It’s been a while since I’ve written an article for @U2! But before pointing a finger to me, please let me explain why.
First, during the European leg of the Experience + Innocence Tour, I covered nearly all the shows, which included live-tweeting and writing recap for the site, which were many hours of work. As some of you might know, I live in Brazil, so almost nothing in “U2 world” happens in my country, language or time zone. At the end of the E+I Tour, after three tours in a row, I needed a break.
Also, I’ve always been very active on Twitter, and Matt McGee asked me to take charge of the @U2 Twitter account. That’s what I’ve been doing since the beginning of this year: searching for news/photos/videos and sharing them, so I haven’t been writing as many stories for the site itself. When Karen Lindell was elected the new “boss” (she doesn’t like being called boss), she invited me to be the social media team leader. Most of my efforts now go to updating our Twitter and Facebook accounts.
When U2 release a new album or are touring, news pops up all the time. But when the band is on vacation, it’s more complicated to find interesting content every day. I’m working hard to keep our social media followers updated and entertained. (And I’m open to suggestions! You can send a message to my personal twitter – @febottini)
Following his usual summer vacation tradition, Bono is enjoying the South of France. He visited the Dalí exhibition in Monaco along with several famous friends: Sacha Baron Cohen, Noel Gallagher, Woody Harrelson, Lars Ulrich, Matthew McConaughey, Bill Gates, Guy Oseary and the artist JR. Edge is spending some days with his family in Greece. Larry was spotted in Mexico recently, and this week he was in U.S. A lot of fans are talking about his new haircut, but he’ll always look good to me.
@U2 staffer Aaron Govern is featured Q magazine’s September edition as part of an article about “superfans.” He’s always been a diehard fan, and according to the article he’s one of the world’s biggest U2 collectors. Aaron has been following the band since the early days, so I’m very proud to have him as a friend. There is always something new he can teach me, and he’s always humble and kind to everyone, which are rare traits to find nowadays. Be sure to check out the article! (It’s not available online, but you can get a preview of what’s in the print issue.)
This week U2 announced a new date for The Joshua Tree Tour 2019: The band will play in Manila, Philippines, for the first time. They’ll also be performing for the first time ever in Singapore and South Korea. It’s really exciting to see U2 visiting other countries. Living in South America, I know how expensive it is to travel to North America or Europe to be at the shows. I think it will be amazing for the local fans and the band. Maybe while getting in touch with a different culture they will be inspired to make new songs. And there are still rumors about new dates… Who knows?
Any opinions expressed in this column are those of the individual author and do not necessarily represent the views of @U2 as a whole.
(c) @U2/Bottini, 2019