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#U244 – Party this way!
It’s here guys! One of our favorite days of the year! 44 years ago this Friday was the beginning of that crazy musical journey our favorite band has been on and that stole all our hearts in the way!
Sept 25th has been declared by the past U2 international day and even though for us fans that should be every day of the year, we take the opportunity to take the craziness up a notch and celebrate our band louder than any other day.
Eh, for once we’ve got a good excuse to do so, why wouldn’t we?
This day is usually a mix of online and live events, meetups, joy and laughter, and obviously a few #U2Pints – virtual or not, it works!
You don’t need me to tell you that this year it’s gonna feel a bit different though. But let’s not dwell on that thought because if there’s anything U2 fans are good at – apart from being crazies, thanks Bono – is that they know how to throw a party!
I’ve been trying to compile a list of all events organised by the community to celebrate #U244 – and as usual, Zootopians proved once more that the U2 fandom definitely deserves its title of best fandom in the world.
Hell, you know what, I’ll say it : We rock. We freaking rock.
Are you ready for what’s next guys?
Go pick that mirror ball in the attic, put on your party pants, make sure to have a few bottles ready on the side because it’s almost time to BOOMCHA!
If you’re not sure how to celebrate online, well, just follow the crazies bouncing around with U2 shirts like you always do in real life. But just in case here’s a little recap for the weekend ahead!
Let’s start with the basics, shall we?
We all need a little warm up before ending up dancing on tables. What? You don’t? Damn you’re wilder than I thought. I still need that warm up though, so here goes.
Obviously, the main goal is to be as loud and insufferable as possible. Be the U2 fan you’ve always wanted to be. The one your friends and family whine about. Go big. Have your revenge and spam the hell out of them. Fill the internet with that band and your love for it.
Post pics, vids, music, memorabilia, have a gif storm, get blocked by Twitter because you’re posting so much they think you’re a bot (ahem). It’s that ONE weekend in the year when no one can judge you. So, Go WILD!
Put on your fanciest U2 shirt, watch shows, blast the albums loud, read a good U2 book for the uptenth time, hell bake a U2 cake!
Ha. Cake. That’s somewhat of a tradition really. I am not sure where it came from but, I guess, cake is never a bad idea. Very much looking forward to seeing U2 cake artists emerging this year as all we’ve been doing during lockdown was baking. Don’t lie now. We’ve all done it. It’s funny when you think about it. Our first primal survival instinct when the world is seemingly ending is to make frosting. Ha. Humanity…
Anyways. As I was saying, cake is never a bad idea so get that oven on and get to work ! Plus, you’re gonna need that sugary hit to go through the day as the U2 community decided to throw one hell of an online party this year !
September, 25th
#U2T0925 – U2 T-shirt day
For the fifth year in a row, Graham (@joshthetree_) takes over your closet for a day – saving you the hassle to pick an outfit – and invites you to join the U2 T-Shirt day fun! Just wear a U2 shirt – for once you have a great excuse! – take a photo and share it on social medias using #U2T0925. I absolutely love this initiative, it’s becoming quite the tradition now and i’m not sure we could go back to U2 international day (I assure you that’s a thing) without it. More than great shirts, It’s always a pleasure to see the #U2fam smiling faces all over my timeline!
December new single release !
As part of the Welcome to the northside online event – I’ll come back to that in a few – our favorite Scottish band is blessing us with another U2 cover. Much awaited single will be out on youtube this friday and that is, in my humble opinion, quite a celebration too!
December never fails to amaze me, and I am very much looking forward to hearing their magic at work on a song like Heartland. The first reviews out are proving me right, but I knew it already because they always nail it !
I’ve known them for a little while now, but I’m always very excited when they release new stuff because eh, awesome tunes that never disappoint are always a good thing to take.
Excellent band, even better people – if you don’t already, pleaaase give them a follow on Twitter, they are so close to hitting 2000 followers !
The Garden Tarts – #U244 special episode
Is there a better day than this one to be kissing lips and breaking hearts? I think not !
I don’t know what the Tarts have in store for us this time but my advice is that you sit down comfortably, pour yourself a nice glass of whiskey and have a slice of that U2 cake you just baked.
That podcast is definitely for you if you’re missing your friends and your U2 Fam – they have the magical power to transport you right at their table and you will surprise yourself taking part of that conversation. Eh, there’s no shame in speaking aloud on your own. They def make you feel right at home.
If you don’t know Jenny and Hillary (@the_gardentarts) yet, you’re clearly missing out. Fix that now and go listen to their podcast right here – you can thank me later. Very much looking forward to celebrating our band Tart style!
I’ll go get the bottle now. Just in case. Can’t be late. Ha..
#U244Live
This year is all kind of messed up seriously. And more than ever, we miss our band and we miss live music.
We miss the thrill. We miss the joy. We miss the leather pants. Sigh. That’s just me? Ha. Nevermind then. There’s something that ain’t missing though, and that’s us. And you know what we do best ? Share the love for that band. And guess what, we have all the material we need at our fingertips to do so. U2? Live? HA ! We’ve got this, guys.
On Sept 25th – hell the whole weekend! Or forever if you ask me – let’s flood the Internet with vids of our favorite live performances for #U244 !
Post your videos and links using #U244Live!
Let’s celebrate with the most beautiful sound we’ve ever heard and go crazy with this ! It’s not spamming. It’s love!
Turn it up loud captain !
#U2getherAtHome : Rattle And Hum watch along online party – 4 PM PST.
I know a lot of you wanted to watch this one , well @dreaminpiredo is making it happen ! Put on your party pants (suspenders compulsory for this one) and enjoy the ride ! You know the drill by now. Grab your DVD, press play at the same time and have fun ! All infos right here.
I’d like to add a little word on that though, because I know some of you were a tad mad at me for skipping R&H when we were having those watch alongs and I guess I didn’t take enough time to explain why. Better late than never eh?
Back during the #U2getherAtHome days, I decided to pass on that one for the simple fact that it was part documentary – and I got a lot of shit for doing so but eh I still think it was a good decision. The original #U2getherAtHome was all about emotions, live raw emotions. Losing it completely for a couple of hours and disconnecting entirely from reality. Because reality sucked. The world was in lockdown, most of us were going down. We needed the joy. We needed the thrill. We needed to get out of our heads. And more than anything else, we needed something to hold onto.
Even though Rattle and Hum could have perfectly checked all those boxes, I was afraid it wouldn’t be the same as watching an actual show. Because I know our fam, and I know than more than feels, it would have sparked a conversation – which ain’t bad eh, don’t get me wrong – and of course, put in motion those wee gears in your brain, eventually leading back to that bittersweet nostalgy of pre covid days. That was just kicking the door wide open for our anxiety to come running back into our arms and fuck it all up. Hell no. Not on my watch. Don’t think, just feel. Just one night per week to lash out, to lose it, to fall into that musical abyss and embrace the joy and love it would bring. That was the plan – and from my perspective, I think it worked well.
Ha. HA!
Well.. The world is still going to shit but eh at least now we weirdly-maybe-kinda got used to it? We’re still anxious, we’re still scared – and hell we should be – but I guess that initial shock has passed? If there’s one thing humans are capable of, it’s adapt to survive (and now excel at frosting).
So I am very happy that R&H is finally having the party it deserves – seriously, those suspenders alone deserve a party – It’s definitely the right time to jumpstart your brains again – there’s apparently a few who forgot about that part – and share your thoughts, your joy, your love for that beautiful movie. It’s gonna be one heck of a party. Oh yes.
September, 26th
#U2getherathome Listening/Watch along party – 6PM UK
I am obviously VERY excited (again!) about this one! So if you’ll indulge me, I’d like to tell the little backstory behind it – if not just skip this next paragraphs for actual infos !
When @dreaminspiredo posted about the R&H watch along, we started talking about a kind of #U2getherAtHome revival. The first idea was to have a few of those parties all along the day. But the more I thought about it, the less certain I was about that idea. There was much stuff planned already and it had been very clear in my mind that the original U2getherathome served its purpose. Even though I knew it could be one hell of a party, I wasn’t sure I wanted to go back to something we already had done.
And so as it’s usually the case, when in doubt, talk to people. I reached out to my partner in crime for the first U2gethers, Tyler from the RevU2 podcast, who’s been a massive help to organize those watch alongs, providing weekly awesome graphs and lifting all our spirits up with his legendary MacPhisto dance moves during the live tweeting – also suffering my Bono meltdowns that I couldn’t post publicly. Sorry Ty.
And so we talked. And talked. Opinions and ideas colliding, and more than that our wants, our needs, our regrets… And that’s when something emerged. It’s not something new but it’s also something we haven’t done yet together – at least online – it’s all about music right? And celebration? And the joy it brings! Ha! Now that’s an interesting thought..
We’ve been ‘working’ – because can we really call that work when U2’s involved? (EDIT: Yes we can) – on a little something these past few weeks. Because out of this desperation, came inspiration and eventually reinvention?
When u2gether ended, I made it clear that I was done with what I wanted it to be but also that anyone who wanted to keep going with it was more than welcome to do so. And some fans di. But you know what… As Bono once said : we’re stealing it back! Ha! – At least for today.
Off with the shows, on with the studio (kinda) !
We’re throwing a little party for an album whose anniversary is also coming up soon. And I’m very happy to invite you all to join us for the #U2getherAtHome listening/watching party : A celebration of The Unforgettable Fire.
We’ve been working on putting together a Youtube playlist with a mix of studio/live videos of the album throughout the years and I hope you’ll enjoy listening/watching it as much as we did – and we listened to it a lot. Hell, I even started enjoying Pride. I think we did a good job.
So Saturday 26th at 6PM (UK) join us on twitter using the hashtag #U2getherAtHome #U2TUF and/or on Zootopia ! Let’s have a party #U2Fam ! Check my twitter (@madfl3a) or Ty’s (@rev_U2) where we’ll post the playlist link shortly before the event.
Hope to see you all around !
Welcome to the north side – U2 Baby stream 9PM UK
For the last 5 years, U2 fans from all over the world knew they had the perfect spot to celebrate this special day. You know how we often hear U2 fans say that this band just takes us to church? Well, in this case, it’s quite literal.
If you’ve ever seen any U2 shows in Dublin for the past few years, chances are pretty high that you ended up at the Church bar in Dublin at some point. It’s been a much appreciated meeting point for us all, and gosh those walls sure saw some wild U2 fans parties. Welcome to the northside alright. They also have been hosting U2 fans parties every year since the 40th anniversary of the band on Sept 25th.
But this year is different. This year everything is cancelled. But eh, not our joy, and certainly not the will of those guys to throw us one hell of a party. Opting for the next best thing, like the rest of us, @northside_fest are bringing the annual banter online with a live music stream by none other than U2 Baby ( @theu2tributeuk) – and I know you know that tribute band too. They’re also the next best thing in my opinion. Don’t let the bastard virus grind you down guys, and enjoy the show!
With any luck, next year, online parties can all suck it because we’ll all be partying together at the Church!
September, 27th
Oi! Party animals! That’s enough! Are you channeling your inner Edge or what? Ha. HA! Well. Now that’s what I call an online party. You can keep it all up of course – cake, music, U2 pints, awesome pics, cake and repeat! Too much isn’t enough!
But I think that after all that, my plans for Sunday will probably look a bit more like.…
My head already hurts. Ouch. In the meantime, enjoy the celebration guys! Drink responsibly (it’s not because no one can see you that you will feel better in the morning) and of course…
HAVE FUN !
