Matt McGee is the manager of @U2, maybe the best site for news and stories related to the great band U2. Besides going a great job with the site, Matt is about to release a book on the band called U2 – A Diary, which is scheduled for release on or around October 13. In order to spread the news about the book, Matt gave @U2 readers a chance to ask him 5 questions about the book or the band that he would respond to. These responses could then be put on our blogs or websites. I grabbed this opportunity to ask 5 questions as I am really looking forward to adding the book to the collection of U2 related books in our library (plus it could serve as the first ever interview on this blog!). Matt responded quickly and gave some great answers so here they are:
1. What was the motivation to take this step and write this book?
The motivation was Omnibus Press opening a door and inviting me to write it. I’d love to claim the idea as my own, but I was in contact with them to pitch a different book idea. They weren’t interested in my proposal, but were interested in doing a U2 diary-style book — similar to a Beatles diary-style book they’d already published to considerable success. Since I’ve always been fascinated by U2’s history, and had lots of good material on @U2 to use as a starting point, it was pretty easy to say yes.
2. What do you think U2 fans will enjoy most about this book?
I think it’ll probably be different for everyone, or for different types of fans. I hope newer and more casual fans will appreciate learning some new things about the band that maybe they didn’t know before, or maybe the way I describe certain events will give them a new understanding of the importance of certain events. I hope longtime fans will enjoy the reference aspect of the book; since it’s the whole history of the band broken up into year-by-year chapters, it’ll be super easy to look up some date or event and quickly get the details you want to know.
And I hope that everyone appreciates the timeline format and how, in my opinion, it really helps get a better sense of the band’s development and how what happened one year really impacted what happened the next year.
3. What do you enjoy the most about managing @U2?
There are three things that I love about being involved with @U2: 1) I get to work with some of the smartest, coolest, nicest, and best people I’ve ever met. The @U2 staff is just a really super group of people, and I’m blessed to call them friends and have them working on the site, too. 2) Getting emails from readers that just say “thanks for all you guys do” and stuff like that — it’s awesome. 3) Very similarly to that — it’s great to meet @U2 readers at concerts or other U2 events. Everyone is always so cool and so nice, and it just reminds you why you love being a U2 fan.
4. What was the best U2 show you ever attended?
Easy answer: San Jose, April 20, 2001. That’s the one that both Willie Williams and Bono both agreed was one of their best ever. I think Bono even said it was his best show ever. It was absolute magic. Crazy energy in the arena. There’s a great description of it in U2 Live – A Concert Documentary.
5. In your opinion, what U2 song best captures what you believe is the true spirit of the band?
I don’t know if I could pick just one song, because there’s so many faces to U2. No, actually — scratch that. Five minutes later, and my answer is “One.” It’s the quintessential U2 song. Bono always talked about wanting U2 to work on three levels: political, spiritual, and sexual. I think that song works on all three levels (and more). It’s probably one of the best five or ten songs ever written. Don’t you think? (Phil response: without a question!)
The book can be ordered at Amazon.com, or Barnes & Noble. I look forward to reading it and adding it to the library.
Of course, this all adds to my excitement for the upcoming album and tour!
The presale tickets that popped up were all in the second half of the arena, the area further from the stage. I tired pulling tickets up a few times in hopes of getting seats closer to the stage but did not get anything so I figured they were saving the seats up front for the general sale so I did not buy any and waited for today.
This morning, at 10am, my wife and I try for tickets and immediately starting getting tickets in similar sections in the back of the arena that were being offered in the presale. I tried a few times and it was the same each time. After about 15 minutes, we figured we should jump on a pair of these seats in case the show sells out and we were left out of the show and we did, a pair in the 300s, about middle of the arena. Once these were locked in, we tried for fun to see if the show would sell out and suddenly, out of the blue, a pair of tickets in the 100s, right at the side of the stage pop up! We ended up grabbing those and hope to sell the others at face before the show. Once we got this solitary pair in the 100s, we just checked again for fun and the tickets popping up were in the back of the arena again.
Where were the good floor seats and the rest of the sections near the stage? I understand that some are saved for radio stations, VIPs (whetever that means) , etc but usually some good seats are available based on the hundres of shows I have bought tickets for in the past.
Anyway, Im in and I cannot wait. I have seen Oasis about 10 times and they have been awesome every time!
This is pretty scary. Noel Gallagher of Oasis was attacked from behind during a show in Toronto on Sunday, September 7. The video is below. The story is that this blogger was upset at some verbal shots Noel took at Radiohead and decided to take matters into his own hands. I cannot believe that someone can get so upset over what someone he totally doesnt know says about a band that he may like that he resorts to physical violence. Noel could have been more seriously hurt by this cowardly act. Of course, the guy was not even man enough to hit from the front but had to take a cheap shot from the back.
Another good place where you see people taking artists’ words a little too much to heart is the great documentary on the Dixie Chicks called Shut up and Sing, which chronicles the effects of Natalie Maines’ comments at a London show in 2003 about how she is not proud President Bush is from Texas. You see boycotts of radio stations by country fans as well death threats against the Chicks themselves. Pretty disturbing but a great documentary. It has been running on Starz lately so you may catch it there or definitely put in on your Netflix or Blockbuster.com queues.
REM put on (another) amazing show Thursday night at Madison Square Garden! After the magical night in the rain at Jones Beach a few days earlier, I was hoping that I would not be disappointed after the MSG show. However, the boys came through with a show that every bit as good as Jones Beach. In fact, the setlist may have been BETTER! We got DRIVER 8, HARBORCOAT, DON’T GO BACK TO ROCKVILLE AND PRETTY PERSUASION all in one show! A video of Driver 8 from that show is below.
Living Well is the Best Revenge
These Days
What’s the Frequency, Kenneth?
Bad Day
Drive
Hollow Man
Ignoreland
Man-Sized Wreath
Leaving New York
Disturbance at the Heron House
Houston
Electrolite
(Don’t Go Back To) Rockville
Driver 8
Harborcoat
One I Love
Until The Day is Done
Let Me In
Horse To Water
Pretty Persuasion
Orange Crush
I’m Gonna DJ
——————–
Supernatural Superserious
Losing My Religion
Begin The Begin
Fall On Me
Man on the Moon
Just a great way to end a great REM week!
Some final notes:
The National were AWESOME! I am now officially a fan. Check them out, buy a cd. I definitely will!
My amazing REM weekend continued on Sunday as my wife, two month old son and I celebrated part of my first Father’s Day by going to the Michael Stipe and David Belisle signing of Belisle’s new REM photography book titled Hello at McNally Robinson Bookstore on Prince Street in SOHO.
We got there around 5pm for the 6pm signing athe book and saw that there were around 40-50 people online already in front of us so we joined the line., It was a realy beautiful day in NYC so it was very enjoyable waiting outside watching people walk by. As we were waiting, I was flipping through the book and must say that there are some GREAT photos in there. As a huge REM fan, I loved the behind the scenes photos Belisle took with his access to the band.
About half hour after the signing started, we got into the store and approached Stipe and Belisle, who were signing at this long table. Both were very nice to the people getting the books signed. I must admit that I was a little nervous approaching Michael Stipe since I have been such a big fan for many years. However, he was very nice. As my wife and I were walking away from the table, having gotten our books signed, Michael noticed the stroller my wife was pushing and looked at my son, who he called “lovely” and he wished us all the best. That may have been a bigger moment for me than the signing itself.
The fans on the line were great. Some very big REM fans, including many who are traveling to many places to see them this tour.
Another great event to continue REM week(end). Now, it’s on to MSG for the show on Thursday.
I have been excited for the last few weeks as the REM show at Jones Beach was approaching. I knew that they have always put on a great show and armed with my sixth row fan club seats, I knew I was in for a great night, and it was in more ways than one.
We got to the theater around 7pm, just around the time The National were taking the stage. Got to our seats and admired the amazing view we were going to have. The National were really good. I really liked their 45 minute set even thought I didnt know anything about them besides having heard the name in the past. I will definitely be checking out more of them.
Modest Mouse followed. I didn’t know much about their music and then it hit me when they hit the stage that it was Johnny Marr’s band. We listened to a few songs but then decided to hit the restroom before REM took the stage as I expected a two hour set from them. This is where the evening takes it’s twist. As I am heading back to the tunnel that leads to the seats, my wife and I spent a few minutes talking to a friend who was getting some snacks. Suddenly, we see LOTS of people coming out of the seat area and into the tunnel that leads to the area where the snack areas are. We thought Modest Mouse had finished but it sounded as if someone was still onstage. We were in a covered area and then I notice that it is POURING with some intense thunder and lightning in the uncovered area so it made sense that people were looking for cover before REM.
A few minutes later we heard this loud explosion that sounded like it came from the theater so we all assumed lightning hit nearby. We find out that lightning actually hit the THEATER itself. The theater was evacuated until the storm passed. We end up waiting in an area under the stands for an hour. During this time, we were hearing that the show was going to go on and REM were planning on going on around 9:45. That became 10:00pm as they made an announcement over the louspeaker after an hour.
The crowd was let back into the arena at 10:00pm and it was still raining hard but the lightning had passed. We get to our seats and accepted the fact that we would get drenched during REM as it didnt look like the rain was close to subsiding. Then, a friend who was sitting a few rows behind us, came to us with two ponchos which she had found at the stand that sold t-shirts. This was a LIFE SAVER! With this, I was ready to fully enjoy REM and that I did.
REM came out around 10:20 and played one of the best sets I have ever heard them, or anyone else for that matter. They started with a cover of Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “Have You Ever Seen the Rain” and went into South Central Rain. These songs were obviously not on the setlist but the band played them due to the conditions and the crowd loved it. Then they proceeded over the next two hours to play songs from all parts of their catalog. The setlist they had planned to play and what they ultimately played can be found on murmurs but the list included:
These Days
Living Well is The Best Revenge
What’s the Frequency Kenneth
Man sized wreath
1,000,000
South Central Rain
Ignoreland
Hollowman
Welcomee to the Occupation
Houston
Electrolite
horse to Water
one i Love
Let me In
Bad Day
Orange Crush
I’m gonna DJ
_______________________________-
Supernatural
Losing my religion
End of the World as We Know it (This was spontaneous and “unrehearsed”).
Fall on Me
Man on The Moon
The band was full of energy and the crowd was also. Michael Stipe showed why he is one of the greatest frontmen around as well as one of the greatest songwriters of all time. I do not recall the last time I had such a good time at a show once REM started and I am really looking forward to seeing them Thursday at Madison Square Garden!
While it’s only Thursday, I am already excited about the weekend coming up. Saturday night I will be going to the REM show at Jones Beach. REM are probably the band I like most after U2 and I always get really excited when they come around. Sunday, besides being Fathers Day, Michael Stipe will be doing a book signing along with photographer David Belisle , who is releasing a book of REM photographs he has taken, at a bookstore in SOHO. I have already reserved my book for the signing and look forward to meeting this atrist that I have admired for so many years. That is just the beginning of a great week as Thursday I will attending REM at Madison Square Garden.
