The band formed at Mount Temple Comprehensive School in 1976 when the members were teenagers with limited musical proficiency. Within four years, they signed with Island Records and released their debut album, Boy (1980). Subsequent work such as their first UK number-one album, War (1983), and the singles "Sunday Bloody Sunday" and "Pride (In the Name of Love)" helped establish U2's reputation as a politically and socially conscious group. By the mid-1980s, they had become renowned globally for their live act, highlighted by their performance at Live Aid in 1985. The group's fifth album, The Joshua Tree (1987), made them international superstars and was their greatest critical and commercial success. Topping music charts around the world, it produced their only number-one singles in the US, "With or Without You" and "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For".
Facing creative stagnation and a backlash following their documentary/double album, Rattle and Hum (1988), U2 reinvented themselves in the 1990s through a new musical direction and public image. Beginning with their acclaimed seventh album, Achtung Baby (1991), and the multimedia-intensive Zoo TV Tour, the band integrated influences from alternative rock, electronic dance music, and industrial music into their sound, and embraced a more ironic, flippant image. This experimentation continued through their ninth album, Pop (1997), and the PopMart Tour, which were mixed successes. U2 regained critical and commercial favour with the records All That You Can't Leave Behind (2000) and How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb (2004), which established a more conventional, mainstream sound for the group. Their U2 360° Tour of 2009–2011 is the highest-attended and highest-grossing concert tour in history. The group's thirteenth album, Songs of Innocence (2014), was released at no cost through the iTunes Store, but received criticism for its automatic placement in users' music libraries.
U2 has released 14 studio albums and is one of the world's best-selling music artists in history, having sold more than 170 million records worldwide. They have won 22 Grammy Awards, more than any other band, and in 2005, they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in their first year of eligibility. Rolling Stone ranked U2 at number 22 on its list of the "100 Greatest Artists of All Time". Throughout their career, as a band and as individuals, they have campaigned for human rights and philanthropic causes, including Amnesty International, Jubilee 2000, the ONE/DATA campaigns, Product Red, War Child, and Music Rising.
Foundation: The band originally formed in 1976 when Larry Mullen posted a bulletin in his school asking for musicians to form a rock band. The band then consisted of the four current members plus three additional guitarists, including The Edge’s brother Dick Evans (later a member of Virgin Prunes), Ivan McCormick and Peter Martin. According to legend, Bono originally auditioned as a guitarist but couldn’t play. He auditioned as lead vocals, but really couldn’t sing. He was, however, incredibly enthusiastic about the band, extremely charismatic, a great writer, and was strangely able to reach the audience when the band played, something he is known for still today. Bono will reach out into the crowd and dance or mess with someone in the crowd at every concert. He was kept as a member. The extra guitarists would soon leave the band and the group would go through the names “Feedback ” and “The Hype” before finally settling on U2.
The 70s & 80s: 1978 was a jumping point year for the band, finally finding their sound / voice. U2 won a talent contest in 1978: £500 and funds to make a record. Paul McGuinness became the band’s manager and U2 released an EP called Three and the single Another Day, the following year. U2 went on to release their first album, Boy and then more critically acclaimed albums incl.: October, War, Under A Blood Red Sky, and The Unforgettable Fire (featuring the song PlayMLK dedicated to Martin Luther King Jr). Seen by many as a political band with more charisma than others, they were called “a different kind” of band. After a short break U2 returned with The Joshua Tree & the USA music inspired Rattle And Hum (also a movie of the same name, based on the tour).
The 90s: Promising ”to dream it all up again”, they added industrial and dance styles to their music. Trying to drop a goody two shoes image, they went to Berlin (Germany), supposedly to develop new self-expressions. From there they started to make fun of themselves and had a good time of it in albums like Achtung Baby (meaning ”watch out, baby”, artwork feat. make-up artist Nassim Khalifa) & Zooropa. Bono took on many stage personae such as “The Fly”, “Mirrorball Man” and “Mr. MacPhisto” for the gigantic ZOO TV Tour. Later they continued to make fun of Pop culture and all its extremes with the album Pop and consequent PopMart tour which was announced to be launched at a Kmart store and included a giant golden arch across the stage.
The 00s: At the end of the 90’s into 00’s U2 became less image and more reality. With the death of Bono’s good friend Michael Hutchence, the lead singer of INXS, Bono wrote more songs from the heart surrounding ideas like life and death, children, hope, and the real world past all the pop culture and TV. Some say they’ve returned to a more band-centric sound with albums like All That You Can’t Leave Behind which features a song, Kite, dedicated to Bono’s father who passed away shortly after the album’s conception and 2004’s How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb.
The 10s: U2 went on the U2 360° Tour in 2009 and 2010. This tour set records for the highest-grossing concert tour. The band worked with producer Danger Mouse for their thirteenth album Songs of Innocence, which was released on 9 September 2014 for free to all Apple iCloud users.
The Name: There are many theories as to the origin of the name U2. For example, U2 was an intelligence airplane that was in use by the United States during the Cold War. Other obvious candidates include “You too” and “You two”, etc. Nonetheless the official line on the name’s origins remains unknown. The band has been quoted as saying that they did think of the U2 spy plane, but remain hushed about other reasons… U2
Live in Moscow
U2 Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Desert sky
Dream beneath a desert sky
The rivers run but soon run dry
We need new dreams tonight
Desert rose
Dress torn in ribbons and in bows
Like a siren she calls to me
Sleep comes like a drug
In God's country
Sad eyes, crooked crosses
In God's country
Set me alight
We'll punch a hole right through the night
Everyday the dreamers die
See what's on the other side
She is liberty
And she comes to rescue me
Hope, faith, her vanity
The greatest gift is gold
Sleep comes like a drug
In God's country
Sad eyes, crooked crosses
In God's country
Naked flame
She stands with a naked flame
I stand with the sons of Cain
Burned by the fire of love
Burned by the fire of love
In the song, "Live in Moscow" by U2, the artist sings about the desire for new ideals and dreams in the world. The lyrics describe the setting of a desert sky, where the rivers are running dry, signifying a need for a new way of life. The song speaks of a dream where the artist sees a desert rose, which symbolizes hope and beauty in a barren and empty world. The singer is drawn to the siren's call of the rose and is hopeful that it will lead him to a better future.
The lines, "Sleep comes like a drug, in God's country, sad eyes, crooked crosses", suggest a struggle to find peace and contentment in the world. However, the lyric, "She is liberty and she comes to rescue me, hope, faith, her vanity, the greatest gift is gold", speaks to a belief that there is still hope for progress and an acceptance of the beauty. The song ends with the line, "Burned by the fire of love", which could be interpreted as the artist's acknowledgment that passion and love can lead to both pain and reward.
Line by Line Meaning
Desert sky
The empty, endless sky of a barren desert.
Dream beneath a desert sky
To imagine and hope for a better future despite the bleak and harsh surroundings.
The rivers run but soon run dry
Although there may be some resources available, they will not last forever.
We need new dreams tonight
It is time to create new visions and aspirations for the future.
Desert rose
A rare and valuable flower that grows in an unforgiving environment.
Dreamed I saw a desert rose
To envision something that is both beautiful and unattainable.
Dress torn in ribbons and in bows
Even something as delicate and lovely as a flower can be damaged and scarred.
Like a siren she calls to me
The allure of something out of reach is irresistible.
Sleep comes like a drug
The escape from reality found in sleep is addictive.
In God's country
A place where the divine and earthly intersect.
Sad eyes, crooked crosses
The pain and confusion that can arise from trying to reconcile faith with injustice.
Set me alight
Ignite passion and purpose within me.
We'll punch a hole right through the night
Break through darkness and obstacles to reach a goal.
Everyday the dreamers die
The struggle to maintain hope and optimism despite obstacles takes a toll on the spirit.
See what's on the other side
To explore and discover what is unknown or hidden.
She is liberty
Freedom and independence personified.
And she comes to rescue me
Hope for salvation and deliverance.
Hope, faith, her vanity
Belief in a better future even if it requires a certain level of self-importance.
The greatest gift is gold
True wealth lies in the intangible things that bring meaning and happiness.
Naked flame
The passionate and intense fire of love.
She stands with a naked flame
Love is both alluring and dangerous.
I stand with the sons of Cain
To be marked by a legacy of violence and sin.
Burned by the fire of love
Love can be painful, but it is worth the risk.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: ADAM CLAYTON, DAVE EVANS, LARRY MULLEN, PAUL HEWSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@Romchikthelemon
00:00:19 Space Oddity (David Bowie) Intro
00:02:04 Return of the Stingray Guitar
00:04:33 Beautiful Day \ Rain (The Beatles)
00:09:29 New Year's Day
00:14:19 Get on Your Boots
00:18:33 Magnificent
00:24:06 Mysterious Ways
00:28:38 Singing in the Rain (Gene Kelly)
00:29:00 Elevation
00:32:59 Until the End of the World \ "Let Me Take a Look at You..."
00:39:40 A speech (Shevchuk, Gorbachev in da house)
00:43:15 I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For
00:47:29 Pride
00:50:50 In a Little While
00:55:06 Miss Sarajevo
00:59:40 City of Blinding Lights \ Singing In the Rain (Gene Kelly)
01:05:17 Vertigo
01:09:48 I'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight (Redanka remix) \ Discotheque
01:16:50 Sunday Bloody Sunday \ Get Up, Stand Up (Bob Marley)
01:23:13 MLK
01:26:50 Walk On \ You'll Never Walk Alone
01:33:55 Desmond Tutu speech
01:35:40 One
01:40:50 Amazing Grace
01:41:31 Where the Streets Have No Name
01:48:17 Spaceship Intro
01:50:26 Ultraviolet
01:55:46 With or Without You
02:02:02 Knockin' On Heaven's Door (Bob Dylan) с Юрием Шевчуком
02:08:10 Moment of Surrender
описание: запомниТся.
@user-ob5eq2bs8o
Это был лучший концерт на котором удалось побывать в моей жизни, приехали с лучшим другом из Санкт-Петербурга на этот концерт, друга уже два года как нет на этой земле, но эти воспоминания когда нам было по 20 лет, мы были совсем молодыми и верили в самое светлое будущее никогда меня не покинут. Спасибо за те воспоминания которые живут в сердце и будут жить всегда.
@user-rx6wv3jm4w
Меня тронули твои слова
Дай бог тебе здоровья!
@iphonefour4
Ora fate la guerra, bravi 🫡🤭
@TV-ks6nm
Да, однозначно топ, незабываемая туса быда
@23i12i
25 августа 2010 , до сих пор билеты в коробочке лежат 🙏🏼❤️ мне 11 лет , с папулей поехали на концерт одной из самых великих групп , спасибо , что был такой шанс🙏🏼 никогда не теряю надежду , что еще будет такая возможность собраться в Лужниках , и спеть про великий «it’s a beautiful rain”✨✨✨
@user-dd1gl5rt3l
уже больше 10 лет прошло! невероятный был вечер, лучшего звука я пока не слышал!
@timuriegoromanda
Спасибо Господи что позволил нам быть на этом концерте))))
@user-yo7rl7gu8r
ООО я был там. 3 часа под проливным дождем, но это того стоило. Такое бывает наверное раз в жизни.
@user-ff7jc4qc1g
в 97м очень переживал, что не попал на концерт в праге (тогда казалось, что ближе уже не будут...)
я был в "луже"... это было мокро... это было круто...
@ampiristik
А потом мокрые по комсомольскому проспекту гуляли))))