
U2
U2 can be booked through this site. U2 entertainment booking site. U2
is available for public concerts and events. U2 can be booked for
private events and U2 can be booked for corporate events and
meetings through this U2 booking page.
Unlike most middle agents that would mark
up the performance or appearance fee for U2, we act as YOUR agent in
securing U2 at the best possible price. We go over the rider for
U2 and work directly with U2 or the responsible agent for
U2 to secure the talent for your event. We become YOUR agent,
representing YOU, the buyer.
In fact, in most cases we can negotiate for
the acquisition of U2 for international dates and newer promoters
providing you meet professional requirements.
U2 Biography
Through a combination of zealous righteousness and post-punk
experimentalism, U2 became one of the most popular rock & roll
bands of the '80s. Equally known for their sweeping sound as for their
grandiose statements about politics and religion, they were rock &
roll crusaders during an era of synthesized pop and heavy metal. The
Edge provided the group with a signature sound by creating sweeping
sonic landscapes with his heavily processed, echoed guitars. Though the
Edge's style wasn't conventional, the rhythm section of Adam Clayton
and Larry Mullen, Jr., played the songs as driving hard rock, giving
the band a forceful, powerful edge that was designed for arena rock.
And their lead singer, Bono, was a frontman who had a knack of grand
gestures that played better in arenas than small clubs. It's no
accident that footage of Bono parading with a white flag with Sunday
Bloody Sunday blaring in the background became the defining moment of
U2's early career -- there rarely was a band that believed so deeply in
rock's potential for revolution as U2, and there rarely was a band that
didn't care if they appeared foolish in the process. During the course
of the early '80s, the group quickly built up a dedicated following
through constant touring and a string of acclaimed records. By 1987,
the band's following had grown large enough to propel them to the level
of international superstars with the release of The Joshua Tree. Unlike
many of their contemporaries, U2 was able to sustain their popularity
in the '90s by reinventing themselves as a postmodern, self-consciously
ironic dance-inflected pop/rock act, owing equally to the
experimentalism of late-'70s Bowie and '90s electronic dance and
techno. By performing such a successful reinvention, the band confirmed
its status as one of the most popular bands in rock history, in
addition to earning additional critical respect.
With its textured guitars, U2's sound was undeniably indebted to
post-punk, so it's slightly ironic that the band formed in 1976, before
punk had reached their hometown of Dublin, Ireland. Larry Mullen, Jr.
(born October 31, 1961; drums), posted a notice on a high-school
bulletin board asking for fellow musicians to form a band. Bono (born
Paul Hewson, May 10, 1960; vocals, guitar), the Edge (born David Evans,
August 8, 1961; guitar, keyboards, vocals), Adam Clayton (born March
13, 1960; bass), and Dick Evans responded to the ad, and the group
formed as a Beatles and Stones cover band called the Feedback, before
changing their name to the Hype in 1977. Shortly afterward, Dick Evans
left the band to form the Virgin Prunes. Following his departure, the
group changed its name to U2.
U2's first big break arrived in 1978, when they won a talent contest
sponsored by Guinness; the band were in their final year of high school
at the time. By the end of the year, the Stranglers' manager, Paul
McGuinness, saw the band play and offered to manage them. Even with a
powerful manager in their corner, the band had trouble making much
headway -- they failed an audition with CBS Records at the end of the
year. In the fall of 1979, U2 released their debut EP, U2 Three. The EP
was available only in Ireland, and it topped the national charts.
Shortly afterward, they began to play in England, but they failed to
gain much attention.
U2 had one other chart-topping single, Another Day, in early 1980
before Island Records offered the group a contract. Later that year,
the band's debut, Boy, was released. Produced by Steve Lillywhite, the
record's sweeping, atmospheric but edgy sound was unlike most of its
post-punk contemporaries, and the band earned further attention for its
public embrace of Christianity; only Clayton was not a practicing
Christian. Through constant touring, including opening gigs for Talking
Heads and wet T-shirt contests, U2 was able to take Boy into the
American Top 70 in early 1981. October, also produced by Lillywhite,
followed in the fall, and it became their British breakthrough,
reaching number 11 on the charts. By early 1983, Boy's I Will Follow
and October's Gloria had become staples on MTV, which, along with
their touring, gave the group a formidable cult following in the U.S.
Released in the spring of 1983, the Lillywhite-produced War was U2's
breakthrough release, entering the U.K. charts at number one and
elevating them into arenas in the United States, where the album peaked
at number 12. War had a stronger political message than its
predecessors, as evidenced by the U.K., college radio, and MTV hits
Sunday Bloody Sunday and New Year's Day. During the supporting
tour, the band filmed its concert at Colorado's Red Rocks Amphitheater,
releasing the show as an EP and video titled Under a Blood Red Sky. The
EP entered in the U.K. charts at number two, becoming the most
successful live recording in British history. U2 had become one of the
most popular bands in the world, and their righteous political stance
soon became replicated by many other bands, providing the impetus for
the Band Aid and Live Aid projects in 1984 and 1985, respectively. For
the follow-up to War, U2 entered the studios with co-producers Brian
Eno and Daniel Lanois, who helped give the resulting album an
experimental, atmospheric tone. Released in the fall of 1984, The
Unforgettable Fire replicated the chart status of War, entering the
U.K. charts at number one and reaching number 12 in the U.S. The album
also generated the group's first Top 40 hit in America with the Martin
Luther King, Jr., tribute (Pride) In the Name of Love. U2 supported
the album with a successful international tour, highlighted by a
show-stealing performance at Live Aid. Following the tour, the band
released the live EP Wide Awake in America in 1985.
While U2 had become one of the most successful rock bands of the '80s,
they didn't truly become superstars until the spring 1987 release of
The Joshua Tree. Greeted with enthusiastic reviews, many of which
proclaimed the album a masterpiece, The Joshua Tree became the band's
first American number one hit and its third straight album to enter the
U.K. charts at number one; in England, it set a record by going
platinum within 28 hours. Generating the U.S. number one hits With or
Without You and I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For, The
Joshua Tree and the group's supporting tour became the biggest success
of 1987, earning the group the cover of respected publications like
Time magazine. U2 decided to film a documentary about their American
tour, recording new material along the way. The project became Rattle
& Hum, a film that was supported by a double-album soundtrack that
was divided between live tracks and new material. While the album
Rattle & Hum was a hit, the record and film received the weakest
reviews of U2's career, with many critics taking issue with the group's
fascination with American roots music like blues, soul, country, and
folk. Following the release of Rattle & Hum, the band took an
extended hiatus.
U2 reconvened in Berlin 1990 to record a new album with Eno and Lanois.
While the sessions for the album were difficult, the resulting record,
Achtung Baby, represented a successful reinvention of the band's
trademark sound. Where they had been inspired by post-punk in the early
career and American music during their mid-career, U2 delved into
electronic and dance music with Achtung Baby. Inspired equally by
late-'70s Bowie and the Madchester scene in the U.K., Achtung Baby was
sonically more eclectic and adventurous than U2's earlier work, and it
didn't alienate their core audience. The album debuted at number one
throughout the world and spawned Top Ten hits with Mysterious Ways
and One. Early in 1992, the group launched an elaborate tour to
support Achtung Baby. Dubbed Zoo TV, the tour was an innovative blend
of multimedia electronics, featuring a stage filled with televisions,
suspended cars, and cellular phone calls. Bono devised an alter ego
called the Fly, which was a knowing send-up of rock stardom. Even under
the ironic guise of the Fly and Zoo TV, it was evident that U2 was
looser and more fun than ever before, even though they had not
abandoned their trademark righteous political anger.
Following the completion of the American Zoo TV tour in late 1992 and
before the launch of the European leg of the tour, U2 entered the
studio to complete an EP of new material that became the full-length
Zooropa. Released in the summer of 1993 to coincide with the tour of
the same name, Zooropa demonstrated a heavier techno and dance
influence than Achtung Baby and it received strong reviews.
Nevertheless, the album stalled at sales of two million and failed to
generate a big hit single. During the Zooropa tour, the Fly
metamorphosed into the demonic MacPhisto, which dominated the remainder
of the tour. Upon the completion of the Zooropa tour in late 1993, the
band took an extended break. During 1995, U2 re-emerged with Hold Me,
Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me, a glam rock theme to Batman Forever that
was produced by Nellee Hooper (Björk, Soul II Soul). Later that year,
they recorded the collaborative album Original Soundtracks, Vol. 1 with
Brian Eno, releasing the album under the name the Passengers late in
1995. It was greeted with a muted reception, both critically and
commercially.
Many hardcore U2 fans, including drummer Larry Mullen, Jr., were
unhappy with the Passengers project, and U2 promised their next album,
to be released in the fall of 1996, would be a rock & roll record.
The album took longer to complete than usual, being pushed back to the
spring of 1997. During its delay, a few tracks, including the
forthcoming first single Discotheque, were leaked, and it became
clear that the new album was going to be heavily influenced by techno,
dance, and electronic music. When it was finally released, Pop did
indeed bear a heavier dance influence, but it was greeted with strong
initial sales, and a few positive reviews. In late 1998, the group
returned with Best of 1980-1990, the first in a series of hits
collections issued in conjunction with a reported 50 million dollar
agreement with Polygram.
Three years after the mediocre response to Pop, U2 teamed up with Eno
and Lanois once again to release All That You Can't Leave Behind in
fall 2000. It topped charts around the world, reached number three in
America, earned the band Grammy Awards for the singles Beautiful Day
and Walk On, and became their biggest-selling record in years. (The
Elevation tour that followed also brought U2 a hefty paycheck.) Steve
Lillywhite, producer of the early-'80s landmarks Boy, October, and War,
returned to the helm for U2's next record, How to Dismantle an Atomic
Bomb. Released in November 2004, it hit the top of the Billboard charts
and quickly gained platinum status. The album also garnered eight
Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year, Rock Album of the Year, and
Song of the Year (for Sometimes You Can't Make It on Your Own ). ~
Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
Written by Stephen Thomas Erlewine