In conjunction with yesterday’s 16th annual European Music Awards, MTV set up a special, free U2 concert at the Brandenburg Gate to celebrate the 20th anniversary of tearing down the Berlin Wall. And in order to secure the premises or whatever, MTV set up a special Berlin wall of their own, a metal barricade that ran the perimeter of the concert grounds and kept out people who hadn’t registered online for a free ticket. A wall keeping people out from freedom? Yes, irony and outrage galore. But those that were lucky enough to be on the right side of the wall were treated to a six-song set of U2’s classics, kicking off with Bono yelling “Berlin, Du bist wunderbar!” (Berlin, you are wonderful!)(better than calling yourself a jelly donut) and highlighting with Jay-Z joining the band on “Sunday Bloody Sunday.” It’s not the first time he’s rapped over the song (that’d be at last year’s Glasto), but now you can see it happen live, all the principals in place and filmed all nice and MTV-like:
For those that see these awards as the commemoration of aesthetic merit and not an incentive to have major stars participate in the proceedings for ratings: U2 won Best Live Act, Jay-Z won Best Urban Act, and Beyonce won Best Song, Best Video, and Best Female.
U2’s setlist (via NME):
01 “One”
02 “Magnificent”
03 “Sunday, Bloody Sunday”
04 “Beautiful Day’ with Jay-Z”
05 “Vertigo”
06 “Moment Of Surrender”
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Sometimes when you put two legends on stage together, it’s actually just really embarassing.
Agreed, sir.
“We’re going to represent the youth forever!!!!”
that wasn’t nearly as bad as i thought it would be (although trying to incorporate Get Up Stand Up was a bit misguided). jay-z’s little dance at the end was classic (in his defense he was dancing to a band that has zero rhythm)
I fucking love you for linking to the Eddie Izzard bit, because every single time someone mentions Berlin, that bit runs through my head. Every. Time.
*Barfs*
So Jay Z says, “don’t make me build some schools”… I didn’t realize anything was stopping him. Pff… I guess pretentious is a contagious ailment, if only Ol’ Bono would try to find a cure for that.
Is “Best Urban Act” just a euphemism for best black person?
If I was at a U2 show and Jay-Z showed up, I would be bummed out. He’s a tool. As overhyped as it gets.
Funny how hipsters alway seem to give Jay Z a pass. He’s disgusting and his music sux big time. All he does is write paens to American consumerism. F him.
too bad they didnt also have that woman with them to do that lovely cover of “one#, theyre just getting worse and worse.
Comically bad, the mutual love society of Jay Z, U2, and Coldplay is so overblown I am shocked this hasn’t been spoofed yet. I’m a hip hop fan since the begiinning, and all I see in Jay Z is above-average at best and nothing more. Plus the competition seems bad these days. The hipster gushing over Jay reminds me of the geeks in high school who blush when the school jock even knows their name. Pitchfork’s interview with Grizzly Bear and the masturbatiion over Jay Z being exhibit A. Someone should create a drinking game of cliched indie-rock praise for the most overrated rapper of all-time.
Finally
What the fuck is this shit?
This is why Jay-Z rocks, he’s not afraid to mix up rock and rap, and in the way Wyclef Jean intended back when he debuted his version of rap rock (before the Limp Bizkit BS). It’s sad that a lot of commenters don’t like this because it seems to show that the few with closed off minds and not enough music-listening experience aren’t able to get it. Bono failed miserably at his rap at the end, though it was in a enduring way, so I forgive him.
I’m only a recent fan to hip-hop, actually, not a hipster giving him a “pass,” and the ignorance on music genres and open-mindedness in general of the commenters here is showing quite clearly.
Sound like the folk hippies who booed at Dylan when he used an electric guitar.
Fancypants, you suck. You act as if Jay Z is the first to try to mix up rap and rock. How old are you? I don’t even care, because you really shouldn’t be so ignorant. Public Enemy mixed it up with Anthrax in 1991 and fricken Run DMC did it in 1986. Not to mention Rage Against the Machine. I’m half expecting a Jay Z fan to credit him with the creation of the internet and the Apple iphone. I am surely one the the commenters you are referring to, and I’ve been following hip hop and rap apart and together for over 25 years. Please get you head out of your behind and don’t toss off any Jay Z hater (and yes, I am a hater until I hear/see some concrete evidence of his greatness, I fricken bought Reasonable Doubt to figure out what the big deal was and gave up out of boredom).