Montag, 30. November 2015

Innocence + Experience Dublin 3

From local papers to international magazines, the sentiment has been unanimous: The Innocence + Experience tour has been mind-blowing.
For me and others in the family, it's always a special event and always reignites my love for the songs.

The determination to get the tour to the smaller arena in Dublin can be compared to getting PopMart to Sarajevo: Pull out all the stops to make it happen. I’m not sure how many rock groups feel that strongly, valuing their audience with as much reverence and respect as we give them. It’s a bond that few understand. It defies explanation, as does the idea of showing Cedarwood Road to the world. Simply amazing, the best Friday of the year! 

Donnerstag, 26. November 2015

Bono and David Bowie

"People would not react if I went out and carried on like Elvis Presley or Mick Jagger or David Bowie. People do react if I go out and carry on like Bono. And I like that."
-Bono





And as Bono might say auf Deutsch:
 
"Es sind meine Teenager-Jahre als Bowie-Fan. Ich bin noch immer ein Fan, war aber damals in Herz und Kopf noch erheblich empfänglicher. Und jeder dieser Songs hatte eine unmittelbare Wirkung. U2 schulden ihm viel. Er machte uns mit Berlin und den Hansa-Studios bekannt, er ist der Auslöser dafür, dass wir mit Brian Eno arbeiten. Von ihm stammt die Freiheit, in hohen Lagen zu singen und so der „männlichen“ Stimme eine weibliche Nuance zu geben. Und nicht zuletzt ist da die ästhetische Überhöhung – der Versuch, auf der Bühne neue Wege zu gehen. Bowie hatte keine Angst, in neuen Größenordnungen zu denken und Drama auf die Bühne zu bringen." 

Ich sah ihn zum ersten Mal, als er bei „Top of the Pops“ diese Nummer sang. Es war so, als wäre eine fremde Kreatur vom Himmel gefallen. Die Amerikaner schickten einen Mann zum Mond – wir hatten einen Engländer aus der Tiefe des Raumes. Und obendrein hatte er noch eine irische Großmutter.

 




Dienstag, 24. November 2015

First Sunday of Advent

"Advent: In the overwhelming commercialism of this time of year, it is easy to forget that the season of Advent that begins on Sunday is not focussed on preparing for Christmas, instead it is a time to remember that it was in “the time of this mortal life” that “Jesus Christ came to us in great humility” and “that on the last day...  he shall come again in his glorious majesty to judge the living and the dead.” To talk of such things can bring odd reactions, people thinking that such thinking is not part of their tradition, that the idea of Jesus returning is only something for those whom they would regard as religious zealots, that it is no more than an optional belief for Christians, yet every time we say the Creed we declare a belief that he will come again to “judge the living and the dead.”

Are the odd people not those who say that they believe what they say they believe every Sunday, but those who say the words every week, but then say that they do not believe them? If we do not believe in the advent of Christ, if we do not believe in the coming of his kingdom, then is our faith purely about the here and now? And if our faith is only about the here and now, then why do we believe at all?"
-Ian Poulton.

Mittwoch, 18. November 2015

Die Armee der Poeten

Von Arthur Horvath.

Liebe Freunde,

am 19.11.2015 starten wir die „Dann geh doch … mal in meinen Schuhen“ Kampagne der YOUNG Stage Kids. Den Film gedreht und geschnitten hat die wundervolle und großartige Anna Mönnich die auch eine Dokumentation über Young Stage dreht. 

Ich teile die Meinung der Kid´s in diesem Video (Passwort: Arthurund weiß, dass ich nicht machtlos bin sondern auch persönlich mit Euch allen gemeinsam die Macht habe die Dinge zu verändern und zu handeln.

-Well done Silke, nice voice!

And this is my right foot in 2015:






Donnerstag, 12. November 2015

Thanks Reg!

and thank you Ali, Candida and Cynthia. The Innocence & Experience show in Cologne was the best stage show I’ve seen since Pop in Mannheim in 1997. The story told is part of my life story too, just amazing to see it presented this way.

Yes, the new music is autobiography. Yes, that may be self indulgent, but no more so than any biography or memoir. All we have is our stories and our lives, our experiences. And that's what this show is about? Growing up in Finglas as it was in the 1970's. It was the same in the 60's. I just loved it.

Here we are proudly collecting our VIP tickets:






Dienstag, 3. November 2015

Where the streets now have names ...

There is a song from Eric Church called "Springsteen". That tribute song has prompted a Scottish band called December to write and record a tribute song for U2, and it's quite good. Have a listen (and enjoy the Dublin scenery) in this new video for their song, "Alison Stewart."

To understand my appreciatzion of this video,  for Cedarwood Road think Ballymun Avenue and for Mount Temple think Mountjoy. I was there even before Bono.





December chose the song title when it became apparent that the song had been written from Bono's wife's viewpoint.