U2 tribute band clearinghouse thread

[dmway 586]

I was encouraged by one of the moderators to create such a thread about a month ago for all the tribute/cover bands for our beloved band. This is especially apt now since U2 are about to go on a hiatus of unknown length in about two weeks, and because the tribute band I saw a month ago I just saw again tonight! 

The one I have seen recently, and about 15 years ago too, is "Unforgettable Fire". They are based in NYC, but they travel all over the Northeast. They opened for a Tom Petty tribute band about a month ago in Philadelphia (thus, they only played for an hour), but tonight I saw them in Atlantic City and it was just them. They did their usual fantastic job and they did their homework even for the most recent tour!

 

The setlist tonight was (with accompanying graphics too) :

 

The Blackout (yes, really - complete with "It's A Beautiful World" pre-show beginning and graphics taken from "The Blackout" live from the barricage - yes, they are that exacting with their presentation)

I Will Follow ("Boy" cover in background)

Beautiful Day (complete with astronaut graphics from U2360)

Gloria (someone tell Mich )

Desire (nod to RnH while everyone was team-watching it tonight - I would have done it too, but I was busy obviously)

The Fly (complete with the current graphics from the e&i tour)

With Or Without You

All Because of You

Sunday Bloody Sunday (which segued into..)

Please (which segued back into the end of SBS)

New Year's Day

Pride

Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses

Bullet The Blue Sky

Running To Stand Still

Where The Streets Have No Name (complete with the graphics from the JT anniversary tour)

One

(encore) Walk On

 

Obviously, a great set and they performed it brilliantly. In January, it will be their 24th anniversary as a band!  If you live in the Northeast US, definitely catch them. They are great for getting you through the years when U2 aren't on tour. Their website is: http://uf2.com/

 

Anyway, this isn't a thread just for them or for this part of the world. If you have a U2 tribute band near you, wherever you are in the world, just post your news about them here. That's why this thread was created. I'll continue to give updates on UF, but I hope everyone will update they bands that they know about.  Tour hiatuses are easier to take with a good tribute band to see once in a while; they're fun to see anytime really (if they play as well as UF does).

I'll try to add some pictures if the site cooperates.

 

 

[dmway 586]

The pre-show graphic

[dmway 586]

The Blackout - if you look closely, you can make out that shadowy figure that was on the barricage while U2 plays it.

[dmway 586]

Beautiful Day (with astronaut ?‍?)

[dmway 586]

The Fly with current graphics

[dmway 586]

...and with legacy graphics

[dmway 586]

Who’s Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses ? ? 

[dmway 586]

That’ll do for now! 

They are worth catching! I know I will. ?

 

[dmway 586]

A final one tonight - “All Because of You”.

They have been following the recent setlists! ?

[Canadanne 157]

I saw U2-2 (who used to be Achtung Baby) for the first time at the end of the summer, playing a free gig on Bournemouth beach. Brilliant night - getting to hear Please live was a particular treat! They have the best Fake Edge I've ever seen - I would have thought it was the real thing, if I didn't know he was in Berlin that night.

I've lost count of how many U2 tribute bands I've seen now. I'll have to try and make a list sometime!

[dmway 586]

41 minutes ago, Canadanne said:

I saw U2-2 (who used to be Achtung Baby) for the first time at the end of the summer, playing a free gig on Bournemouth beach. Brilliant night - getting to hear Please live was a particular treat! They have the best Fake Edge I've ever seen - I would have thought it was the real thing, if I didn't know he was in Berlin that night.

I've lost count of how many U2 tribute bands I've seen now. I'll have to try and make a list sometime!

Yes - please do! The mod who encouraged me to start the thread and I wanted a thread just for U2 tribute bands worldwide.

If you can find URLs for them, please include those as well! 

[Europa_Thomas 124]

10 hours ago, Canadanne said:

I saw U2-2 (who used to be Achtung Baby) for the first time at the end of the summer, playing a free gig on Bournemouth beach. Brilliant night - getting to hear Please live was a particular treat! They have the best Fake Edge I've ever seen - I would have thought it was the real thing, if I didn't know he was in Berlin that night.

I've lost count of how many U2 tribute bands I've seen now. I'll have to try and make a list sometime!

He is a good likeness.

[Canadanne 157]

10 hours ago, Europa_Thomas said:

He is a good likeness.

He sounds and plays just like him too!

[dmway 586]

15 hours ago, Europa_Thomas said:

He is a good likeness.

 

5 hours ago, Canadanne said:

He sounds and plays just like him too!

I have to stick up for my Edge too - he was flawless! 

 

Canadanne, do you have a website for the band you saw?

 

[Canadanne 157]

52 minutes ago, dmway said:

Canadanne, do you have a website for the band you saw?

http://www.u2-2.com/band.html

[dmway 586]

Just now, Canadanne said:

http://www.u2-2.com/band.html

Thank you! 

[dmway 586]

I have not seen this band personally, but I have heard multiple positive reviews about a band called 2U. They are based in NY as well, and their website is here (although their on-line presence seems to be more on Facebook):

http://www.notu2.com/

 

[Canadanne 157]

On 10/27/2018 at 8:18 PM, dmway said:

Yes - please do! The mod who encouraged me to start the thread and I wanted a thread just for U2 tribute bands worldwide.

If you can find URLs for them, please include those as well! 

Not sure if I'm forgetting any (it feels like I've seen more!), but these are all the gigs I can recall attending in Dorset over the years:

ZU2 at a pub in Bournemouth, July 2003. They used to have a website at http://www.zyworld.com/zu2/ but I believe they split up a few years ago. I'm gutted I only got to see them once - they were awesome but I missed their next gig and I don't think they ever played in my area again!

I did have tickets for a band called U2 2U in September 2003, but the gig was cancelled due to illness and never re-booked. I think it was mentioned that they were based way up in Scotland but I may be misremembering that.

Us4//U2 at a live music venue in Poole, February 2005. They carried on playing gigs there for years but I only went to see them once as I wasn't very impressed. Their website was at http://www.us4.org.uk/ but seems to be gone now - not sure if they're still around.

U2UK at a Bournemouth nightclub in December 2005 and a Wimborne theatre in September 2006. I then saw them again with a new singer at a Christchurch theatre in September 2009. They still seem to be active and have a website at http://www.u2ukshow.com/

U2Baby twice at a live music venue in Poole, April and December 2017 (plus I bumped into the singer and bassist while seeing the real U2 at Twickenham in between, haha). Their website is at http://www.theu2tributeuk.com/

A Sort Of U2 (a local group) at a pub in Branksome, June 2017. They have recently changed their singer from a man to a woman, so they probably sound quite different now! Their website is at http://asortofu2.com/ but it's hopelessly out of date - they mostly post updates on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/asortofu2/

U2 2 (formerly known as Achtung Baby) at Bournemouth Air Festival, September 2018. Their website is at http://www.u2-2.com/

[dmway 586]

51 minutes ago, Canadanne said:

Not sure if I'm forgetting any (it feels like I've seen more!), but these are all the gigs I can recall attending in Dorset over the years:

ZU2 at a pub in Bournemouth, July 2003. They used to have a website at http://www.zyworld.com/zu2/ but I believe they split up a few years ago. I'm gutted I only got to see them once - they were awesome but I missed their next gig and I don't think they ever played in my area again!

I did have tickets for a band called U2 2U in September 2003, but the gig was cancelled due to illness and never re-booked. I think it was mentioned that they were based way up in Scotland but I may be misremembering that.

Us4//U2 at a live music venue in Poole, February 2005. They carried on playing gigs there for years but I only went to see them once as I wasn't very impressed. Their website was at http://www.us4.org.uk/ but seems to be gone now - not sure if they're still around.

U2UK at a Bournemouth nightclub in December 2005 and a Wimborne theatre in September 2006. I then saw them again with a new singer at a Christchurch theatre in September 2009. They still seem to be active and have a website at http://www.u2ukshow.com/

U2Baby twice at a live music venue in Poole, April and December 2017 (plus I bumped into the singer and bassist while seeing the real U2 at Twickenham in between, haha). Their website is at http://www.theu2tributeuk.com/

A Sort Of U2 (a local group) at a pub in Branksome, June 2017. They have recently changed their singer from a man to a woman, so they probably sound quite different now! Their website is at http://asortofu2.com/ but it's hopelessly out of date - they mostly post updates on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/asortofu2/

U2 2 (formerly known as Achtung Baby) at Bournemouth Air Festival, September 2018. Their website is at http://www.u2-2.com/

Well, I’ll call on the experience of my old profession and give you the A* you have very richly earned by posting all this information! ? 

Over time, I’m hoping that each country/territory of the world can have its own unique thread for this topic; however, until then, more information like this is what I was hoping would end up here - thank you for your extended research!

I think I’m obligated to give you a MacPhisto as thanks, so here he is in all his glory:

 

[Canadanne 157]

2 hours ago, dmway said:

I think I’m obligated to give you a MacPhisto as thanks, so here he is in all his glory:

 

My favourite kind of reward! 

(I think U2UK were the only one of those tribute bands to have a MacPhisto moment in their show... it was very weird, but nice to see him acknowledged!)

[doctornickriviera 376]

What about Coldplay? ?

[dmway 586]

1 hour ago, doctornickriviera said:

What about Coldplay? ?

?

I think their guitarist certainly owes a debt to The Edge in guitar-playing style, but U2 is a rock band and Coldplay mostly isn’t.

I did like the joke, though! ?

[Europa_Thomas 124]

1 hour ago, doctornickriviera said:

What about Coldplay? ?

If I ever meet "Chrono," as he sometimes calls himself, I'll ask him if he got the "when the banks became cathedrals" line in the Coldplay song "Violet Hill" from "Lemon" or from "The Playboy Mansion."

[Nathan_U2UK 3]

Thanks for the mention @Canadanne, and your kind words. Yes, we are still going and have been very lucky to play a lot of countries outside of the UK in the past few years.
We've just updated out gig list for this next year - we'd love it if you could make it to one of our shows again, the website you posted will be updated with the dates shortly but for up to the minute information please check out our facebook page. https://www.facebook.com/u2ukshow/ You can see our latest videos on there, but we also have a youtube channel if you want to have a listen/watch to some of our best versions of the mighty U2's music at: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC81LrnZyNA4o3w-0Y9MBI3Q

Thanks again for your support and we'll hopefully see you again before too long.

Love and Peace - U2UK

[mich40 1,090]

2 hours ago, Nathan_U2UK said:

Thanks for the mention @Canadanne, and your kind words. Yes, we are still going and have been very lucky to play a lot of countries outside of the UK in the past few years.
We've just updated out gig list for this next year - we'd love it if you could make it to one of our shows again, the website you posted will be updated with the dates shortly but for up to the minute information please check out our facebook page. https://www.facebook.com/u2ukshow/ You can see our latest videos on there, but we also have a youtube channel if you want to have a listen/watch to some of our best versions of the mighty U2's music at: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC81LrnZyNA4o3w-0Y9MBI3Q

Thanks again for your support and we'll hopefully see you again before too long.

Love and Peace - U2UK

I saw U2UK at the Harlequin Theatre in Redhill 10 years ago now. LOVED the show. I don't live in England now, but if I did, would love to see the band again.