Week In Review: July 7, 2020
@U2 brings you all the news U2 fans can use in the Week In Review. In this edition, we cover a big week of U2 X-Radio news, Adam’s interview with Rolling Stone, Edge’s interview with Billboard and the return of The Claw.
U2 X-Radio Premiers On SiriusXM
On July 1 at 3pm EST, the next evolution in U2 launched: U2 X-Radio. We covered all the details here on Day 0. The first song: “Bullet The Blue Sky.” Bono’s first guest on his show “Bono Calling:” Chris Rock. The Edge’s first guest on his show “Close To The Edge:” David Byrne. First celebrity DJ on the show “Guest DJs Play U2,” and to say “honey hole:” Matthew McConaughey. Paul Oakenfold put on a fantastic set on “Discotheque” that included “Even Better Than The Real Thing” (Perfecto Mix).” The best interview so far likely goes to The Edge and John Kelly interviewing Bryan Stevenson, founder of the Equal Justice Initiative, on “Elevation.” Finally, 10 very lucky fans got to be the first fan DJs to debut on “Desire.”
To see the full list of episodes that have aired so far and which are On Demand in the SiriusXM app, scroll to the bottom of this page.
Adam Drops New Tour, Album Hints And More With Rolling Stone
Adam spoke to Rolling Stone about everything from U2 X-Radio, the band’s plans for the channel, his thoughts on a Zoo TV sequel tour and even the state of their next album. That is a lot to make any U2 fan excited, and we recommend a full read. Adam plans to guest-host when either Bono or Edge needs a break from their shows on U2 X-Radio. There is also some hope that the Sirius channel will play full concerts: “You certainly do see a lot of U2 concerts being distributed digitally where the quality of the sound isn’t as good as it could be. I hope we can readdress that balance.” Adam said also said he is up for a Zoo TV sequel tour: “…The ability to revisit work that still is relevant, that still stands up, and reinterpret it in a different way is exciting.” There is even a new album in progress: “There’s an album ready to go, we’re just not ready to sure [sic] when we want to press that button…. When I say ready to go, I mean ready to be completed. Let’s put it that way…. We want to be quick, down and dirty with the next one.” We like the sound of that.
Edge Gives An In-Depth Interview To Billboard On U2 X-Radio
The press train continues to roll with the launch of U2 X-Radio. The Edge didn’t just speak to Rolling Stone last week, covered in our Week In Review here; he also spoke to Billboard. Edge speaks in greater detail about his history with radio and why it was important to the band: “When U2 kicked off, it was the way we were really first able to engage with a wider fanbase through college radio.” He also previews that his show, “Close To The Edge,” will have artists of all kinds, Carlos Alomar and Noel Gallagher are already lined up to follow David Byrne, The Edge’s guest in the first episode. In addition to playing U2 songs, Edge has been “making some experimental, tiny little pieces of music I hope we’ll end up using on the station.” Finally, staying fresh for the fans is important: “We want to break rhyme and do things that surprise the people who are even the biggest, most dedicated U2 fans so it doesn’t feel rote or dialed in.”
The Return Of The Claw
The Claw has been reborn as Ecosystem Exploration Craft & Observatory (EECO) at the Loveland Living Planet Aquarium in Utah. Starting July 2, visitors can make a reservation to visit the aquarium and get up close and personal with The Claw again. The Claw is part of the main Plaza where aquarium guests will enter via the Welcome Center. However, the 360° Tour will not be the last concert The Claw hosts. It will continue to be a stage for events, performances and adult-only evenings held at the aquarium and can even be rented for private outdoor events. Reserve your time to visit the aquarium and The Claw/EECO here.
U2 X-Radio isn’t the only place you’ll hear commentary on the band’s more obscure songs. We polled our readers on which deep cuts they would like to hear about on our next podcast, and you chose “Fez-Being Born.” We cover that and more first thoughts on U2 X-Radio here on the @U2 podcast Episode #107: Sirius – Being Born. Subscribe now and never miss a future episode – judging by this past week in the U2 universe, there will be a lot more for us to talk about.
More info on the U2 X-Radio shows aired so far:
“Desire” ON DEMAND (as of 7/6):
E01 – 2020-07-01 – Kelly McNamara @kellymac14
E02 – 2020-07-02 – Mark Baker @U2BROTHR
E03 – 2020-07-02 – Gretchen Shae
E04 – 2020-07-03 – Tim Neufeld @timneufeld
E05 – 2020-07-03 – Tassoula Kokkoris @tassoula
E06 – 2020-07-03 – Maggie Johnson
E07 – 2020-07-04 – James Parker @TheeEdge
E08 – 2020-07-04 – Vid @mysteriousdays
E09 – 2020-07-05 – Donna Lane @donna_marie40
E10 – 2020-07-06 – Mike Kurman @bonobaltimore
“Guest DJs Play U2” ON DEMAND
E01 – 2020-07-01 – Matthew McConaughey @Matthew78506135
“Close To The Edge” ON DEMAND
E01 – 2020-07-01 – David Byrne @DBtodomundo
“Bono Calling” ON DEMAND
E01 – 2020-07-01 – Chris Rock @chrisrock
“Discothèque” @pauloakenfold
E01 – 2020-07-03
“The Dan Hegarty Show” @talldanhegarty ON DEMAND
E01 – 2020-07-04
“Elevation” @johnkellytweets ON DEMAND
E01 – 2020-07-05 – The Edge & Bryan Stevenson @eji_org
© @U2/Hurwitz, 2020