A Sort of Homecoming... | We're Back!

VertiMarte off of Bourbon St. in New Orleans...


The Desire Oyster Bar on Bourbon St.

Well, we're back from our trip to New Orleans... we took a couple of pictures that we thought were worth putting up on the Vertiblog... And while we're sure you already have them, we updated the setlists, too.

U2 Vertigo Tour Setlist 5.28.2005 // FleetCenter, Boston, MA

Main Set:

Love and Peace or Else
Vertigo
Elevation
The Electric Co.
An Cat Dubh // Into the Heart
City of Blinding Lights
Beautiful Day // Here Comes the Sun
Miracle Drug
Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own
New Year's Day
Sunday Bloody Sunday
Bullet the Blue Sky // When Johnny Comes Marching Home Again
Running to Stand Still
Pride
Where the Streets Have No Name
One

Encore(s):

The Fly
Until the End of the World
Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses
All Because of You
Yahweh
Party Girl
Vertigo

U2 Vertigo Tour Setlist 5.26.2005 // FleetCenter, Boston, MA

Main Set:

City of Blinding Lights
Vertigo // Walk This Way
Elevation
Gloria
The Ocean
Beautiful Day // Dream On
Miracle Drug
Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own
Love and Peace or Else
Sunday Bloody Sunday
Bullet the Blue Sky
Running to Stand Still
Pride (in the name of love)
Where the Streets Have No Name
One

Encore(s):

The Fly
Until the End of the World
Out of Control
With or Without You
All Because of You
Original of the Species
Bad // '40'

We'll be at a place called... Bourbon St.

fyi, the Vertiblog crew will be down in New Orleans for the next few days taking a much needed break. We will be returning on Monday. We apologize in advance for our expected inability to offer you the remaining setlists for the upcoming Boston shows, but hey, even WE need a vacation. Updates will certainly be posted upon our return but it'll be old news by the time we get back. In the mean time, we'll try out our mobile cam on the trip and may post some pictures on the Vertiblog if we see anything remotely related to U2 during our travels.

Just so you know, we have some exciting things in store for the coming week, so stay tuned! It should be worth the wait! -- The Captain

p.s. for those of you in the States, we wish you a great and meaningful Memorial Day Weekend.

U2 Vertigo Tour Setlist 5.24.2005 // FleetCenter, Boston, MA

Main Set:

City of Blinding Lights
Vertigo // Stories for Boys
Elevation
The Electric Co.
The Ocean
Beautiful Day
Miracle Drug
Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own
Love and Peace or Else
Sunday Bloody Sunday
Bullet the Blue Sky // When Johnny Comes Marching Home
Running to Stand Still
Pride (in the name of love)
Where the Streets Have No Name
One

Encore(s):

Zoo Station
The Fly
Mysterious Ways // My Sweet Lord
All Because Of You
Yahweh
40

Going to Beantown? Here are the GA Rules...

FleetCenter General Admission rules can be found via this link.

Pop Secret? | U2 May Re-release Tweaked Pop...

U2 are considering releasing a new version of their 1997 album Pop (Vertiblog will try to determine if this release will be prior to the end of the Vertigo Tour).

Bono claims the record was put out in an unfinished and unsatisfactory state. He says the album had a lot of great ideas on it and the band may go back into the studio to tinker with it. Bono said: "There is still talk about the band going back in and fixing Pop, actually going in because the bones of a great album are there. It didn't communicate the way it was intended to. It became a niche record. That's not what it was intended to be. If we'd just had another month, we could have finished it." He added: "We did a really bad thing. We let the manager book the tour, known in this camp as the worst decision U2 ever made, and we had to wrap up the album sooner than we wanted."

article from: www.itv.com

photo from: www.paulbergen.nl

U2 Vertigo Tour Setlist 5.22.2005 // Wachovia Center, Philadelphia, PA

Main Set:

City of Blinding Lights
Vertigo // Stories for Boys
Elevation
Gloria
The Ocean
Beautiful Day // Ultraviolet
Miracle Drug
Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own
Love and Peace or Else
Sunday Bloody Sunday
Bullet the Blue Sky // When Johnny Comes Marching Home
Running to Stand Still
Pride (in the name of love)
Where the Streets Have No Name
One

Encore(s):

Zoo Station
The Fly
Mysterious Ways
With or Without You
All Because Of You
Yahweh
'40'

U2 Vertigo Tour Setlist 5.21.2005 // Madison Square Garden, NYC

Main Set:

City of Blinding Lights
Vertigo // Rockaway Beach (snippet) // Stories for Boys (snippet)
Elevation
Electric Co. // Send in the Clowns (snippet) // I Can See for Miles (snippet)
An Cat Dubh
Into the Heart
Beautiful Day // Blackbird (snippet)
Miracle Drug
Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own
Love and Peace or Else
Sunday Bloody Sunday
Bullet the Blue Sky // Johnny Come Marching Home (snippet) // Hands that Built America (snipppet) // Johnny Come Marching Home (snippet x2) // New York New York (snippet)
Running to Stand Still // Hallelujah (snippet)
Human Rights Thingy
Pride (in the name of love)
Where the Streets Have No Name
One

Encore 1:

Zoo Station
The Fly // The Jean Genie (snippet)
Mysterious Ways
Original of the Species

Encore 2:

All Because of You
Yahweh
Vertigo

U2 Will Not Play 4th Night at Croke Park

Management of Irish rockers U2 have said they will not be playing a fourth gig at Cork Park this summer. Hopes were high the band would play a further date in Dublin but the band's European Tour co-ordinator John Giddings said today it would not be happening. "Despite today's press reports to the contrary, there will be no fourth date added to U2's Croke Park shows next month," he said. "I can confirm that the schedule for U2's Vertigo 2005 European tour is complete as announced and there will be no additional shows."

Answer to U2 Soundcheck of Leonard Cohen song...

A recent fan noted that U2 did a soundcheck for a Leonard Cohen song, well it looks like this is why they did it:

From Gigwise: by Scott Colothan on 5/20/2005

U2 made a special intimate appearance yesterday in New York by playing as the backing band for legendary songwriter Leonard Cohen. The Irish supergroup were filmed recording the Cohen track 'Tower of Song' at the erotic cabaret lounge The Slipper Club for a forthcoming documentary about the singer, reports Contactmusic. On the song, Bono took over vocal duties on one verse while the rest of the band played back-up.
It's not the first time Bono has paid tribute to Cohen. He covered the Cohen classic 'Hallelujah' for the tribute album 'Tower Of Song' in 1995.
Also paying tribute to Leonard Cohen on the Lian Lunson documentary are The Edge, Jarvis Cocker and Nick Cave.

Wide Awake on Good Morning America...

Just a reminder that U2 is set to be featured on tomorrow's (5/20) Good Morning America (GMA) on ABC. GMA is going to feature a set of pre-recorded performances from recent Vertigo Tour venues. Tune in tomorrow morning to catch some live U2 action.

Update: some are speculating that the footage for the GMA performance will be snippets from the Chicago DVD as seen during the halftime show during a recent NBA game.

U2 Vertigo Tour Setlist 5.18.2005 // Continental Airlines Arena, East Rutherford, NJ

Main Set:

City of Blinding Lights
Vertigo / Stories for Boys (snippet)
Elevation
Gloria
The Ocean
Beautiful Day / Blackbird (snippet)
Miracle Drug
Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own / No Regrets (snippet)
Love and Peace or Else
Sunday Bloody Sunday
Bullet the Blue Sky // Johnny Comes Marching Home (snippet) // Hands that Built America (snippet)
Running to Stand Still
Human Rights Thingy
Pride (in the name of love)
Where The Streets Have No Name
One

Encore 1:

Zoo Station
The Fly
Mysterious Ways

Encore 2:

All Because of You
Yahweh
I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For
Bad // '40' (snippet)

Show a little faith, there could be magic in the night...

The paths of U2 and Bruce Springsteen have crossed many times over the years. (The above picture was taken in 1981). Bono and Bruce have each spoken at their bands' respective Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremonies and Bono even asked the Boss to play at U2's induction during their performance of 'I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For.' It has been widely rumored (perhaps wishfully so) that Bruce may make an appearance on stage with the band again at U2's East Rutherford shows. Normally we wouldn't join in such speculation, however it is worth mentioning that Bruce is in town this week, and will actually be playing at the The Theater at Continental Airlines Arena the night of May 19th, the day after U2's last New Jersey gig. While nothing is guaranteed, we're willing to bet that Bruce makes an appearance at at least one of the New Jersey Vertigo shows... or who knows, maybe Bono will stay in town another night and treat Bruce fans to a little E Street Elevation.

factoid: Bruce Springsteen also has a song entitled "Spanish Eyes".

U2 Vertigo Tour Setlist 5.17.2005 // Continental Airlines Arena, East Rutherford, NJ

Main Set:

City of Blinding Lights
Vertigo
Elevation
Cry // Electric Co. // I Can See for Miles and Miles (snippet)
An Cat Dubh // Into The Heart
Beautful Day
Miracle Drug
Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own
Love and Peace or Else
Sunday Bloody Sunday
Bullet The Blue Sky
Running to Stand Still
Pride (in the name of love)
Where the Streets Have No Name
One
Human Rights Thingy

Encore 1:

Zoo Station
The Fly
Mysterious Ways
Original of the Species

Encore 2:

All Because of You
Yahweh
'40'
Vertigo

Sample Vertiblog Logo Contest entry...

Sample logo contest entry...

It can be as simple as this... can you do better?

We Were Almost the Atomic Blog...

factoid: This was an early logo design for this site... we opted for Vertiblog instead because we thought it'd be easier to remember...

Just cleaning out some old files and we came across this one and thought it might be of some interest.

Glasgow tickets still available...

Glasgow tickets are still available for their shows coming up in June. You can get tickets at Ticketmaster UK, here. The above screenshot was taken at 11:16 EDT on 5.16.05

Another Vertiblog prize to Pump You Up!

Well, someone emailed us to let us know that an iTunes gift card might not be useful to some of our visitors overseas who cannot gain access to the iTunes music service. Therefore we've come up with an alternate prize for our 'All Because of You' Vertiblog logo contest. Should you be the winner of our logo contest (read contest rules in the post below...), you can choose between the iTunes gift card, or an official Bosley Bobbers Arnold Schwarzenegger bobblehead doll. The Arnold prize is the officially discontinued bobblehead sporting the AK-47 rifle. This is a hard to find collectible, and while it has nothing to do with U2, we think they're really cool and make a great conversation piece for the home or office. These were selling on eBay at one point for over $100. So please send in your entry and you could be the winner of this cool prize! Who knows, if Arnold ever becomes President of the USA (if he gets his way...), this could become a priceless collectible.

It's All Because of You That We're Having a Contest!! | Win a $25 iTunes Gift Card!

We are giving away a $25 iTunes gift card to the person who can take the most interesting photo of our Vertiblog logo. Take a copy of our logo and hold it up at a concert, tape it on a Japanese subway, or a pub dart board in Iceland. Send in the 'coolest' picture (or only picture...) and we'll hook you up with some iTunes. We will gather all the photos and publish them in a gallery for your votes and the picture that gets the highest marks will win a $25 iTunes gift card. (and if, by chance, you get the band to sign our logo, we'll make it worth your while...) But it doesn't even have to be taken at a show. Our stats tell us that we have visitors from all over the globe. Your entry could be as simple as taking a shot of the Vertiblog on your monitor. We're not picky! It's our way of saying 'Thank You' for being a repeat customer at the Vertiblog. You can download the logo here. So give it your best shot and you may be rewarded!
Contest will run through end of the 1st leg of the Vertigo Tour. If there is enough interest, we will have subsequent contests in legs 2 & 3 as well.

Thank you! The Captain.

email your contest entry to: vertinfo@vertiblog.com

U2 Vertigo Tour Setlist 5.14.2005 // Wachovia Center, Philadelphia, PA

Main Set:

City of Blinding Lights
Vertigo
Elevation
Electric Co. // Send in the Clowns // I Can See for Miles and Miles
An Cat Dubh
Into the Heart
Beautiful Day
Miracle Drug
Sometimes You Can't Make it On Your Own
Love and Peace or Else
Sunday Bloody Sunday
Bullet the Blue Sky // Johnny Comes Marching Home (snippet) // Hands that Built America (snippet) // Johnny Comes Marching Home (snippet x2)
Running To Stand Still // Hallelujah
Human Rights Thingy
Pride (in the name of love)
Where the Streets Have No Name
One Thingy
One

1st Encore

Zoo Station
The Fly
Mysterious Ways

2nd Encore

All Because of You
Yahweh
'40'

U2 Vertigo Tour Setlist 5.12.2005 // United Center, Chicago, IL

UPDATE: Tracked BitTorrent of this show located here.
iPod Gapless here.

Main Set:

Vertigo
All Because of You
Elevation
Gloria
The Ocean
Beautiful Day
Miracle Drug
Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own
Love and Peace or Else
Sunday Bloody Sunday
Bullet the Blue Sky // Johnny Comes Marching Home (snippet) // Hands That Built America (snippet) // Johnny Comes Marching Home (snippet) x2
Running to Stand Still // Hallelujah
Human Rights Thingy
City of Blinding Lights
Original of the Species
Pride (in the name of love)
Where the Streets Have No Name
One Speech
One

Encore1 :

Until the End of the World (1st time played on Vertigo Tour)
The Fly
Mysterious Ways
With or Without You

Encore 2:

Yahweh
Bad // Norwegian Wood // Sexual Healing
'40' - sung by crowd



photo by charlespham

iPod friendly torrent site...

Gapless audio files can be had here.

It's BitTorrent... hop on and share!

Announcing the VoxBox...

Hey, if there's anyone watching the setlist tonight... feel free to discuss via the VoxBox on the right... should work pretty much like real time chat...

Live from Chicago... It's Vertigo Night Live!

Soundcheck pictures from 6:23pm 5.12.05 at United Center in Chicago...

Photo from U2 Chicago | 5.10.05

An interesting use of the Barco MiSphere light curtains from the 5.10 Chicago show...

We find the versatility of these curtains to be quite amazing.

Live Webcam Feed Available for United Center...

Live feed from United Center webcam...

We won't provide the link, however we highly suggest you use Google to find available webcams at the United Center, as well as other venues on the Tour itinerary...

U2 Vertigo Tour Setlist 5.10.2005 // United Center, Chicago, IL

City Of Blinding Lights
Vertigo / Stories For Boys (snippet)
Elevation
The Cry
The Electric Co.
An Cat Dubh
Into The Heart
Beautiful Day
New Year's Day
Miracle Drug
Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own / No Regrets (snippet)
Love And Peace Or Else
Sunday Bloody Sunday
Bullet The Blue Sky / The Hands That Built America (snippet) / When Johnny Comes Marching Home (snippet)
Running To Stand Still
Pride
Where The Streets Have No Name
One

Encore:
Zoo Station
The Fly
Mysterious Ways
Party Girl (reportedly same girl as last night on stage...)
All Because Of You
Original Of The Species
Vertigo (2nd time played twice on tour...)

U2 Vertigo Tour Setlist 5.09.2005 // United Center, Chicago, IL

Main Set:

City of Blinding Lights
Vertigo
Elevation
Cry / The Electric Co. // I Can See for Miles [snippet]
An Cat Dubh
Into the Heart
Beautiful Day
New Year's Day
Miracle Drug
Sometimes You Can't Make it on Your Own
Love and Peace or Else
Sunday Bloody Sunday
Bullet the Blue Sky // When Johnny Comes Marching [snippet] // Hands that Built America // When Johnny Comes Marching Home [x2]
Running to Stand Still
>Human Rights Video<
Pride (in the name of Love)
Where the Streets Have No Name
One
Zoo Station
The Fly
Mysterious Ways
All Because of You
Yahweh
Party Girl (with girl from crowd on stage)
'40'

Wonder Wall | Photos of Windmill Lane Studios Graffiti Wall

John Tobin has posted some awesome pictures of the Graffiti wall at Windmill Lane Studios. You can view more of his pictures here. U2 recorded their first three albums at Windmill Lane.

p.s. if you click on the 'other sizes' link on flickr, you can find bigger sizes that make great wallpapers for your desktop.

U2 Vertigo Tour Setlist 5.07.2005 // United Center, Chicago, IL

Main Set:

Love and Peace or Else
Vertigo
Elevation
An Cat Dubh
Into the Heart
City of Blinding Lights
Beautiful Day
Miracle Drug
Sometimes You Can't Make it On Your Own
New Year's Day
Sunday Bloody Sunday
Bullet the Blue Sky
Running to Stand Still
Bad
Pride (in the name of love)
Where the Streets Have No Name
One

Encore 1:

Zoo Station
The Fly
Mysterious Ways

Encore 2:

All Because of You
Yahweh
'40'

Agent18, We Read You Loud and Clear... Over.

The Vertiblog highly recommends the Agent18 ClickShield iPod case for the U2 Special Edition iPod (or any other iPod for that matter...) by the folks over at www.agent18.com. Very tight construction gives maximum protection while still allowing you to show off your U2 iPod!

Vertiblog, out!

U2preservation.com debuts first documentary effort...

The U2 Preservation project has put together a fantastic effort in documenting the opening night of the Vertigo Tour (3.28.05 San Diego). With a '4 cam' production, excellent transitions between cam shots, and seamless integration of Chrisedge's audio recording from night one, this is a 'must have' for the serious collector of U2 recordings. There has never been such a coordinated effort to produce a fan shot video and the folks at U2preservation.com have upped the ante within the trading community for recording quality.

UPDATE: Free U2 Ticket Site Investigated for Alleged Violation of TM Policies

Earlier this year we reported to you about the site, www.freeu2tickets.com, and our bewilderment at how a third party organization could have secured 'a couple thousand' tickets well after all pre-sale sales, and general sales had come and gone. Well, evidently people at Ticketmaster and Clear Channel Entertainment had some of the same questions. According to Pollstar, Brendan Monahan and Brian Cornerstone may be in violation of at least one of the fine print rules and regulations printed on the back of every Ticketmaster ticket stating that tickets "may not be used for advertising, promotion (including contests and sweepstakes) or other trade purposes without the express written consent of the ... promoter of the Event."

Cornerstone states that he secured 10-20 tickets for each venue with his own funds at a cost approaching $10,000.

A portion of the Pollstar article by Deborah Speer (http://www.pollstar.com/news/viewnews.pl?NewsID=3970) can be read below:

... A spokeswoman for Ticketmaster declined to comment on the Web site promotion, but cited the "no unauthorized promotions" language and added that TM makes it very difficult for single buyers to obtain more than a minimal number of tickets. Arthur Fogel, president of Clear Channel Entertainment Touring and longtime North American promoter for U2, told Pollstar the company was looking into the Web site and its offer, and considering its options. "We're looking at the entire situation," Fogel said. "No one knows who this guy is or what he's up to. Obviously, we're going to find out. Beyond that, I have no idea. It's rather bizarre, to say the least."

Monahan insists his methods are completely legit. "We're not affiliated with U2 just as we're not affiliated with the products, retailers and the services that are provided on our site," Monahan said. "These are secondary companies we basically negotiated with that will directly represent them and direct people to their Web site. Then, if people sign up, we'll get a commission." With the commission, Monahan explained, he and his group will use the money to buy more tickets if needed and on the secondary market, if necessary. But he added not that many people, a week after the promotion began, had qualified for the tickets. "We've only had about 2,000 people actually sign up and proceed to the offer section," Monahan said. "But, so far, we've got 50 people who are qualified for tickets."

Fogel has his doubts. "There is no possible way, as Joe Public, that he could have gotten 10 to 20 tickets per show on some organized basis," Fogel emphasized. "There's just no way. I'd be shocked if he has the tickets."

Larry Mullen Speaks | "There was time when we were all striving for that perfection, and now it's, "It doesn't matter; it's the spirit of the show."

Jim Derogatis of the Chicago Sun Times spent some time with Larry Mullen before the band sets out to play four nights in Chicago. Jim's interview with Larry is below, and the article can be read in its entirety here. From ticket sales to Britney Spears, from the past to the future, Larry answers several questions many die-hard fans have had on their minds regarding the strategy and focus of this year's Vertigo Tour.

Interview:

Q. I was moved by your comments at the Grammys, Larry. What happened with the ticket snafu, and why were you so upset about it?
A. We've always been a band that's depended on its audience to carry it through, and we've put them through a lot. We've experimented on our audience, and they've been incredibly loyal to us, so we're kind of sensitive to our audience -- to what they feel and what they think. We came out of being fans: We were fans of music, and we went to gigs.
The reason we charge $165 [for some seats] is so that we can also sell a ticket for $49.50 [for general admission on the floor] -- that's the point. We're selling the best seats in the house to those who can probably afford them, and those who sit in those seats subsidize the others. I think that's fair and that's the way it should be.
We're very conscious of pricing and the ticketing and how it happens, but this time around, the tour was on and the tour was off because of a family illness that I can't go into the details of. The tour wasn't going to happen for a long period of time, so the only way it could go forward was if we changed it, and it got changed at the last minute because the decision to do it came at the last minute. All the plans we'd made for this leg of the tour were completely canceled and thrown out, and it was turned around in a couple of days.
The rules that applied to the original tour didn't get changed in time, so it meant that when the tickets went on sale, you had complete pandemonium. We ended up with this crisis situation, and people felt that they had been had, because we hadn't explained to them, because we couldn't, why the tour had been changed.

Q. It must hurt when you see scalpers getting tickets that were intended for fan club members.
A. It's like I said in the note on the Web site: The idea that your loyal audience is competing with scalpers for tickets is appalling. Unfortunately, it is now part and parcel of what happens. There aren't laws to prevent it. But I think what really upset me more than anything else was the assertion by various fan Web sites who got on some kind of bandwagon where there were accusations of impropriety by the band -- that this was some kind of money-grabbing move and we didn't care about our fans. That's what really upset me more than anything else.
I'm a private kind of person. I love being in the band, and it's my life. I work hard at it, but there are things that I'm not very good at. One of them is meeting the fans and being a man of the people -- I'm not very good at it, and I don't feel particularly comfortable in that position. Bono, on the other hand, thrives on it. Because he does it, it means I'm not under the same kind of pressure. People have taken that as me being surly or disrespectful, but that's not the truth.
The reality is that behind the scenes, I take a real interest in what's happening, with ticketing, with U2.com, with all those things. This time around, because everything was up in the air, I didn't have my finger on the pulse, and I was angry that I hadn't been more in charge and actually taken the bull by the balls and stopped the tickets going on sale the way they did. I felt guilty about that, and I felt that a lot of people, loyal U2 fans, were being treated badly, not because of anything that we'd done, just because the system had broken down.

Q. A band at your level is a major international corporation. Does the machine ever get so big that you lose control?
A. When we moved out of the clubs into the theaters, it was like, "Oh, my God, they've moved into the theaters; it's a sellout!" Then we moved out of the theaters into arenas, and it was, "Oh, they were so much better in theaters; they've sold out!" Then it was, "Oh, my God, they've gone to stadiums!" Or, "Oh my God, they're doing the Super Bowl; what a sellout!" So every time, you always end up pissing off somebody.
As for the question of being out of control, of course as it gets bigger, there are more people involved. We work really hard at trying to keep our finger on the pulse, but sometimes it's just not possible, and sometimes things fall between the cracks. But generally speaking, decisions are made by the band, and they're made in a relatively democratic way.
The iPod idea came from the band; it didn't come from Steve Jobs and Apple. It was something we were happy to stand over as a band. We make decisions through consensus, and we stand by them. If people are unhappy with them, so be it. Things are not always what they seem. We wanted to play to big audiences; we want to be on the radio. We are greedy; we are hungry; we are never satisfied.
I think for some sections of our audience, they wanted to keep us as their own, and we don't feel like that. We appreciate our audience, but we want to get new people in, we want to be on the radio, we wanted to be on the iPod commercial because it is the greatest piece of pop art since the '60s.
It's an amazing design, and it's very cool; we want our music on that. We asked them if we could be in that commercial. We felt like, "Why should there be dancers dancing to a U2 song? Why aren't U2 in it?" And it did what we wanted it to do, and we got to an audience that we never got to before.

Q. The argument against it, Larry, is that when I close my eyes and listen to "Achtung Baby," the images it creates in my head are infinitely richer than even the best videos the band has ever made. Now, every time I hear "Vertigo," I can't think of anything besides that damn commercial.
A. I understand and appreciate that; I really do. But our job is to move forward and bring our music to a bigger audience. When you sign on the dotted line for that record deal, you are basically joining the commercial world. That's what we do.
You can't deny that that's what this is: It's part of commerce. You can hide behind this attitude of, "We don't want to be famous; we don't want the money." We're over that. We were over it when we started. We always wanted to be the band that would be part of breaking through, and this just seemed like a perfectly natural progression for us.

Q. Let's talk about the artistic ambition of the last two albums. I was disappointed that "All That You Can't Leave Behind" and "How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb" lacked the edge that characterized "Achtung Baby" and "Zooropa." At the time, I interviewed the producer of those albums, Brian Eno, who said his role was to come in and erase anything that sounded too much like U2, forcing the band to move in new directions. The more time passes, the more I realize how brave that was.
A. I disagree with you; that was then, and this is now. We've always been a band that has tried to walk away from the past and move into new areas and do new things, and we've always done that. But we got to a stage where the band as a band wasn't functioning. It was functioning like individuals, and the band wasn't performing and playing in a room. We'd become so acute in our distaste for anything U2 that it was just becoming impossible to be creative as a band.
We took the decision that what we'd do is get back into a room and play as a band -- to do what we do. We hadn't done it for years, and that's what this is. It's not a commercial decision: "Oh, let's go back to what we know, because maybe we'll get back onto the charts." It's hard for people to appreciate that. A lot of people go, "Bollocks, all you want to do is sell more records and you'll do anything to do that." That's just not the case. We wanted to get back to being a band.
After "The Joshua Tree," we chopped it down with "Achtung Baby" and then "Zooropa," and then with "Pop." They were great things, and we're very proud of those things, and we will do that again. But there's a certain stage where you've actually just got to go back to what you know.
I think on this record, the Edge is on fire. I couldn't disagree with you more about what he's doing. Of course there are references back to the past, but I like that. I like getting into a room and playing with the band and doing those things we used to do. I think what Brian Eno brought was invaluable, and Daniel Lanois as well. But we've got to move on, we've got to change, and we've got to take references from the past and bring them into the future. And that's what we've done.

Q. But U2 never wanted to be a band like Pink Floyd or the Rolling Stones, which basically became massive money-making oldies shows.
A. And we won't! With respect to you and your colleagues, when it's time for U2 to get the bullet in the head, we'll do it ourselves, thank you very much! But we're greedy, and we want to push boundaries. We want to do things that nobody else has done before, and we will do whatever we have to do to achieve that. We're never satisfied. We never feel like we've made our greatest record. We always feel we can do better, we can be better, and that's constant. After every record, we sit down and go, "OK, what was wrong with that? What was right with it?" And next time around, we fix it. We constantly do that, and that's why U2 survives.
There's a very deep unhappiness in U2, because there's a sense that we achieved great success and became a really big band, but we were never a really great band. There was always that thing that we were given all these accolades, but we didn't really deserve it. We got it because we managed to do very well live, and it was all about being big. Being big means s--- to us. It's being great that we want, and that's what we strive for.

Q. That sense of satisfaction destroys so many bands. But you're saying that with U2, it's exactly the opposite.
A. It's the exact opposite: We are not happy. [Laughs] It's like, "How can you be unhappy when you're selling out a tour and your record's doing well?" But it's not that kind of unhappiness. It's a creative dissatisfaction.
We want to do better, we want to compete on the highest level, and that means competing on radio, and competing with people like Britney Spears and all those pop artists who are at the top of their game. The songs that are written for them are pretty spectacular, and we want to compete with that. Why else do this? There's no other reason. None of us need to do it, we're all financially secure, and for a lot of bands, that's a huge turn-off. "I've got the kids now, I've got the money, what do I need this for?" This is revenge for us.

Q. Why do you care about competing with Britney Spears? You grew up loving the Sex Pistols, and they didn't care about competing in that world.
A. I'm not sure about that; that was a huge commercial idea. For [Sex Pistols manager] Malcolm McLaren, it was all about that: getting the money and doing whatever he had to do to make it controversial. There's little difference between that and Britney Spears taking her clothes off. It's the same instinct. It's all about selling records and getting the cash.
There is no such thing as anything in the music business at its purest form. It's all cursed by commerce, and you can't get away from it. I don't want to be in a band that's treading water. I want to have my 17-year-old niece or nephew say, "I love that new single." I really want that, because I don't want to be relegated into, "That used to be relevant, it's no longer relevant." If that's not possible, then we will stop.
So why is it important? It just is. It's too easy to accept second best. To compete at this level takes huge brain power and a lot of work, but it's what we do, and we thrive on it. There's nothing like when a 17-year-old comes up and says, "Hey, man, I think what you're doing is cool." It might sound absolutely childish, but those are the things that make you want to continue on. When you look at your audience and see the huge variation from students, college kids, and all the way up.
We're Irish, and when we started out, we were always sort of the runt of the pack. Everybody else was cooler than us; everybody else was better than us; they were all better musicians than us. We were always that band.
We came to America and people embraced us, and they have been embracing us ever since. There's a certain responsibility that goes with that, and it's, "We've got to do this. We've got to remain relevant. We've got to make great music." That's a challenge, and we thrive on it.

Q. And is it still fun at the end of the day?
A. It really is, and in a way that it hasn't been for 25 years. The band is playing better, and Bono is singing better, and there seems to be a real freedom in what we're doing. Sometimes onstage, it just feels excruciating, because you're trying to hold it down, and you never know what's going to happen.
I don't feel like that now. I'm enjoying the shows, and it's just got a different level of maturity. It's a lot less tense and not trying so hard to be perfect. If you make a mistake, it's OK. I listened to a CD of the last show, and there are a lot of fluffs, but it's OK. There was time when we were all striving for that perfection, and now it's, "It doesn't matter; it's the spirit of the show."