U2
Studios Rive Gauche
Paris, France
February 23, 2009
"U2009@Le Grand Journal"
Recorded by Canal+
LINEAGE: [youtube] > TotalRecorder > FLAC > fre:ac > mp3@192kb/s (16/48kHz)
TRACK LISTING:
00-[soundcheck - excerpts, incl. Love Me Tender & Magnificent]
01-Get On Your Boots
02-[interview with French overdubs]
03-Breath
NOTES from U2gigs:
Today, U2 performed live on a French TV show for the first time.
The band were special guests on Le Grand Journal, and the first
song they played was Get On Your Boots. It was similar to recent
performances at awards shows, and at the start, the screen displayed
"Gros baiser", French for "Big kiss". This time, the pre-recorded
intro included an instrumental sample of the Marseillaise and
"I don't want to talk about wars between the nations" spoken in
French.
Boots was followed by an interview with Bono and The Edge. Both
spoke in English with French dubbed over the top. The first question
was "how do you manage to be successful?", to which Edge responded
"we have the right shoes". When asked about the creation of the new
album, Bono spoke about the significance of being in Fez. They were
asked what other bands inspire them; The Clash were cited as a
"public service announcement with guitars" and Edge mentioned
Coldplay. Edge also talked about the band's disco influences and
said that some disco songs were better than rock, at which point
Bono pretended he would leave the stage. The interview then moved
on to Bono's political work; Edge expressed pity for politicians who
are face-to-face with Bono due to how persuasive he is. The music
industry was also discussed; the vinyl edition of 'No Line On The
Horizon' was displayed; Bono even mentioned playing music loud at
his beach house in southern France.
After the interview, the band performed a second song, Breathe. It
had an extended drum intro and a keyboard backing track. Bono managed
to handle the pace of the verses, but tired a little by the end of
the song. During Edge's solo, Bono ventured out and stood on the
table where the interview took place. The performance was uplifting
and finished U2's appearance for the episode.
There are rumours that a third song may be taped for broadcast on a
later show.
Thanks to Renato M. for assisting with this article.