April 26-27, 2013 in Cleveland, Ohio
U2 fans from around the world gathered in Cleveland, Ohio, in late April for U2 Conference 2013, the second conference designed specifically to discuss all things U2.
Whereas the first U2 conference was billed as an academic event, the second conference featured content tracks both for academic and mainstream audiences. Keynote presentations included Bill Carter, the man that set up satellite links during the Zoo TV tour 20 years ago, and Steve Averill, the longtime head of U2’s design team and the man that gave U2 its name. There were also special events each day, including a pre-conference get together at a local Irish pub and a post-conference party featuring a performance by the NYC-based tribute band, Unforgettable Fire.
@U2 assisted in promoting the conference to fans around the world, and we were also responsible for programming the mainstream sessions. And, of course, we also provided as much conference coverage as possible. The highlights of that coverage are included below.
Mainstream Interview Sessions
Our mainstream sessions included interviews with (in order) Jim Henke, Brian O’Neal, Unforgettable Fire and John Gorman. We also did a group discussion session called “Stories For Boys & Girls” that involved fans sharing personal stories from their U2 fandom.
Jim Henke interview
@U2 recap: Veteran Journalist Henke Recalls U2’s Earliest Days
Due to technical issues, we were unable to provide a video recording of this session.
Brian O’Neal interview
@U2 recap: U2 Publicist Brian O’Neal Interviewed at U2 Conference
Session video:
Unforgettable Fire interview
@U2 recap: U2 Conference 2013: Unforgettable Fire Deconstructs U2
Session video: (note that the audio is really hot in the video below)
John Gorman interview
@U2 recap: Can U2 Still Get Played On US Radio? U2 Conference Session Discusses That Issue & More
Session video:
Photos
Our set of photos from the conference is available on Flickr. It includes the pre-conference gathering on Thursday night and continues with photos all the way through the post-conference show by Unforgettable Fire on Saturday night.
News (most recent first)
May 07, 2013 – @U2 – VIDEO: U2 Conference Interview with Unforgettable Fire – U2’s Sound Explained for Non-Musicians
May 05, 2013 – @U2 – VIDEO: U2 Conference Interview with John Gorman — U2 on the Radio, Past, Present and Beyond
May 03, 2013 – @U2 – U2 Conference 2013: Unforgettable Fire Deconstructs U2
May 03, 2013 – @U2 – VIDEO: U2 Conference Interview with Brian O’Neal on Marketing U2 in the 1990s
May 02, 2013 – @U2 – PHOTOS: 2013 U2 Conference
May 01, 2013 – @U2 – Can U2 Still Get Played On US Radio? U2 Conference Session Discusses That Issue & More
April 27, 2013 – @U2 – Steve Averill: Meeting Soon To Discuss Album Design With U2
April 26, 2013 – @U2 – Secrets of Sarajevo: 20 Years Later
April 26, 2013 – @U2 – Veteran Journalist Henke Recalls U2’s Earliest Days
April 26, 2013 – @U2 – U2 Publicist Brian O’Neal Interviewed at U2 Conference
April 25, 2013 – @U2 – U2 Conference Keynotes to be Streamed Online
April 24, 2013 – @U2 – 2nd U2 Conference Starts Tomorrow
April 17, 2013 – @U2 – Steve Averill to Keynote at U2 Conference Next Week
April 11, 2013 – @U2 – Have a Question for a U2 Conference Speaker?
March 15, 2013 – @U2 – U2 Conference: Latest Updates re: Sessions, Registration and more
March 06, 2013 – @U2 – U2 Conference: ‘ONE’ Tribute Band to Perform Friday Night
February 28, 2013 – @U2 – U2 Conference: U2 Publicist Brian O’Neal Added to Program
February 21, 2013 – @U2 – U2 Conference: ‘Unforgettable Fire’ Band Joins Program & Plays Post-Party
February 01, 2013 – @U2 – U2 Conference Announces Schedule, Opens Registrations
January 21, 2013 – @U2 – Announcing the 2013 U2 Conference Mainstream/Popular Track
September 11, 2012 – @U2 – U2 Conference Returns in 2013; @U2 to Program Several Sessions