Get on your boots! Only one more sleep till U2 in Winnipeg.

The claw has finally touched down at Winnipeg’s Canadinns Stadium and the band followed close behind. It seems that this weekend before the massive U2 360 Degree concert the Dublin quartet are filming a documentary at the Burton Cummings theatre.

Arriving Friday evening to a Irish drizzle of rain Bono, The Edge, Larry Mullen Jr. and Adam Clayton greeted fans who had staked out ” The Burt” theatre in hopes of meeting the band.

Adam Clayton Meets fans at the Burt (Winnipeg Free Press)

Lead Guitar, The Edge presses the flesh with wet but excited fans Friday afternoon. (Winnipeg Free Press)

Bono signs an autograph for an eager fan. (Winnipeg Free Press)

My own reconnaissance took my camera to the stadium where the massive stage nicknamed The Claw is taking shape. Let me tell any of you who have only seen video or pictures of this monstrosity that it is easily the largest stage set up that has ever seen fit to land in Manitoba. With a footprint of approximately 40 yards square on the football field and reaching a height that matches the top rows of the stadium upper deck seating there will not be a single poor seat in the house when the show begins.

The Claw takes form behind a tight band of security.

Look, No guards here!

My seat for the concert of the year!

Apparently Bono is also very interested in a little project that rivals his own stage set up for sheer scale. The rising Canadian Museum for Human Rights at the forks, has been put on his agenda as a must see item. No doubt the spearhead of the museum project Gail Asper is dying to have a chat with the U2 front man about the project and it’s fund-raising arm.

Construction continues on the Canadian Museum for Human Rights

The Museum that is being constructed at The Forks complex will highlight the successes and failures of humanity in its ongoing struggle to find a noble path through the struggles of life. Genocides and conflict, rights movements and hero’s will be featured inside the massive “Glass Mountain” structure on the banks of the Assiniboine and Red Rivers.

With a limited time in Winnipeg before they move on to the next stop on their world tour I would like to personally wish the boys a hearty welcome and hope they enjoy Winnipeg as much as Winnipeg is going to enjoy them.

Sláinte!

Related articles

• SCENE: U2 fan on hunt for Bono (cbc.ca)
• U2 gear moves into Burton Cummings Theatre (cbc.ca)

Why We Blog

Lots of people ask me why I blog and I rarely have a straight up answer for them.  Sometimes it’s because I need to get something off my chest.  Sometimes it’s because I like to post some pictures I have taken.

But in the end I guess it’s just because I have a voice.  One of many howling in this sometimes cold and inhuman world.  A voice that needs a place if not to be heard, then to be spoken.

If someone reads what I say that’s a good thing, if it’s good enough to be talked about that’s better.  If it’s shared and on and on and on.

The point is I guess that we are the voices of the free, we have the right to yell and rant or cry.   Many of us will give thanks this week.  Speaking of love and family, that’s cool too.

But the point is we can.  We are able, and we must.

As long as we have the ability we should express ourselves, because we can.  Let us rage about punk music in London, or cry about the death of a relationship.

This Internet is a glorious thing, for the people by, strangely enough the military.  But it’s ours now and let us never ever give it back.

Let us love and rant and share and care.
Why?

Because we can!!

I’ll get off my soap box now.

Bob

P.S. Because I can let’s have some porn star dancing!!