Staff writer Aaron J. Sams takes a look at U22, the upcoming 2-CD live collection that's being sent to current U2.com fan club members.

The Songs That Made U22

The final track list for this year's u2.com fan club CD has been announced. The CD, titled U22, features 22 live songs, as voted by paying members of u2.com. Forty-six songs were made available for the compilation; only 22 tracks were on the final track listing. There is no firm release date, but we do know which songs have made the cut.

Many of the songs on U22 are what I would consider tour staples. These songs appeared in more than 70 percent of the 360 tour concerts worldwide. Some appeared every night; others would weave in and out of the show as time went on but appeared in most of the legs of the tour. Below I list the songs I consider in this category, as well as the actual percentage of times the song appeared in the 360 concerts (i.e., a song that appeared 100 percent was played at every show on the entire tour):

• "Beautiful Day" (100%)
• "One" (100%)
• "Where The Streets Have No Name" (100%)
• "Walk On" (100%)
• "City Of Blinding Lights" (100%)
• "With Or Without You" (99.1%)
• "Moment Of Surrender" (98.2%)
• "I Still Haven't Found" (87.3%)
• "Magnificent" (87.3%)
• "Elevation" (85.4%)
• "Mysterious Ways" (84.5%)
• "Until The End Of The World" (74.5%)

Over half of the tracks chosen for U22 fall into this category I have chosen as tour staples. These songs have all been singles with the exception of "Moment Of Surrender" and "Until The End Of The World."

From the sound clips on U2.com we know that some of these tracks are taken from specific shows. "Mysterious Ways" is likely from Cape Town, "Until The End Of The World" is from one of the Mexico shows, "Moment Of Surrender" is taken from a show in Perth, and "I Still Haven't Found" is likely from Boston. "Beautiful Day" is from Zagreb, and "Magnificent" is taken from one of the Zurich shows. The location of the other tracks above is as yet unannounced, and there are no hints as to where they may have come from. I'm hoping that these tracks aren't taken from the U2 360 At The Rose Bowl DVD, as that would be a huge disappointment: repeating material we've already had released in another format. I really hope they have taken the opportunity to release fresh music for this compilation.

"Mysterious Ways," "Elevation" and "Until The End Of The World" were introduced after the 360 tour started, and were not present in the setlist opening night. All three songs were played sporadically throughout the first leg in Europe in 2009, only becoming regulars in the shows as the second leg in North America progressed.

"Magnificent" followed the opposite path. It was played every night from the start of the tour, but as the tour wrapped up, started to miss shows including many in the final leg in North America. "I Still Haven't Found" was part of the setlist from the first shows in Barcelona, but it missed a number of cities when the band played multiple dates.

The other songs in this grouping were played every night of the 360 tour, or only missed a handful of shows, such as "Moment Of Surrender," which, due to rumored curfews, was not played at one of the Brisbane shows, and was again skipped in Winnipeg.

All the songs in this grouping have had live versions of the tracks released in the past on compilations, fan club releases and singles. The rarest live version to track down is "Moment Of Surrender," having only appeared in audio on Wide Awake In Europe, an EP released in 2010 for Record Store Day in limited quantities, although a video version was released on U2 360 At The Rose Bowl.

A number of songs were played less frequently on the tour, and may have been prominent only on one or two legs of the tour. Songs that were played in 20 percent to 70 percent of the shows on the 360 tour included the following:

• "Ultra Violet" (58.1%)
• "The Unforgettable Fire" (41.8%)
• "Even Better Than The Real Thing" (28.1%)
• "Zooropa" (24.5%)
• "Stay" (24.5%)

Of these songs, "Stay," "The Unforgettable Fire" and "Even Better Than The Real Thing" have all been released as commercial singles.

"Zooropa" and "Even Better Than The Real Thing" were played regularly during the last North American leg, and some nights of the preceding South American leg, but not before. "The Unforgettable Fire" and "Ultra Violet" were played every night during the first two legs of the tour, but "The Unforgettable Fire" disappeared during the third leg, not to be seen again. "Ultra Violet" continued to appear in shows, but started to share time with "Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me" on the third leg in Europe. "Stay" was a sporadic song on the first and second legs, but it too appeared regularly on the final North American leg.

From the clips on u2.com, we know that "Stay" was likely recorded in Chicago, but the date is unknown, as it was performed there in both 2009 and 2011. "Even Better Than The Real Thing" was recorded at the final Mexico City show. "Zooropa" was apparently recorded in Baltimore. "Ultra Violet" was recorded at the end of the third leg in Coimbra. There were no clues as to where "The Unforgettable Fire" was recorded.

"Stay" and "Even Better Than The Real Thing" have both been released live in the past on singles. "The Unforgettable Fire" appeared on the Live from Paris digital download from a 1987 concert. Neither "Zooropa" nor "Ultra Violet" have been released live previously in an audio format. "Zooropa" had only been performed three times before the 360 tour, all in 1993.

Songs that I would consider true tour rarities appeared in less than 20 percent of the concerts on the 360 tour. Only five of these songs have been chosen to appear on this live compilation by fans:

• "The Fly" (12.7%)
• "Bad" (11.8%)
• "Out Of Control" (5.4%)
• "All I Want Is You" (10.9%) / "Love Rescue Me" (3.6%)
• "One Tree Hill" (3.6%)

"The Fly," "Out Of Control," "All I Want Is You" and "One Tree Hill" have all been released commercially as singles.

The location of all five of these tracks was potentially revealed in the clips that u2.com had posted to review on the site. Those clips had "The Fly" listed as recorded in Nashville, "Bad" as from Rome, "Out Of Control" from Montreal, "All I Want Is You / Love Rescue Me" from Sydney and "One Tree Hill" taken from Auckland.

Of the five tracks, "The Fly" was played most frequently, in over half of the shows on the final leg of the tour, making its tour debut in Anaheim. "Bad" was played throughout the tour, but only made rare appearances. It was performed five times on the first leg, once on the second leg, twice on the third leg, three times on the fourth leg, and only once each on the South American and final North American tour legs. "Out Of Control," like "The Fly," also made its tour debut in 2011, and only appeared once in South America and five times in North America. Neither "All I Want Is You" nor "Love Rescue Me" made frequent tour appearances, and both debuted together in this performance from Sydney. "One Tree Hill" appeared in the two New Zealand shows, and then only in Santiago and Chicago for the remainder of the tour.

All five of these tracks have appeared live in various releases throughout the years. Of the songs included here, a live version of "One Tree Hill" is the hardest to find, as it was only released as part of The Complete U2 on iTunes, which has now been removed.

The Final Breakdown of U22 As Selected By Fans

On the final compilation, 54 percent of the songs were tour staples played at over 70 percent of the concerts on the tour. Only 23 percent were songs that appeared regularly in the setlist, at somewhere from 20 percent to 70 percent of the shows. Finally, 23 percent were songs that I would consider rarities, appearing at less than 20 percent of all the concerts on the 360 tour.

Seventeen (77 percent) of the songs included on the U22 compilation have been commercially released as singles. These range from U2's first single in 1979, "Out Of Control," to the most recent single included on this compilation, "Magnificent." The other two singles from the newest album did not get voted onto this compilation although they were included among song choices.

Of the tracks chosen, a surprising six tracks are from Achtung Baby. Perhaps the recent re-release and the freshness of those tracks in the tour played in favor of them being chosen by fans. They make up 27 percent of the tracks on this live set. The Joshua Tree contributes four tracks (18 percent) and All That You Can't Leave Behind contributes three tracks (14 percent) to this compilation. Two tracks each (9 percent) are contributed from the albums The Unforgettable Fire, Zooropa and No Line On The Horizon. One track on this compilation is from Boy, and one from How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb. Only one track is from Rattle And Hum, but it represents two songs from that album, "All I Want Is You" and "Love Rescue Me."

The Songs That Didn't Make U22

The songs that have been played pretty much every night on the 360 tour fared well on the U22 compilation. These songs were well represented on the CD, but there were four exceptions.

• "I'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight" (100.9%)
• "Get On Your Boots" (100%)
• "Vertigo" (100%)
• "Sunday Bloody Sunday" (98.2%)

I quite honestly didn't expect "I'll Go Crazy" to make the cut. We received a version of this on the Artificial Horizon CD from the fan club two years ago. That performance was taken from a second-leg show in Dublin in 2009, and there was no way to be sure we wouldn't just get the same track on this new release. So I'm not surprised people avoided that as a choice, and I've seen people discussing skipping that track so we could have something new for songs.

"Vertigo" has been widely released as a live track on various singles and other releases. "Sunday Bloody Sunday" has been released in multiple formats as well. "Get On Your Boots" has not been released in audio format as a live track, but it did appear in the U2 360 At The Rose Bowl release. "I'll Go Crazy" from Dublin was released on Artificial Horizon and the version from the Rose Bowl was released in audio format for a promo CD of Rose Bowl tracks.

Each of these songs appeared almost every night on the tour. "I'll Go Crazy" was actually performed twice at the second show opening the tour in Barcelona, once in the remix style and once as the regular version. Thus it was actually played over 100 percent on the tour. "Sunday Bloody Sunday" only missed two shows on the entire tour, replaced by "Pride" in Helsinki in August 2010 and Brussels in September 2010.

From the release of the short clips on u2.com, the version of "Get On Your Boots" was recorded in Boston, and "Vertigo" was recorded in Berlin. The location of the recordings for the other two tracks cannot be determined from these clips.

Over half of the songs on U22 are songs that appeared at over 70 percent of all of the 360 concerts. Songs that appeared less frequently in concert were not chosen as readily by fans for inclusion on this compilation. Seventeen songs were presented as voting choices that appeared in concert from 20 percent to 70 percent of the 360 shows. Only five of these tracks were chosen by voters to appear on the compilation. The other songs in this grouping that did not make the cut are:

• "Miss Sarajevo" (60%)
• "Pride (In The Name of Love)" (59.1%)
• "In A Little While" (45.5%)
• "Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me" (41.8%)
• "No Line On The Horizon" (40%)
• "Scarlet" (40%)
• "Breathe" (39.1%)
• "I Will Follow" (38.1%)
• "Stuck In A Moment You Can't Get Out Of" (32.7%)
• "Unknown Caller" (30.9%)
• "Return Of The Stingray Guitar" (30%)
• "New Year's Day" (26.4%)

"Miss Sarajevo" was introduced on the third leg and became a staple of the tour from that point onward, appearing most nights. "Pride" was a regular song during the first leg in Europe, and then rarely played the second leg in North America. It returned in the third leg and was played throughout the rest of the tour. "In A Little While" was played occasionally throughout the entire tour, but was dropped completely in the final North American leg. "Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me" was introduced to open the encore on the third leg, and was used back and forth with "Ultra Violet" in this position for the remainder of the tour. "No Line On The Horizon" started out appearing in every show but was dropped after the second leg ended in 2009, only being played once after that in Helsinki in 2010.

As you go further down the list, "Scarlet" was introduced on the fourth leg in Australia and became a tour staple after that sometimes as a U2 performance. One reason it may not have fared well in the voting? "Scarlet" was one of the shortest songs performed.

"Breathe" was the opening song for the first two legs of the tour, before being replaced by "Return Of The Stingray Guitar" on the third leg. Neither song had enough votes to make it to this compilation. "Return Of The Stingray Guitar" is notable because it is the only new song that was made available for voting on this compilation, although perhaps it did not fare well due to it being an instrumental.

"I Will Follow" was introduced on the third leg and played regularly for the remainder of the tour. "Stuck In A Moment" was played throughout the tour from the first leg to the final, but never on a regular basis. "Unknown Caller" appeared nightly in the first two legs, and disappeared at that point. And "New Year's Day" first appeared in the third show in Dublin in 2009, then irregularly at shows from that point onward.

All of these songs have been released on live audio releases in the past, with the exception of "Return Of The Stingray Guitar," which has never been released in any format, and "Unknown Caller," "No Line On The Horizon" and "Breathe," which have never been released live in an audio format.

From the preview clips on u2.com, the following locations can be determined for these tracks: "Miss Sarajevo" (Buenos Aires), "Pride" (Gelsenkirchen), "Hold Me Thrill Me" (Santiago), "No Line On The Horizon" (Sheffield), "Scarlet" (Melbourne), "I Will Follow" (Brussels), "Stuck In A Moment" (Sheffield), "New Year's Day" (Dublin) and "Return Of The Stingray Guitar" (Vienna). I was unable to determine the location any of the other performances I have placed in this section.

Maybe most sad are some of the real rarities of the tour, played only on a limited number of nights. These rarities were played less than 20 percent of the time during the tour. Only five such rarities were voted onto the disc. The ones that didn't pull enough support to appear on the disc were as follows:

• "Desire" (8.1%)
• "Angel Of Harlem" (7.3%)
• "Your Blue Room" (6.4%)
• "Mothers Of The Disappeared" (2.7%)
• "Electrical Storm" (2.7%)
• "Party Girl" (1.8%)
• "Spanish Eyes" (0.9%)
• "40" (0.9%)

Before going further, I must admit, two of my favorite moments of the tour were listed as part of the vote. Both of them are here, not to appear on the final U22 compilation. Seeing "Mothers Of The Disappeared" for the first time ever in Istanbul was an amazing experience. From the time they announced the final show in Moncton I knew I wanted it to end with "40," and it did. It was the perfect close to the tour for me. I would have chosen both to appear had this been my set to mix.

These are the songs that rarely appeared on this tour. "Desire" appeared mainly through the first leg of the tour, although it popped up again in Perth and in Mexico City for a total of nine performances on the tour. "Angel Of Harlem" was played mainly during the first leg, with one appearance on the third leg (Brussels) and one on the fourth (Auckland). "Your Blue Room" was rehearsed extensively throughout the first leg of the tour but was only played during seven shows on the second leg in North America. "Mothers Of The Disappeared" was played three times on the third leg in Europe, and I count myself lucky to have seen two of those performances. "Electrical Storm" was played only in Barcelona, Milan and Gotenburg on the first leg of the tour. "Party Girl" was played only in Barcelona and Milan.

Finally, with just one performance each, "Spanish Eyes" was played in San Sebastian on the third leg, and "40" was the last song played on the entire tour in Moncton. I guess it's safe to say where those two performances come from. We also know from the sound clips on u2.com that "Your Blue Room" was taken from one of the New Jersey shows, and that "Mothers Of The Disappeared" was the version performed in Istanbul. The location of the other shows cannot be determined at this point.

Of these tracks, there have been no live recordings of "Spanish Eyes," "Electrical Storm," "Mothers Of The Disappeared" or "Your Blue Room" released on previous audio recordings. The other tracks listed in this section have been available on other audio releases throughout the year.

Some Final Stats On U22

Out of the 46 made available to pick, 15 percent of the songs were from No Line On The Horizon, 13 percent were from Achtung Baby, 11 percent were from The Joshua Tree and from All That You Can't Leave Behind. Eleven percent were non-album tracks. Seven percent of the tracks were from each of the albums War, Rattle And Hum, and The Unforgettable Fire. Four percent of the tracks were from each of the albums Zooropa, How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb, Original Soundtracks No. 1 and Boy. Only 2 percent of the tracks in the poll were from October. The songs offered were highly weighted towards songs from No Line and Achtung Baby and that makes sense if you consider the early legs promoted the first and the later legs seemed to be promoting the other.

Out of the options given, 100 percent of the tracks offered for voting from Zooropa and Achtung Baby were chosen for inclusion on this CD. Eighty percent of the tracks offered from The Joshua Tree were chosen for U22. Sixty-seven percent of the tracks offered in the poll from The Unforgettable Fire were chosen, and 60 percent of those offered from All That You Can't Leave Behind were chosen. Fifty percent of the tracks offered for Boy and How To Dismantle an Atomic Bomb were chosen for the compilation. Rattle And Hum had 33 percent of the offered tracks appear on the compilation, while No Line On The Horizon came in low with only 28.5 percent of the tracks offered in the vote making it to the final CD. It appears the majority of voters did not want to hear from October, War, Original Soundtracks No. 1 or from the non-album tracks. All of these had tracks offered in the poll, but none made it to the final compilation. If a track wasn't on a traditional U2 album, it didn't fare well in this poll.

Using the criteria I outlined in the article, the songs offered in the poll were 34.8 percent tour staples, 36.9 percent lesser-played songs, and 28.3 percent rarities. There was plenty of opportunity to put together a CD that was made up of rarer songs, and to even not include any of the staples on this CD. The fans did not vote that way. Seventy-five percent of the staple songs made available in the poll were chosen for inclusion. Twenty-nine percent of the lesser-played songs in the poll were chosen for inclusion, and 38 percent of the rarities made available in the poll made it to the final track listing. It seems that the fans wanted to hear the same songs we heard each night in concert.

Finally, I'll throw out a little wish that those tracks that didn't make this compilation will appear some day in another format. I know I'd be quick to purchase these as a FLAC set if made available through u2.com. Or even better, I'd love to download them for free if the fan club should make them available in that manner. I'd really love to hear an official audio release of some of those rarer moments that did not survive the poll. It would be nice to relive the goose bumps upon hearing "Mothers Of The Disappeared" for the first time ever in Istanbul. But at least I have my memories, and others are listening to a track on the CD that they saw live and really are happy to have the souvenir.

(c) @U2/Sams, 2012.

Here at @U2, one of the things we're most proud of is the original content we provide, created exclusively by our staff. In case you missed any of it in January, the highlights are posted here:

Kelley Eskridge and Iidaliisa Partanen kicked off the month by revealing the answers to the December Question of the Month, which asked fans, "What message would you write to the band on a holiday card?"

In our weekly Off the Record column, Matt McGee paid congratulations to producer Steve Lillywhite, who recently became a Commander of the British Empire, while Becky Myers looked forward to a solid concert year for many beloved acts. Sherry Lawrence lamented an unauthorized book about U2, and Aaron J. Sams discussed his continued addiction to collecting U2 items. Arlan Hess closed out the month by declaring U2 lyrics as poetry.

Our popular "Like a Song" series continued with an essay about "A Sort of Homecoming" by Ian Ryan. And in our new series "Like a Video," Tim Neufeld wrote about "Until the End of the World" as it was performed on the night of the predicted (but obviously not realized) rapture.  The "U2 Lists" piece for this month was authored by Tassoula E. Kokkoris, who discussed her Top 5 Bono Howls.

Matt McGee also put together @U2 in 2011: Top News Articles, Song Lyrics and More.

To leave feedback on any of these @U2 originals, please visit our forum.

If you've ever wanted to perform with The Edge, you may have a chance to do that pretty soon -- at least in the virtual sense. According to Hot Press, Edge is one of several artists contributing a performance to a new music app called WholeWorldBand. And, if I'm reading this correctly, musicians like you can also contribute to WholeWorldBand and then combine your performances with The Edge's ... or any others.

Musicians and music fans from all over the world will be able to contribute and combine a selection of video performances, including their own, from the WholeWorldBand library to create their own favourite band line-up.  And they will also have the opportunity to earn money from their performance.

It's going to be previewed next month at The Music Show in Dublin, and then the app will be available in March. One of the people behind WholeWorldApp is Kevin Godley, former musician who has also directed several U2 videos including "Numb," "Sweetest Thing" and others.

I'm glad the holidays are finally, completely and irrefutably over. The final weeks of December and the first weeks of January always seem to be a time when my family members and friends gather to discuss the difficult questions that really matter in life: What was the Claw really supposed to represent? Is U2, as the band asks itself, still relevant? Is their recent work worth listening to?

The latter question I get particularly defensive; when acquaintances say to me, "I only like U2's early work; it's changed so much that I can't listen to it now," I vehemently argue that although their melodies have adapted to keep pace with the changes in taste, style and marketing over the the last 30 years, the band's lyrics still resonate with the same themes they always have.

It is with this chip on my shoulder that I responded to my sister as we settled into my father's guest room on Christmas Eve. As I was turning out the light, she asked if I thought all song lyrics were poems. When I answered in the affirmative, she balked. "Way to disregard everything I've been working on over the last five years," I snapped. Then, I began to justify to her, and to myself, why I think song lyrics are poetry. Good poems can make terrible songs, I argued, and vice versa. Even U2's songbook has some examples of good poems gone bad, and bad poems made right.

No matter where I am — in the car, the kitchen or the mall -- my hips and shoulders begin to sway in opposite directions the moment I hear the first funky beats of "Mysterious Ways," but ultimately, I agree that the lyrics don't hold up to scrutiny. Ironically, I believe the song works as a whole because its form follows function. I can't imagine there is a woman on the planet who doesn't transform into a dance-floor diva when "Mysterious Ways" comes through the speakers; that's the point. A mediocre lyric is buoyed by a great melody, pulsing chorus and hypnotic bridge. It's one of my favorite songs.

On the other hand, "Numb" offers lyrics of significant power, but its repetitive musical phrasing bores me to tears. Of course, that, too, is the point; at the end of the 20th century, we were (and still are) inundated with so many conflicting images and rules of behavior that we risk becoming numb to possibility. As a list poem, it barely conforms to what most people think is a poem at all, but I find its length and specificity hard to challenge. Because the emphasis is on the negation of action, "don't eat / don't spill / don't piss in the drain," it is almost the opposite of "Mysterious Ways," which urges the listener to move, lift and lighten up in the face of anger and confusion. Again, form follows function -- which, for me, makes "Numb" a great song, but it is almost entirely impossible for me to listen to. I skip the track whether I am driving to work or cleaning the house. Both lyrics and melody express a tone of overwhelming oppression showcasing the whole band at the height of their powers. But, I don't think the lines themselves are necessarily strengthened by the music. I think the words could stand by themselves. This, I suppose, means I'm waiting for Bono to join the likes of Jim Morrison and Jewel and issue a poetry collection of his own. (Did I just write that?)

Talenthouse, a global social media site out of Palo Alto connecting artists working in design, music, film, fashion, art, dance and photography, is running a contest for Achtung Baby cover art, if the album were released in 2012. Shaughn McGrath and Anton Corbijn invited artists to submit photographs or artwork that captures today's global environment and the spirit of the album. McGrath and Corbijn will select 15 submissions that will be turned into a collage and featured on U2.com.

One of the competing artists is Quebec City native Pierre Bellemare, whose U2-inspired paintings debuted in Montreal last summer and whose work I reviewed in a blog post on July 16, 2011. Pierre also designed the website for Achtung! The U2 Studies Journal, which I edit with fellow @U2 staffer Scott Calhoun. Voting runs through Monday. The winners will be announced Feb. 12.

And, speaking of artists, I was delighted to read another article about Peter Rowen in the Irish Independent this week. The face of Boy and War was one I got to know well drawing it on my notebooks and painting it on my jeans jacket in the ‘80s. In many ways, I can trace my love of portraiture back to those album covers; although the walls of my home are covered in art of all kinds, I can count on one hand the images that don't have a face. Rowen's portrait work as a photographer is compelling, if not haunting at times, capturing the personality of his subject with subtlety and compassion. He announced on his blog this week that he is hosting a DSLR portrait workshop in Dublin on February 25.

(c) @U2, 2012.

From the "for what it's worth" department: U2/Paul McGuinness are ranked 27th on the first-ever Billboard Power 100 -- the magazine's list of the most powerful/influential figures in the music industry. That number may seem low, but the list is made up mostly of behind-the-scenes industry people and not many artists. U2/McGuinnness is actually the second-highest ranked artist behind Jay-Z/Beyoncé at No. 13.

The full Power 100 list is here if you're interested, or you can skip straight to the brief write-up about U2/McGuinness here.

This one's sure to spread like wildfire on the web in the coming days, so we'll report it here briefly even though it's not directly U2-related. The band's manager, Paul McGuinness, spoke at the MIDEM music industry conference in Cannes today and the topic was, as it's been in past year, online piracy and the role of tech companies in piracy. McGuinness slammed Google for drumming up opposition to two recent anti-piracy bills in the U.S. Congress, and for not doing enough to clean up its search results:

"It amazes me that Google has not done the right thing. The experience of people when they go on Google and look for U2 music or PJ Harvey music is a shopping list of illegal opportunities to get their music. They have done nothing meaningful to discourage that."

If you want to learn more about what McGuinness is talking about and what he said at MIDEM, here are a few news links that should help:

MusicAlly: U2 manager Paul McGuinness lambasts Google’s anti-SOPA lobbying
Billboard: U2 Manager Paul McGuinness On Spotify, Piracy & Tech: His Five Best @MIDEM Quotes
Music Week: MIDEM: U2 manager slams Google's anti-SOPA actions and piracy search listings

U2.com members that have already renewed their membership for 2012 can login now and find a little treat: a live version of "Even Better Than The Real Thing" from U22 that can be downloaded from your profile/account page.

To access the download, login to your U2.com account and click the ACCOUNT INFO button at the top of the page. If you don't see a link to download the track, that means you haven't resubbed for 2012 yet. (Like me, for example. My subscription is set to expire in March and I have yet to renew; ergo, I do not see the download link.)

If you don't see the download link, you're probably also not in line to get a copy of U22 when it's finished. I'm not 100% positive on that, but it seems logical. You'll need to renew for another year to get the 2-CD live set of songs from the U2 360 tour.

Just a quick heads up to any of our readers who use Google+. We've finally gotten around to creating an @U2 page there, so feel free to connect with us and say hello. We'll use Google+ the same way we do our Twitter and Facebook accounts -- to share U2 news, essays, and have conversations with our fellow fans. Here's our page:

https://plus.google.com/108071700926185224735

[Ed. note: This is the 6th in a series of essays by the @U2 staff about U2-related visuals and videos. Some essays may be informational and educational, while others may be more personal.]

Do you remember where you were on May 21, 2011? It was an important day for two reasons, both of which converged in cosmic-like fashion in Denver, Colo. That night, U2 landed their 400-ton spaceship on Invesco Field for the first U.S. concert of the final leg of the 360 tour. But there was another event of galactic proportions in the works - this was the night that Harold Camping predicted the departure of millions of Christians from planet Earth. Though he was never considered an authoritative voice within Christianity, this self-appointed prophet caught the attention of the world by declaring May 21 to be the day of rapture and, thus, the beginning of the end of the world.

The convergence of these events provided Bono with ample opportunity for comment seven songs into the concert. As if on cue, he and the band launched into "Until The End Of The World" with all of their normal emotion, drama and theatrics, but at this show Bono reshaped and nuanced the message of the song in a new and timely way. In this month's "Like A Video," through the use of a couple of YouTube videos, I unpack what was going on that stellar night in Denver.

Bono begins the song with a dedication as The Edge's siren wails through the stadium: "This is for the Reverend Harold Camping." And then, just a few moments later as Larry fires up the booster rockets and the pit explodes with a barrage of strobes and spotlights, Bono shouts, "Such a disappointment!" From there the song takes on a life of its own and sails into the familiar territory of pain, confusion and forgiveness by narrating the story of Judas' betrayal of Jesus. (See this video for Bono's introduction, "Jesus, this is Judas" and the ensuing battle between good and evil played out on the ramp.)

But what is this disappointment that Bono announces? I believe Bono is using the controversy surrounding the concept of rapture to heighten the band's own concerns for global issues. "Such a disappointment" is probably a phrase of both sarcasm and frustration. It's not likely Bono was disappointed that the rapture didn't happen. Later in the song he sarcastically suggests that it would be fun to fly heavenward, but only if Larry and Adam come along for the ride. He then realizes, "Actually The Edge gets taken up in the air and the three of us get left. But then I'd be here with you."

However, something else seems to be happening, something that causes real disappointment. There's a sense that this is a time for action across the globe, not for ignorant retreat and withdrawal. The members of U2 have identified themselves as Christians on many occasions, but theirs is not a faith of blind naiveté. Bono's God is not disconnected from his creation. Bono believes that God is intimately yet cosmically seeking to engage with his creation. In the middle of the instrumental bridge of UTEOTW Bono brings it home. "God is in the house," he shares/confesses/admonishes, as if to say, "That God Harold Camping believes in - I don't believe in him either. My God is actually here."

Bono has said that one of his favorite passages of scripture is the Lord's Prayer, the "Our Father" from Matthew 6. In the book Bono: In Conversation with Michka Assayas, the author asks, "What do you think will happen to you after you die?" Bono responds, "I close my eyes and I try to imagine Heaven. But I think, rather like Hell, Heaven is on Earth. That's my prayer. It was Christ's prayer, which was: 'Thy Kingdom come / Thy will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven.' I mean, that's where Heaven for me is, and we've got to start bringing Heaven down to Earth now. So what I imagine Heaven looks like is this present life without this present evil, which just scratches and bites and bullies people."

Perhaps this is one reason why so many people, regardless of religious affiliation or conviction, eagerly listen to what Bono is saying. He believes in engaging the world with a hopeful message of change. This is reflected later in UTEOTW. After the third verse and during the grand chaotic cacophony of the song's final few strains, Bono screams with the conviction of a man who knows heaven is not just some distant ethereal place, "Somewhere! Somewhere! It is ... Heaven!" And then in a beautiful poignant act of symbolism he reaches down, picks up some roses and one-by-one throws them to the impassioned crowd, shouting, "We bring peace! We bring peace!" In this and subsequent concerts he also names Damascus, Tehran, Cairo and other global hot spots of violence, oppression and civil unrest. The message of peace and reconciliation is unmistakable.

But the drama isn't over. In a twist of irony so common at a U2 concert, the band leave us with one final image during UTEOTW. During the last moment of the song, in a scene played out on two bridges above the screaming crowd, Bono stretches across the chasm between he and The Edge and offers his fellow band member a rose. The trusses they stand on move closer and closer together, but just inches away and unable to reach far enough, Bono drops the flower to the audience below. Such a disappointment. Reminiscent of a 1990s "Discotheque" moment ("You can reach, but you can't grab it"), the offer of peace is extended, but it's not received. Such is the fragile and tenuous nature of peace. Still, the band continues to deliver.

While I didn't have the good fortune to be at the Denver show, I was in the pit at several 360 concerts, standing below the converging bridges amid the pulsating lights, musical anarchy and raw emotion that so perfectly captured the coming apocalypse. U2 prodded us on tour for two years with the question, "What time is it in the world?" Many people think that 2012 will be the end of the world. That would be such a disappointment. Particularly when Bono and company would have us believe this could be our finest hour on spaceship Earth.

Here is another view of the May 21, 2011 show in Denver. Watch closely for Bono's monologue at 3:40.

And here is a video I shot of UTEOTW from the floor at Anaheim on June 17, 2011. You can hear Bono's call for peace starting at 2:30.

(c) @U2/Neufeld, 2012.

[Ed. note: This is the 6th in a series of essays by the @U2 staff about U2-related visuals and videos. Some essays may be informational and educational, while others may be more personal.]

Do you remember where you were on May 21, 2011? It was an important day for two reasons, both of which converged in cosmic-like fashion in Denver, Colo. That night, U2 landed their 400-ton spaceship on Invesco Field for the first U.S. concert of the final leg of the 360 tour. But there was another event of galactic proportions in the works - this was the night that Harold Camping predicted the departure of millions of Christians from planet Earth. Though he was never considered an authoritative voice within Christianity, this self-appointed prophet caught the attention of the world by declaring May 21 to be the day of rapture and, thus, the beginning of the end of the world.

The convergence of these events provided Bono with ample opportunity for comment seven songs into the concert. As if on cue, he and the band launched into "Until The End Of The World" with all of their normal emotion, drama and theatrics, but at this show Bono reshaped and nuanced the message of the song in a new and timely way. In this month's "Like A Video," through the use of a couple of YouTube videos, I unpack what was going on that stellar night in Denver.

Bono begins the song with a dedication as The Edge's siren wails through the stadium: "This is for the Reverend Harold Camping." And then, just a few moments later as Larry fires up the booster rockets and the pit explodes with a barrage of strobes and spotlights, Bono shouts, "Such a disappointment!" From there the song takes on a life of its own and sails into the familiar territory of pain, confusion and forgiveness by narrating the story of Judas' betrayal of Jesus. (See this video for Bono's introduction, "Jesus, this is Judas" and the ensuing battle between good and evil played out on the ramp.)

But what is this disappointment that Bono announces? I believe Bono is using the controversy surrounding the concept of rapture to heighten the band's own concerns for global issues. "Such a disappointment" is probably a phrase of both sarcasm and frustration. It's not likely Bono was disappointed that the rapture didn't happen. Later in the song he sarcastically suggests that it would be fun to fly heavenward, but only if Larry and Adam come along for the ride. He then realizes, "Actually The Edge gets taken up in the air and the three of us get left. But then I'd be here with you."

However, something else seems to be happening, something that causes real disappointment. There's a sense that this is a time for action across the globe, not for ignorant retreat and withdrawal. The members of U2 have identified themselves as Christians on many occasions, but theirs is not a faith of blind naiveté. Bono's God is not disconnected from his creation. Bono believes that God is intimately yet cosmically seeking to engage with his creation. In the middle of the instrumental bridge of UTEOTW Bono brings it home. "God is in the house," he shares/confesses/admonishes, as if to say, "That God Harold Camping believes in - I don't believe in him either. My God is actually here."

Bono has said that one of his favorite passages of scripture is the Lord's Prayer, the "Our Father" from Matthew 6. In the book Bono: In Conversation with Michka Assayas, the author asks, "What do you think will happen to you after you die?" Bono responds, "I close my eyes and I try to imagine Heaven. But I think, rather like Hell, Heaven is on Earth. That's my prayer. It was Christ's prayer, which was: 'Thy Kingdom come / Thy will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven.' I mean, that's where Heaven for me is, and we've got to start bringing Heaven down to Earth now. So what I imagine Heaven looks like is this present life without this present evil, which just scratches and bites and bullies people."

Perhaps this is one reason why so many people, regardless of religious affiliation or conviction, eagerly listen to what Bono is saying. He believes in engaging the world with a hopeful message of change. This is reflected later in UTEOTW. After the third verse and during the grand chaotic cacophony of the song's final few strains, Bono screams with the conviction of a man who knows heaven is not just some distant ethereal place, "Somewhere! Somewhere! It is ... Heaven!" And then in a beautiful poignant act of symbolism he reaches down, picks up some roses and one-by-one throws them to the impassioned crowd, shouting, "We bring peace! We bring peace!" In this and subsequent concerts he also names Damascus, Tehran, Cairo and other global hot spots of violence, oppression and civil unrest. The message of peace and reconciliation is unmistakable.

But the drama isn't over. In a twist of irony so common at a U2 concert, the band leave us with one final image during UTEOTW. During the last moment of the song, in a scene played out on two bridges above the screaming crowd, Bono stretches across the chasm between he and The Edge and offers his fellow band member a rose. The trusses they stand on move closer and closer together, but just inches away and unable to reach far enough, Bono drops the flower to the audience below. Such a disappointment. Reminiscent of a 1990s "Discotheque" moment ("You can reach, but you can't grab it"), the offer of peace is extended, but it's not received. Such is the fragile and tenuous nature of peace. Still, the band continues to deliver.

While I didn't have the good fortune to be at the Denver show, I was in the pit at several 360 concerts, standing below the converging bridges amid the pulsating lights, musical anarchy and raw emotion that so perfectly captured the coming apocalypse. U2 prodded us on tour for two years with the question, "What time is it in the world?" Many people think that 2012 will be the end of the world. That would be such a disappointment. Particularly when Bono and company would have us believe this could be our finest hour on spaceship Earth.

Here is another view of the May 21, 2011 show in Denver. Watch closely for Bono's monologue at 3:40.

And here is a video I shot of UTEOTW from the floor at Anaheim on June 17, 2011. You can hear Bono's call for peace starting at 2:30.

(c) @U2/Neufeld, 2012.