Week In Review: September 25, 2020

Week In Review Header

Week In Review: September 25, 2020

As always, AtU2 brings you the latest in U2 news.

 

Celebrations In Honor Of Global U2 Day

Today is Global U2 Day! September 25, 2020 marks the 44th anniversary of the first gathering of the band that would become U2, then meeting in Larry Mullen’s kitchen first under the guise of “The Larry Mullen Band” then “Feedback.” This first gathering included Bono, The Edge, Adam and Larry, as well as Dik, Edge’s older brother, and Ivan McCormick and Peter Martin.

The folks at Insearchofrockgods.com have put together a list of events, most of them virtual, celebrating U2 Day here. Highlights include a Twitter watch party for Rattle And Hum on September 25, as well as a socially-distanced concert by the U2 tribute band Acrobat happening in Canada on September 26. Happy U2 Day!

U2 Makes Rolling Stone’s Latest “Top 500 Albums” List—Twice!

Rolling Stone recently released their newest list of “The 500 Greatest Albums Of All Time,” and everyone’s favorite Irish band has two entries. Achtung Baby clocks in at #124, and The Joshua Tree is ranked at #135. These placements are drops from the 2012 edition of the list, which placed Achtung Baby at #63 and The Joshua Tree at #27. War, All That You Can’t Leave Behind and Boy also made the 2012 list, ranking #223, #280 and #417 respectively. According to Rolling Stone, 154 new albums made the RS 500 this year that hadn’t appeared on the 2012 edition (or a version released in 2003), which could explain U2’s displacement on the 2020 list.

U2 Conference 2020 Reminder

As our staffer Becky posted on Wednesday, you can now register for the 2020 U2 Conference! This annual conference, presented virtually this year for the first time, creates a space for academic, scholarly discourse about U2. Registration is only $40 and covers all six days of the conference, from October 18-24. Students receive a discounted rate of $24.

U2Con 2020 will feature a keynote by Edel Rodriguez, presentations by U2 academics and even musical performances. Check out the full list of presenters here.

Bono Appears In New Shane MacGowan Documentary

As reported by Barry Moran in The Irish Sun, Bono will appear in a new documentary about The Pogues singer Shane MacGowan. Produced by MacGowan’s longtime friend Johnny Depp, Crock Of Gold: A Few Rounds With Shane MacGowan features interviews with Bono, Nick Cave, Elvis Costello and others. Crock Of Gold is airing at the San Sebastian International Film Festival through September 26; there is no word yet on a wider release plan.

 

© McClaskey/AtU2, 2020