U2 Defends World Tour’s Environmental Impact
U2 is doing a 360° world tour and have stepped up to defend the cost of it after recent protests. The band opened their tour in the UK at Wembley on Friday (August 14), where 88,000 people attended, but they have received criticism recently from David Bryne, the former Talking Heads singer, who wrote on his blog that the cost for the world tour is excessive when considering the band’s stance on world hunger. The band also faced objections while in Croke Park for three dates last month, with residents getting angry that as many as 100 trucks were driving around in order to transfer the massive stage.
In regard to the criticism, The Edge, U2’s guitarist, said that he thinks anybody who is doing a tour will leave a carbon footprint, and it’s unfair to single out the rock ‘n’ roll bands, as there are many other things that are actually in the same category. However, the band has their own program to offset whatever footprint they leave behind, he continued. The Edge also defended their tour being disrupted in Ireland, telling BBC 6 Music that they would use an alternative to the big trucks, but there isn’t one. He also added that the cost of their trip is really them spending the money on their fans, and he doesn’t think there’s anything better to spend it on.
At Wembley on Friday, U2 performed for a full 2 hours, combining a huge selection of tracks from ‘No Line On The Horizon’, their recent album, with hits from their back catalog. They also paid tribute to Joe Strummer, the late Clash frontman.
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