U2 Perform at the 60th Annual GRAMMY Awards 

“Blessed are the Shithole Countries, for they gave us the American Dream”
— Bono during U2’s GRAMMY performance

New York, NY — 46-time GRAMMY nominees and 22-time winners—the most of any rock band—U2 performed this evening at the 60th Annual GRAMMY awards.

Bono and The Edge of U2 began music’s biggest night alongside 2018 Album of the Year nominee Kendrick Lamar, contributing guitar and vocals to “XXX” from Lamar’s DAMN, which garnered seven nominations and five wins this year.

Bono and The Edge were later joined by Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen for a visually stunning performance of “Get Out Of Your Own fun Way” staged on a barge in New York Harbor under the gaze of the Statue of Liberty.

“Get Out Of Your Own Way” features lyrics written by Bono for his daughters and has since been adopted by many as a human rights anthem. Tonight the song found new resonance played under the watchful eyes of Omaima, the teenaged Syrian refugee who graced U2’s stage on the Joshua Tree 2017 tour as part of a powerful film created by the artist JR.

U2 were introduced by Latin GRAMMY award winner Camila Cabello, who reminded us that America is a country Built by Dreamers, for Dreamers, chasing the American Dream, by reciting the “lines of world-wide welcome” from Emma Lazarus’ The New Colossus.

Watch the whole performance here.

Finally the singer and guitarist of the only group to win Album of the Year twice—in 1988 for The Joshua Tree and in 2006 for How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb—Bono and The Edge were proud to present the award for Album of the Year to winner Bruno Mars.

Broken Fingaz Crew Create Ominous Animated Video for U2’s “Get Out Of Your Own Way”

Broken Fingaz Crew, the fearless Israeli graffiti collective whose provocative, groundbreaking and often disturbing fluorescent sketches were among the first street art in their native Haifa, have directed U2’s new video for “Get Out Of Your Own Way.” Broken Fingaz Crew’s animated realization of the song can be viewed here.

Known only by the pseudonyms that preserve their anonymity with local authorities–Unga, Tant, Kip and Desco—the enigmatic Broken Fingaz Crew approached U2 with the concept of an animated visualization of the second single from the band’s new Songs of Experience. After a successful collaboration on U2’s video for “American Soul,” the band were inspired to give Broken Fingaz Crew full creative control based on their impassioned interpretation of “Get Out Of Your Own Way.” The result reaffirms Broken Fingaz Crew’s standing as artistic and social pioneers emerging from an underground of their own creation.

Broken Fingaz Crew described the mission statement of their  “Get Out Of Your Own Way” video as follows:

“The video addresses the current political situation: 2017 for us was the year fascists worldwide felt confident enough to raise their heads again, encouraged by Trump and other world leaders, who use people’s fear to build more walls and segregation.

The song is both a personal letter and a clarion cry to the global situation, and in the same way, we’ve combined our psychedelic pop style with political imagery; shot entirely analogue, using paper cut and stop motion animation techniques in collaboration with Adam Albo, who edited the video.”

In other U2 news, the band have announced the UK/Europe leg of the eXPERIENCE + iNNOCENCE Tour 2018, with new dates to go on sale January 26th. For a full confirmed routing and further information, go to U2.com or see below:

U2
eXPERIENCE + iNNOCENCE Tour 2018

May 2 – Tulsa, OK – BOK Center
May 4 – St. Louis, MO – Scottrade Center
May 7 – San Jose, CA – SAP Center
May 8 – San Jose, CA – SAP Center
May 11 – Las Vegas, NV – T-Mobile Arena
May 12 – Las Vegas, NV – T-Mobile Arena
May 15 – Los Angeles, CA – The Forum
May 16 – Los Angeles, CA – The Forum
May 22 – Chicago, IL – United Center
May 23 – Chicago, IL – United Center
May 26 – Nashville, TN – Bridgestone Arena
May 28 – Atlanta, GA – Infinite Energy Arena
June 5 – Montreal, QC – Bell Centre
June 6 – Montreal, QC – Bell Centre
June 9 – Uniondale, NY – NYCB Live, Home of the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum
June 13 – Philadelphia, PA – Wells Fargo Center
June 14 – Philadelphia, PA – Wells Fargo Center
June 17 – Washington, DC – Capital One Arena
June 18 – Washington, DC – Capital One Arena
June 21 – Boston, MA – TD Garden
June 22 – Boston, MA – TD Garden
June 25 – New York, NY – Madison Square Garden
June 26 – New York, NY – Madison Square Garden
June 29 – Newark, NJ – Prudential Center
August 31 – Berlin, DE – Mercedes-Benz Arena
September 4 – Cologne, DE – Lanxess Arena
September 8 – Paris, FR – AccorHotels Arena
September 9 – Paris, FR – AccorHotels Arena
September 16 – Lisbon, PT – Altice Arena
September 20 – Madrid, ES – WiZink Arena
September 29 – Copenhagen, DK – Royal Arena
October 3 – Hamburg, DE – Barclaycard Arena
October 7 – Amsterdam, NL – Ziggo Dome
October 11 – Milan, IT – Mediolanum Forum
October 12 – Milan, IT – Mediolanum Forum
October 19 – Manchester, UK – Manchester Arena
October 23 – London, UK – The O2

U2

SONGS OF EXPERIENCE #1 ON U.S. CHART

HIGHEST FIRST WEEK SALES FOR A ROCK BAND IN 2017

TRAILER REVEALED FOR “GET OUT OF YOUR OWN WAY”

DIRECTED BY JONAS AKERLUND

“One of the best albums of 2017.”— ABC NEWS

“A thrilling listen.”— ASSOCIATED PRESS

“U2 are earnest, defiant, and as epic as ever on Songs of Experience.”— ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY

“Reaffirms the sound that has been filling arenas and stadiums for decades.”— THE NEW YORK TIMES

“In their strongest outing since All That You Can’t Leave Behind, the four-piece writes both sweeping anthems as well as some of the most effortless songs of their career.”— NO RIPCORD

“If experience has taught U2 anything, it is that a great new song can still feel like the first day of the rest of your life. Songs of Experience is that innocence renewed.”—ROLLING STONE

“Their best album in years.”— USA TODAY

U2’s 14th studio album, Songs of Experience (Interscope), has now become the band’s eighth album to hit #1 on the Billboard 200, making U2 the sole group to score #1 albums across four decades: The 1980s, 1990s, 2000s and 2010s.  Songs of Experience’s first week sales of nearly 200,000 equivalent albums since its December 1 release represent 2017’s biggest first week numbers for a rock band.

Songs of Experience’s release was celebrated with a December 2 appearance on Saturday Night Live, featuring the band playing “Get Out Of Your Own Way” and “American Soul.”

The trailer for the “Get Out Of Your Own Way” video can be seen HERE. The full video will premiere in the coming days.

Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen Jr. will debut songs from the critically acclaimed new album alongside classics spanning the entire U2 catalogue on the eXPERIENCE + iNNOCENCE Tour beginning in North America in May 2018. Just as Songs of Experience serves as a companion piece to 2014’s Songs of Innocence, the eXPERIENCE + iNNOCENCE Tour will serve as a sequel to 2015’s iNNOCENCE + eXPERIENCE Tour which saw “U2 reinvent the arena show” (Rolling Stone) and was named the #1 concert of 2015 by The New York Times. With demand for tickets necessitating second dates in San Jose, Los Angeles, Boston, Chicago, Las Vegas, Montreal, New York, Philadelphia and Washington DC, the eXPERIENCE + iNNOCENCE Tour will kick off Wednesday, May 2, 2018 in Tulsa OK at the BOK Center. Full itinerary below.

U2
eXPERIENCE + iNNOCENCE
NORTH AMERICA 2018

May 2 – Tulsa, OK – BOK Center
May 4 – St. Louis, MO – Scottrade Center
May 7 – San Jose, CA – SAP Center
May 8 – San Jose, CA – SAP Center
May 11 – Las Vegas, NV – T-Mobile Arena
May 12 – Las Vegas, NV – T-Mobile Arena
May 15 – Los Angeles, CA – The Forum
May 16 – Los Angeles, CA – The Forum
May 22 – Chicago, IL – United Center
May 23 – Chicago, IL – United Center
May 26 – Nashville, TN – Bridgestone Arena
May 28 – Atlanta, GA – Infinite Energy Arena
June 5 – Montreal, QC – Bell Centre
June 6 – Montreal, QC – Bell Centre
June 9 – Uniondale, NY – NYCB Live, Home of the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum
June 13 – Philadelphia, PA – Wells Fargo Center
June 14 – Philadelphia, PA – Wells Fargo Center
June 17 – Washington, DC – Capital One Arena
June 18 – Washington, DC – Capital One Arena
June 21 – Boston, MA – TD Garden
June 22 – Boston, MA – TD Garden
June 25 – New York, NY – Madison Square Garden
June 26 – New York, NY – Madison Square Garden
June 29 – Newark, NJ – Prudential Center