The Elevation Tour was a worldwide concert tour by Irish rock band U2 . Staged in support of the group's 2000 album All That You Can't Leave Behind , the tour visited arenas across North America and Europe in 2001. Contrasting with the extravagant, outdoor productions of the band's previous two live ventures, the Zoo TV Tour (1992–1993) and the PopMart Tour (1997–1998), the Elevation Tour saw them return to indoor arenas with a much more stripped-down, intimate stage design. The stage featured a heart-shaped catwalk that encircled many audience members, and festival seating was offered in the United States for the first time in the group's history.
173-523: The Elevation Tour comprised 113 shows over three legs. It opened on 24 March 2001 with the first leg in North America, the second leg in Europe that summer, and the third leg returning to North America that autumn, ending on 2 December 2001. It was both the highest-grossing concert tour in North America (US$ 109.7 million) and globally (US$ 143.5 million) that year. Its success was capped off by
346-404: A Midas XL4 automated console , and used a Yamaha O2R console for overflow inputs. For the stage monitor system , the band members utilised a combination of in-ear monitors by Future Sonics and monitor speakers by Clair Brothers. For Clayton, a single 12-AM wedge was placed near his "pocket" position at the corner of the drum riser, while a pair of "double-12s" was placed at the front of
519-421: A sweepstake contest to award a Super Bowl XXXVI trip package to one of its members and a guest. The package included access to the inside of U2's heart-shaped stage during their halftime performance. In a counterprogramming move against the halftime show , on December 17, 2001, NBC announced it would air an episode of Fear Factor featuring Playboy Playmates at the same time that Fox would broadcast
692-410: A " club drug " or "party drug" along with MDA ), amphetamine , LSD , GHB , ketamine , methamphetamine , cocaine , and cannabis . In addition to drugs, raves often make use of non-authorized, secret venues, such as squat parties at unoccupied homes, unused warehouses, or aircraft hangars. These concerns are often attributed to a type of moral panic surrounding rave culture. In
865-497: A Little While " would then normally be played (sometimes " Sweetest Thing " or "Wake up Dead Man" would be played), and that would be followed by a full band acoustic rendition of " Desire " and then an acoustic song, normally "Stay (Faraway, So Close!)". Sometimes "The Ground Beneath Her Feet", "Staring at the Sun" or a cover of " I Remember You " by The Ramones would be played instead. The acoustic song would then normally be followed by
1038-432: A Moment You Can't Get Out Of" and "Kite". "Angel of Harlem" also made appearances either before or after "Kite". The band's acoustic slot was moved forward, with "In a Little While" dropped altogether and the acoustic slot taking place after "Kite". Normally, "Wild Honey" and " Please " were played. "Please" also made one appearance in its electric form, in a similar style to its PopMart performance when it segued into "Where
1211-449: A Super Bowl halftime show. McCarthy said: "we were looking for a band that would help capture and lift the spirit of America and the world. With U2 we found what we were looking for." Regarding the show's content, he added: "This year, we're looking to make it more relevant and meaningful, rather than dropping a rock concert in the middle of a football game. We're looking to provide entertainment that's memorable and inspiring." U2's booking
1384-487: A brainstorming session about the show. He said that Bono "had such a grasp of what he wanted and what we and the NFL felt was appropriate". On November 27, 2001, it was reported that E-Trade had reached an agreement with the NFL to sponsor the halftime show for the third consecutive year. The deal was reportedly worth more than US$ 3 million. On November 30, the NFL announced that CCE had been selected to produce
1557-510: A concert were given wristbands and allowed access to the center of the heart. Williams was amused that the catwalks were the same shape as the vertical golden arch from the PopMart Tour stage when laid horizontally. The Elevation Tour stage was placed at one end of the venues, with seating offered " in the round ". Due to this configuration, the stage designers focused on ensuring sightlines were not obstructed for anyone. Fisher said, "With
1730-457: A countermeasure against drug use at raves. Much of the controversy, moral panic , and law enforcement attention directed at rave culture and its association with drug use may be due to reports of drug overdoses (particularly MDMA) at raves, concerts, and festivals. The Belgian rave scene and sound have their roots in the late 1980s Belgian EBM and New Beat scenes. Originally created by DJs slowing down gay Hi-NRG 45rpm records to 33rpm to create
1903-455: A few large clubs that staged raves on a regular basis, most notably " The Laser Dome ", "The Fridge", " The Hippodrome ", "Club U.K.", and "Trade." "The Laser Dome" featured two separate dance areas, "Hardcore" and "Garage", as well as over 20 video game machines, a silent-movie screening lounge, replicas of the "Statue of Liberty", "San Francisco Bridge", and a large glass maze. In Scotland, event promoters Rezerection held large-scale events across
SECTION 10
#17327718068582076-547: A great event". Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News said: "Many Roman numerals down the road, I'll still remember those shimmering moments when the banner dropped, U2 played loud, live and intimate, and the names of those lost in the Sept. 11 attacks glowed in the dark, lit by spotlights and projected onto the crowd." Ed Bark of The Dallas Morning News called the performance "electrifying" and said about
2249-516: A gross of $ 109.7 million, the second-highest ever at the time for a North American tour. Globally, it grossed $ 143,472,379 from 2,179,642 tickets sold, making it the year's highest-grossing tour overall. Spin named U2 the "Band of the Year" for 2001, saying they had "schooled bands half their age about what a rock show could really accomplish". At the 13th annual Pollstar Concert Industry Awards, U2 were honored with awards for Major Tour of
2422-401: A growing trend with rock shows having "big video screens on either side running something that looks like an HBO special". He believed such a trend instilled a mindset into the audience that the most interesting thing happening at a given moment was what the video screens were displaying, thus diverting attention away from the actual live performance. Williams was inspired by his experience over
2595-490: A line of sight to the band; as a result, they tracked the band members on video monitors, which displayed the same feed as the on-stage video screens. Williams served as the lighting designer with Bruce Ramus as lighting director. The lighting system was configured in a manner that followed the tour's "forward to basics" theme. Ramus said that the lighting truss design was simplified, as the team wanted to move away from clever designs. Four straight trusses were suspended above
2768-605: A list of the best televised musical performances since 2000; he called it "one of the few times when the Super Bowl halftime show actually felt important as a virtual town square where people go to feel less alone". On the fifth anniversary of the September 11 attacks, U2's halftime performance was re-aired on the NFL Total Access program on NFL Network . On September 25, 2006, U2 once again performed at
2941-641: A new youth movement in Germany and Europe. DJs and electronic-music producers such as WestBam proclaimed the existence of a "raving society" and promoted electronic music as legitimate competition for rock and roll . Indeed, electronic dance music and rave subculture became mass movements. Since the mid-1990s, raves had tens of thousands of attendees, youth magazines featured styling tips, and television networks launched music magazines on house and techno music. The annual Love Parade festivals in Berlin and later
3114-497: A particularly large festival, when many individual sound systems such as Bedlam, Circus Warp, DIY, and Spiral Tribe set up near Castlemorton Common. The government acted. Under the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 , the definition of music played at a rave was given as: "Music" includes sounds wholly or predominantly characterised by the emission of a succession of repetitive beats. Sections 63, 64 and 65 of
3287-578: A projection surface." At the 2002 TEC Awards , the Elevation Tour crew won for Outstanding Creative Achievement in Tour Production; among those recognised were Clair Brothers as the tour company, Joe O'Herlihy as the front of house engineer, and Don Garber, Raza Sufi, Niall Slevin, and Dave Skaff as monitor engineers. Super Bowl XXXVI halftime show The Super Bowl XXXVI Halftime Show , known through corporate sponsorship as
3460-559: A rave "chill-out" room or at a rave that plays slower electronic music includes: Raves have historically referred to grassroots organised, anti-establishment and unlicensed all‐night dance parties. Prior to the commercialisation of the rave scene, when large legal venues became the norm for these events, the location of the rave was kept secret until the night of the event, usually being communicated through answering machine messages, mobile messaging, secret flyers, and websites. This level of secrecy, necessary for avoiding any interference by
3633-455: A rave party hidden behind a washing machine in a laundromat. The following is an incomplete list of venues associated with the rave subculture: A sense of participation in a group event is among the chief appeals of rave music and dancing to pulsating beats is its immediate outlet. Raving in itself is a syllabus-free dance, whereby the movements are not predefined and the dance is performed randomly , dancers take immediate inspiration from
SECTION 20
#17327718068583806-518: A rave. The genre "rave", also known as hardcore (not to be confused with hardcore punk ) by early ravers, first appeared amongst the UK "acid" movement during the late 1980s at warehouse parties and other underground venues, as well as on UK pirate radio stations . Another genre called "rave" during the early 1990s, was the Belgian hardcore techno music that emerged from new beat , when techno became
3979-402: A separate dance form that has grown exponentially in the last couple of years early 2010. Glovers use their fingers and hands to move with the beat of the music. And they use the color to create patterns and have different speed settings for the lights on their gloves. These components give the glove artist different ways to fascinate spectators of their light shows. The use of lights can improve
4152-521: A show done in the round, you can't really have any scenery because what is background scenery for one person is a sightline obstruction to another." To facilitate this, the stage height was kept low to the venue floor, with the main stage built 5 feet (1.5 m) high and the wings 7 feet (2.1 m) high. A video wall constructed by Brilliant Stages was located at the rear of the stage, measuring 8 feet (2.4 m) high by 64 feet (20 m) wide. It comprised 13 sections that could independently rise out of
4325-492: A strict minimalistic dress policy, either all white or black attire. Some ravers participate in one of four light-oriented dances, called glowsticking , glowstringing , gloving , and lightshows . Of the four types of light-orientated dances, gloving in particular has evolved far beyond the rave culture. Other types of light-related dancing include LED lights, flash-lights and blinking strobe lights. LEDs come in various colours with different settings. Gloving has evolved into
4498-474: A trance-dance groove, New Beat evolved into a native form of hardcore techno in the 1990s with the introduction of techno records played at their original speeds or even slightly accelerated. This brutal new hardcore style spread throughout the European rave circuit and penetrated the pop charts. The musical contribution of Brooklyn's DJ-producer Joey Beltram to R&S Records, run by Renaat Vandepapeliere,
4671-414: A variety of strobe lamps . Williams controlled lights with an Avolites Pearl console , while Ramus operated a Jands Hog 1000 console. The stage and equipment travelled on 14 semi-trailer trucks , and required two hours to disassemble and load into the trucks. During promotional appearances for the tour and All That You Can't Leave Behind , lead vocalist Bono often said, "We're back, re-applying for
4844-640: A wave of psychedelic and other electronic dance music , most notably acid house music, emerged from acid house music parties in the mid-to-late 1980s in the Chicago area in the United States. After Chicago acid house artists began experiencing overseas success, acid house quickly spread and caught on in the United Kingdom within clubs, warehouses and free-parties, first in Manchester in
5017-451: Is amplified with a large, powerful sound reinforcement system , typically with large subwoofers to produce a deep bass sound. The music is often accompanied by laser light shows , projected coloured images , visual effects and fog machines . While some raves may be small parties held at nightclubs or private homes, some raves have grown to immense size, such as the large festivals and events featuring multiple DJs and dance areas (e.g.,
5190-451: Is the street name for alkyl nitrites (the most well-known being amyl nitrite ), which are inhaled for their intoxicating effects, notably the "rush" or "high" they can provide. Nitrites originally came as small glass capsules that were popped open, which led to the nickname "poppers." The drug became popular in the US first on the disco/club scene of the 1970s and then at dance and rave venues in
5363-456: The America: A Tribute to Heroes telethon to benefit the attack victims. The Elevation Tour was the top-earning North American tour of 2001 with a gross of US$ 109.7 million, the second-highest ever at the time for a North American tour. Globally, it grossed US$ 143.5 million from 2.18 million tickets sold, making it the year's highest-grossing tour overall. U2 was named "Band of
Elevation Tour - Misplaced Pages Continue
5536-542: The Detroit Free Press rated U2's performance "Four stars all the way", saying that it "sure beat other recent Super Bowl halves that tried to telescope the wide world of pop". Phillip B. Wilson of The Indianapolis Star gave the halftime show a "B" rating and called it a "touching tribute" to the victims of September 11. Roger Catlin of the Hartford Courant said that U2 was a "perfect fit" for
5709-562: The Castlemorton Common Festival in 1992). Some electronic dance music festivals have features of raves, but on a larger, often commercial scale. Raves may last for a long time, with some events continuing for twenty-four hours, and lasting all through the night. Law enforcement raids and anti-rave laws have presented a challenge to the rave scene in many countries. This is due to the association of rave culture with illegal drugs such as MDMA (often referred to as
5882-718: The E-Trade Super Bowl XXXVI Halftime Show , was the halftime entertainment of Super Bowl XXXVI , which took place on February 3, 2002, at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans , Louisiana . It featured Irish rock band U2 as the performer. Using a heart-shaped stage replicated from their 2001 Elevation Tour , the group played three songs and paid tribute to the victims of the September 11 attacks , which had occurred in
6055-599: The Home Counties ; it was this that gave the band Orbital their name. These ranged from former warehouses and industrial sites in London, to fields and country clubs in the countryside. Rave music may either refer to the late 1980s/early 1990s genres of house , new beat , breakbeat , acid house , techno and hardcore techno , which were the first genres of music to be played at rave parties, or to any other genre of electronic dance music (EDM) that may be played at
6228-488: The Metropolitan Police Department, City of St. Louis coordinated security for the halftime show. Jim McClellan served as a co-executive producer. The stage, which featured a heart shape with an open center, was replicated from the one designed by Mark Fisher for the band's 2001 Elevation Tour. Between 2,000 and 3,000 winners of a Clear Channel radio promotion were selected to be on field for
6401-1149: The Tresor (est. 1991), the Planet (1991–1993), and the Bunker (1992–1996). In Frankfurt , the Omen opened in 1988, which under its operator Sven Väth became the center of the scene in the Rhein-Main area in the following years. In 1990, the Babalu Club opened in Munich, introducing the concept of afterhours in Germany. In the late 1990s, the venues Tresor and E-Werk (1993–1997) in Berlin, Omen (1988–1998) and Dorian Gray (1978–2000) in Frankfurt, Ultraschall (1994–2003), KW – Das Heizkraftwerk (1996–2003) and Natraj Temple (1996–2008) in Munich, as well as Stammheim (1994–2002) in Kassel , had established themselves as
6574-409: The sound system was provided by Clair Brothers Audio , which had a long-standing relationship with the band. The primary front-facing speaker arrays at stage left and right each featured 14 of Clair Brothers' i4 cabinets , variously angled at 2°, 5°, and 10°. Directly adjacent to these arrays were Clair Brothers' i4B subwoofers ; 24 cabinets were used in total. For sidefill, each side of the venues
6747-676: The verb : to rave ) is a dance party at a warehouse, club, or other public or private venue, typically featuring performances by DJs playing electronic dance music . The style is most associated with the early 1990s dance music scene when DJs played at illegal events in musical styles dominated by electronic dance music from a wide range of sub-genres, including drum and bass , dubstep , trap , break , happy hardcore , trance , techno , hardcore , house , and alternative dance . Occasionally live musicians have been known to perform at raves, in addition to other types of performance artists such as go-go dancers and fire dancers . The music
6920-497: The " Fighting Irish ". While some fans shied away from coming to an ordinarily celebratory occasion or to a large, enclosed public gathering, many other fans did not let these events stop them. The tenor of the times dramatically affected the temperament of the shows, with Marvin Gaye 's " What's Going On " appearing frequently in the setlist and the band's " Walk On " taking on added emotional weight. Shows would traditionally open under
7093-442: The "heart" was extended and widened in order to accommodate the larger attendance. The Turin show was played in a football stadium, with a black U-shaped semicircle extending out into the crowd instead of the heart. The Berlin show was performed in a natural outdoor arena with a tent-like structure supporting all the band's flown gear such as speaker stacks and lighting rigs. Due to the limited amount of space available for production,
Elevation Tour - Misplaced Pages Continue
7266-471: The 1980s and 1990s. In the 2000s, synthetic phenethylamines such as 2C-I , 2C-B and DOB have been referred to as club drugs due to their stimulating and psychedelic nature (and their chemical relationship with MDMA ). By late 2012, derivates of the psychedelic 2C-X drugs, the NBOMes and especially 25I-NBOMe , had become common at raves in Europe. In the U.S., some law enforcement agencies have branded
7439-543: The 1990s include tight-fitting nylon shirts, tight nylon quilted vests, bell-bottoms , neoprene jackets, studded belts, platform shoes , jackets, scarves and bags made of flokati fur, fluffy boots and phat pants , often in bright and neon colours. Also gaudy coloured hair, dreadlocks, tattoos and piercings came into fashion with ravers. Widespread accessories included wristbands and collars, whistles , pacifiers , white gloves, glow sticks , feather boas , oversized sunglasses , and record bags made of truck tarpaulins. In
7612-457: The 2000s, the clothing style of the rave culture remains heterogeneous, as do its followers. Particularly in North America, rave fashion continues to be characterised by colourful clothing and accessories, most notably the "kandi" jewellery that fluoresces under ultraviolet light. They contain words or phrases that are unique to the raver and that they can choose to trade with each other using "PLUR" (Peace, Love, Unity, Respect). This style of attire
7785-619: The 2010s, there continued to be a vivid rave and techno scene throughout the country, including numerous festivals and world-class techno clubs also outside of Berlin, such as for example MMA Club and Blitz Club in Munich, Institut für Zukunft in Leipzig or Robert Johnson in Offenbach. The UK was finally recognised for its rave culture in the late 1980s and early 1990s. By 1991, organisations such as Fantazia and Raindance were holding massive legal raves in fields and warehouses around
7958-469: The 4,000 that came to earlier warehouse parties). Acid house music parties were first re-branded "rave parties" in the media, during the summer of 1989 by Genesis P-Orridge during a television interview; however, the ambience of the rave was not fully formed until the early 1990s. In 1990, raves were held "underground" in several cities, such as Berlin , Milan and Patras , in basements, warehouses and forests. British politicians responded with hostility to
8131-454: The Act targeted electronic dance music played at raves. The Criminal Justice and Public Order Act empowered police to stop a rave in the open air when a hundred or more people are attending, or where two or more are making preparations for a rave. Section 65 allows any uniformed constable who believes a person is on their way to a rave within a five-mile radius to stop them and direct them away from
8304-569: The Blue Sky", "Until the End of the World", and "Walk On") were played at all but one show apiece on the tour. On 3 February 2002, the band performed a three-song set during the halftime show of Super Bowl XXXVI . The heart-shaped stage from the Elevation Tour was recreated for the band's halftime performance. The show began with "Beautiful Day", as Bono walked to the stage through the on-field crowd. For
8477-534: The FBI, raves are one of the most popular venues where club drugs are distributed, and as such feature a prominent drug subculture. Club drugs include MDMA (more commonly known as "ecstasy", "E" or "molly"), 2C-B (more commonly known as "nexus"), amphetamine (commonly referred to as "speed"), GHB (commonly referred to as "fantasy" or "liquid E"), cocaine (commonly referred to as "coke"), DMT , and LSD (commonly referred to as "lucy" or "acid"). " Poppers "
8650-616: The Metropolitan Ruhr area repeatedly attracted more than one million party-goers between 1997 and 2010. Dozens of other annual technoparades took place in Germany and Central Europe in the 1990s and early 2000s, the largest ones being Union Move , Generation Move, Reincarnation and Vision Parade as well as Street Parade and Lake Parade in Switzerland. Large commercial raves since the nineties include Mayday , Nature One , Time Warp , SonneMondSterne and Melt! . Since
8823-469: The NFL covered only travel expenses and accommodations in New Orleans. An NFL insider said, "We would have paid U2, but they didn't want any money." An NFL representative said one factor in the league's decision to select CCE to produce the halftime show was its ability to use its vast media holdings, which included 1,200 radio stations, to promote the event. To increase interest in the Super Bowl in
SECTION 50
#17327718068588996-452: The NFL stated that they would play at least one track from a list consisting of " I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For ", " Desire ", " Pride (In the Name of Love) ", and "Beautiful Day". The on-field audience held light sticks . The show began with U2 performing their 2000 hit single " Beautiful Day ". For the first verse, Bono walked with a cameraman through the on-field crowd to reach
9169-454: The NFL, including Collins, Steeg, commissioner Paul Tagliabue , COO Roger Goodell , and New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft . Bono was enthusiastic about the prospect of being involved in a Super Bowl halftime show and proposed an extravagant show that would incorporate elements of world music . Many were skeptical of the idea, and the NFL debated for several days whether to book U2. Some argued against an Irish act paying tribute to
9342-478: The New Moon and Gateway collectives, "pagan altars are set up, sacred images from primitive cultures decorate the walls, and rituals of cleansing are performed over the turntables and the dance floor" This type of spatial strategy is an integral part of the raving experience because it sets the initial "vibe" in which the ravers will immerse themselves. This said "vibe" is a concept in the raver ethos that represents
9515-496: The September 11 attacks, Jackson cancelled the European leg of her All for You Tour and was not travelling, and she decided to pull out of the Super Bowl after realising her show would not fit the mood that was required. NFL marketing executive John Collins was tasked with finding a replacement for the halftime show. On October 25, 2001, he attended a U2 concert at Madison Square Garden in New York City. During
9688-585: The Streets Have No Name ". During the latter two songs, U2's tribute to the September 11 victims was reprised, as their names were projected onto a vertical scrim behind the stage and across the interior of the Superdome. At the end of the performance, lead singer Bono opened his jacket to reveal an American flag in the lining. The halftime show drew a 38.3 Nielsen rating and was watched by 82.9 million viewers in 40.2 million households in
9861-440: The Streets Have No Name". " I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For ", played only once during the first two legs, was given a regular slot between "Where the Streets Have No Name" and "Pride (In the Name of Love)" during the third leg, taking the place of "Mysterious Ways". The encore once again contained "Bullet the Blue Sky", "One" and "Walk On". Instead of playing "With or Without You" between "Bullet" and "One" as they did on
10034-491: The Superdome and participated in a 20-minute press conference that day. During rehearsals, it was debated whether to project the victims' names onto a scrim behind the stage or not; the projection was not powerful enough to be seen across the ceiling. Ultimately, the scrim was adopted, but to some, the effect did not look good. After the Friday rehearsal just two days before the Super Bowl, one NFL executive remained cynical about
10207-720: The Superdome in New Orleans as part of entertainment for an NFL football game. For the New Orleans Saints ' first home game back at the Superdome since Hurricane Katrina in August 2005, U2 and Green Day performed four songs during a pre-game show: Green Day's song " Wake Me Up When September Ends ", " The House of the Rising Sun ", a cover of the Skids ' track " The Saints Are Coming ", and U2's "Beautiful Day". Footnotes Bibliography Rave A rave (from
10380-522: The US. It received generally positive reviews from critics, who praised the band's performance and the poignancy of the 9/11 tribute. In the week following U2's performance, sales of their 2000 album All That You Can't Leave Behind increased in the US by 142 percent. In 2006, U2 returned to the Superdome as the entertainment for another NFL game, performing with Green Day for the New Orleans Saints ' first home game since Hurricane Katrina . Many critics have ranked U2's performance at Super Bowl XXXVI among
10553-435: The United States five months earlier. The show was produced by Clear Channel Entertainment , which also produced the band's Elevation Tour. The Super Bowl and its halftime show were televised nationally in the US by Fox . Singer Janet Jackson was originally booked as the halftime performer, but after the September 11 attacks, it was decided that a different artist would be needed to set the tone required. U2 were selected as
SECTION 60
#173277180685810726-629: The United States, causing it to jump on the Billboard 200 chart from number 66 to 25. Additionally, sales doubled for three of the group's older albums, resulting in jumps on the Top Pop Catalog Albums chart: The Best of 1980–1990 reached number 2 after selling 14,000 units (a 154-percent increase); The Joshua Tree reached number 14 after selling 7,000 units (a 144-percent increase); and The Best of 1990–2000/The B-Sides reached number 35. USA Home Entertainment secured
10899-403: The United States. The performance lost only 4.4 percent of viewers from the previous half hour of the football game. NBC's counterprogramming, a Fear Factor episode featuring Playboy Playmates, drew only a 5.6 rating, equating to 5.9 million households. In the week following U2's Super Bowl performance, All That You Can't Leave Behind sold 46,000 copies (a 142-percent increase) in
11072-528: The Western world. Studies have shown that adolescents are more likely than young adults to use multiple drugs, and the consumption of club drugs is highly associated with the presence of criminal behaviors and recent alcohol abuse or dependence . In May 2007, Antonio Maria Costa, executive director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime , advocated drug testing on highways as
11245-531: The Year , and Record of the Year . The band embarked on a concert tour, the Elevation Tour , in March 2001. The first two legs sold out all 83 concerts across North America and Europe and grossed US$ 105 million. On September 10, 2001, Clear Channel Entertainment (CCE) and SFX Entertainment announced a third leg of U2's Elevation Tour, consisting of a return trip to North America. Tickets for
11418-432: The Year and Most Creative Stage Production, while Paul McGuinness was recognized as Personal Manager of the Year. Willie Williams won a 2001 EDDY Award from Entertainment Design magazine for his work as the tour's show director; the magazine said, "While U2's current Elevation tour is striking in its simplicity, Williams created an almost complete amalgamation of lighting and video by using the entire space of each arena as
11591-554: The Year" by the magazines Rolling Stone and Spin . As a result of the September 11 attacks, the National Football League (NFL) postponed its games scheduled for that week until the end of the 2001 regular season . To allow the playoffs to be held in their entirety, in October the NFL rescheduled Super Bowl XXXVI at the Louisiana Superdome from January 27, 2002, to February 3. Jim Steeg ,
11764-563: The Zippies staged an act of electronic civil disobedience to protest against the CJB (i.e., Criminal Justice Bill ). After 1993, the main outlet for raves in the UK were a number of licensed parties, amongst them Helter Skelter , Life at Bowlers (Trafford Park, Manchester), The Edge (formerly the Eclipse [Coventry]), The Sanctuary (Milton Keynes) and Club Kinetic. In London, itself, there were
11937-401: The acid house movement of the 1980s. Further popular themes of the early rave scene were plastic aesthetics, various fetish styles, DIY , 1970s, second-hand optics, retro sportswear (such as Adidas tracksuits), sex (showing much skin and nudity, e.g. wearing transparent or crop tops), war (e.g. in the form of combat boots or camouflage trousers), and science fiction. Common fashion styles of
12110-526: The allure and receptiveness of an environment's portrayed and or innate energy. The landscape is an integral feature in the composition of rave, much like it is in pagan rituals. For example, The Numic Ghost Dancers rituals were held on specific geographical sites, considered to hold powerful natural flows of energy. These sites were later represented in the rhythmic dances, to achieve a greater level of connectivity. The Falls festival in Byron Bay features
12283-424: The area; non-compliant citizens may be subject to a maximum fine not exceeding level 3 on the standard scale (£1000). The Act was officially introduced because of the noise and disruption caused by all night parties to nearby residents, and to protect the countryside. However, some participants in the scene claimed it was an attempt to lure youth culture away from MDMA and back to taxable alcohol . In November 1994,
12456-571: The band transcended the game, making the performance the only one that stands on its own as a cultural event." Sean Merriman of Bleacher Report ranked it first, calling it "one of the most moving musical tributes of all time". Other publications such as the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette , Sports Illustrated , and the NFL's own website also described or ranked it as the best Super Bowl halftime show. Writing for Uproxx , critic Steven Hyden ranked U2's Super Bowl concert 17th on
12629-517: The band's performance at the Super Bowl XXXVI halftime show in 2002. The tour was depicted in two concert films, Elevation 2001: Live from Boston and U2 Go Home: Live from Slane Castle, Ireland . The Elevation Tour show was designed by Willie Williams , with Mark Fisher serving as the architect. The stage, built by Tait Towers, measured 80 feet (24 m) wide by 100 feet (30 m) deep and featured an open center. Extending from
12802-468: The band's performance of " One ", a scrolling list of the names of the 9/11 victims appeared on screen. Collins witnessed fans becoming emotional at that moment, and realised U2 would make an ideal replacement for the halftime show. In a meeting the following day, Collins and two other league officials who had attended the concert discussed its poignancy and unanimously agreed with the idea of booking U2. NFL spokesperson Brian McCarthy said, "we certainly like
12975-581: The band's tribute to the 9/11 victims, "To some, it may have seemed rather a garish memorial, but in a strangely affecting way, it worked, and respectfully." Tim Goodman of the San Francisco Chronicle said: "The real deal was an inspired bit of rock from U2 as the halftime entertainment. Here's a quick pop quiz: Has the halftime show ever been good? Ever? Pencils down. Correct answer: Not in our lifetime. And yet, U2's live breath of fresh air and dramatic, emotional spectacle that paid homage to
13148-464: The burgeoning mod youth culture of the early 1960s as the way to describe any wild party in general. People who were gregarious party animals were described as "ravers". Pop musicians such as Steve Marriott of Small Faces and Keith Moon of the Who were self-described "ravers". Presaging the word's subsequent 1980s association with electronic music , the word "rave" was a common term used regarding
13321-450: The concerts, the 6 June show, was partially televised on NBC during halftime of Game 1 of the 2001 NBA Finals ; the network aired a live performance of " Where the Streets Have No Name ", followed by a pre-recorded performance of " Elevation " from earlier. The Elevation 2001 video was televised on VH1 on 24 November and on DirecTV on 2 December. The second concert video, U2 Go Home: Live from Slane Castle, Ireland ,
13494-416: The corners of each venue. The projectors used a 7K bulb with a 7-inch (180 mm), square aperture, producing an "enormous amount of light", according to Williams. Instead of projecting the imagery onto a screen, Williams had the idea to project it across the entire interior space of the venues. Each projector was positioned on its back and aimed upwards at a mirror that was operated by a crew member to direct
13667-470: The country. By 1997, the popularity of weekly Superclub nights had taken over from the old Rave format, with a raft of new club-based genres sweeping in (e.g. Trance, Hard House, Speed and UK garage) alongside the more traditional House sound that had regained popularity. Clubs like Gatecrasher and Cream rose to prominence with dress codes and door policies that were the polar opposite of their rave counterparts; stories of refused entry due to not wearing
13840-433: The country. The Fantazia party at Castle Donington, July 1992 was an open-air, all-night event. The Vision at Pophams airfield in August 1992 and Universe's Tribal Gathering in 1993 had a more festival feel. By the middle of 1992, the scene was slowly changing, with local councils passing by-laws and increasing fees in an effort to prevent or discourage rave organisations from acquiring necessary licences. This meant that
14013-420: The days of the large one-off parties were numbered. By the mid-1990s, the scene had also fragmented into many different styles of dance music, making large parties more expensive to set up and more difficult to promote. The sound driving the big raves of the early 1990s had by the end of 1993 split into two distinct and polarising styles, the darker jungle and the faster happy hardcore . Although many ravers left
14186-418: The early 1990s the first commercial rave fashion trends developed from this, which were quickly taken up by the fashion industry and marketed under the term clubwear . Different dress codes also evolved in the various sub-scenes of the rave culture. For example, the typical gabber or psytrance raver dressed significantly different from "normal" ravers, but common basic features remained recognisable. Since
14359-486: The ego with the other elements such as place and music and [one] enter[s] a "one state" where [they] cannot distinguish what is material or not, where things enter into syntony and constitute a unique moment, precisely the kind sought in medi[t]ation". However, disco dancers and ravers preferred different drugs. Whereas 1970s disco scene members preferred cocaine and the depressant/sedative Quaaludes , ravers preferred MDMA, 2C-B, amphetamine , and other pills. According to
14532-428: The emerging rave party trend. Politicians spoke out against raves and began to fine promoters who held unauthorised parties. Police crackdowns on these often unauthorised parties drove the rave scene into the countryside. The word "rave" somehow caught on in the UK to describe common semi-spontaneous weekend parties occurring at various locations linked by the brand new M25 London orbital motorway that ringed London and
14705-404: The end of the heart catwalk. On occasions, "The Fly" would be replaced by " Pride (In the Name of Love) ". After playing either "The Fly" or "Pride", the main set would end and the band would leave the stage. U2 would then open the encore with " Bullet the Blue Sky ", usually accompanied by Bono protesting against gun crime and giving a speech against handgun crime, while using a smaller version of
14878-513: The executive of special events for the NFL, completed booking the original entertainment lineup for Super Bowl XXXVI by August 2001. The billing would have featured performers from a diverse range of musical genres: Lionel Richie for " America the Beautiful ", the Bee Gees and Creedence Clearwater Revival for a pregame performance, and Janet Jackson for the halftime show . However, after
15051-461: The fans in attendance. James Stoffo of Orlando's Professional Wireless supplied the wireless microphone equipment, which consisted of ten Sennheiser SKM 5000 microphone/ transmitter sets and two Sennheiser EM 1046 receiver units (each capable of eight channels). Stoffo, who had worked on seven prior Super Bowls, was responsible for managing issues related to RF interference ; over 1,500 other frequencies were occupied on gameday, 300 of which were in
15224-537: The fault did not lie with U2 themselves but that "it nevertheless seemed odd: An Irish band singing about transcending society's oppressive values before a list of people killed in America's most devastating attack". Ed Sherman of the Chicago Tribune criticised the halftime show for not paying enough reverence to the 9/11 victims when displaying their names, saying: "Instead U2 played to a screaming crowd that
15397-400: The final two songs, " MLK " and "Where the Streets Have No Name", the names of the victims from the September 11 attacks were projected onto a vertical scrim behind the stage as well as across the interior of the Louisiana Superdome . At the end of the performance, Bono opened his jacket, which he had worn throughout the Elevation Tour, to reveal an American flag in the lining, an image that
15570-663: The first Love Parade took place in West Berlin. Immediately after the Berlin Wall fell on 9 November 1989, free underground techno parties mushroomed in East Berlin . According to East German DJ Paul van Dyk the techno-based rave scene was a major force in re-establishing social connections between East and West Germany during the unification period. Soon the first techno clubs emerged in East Berlin such as
15743-496: The first major municipality in Canada to pass a bylaw with respect to raves. The intent of the bylaw was to ensure that raves would be safe for participants, and also not unduly disruptive to adjacent neighbourhoods. The bylaw was created in consultation with representatives from the municipality, the province of Alberta, and the rave community. In West Germany and West Berlin , a substantial acid house scene had established itself in
15916-499: The first two legs, most shows would then use " Kite ", "Gone" and " New York " early in the setlist. Sometimes "Discothèque" or " Even Better Than the Real Thing " was played between "Gone" and "New York". All tour shows would see " Stuck in a Moment You Can't Get Out Of " and " Sunday Bloody Sunday " Normally, one out of " I Will Follow ", "Out of Control" and "11 O'Clock Tick Tock" would be played before "Sunday Bloody Sunday". " In
16089-450: The first two legs, the band instead played a cover of Marvin Gaye's " What's Going On " and "New York". A few times, the band played "Peace on Earth" between "One" and "Walk On". Overall, 53 different songs were played by U2 during the tour, with six songs ("Elevation", "Beautiful Day", "Stuck in a Moment You Can't Get Out Of", "Sunday Bloody Sunday", "Where the Streets Have No Name" and "One") played at all 113 concerts. Three tracks ("Bullet
16262-411: The halftime show, and on December 2, the league announced that U2 would perform. Super Bowl XXXVI marked the first time that CCE was involved in a Super Bowl halftime show; most of the previous halftime shows had been produced by the television networks, with the exception of Super Bowl XXXV's show in 2001 that was produced by MTV . U2 were the first international act to be the sole performer for
16435-409: The halftime show, in addition to contractors, stagehands, and volunteers. The halftime show ran for 23 minutes; setup and disassembly of the stage on the field required five-to-six minutes each, leaving the band between 11–12 minutes to perform. Hagglund called it an "unbelievable challenge". Producer Dennis M. Despie oversaw the show from a location 200 feet above the stage. Sergeant Sam Dotson of
16608-408: The halftime show. A few weeks before the game, a major production issue arose when organizers discovered they were unable to power the projectors that would scroll the victims' names across the domed ceiling of the Superdome. Collins was irate and demanded organizers resolve the problem, stating, "The only reason Paul Tagliabue approved this was because of the names going across the roof." A generator
16781-492: The interior of the Superdome, as well as onto a Kabuki scrim measuring 120 feet (37 m) high by 60 feet (18 m) wide. Willie Williams and Catherine Owens created the projections, while Brian Beasley operated the projectors. Much of the same lighting equipment from the Elevation Tour was used for the halftime show. In partnership with Williams, lighting directors Bob Dicksinon and Ted Wells used two lighting systems with luminaires by Vari-Lite . The one suspended above
16954-571: The job ... And the job is best band in the world." This was in response to the relatively low sales of Pop and sometimes poor reception of the PopMart Tour. The European leg of the Elevation Tour was also presented in arenas. However, several outdoor shows were played due to logistics and facility requirements. These included both of the Slane Castle shows, which were part of Ireland's annual Slane Concert . For these two performances,
17127-437: The kids." A backing rhythm track accompanied the band's live performance as a precaution. Despie said it was required as a "technical protection" against "the risk of a show going down". An Associated Press report published days before the Super Bowl claimed that the band would perform "Walk On". It was confirmed that the band would perform three songs, but they did not announce in advance which ones. The websites for U2 and
17300-457: The late 1950s in London, England, the term "rave" was used to describe the "wild bohemian parties" of the Soho beatnik set. Jazz musician Mick Mulligan , known for indulging in such excesses, had the nickname "king of the ravers". In 1958, Buddy Holly recorded the hit " Rave On ", citing the madness and frenzy of a feeling and the desire for it never to end. The word "rave" was later used in
17473-602: The late 1980s, rave fashion has undergone constant evolution with each new generation of ravers. Many of the rave fashion trends have appeared internationally, but there were also individual developments from region to region and from scene to scene. At early rave parties, often costume-like clothes and garments with signal color look such as protective suits, safety vests , dust and gas masks were worn and combined with accessories such as vacuum cleaners or cyberpunk inspired goggles . Clothing with slogans such as " Peace, Love, Unity " and smiley-face T-shirts first appeared with
17646-548: The late 1980s. In the West Berlin club Ufo , an illegal party venue located in the basement of an old apartment building, the first acid house parties took place in 1988. In Munich at this time, the Negerhalle (1983–1989) and the ETA-Halle established themselves as the first acid house clubs in temporarily used, dilapidated industrial halls, marking the beginning of the so-called hall culture in Germany. In July 1989,
17819-492: The late 2000s, Berlin is still called the capital of techno and rave, and techno clubs such as Berghain , Tresor , KitKatClub or Watergate and the way to party in barely renovated venues, ruins or wooden shacks such as, among many others, Club der Visionaere , Wilde Renate , or Bar 25 , attracted international media attention. One movie that portraits the scene of the 2000s is Berlin Calling starring Paul Kalkbrenner. In
17992-576: The lighting system were 30 modified police beacons, which were placed sideways in groups and whose movements were staggered with each other to create a "rain effect" during " Where the Streets Have No Name " to stun the audience. At the corners of the stage were four custom-built "ripple drums" by LSD; Williams described the pieces as slowly rotating black trash cans with holes in them and "a naked 5kW fixture" inside. The lighting package also included 48 LSD DWE Mole striplights, 24 ETC Source Four fixtures, 12 Omni fixtures and 70 Tota fixtures by Lowel-Light , and
18165-474: The line, "It's a crash course for the ravers." Its use during that era would have been perceived as a quaint or ironic use of bygone slang: part of the dated 1960s lexicon along with words such as "groovy". The perception of the word "rave" changed again in the late 1980s when the term was revived and adopted by a new youth culture, possibly inspired by the use of the term in Jamaica. In the mid to late 1980s,
18338-473: The live favourite " Bad ", which had appeared few times on the previous PopMart Tour. On occasions, "All I Want Is You" would be played instead. " Where the Streets Have No Name " followed, which was played at every concert. Normally, the band would then play " Mysterious Ways " with snippets of "Sexual Healing" at the end of the song and a new version of " The Fly " with the Edge playing guitar and Bono performing at
18511-431: The look of it borrowed heavily from rave culture. For the concluding song " Walk On ", he handwrote the lyrics from the song's closing refrain onto the projector film and reversed it, allowing the words to "scroll over the audience and run like closing credits". The wide dimensions of the videowall posed challenges for Owens's team, as they had to re-aspect much of the artwork without it looking squashed. A large amount of
18684-440: The main stage, two measuring 48 feet (15 m) long and two measuring 54 feet (16 m) long. Seven Vario-Lift hoists by ChainMaster could raise and lower the trusses to trim heights varying from 50 feet (15 m) to 12 feet (3.7 m) high. A 20-foot (6.1 m) diameter circular truss was suspended above the general admission area inside the heart. The lighting system used 54 Vari-Lite VL2416 wash luminaires; they were
18857-575: The main style in the Belgian EDM scene. The "rave" genre would develop into oldschool hardcore , which lead onto newer forms of rave music such as drum and bass , 2-step and happy hardcore as well as other hardcore techno genres, such as gabber and hardstyle . Rave music is usually presented in a DJ mix set, although live performances are not uncommon. Styles of music include: Downtempo and less dance-oriented styles which are sometimes called chill-out music , that might be heard in
19030-529: The makeshift stage, all my compunctions vanished. The three-song mini-set was nothing us fans hadn't seen before, but somehow, sharing it with the rest of America... made the moment more galvanizing, familiar or not." Eric Deggans of the St. Petersburg Times said that the Fear Factor counterprogramming "couldn't have been any more bloated or exploitative than U2's oddly out-of-place halftime performance". He said
19203-720: The mid-1980s and then later in London. In the late 1980s, the word "rave" was adopted to describe the subculture that grew out of the acid house movement. Activities were related to the party atmosphere of Ibiza , a Mediterranean island in Spain, frequented by British, Italian, Greek, Irish and German youth on vacation, who would hold raves and dance parties. By the 1990s, genres such as acid , breakbeat hardcore , hardcore , happy hardcore , gabber , drum and bass , post-industrial and electronica were all being featured at raves, both large and small. There were mainstream events which attracted thousands of people (up to 25,000 instead of
19376-465: The mod era of 1963–1966 to the hippie era of 1967 and beyond, the term fell out of popular usage. The Northern soul movement is cited by many as being a significant step towards the creation of contemporary club culture and of the superstar DJ culture of the 2000s. As in contemporary club culture, Northern soul DJs built up a following based on satisfying the crowd's desires for music that they could not hear anywhere else. Many argue that Northern soul
19549-403: The most annoying smirk ever seen. You just think: That guy is such a prat!" The band's second song was the elegiac " MLK ", during which the scrim was raised behind the stage, onto which a scrolling list of names of the 9/11 victims were projected. This segment segued into the third and final song, the band's 1987 hit single " Where the Streets Have No Name ". Towards the end of the song, the scrim
19722-489: The most renowned techno clubs in Germany. Parallel to the established club scene, illegal raves remained an integral part of the German rave scene throughout the 1990s. In urbanised Germany illegal raves and techno parties often preferred industrial sceneries such as decommissioned power stations, factories, the canalisation or former military properties of the cold war. In the course of the 1990s, rave culture became part of
19895-494: The music of mid-1960s garage rock and psychedelia bands (most notably the Yardbirds , who released an album in the United States called Having a Rave Up ). Along with being an alternative term for partying at such garage events in general, the "rave-up" referred to a specific crescendo moment near the end of a song where the music was played faster, more heavily and with intense soloing or elements of controlled feedback. It
20068-430: The music, but we like the message that U2 carries, which is responsibility to others and a sense of freedom". Collins called Jimmy Iovine , chairman of Interscope Records and producer of U2's 1988 album Rattle and Hum , and pitched him on U2 recreating the same tribute at the Super Bowl. Iovine contacted lead singer Bono and conveyed the NFL's proposal to him. The following day, Bono met with several executives of
20241-523: The music, their mood and watching other people dancing. Thus, the electronic, rave and club dances, also known as Post-Internet Dances refer to the street dance styles that evolved alongside electronic music culture. A common feature shared by all these dances, along with being originated at clubs, raves and music festivals around the world and in different years, is that when YouTube and other social media started to become popular (around 2006), these dances began to be popularised by videos of raves. Since
20414-469: The occasion, calling them "a group clearly used to big events, big crowds and big statements". He praised the decision to perform the uplifting "Where the Streets Have No Name" and Bono's revelation of the American flag in his jacket lining, saying it was "as if to demonstrate beneath his rock star exterior, he's with his U.S. fans on this most American of days". Tom Shales of The Washington Post said of
20587-416: The only automated light fixtures used on tour, and marked U2's first time using Vari-Lite products. Williams chose the fixture for its zoom control and brightness, allowing him to achieve a 55-foot (17 m) throw distance. For a footlight , the heart-shaped ramp had 300 T3 quartz bulbs embedded in 6-inch (150 mm) gutters on both sides, along with about 400 Egg Strobe and Star Strobe lights. Early in
20760-418: The performance to second-best in 2023. Lisa Redmond of NBC Sports ranked it number one, saying, "While other halftime shows may have been more entertaining, none of them have had as much meaning as this one." Brian Mansfield of USA Today ranked it first, saying that U2 "gave a sentimental, cathartic performance that went from celebration to elegy and back... By embracing the nation's still-fresh pain,
20933-422: The performance, 400 of whom occupied the inside of the heart. The stage comprised 22 interlocking pieces varying in weight from 700 to 3,500 pounds (320 to 1,590 kg); in total, the stage weighed 50,000 pounds (23,000 kg). The sections of the stage were wheeled onto the field by a team of 250 volunteers, who were split into groups of ten and blended in with the rest of the on-field audience after completing
21106-520: The police, also on account of the illicit drug use, enabled the ravers to use locations they could stay in for ten hours at a time. It promoted the sense of deviance and removal from social control. In the 2000s, this level of secrecy still exists in the underground rave scene. However "after-hours" clubs, as well as large outdoor events, create a similar type of alternate atmosphere, but focus much more on vibrant visual effects, such as props and décor. In more recent years, large commercial events are held at
21279-449: The previous three Super Bowls in New Orleans combined. ATK AudioTek Corp. coordinated the audio aspects of the show. Their JBL VerTec speaker system was suspended above the stage, while their portable V-DOSC cart speaker system was wheeled onto the field at ground level. All- digital mixing consoles were used, including a 48- channel InnovaSon Grand Live console that served as the front-of-house mixing station for all entertainment for
21452-485: The rave scene would soon explode into a massive scene, with 23 Hop as the initial launching pad, until its closure in 1995. The documentary film The Legend of 23 Hop highlighted the early stages of Exodus and similarly modelled production companies. Notable DJs that performed at 23 Hop included Moby , Mark Oliver, Dino & Terry, Sean L., Dr. No, Malik X, DJ Ruffneck, Jungle PhD, Kenny Glasgow, Matt C, John E, Danny Henry and David Crooke. In 2001 Calgary, Alberta became
21625-407: The rear apron were a wedge and two subwoofers. The monitors were mixed by engineers Don Garber and Dave Skaff on two ATI Paragon consoles, with a Yamaha 02R and Mackie 1604 console used for audience microphones and talkback inputs from crew members. Skaff mixed for Clayton and Mullen, while Garber mixed for Bono and the Edge. Their mixing position was underneath the left wing of the stage, without
21798-407: The reflection around the venue. Williams enlisted visual artist Catherine Owens to create the artwork used for the projectors and the videowall. Most of the projection imagery was hand-drawn, much of it directly to film, though some artwork was computer-generated. Owens worked with a team of four artists to create the artwork. The projection graphics were generally abstract and textural; Williams said
21971-441: The replacement after several executives from the National Football League (NFL) attended one of their October 2001 concerts in New York City and were emotionally impacted by the band's tribute to the attack victims, whose names were projected across the ceiling of Madison Square Garden . During their halftime performance, the band played their 2000 hit single " Beautiful Day ", the 1984 song " MLK ", and their 1987 hit single " Where
22144-675: The rights to the video footage of U2's halftime performance, and included it as a bonus feature in DVD copies of the official Patriots Super Bowl championship video; it was the first Super Bowl championship video to feature a halftime show. U2's performance is considered by critics to be one of the best Super Bowl halftime shows. In 2019, Entertainment Weekly called it "probably the most moving Super Bowl halftime performance to date". BBC Music and Variety ranked it seventh-best, while CBSSports.com ranked it sixth-best as of 2018. In 2024, Levi Weaver of The Athletic ranked U2's performance
22317-478: The same frequency band as the SKM 5000 microphones. Organisers said that most of the musical performers at Super Bowl XXXVI would pre-record their performances to reduce the possibility of technical problems. U2, however, said they intended to play live for the halftime show. When asked if he would lip sync , Bono said: "I'll be singing live. Call us old-fashioned, but I thought it might be novel. It might catch on with
22490-466: The same locations year after year with similar reoccurring themes every year. Events like Electric Daisy Carnival and Tomorrowland are typically held at the same venue that holds mass numbers of people. Some raves make use of pagan symbolism. Modern raving venues attempt to immerse the raver in a fantasy-like world. Indigenous imagery and spirituality can be characteristic in the Raving ethos. In both
22663-507: The scene due to the split, promoters such as ESP Dreamscape and Helter Skelter still enjoyed widespread popularity and capacity attendances with multi-arena events catering to the various genres. Notable events of this period included ESP's outdoor Dreamscape 20 event on 9 September 1995 at Brafield aerodrome fields, Northants and Helter Skelter's Energy 97 outdoor event on 9 August 1997 at Turweston Aerodrome, Northants. The illegal free party scene also reached its zenith for that time after
22836-692: The second-best halftime show, saying, "U2 delivered the kind of bald sentimentality that both attracts and repels legions of fans and detractors, though it's tough not to appreciate the raw power of the performance" during the tribute to the September 11 victims. In 2014, Rob Sheffield of Rolling Stone placed it first on his list, saying, "U2 created one of the truly great live-TV rock & roll moments of all time, up there with ' Bad ' at Live Aid ". He added: "Only U2 could have made this so grandiose, yet so emotionally direct. Grown men wept buckets. Every daft ambition U2 ever had, every lofty claim they ever made, they earned [that night]." Sheffield later re-ranked
23009-543: The show's prospects, saying, "This is going to be the worst halftime show ever." CCE's Special Events Group in St. Louis was responsible for managing the timing and technical aspects of the show, as well as managing talent. Hagglund produced the performance and coordinated with the special events department. The NFL set financial and creative terms for the halftime show. Hagglund called it "the biggest special event we've ever done". CCE employed 45 full-time staff members to work on
23182-526: The show, while Williams thought they were being underused. As a result, the Fresnels were replaced with eight custom fixtures called "fornows"; designed by Williams on a napkin, they were constructed by Light & Sound Design (LSD) and each housed a four-DWE Mole striplight in a short, deep wedge-shaped box. Williams felt the "fornows" befitted the show better, emitting light that was "less friendly and more aggressive". Among several unconventional fixtures in
23355-429: The shows were scheduled to go on sale on September 15, but the day after the announcement, the September 11 attacks occurred in the United States; four passenger airliners were hijacked by al-Qaeda terrorists and crashed in New York City and near Washington, D.C., killing nearly 3,000 people. CCE and SFX postponed ticket sales out of respect for the tragedy. Many artists cancelled tours of North America altogether in
23528-410: The spotlight he used on The Joshua Tree Tour . "Bullet" would then be followed by " With or Without You ". The band would then normally play " One ", which was played at every concert. On occasions in the first leg, the band played "Pride" or "The Fly" between "With or Without You" and "One" with the other one of those two songs played after "Mysterious Ways" at the end of the main set. "Wake up Dead Man"
23701-409: The stage assembly. The wheels of each stage segment had soft tires to avoid damaging the playing surface. The names of the 9/11 victims were projected by twelve 7-kilowatt xenon PIGI film projectors manufactured by E/T/C Audiovisuel and supplied by Fourth Phase Image Systems Group; they were the same type of projectors used during the band's Elevation Tour. The victims' names were projected across
23874-438: The stage featured 38 VL2416 fixtures, 24 VL5 fixtures, 210 VL5Arc fixtures, and 18 VL7 fixtures, and it was controlled by Victor Fable with a Virtuoso console . The lighting system at ground level comprised 30 VL2416 fixtures, 12 VL5 fixtures, and 30 VL5Arc fixtures, and was controlled by Willy McLachlan with a Virtuoso console. Bruce Ramus operated the lighting. U2's halftime set required three times more cabling and lighting than
24047-426: The stage or lower below it. The video wall featured Barco DLite LED panels and was provided by XL Video; it featured more LEDs than the video screen from the PopMart Tour, which was 55 feet (17 m) high by 170 feet (52 m) wide. The idea for the video wall was suggested by lead vocalist Bono , who preferred it over the video options that Fisher showed him. Williams called the amount of backlight produced by
24220-402: The stage. For the rest of the band, a pair of 12-AM wedges was used by Bono, a pair of Series II wedges by guitarist the Edge , and a pair of ML18 bass speakers by drummer Larry Mullen Jr. On each side of the backline , a P-4 cabinet was laid on its side atop ML18 units, which were angled inwards for sidefill. At the front of each wing of the stage, a "double-12" was placed, and on each side of
24393-411: The stage. While doing so, fans started slapping Bono on the back. Realising the wires for his in-ear monitors were exposed, he began to panic. He said: "All one person has to do is pull the wire, and I'm off air. I would hear nothing. Off the air in front of a billion people!" Bono said that his smirking facial reaction was a reflection of his fear at that moment; he admitted that he was "swaggering with
24566-455: The subculture as a drug-centric culture, as rave attendees have been known to use drugs such as cannabis , 2C-B , and DMT . Since the early 2000s, medical professionals have acknowledged and addressed the problem of the increasing consumption of alcoholic drinks and club drugs (such as MDMA , cocaine , rohypnol , GHB , ketamine , PCP , LSD , and methamphetamine ) associated with rave culture among adolescents and young adults in
24739-496: The third-best Super Bowl halftime, saying that the group "managed to pull off the impossible — performing a touching tribute to a moment at the time still too big and too new to fully process, but doing so without sacrificing an ounce of showmanship or delving into jingoism ". Jim Harrington of The Mercury News ranked it the second-best of the 21st century, while Billboard and Roisin O'Connor of The Independent ranked it second-best overall. In 2021, Thrillist ranked it
24912-470: The top Super Bowl halftime shows . U2 's 2000 studio album All That You Can't Leave Behind was commercially and critically successful. It debuted at number one in 32 countries and sold 10 million copies by December 2001. The record's lead single, " Beautiful Day ", was a worldwide hit, and in February 2001 it won Grammy Awards for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal , Song of
25085-568: The top of the heart was placed at the front of the stage. During this leg, Bono regularly flew back to Dublin after each show to be with his dying father. The third leg of the tour began in the U.S. only a month after the September 11, 2001 attacks and in the midst of the 2001 anthrax attacks . This nearly led U2 to cancel the leg, but they decided to continue, starting it at the University of Notre Dame in Notre Dame, Indiana , home of
25258-418: The tour, the lighting system featured 24 Fresnel fixtures with gold-painted barn doors for a "pleasantly stylish, Gucci feel". These fixtures dominated the first part of the show, illuminating at about 50 percent to produce what Williams called a "wonderful brown, low color temperature light which the band loved". As the tour progressed, Bono felt they were too nostalgic among the more contemporary elements of
25431-461: The tribute, "The roaring crowd reaction dwarfed anything produced by the game itself until the Patriots' thrilling victory on a last-second field goal." Hal Boedeker of The Orlando Sentinel praised the performance for being "thrilling" with "urgent, powerful renditions" of the songs and for its tribute to the 9/11 victims. Boedeker said the halftime show "elevated the patriotic Fox broadcast" and
25604-451: The various elements of 1970s disco subculture that ravers drew on, in addition to basing their scene around dance music mixed by DJs, ravers also inherited the positive attitude towards using club drugs to "enhanc[e]...the sensory experience" of dancing to loud music. The state of mind referred to as "ecstasy" (not to be confused with the slang term for MDMA ) sought by ravers has been described as "a result of when various factors harmonise
25777-456: The venue house lights with the Influx mix of " Elevation " playing as the band's intro music. "Elevation", the tour's title track, would then kick off the show, and would then be normally followed up by " Beautiful Day ", " Until the End of the World " and " New Year's Day ". Occasionally, " Discothèque " or " Mysterious Ways " followed "Until the End of the World" instead of "New Year's Day". For
25950-567: The victims of Sept. 11 was both daringly bombastic and also pretty damn cool." David Bianculli of the New York Daily News said that the halftime show "managed to strike the right mood of patriotism, pride and solemnity." He added: "It was theater, yes – but on a grand scale. Given the occasion, it was grand indeed." Peter King of CNN/SI called the band's performance "perfect for the occasion" and said, "I praise you, NFL, selfishly, for giving me 11 terrific minutes at halftime of
26123-476: The victims of an American tragedy, while a television executive mentioned that a past U2 television special had drawn low ratings. Goodell was immediately on board with the idea of U2, and while Tagliabue was initially uncertain, he ultimately came around and decided to book them. Greg Hagglund, vice president and executive producer of CCE, met with U2 in Las Vegas during a stop on their Elevation Tour to have
26296-423: The video wall "ridiculous". In lieu of traditional image magnification (IMAG), four video screens were hung above the front of the stage, each of them displaying a black-and-white camera feed dedicated to a specific member of U2. Four long-lens cameras followed the band members and presented a "raw" video feed of each, without the intervention of a video director. The setup was Williams's response to what he saw as
26469-402: The videowall artwork was created onsite during tour rehearsals. During that time, the artists were given access to one of Media 100 's editing suites in London, where they created images on a PowerBook G3 laptop and could instantly view them on the videowall. The process allowed Owens's team to solicit artistic ideas from the band and turn them around within a single afternoon. Equipment for
26642-492: The wake of the attacks, but on September 17, CCE and SFX announced that the Elevation Tour would continue as planned and that tickets would go on sale for various shows starting September 21. Following the attacks, All That You Can't Leave Behind found added resonance with American audiences, as the album climbed on the Billboard 200 chart and songs such as " Walk On " and " Peace on Earth " garnered radio airplay. Both tracks were performed during U2's appearance on
26815-446: The way people react during the songs or throughout the concert itself. Since then the culture has extended to all ages, ranging from kids in their early teens to college students and more. The traditional Rave lights are limited now, but many stores have developed newer, brighter, and more advanced version of lights with a plethora of colours and modes—modes include solid, stribbon, strobe , dops, hyper flash, and other variations. Among
26988-419: The weeks preceding it, NFL Films re-shot the music videos for U2's songs " Stuck in a Moment You Can't Get Out Of " and " Beautiful Day " to include football footage. The NFL and Fox both used the band's songs in television commercials advertising the 2001–02 NFL playoffs . Collins said that the league's and Interscope Records' objective was "to help make U2 synonymous with the NFL". America Online held
27161-458: The wings of the main stage were curved ramps shaped like the bottom of a heart, which joined together at the center of the venue floor. The heart shape was inspired by the video graphics being produced for the tour, and it was chosen by the creative team early in the design process. At the suggestion of bassist Adam Clayton , the stage was given an open center that could be filled with fans; the first 300 general admission ticketholders to queue before
27334-413: The years "standing behind video directors and engineers, seeing what they were seeing" on the video monitors. Rather than present a director's vision of what shots to show an audience, Williams wanted to "take that person out of the equation" and present an unmediated look at the band members. U2's management and concert promoters were sceptical at first, but Williams said that after it was seen in action, it
27507-443: Was "mercifully simpler than the usually overproduced halftimes". Kevin C. Johnson of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch called the show an "unqualified success" and U2's performance "crowd-rousing". He said, "when you have U2 as your headliner and only act, you've got a guaranteed winner on your hands". Despite scepticism about U2's decision to play the Super Bowl halftime show, Chris Willman of Entertainment Weekly said: "Once U2 took
27680-415: Was a "complete no-brainer". He expected it to be one most of the most influential aspects of the tour. According to him, the easiest solution would have been to eliminate IMAG altogether, but it was "deemed necessary" because of the size of some indoor venues and the high cost of tickets. Projection factored heavily into the shows' visuals. The tour used four PIGI projectors from E\T\C Audiovisuel placed in
27853-437: Was again taken up by the fashion industry and marketed as "rave fashion" or "festival fashion", now includling all kinds of accessories to create unique looks depending on event. In contrast to this and starting at Berlin techno clubs like Berghain in the 2000s, a strictly black style, partly borrowed from the dark scene , has established itself within parts of the techno scene. Certain rave events such as Sensation also have
28026-424: Was bouncing up and down, completely oblivious to the banner memorializing the dead. That should have been a solemn moment, not the background for a rock show." The Super Bowl was expected to draw 130 million viewers in the United States and 800 million worldwide. According to Nielsen ratings , U2's halftime show drew a 38.3 rating, equating to 40.2 million households and 82.9 million viewers in
28199-401: Was covered by a column of eight speaker cabinets, while the rear of the stage was covered by two arrays of six cabinets arranged in 10° increments. For the general admission audience inside the heart, P-2 speakers were positioned on top of ML18 bass cabinets under the front of the stage, and a cluster of three P-4 speakers was center hung overhead. Sound engineer Joe O'Herlihy mixed the sound on
28372-407: Was in line with the NFL recasting the Super Bowl entertainment under the theme "Heroes, Hope, and Homeland". McCarthy said, "With the events of September 11th, we've redefined and refocused the game presentation, and the theme is celebration and the human spirit and the values of freedom, and also to everyday heroes". U2 and other musical acts at the Super Bowl were unpaid for their performances, as
28545-461: Was instrumental in creating a network of clubs, DJs, record collectors and dealers in the UK, and was the first music scene to provide the British charts with records that sold entirely on the strength of club play. A technique employed by northern soul DJs in common with their later counterparts was the sequencing of records to create euphoric highs and lows for the crowd; DJ Laurence 'Larry' Proxton
28718-469: Was instrumental in the development of iconic Belgian techno sounds and anthems. Exodus Productions was arguably the first production company in Canada to throw regular rave style events at the warehouse space known as 23 Hop, located at 318 Richmond Street West in Toronto 's Entertainment District . The first party was held on 31 August 1991. Multiple production companies would quickly follow suit, and
28891-477: Was known for using this method. DJ personalities and their followers involved in the original Northern soul movement went on to become important figures in the house and dance music scenes. During the 1970s and early 1980s until its resurrection, the term was not in vogue, one notable exception being in the lyrics of the song " Drive-In Saturday " by David Bowie (from his 1973 album Aladdin Sane ) which includes
29064-467: Was later part of the title of an electronic music performance event held on 28 January 1967 at London's Roundhouse titled the "Million Volt Light and Sound Rave". The event featured the only known public airing of an experimental sound collage created for the occasion by Paul McCartney of the Beatles – the legendary " Carnival of Light " recording. With the rapid change of British pop culture from
29237-491: Was released in November 2003. Filmed on 1 September 2001, it captured the outdoor variant of the Elevation Tour at the band's Slane Concert . The first two legs of the Elevation Tour sold out all 83 concerts across North America and Europe and grossed US$ 105 million. The band's two concerts at Slane Castle sold 157,418 tickets and grossed $ 6.7 million. The Elevation Tour was 2001's top-earning North American tour with
29410-435: Was released to the ground, and the names continued to scroll and be projected onto the interior of the Superdome. At the conclusion of the song, Bono opened his leather jacket to reveal an American flag in the lining. U2's halftime show performance received generally positive reviews. Dan Shaughnessy of The Boston Globe called it: "the greatest halftime show in the history of sporting events. Hands down." John Smyntek of
29583-510: Was sometimes played after "One", if not after "Sunday Bloody Sunday". " Walk On " would then be played as the outright show closer. The third leg saw some alterations to the setlist to reflect the much more emotionally poignant times that existed within America in the wake of the September 11th attacks. After opening with the same trio that they opened the first two legs with, the band would then most commonly play "New Year's Day", "I Will Follow" or "Out of Control", "Sunday Bloody Sunday", "Stuck in
29756-413: Was ultimately located, allowing the projection to proceed. Around January 21, 2002, production crews arrived at Tad Gormley Stadium at the University of New Orleans to work on the logistical aspects of the halftime show, particularly the process of building and disassembling the stage on the field in the mandated amount of time. After arriving in New Orleans on January 30, the band rehearsed in
29929-570: Was widely reproduced in the media. Sports Illustrated ranked it as the best halftime show in Super Bowl history. Two concert videos of the Elevation Tour were released on DVD, both directed by Hamish Hamilton . The first, Elevation 2001: Live from Boston , was released in November 2001, and included material from three different shows filmed in June 2001 in Boston at the FleetCenter . One of
#857142