U2's Bono and The Edge in conversation with NDTV
Don't know about Bono but India has finally found what it's been looking for all these years. U2, the iconic band fronted by Bono, has announced that they will be playing India for the first time ever this December. Mumbai has been included on their The Joshua Tree tour of Asia-Pacific which starts in November and to take the excitement up a few more notches, Bono and lead guitarist The Edge chatted to NDTV's Rohit Khilnani in New York. First, concert details - U2 will perform at Mumbai's DY Patil Stadium at 4 pm on Sunday, December 15. U2's Mumbai concert will be brought to India by BookMyShow and be produced by Live Nation Global Touring. The tour celebrates U2's fifth album, The Joshua Tree, released in 1986-87 and the set list is expected to comprise of songs from the album like With Or Without You, Where The Streets Have No Name and I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For. They will also play songs from other albums.
Speaking to NDTV, Bono said: "I hope it's good news (for fans in India). It certainly is good news for our band that we are coming to Mumbai on December the 15th. It's our first time in India and we are pretty excited," while The Edge added: "Good things come to those who wait and we've been waiting to come to India. So, we're really excited."
When told that they will be welcomed by a sea of eagerly waiting excited fans, Bono said: "We don't want to presume that... but we're coming whether they are there or not. It's a mythical place for us as well. An extraordinary, burgeoning democracy."
The Edge revealed that U2 will delight Mumbai with a three act show beginning with tracks from The Joshua Tree album: "Well, it's The Joshua Tree album with other songs. We will be playing the show in three parts, opening that album from beginning to end and then a third act to close the show. We decided a little while ago to play The Joshua Tree album because its felt like those songs suddenly had a new point. World affairs had almost come 360 (degrees) and it felt to us that we were back to a similar era - the mid-80s when the album was first written and recorded. So, it will be fun to see a whole new audience getting to know those songs played live has an entirety."
"For us the great thrill is to get to know our Indian audience," he added.
Describing India as the biggest "functional democracy", Bono explained why India holds a special place in their hearts: "The other thing that important to us is the fight against injustice. We were shaped and formed by Martin Luther King, Jr, who was a student of Mahatma Gandhi... we have to be actively involved in our democracy to preserve it and show people how we feel and things that we care about. So, we come as students to the source of inspiration that is 'Ahimsa', non-violence. Indians gave us this. It is the greatest gift to the world."
Bono and Edge wrapped the interview on a sprightly note by promising an electrifying performance: "I'm gonna turn up the music and have some fun... I'm gonna make it a vivid show and we'll go through the black and white together."
Watch the interview here:
U2's drummer Larry Mullen Jr told news agency IANS that Maximum City is the "perfect" destination for their concert in India: "Mumbai is the perfect city to end our JT 2019 tour. We are very excited to see you there" while his fellow U2 guitarist Adam Clayton added: "We are very much looking forward to bringing a dash of Dublin to Mumbai, India. A country famous for its rich culture of art, music, movies, theatre, literature, food and so much more. There is a lot of excitement in the U2 camp."
Meanwhile, all concert details here:
Apart from their debut performance in India, U2 will also perform in Singapore, Seoul and Manila for the first time ever as part of The Joshua Tree tour.
(With IANS inputs)
