Live From Wembley - U2 Rocks London

"With or Without You" live from Wembley.

"Yes, I can't believe the news today

Oh, I can't close my eyes and make it go away

How long, how long, must we sing this song

How long, how long?

'Cause tonight we can be as one tonight..."

"Sunday Bloody Sunday", is one of U2's most performed songs. It originated from guitar chords and lyrics that The Edge wrote and was first released in Germany March 1983.
Record breaking crowds, nearly 90,000, rocked with U2 this weekend at Wembley. On Friday, Elbow opened for them and Saturday night, Glasvegas was the opening act. Now that's some noise!

Click here to follow the 360 tour on Google Earth. Very cool!

But, in the midst of this massive tour, here comes some controversy. Talking Heads front man, David Byrne, states on his blog "That U2's world tour costs are excessive for spending so much money on the current world tour" and accuses human rights campaigner, Bono, of hypocrisy with such lavish shows. He states that the 360 tour has cost millions that could be better spent helping the various charities that Bono champions. Also targeted is Bono's environmental concerns with Mr. Byrne saying, "There is nothing planet friendly about the transport of the massive set which took $40 million to build and requires 200 semi trucks to criss cross Europe. It could be be professional envy speaking here, but it sure looks like overkill and a wee bit out of balance given all the starving people in Africa and all."

Hmmm...interesting point. Political correctness...when you put yourself "out there" and so vehemently crusade for causes, how accountable are you in your own actions? And, what makes you a hypocrite...are your actions offset by your crusading? I have to admit when I first heard about the tour, elaborate stage setup, etc. immediately I had two questions..."How much is that going to cost" and "Do they really need the gimmicks considering their popularity?" After all, people are going to attend their concerts to hear the music. On a less earth shattering matter but considering the distressed worldwide economy, I wonder if the tickets would be less expensive if so much money didn't have to be recouped.

Regarding the elaborate stages and possibly in a damage control effort, Mark Fisher - tour architect - states, "My vision, which I have been discussing with the band, is that we will turn them into concert pavilions." The 360 tour uses three stages - each one in the shape of a giant claw - which would be given away to become permanent concert venues in parks around the world.

What do you think about this?

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