U2 - How to Dismantle an Atomic
Bomb and Vertigo
A rough-cut of the band's follow-up album was stolen
in Nice, France, in July 2004 [1]. Shortly thereafter,
Bono stated that, should the album appear on P2P networks,
it would be released immediately via iTunes and be in
stores within a month. No such pre-release of the album
occurred, however, and the first single from the album,
titled "Vertigo", was released for airplay
on September 24, 2004. The song received extensive airplay
in the first week after its release and debuted at #18
on Billboard's Modern Rock Tracks chart at #46 on the
Billboard Hot 100, at #1 on the UK Singles Chart, and
#5 on the Australian ARIAnet singles chart. The album,
titled How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb, was released
on November 22 in much of the world and November 23
in the United States. The album debuted at #1 in 32
countries, including the United States, Canada, the
United Kingdom and the band's native Ireland. It sold
840,000 units in the United States in its first week.
This was a record for the band, nearly doubling the
first-week sales of All That You Can't Leave Behind
in the USA.
U2 promoted How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb heavily.
They made appearances on TV shows like CD:UK and The
Jonathan Ross Show in Britain and Saturday Night Live
in America. In another first, the band allowed the single
"Vertigo" to be used in a widely-aired iTunes
television commercial; though the band did not receive
any royalties for the use of the song, due to the commercial
the song was well known even before the release of the
album. In a further partnership with Apple Computer,
the band licensed a special version of the iPod music
player with a U2 design (black faceplate with red click
wheel, echoing the color scheme for the new album) and
facsimilies of the bandmembers' signatures etched on
the back plate. The band made a video for the second
North American single, "All Because Of You,"
while riding on a flatbed truck through the streets
of Manhattan on November 22. They then played a free
concert at a Brooklyn park, attracting over 3,000 fans
who had learned of the show on various U2 fan websites.
In April 2004, Rolling Stone magazine placed U2 in
its fifty "greatest rock & roll artists of
all time". On March 14, 2005, U2 was inducted into
the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in their first year of
eligibility.
In Europe, the next single released from the album
- "Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own"
- once again featured a Bono/Pavarotti performance on
the B-side. The performance is a Jacknife Lee remix
of "Ave Maria" sung by Bono with Luciano Pavarotti.The
B-Side of the single also includes a remix of the hit
"Vertigo" and a Jacknife Lee remix of "Fast
Cars." Fast Cars is an album track available only
on the UK and Japan versions and American deluxe editions
of Atomic Bomb. The single will be available on 2 CD
formats and a DVD single. The DVD carries a video of
an exclusive live performance of "Sometimes You
Can't Make It On Your Own" from the band's Dublin
studio, and a Trent Reznor remix of "Vertigo."
The first leg of the Vertigo Tour kicked off in the
United States, with the band performing 26 sold-out
shows. The first leg started of in March in San Diego,
California and finished in May in Boston, Massachusetts.
The band performed well-known hits, songs from the current
album, and early rarities to adoring fans. The band
will return to the United States in the fall and will
finish up December 19, in Portland, Oregon. There are
currently rumors of a United States stadium tour in
the summer of 2006.
U2 have smashed Irish box office records with ticket
sales for their 2005 Croke Park, Dublin concerts, after
more than 150,000 were sold within 50 minutes. In Belgium
and in Austria the tickets were sold within 60 minutes.
U2's third single from the album, "City of Blinding
Lights," entered the UK singles chart at #2 on
June 12. They performed alongside Coldplay, Paul McCartney,
and Pink Floyd, among others, in the Live 8 concert
in London on July 2nd, 2005.
U2 NEWS and U2 Vertigo Concert Tickets
To
get more on any of these U2 news items, click
here
06.03.2005
Scoop! They're Coming Back in the Fall
The band are set to announce tomorrow that they are
adding 33 more dates to their 'Vertigo//2005' World
Tour.
Beginning in Toronto on September 12, the tour will
continue into December finishing in Portland on the
19th.
With the first show in San Diego just weeks away, U@
are set to be on the road just about non-stop until
the end of the year.
And we can reveal that on this third leg of Vertigo
2005, they will play 3 shows at Madison Square Garden
and 2 shows in Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, and
Boston.
As well as this, new dates have been confirmed in Minneapolis,
Milwaukee, Washington, Pittsburgh, Detroit, Houston,
Dallas, Atlanta, Tampa, Atlanta, Ottawa, Montreal, Hartford,
Buffalo, Cleveland, St. Louis, Omaha, Salt Lake City
and Portland.
"We're really looking forward to this tour,"
said manager Paul McGuinness. "The show looks and
sounds fantastic, its going to be a great year".
To see the complete list of new dates and cities in
North America this Autumn, click here
Tickets for all additional performances will go on
sale in the next few weeks. General admission floor
tickets remain $49.50 (plus applicable service fees)
and are limited to 2 per person. Additional reserved
seat tickets prices vary according to market. There
is an 8 ticket limit per person with a maximum purchase
of 2 general admission floor tickets.
20.07.2005
// 'Italian Job'
// Italian fans get to be part of a film shoot at the
San Siro in Milan tonight and tomorrow.
19.07.2005
// ‘Here She Comes…’
// Is she here to stay ? Miss Sarajevo in the set list
again for last night’s show at Letzigrund Stadium
in Zurich.
18.07.2005
// Once More In The Name of Love
// College DJs and U2 fans, Todd Richards and Mary Cipriani
will co-host the 18-hour broadcast which begins at 7:00am
on July 21st - and runs till the next morning.
17.07.2005
// Beauty Contest in Holland
// Miss Sarajevo and Original of the Species in the
set for beautiful final show at Amsterdam Arena tonight.
15.07.2005
// Out of Control Again in Holland
// Here's what they played at tonight's second show
at Amsterdam Arena.
14.07.2005
// 'Welcome home U2'
// ‘Where’s the bass man? Adam Clayton!’
Right there where he should be. ‘Unos, dos, tres…catorce!’
13.07.2005
// Hot Date In Holland
// Kaiser Chiefs, Killers, U2 - great way to open a
three night stand in Amsterdam.
12.07.2005
// Friday on stage with U2, Sunday on stage with REM
// Gary Lightbody of Snow Patrol wonders if it gets
any better! Exclusive interview with U2.Com.
11.07.2005
// 'Hear Him Singing Opera'
// Another emotional night as Parisians rock the Stade
de France.
10.07.2005
// Out of Control Again
// A second dazzling show in two nights in the French
capital.
10.07.2005
// 'Amazing Grace'
// Just one of a clutch of songs that Bono borrowed
from during a wild show in Paris last night.
To
get more on any of these U2 news items, click
here
