U2 and The Lumineers – MetLife Stadium – June 28, 2017

U2 (l-r The Edge, Larry Mullen Jr., Adam Clayton, Bono) photo credit: Kara Hrabosky 

I first saw U2 in concert in the fall of 1987 in support of The Joshua Tree.  I can still remember the opening chords of “Where the Streets Have No Name” sending shivers up my teenage spine.  The Joshua Tree went on to sell over 25 million copies and cemented the Irish band’s status as one of the best live bands in the world.  Make all the jokes you want about St. Bono, it’s quite a feat for a band to be intact 30 years later with all of their founding members who started in the late '70s in Dublin.  (For the record, those members are the aforementioned singer Bono, guitarist The Edge, bassist Adam Clayton, and drummer Larry Mullen, Jr.) 

So when I heard that U2 were touring in support of the 30^th Anniversary of their landmark album, I made sure to get a ticket.  Admittedly I haven’t been a big fan of some of their efforts over the last two decades (Pop, anyone?) but I didn’t want to miss the opportunity to hear this record live again and to see if the songs held up three decades later.

But first, the openers.  The Denver based Lumineers have become popular over the past five years or so, due to their indie folk rock sing along hit “Ho, Hey.” They played that song along with about a dozen others to warm up the crowd, including “Ophelia” from their 2016 release Cleopatra.  The band, lead by Wesley Schultz and Jeremiah Fraites, played to the half filled stadium as we waited for the headliners.

The Lumineers

And wait patiently, we did. About 90 minutes later, after a recorded track of The Waterboys' “The Whole of the Moon,” U2 hit the stage, launching into a few of their early hits I used to listen to on WLIR, one of the first radio stations in the US to support  them.   Those songs were “Sunday Bloody Sunday” and "New Year’s Day" (from War), “Bad” and “Pride (in the Name of Love),” their tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King (from 1984’s The Unforgettable Fire).  During “Bad,” Bono had the audience light up their phones and it’s always spine tingling to see a stadium lit up (in ’87 we used cigarette lighters).  All of these songs sounded amazing and laid the road for what was to follow.  

Then the opening chords of “Where the Streets…” started and yes, I did get the chills, as the crowd roared in appreciation.  They continued to play the entire album in order accompanied by stunning HD images of the desert, mostly filmed by famed rock photographer and video director Anton Corbijn.  

After quipping about turning over the record for Side B, the band played rarely heard live tracks including “Exit” and “Mothers of the Disappeared” to finish off the centerpiece set.  The intro to “Exit” was accompanied by a clip from an obscure 1950s TV series where a con man named Trump promised to protect people by building a wall.  (Imagine that!) 

Bono did not call out our current president by name, but U2 has always been a political (and humanitarian) band and mentioned that America is not just a place but an idea where immigrants are welcome to the land of opportunity.  This point was hammered home during one of the encores, ”Miss Sarajevo,” where a young Syrian refugee was featured on the screens wanting a new life in the US, and then a huge image of her passport photo was literally handed above part of the crowd.

Ultraviolet (Light My Way)

The band also celebrated women with a sharp rendition of Achtung Baby's “Ultraviolet (Light My Way)” with Bono mentioning the band’s wives and daughters in attendance and also showing many remarkable women in history across the screen. Some notable names were poet Maya Angelou, punk pioneer Poly Styrene, Gloria Steinem, Madeleine Albright and Hillary Rodham Clinton. The encore included a mix of post Joshua Tree hits including “One,” “Elevation,” "Beautiful Day" and “Vertigo.” U2 closed the show with a new song called “The Little Things You Give Away.”

So, to answer my original question: does The Joshua Tree hold up after all these years?  Yes! The songs don’t sound dated at all, and many of the themes of the record (love, loss, desperation, desire, wanting a better life) are timeless.  I’m paraphrasing here but Bono himself said that songs are mysterious things and when you think you know them well, they can surprise.   By mixing stunning visual imagery with these timeless songs and tight musicianship, U2 still delivers an unforgettable live experience.

Andrea Goldstein is a digital marketing
professional with a passion for pop culture.
@nydigitalmarket on Twitter

Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About the 42nd Annual Toronto International Film Festival But Were Afraid to Ask (or didn’t know to ask)

Director Garth Davis with the Cast & Crew of "Lion" at the 2016 Toronto International Film Festival

The Toronto International Film Festival (aka TIFF) was originally conceived in the 1970s as a festival for the public. While it has grown in size and has corporate sponsors and industry folk at screenings, it prides itself as having its grand prize not be chosen by a jury but by the people. The Grolsch People’s Choice Award has gone to recent Oscar contenders including Slumdog Millionaire, The Kings Speech, and La La Land.  Although NYC is home to the New York Film Festival and the Tribeca Film Festival, they don’t have the true scope of TIFF which screens over 300 films from around the world.

Since 2012, I have been attending TIFF annually.  Some friends of mine had been going to the festival as attendees (they are not in the industry) every September for some time now, so I thought why not?  Toronto is a 90 minute flight (friendly tip: if you can easily get to Newark Airport, take Porter Airlines to the Billy Bishop Airport, forget Pearson.  It's also fun to have spotted Ralph Fiennes, Cynthia Nixon, Susan Sarandon and director Rebecca Miller on my Porter flights) and the favorable exchange rate makes the trip to Canada more affordable.  There are also plenty of condos in downtown Toronto that can be rented on Airbnb.

Besides the easy access (as long as you have a valid passport) and the exchange rate, Toronto is a beautiful city to visit in September.  Although the weather can be unpredictable, generally it’s typical early fall weather.  The city itself has a similar energetic vibe as NYC, and its ethnic diversity means lots of great restaurants.  The TTC subway offers an easy way around town to the festival venues. As a New Yorker who doesn’t drive, not needing a car to get around is a plus in any city. If you need a car, Uber operates in Toronto and there are plenty of taxi cabs around.  

In order to attend the festival, it makes sense to join TIFF as a member to get advanced ticket sales.  There are many membership tiers depending on budget, but part of the donation is tax deductible when you join American Friends of TIFF. Ticket sales are generally a two-step process with ticket packages on sale to members in late May but once purchased, packages aren’t redeemed until late August, after the official schedule is released.

One of the more frustrating aspects of planning for the festival is making up one’s schedule.  With 10 days of programming and 100s of films, the process can be daunting. (I usually only attend the first few days, which makes it more intense). There are a few unofficial sites (such as TIFFR) that have popped up to aid in this process, since the official site is not very user friendly.  When scheduling films, things like travel time between venues, fitting in time for meals and sleep must be considered! 

In the past few years, I’ve seen many good films (The Theory of Everything, Arrival, Lion, Only Lovers Left Alive), excellent documentaries (Citizen Jane, Miss Sharon Jones) and seen plenty of A list talent do Q&A’s following their films (Tom Hiddleston, Elisabeth Moss, Jason Bateman, Emma Watson, Nicole Kidman, Ewan MacGregor, and Eddie Redmayne among others). 

The initial slate of films is usually announced in July, so watch this space for more updates and my wish list of films.  This year’s festival runs from September 7-17, 2017.

#FILM #LALALAND #LION  #socialMedia #filmFestival @nydigitalmarket #socialMedia @TIFF_net @TOfilmfest #Toronto  #TIFF #Canada #TIFFR

The Handmaid’s Tale Panel at the 92nd St Y – by Andrea Goldstein

 Elisabeth Moss, Alexis Bledel, Reed Morano and Tatiana Siegel at the 92nd St Y

“The Handmaid’s Tale” has been creating a lot of buzz since its premiere in April.  The 11 part series has been bringing fans of Margaret Atwood’s 1985 dystopian novel to Hulu in droves to see each episode as it drops every Wednesday.  

The series is up to episode 5, which was screened at the 92^nd Street Y with a follow up panel discussion with stars Elisabeth Moss (Offred), Alexis Bledel (Ofglen), and  the director of the first three episodes, Reed Morano.  Morano, who started her film career as a Director of Photography on several independent films is now getting recognized for her directing.  Tatiana Siegel of the Hollywood Reporter moderated the panel.

Following the screening of the thrilling 5^th episode entitled “Faithful,” the panel spent nearly an hour discussing the origin of the series, and shared some behind the scenes insights on what it was like to work on groundbreaking television.

Morano told the story of how she had heard that Hulu was developing “The Handmaid’s Tale” and being a fan of the novel, she lobbied hard to get the directing job.  She sent a 75 page lookbook, along with a music playlist to the executives, to show her vision for the series.  She was up against several prominent male directors but eventually was chosen, possibly due a good word from Moss, who had worked with her previously.

Moss, known for her breakout role as Peggy on “Mad Men,” was very animated during the panel, often swearing and laughing.  She clearly enjoyed playing Offred and loved the challenging role, which required many close-ups.  She said that while working on the show, she would go home and try to get as much sleep b/c the days were long and exhausting.  All three ladies admitted to indulging in the occasional cocktail to relieve the stress.

Bledel, in contrast to Moss, was more reserved but very thoughtful in her answers to the questions. Primarily known for playing Rory on “Gilmore Girls,” Ofglen was a departure for her, but she said that she gravitates toward independent and rebellious characters, which is now in her wheelhouse.

When asked about the current political climate and the timeliness of the series, the panel said this could be relevant in any period, but especially now.  They also warned it was a “cautionary tale” and that people need to be aware that these changes don’t happen overnight but over time.

The panel also paid tribute to author Margaret Atwood, calling her a “genius” and said she acted as a consultant on the series, who rarely pushed back on scripts. Morano told a humorous story that Atwood didn’t understand the term “carpet muncher.”  Morano said that a script assistant needed to call her and explain the slang term for lesbian.

The series was recently renewed for another season, and the panel was asked about where the story could go, since the first season follows the novel.  Moss said there is much story left to tell between the end of the novel and the epilogue and they will be sure to be working with Atwood on what that could be.

The evening was interesting, entertaining and a thought provoking look at female driven stories created by this talented group of women.

Andrea Goldstein is a digital marketing
professional with a passion for pop culture.
@nydigitalmarket on Twitter







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