Conan to Turn Entire Show Over to U2 on Thursday

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051004/...NlYwMlJVRPUCUl

NEW YORK - In his 12 years in charge of booking musical guests on Conan O'Brien's "Late Night," Jim Pitt always listed U2 and Johnny Cash as the dream artists he'd tried but never succeeded in getting.

He lost his chance with the late Cash, but the U2 dream is coming true Thursday in a major way.

O'Brien will turn over his entire show to the band, which is in New York for seven sold-out engagements at Madison Square Garden.

"We were able to offer them something to feel enough like an event for them to do the show," Pitt said. "It's basically `Late Night with Conan O'Brien,' the U2 edition."

The NBC show has never before devoted itself entirely to a musical guest, although it gave major time a few years back to a holiday appearance by bandleader
Max Weinberg's other employer,
Bruce Springsteen.

O'Brien's a big U2 fan, and made a personal connection by talking at length with Bono during breaks in rehearsals for the band's "Saturday Night Live" appearance last season, Pitt said.

It may be a nervous time for Bono, who is nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize for his work in trying to ease Third World poverty. People who watch the Nobel closely list the lead singer as one of the favorites. The winner is expected to be named Friday.

The band is expected to perform three songs and be interviewed by O'Brien.

Pitt is not pushing for any material in particular.

"When U2 decides they want to come on the show for an hour, you don't get too picky about what they play," he said.

No way I ammissing this...I LOVE U2...When I was a freshman in college I went to see them at Municipal Stadium in Cleveland..second row...second greatest rock show I ever went too right behind Pink Floyd

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Originally Posted by savafan

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It may be a nervous time for Bono, who is nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize for his work in trying to ease Third World poverty. People who watch the Nobel closely list the lead singer as one of the favorites. The winner is expected to be named Friday.

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If Bono wins the Nobel peace prize over Pope John Paul II, there is something very wrong with the selection process.

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Originally Posted by Betterread

If Bono wins the Nobel peace prize over Pope John Paul II, there is something very wrong with the selection process.

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Errr, why? I don't want to get political or religious so I won't offer my opinion on that.

U2's last CD stunk so bad after so many years of quality music, that I can't even bring myself to watch or listen to them for now - just depresses me to think about how cheesey they've become. :thumbdown I've been a huge fan for 16 years and it finally happened...they got old, cheesey and soft.

You're not talking about "How to dismantle an atomic bomb" are you?

For better or worse, I just forked over some coin so that my better half and I can take in one of their shows when they're in Atlanta in mid-November.

Neither of us are big concert-goers, but this is one band we both agreed that we want to see live. Hopefully they'll play a good bit of the older stuff.

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Originally Posted by CrackerJack

U2's last CD stunk so bad after so many years of quality music, that I can't even bring myself to watch or listen to them for now - just depresses me to think about how cheesey they've become. :thumbdown I've been a huge fan for 16 years and it finally happened...they got old, cheesey and soft.

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I could not agree more..."Bomb" doesn't begin to describe that album. With the exception of Rattle and Hum, I pretty much enjoyed everything they released up through "Pop". "All You Can'T Leave Behind" was OK, but didn't do much for me, but wasn't bad. "Atomic Bomb" is just awful--there are about 3 songs I fancy on that album, the rest is utter garbage.

Bono's been spending too much time trying to save the world and not enough focusing on what he does best--music. For me, Achtung baby was their high watermark. They may never hit that again, honestly.