lane Studios, the first of what many will record there by the band during their career. The following month, the songs were released by CBS as Irish EP U2-3 . This is the group's first group success, selling all 1,000 copies of 12-inch edition vinyl limited almost instantaneously. In December 1979, the band performed in London for their first show outside Ireland, although they could not get much attention from the audience or critics. On February 26, 1980, their second single, "Another Day", was released on the CBS label, but again only for the Irish market. On the same day, at the end of an Irish tour, U2 played a show at the 2,000-capacity National Stadium in Dublin. Although they take significant risks in ordering performances in such a place, it pays off; Bill Stewart, A & amp; R for Island Records, present and then sign the group to the label.

Boy and October (1980-1982)

In May 1980, U2 released "11 O'Clock Tick Tock", their first international single and their debut on Island Records, but failed to chart. Martin Hannett, who produced the single, was scheduled to produce the band's debut album, Boy , but was eventually replaced with Steve Lillywhite. From July to September 1980, U2 recorded an album at Windmill Lane Studios, taken from nearly 40 songs of the repertoire at the time. Lillywhite uses unusual production techniques, such as recording Mullen drums on the stairs, and recording destroyed bottles and forks that are played with spinning wheel bikes. The band found Lillywhite very encouraging and creative; Bono calls him "like a fresh breath", while Edge says he "has a great way to attract the best of everyone". The album's main single, "A Day Without Me", was released in August. Although there are no charts, the song becomes a boost for the purchase of a delayed effects unit, the Electro-Harmonix Memory Man, which determines the style of guitar playing and has a significant impact on the group's creative output.

Released in October 1980, Boy received generally positive reviews. Paul Morley of NME called it "touching, precocious, full of ancient and modernist beliefs," while Declan Lynch of Hot Press said he found it "almost impossible to react negatively against U-2 Music ". Bono's lyrics reflected in adolescence, innocence, and transition into adulthood, themes represented on album covers through a boy's face photo. Boy peaked at number 52 in the UK and number 63 in the United States. The album included the band's first song to receive airplay on US radio, the single "I Will Follow", which reached number 20 on the Top Tracks charts. Boy's ' is followed by Boy Tour, U2's first tour of continental Europe and the United States. Though not rough, this early live show showed the band's potential, as critics praised Bono's group ambition and excitement.

The band faced several challenges in writing their second album, October. In the legged United Boy Tour, Bono's bag containing the lyrics and music ideas that went on lost behind the stage during a March 1981 show at a nightclub in Portland, Oregon. The band had limited time to write new music on the tour and in July started a two-month recording session at Windmill Lane Studios that was largely unprepared, forcing Bono to quickly improvise the lyrics. Lillywhite, repeating his role as a producer, called a "totally chaotic and crazy" session. October ' s main single, "Fire", was released in July and is U2's first song to chart in the UK. Despite garnering the band's appearance on the British television program Top of the Pops, the single fell on the charts afterward. On 16 August 1981, the group opened for Thin Lizzy at the inaugural Slane Concert, but Edge called it "one of the worst performances [U2] ever played in [their] life". Adding to a period of self-doubt, the involvement of Bono, Edge, and Mullen in the charismatic Christian group in Dublin called "Shalom Fellowship" led them to question the connection between their religious beliefs and the lifestyle of a rock band. Bono and Ujung considered quitting the band because of the spiritual conflict they felt before deciding to leave Shalom.

October was released in October 1981 and contains explicit spiritual themes. The album received mixed reviews and limited radio playback, and despite debuting at number 11 in the UK, sold poorly elsewhere. The single "Gloria" was U2's first song to play her music video on MTV, generating excitement for the band during the October 1981-1982 Tour in the market where television channels were available. During the tour, U2 met Dutch photographer Anton Corbijn, who became their main photographer and had a profound influence on their visions and public image. In March 1982, the band played 14 dates as an opening act for J. Geils Band, increasing their exposure. However, U2 was disappointed with their lack of progress at the end of the October Tour. After running out of money and feeling unsupported by their record label, the group is committed to improving; Clayton recalls that "there is a strong determination to get out of the box to fight with the next record".

War (1982-1983)

After the October Tour, U2 stops at the rented cottage in Howth, where they live, wrote new songs, and rehearses for their third album, War . Significant musical breakthroughs were achieved by Edge in August 1982 during a two-week independent songwriting period, while other band members were on vacation and Bono honeymooned with his wife, Ali. From September to November, the group recorded War at Windmill Lane Studios. Lillywhite, who has a policy of not working with artists more than twice, is convinced by the group to return as their producer for the third time. The recording sessions featured contributions from violinist Steve Wickham and female singer Kid Creole and the Coconuts. For the first time, Mullen agrees to play drums to the click track to save time. After finishing the album, U2 made a short tour to Western Europe in December.

War ' s lead single, "New Year's Day", was released on January 1, 1983. It reached number 10 in the UK and became the group's first hit outside Europe; in the US, it received widespread radio coverage and peaked at number 53. Completed their doubts about the October period, U2 released War in February. Critically, the album received good reviews, although some reviewers from the UK were critical of it. Nonetheless, it was the band's first commercial success, debuting at number one in the UK, while reaching number 12 in the US. War ' s sincerity and "rough" guitar deliberately contradicted the current trendier synthpop. A record in which the band "turns pacifism itself into a crusade", War is more politically lyrical than their first two recordings, which focus on the physical and emotional effects of war. The album included the Sunday Bloody Sunday protest song, in which Bono limpily tried to contrast the bloody Sunday shooting event of 1972 with Easter Sunday. Other songs from the record discuss topics such as nuclear proliferation ("Seconds") and the Polish Solidarity movement ("New Year's Day"). War is U2's first recording to feature Corbijn photography. The album cover depicts the same young boy who appears on the cover of their debut album, although with an expression of previously innocent replaced with a scary one.

In 1983, the War Tour of Europe, the US, and Japan, the band began to play increasingly larger places, moving from club to hall to arena. Bono tries to engage the growing audience with theatrical performances, which are often dangerous, climbing the scaffolding and turning on the rig and jumping into the audience. The sight of Bono who waved a white flag during the "Sunday Bloody Sunday" show became the iconic picture of the tour. The band played several dates at major European and American music festivals, including performances at the US Festival Memorial Day weekend for an audience of 125,000 people. The June 5, 1983 group concert at Red Rocks Amphitheater on a rainy night was soaked by Rolling Stone as a "50 Moments That Changed the History of Rock and Roll". The show was recorded for Live Red Rocks concert videos and was one of several concerts from the tour taken on their live album Under a Blood Red Sky . Both of these releases received extensive play on radio and MTV, broadened the band's audience and displayed their greatness as live performances. During the tour, the group formed a new tradition by closing the concert with the War track "40", in which Edge and Clayton will exchange instruments and band members will leave the stage one by one. as the crowd continues to sing the chorus "How long to sing this song?". The War Tour was U2's first profitable, best-selling tour of around US $ 2 million.

Unforgettable Fire and Live Aid (1984-1985)

With their record deal with Island Records coming to an end, the band signed a more profitable extension in 1984. They renegotiated the copyright of their songs, increased their royalty rate, and a general increase in case, with a larger initial starting fee.

The band is afraid that once rock is open from the album and tour, they are in danger of being another "shrill", "sloganeering arena-rock band". The group believes that fans will embrace them as the successors of Who and Led Zeppelin, but according to Bono: "something is not right, we feel we have more dimensions than just the next big thing, we have something unique to offer. Thus, they searched for experiments for their fourth studio album, The Unforgettable Fire . Clayton said, "We're looking for something a little more serious, more artistic." The Edge admired the ambient and "strange masterpieces" of Brian Eno, who, along with his engineer Daniel Lanois, finally agreed to produce the recording. Island Records founder Chris Blackwell initially tried to discourage them from their choice of producers, believing that when the band would reach the highest level of success, Eno would "bury them under a layer of avant-garde nonsense".

Partly recorded in Slane Castle, The Unforgettable Fire was released in October 1984 and by that time the band's changes were most marked in direction. It's ambient and abstract, and displays rich and coordinated sound. Under the direction of Lanois, Mullen's drums became looser, funkier, and more subtle, and Clayton's bass became more subliminal. Complementing the album's atmospheric sound, the lyrics open to interpretation, giving the band what it calls "visual nuance". Due to the tight recording schedule, Bono felt songs like "Bad" and "Pride (In the Name of Love)" incomplete "sketches". The album reached number one in the UK, and was successful in the US. The main single "Pride (In the Name of Love)", written about Martin Luther King, Jr., was the band's biggest hit at the time and was their first song to be in the top 40 US list.

Many of the Unforgettable Fire Treasures moved into the indoor arena as U2 began to win their long battles to build their audience. The complex texture of newly recorded studio songs, such as "The Unforgettable Fire" and "Bad", is a challenge in translating to live performances. One solution is to program the music composers, previously reluctant to be used by the group, but now incorporate into most of their performances. The songs on the album have been criticized as "unfinished", "fuzzy", and "unfocused", but are better accepted by criticism when played on stage. Rolling Stone , which is critical of the "Bad" album version, describes its live performance as a "show stopper".

U2 participated in the Live Help concert for Ethiopian famine support at Wembley Stadium in July 1985. Their appearance in front of 72,000 fans and for the worldwide television audience of two billion people was an important point in the band's career. During the 12-minute performance of the song "Bad", Bono jumped off the stage to embrace and dance with fans, showing a television viewer a personal connection that Bono could make with the audience. In 1985, Rolling Stone was called U2 "Band of the 80s", saying that "for more and more rock-and-roll fans, U2 has become the most important band, maybe even just an important band".

Joshua Tree and Rattle and Hum (1986-1990)

For their fifth album, The Joshua Tree , the band wanted to build The Unforgettable Fire ' s textures, but instead of out-of-focus experiments, they looking for a louder voice within the constraints of a conventional song structure. Realizing that "U2 has no tradition" and that their knowledge of music from before their childhood was limited, the group investigated American and Irish roots music. Friendships with Bob Dylan, Van Morrison, and Keith Richards motivated Bono to explore blues, folk and gospel music and concentrate on his skills as a songwriter and lyricist. U2 stopped the album sessions in June 1986 to act as a headline act on Conspiracy of Hope which benefited a concert tour for Amnesty International. Instead of distracting the band, the tour shifts their new material. The following month, Bono traveled to Nicaragua and El Salvador and saw firsthand the plight of farmers affected by political conflict and US military intervention. Experience becomes a major influence on their new music.

The Joshua Tree was released in March 1987. The album aligns antipathy with US foreign policy against the group's deep appeal with its state, open space, freedom and ideals. The band wants music with a sense of location and "cinematic" quality, and the music and lyrics of this recording are drawn from the image created by American writers whose work has been read by the band. The Joshua Tree is recognized critically; Robert Hilburn of the Los Angeles Times said the album "confirms on what record this band has been slowly asserting for three years now on stage: U2 is what the Rolling Stones stopped many years ago - the largest rock and roll bands in the world ". The record went to number one in more than 20 countries, including the UK where he received platinum certification within 48 hours, making him the fastest seller in UK chart history. In the US, spend nine weeks in a row at number one. The album included hit singles "With or Without You", "I Still Can not Find What I'm Looking For", and "Where Street Is No Name", the first two being the only hits group in the US. U2 became the fourth rock band to be featured on the cover of Time magazine, calling them "Rock's Hottest Ticket". The album won the U2 two of their first Grammy Awards, and it gave them a new level of success. Many publications, including Rolling Stone , have cited it as one of the largest rocks. The Joshua Tree tour was the first tour in which the band played performances at the stadium along the smaller gig arena. It earned US $ 40 million and attracted 3 million participants.

In October 1988, the group released Reman and Hum, a double album and a theatrical documentary that captured the band's experience with American roots music at Joshua Tree Tour. The recording featured nine studio tracks and six live U2 performances, including footage at Sun Studios in Memphis and collaborations with Dylan and B.B. King. Aimed at as a tribute to American music, the project received mixed reviews from both film and music critics; a Rolling Stone editor talks about the "excitement" of the album, others describe it as "misguided and bombastic". Film director, Phil Joanou, described it as "a look too pretentious on U2". Despite the criticism, the album sold 14 million copies and reached number one worldwide. Lead single "Desire" became the band's first number one song in the UK when it reached number three in the US. Most of the album's new material was played on Lovetown Tour 1989-1990, which only visited Australasia, Japan, and Europe, to avoid critical group reaction faced in the US. In addition, they are not satisfied with their live performances; Mullen recalls, "We are the biggest, but we are not the best". With a sense of stagnant music, Bono said to fans on one of the last dates of the tour that it was "the end of something for U2" and that they had to "go and... just dream it all over again".

Achtung Baby , Zoo TV, and Zooropa (1990-1993)

Stung by critics of Rattle and Hum, the band attempted to transform themselves musically. Seeking inspiration from German reunification, they began work on their seventh studio album, Achtung Baby , at Berlin's Hansa Studios in October 1990 with producers Daniel Lanois and Brian Eno. The session was full of conflicts, as the band was debating the direction of their music and their material quality. While Clayton and Mullen prefer a sound similar to previous U2 work, Bono and Edge were inspired by European industrial music and electronic dance music and advocated change. The weeks of tension and slow progress almost pushed the group away until they made a breakthrough with the improvisational writing of the song "Satu". They returned to Dublin in 1991, where the spirit increased and most of the albums finished.

Achtung Baby was released in November 1991. The album represented countless changes in musical and thematic directions for the group; The shift is one of the most dramatic since The Unforgettable Fire . Sonically, the record combines influences from alternative rock, dance, and industrial music at the time, and Bono refers to his musical departure as "the four men who cut down Joshua's tree". Thematically, it is a deeper personal and introspective record; it's darker, but sometimes more careless than previous band work. Commercially and critically, this has become one of the band's most successful albums. It produced five hit singles, including "The Fly", "Mysterious Ways", and "One", and that was an important part of the band's early 1990s creation. In 1993, Achtung Baby won a Grammy Award for Best Rock Performance by Duo or Group with Vocals. Like The Joshua Tree , many publications have cited the record as one of the greatest rocks.

Like Achtung Baby , the 1992-1993 Zoo TV Tour was a firm break with the band's past. Unlike the initial stages of the previous U2 tour, Zoo TV is a complex multimedia event. It mocks the spread of television and obscures news, entertainment and shopping at home by trying to instill "sensory overload" in the audience. The stage featured a large video screen showing visual effects, pop-culture random video clips, and blinking text phrases, along with a partially made-up system of Trabant cars. While the U2 is known for their genuine performances in the 1980s, the group's Zoo Group show is deliberately ironic and self-deprecating; on stage, Bono appeared as some of the over-the-top characters, including leather-dressed egomaniac "The Fly", the greedy televangelist "Mirror Ball Man", and the demon of "MacPhisto". Prank phone calls are made to President Bush, UN, and others. Satellite direct links with the war-torn Sarajevo caused controversy. Zoo TV was the best-selling North American tour of 1992, generating US $ 67 million.

In June 1993, U2 signed a long-term contract with six albums to remain with Island Records/PolyGram. The Los Angeles Times estimated that the deal was worth US $ 60 million for the band, making them the highest-paid rock group ever. The following month, the group released a new album, Zooropa . Recorded quickly during a break on the Zoo TV Tour in early 1993, it expanded many themes from Achtung Baby and the Zoo Tour TV. Originally intended as an EP, Zooropa finally evolved into a full-length LP album. It was a much bigger departure from their previous recording style, combining the effects of further dance and other electronic effects. Johnny Cash sang the main vocals on "The Wanderer". Most of the songs played at least once during 1993 on the tour, which visited Europe, Australia, New Zealand and Japan; half the album track becomes permanent fixture on the setlist. Despite the commercial success of Zooropa won the Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album in 1994, the band regarded it with mixed feelings, as they felt it was more of a "distraction".

At the end of the trip from the Zoo TV Tour, Clayton was unable to perform for the 26 November 1993 group show in Sydney for being drunk, causing him to miss a rehearsal dress for the filming of Zoo TV: Live from Sydney. Bass guitar technician Stuart Morgan filled in for him, marking the first time any U2 ​​member had missed the show. After the incident, Clayton gave up drinking alcohol. The tour ended the following month in Japan, having sold 5.3 million tickets overall. Tom Doyle is called Zoo TV "the most spectacular rock tour performed by any band".

Passenger, Pop , and PopMart (1994-1998)

In 1995, after a long break, U2 contributed "Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me" to the soundtrack album of the Batman Forever movie. The song was a hit, reaching number one in Australia and Ireland, number two in the UK, and number 16 in the US. In November, the band released an experimental album called Original Soundtracks 1 , a collaboration with Brian Eno, who contributed as a partner and full songwriter. Due to his highly experimental participation and nature, the band chose to release it under the "Passenger" moniker to distinguish it from the conventional U2 album. Mullen said of the liberation: "There is a fine line between the music of interest and the pleasure of ourselves, we crossed it on the Passenger's note." It is commercially unnoticed by U2 standards and generally gets mixed reviews. The single "Miss Sarajevo" (featuring Luciano Pavarotti) is one of U2 Bono's favorite songs.

U2 began work on the next studio album, Pop , in mid 1995, holding a recording session with Nellee Hooper, Flood, and Howie B. The band combined the contrasting influences of each producer into their music, at especially the Howie B experience with electronics and dance music. Mullen was absent due to surgery back in November, prompting other band members to take different approaches to songwriting, such as programming and loop programming drums for samples provided by Howie B. After Mullen returned in February 1996, the group started working back many material but they struggled to finish the song, causing them to miss their mid-year deadline to complete the record. More complicated, the band allowed manager Paul McGuinness to book their 1997-1998 PopMart Tour with an album still in progress; Bono called it "the worst decision U2 ever made". Rushing to complete the album, the band postponed its second release date from the holiday season of 1996 to March 1997, cutting tour time. Even with additional recording time, U2 works up to the last minute to finish the song.

In February 1997, the group released the main single, Discotheque, a dance-heavy song with a music video in which the band dressed in Village People costumes. The song reached number one in the UK, Japan and Canada, but did not chart long in the US despite debuting at number 10. In the days following the release of the single, the group announced a Popmart Tour with a press conference in the underwear section of the Kmart department store. Tickets go on sale shortly thereafter, but Pop will not be released until March. The album represents a further exploration of the U2 nightclub culture, featuring a heavy and funky dance rhythm. The recording draws favorable reviews. Rolling Stone states that U2 has "battled the hindrances and made some of the greatest music in their lives". Another criticism, though, felt that the album was a huge disappointment. Despite debuting at number one in over 30 countries, Pop dropped off the charts quickly. Bono acknowledged that the album "did not communicate in the way it was meant to", while Edge called it a "compromise project in the end".

The PopMart tour began in April 1997 and was intended as a syndicate of consumerism. The stage includes a 100-foot golden yellow arch that reminds McDonald's logos, lemonballball as high as 40 feet (12 m), and a 150-foot (46 m) LED video display, at the largest in the world. U2 "big shtick" failed to satisfy many people who seemed confused with the new band's kitsch image and the complicated set of the tour. Less exercise time for the tour affected the quality of the early show, and in some US markets, the band played in a half-empty stadium. On several occasions, the lemon mirrorball from which the band appears to functioning encores, trapping them inside. Despite the diverse reviews and difficulty of the tour, Bono considers PopMart "better than Zoo TV aesthetically, and as an art project it is a clearer idea." He then explained, "When the show was successful, his mind was messed up."

The European leg of the tour featured two highlights. The September 20, 1997, group show at Reggio Emilia was attended by over 150,000 people, setting a world record for the biggest paying audience for a one-round show. U2 also appeared in Sarajevo on September 23, making them the first major group to hold a concert there after the Bosnian War. Mullen described the show as "an experience I will never forget for the rest of my life, and if I had to spend 20 years in the band just to play the show, and have done that, I think it would be worthwhile." Bono called the show "one of the hardest and sweetest nights of my life". The tour ended in March 1998 with gross revenues of US $ 171.7 million and 3.9 million tickets sold. The following month, U2 appeared in the 200th episode of the animated sitcom The Simpsons , where Homer Simpson interrupted the band on stage during the PopMart concert. In November 1998, U2 released their first compilation album, The Best of 1980-1990 , featuring a re-record of side B 1987, "Sweetest Thing", as its single. The album achieved the highest first-week sales in the US from every record of the greatest hits, while "Sweetest Thing" topped singles charts in Ireland and Canada.

Everything You Can not Leave Behind and Elevation Tour (1998-2002)

After the diverse success of their musical pursuits in the 1990s, U2 attempted to simplify their voices; Edge says that with Pop , the group has "taken the deconstruction of rock 'n' roll band format to its absolute level". For their tenth album, All That You Can not Leave Behind , the group wants to go back to their old record ethos of "bands in a playroom together". Reunited with Eno and Lanois, U2 began working on the album at the end of 1998. After their experience was pressed to complete Pop , the band was happy to work without a deadline. With Bono's schedule limited by his commitment to paying off debts to Jubilee 2000 and other band members spending time with their families, the recording session stretched until August 2000.

Released in October of that year, All That You Can not Leave Behind was seen by critics as a "back to basics" album, in which the group returned to more conventional mainstream rock sounds. For many of those not won by the band into dance music, it is considered a return to grace; Rolling Stone calls it U2's "third masterpiece" with The Joshua Tree and Achtung Baby . The album debuted at number one in 32 countries and sold 12 million copies. Her main single, "Beautiful Day", was a worldwide hit, reaching number one in Ireland, UK, Australia and Canada, while peaking at number 21 in the US. The song earned Grammy Awards for Song of the Year, Best Rock Performances by Duo or Group with Vocals, and Records of the Year. At the awards ceremony, Bono stated that U2 is "a reappeal for the job... of the best band in the world". The other album singles are world hits as well; "Stuck in Moment You Can not Can not Out Of", "Elevation", and "Walk On" reached number one in Canada, while charting in the top five in the UK and the top ten in Australia.

2001 Elevation Tour The band began in March, visiting North America and Europe on three legs. For the tour, U2 performs on a reduced stage, returning to the arena after nearly a decade of stadium production. Reflecting the album's theme of "emotional contact, connection, and communication", the tour set is designed to give groups closer to their fans; a heart-shaped walk around the stage extends to the audience, summarizes some concert goers, and festival seating is offered in the US for the first time in group history. During the tour, U2 became the title of a pair of Slane Concerts in Ireland, playing for an audience of 80,000. Following the September 11 attacks in the US, Adding resonance with American audiences, as albums rose on the charts and songs like "Walk On" and "Peace on Earth" collected broadcasts radio. In October, U2 performed at Madison Square Garden in New York City for the first time since the attack. Bono and Edge say these events are one of their most memorable and emotional shows. The Elevation Tour is a North American tour this year, with a gross income of US $ 109.7 million, the second highest number ever for a North American tour at the time; in total, the tour earned US $ 143.5 million globally from 2.18 million tickets sold. Spin named U2 the "Band of the Year" for 2001, saying they had "their middle school bands about what rock shows really can achieve".

On February 3, 2002, U2 performed during a showdown at Super Bowl XXXVI. As a tribute to those killed in the September 11 attacks, the names of the victims were shown in the background, and in the end, Bono opened his jacket to reveal the American flag in layers. SI.com, Rolling Stone , and USA Today rated the band's performance as the best part-time performance in Super Bowl history. Later that month, U2 received four additional Grammy Awards; All That You Can not Leave Behind won Best Rock Album, while "Walk On" was named Record of the Year, marking the first time an artist won the last award in successive years for songs from the same album. In November 2002, the band released their second compilation, The Best of 1990-2000 , featuring some 1990s remix tunes and two new songs, including the single "Electrical Storm".

How to Unload The Atomic Bomb and Vertigo Tour (2003-2006)

Looking for a louder rock sound than U2's "It That Can not Leave Behind", U2 began recording their eleventh studio album, How to Unload the Atomic Bomb, in February 2003 with producer Chris Thomas. After nine months of work, the band has album material ready to be released, but they are not satisfied with the results; Mullen said that the songs "have no magic". The group then asked Steve Lillywhite to take over as producer in Dublin in January 2004. Lillywhite, along with his assistant Jacknife Lee, spent six months with the band reprocessing the song and encouraging a better performance. Several other producers received credit on the album, including Lanois, Eno, Flood, Carl Glanville, and Nellee Hooper; Bono acknowledged that the involvement of several manufacturers affected the "sonic cohesion" of recordings.

Released in November 2004, How to Unload The Atom Bomb received good reviews from critics. The album featured lyrics touching life, death, love, war, faith, and family. It reached number one in 30 countries, including the US, where the first week's sales of 840,000 copies were nearly twice that All That You Can not Leave Backward , setting the best for the band. Overall, it sold 9 million copies globally. For the release of the album, U2 partnered with Apple for multiple cross promotions: the first single, "Vertigo", was featured in television commercials for the company's iPod music player, while the U2-branded iPod and the exclusive digital receiver for the iTunes Store were released. "Vertigo" is an international hit, topping the charts in Ireland and the UK, while reaching number two in Canada, number five in Australia, and number 31 in the US. The song won three Grammy Awards, including one for Best Rock Song. The other singles from the album were also hits; "Sometimes You Can not Do It Yourself," written as a tribute to Bono's father, went to number one in the UK and Canada, while "City of Dazzling Light" reached number two in both regions. In March 2005, U2 was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame by Bruce Springsteen in their first year of eligibility. During his speech, Springsteen said the band had "beaten [the odds] by continuing to do their best work and stay on top of their games and charts for 25 years".

U2 2005-2006 Vertigo Tour is preceded by several complications. Edge Princess's abrupt disease almost resulted in the cancellation of the tour, before the group decided to adjust the tour schedule to accommodate her treatment. In addition, the ticket presales on the band's website were hit by trouble, as subscription members experienced technical difficulties and limited ticket availability, in part because the scalpot exploited the system. Beginning in March 2005, the Vertigo Tour consists of a North American show and an international stadium with five legs. The indoor stage replaces the heart-shaped streets of the Elevation Tour with an ellipse and features video curtains that can be drawn around the stage, while the stadium stage uses a large LED video screen. The setlist on the tour varies more than in the past of the group and includes songs they have not played in decades. Like its predecessor, the Vertigo Tour is a commercial success, classified as a top-income tour of 2005 with gross revenues of US $ 260 million.

In February 2006, U2 received five additional Grammy Awards, including Song of the Year for "Sometimes You Can not Do It Yourself", and Best Album Rock and Album of the Year for How to Unload The Atomic Bombs ; the award made the album and the sole winners in all eight categories in which U2 was nominated, spanning two separate Grammy ceremonies. The group went on a Vertigo Tour that month with Latin American legs, in which several shows were filmed for U2 3D concert film . It will be released in theaters almost two years later, and is the world's first 3-D live-action digital movie. In March, the band delayed the remaining tour event until the end of the year due to the health of Edge's daughter. On September 25, 2006, U2 and Green Day performed at the Louisiana Superdome before the NFL football game, the first home game of New Orleans Saints in the city since Hurricane Katrina. Both bands covered Skids 'The Saints Are Coming' song during the show and for the single, which reached number one in Australia and across Europe. U2 released their official autobiography, U2 by U2 , that month, followed in November by their third compilation album, U218 Singles . The Vertigo tour ended in December, after selling 4.6 million tickets and earning $ 389 million, the second-highest gross at the time.

In August 2006, the band incorporated its publishing business in the Netherlands after the Irish artist's tax breaks restrictions at EUR250,000. The Edge states that businesses often seek to minimize their tax burden. The move was criticized in the Irish parliament. The band is self-defense, saying about 95% of their business takes place outside Ireland, that they are taxed globally because of this, and that they are all "private investors and entrepreneurs in this country". Bono then said, "I think U2's tax business is our own business and I think it's not just for legal letters but for the spirit of the law."

No Path on Horizon and U2 360Ã, Â ° Tour (2006-2011)

The recording for U2's twelfth album, No Line on the Horizon, began with producer Rick Rubin in 2006, but the session was short-lived and the material suspended. In May 2007, the group started a new session with Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois in Fez, Morocco, involving the producers as full songwriting partners. Intending to write "future hymns" - songs to be played forever - the group spent two weeks recording in the riad and exploring local music. The Edge called it a "very liberating experience" that "reminded him in many ways from the start and why [they] got into the band in the first place, just the joy of playing it." As the recording on the album continued in New York, London and Dublin, the band lowered their experimental pursuit, which Eno said "sounds a bit synthetic" and is not easily married to group sounds.

No Line on the Horizon was released in February 2009, more than four years after How to Unload The Atomic Bomb , marking the longest gap between the band's career albums up to that time.. It received generally positive reviews, including their first five-star Rolling Stone review, but critics found it was not experimental as it was initially billed. The album debuted at number one in over 30 countries, but its sales of 5 million were regarded as a disappointment by U2 standards and did not contain a single hit. After the album's release, the band discussed a tentative plan for a follow-up record titled Songs of Ascent . Bono described the project as "a more meditative album about the pilgrimage theme".

The group started the U2 360 ° Tour in June 2009. This is their first live effort to Live Nation under a 12-year, US $ 100 million ($ 50 million) signed with the previous year. As part of the deal, the company took over control of the U2 tour, merchandising, and official website. The 360 ​​Â ° Tour Concert features bands that play stadiums "in laps" on a circular stage, allowing viewers to surround them on all sides. To accommodate the configuration of the stage, a large four-foot structure, nicknamed "The Claw" is built on stilts, with a sound system and cylinders, expanding video screen on it. At an altitude of 164 feet (50 m), it is the largest stage ever built. The tour visited Europe and North America in 2009. On 25 October 2009, U2 set a new US record for a single concert attendance for the main act, performed for 97 014 people at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena. In May 2010, while rehearsing for the next tour, Bono suffered a herniated disc and heavy compression on the sciatic nerve, which required emergency back surgery. The band was forced to delay the North American tour of the tour and headlining performance at the 2010 Glastonbury Festival until the following year. After the recovery of Bono, U2 went on tour 360 ° in August 2010 with a foot in Europe, Australia, and New Zealand, where they began to play the new songs unreleased live. With the conclusion in July 2011, U2 360 ° has made a record for the highest grossing concert tour (US $ 736 million) and most of the tickets sold for the tour (7.3 million).

Songs Innocence and Innocence Experience Tour (2011-2015)

After releasing No Line on the Horizon, U2 announced a tentative plan for a follow-up record of songs from an album sessions titled Songs of Ascent . Bono describes this project as "a meditative and reflective work" with the theme of pilgrimage. The group can not solve it for their satisfaction, and ultimately it does not work. The band continues to work on other album projects, including a traditional rock album produced by Danger Mouse and a dance-centric album produced by RedOne and will.i.am. U2 is suspended working on the next album in late 2013 to donate a new song, "Ordinary Love", to Mandela's movie: Long Walk to Freedom. The song, written in honor of Nelson Mandela, won the 2014 Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song. In November 2013, U2's old manager Paul McGuinness resigned from his post as part of a deal with Live Nation to acquire his management company, Principle Management. McGuinness, who has been managing U2 for over 30 years, was replaced by Guy Oseary. In February 2014, another new song, the single "Invisible", was brought in in a Super Bowl television commercial and made available on the iTunes Store at no cost to launch a partnership with Product Red and Bank of America to fight AIDS. Bono called the song a "short preview" of his pending note.

On September 9, 2014, U2 announced their thirteenth album, Songs of Innocence , at the Apple product launch event, and released it digitally on the same day for all iTunes Store customers at no cost. This release makes this album available to over 500 million iTunes customers in what Apple CEO Tim Cook calls "the greatest album release of all time". Apple reportedly paid Universal Music Group and U2 some money for a five week exclusivity period in which to distribute the album and spent US $ 100 million on promotional campaigns. Produced by Danger Mouse with Paul Epworth, Ryan Tedder, Declan Gaffney and Flood, Songs of Innocence remembers youth group members in Ireland, touching childhood experiences, likes and loses, while paying homage to inspirations music. Bono described it as "the most personal album we've written". The record received mixed reviews and drew criticism for its digital release strategy; it is automatically added to the user's iTunes account, which for many people triggers unexpected downloads to their electronic devices. Chris Richards of The Washington Post calls the release of "rock-and-roll as dystopian junk mail". The group's press tour for the album was disconnected after Bono was seriously injured in a bike accident at Central Park on November 16, 2014. He suffered a broken shoulder blade, humerus, orbit, and pinky finger, causing uncertainty that he would never be able to play the guitar again.

After Bono's healing, U2 started the Innocent Experience Tour in May 2015, visiting the arena in North America and Europe from May to December. The group arranged their concerts around a loose autobiography of "innocence" through "experience", with a series of fixed tracks for the first half of each show and a varied second round, separated by pause - first for U2 concerts. The stage extends the floor length of the venue and consists of three parts: the main stage of the rectangle, the smaller circle B-stage, and the connecting path. The main part of the set is a 96-foot (29 m) double-sided video screen featuring interior catwalks, allowing band members to perform in the midst of video projection. The U2 sound system is moved to the ceiling of the place and arranged in an oval array, in hopes of improving the acoustics by distributing the sound evenly throughout the arena. In total, the tour earned US $ 152.2 million from 1.29 million tickets sold. The end date of the tour, one of Paris's two rescheduling shows due to the November 13, 2015 attack on the city, was filmed for the video of Innocence Experience: Live in Paris and aired on the American television network HBO.

Joshua Tree 2017 Tour and Experience Songs (2016-present)

In 2016, U2 is working on his next studio album, Songs of Experience, which is meant to be a companion part of Songs of Innocence . The group has largely completed the album at the end of the year and is planning to release it in the fourth quarter, but after a global political shift in a conservative direction, highlighted by UK Brexit vote and US 2016 presidential election, they chose to put record on hold and re-check the tone of his voice. The group spent extra time rewriting the lyrics, rearranging and mixing songs, and pursuing different production techniques.

In 2017, the group toured marking the 30th anniversary of The Joshua Tree , where they performed the album as a whole in every show. This is the first time U2 has toured the album promotion from their back catalog, rather than a new release. The Edge cites the same world events that caused the group to delay the Songs of Experience for what he values ​​as the new resonance of The Joshua Tree ' and reason to revisit it. This tour showcases a 7.6K video screen measuring 200Ã, ftÃÆ'à Ã,Ã,45Ã, ft (61Ã,Â,Ã,  ± 14m), according to The Guardian , the largest and highest resolution screen used on concert tours. The tour included a headlining performance at the Bonnaroo Music Festival in June. The tour earned more than $ 316 million from more than 2.7 million tickets sold, making it the best-selling tour of the year.

Songs of Experience was released on December 1, 2017. The first single, "You're the Best Thing About Me", was one of many songs from the album that was a letter written by Bono to people and places -the place closest to his heart. The personal nature of the lyrics reflects the "brush with mortality" he had during the recording of the album.

Maps U2



Music styles

Instrumentation

From the beginning, U2 has developed and maintained a clearly recognizable sound, with an emphasis on melodic instrumental and vocals that are expressive and larger than life. This approach is partially rooted in the early influences of record producer Steve Lillywhite when the band was not known for musical proficiency. The Edge has consistently used rhythmic echoes and signature delays to create his distinctive guitar work, coupled with Irish-influenced drones being played against his syncopic melody which ultimately produces a well-defined tolling sound. Bono has honed the falsetto operative voice and has demonstrated the famous lyrical bending of social, political, and personal problems while maintaining a magnificent scale in his songwriting. In addition, Edge has described U2 as a basically live band.

Despite this widespread consistency, U2 has introduced new elements into their music repertoire with every new album. U2's early sounds are influenced by bands like Television and Joy Division, and have been described as containing "joy" resulting from Edge and Bono's "vibrant chords" of "vibrant vocals". U2's voice starts with the post-punk root and the minimalist and uncomplicated instrumental heard in Boy and October , but evolves through War to incorporate aspects of the song rock, funk, and dance rhythms become more flexible and aggressive. Boy and War are labeled "muscular and firm" by Rolling Stone , influenced largely by Lillywhite production. The Unforgettable Fire , which starts with Edge plays more keyboard than guitar, as well as follow-up The Joshua Tree , has Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois at the top of production. With their influence, both albums achieve "diverse textures". The songs from The Joshua Tree and Rattle and Hum emphasize more on the Lanois-inspired rhythm as they combine different gospel and blues music styles, derived from power bands attraction that develops with American culture, people and places. In the 1990s, U2 rediscovered themselves as they began using synthesisers, distortions, and electronic beats derived from noise, dance, and hip-hop music at Achtung Baby , Zooropa , and Pop . In the 2000s, U2 returned to a more stripped voice, with a more conventional rhythm and reduced use of synthesis and effects.

Lyrics and themes

U2 Lyrics are known for their social and political comments, and are often decorated with Christian and spiritual imagery. Songs like "Sunday Bloody Sunday", "Silver and Gold", and "Mothers of the Disappeared" are motivated by current events. The first is written about the Problems in Northern Ireland, while the latter concerns the struggle of a group of women whose children were killed or forcibly disappeared at the hands of the El Salvador government during the civil war in that country. The song "Running to Stand Still" from The Joshua Tree is inspired by heroin addiction that sweeps Dublin - the lyrics "I see seven towers but I see only one way out" references Ballymun Towers of Northside Dublin and the picture at the whole song symbolizes the struggle of addiction.

Bono's personal conflicts and turmoil inspired songs such as "Mofo", "Tomorrow" and "Kite". Emotional or petition longing often appears as a lyrical theme, on tracks such as "Yahweh", "Peace on Earth", and "Please". Much of U2's songwriting and music is also motivated by the contemplation of loss and suffering, coupled with hope and resilience, an important theme for The Joshua Tree. Some of these lyrical ideas have been reinforced by Bono and the band's personal experience during their youth in Ireland, as well as Bono's campaign and activism later in life. U2 has been using tours such as Zoo TV and PopMart for caricature of social trends, such as media overload and consumerism, respectively.

While bands and fans have often asserted the political nature of their music, U2 lyrics and music have been criticized as apolitical because of their vague and "fuzzy shadows" and lack of specific references to real people or characters.

Influences

The band cites Who, Clash, Television, Ramones, The Beatles, Joy Division, Siouxsie and Banshees, Elvis Presley, Patti Smith, and Kraftwerk as influences. In addition, Van Morrison has been quoted by Bono as an influence and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame shows his influence on U2. U2 also works with and/or has influential relationships with artists including Johnny Cash, Green Day, Leonard Cohen, Bruce Springsteen, B.B. King, Lou Reed and Luciano Pavarotti.

U2 - As Melhores Músicas / Greatest Hits | 2018 - YouTube
src: i.ytimg.com


Campaign and activism

Since the early 1980s, U2 members - as bands and individuals - have collaborated with musicians, artists, celebrities and other politicians to address issues of poverty, disease and social injustice.

In 1984, Bono and Adam Clayton participated in Band Relief to raise money for the 1983-85 famine in Ethiopia. The initiative produced a hit charity single "Do They Know It's Christmas?", Which will be the first among several collaborations between U2 and Bob Geldof. In July 1985, U2 played Live Aid, a follow-up to Band Aid's efforts. Bono and his wife Ali, invited by World Vision, then visited Ethiopia where they witnessed first-hand hunger. Bono would later say this laid the groundwork for an African campaign and some of his songwriting. In 1986, U2 participated in the Conspiracy of Hope tour to support Amnesty International and Self Aid for unemployment in Ireland. That same year, Bono and Ali Hewson also visited Nicaragua and El Salvador at the invitation of the Sanctuary movement, and saw the effects of the Salvador Civil War. This 1986 event greatly affected the album The Joshua Tree, which was being recorded at the time.

During their Zoo TV Tour in 1992, U2 participated in a "Stop Sellafield" concert with Greenpeace to protest the nuclear plant. The event in Sarajevo during the Bosnian War inspired the song "Miss Sarajevo", which aired on Pavarotti and Friends in September 1995, and performed by Bono and the Edge in War Child. U2 fulfilled a 1993 pledge to play in Sarajevo during the PopMart Tour in 1997. The following year, they performed in Belfast the day before the vote on the Good Friday Agreement, bringing Northern Irish political leaders David Trimble and John Hume on stage to promote approval. Later

Source of the article : Wikipedia

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