3 sleeps until U2 - June 11, 1997

June 11, 1997

In three days, U2's PopMart tour pulls into Edmonton.
Here are some tour tidbits:

Always politically charged and peace-loving, U2 has been up to its elbows in burning issues during its current tour. At a recent lunch in Washington with President Clinton, the guys made a plea for Leonard Peltier -- the Sioux militant whom many believe has been wrongfully targeted, persecuted and jailed by the U.S. government. Peltier was one of four American Indians convicted in the killings of two FBI agents during a standoff between law enforcement agents and Indian activists on the Pine Ridge Reservation in 1975. At a recent concert, U2 dedicated a song from the stage to Jeff Buckley, the fervent, second-generation singer/songwriter who last week disappeared and was presumed dead in a Memphis river swimming accident.

-- Philadelphia Daily News

U2 is pushing the cause of safe sex at PopMart with the officially sanctioned Pop condom. Fashioned in the production's dominant colour of bright yellow, this two-pack souvenir sells for $5.

A huge block of tickets has been released for U2's shows this weekend. Some 4,000 tickets -- including great seats on the floor -- are available for the June 14 show, and more than that for June 15's concert. Call TicketMaster at 451-8000 for info.

And now for the PopMart forecast...

Environment Canada predicts a high of 21, cloudy skies with a 60 per cent chance of showers Saturday, and a high of 22 with slightly less chance of showers Sunday.

The stage is set...

Here are some interesting facts about the tour which should give some idea of just how big it's going to be . . .

THE TOUR - The PopMart tour plays in stadiums in 62 cities in 20 countries through December 1997, and extends into an additional 20 countries in 1998.

THE SCREEN - On the tour with U2 will be the world's largest video screen, a high-technology, state-of-the-art structure using 35 kilometres of cable, 21,000 circuit boards, 120,000 connectors and 150,000 pixels made up of 1,000,000 LEDs. The enormous screen is 150 feet by 50 feet, covering 700 square metres, yet weighs only 65,000 pounds.

THE STAGE - A single arch 100 feet high * A 35-foot-high mirrorball lemon * A 12-foot-wide internally illuminated stuffed olive (on a 100-foot-high toothpick) * A three-inch-tall squeaky nun * 1,000 light fixtures, including over 5,000 feet of disco rope lighting, a large plexiglass dance floor, six lighting machines, six broadcast television cameras, one headset camera, 20 Xenon searchlights and 100 strobe lights. * The stage set (including a 30-ton PA system as part of 1,200 tons of equipment) will travel on 15 buses and 52 trucks.

THE CREW - The touring ensemble will consist of over 200 people.

Web site du jour

We'll be posting a new Web site of the day every day leading up to the big concert Saturday night.

Today's site:

Interference
A terrific fanzine for U2 fans. Tour information, audio/video, pictures . . . this site has it all. A great start for followers of the band.