U2's tour itinerary is stale

[mattressjedi]

Reggio sold something like 150,000 tickets. I heard that U2 had a helicopter fly over some venues and take photos to get crowd numbers, and also weighed the number of ticket stubs to see what the gap between sales/declared attendees was.

They had run ins with Italian promoters more than once.

[imaginary friend]

They're not the only ones.

[Tumbling Dice]

They're not the only ones.

Prince and the Stones had problems with Italian promoters in 1990.  So much so they didn't play any shows in Italy for another 12 years and 13 years respectively.

[mattressjedi]

They're not the only ones.

Prince and the Stones had problems with Italian promoters in 1990.  So much so they didn't play any shows in Italy for another 12 years and 13 years respectively.

Yep. Intensely corrupt.

Illegally selling merchandise at shows, filling stadiums 20-30k overcapacity, promoters allowing Italian officials to charge for a fee for travel to the stadia on certain roads and then taking a cut.

And on and on.

[U2-obsessed and proud]

In Europe, U2 played Russia, Croatia and Turkey for the first time ever and Greece for the second time ever.  In the US, U2 played in cities they have either never played or played just once time before.  They played in Eastern Canada for the first time ever.  They played South Africa for just the second time ever.  I think they actually had a great itinerary. 

[mattressjedi]

I wasn't knocking the 360 schedule specifically. I was knocking the accumulated last 20 years of touring and how they've never been the bold ones to step out an dplay these underplayed areas.

[skelter]

What's with the wish around here for the band to play South East Asia? They have fulfilled their Asian duties by doing Japan and little more indirectly, Australia. Do you think they can earn much revenue from the Singapore dollar or Malaysian ringgit? These are lower in exchange than USD or Euro (and things in Japan are expensive)

I would cry with joy if they ever stopped by Malaysia/Singapore.

But I doubt it'll happen; they're probably too old to start changing their itinerary.

Velvet_dress, do you have any affiliation to these countries? I'm from Singapore, and it's always nice to meet someone affiliated to close by. I don't see the mood in conservative Singapore fitting or celebrating a U2 concert much (I'm local, so I can say this without coming off as racist). People'd probably just treat it like an Eric Clapton or a Stones concert. Too many genres of 'music' jostling for fans on the radio, besides swill like One Direction and the Wanted, there is also competition from J-pop and T-pop and K-pop and 

[U2-obsessed and proud]

they've never been the bold ones to step out an dplay these underplayed areas.

They actually have though.  They were bold and played the areas I've listed in 2009-2011.  They played Greece/Israel/Sarajevo/South Africa on Popmart too

[Velvet Dress]

I would cry with joy if they ever stopped by Malaysia/Singapore.

But I doubt it'll happen; they're probably too old to start changing their itinerary.

Velvet_dress, do you have any affiliation to these countries? I'm from Singapore, and it's always nice to meet someone affiliated to close by. I don't see the mood in conservative Singapore fitting or celebrating a U2 concert much (I'm local, so I can say this without coming off as racist). People'd probably just treat it like an Eric Clapton or a Stones concert. Too many genres of 'music' jostling for fans on the radio, besides swill like One Direction and the Wanted, there is also competition from J-pop and T-pop and K-pop and 

You are?!   I'm Singaporean, currently resident in Brisbane.   You're right, it's really hard to find Singaporean fans who are really passionate about U2.   And 'real' U2 fans would make up a vanishingly small percentage of any live audience they may have there.   BUT given how U2've gone consistently for big shows, that would be true of any city they play in (with a handful of exceptions like perhaps Dublin).   To take a possible objective measure:   in a stadium of 60,000 people you couldn't say that a majority or even a sizeable proportion of the audience at a U2 concert own all or even most of the albums.

I'm not sure I understand why the (political or social? either? both?) conservativeness of most Singaporeans (or more generally, Southeast Asians) would somehow impede a U2 concert.   If you mean political:   well, I'd say U2 have toned down politically a great deal compared to the 80s, eg BtBS.   The causes that Bono loudly espouses now are pretty much impossible for anyone to totally oppose.   If you mean social:   lots of other comparable bands (Muse, RHCP, Franz Ferdinand etc), have played Singapore with apparent success.   There's certainly a case to be made that Burma's Southeast Asian neighbours, including Singapore, have been complicit to some degree in Daw Aung San Suu Kyi's detention, but things like that never stopped U2 before (think all the times they played Latin America).

What's with the wish around here for the band to play South East Asia? They have fulfilled their Asian duties by doing Japan and little more indirectly, Australia. Do you think they can earn much revenue from the Singapore dollar or Malaysian ringgit? These are lower in exchange than USD or Euro (and things in Japan are expensive)

If you could say that any sort of obligation to play for their fans exists (and I don't think so; I think it's just a matter of being decent to your fans...it's a nice thing to do), surely that isn't indexed to entire continents, especially regions as geographically vast and diverse as 'Asia'.   To most of the Southeast Asians who would pay (and travel, within reason) to see a U2 concert if it came to their country, going to Japan or east-coast Australia (I say that because they've scarcely played Perth compared to Sydney etc) to see U2 is in about the same league of feasibility as going to Dublin.   If they don't want to play here, fine, that's of course up to them; but you can't suggest that the relatively-near places (ie 5 hours' international flight away, as Tokyo and Perth both are from Singapore) they have played were somehow reasonably accessible to U2 fans if they'd really wanted to see the shows.

As for the profitability/exchange rate, they've played places like that before, no problem.   Latin America repeatedly.   South Africa and Sarajevo, as OAP pointed out.   Et cetera.   Besides, they'd probably increase the dollar ticket prices as compared to North America.   I've posted in another thread about a conversation I once had in 2006 with a guy from Lushington Entertainment who told me there had originally been plans for U2 to play the Indoor Stadium on Vertigo.   He mentioned that the average price they had been looking at was S$300; at that rate, it's hard to see how they couldn't profit by a a significant margin.

[Fist-O]

I'm Indian and I have a friend who loves Metallica. While he brags on how Metallica's concert was awesome in Bangalore, I have to keep nodding my head and curse U2 who never think about coming here. If they don't come to India on the next tour... 

[Velvet Dress]

I'm Indian and I have a friend who loves Metallica. While he brags on how Metallica's concert was awesome in Bangalore, I have to keep nodding my head and curse U2 who never think about coming here. If they don't come to India on the next tour... 

Yeah I sort of understand why they never play Southeast Asia(despite what I said in my previous post), but not why they don't go to India.   It seems like (more so than in Southeast Asia due to broad cultural differences) they could build a huge following there if they put some effort into it.

Is your friend from Bangalore or did he travel there just to see Metallica?

[Fist-O]

I'm Indian and I have a friend who loves Metallica. While he brags on how Metallica's concert was awesome in Bangalore, I have to keep nodding my head and curse U2 who never think about coming here. If they don't come to India on the next tour... 

Yeah I sort of understand why they never play Southeast Asia(despite what I said in my previous post), but not why they don't go to India.   It seems like (more so than in Southeast Asia due to broad cultural differences) they could build a huge following there if they put some effort into it.

Is your friend from Bangalore or did he travel there just to see Metallica?

There's loads of U2 fans in India, but we're the outsiders among fans of other bands because of the fact that U2 have never come here. My friend lives in Mumbai but he travelled to Bangalore just to see Metallica live. The Mumbai show got cancelled and there was a riot at the venue, people were throwing around LCDs! Typical metal fans.

[skelter]

Velvet dress, nice to meet you! I've seen you around the Band fannish threads ( ) ). Very nice to meet a fellow Singaporean, especially one who  has a U2 otp! (Mine would be Adam and Edge, though!) I'm born and bred Sgrean, but in the US for college now. Last summer, I was very lucky to have a coming-of-age by chasing this band around 4 states to watch them on 360.

I guess my argument could thus be: A budget flight from Singapore to any Aussie city is comparable to domestic US flights. Many diehard fans on U2 forums have taken US domestic flights to chase the band (we even have people flying in from Canada, Mexico, etc). If I'm not wrong, the price of the flights are comparable, so it's a fair comparison of 'making the trip'. If I were stuck in Asia, I would take a budget flight into an Aussie city, then do a pilgrimmage around all the Aussie tour dates. I think domestic flights/train tickets within Australia is affordable as well.

Yeah, I didn;t mean to politicize by saying mood in Singapore. I mean music culture mood, I guess. Radio-listening youths like One Direction (same as in US), alternative youths like 'cool YOUNG acts' like Muse, etc (same as US), and the 'old people' will be there to wave their cell phones (er, I mean handphones) to WOWY or Still Haven't Found. (same as with US concerts). What I mean to say is, I guess it's rare to find Singaporeans who f****** believe in the majesty of U2, like many of us on here do. All their big ideas of beauty and grace and being a part of something bigger than yourselves. It's hard for anyone to 'get' into a music act much beyond their music, and U2 have attained a sizeable number of such fans in US, Canada, Europe. (maybe Mexico too? I've read of a few damn passionate Mexican and South American fans. So even though these countries might not be as economically viable, the fans damn straight believe in the blood and spirit of U2)

But maybe it IS a little bit about the band being complacent and negligent with more fans they could accrue, I don't know.
-They found fame at an early age by breaking into the US market. US (maybe Euro too) charts is still 'the place to be' when it comes to defining music popularity, no?
-Bono does humanatarian work with Africa, he loves America ("the idea"), they are from Europe, etc. Maybe Asia just fell off their maps when it came to covering all continents

[Velvet Dress]

Velvet dress, nice to meet you! I've seen you around the Band fannish threads ( ) ). Very nice to meet a fellow Singaporean, especially one who  has a U2 otp! (Mine would be Adam and Edge, though!) I'm born and bred Sgrean, but in the US for college now. Last summer, I was very lucky to have a coming-of-age by chasing this band around 4 states to watch them on 360.

Yep, I know you from those!   And God you're lucky; good you realise it     If I'd gotten my scholarship from UQ a semester sooner I could've caught 360 in Brisbane (and Melbourne and Sydney).

I guess my argument could thus be: A budget flight from Singapore to any Aussie city is comparable to domestic US flights. Many diehard fans on U2 forums have taken US domestic flights to chase the band (we even have people flying in from Canada, Mexico, etc). If I'm not wrong, the price of the flights are comparable, so it's a fair comparison of 'making the trip'. If I were stuck in Asia, I would take a budget flight into an Aussie city, then do a pilgrimmage around all the Aussie tour dates. I think domestic flights/train tickets within Australia is affordable as well.

I guess so.   But I wasn't really thinking of diehard fans who follow the tours around.   The audience U2 aim for and have consists mainly of people who have better things to do, to put it rudely.   And often rightly so.

What I was trying to get at is that for the majority of U2's potential live audience, flying around to see them, whether on domestic or international journeys, just isn't feasible.   Even for me, as a single student without many onerous responsibilities, it isn't financially possible, were I still living in Singapore if they play Australia's east coast again.   For most of the fans who do follow them around, they did actually have a chance to see U2 play in their home city, or at most a few hours' drive away:   following the tour was to see more shows, not just the one.

Yeah, I didn;t mean to politicize by saying mood in Singapore. I mean music culture mood, I guess. Radio-listening youths like One Direction (same as in US), alternative youths like 'cool YOUNG acts' like Muse, etc (same as US), and the 'old people' will be there to wave their cell phones (er, I mean handphones) to WOWY or Still Haven't Found. (same as with US concerts). What I mean to say is, I guess it's rare to find Singaporeans who f****** believe in the majesty of U2, like many of us on here do. All their big ideas of beauty and grace and being a part of something bigger than yourselves. It's hard for anyone to 'get' into a music act much beyond their music, and U2 have attained a sizeable number of such fans in US, Canada, Europe. (maybe Mexico too? I've read of a few damn passionate Mexican and South American fans. So even though these countries might not be as economically viable, the fans damn straight believe in the blood and spirit of U2)

Oh sorry I misunderstood.   I get what you mean.   You articulate so well the reason why I think, really, U2 won't come here.   I've never been able to quite express it, but you put it perfectly.

But maybe it IS a little bit about the band being complacent and negligent with more fans they could accrue, I don't know.
-They found fame at an early age by breaking into the US market. US (maybe Euro too) charts is still 'the place to be' when it comes to defining music popularity, no?
-Bono does humanatarian work with Africa, he loves America ("the idea"), they are from Europe, etc. Maybe Asia just fell off their maps when it came to covering all continents

I think your previous paragraph put it best.   But yes, it strikes me that however global their extracurricular outlook might be, they're very America-centred.   Have been ever since Popmart at least.   The way Bono in particular markets their output seems addressed solely at the US audience sometimes.  I understand there are good reasons for that, of course.   Even if there weren't, it's their audience; they can pimp to whomever they want.   But I can't help feeling, irrationally, a little disowned, you know?

[skelter]

Velvet_dress, no way no way!  I know an Sg friend who goes to UQ, and she told me there're quite a few Singaporeans in UQ! Maybe you know her! We're gonna have to take this offline. lol. I'll pm u later, I gotta go out now

Ok, back on topic, you do have a point about filling up the stadiums with the majority, who are fans but nothing like the diehards we are. Hmm, I need to think about that.

For now, I just wanna say, yes, it sucks if you're from India or Philippines (heard they have a large following there). U2 is at the age and status of not needing to 'get their name out there', most people at least have a notion of what the band U2 is about (for better or for worse, that's a whole nother discussion. Worse is that they are Stones-like and Bono is a p****  ) . Like someone previously said, they are too old to change their touring patterns. And on their farewell rounds, if they choose to tell us it's such, they won't be covering new ground, cos it doesn't make financial sense to (take the effort to) win new fans over at the end. Hmm, they can still make royalties off the CD sales, but I don't think that's a big factor.