U2 Launch Promotional Blitz as "No Line on the Horizon" Hits Stores

With their new album out tomorrow, U2's promotional blitz for their five-star No Line on the Horizon begins tonight as the band performs the first of five consecutive gigs on The Late Show with David Letterman. After the long struggle of recording Horizon, U2's promo appearances are pure fun, the Edge tells Rolling Stone. "In some ways, it's a relief from the intensity of trying to finish the album," he said. "It's a holiday."

The band is expected to wrap up their Letterman residency with a not-so-secret show at New York's Fordham University on Friday, March 6th. Rumor of U2 coming to campus began when professors at the Bronx university were told to cancel their morning classes for security reasons. Don't get too excited U2 fans: WFUV reports that you'll need a student ID to get in. (And no worries, we previewed U2's upcoming tour last week — stay tuned to Rolling Stone for much more on the band in the next issue, on newsstands this week!) Earlier Friday, the band will also appear on Good Morning America.

There's also talk on the U2.com message board that the band has planned a secret show in Boston. The band does have a history of bustinhg out small, gonzo shows to coincide with the release of a new album: remember their brief concert under the Brooklyn Bridge in the days leading up to How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb?

The group recently wrapped up their buzz-building trip in the U.K., playing both a BBC gig and a concert atop a London rooftop. Bono made some headlines when he told BBC Radio that Coldplay's Chris Martin is comparable to Paul McCartney as a melodist, but "he's a wanker" and " he's a dysfunctional character and a cretin." Evidently the Brits didn't get the singer's Irish humor: Bono went on to apologize and tell the radio audience, "I was just joking entirely."

Related Stories:

• U2's Bono Previews Innovative "No Line on the Horizon" Tour
• Label Leak to Blame for Early Arrival of U2's "No Line on the Horizon"
• Album Review: U2's No Line on the Horizon

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Song Stories

“Weird”

Hanson | 1997

Accomplished tunesmith Desmond Child co-wrote "Weird" with the three brothers that make up Hanson. Credited for dozens of cuts, including songs by Kiss, Cher, Bon Jovi and Aerosmith, Child told Rolling Stone that "Weird" holds a special place in his heart, "because it's about being different--and I grew up poor, I grew up being Latin, I grew up being gay, and now I'm fat!" The song was included on Hanson's 1997 album Middle of Nowhere, which sold more than ten million units.

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