Monday, August 17, 2009

U2, 2009-08-15 - Wembley Stadium, London

I was in London to see 2 amazing shows by U2 (Friday and Saturday).

First part of U2 by "The Hours" and "Glasvegas".

Took some photos and videos.

First part was by The Hours. They played for 31 minutes.

A video of The Hours (1):

The Hours-Ali In The Jungle, Wembley Stadium, London, UK, 2009-08-15
http://youtu.be/LCqUxjYSW4I
And the video:


Second part was by Glasvegas. They played for 43 minutes.

Finally was time for U2. They played for 141 minutes.

Loved this second show. Stayed on the first balcony and I shot the complete show in video. U2 sang 3 of my favorite songs (that they didn't play on the first show).
During the day I already had listen to the soundcheck of one of those songs (New Years Day).
U2 played 2 of my favorite songs ever: "Bad" and "New Years Day". They also played "Stay (Faraway so Close)", other of my favorite songs.

"Today, U2 played their second of two concerts in London. The soundcheck featured two songs that have traditionally been paired together in U2's setlists, Until The End Of The World and New Year's Day. At some point on all four of the last tours, the former has come to immediately precede the latter in U2's setlists; it was rare on Vertigo, but on ZooTV, Popmart, and Elevation, it was a segue played often. Tonight, the pairing made its first 360° Tour setlist appearance, showing up early in the main set.

Bad was played for the fourth time on this tour, while Stay showed up for its fifth tour performance. It looks like the movement of Desmond Tutu's speech to precede One rather than Streets has become a permanent change. Interestingly, Bono snippeted a line of A Day Without Me during the middle of The Unforgettable Fire; this is our first recorded snippet of the song, and its first recorded live appearance of any kind in our database since 18 April 1985. Although I Will Follow has been soundchecked before a couple of shows recently, this is the first appearance of any kind for a song from Boy during an actual 360° Tour concert.
by Axver."

"Second and last show in London’s Wembley stadium tonight. Newspapers reviewed the first show as “a qualified triumph for vaulting ambition“, “with a sound so hissy that it might as well have been coming from a clapped-out transistor radio”.
Support acts of tonight are The Hours and Glasvegas and during a last minute soundcheck the band played New Year’s Day and Until The End Of The World.
Among tonights attending celebrities are Kevin Spacey (in the royal box), Lars Ulrich, Jimmy Page, Robert Downey Jnr and (the inevitable) Neil McCormick.
Reports are the roof is opened further than previous night, which benefits the sound.
When the last notes of tonights show fade out U2 will have played before an estimated 1.600.000 people in 21 gigs, with three more European shows to go…
The setlist gets a bit of a mix-up with the inclusion of UTEOTW, New Year’s Day and Stay:
Before they play Stay Bono tells the crowd Joe O’Herlihy has buried one of Edge’s guitar picks in the foundation of Wembley stadium when he was visiting the building site…
Big thanks to the Editor-in-chief of U2log and her fabulous live feeds!"

Here it is the setlist:

1. Breathe
2. No Line On The Horizon
3. Get On Your Boots
4. Magnificent
5. London Bridge Is Falling Down (snippet) / Beautiful Day / Here Comes The Sun (snippet)
6. Until The End Of The World / Break On Through (snippet)
7. New Year's Day
8. I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For / Stand By Me (snippet)
9. Stay (Faraway, So Close!)
10. Unknown Caller
11. The Unforgettable Fire / A Day Without Me (snippet)
12. City Of Blinding Lights
13. London Calling (snippet) / Vertigo / Rock And Roll (snippet)
14. O Come All Ye Faithful (snippet) / Crazy Tonight / Two Tribes (snippet)
15. Sunday Bloody Sunday / Get Up Stand Up (snippet)
16. Pride (In The Name Of Love)
17. MLK
18. Walk On / You'll Never Walk Alone (snippet)
19. Where The Streets Have No Name
20. One
21. Bad / Fool To Cry (snippet) / 40 (snippet)

Encore(s):
22. Ultra Violet (Light My Way)
23. With Or Without You
24. Moment of Surrender


Some photos of U2 taken from the iPhone (3):

http://twitpic.com/dztoc
http://twitpic.com/dzuy1
http://twitpic.com/e0hug

Some videos of U2 (25):

U2-Intro (Major Tom + Kingdom), Wembley Stadium, London, UK, 2009-08-15
http://youtu.be/I688D6aGHAg
And the video:


U2-Breathe, Wembley Stadium, London, UK, 2009-08-15
http://youtu.be/8qLQT1b5v0g
And the video:


U2-No Line On The Horizon, Wembley Stadium, London, UK, 2009-08-15
http://youtu.be/nkAs8uGj4V8
And the video:


U2-Get On Your Boots, Wembley Stadium, London, UK, 2009-08-15
http://youtu.be/PYmAxXDRbQU
And the video:


U2-Magnificent, Wembley Stadium, London, UK, 2009-08-15
http://youtu.be/3axv-qYgn5c
And the video:


U2-Beautiful Day, Wembley Stadium, London, UK, 2009-08-15
http://youtu.be/uCJ55EIr1_M
And the video:


U2-Until The End Of The World, Wembley Stadium, London, UK, 2009-08-15
http://youtu.be/NZ6OxhcDoig
And the video:


U2-New Year's Day, Wembley Stadium, London, UK, 2009-08-15
http://youtu.be/34R2wWRuUug
And the video:


U2-I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For, Wembley Stadium, London, UK, 2009-08-15
http://youtu.be/BTQhD7Epj7w
And the video:


U2-Stay Faraway, So Close!, Wembley Stadium, London, UK, 2009-08-15
http://youtu.be/Xl7gTQc2Tps
And the video:


U2-Unknown Caller, Wembley Stadium, London, UK, 2009-08-15
http://youtu.be/4iwPvt4gwx0
And the video:


U2-The Unforgettable Fire, Wembley Stadium, London, UK, 2009-08-15
http://youtu.be/vaMdtMzK_1M
And the video:


U2-City Of Blinding Lights, Wembley Stadium, London, UK, 2009-08-15
http://youtu.be/wUdZEqI8Fdw
And the video:


U2-Vertigo, Wembley Stadium, London, UK, 2009-08-15
http://youtu.be/rRobQdlPTQE
And the video:


U2-I'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight (Remix), Wembley Stadium, London, UK, 2009-08-15
http://youtu.be/7_wpQ307hRo
And the video:


U2-Sunday Bloody Sunday, Wembley Stadium, London, UK, 2009-08-15
http://youtu.be/TINTb3jAP_g
And the video:


U2-Pride In The Name Of Love, Wembley Stadium, London, UK, 2009-08-15
http://youtu.be/fgIv1N30KBE
And the video:


U2-MLK + Walk On, Wembley Stadium, London, UK, 2009-08-15
http://youtu.be/gd3tUaisuWE
And the video:


U2-Where The Streets Have No Name, Wembley Stadium, London, UK, 2009-08-15
http://youtu.be/osDK896oWgg
And the video:


U2-Bono Talking London (After "Streets", Before Tutu), Wembley Stadium, London, UK, 2009-08-15
http://youtu.be/BO3EFFE1Kqw
And the video:


U2-One, Wembley Stadium, London, UK, 2009-08-15
http://youtu.be/bbFyCDFGXq0
And the video:


U2-Bad, Wembley Stadium, London, UK, 2009-08-15
http://youtu.be/oLRorpgz0bI
And the video:


U2-Ultra Violet (Light My Way), Wembley Stadium, London, UK, 2009-08-15
http://youtu.be/rWQIj-qNhxg
And the video:


U2-With Or Without You, Wembley Stadium, London, UK, 2009-08-15
http://youtu.be/yNHpMHQSZZM
And the video:


U2-Moment of Surrender, Wembley Stadium, London, UK, 2009-08-15
http://youtu.be/SJcbIBTF_RM
And the video:


Here it goes a review of a fan who was also on both shows at Wembley Stadium. I like the review.

"U2 360 at Wembley Stadium

I experienced something recently I will probably never experience again in my life. A production of such magnitude, such enormous scale, that it would be near impossible for any band, other than U2, to pull off.
It was a last minute decision to go – I didn't care much for their latest effort No Light on The Horizon – but when cheap tickets were offered I chose to grab them, purely because I anticipated a spectacle. I'd seen U2 play on their Vertigo tour back in 2006 in Auckland, New Zealand; it was amazing. I'd heard they were taking their new show to a new level... and they weren't kidding!
We took our seats high above center field at Wembley Stadium, London; the stage below us was truly a masterpiece of engineering. 'The Claw', a four-legged structure that covering the lozenge-shaped center stage and outer ring catwalk. A 360˚ expandable video screen hung from the center of The Claw displaying the tiny figures of Bono, The Edge, Larry and Adam jaunting about on the vast stage area.

The video and lighting were impeccably designed and timed; from runway lights to one of the largest mirror balls you're ever likely to see. At my distance the band themselves felt a little underwhelming – not helped by my feeling their most recent album was fairly pedestrian – I had difficulty connecting at times throughout the concert. But, thankfully, they were gracious enough to play many of their mega-hit songs and that successfully got everyone standing up from their seats.

The feeling of 88,000 people singing Where The Streets Have No Name is not one that will leave me soon.
Sunday Bloody Sunday was hauntingly relevant as images of recent turmoil in the Iranian elections was projected and the entire stage was flooded in green light. Bono also drew attention to Burmese political leader Aung San Suu Kyi who has lived under house arrest for much of the last twenty years. U2’s most iconic songs transcend age, race and historical events; paying testament to their ability to capture the essence of what it means to live in this world and why they've stayed on top of the music world for almost thirty years.
The pure enormity of this epic show and the chance you’ll never see anything on this scale again (well, until their next tour I suppose) prompts me to suggest you go and see this concert when it comes near your town... even if you agree with me in generally panning No Light on the Horizon.

Story and photo by Miles Langley
http://www.twitter.com/milesnz "

Next a special post about the amazing Patrick Swayze death on September 14th 2009.

Sunday, August 16, 2009

U2, 2009-08-14 - Wembley Stadium, London

I was in London to see 2 amazing shows by U2 (Friday and Saturday).

First part of U2 by "The Hours" and "Elbow".

Took some photos and videos.

"U2's first UK gig in their current tour has broken the attendance record for a Wembley Stadium concert, organizers have said.

About 88,000 people arrived at the Irish group's concert on Friday - 5,000 more than what is thought to have been the stadium's previous record.

The extra capacity for U2 was made possible by a 64ft-high stage, the tallest in the world, called The Claw.

U2's radical "claw" stage has enabled tour organizers Live Nation to increase the capacity for the sold-out show.

The four-legged, crab-like construction ensured that there was more room for fans.
Frontman Bono said: 'The Claw means more people can fit into the shows and everyone will be closer to the action.'
Show director Willie Williams, who developed the solid steel contraption, added: 'It's a really amazing spectacle - when you are on stage all you can see is people.'

Wembley's previous biggest crowd is believed to have been the 83,000 who saw Rod Stewart perform there in 1995.

That figure was matched last summer by the Foo Fighters when the US band played at Wembley following its rebuilding.

Elbow, who won the Mercury Prize last year with their fourth studio album The Seldom Seen Kid, were supporting on Friday."

A video I made on the afternoon (1):

U2-View of the CLAW And Stadium, Wembley Stadium, London, UK, 2009-08-14
http://youtu.be/hF0KVYPlKGY
And the video:


First part was by The Hours. They played for 32 minutes.

Second part was by Elbow. They played for 41 minutes.

Finally was time for U2. They played for 129 minutes.

On this first show I stayed just in the middle of Edge and Bono on a second row. The stage was a little high but I saw it very well. The concert was excelent.

"Today, U2 played their first of two concerts in London - the last city of the European leg to receive two concerts. Before the show began, the band did a soundcheck that featured Mysterious Ways and Your Blue Room. The latter has never been played live before.

During the actual gig, U2 seemed to be playing it very safe setlist-wise with the tabloid media's reviewers presumably attending in droves, though Stuck In A Moment was victim to some errors. Then the band threw in a considerable surprise: at the end of the main set, Mysterious Ways (featuring an extremely brief Norwegian Wood snippet at its end) followed One. Although Mysterious Ways has often been second-last in both main sets and encores, this is the first time it has ever actually been a main set closer. This tour, when One has been played after Streets (i.e. all but four shows), it has typically been the main set closer - the only previous exception was when Bad followed it in Dublin on 27 July 2009.

As a matter of interest, the Desmond Tutu intro was again before One rather than Streets. On the statistical front, tonight's performance of I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For was its 500th live appearance, while Streets was played for the 666th time.
by Axver"

Here it is the setlist:

1. Breathe
2. No Line On The Horizon
3. Get On Your Boots
4. Magnificent
5. London Calling (snippet) / London Bridge Is Falling Down (snippet) / Beautiful Day / Blackbird (snippet)
6. Elevation
7. I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For / Movin' On Up (snippet)
8. Stuck In A Moment
9. Unknown Caller
10. The Unforgettable Fire
11. City Of Blinding Lights
12. Vertigo
13. Crazy Tonight / Two Tribes (snippet) / O Come All Ye Faithful (snippet)
14. Sunday Bloody Sunday / Rock The Casbah (snippet)
15. Pride (In The Name Of Love)
16. MLK
17. Walk On / You'll Never Walk Alone (snippet)
18. Where The Streets Have No Name / All You Need Is Love (snippet)
19. One
20. Mysterious Ways / Norwegian Wood (snippet)

Encore(s):
21. Ultra Violet (Light My Way)
22. With Or Without You
23. Moment of Surrender


Some photos of U2 taken from the iPhone (6):

http://twitpic.com/du0jh
http://twitpic.com/du0s7
http://twitpic.com/dv1gh
http://twitpic.com/dv1ql
http://twitpic.com/dvq1b
http://twitpic.com/dvqhs

A video of U2 (1):

U2-With Or Without You, Wembley Stadium, London, UK, 2009-08-14
http://youtu.be/9t-fsqjKReE
And the video:


Next the story of the 2nd concert of U2 at the Wembley Stadium, London on August 15th 2009.

Thursday, August 06, 2009

John Hughes, DEAD (1950-02-18, 2009-08-06)

John Hughes, one of my favorite directors of the 80s has died with 59 years old.

John Hughes was a director who had a big mark in me in the 80s mainly because of the amazing movie "THE BREAKFAST CLUB". This is my all time favorite movie EVER. Saw it more than 20 times. An amazing generation of young actors like Molly Ringwald, Emilio Estevez, Anthony Michael Hall, Judd Nelson and Ally Sheedy. Also with Paul Gleason and John Kapelos. The amazing music of Simple Minds "Don't You Forget About Me" is the main song of the movie. And the famous David Bowie lyric of "Changes" in the beginning.

"The Breakfast Club is a 1985 teen film widely considered a definitive work in the genre. Written and directed by John Hughes, The Breakfast Club storyline follows five teenagers (each representing a different clique in high school) as they spend a Saturday in detention together and come to realize that they are all deeper than their respective stereotypes."

The Breakfast Club trailer (1985)
http://youtu.be/ZXzlCpHK3-I


Simple Minds - Don't You (Forget About Me)
http://youtu.be/CdqoNKCCt7A
And the video:


David Bowie - Changes [HQ] Official Video
http://youtu.be/PnMZicSeSjo
And the video:


Lines from the song's "Changes" second verse were used in the opening of the 1985 film "The Breakfast Club":

And these children that you spit on
As they try to change their worlds
Are immune to your consultations
They're quite aware of what they're going through...


Thanks to John Hughes on Wikipedia

John Wilden Hughes, Jr. (February 18, 1950 – August 6, 2009) was an American film director, producer, and screenwriter. He directed and/or scripted some of the most successful films of the 1980s and 1990s, including National Lampoon's Vacation, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Weird Science, The Breakfast Club, Some Kind of Wonderful, Sixteen Candles, Pretty in Pink, Planes, Trains and Automobiles, Beethoven, Uncle Buck, Career Opportunities, 101 Dalmatians, Home Alone, Home Alone 2: Lost in New York and Home Alone 3.

In bold are my favorite John Hughes movies.

He is known as the king of teen movies as well as helping launch the careers of actors including Michael Keaton, Bill Paxton, Matthew Broderick, John Candy, & The Brat Pack.

Early life

Hughes was born in Lansing, Michigan, to a mother who volunteered in charity work and John Hughes, Sr., who worked in sales. He spent the first twelve years of his life in Grosse Pointe, Michigan. Hughes described himself as "kind of quiet" as a kid.

"I grew up in a neighborhood that was mostly girls and old people. There weren't any boys my age, so I spent a lot of time by myself, imagining things. And every time we would get established somewhere, we would move. Life just started to get good in seventh grade, and then we moved to Chicago. I ended up in a really big high school, and I didn't know anybody. But then The Beatles came along (and) changed my whole life. And then Bob Dylan's Bringing It All Back Home came out and really changed me. Thursday I was one person, and Friday I was another. My heroes were Dylan, John Lennon and Picasso, because they each moved their particular medium forward, and when they got to the point where they were comfortable, they always moved on."

In 1963, Hughes's family moved to Northbrook, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago, where Hughes’s father found work selling roofing materials. It was there that Hughes attended Glenbrook North High School in Northbrook, Illinois, the school that would provide inspiration for the films that would make his reputation in later years.

Death

Hughes died of a heart attack on August 6, 2009 while walking in Manhattan where he was visiting his family. On that morning, Hughes was on West 55th Street in Manhattan when he was struck with chest pains. At 8:55 a.m., 9-1-1 operators summoned paramedics to assist. Hughes was unconscious when they arrived several minutes later. Hughes was raced to Roosevelt Hospital, where he was later pronounced dead. He was 59 years old. Hughes's funeral took place on August 11 in Chicago. In addition to his wife and two sons, Hughes is survived by four grandchildren.

The pilot episode of the NBC comedy Community, broadcast on September 17, 2009, was dedicated to Hughes. The episode included several references to The Breakfast Club and ended with a cover of "Don't You (Forget About Me)". The One Tree Hill episode titled "Don't You Forget About Me", broadcast on February 1, 2010, ended with a scene similar to the ending scene of Sixteen Candles and included some other references to his movies such as Home Alone.

After Hughes' death, many of those who knew him, commented on the impact Hughes had on them, and on the film industry. Judd Apatow said "Basically, my stuff is just John Hughes films with four-letter words. I feel like a part of my childhood has died. Nobody made me laugh harder or more often than John Hughes." Molly Ringwald said, "I was stunned and incredibly sad to hear about the death of John Hughes. He was and will always be such an important part of my life.... He will be missed – by me and by everyone that he has touched. My heart and all my thoughts are with his family now." Matthew Broderick also released his own statement, saying, "I am truly shocked and saddened by the news about my old friend John Hughes. He was a wonderful, very talented guy and my heart goes out to his family."

Oscar tribute

The 82nd Academy Awards included a tribute to Hughes' work. A retrospective of clips from Hughes' films was followed by cast members from several of them, including Molly Ringwald, Matthew Broderick, Macaulay Culkin, Judd Nelson, Ally Sheedy, Anthony Michael Hall and Jon Cryer, gathering on stage to commemorate the man and his contributions to the film industry.

Filmography

Delta House (1979) (TV)
National Lampoon's Class Reunion (1982)
At Ease (1983) (TV)
Mr. Mom (1983)
National Lampoon's Vacation (1983)
Nate and Hayes (with David Odell) (1983)
Sixteen Candles (1984) (also Director)
The Breakfast Club (1985) (also Director)
National Lampoon's European Vacation (1985) (Story Only)
Weird Science (1985) (also Director)
Pretty in Pink (1986)
Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986) (also Director)
Some Kind of Wonderful (1987)
Planes, Trains and Automobiles (1987) (also Director)
She's Having a Baby (1988) (also Director)
The Great Outdoors (1988)
Uncle Buck (1989) (also Director)
National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (1989)
Home Alone (1990)
Career Opportunities (1991)
Only the Lonely (1991) (Producer Only)
Dutch (1991)
Curly Sue (1991) (also Director)
Beethoven (with Amy Holden Jones) (1992) (as Edmund Dantes)
Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992)
Dennis the Menace (1993)
Baby's Day Out (1994)
Miracle on 34th Street (1994)
101 Dalmatians (1996)
Flubber (1997)
Home Alone 3 (1997)
Reach the Rock (1998)
Just Visiting (with Christian Clavier and Jean-Marie Poire) (2001)
Maid in Manhattan (2002) (Story Only) (originally titled "The Chambermaid") (as Edmund Dantes)
Drillbit Taylor (2008) (Story Only) (as Edmund Dantes)

Frequent casting

Several actors appeared in multiple films directed by Hughes. John Candy appeared more than any other actor, with eight film credits. Other frequently cast actors included:

John Ashton (three films)
Macaulay Culkin (four films)
Bill Erwin (three films)
Anthony Michael Hall (four films)
Larry Hankin (three films)
John Kapelos (three films)
Edie McClurg (five films)
Molly Ringwald (three films)
Fred Thompson (two films)
William Windom (four films)

Don't You Forget About Me

Don't You Forget About Me is a documentary about four Canadian filmmakers who go in search of Hughes after his drop out of the spotlight in 1991, featuring interviews with actors in Hughes's films, notably missing Molly Ringwald, Anthony Michael Hall and Matthew Broderick. The film is distributed by Alliance Films.

Don't You Forget About Me is also the name of an anthology of contemporary writers writing about the films of John Hughes, edited by Jaime Clarke, with a foreword by Ally Sheedy, published by Simon Spotlight Entertainment. Writers include Steve Almond, Julianna Baggott, Lisa Borders, Ryan Boudinot, T Cooper, Quinn Dalton, Emily Franklin, Lisa Gabriele, Tod Goldberg, Nina de Gramont, Tara Ison, Allison Lynn, John McNally, Dan Pope, Lewis Robinson, Ben Schrank, Elizabeth Searle, Mary Sullivan, Rebecca Wolff, and Moon Unit Zappa.

How about some trailers of my favorite movies:

Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986) Trailer
http://youtu.be/R-P6p86px6U


Weird Science Theatrical Trailer (1985)
http://youtu.be/st7ZBnk5wy0


Some Kind Of Wonderful TV Trailer (1987)
http://youtu.be/mUqC7gBDopA


trailer for sixteen candles
http://youtu.be/WcKqtzj8LAg


Pretty In Pink (1986) - Trailer
http://youtu.be/F8vzL9Xdm_o


Career Opportunities (1991)
http://youtu.be/A-Or0vxh91Y


Home Alone Trailer
http://youtu.be/CK2Btk6Ybm0


Trailer - Home Alone 2: Lost In New York (1992) [High Quality]
http://youtu.be/GaC_3C24Mas


Trailer - Home Alone 3 (1997) [High Quality]
http://youtu.be/9HfkMrAFs1g