U2 FANS, you won't want to miss this.
Ireland's most famous band are launching a series of concerts on Youtube over the coming weeks to help soften the blow of gigs and concerts having been banned for over a year-- and no sign of when they will return.
The Dublin four-piece have announce the incredibly exciting U2: The Virtual Road, a series of four virtual concerts which will air on Youtube for 48 hours on the day they are launched-- but will disappear once the 48 hours are up.
The first concert will be broadcast today, St Patrick's Day, and brings U2 back to their roots, as they rock the banks of the River Boyne at Slane Castle on 1 September 2001-- with a special opening act from Dermot Kennedy, recorded in Los Angeles last week.
U2: The Virtual Road series will see four iconic concerts being uploaded to Youtube for 48 hours (Image credit: Sam Jones)Next week, on 25 March, fans will be able to experience U2 Live At Red Rocks, a performance recorded on 5th June 1983 at Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Colorado, US on the band’s War Tour. The iconic, rain-soaked performance was a testatement of what U2 were capable of in their live acts. Irish act Fontaines D.C. will open the show.
On 1 April, U2 will broadcast their 1997 Live at Mexico City performance at the Foro Sol Stadium during the PopMart Tour, and will see Carla Morrison open for the band, only on YouTube, for a very special one-off performance ahead of Popmart: Live From Mexico City.
On 10 April, fans will be transported to Paris in December 2015, when U2 returned to the French capital less than a month after the devastating terrorist attacks on the city.
iNNOCENCE + eXPERIENCE: Live in Paris marked the final performance on the tour, an unforgettable evening which included an emotional performance of Patti Smith’s ‘People Have The Power’. French band Feu! Chatterton will open the show.
Three of these concerts- Slane, Red Rocks and Mexico-- have never before been made available digitally, making U2's Virtual Road a very special experience indeed.
Speaking on the launch of their dvirtual concert series, Bono, The Edge, Adam and Larry said:
"Every show is memorable for us but these four particularly so… It’s exciting to be on the road again… Embracing all the wonder of the virtual road… And especially exciting to be joined by such a brilliant line-up of fellow travellers in Dermot Kennedy, Fontaines D.C., Carla Morrison and Feu! Chatterton."
U2 The Virtual Road concert posterDan Chalmers, Director of YouTube Music for EMEA said it was "fantastic that YouTube is partnering with U2 for this exclusive broadcast.
"The four concerts featured in The Virtual Road are the most memorable and iconic in the band’s history, and indeed rock history at large. As one of the world’s best-selling music artists, U2 have been at the top of the global rock scene for the past four decades. When they perform, the world takes notice - their performances are always a landmark moment for music lovers around the world.
"We’re proud to be providing the platform for an artist that has come to embody the definitive live music experience.”
Sam Lunn, Head of Campaign Strategy, Island Records said “One of the reasons U2 remain one of the greatest and most interesting bands in music is their desire to always break new ground. No band has managed to combine emotion, ambition, innovation and spectacle to produce such consistently brilliant live shows.
"With the announcement of The Virtual Road, and this hugely exciting partnership with YouTube, U2 are once again leading the way with this incredibly exciting virtual concert series.”
You can catch the virtual concert series on U2's Youtube page here.
See More: St Patrick's Day, The Virtual Road, U2
