Monday, November 3, 2008

U2 Tower??? Seriously, you can't make this up...

It was 34 years ago this week that George Harrison launched his "George Harrison & Friends North American Tour" becoming the first solo Beatle to tour North America. Harrison opened the tour on November 2nd, 1974 at the Pacific Coliseum in Vancouver,

The 30-date tour was particularly grueling for Harrison, who had blown out his voice in the rush to complete his Dark Horse album, resulting in some reporters mockingly referring to the dates as the "Dark Hoarse" tour. To make matters worse, Harrison and his band were often playing two shows a day, with some dates not selling out. The show, which had already had pacing problems due to Harrison's choice of material, featured guest spots by saxophonist Tom Scott and Billy Preston, as well as two long Indian music sets by sitar virtuoso Ravi Shankar interspersed within the concerts, which all but wrecked any momentum the "rock" aspects of the show had gained.

Although Harrison and the press liked to portray the concert audiences as hostile toward his performances, underground recordings of concerts taped in such cities as Fort Worth, Long Beach, and Baton Rouge show boisterous fans cheering the show -- including the songs from Harrison's soon-to-be critically bashed Dark Horse album, which didn't hit the stores until the tour was halfway over.
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U2's plans to build a nearly 400-foot skyscraper in the heart of Dublin's docklands area have been suspended due to the ongoing global financial crisis. According to NME.com, the Dublin Docklands Development Authority (DDDA) said on Friday (October 31st) that it had "suspended negotiations" over the tower for up to 12 months "due to uncertainty in the property and financial markets." The members of U2 were principal investors in the tower, which was slated to house the band's brand new recording studio in a giant futuristic pod suspended at the top.

The tower, which would have been Ireland's tallest building, would have also housed a hotel, residences, shops and a public viewing platform.

The DDDA said in a statement, "The objective is to see this landmark project completed. However, given the current unfavorable economic environment, more time is needed at this juncture."

The planned project has also drawn protests in the area for its potential effect on the local area and Dublin skyline.


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