U2

Obama Campaign Playlist Includes Wilco, U2, Al Green

10 Feb 2012 17:44:08 EST

Ricky Martin, Bruce Springsteen, Dierks Bentley and Sugarland also in the mix.
By Gil Kaufman

President Barack Obama at the Obama Victory Fund 2012 Concert
Photo: Shahar Azran/WireImage

We already know President Obama likes to listen to (and occasionally sing) Al Green songs. And he's told us that his iPod has a bit of Jay-Z and Lil Wayne on it. But with the toughest re-election campaign of his career on the horizon, what music will Obama 2012 be using to pump up crowds at rallies?

Judging by a playlist uploaded to Spotify this week, it looks like a cheerful, noncontroversial mix of classic rock, country, soul and R&B, but, alas, no hip-hop. Instead, in a clear bid to appeal to the broad middle, Obama chose songs by beloved soul acts like Booker T. & the MG's ("Green Onions"), Earth Wind & Fire ("Got to Get You Into My Life"), The Impressions ("Keep on Pushing") and, yes, Green (the pleading "Let's Stay Together"). From the rock pile, he went with Wilco ("I Got You"), Arcade Fire ("We Used to Wait"), U2 ("Even Better Than the Real Thing") and the new blue-collar recession anthem from Bruce Springsteen ("We Take Care of Our Own"). For those visits to the heartland, he loaded up on country goodness from Sugarland ("Stand Up" and "Everyday America"), Darius Rucker ("This"), Zac Brown Band ("Keep Me in Mind") and Dierks Bentley ("Home"). There are a few oddball picks in there as well, including a deep cut from No Doubt ("Different People"), a very literal AM radio staple from REO Speedwagon ("Roll with the Changes"), a cover of the Band's "The Weight" by Aretha Franklin, some indie rock from Noah and the Whale ("Tonight's the Kind of Night") and a Ricky Martin/ Joss Stone duet ("The Best Thing About Me Is You"). While likely GOP opponent Mitt Romney takes the stage to the rousing strains of Kid Rock's Americana anthem "Born Free," Obama plans to get crowds pumped with the likes of modern R&B master Raphael Saadiq ("Keep Marchin' "), Florence and the Machine ("You've Got the Love") and afro-era prog popsters Electric Light Orchestra ("Mr. Blue Sky").

Rounding out the list is obscure jam act AgesAndAges, whose "No Nostalgia" is a handclapping ditty that just begs for a group hug, Jennifer Hudson's "Love You I Do," Ledisi's self-explanatory "Raise Up," James Taylor's feel-good "Your Smiling Face," country duo Montgomery Gentry's small-town homage "My Town" and Ray LaMontagne's tear-in-your-beer lovefest "You Are the Best Thing." It might sound tame, but don't forget that back in 2008 when he was still just Candidate Obama, the president's taste in music was pretty similar. At the time, the future boomer-in-chief said he listened to everything from Bob Dylan, Elton John, Earth Wind & Fire and the Rolling Stones to Sheryl Crow, Springsteen and a number of jazz and classic giants, including Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, John Coltrane and Yo-Yo Ma. What songs would you add to the president's playlist? Let us know in comments below! Check back for up-to-the-minute coverage of the primaries and stick with PowerOf12.org throughout the 2012 presidential election season.

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U2, Taylor Swift Top List Of 2011's Highest-Grossing Tours

29 Dec 2011 11:44:19 EST

U2's 360 Tour is the year's most profitable in the U.S. and worldwide.
By James Montgomery

U2's Bono
Photo: Harry Herd/ Getty Images

U2 didn't even release an album in 2011, but that didn't stop them from raking in plenty of cash. The iconic Irish quartet topped Pollstar's list of the year's most profitable tours, as their massive 360 Tour moved an impressive 2.4 million tickets worldwide, grossing more than $230 million globally. Their North American dates — which were postponed (and subsequently rescheduled) last year as Bono recovered from back surgery — made $156 million, good enough to give them the highest-grossing tour on this continent, too.

Taylor Swift had 2011's second most-profitable North American tour, as her expansive Speak Now jaunt racked up $97.7 million at the box office. Swift's country contemporary Kenny Chesney came in at #3, bringing in nearly $85 million in ticket sales, followed by Lady Gaga, who, despite wrapping up the North American leg of her Monster Ball Tour in April, still managed to bring in $63.7 million at the box office. Bon Jovi rounds out Pollstar's top five, grossing more than $57 million. Kanye West and Jay-Z's Throne tour ($48 million), Lil Wayne's "I Am Still Music" trek ($44 million), Britney Spears ($38 million) and Katy Perry ($28 million) also made the Top 25 in North America. British boy band Take That's reunion tour came in second to U2's 360 trek based on worldwide receipts, making $224 million. Bon Jovi grossed nearly $150 million worldwide, good enough for third, with tours by Swift ($104 million worldwide) and Roger Waters ($103 million) rounding out the top five. Also making Pollstar's worldwide list were Rihanna, the Foo Fighters, Justin Bieber, Usher and the Kings of Leon. Did you attend any of the highest-grossing tours in 2011? Let us know in the comments!

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U2's Iconic Achtung Baby: 20 Years Later

18 Nov 2011 14:06:10 EST

To mark the anniversary of the album that changed U2 forever, MTV News spoke to the man who wrote the book on the band's once heady times.
By James Montgomery

U2's Bono
Photo: Harry Herd/ Getty Images

Twenty years ago, U2 — slightly removed from the double-barrel success of The Joshua Tree and Rattle and Hum — were a band in crisis. Sure, they were arguably the biggest rock act on the planet, but, for the first time in their career, they had felt the sting of critical backlash: Many felt Hum's accompanying documentary, which followed the band across America, was grandiose and self-righteous (even its director would later call it "pretentious"), and the group couldn't help but wonder if perhaps the critics were right. Had U2 become too big? Had their fascination with all things American (the songs of Johnny Cash, B.B. King and Bob Dylan, the spiritualism of gospel choirs, the sanctity of Sun Studios and Graceland) led them too far from their roots? Were Bono's sociopolitical viewpoints detracting from the power of the band? And, really, after a decade spent trying to conquer the world — and succeeding — what did U2 really have left to accomplish? They took all those questions (and more) to Berlin, where they hoped to be inspired by the German Reunification and the ghosts of David Bowie and Iggy Pop, both of whom had rediscovered and reinvented themselves there. But, as you'd probably expect, things didn't go according to plan. The sessions bore little fruit as U2 struggled to redefine the group and clear divisions began to develop among bandmembers that had always considered themselves friends first. There was talk of quitting altogether; that rather than continue to fracture, perhaps it was time to call it a day. Thankfully, they didn't. In a way, those Berlin sessions not only made U2 stronger, but they made them realize that things had to change. Gone were the grandiose gestures and bombastic ballads, replaced instead with an entirely new sound: one that embraced the burgeoning club scene of Europe, the streaked sonics of alt-rock, the artful artifice of Bowie and the adventurous explorations of producer Brian Eno. U2 had redefined what it meant to be a rock band in the 1990s, and they did it all with one marvelous album, Achtung Baby, which marks its 20th anniversary on Saturday. So in celebration of the album that not only forged new territory, but launched the second phase of U2's epic career, MTV News spoke to the man who was there to witness it all, author and critic Bill Flanagan. He wrote what is arguably the definitive book on the band's Achtung era, "U2: At the End of the World," a sprawling, dense thing that followed them from the recording studio to the stage, on their massive, hugely influential Zoo TV Tour, and beyond. And today, he's looking back on the album that changed everything. Starting, of course, at the beginning. "Rattle and Hum was a hugely successful album, spun off a bunch of hit singles," Flanagan said. "You couldn't have asked for more from it, commercially, but there was a critical backlash, which probably had as much to do with the movie as anything. Critics were saying, 'Wait a minute, when did these guys become the prophets of rock and roll, telling Americans about Johnny Cash and B.B. King and Bob Dylan?' And any other band in that circumstance ... would go, 'Who cares about the critics, what do they know?' But one of the things that's unusual about U2 is that they sort of took the criticism to heart, and thought, 'Actually, they may have a point.' "When they saw how [the film] looked, they felt it was a dead end. ... And they didn't want to be trapped; they didn't want be stuck wearing cowboy hats and waving a white flag up and down the stage forever," he continued. "It was a huge risk because, look, when you'd become as big as they had become after The Joshua Tree, everybody tells you 'Don't mess with it.' Nobody says, 'What a good idea, you're going to change your sound, change the way you look.' " Still, undaunted, U2 headed to Berlin's Hansa Studios, the same place Bowie had recorded Low and Heroes, and where Iggy made The Idiot. And it was there where they split into two distinct camps: those who wanted to try something new, and those who argued there was no point in messing with success. "There was this great argument about what it meant to reinvent themselves. Bono and Edge were very dedicated to the theory that they had to do something that was dramatically different, and [drummer] Larry [Mullen] and [bassist] Adam [Clayton] weren't totally buying it," Flanagan said. "It became really tense. They didn't feel like they were getting the work done, they just felt like they weren't coming up with good stuff, and they talked about maybe throwing in the towel; that maybe they should go out on top and not become one of those bands that just becomes a worse and worse version of itself." There were also external pressures, namely from the band's significant others, who, having watched them win over the world, wanted nothing more than them to come home. "There was a lot on the line with the band, and there was a lot on the line with their families. They'd put a lot of things on hold with their families while they were trying to conquer the world in the '80s," Flanagan said. "They were wealthy, so there was a real question from the wives of, like, 'Well, OK, now you've done what you wanted to do, and now you're going to stay home.' So that was part of the pressure that was on them, like, 'What's the reason?' When you started doing something when you were 15 or 16, and now you're 30 ... you're starting to have kids ... things change." Of course, we all know how things turned out. After additional sessions in Dublin, U2 had gone through the fire and emerged with Achtung Baby, a delightfully odd thing that was a very big risk, to say the very least. ("People were taken aback by it," Flanagan said. "They thought they had lost their minds.") But for all the sonic adventurousness of tracks like "Zoo Station" or "The Fly," there was a definite heart to the lyrics ... one that was very much inspired by Bono's own domestic dilemmas. "The lyrics were actually, for the most part, actually quite confessional, even if they were disguised. It's about relationships, marriage, the lure of freedom versus the responsibilities of domesticity," Flanagan explained. "And that's what gives the album its emotional weight. ... And the sound of the album, the beats, the rhythmic improvisations they did and the sonics, which I think, really, is where Edge and Eno and Lilywhite and Flood, the engineer, really got to have some fun. People didn't know what to make of the album." And looking back 20 years later, Flanagan said that all the head-scratching surrounding Achtung Baby probably wasn't justified. Sure, it's a sonically amorphous listen and, thematically, it deals with weighty topics like sexuality and spirituality. Of course, it's a gaudy thing and, yes, it saw Bono playing characters like the Fly and MacPhisto. But at its core, it's also an album unlike any other; the kind huge bands don't have the balls to make these days. And because of all that, it's unquestionably real, and that authenticity makes it an all-time classic. "The really great albums, like Revolver by the Beatles or Blonde on Blonde by Bob Dylan, just create their own sonic world ... and Achtung Baby does that," Flanagan said. "It doesn't sound like it's part of the Manchester thing, it doesn't sound like it's part of the Grunge thing, it doesn't sound like it's part of what Public Enemy and N.W.A were doing. It just sounds like it's Achtung Baby. "And that's kind of the most important thing a record can do. That's why people still like Led Zeppelin and that's why people still like Pink Floyd; there's not really other stuff that does it. If you're in the mood for a Led Zeppelin record, you've got to put on a Led Zeppelin record. And I think if you are in the mood for Achtung Baby, there's no other album you can go to, that have that combination of vulnerability in the lyric and authority in the music and just tremendous fun in the production." Share your favorite cuts from Achtung Baby in the comments below!

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Lady Gaga, Bono, Usher To Headline Bill Clinton Foundation Fundraiser

13 Sep 2011 09:21:04 EDT

October 15 show will be streamed live over the Internet.
By Gil Kaufman

Lady Gaga
Photo: Jason Merritt/Getty Images

Even a dozen years removed from the White House, former president Bill Clinton still has that same superstar-attracting aura. That might explain why such bright lights as Lady Gaga, Bono and The Edge of U2, and Usher have signed on to perform at an October 15 party for Clinton at the Hollywood Bowl. According to The Hollywood Reporter, details on the final list of performers and presenters are still being worked on, but an impressive list of movie and TV personalities are expected to sign on for the event, which is being billed as a celebration of the 10-year anniversary of Clinton's nonprofit William J. Clinton Foundation. To date, the foundation has raised more than $10 billion for some of the ex-president's most cherished causes, including HIV/AIDS treatment, economic empowerment, food aid and global health initiatives. The show, which will also serve as a birthday party celebration for the former Democratic leader (who turned 65 on August 19), will be broadcast exclusively by Yahoo, which will stream "A Decade of Difference: A Concert Celebrating 10 Years of the William J. Clinton Foundation" worldwide to a potential audience of millions. Clinton continues to travel the world doing good works, though he turned his attention homeward over the weekend when he participated in the 10th anniversary ceremonies of the September 11 terror attacks. He announced on Sunday that he will team with Republican House Speaker John Boehner in a bipartisan effort to raise the final $10 million needed to complete the Fight 93 National Memorial in Shanksville, Pennsylvania.

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Katy Perry, Lil Wayne, U2 Among Summer's Biggest Tours

07 Jul 2011 06:53:11 EDT

Experts also see big jaunts for Taylor Swift, Blink-182, Foo Fighters and Avett Brothers.
By Gil Kaufman, with additional reporting by Jocelyn Vena

Katy Perry performs in New York on Friday
Photo: Kevin Mazur/ WireImage

Summer is the time to kick back at the pool, work on that tan and blast your favorite sprinkler jams, but it's also the season to pack into your Nissan Cube and tromp down to the local amphitheater or arena to check out shows by the likes of Katy Perry, Lil Wayne, Foo Fighters, Rihanna, Taylor Swift, Britney Spears and My Morning Jacket.

Just like movie studios roll out the big guns around the holidays in time to take a shot at Oscar gold, music stars know that summer is the best time to separate fans from their hard-earned babysitting and lifeguarding money. That's why local venues are stuffed up with a bumper crop of big shows packing enough pyro and lasers to take out an invading alien army in an effort to get the most butts in seats. Which tour do you think will be the hottest? Vote in our Facebook poll! We asked a panel of experts to make their picks for the summer's hottest ticket, and like Oscar voters, they all had their favorites, but there was one thing they could all agree on: Taylor Swift and veteran rockers U2 are going to clean house this summer. "I think in terms of demand and crossing over from theaters to arenas, Katy Perry is doing it right," said Dave Brooks, senior writer for live-entertainment trade magazine Venues Today. Between her many TV appearances, magazine covers and record-setting string of hit singles from Teenage Dream, Brooks said Perry is doing everything right and creating great demand for an eye-popping extravaganza that is "pulling out all the stops." Us Weekly senior music editor Ian Drew agreed, saying Perry's tour is sure to entertain. "[It's a] colorful, all-out spectacle," he said of the cotton-candy-smelling outing. "Remember that Lady Gaga is not out on the road this summer, so there's going to be no competition. ... The tour is an all-out spectacle. It's basically like going to a massive Broadway show." Another artist who seems to have solved the live-headliner puzzle fairly quickly is Swift, who Brooks said has endeared herself to the industry and to fans through her professionalism, dedication and prodigious talent. "She moves tickets really quickly, and her two L.A. shows sold out right away and they added two more," he said, noting that Swift does so well because she appeals to a wide audience that ranges from tween girls to adult women. Blogger Perez Hilton's pick to click was Swift, whom he predicted would have the most buzzed-about tour by summer's end. "Just because she is performing so many shows, [playing] sold-out arenas, and to her credit, no one else that is a female artist is doing this right now ... playing stadiums in America ... that is major." It remains to be seen how some early cancellations due to illness will affect the rest of Swift's outing. With such heavy-hitting rap stars as Jay-Z, Kanye West and an incarcerated T.I. absent from the touring scene (outside of spot festival dates), Brooks said hard-touring Lil Wayne once again has the lane to himself and should keep packing them in for his never-ending I Am Still Music Tour. Brooks wasn't sure how the Britney Spears/ Nicki Minaj tour was going to pan out, noting that advance ticket numbers didn't look that impressive and that good seats could still be found on Groupon just days before a number of the dates for the two divas. Drew said that despite the lack of buzz, Britney loyalists will still come out because of their love for everything Brit and the allure of Minaj. "It's just gonna be two very big divas on the charts now coming together in one awesome show," he said. When it comes to the summer swing by reunited punk-poppers Blink-182, who will be playing a string of dates with goth-pop icons My Chemical Romance, Brooks said the early signs are good. He suspected the pairing could introduce a new generation to the spiky Blink sound, was willing to bet that rock icons Foo Fighters would continue to do solid business and had a good feeling about rising softer rockers Fleet Foxes and Bon Iver. His pick to keep an eye on was the Avett Brothers, the North Carolina sibling honky-tonkin' bluegrass band, who have developed a really solid, devoted road following and are about to play a sold-out show at the legendary Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Colorado on Saturday. Pollstar editor in chief Gary Bongiovanni said there was no doubt that U2's massive 360 Tour — already expected to be the highest-grossing of all time when it wraps — will be the summer's biggest hit, despite the fact that it will end in the middle of beach season on July 23. He said early numbers also indicate that Wiz Khalifa's theater and small outdoor venue tour is looking very strong and he expects solid, but not blockbuster, numbers for the NKOTBSB boy-band package. Though it has only 12 dates remaining, Bongiovanni said Dave Matthews Band's Caravan — what he called a "portable festival" — promises to do solid business with three-night stands in New York, Chicago and Washington state, featuring an eclectic lineup that includes the Flaming Lips, Ray LaMontagne, Amos Lee, Moe, Kid Cudi, De La Soul, Soja, the Roots, Dispatch, O.A.R., the Head and the Heart and Gogol Bordello. When it comes to new-breed rock bands like Kings of Leon and My Morning Jacket, Bongiovanni said it all depends on pricing the tickets right. "I think pricing will be more in tune with the economic times this year," he said. "Everyone played it conservative in 2009 and then they pushed the envelope in 2010 and they saw serious pushback." As for his pick to watch, Bongiovanni said not to underestimate the pull of dance-music stars like Tiësto and the first-ever touring electronic festival IDentity, which features such stars as Kaskade, Steve Aoki, Skrillex, DJ Shadow, Afrojack, Booka Shade and Nervo. "Music is just one part of it," he said of the resurgence of live dance-music stars. "They're creating an entertainment environment and you can't underestimate the teenage appeal of partying with your peers." What do you think will be the summer's biggest tour? Let us know in comments below!

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U2, Bon Jovi Cake Up On Forbes Highest-Paid Musicians List

17 Jun 2011 09:52:20 EDT

Gaga comes in at #4 with $168 mil for the year, while Bieber is the youngest artist on the list.
By Rob Markman

U2's Bono
Photo: Harry Herd/ Getty Images

Forbes released their 2011 World's Highest-Paid Musicians List on Wednesday, and apparently it still pays to be a veteran rocker — and it pays handsomely. U2 topped the list, raking in more than $195 million after their two-year 360 Tour grossed around $700 million, leapfrogging the Rolling Stones' A Bigger Bang Tour as the richest run of all time. Bon Jovi can't be too upset at snagging the list's runner-up spot. The group caked up $125 million in the last year. In a recent interview with Forbes, Jon Bon Jovi recalled the band's early, more humble and less lucrative days jamming in a New Jersey basement with vintage posters on the wall illuminated by candles. "I'm thinking maybe this is an issue, maybe I just don't like them," he said. "Until I realized that all the oxygen was sucked out of the room by the candles ... So I blew out the candles, cranked up the amplifiers and said, 'We're going to be a rock band. If you believe in what I'm telling you, we can be the Rolling Stones." You'd think that Bon Jovi gave a similar speech to Lady Gaga with all the bank that she acquired this year. Coming behind Elton John ($204 million), who landed at #3, Gaga earned $168 million in the past year and would've made more had she been more frugal with the costs of her stage show — then again she's been known to spare little expense when it comes to pleasing her fans. Paul McCartney, 68, was the oldest artist to make the list, clocking $66 mil, while 17-year-old Justin Bieber was the youngest to make the list with $53 million. Jay-Z and Beyoncé were the only couple to make the list. In fact, for the first time since being married, Hov earned more than his wife, taking home $37 million, while B earned $35 mil. All of the calculated earnings are based off pretax income earned from May 2010 to May 2011, before agents and managers take their cuts, according to Forbes.com.

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Swizz Beatz Promises 'Art Piece' Video For Bono, Kanye West Collabo

25 May 2011 10:40:55 EDT

Swizz says Kanye originally recorded three verses for 'Skyscrapers' track, leaving no room for his own contribution to the song.
By Rob Markman, with reporting by Ade Mangum

Swizz Beatz
Photo: MTV News

Swizz Beatz has friends in high places. For his upcoming Haute Living album, the multiplatinum producer reached out to U2's Bono and Kanye West to lend their touch to a track called "Skyscrapers." The thought of the three stars on a single track is enough to excite any music fan, but Swizz told MTV News how the song almost became a Kanye West solo affair.

Swizz played the track for 'Ye, whom he considers a brother, and got verbal confirmation from the Louis Vuitton Don that he would appear on the song. But after Kanye laid down his vocals and sent the track back, Swizz found that Yeezy had completed the entire song himself. "He gives me the track back, done, three verses, the chorus there and a bridge. So I'm like, there ain't no room for me on that thing!" Swizz says laughing. "I'm like, 'Not on this one, baby.' So I got two extra verses in the stash." As of now, there is no telling where those extra Kanye vocals will end up, but fans can expect to hear "Skyscrapers" and see a video for the track soon — even if the three featured artists don't appear in the clip. Judging by Swizzy's description of both the track and the video, fans should get ready for a thought-provoking experience. "I felt like there was a lot of things going on in the world that was bigger than all of us. So as of right now, we're not in the video," Swizz says of the song's visuals, which he has already begun working on. "It's like an art piece. It's like a documentary of the world as we don't know it, but kind of know it. You know these things are going on in the world, but you don't really know to what degree they're going on in the world. So I took time out to piece up a couple of visuals that represent that — moving visuals. Right now, me, Bono, Kanye, we're trying to figure out what's the right way to have that message." Swizz warns that since the video is still in development, things can change between now and the release. Are you looking forward to hearing Swizz's collaboration with Bono and Kanye? Let us know in the comments.

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Carrie Underwood To Help Pick Song For 'American Idol' Finale

24 May 2011 12:09:21 EDT

U2's Bono and the Edge will appear on Wednesday's season-ending show.
By Gil Kaufman

Photo: Jason Merritt/ Getty Images

The star-studded lineup for the two-night season 10 "American Idol" finale is starting to come into view, and it will feature a former "Idol" champ whose career is a model for finalists Scotty McCreery and Lauren Alaina. The two country-singing teens will take the stage on Tuesday night (May 24) to sing three songs each — one their favorite from this season, another chosen by "Idol" producers and the third picked by one of their personal music idols. According to USA Today, those heroes will be Country Music Hall of Famer George Strait for Scotty and season four "Idol" champ Carrie Underwood for Lauren. Underwood, who recently became the most successful "Idol" winner in history, is also the first and only country champion from the show. Wednesday night's finale will feature an appearance by U2's Bono and the Edge, who will take the stage alongside the lead actor of the troubled Broadway musical "Spider-Man Turn Off the Dark," which features songs written by the iconic rock duo. The season-ending show also will include season seven "Idol" winner David Cook, who will singing this season's elimination song, Simple Minds' "Don't You (Forget About Me)," as well as a performance from judge Steven Tyler. In addition, bearded season 10 growler Casey Abrams will take the stage with "Kung Fu Panda 2" funnyman Jack Black. Don't miss a special edition of "Idol Party Live" Thursday at noon on MTV.com for analysis, finale red-carpet coverage and the last "Idol in 60 Seconds" of season 10. Get in the conversation by tweeting with the hashtag #idolparty! In the meantime, get your "Idol" fix on MTV News' "American Idol" page, where you'll find all the latest news, interviews and opinions.

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Linkin Park? U2? Ke$ha? Behind MTV's Musical March Madness Selection

09 Mar 2011 06:52:15 EST

With the tipoff of our tournament set for Monday, Bigger Than the Sound breaks down your favorite band's chances of busting the bracket.
By James Montgomery

Linkin Park
Photo: Getty Images

Last year, when we launched the inaugural Musical March Madness tournament, we did it largely on a whim. As I wrote when I revealed my original (handwritten) bracket, the basic idea was to combine my love of college basketball, gambling and rock music (and superfluous lists) into one magical event, and it really didn't matter that I hadn't figured out how bands would advance in the tournament or even what they'd get for winning. All I knew was that it seemed like a fun idea (especially since I didn't have anything else to write my column about that week) and that somewhere, there had to be someone who cared about these seemingly disparate things nearly as much as I did.

As it turned out, there were a lot of people who cared, and when it was all said and done — thanks to the efforts of a whole lot of folks, including Newsroom blog editor Kyle Anderson, who basically decided "You know what? People should vote on this!" — not only was Musical March Madness a certified success, but we somehow even managed to get an actual trophy to present to the winners, Coheed and Cambria, too. So, really, everybody won. Of course, given the success of the original MMM, attention quickly shifted to the 2011 tournament. Last year, I basically just threw together a list of 64 bands (65, actually; who could forget the epic Against Me!/ Creed play-in battle?). For the 2011 tournament, however, I did research, monitored album sales and basically became a Selection Committee of one. And, yes, it took way longer than I ever could have imagined. So, with the 2011 Musical March Madness set to tip off Monday — when we reveal our full bracket of 64 bands and launch voting in first-round matchups — I decided to pull back the curtain on that selection process. Some teams have all but locked up their spots in the 2011 tournament, while others still have some work to do. In the spirit of all things bracketological, here's my up-to-the-minute look at where your favorite bands stand for this year's MMM: The #1 Seeds
The biggest bands in the land. Last year, I gave out #1's to Nickelback, Coldplay, Blink-182 and the Kings of Leon. Somewhat surprisingly, three-quarters of them ended up losing in the opening round of the tournament (only Blink survived, making it to the round of 32 before losing to 30 Seconds to Mars). Obviously, I overestimated the popularity of some of those acts, which means that, in 2011, to be a #1 seed, you have to have proven yourself as not only a rock-solid commodity, but an actual threat to win the championship too. Oh, and it wouldn't hurt to have an album either in stores or coming soon. So here are my latest contenders for top seeds: » Foo Fighters
» 30 Seconds to Mars
» Linkin Park
» My Chemical Romance
» Arcade Fire
» Vampire Weekend
» Muse
» The Black Keys
» Blink-182
» Radiohead
» Coldplay
» Mumford & Sons The Foos have a hotly anticipated album coming down the pipeline, as does Coldplay. Are expectations enough to make them #1's? Or will the committee recognize the breakout success of the Black Keys, Muse and Mumford? Does a #1 album and a shocking Grammy win earn the Arcade Fire a top seed? Linkin Park and MCR both scuffed a bit with their latest albums, but does that matter, especially since they're both legacy acts with loyal fanbases (and, in the case of My Chem, are tournament-tested)? And will the committee ignore the fact that, by most accounts, Radiohead's latest was a bit of a letdown or that Blink-182 may never actually release their new album? As you can see, there are still plenty of questions left to be answered. The Old Guard
Legacy acts with something left in the tank. In 2010, time-tested faves like Slipknot, the White Stripes, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Sublime, Pearl Jam, U2 and the Dave Matthews Band all got invites to the big dance based largely on reputation alone (just think of them as the Dukes or Kansases of MMM). Of course, nearly all of them got knocked off in the first round, which means that this time around, reputation isn't going to be enough to punch their tickets. Shoot, some of these acts aren't even around anymore, which means that some deck-shuffling is in order. Here are the established acts that are still fighting for their tournament lives: » Green Day
» Dave Matthews Band
» U2
» Red Hot Chili Peppers
» Rage Against the Machine
» Kid Rock
» Pearl Jam
» R.E.M. Some (like the Chili Peppers and U2) have announced new albums this year, while others (like DMB) are planning to take 2011 off entirely. Still, whatever their status may be, the old guard remain forces at the cash registers and on radio, even if their latest albums didn't exactly light the world on fire. And ignoring that entirely just isn't possible. So how does the committee decide which make the field of 64? Good question. I'm still trying to figure out the answer. The New Blood
Upset-minded young guns. The 2010 MMM featured up-and-coming acts like the Young Veins, 3OH!3, Owl City and MGMT. One year later, none of them are even on the radar. Picking new bands for MMM is always a challenge, though in 2011, there seem to be a handful who have all but secured their spots in the tournament, thanks to their breakout successes. I'm talking about the likes of: » Mumford & Sons
» Florence and the Machine
» The Black Keys
» Cage the Elephant
» Sleigh Bells
» Adele If the tournament started today, all of the above have been in (and some may even earn high seeds). But do any of them have enough to actually win the tournament? We'll just have to wait and see. The Bracket Busters
Bands with solid, if not spectacular, résumés (weak out-of-conference schedules, etc.). Last year, this included eventual champs Coheed and Cambria, Final Four acts like Tokio Hotel, Elite Eight bands like Panic! at the Disco and Owl City, and even Patrick Stump, who rumbled all the way to the Sweet 16. In other words, the 2011 champion could very well come from this group. Here's my list of under-the-radar threats: » Panic! (once again)
» Weezer
» The Decemberists
» Cake
» Paramore
» Avril Lavigne
» Crystal Bowersox
» Adam Lambert
» Death Cab for Cutie
» All Time Low Two of the above — Cake and the Decemberists — have recent #1 debuts under their belts, while others have new albums on the horizon (DCFC, ATL, Avril). Others, like Bowersox and Lambert (who made the Sweet 16 last year), command insane fanbases, which make them dangerous on any day. Lavigne and ATL still have some work to do, but I'd consider all of the acts I just mentioned as safe for now. The Bubble Bands
On-the-verge acts that need a little help to make it in. Maybe they win their conference championship, or maybe they PayPal the selection committee some cash, but these are the bands on the brink. In 2010, that included Panic! (no new album or single), the Gaslight Anthem (up-and-comers just learning to play together) and Coheed (largely ignored by mainstream radio). Most of those bands managed to do quite well in the tournament, while others, like Hollywood Undead, Lil Wayne, Them Crooked Vultures and the National, all flamed out in the tournament's opening round. Somewhat fittingly, it's a real feast-or-famine type of thing. Here's my updated list of bubble bands: » Cobra Starship
» Ke$ha
» Tokio Hotel
» MGMT
» Train
» Adele
» Bret Michaels
» Grace Potter and the Nocturnals
» Taylor Swift Right off the bat, neither Ke$ha nor Swift really rock (though Ke$h does use Jack Daniels as mouthwash), which makes them long shots. Tokio Hotel have done next to nothing since last year's tournament, but was their success enough to earn them a spot this year? Bret Michaels is basically indestructible at this point, so I'd consider him a lock. Cobra Starship are largely dormant but command a big enough fanbase to warrant consideration. MGMT's last album stiffed in spectacular fashion, which places them squarely on the soapy surface of the bubble. So, will your favorite band make the cut for the 2011 Musical March Madness tournament? As you can see, the Selection Committee still has plenty of work to do — which means that, between now and Monday, I'll be burning the midnight oil, busting out the brackets and then re-busting them once again. It'll be a chore, but I bet it will be worth it. And I hope you'll be along for the ride. Your band needs you, after all. MTV's 2011 Musical March Madness Tournament begins Monday, March 14, when we reveal the full field of 64 bands that will battle for the championship. Winners are determined by fan votes, so if your favorite act makes the cut, it'll be up to you to guide them to glory. You can rally the troops on Twitter using the hashtag #MMM — but get

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David Guetta Dishes On U2 Collaboration

24 Jan 2011 06:52:09 EST

'We met with Bono and I was really excited, really honored,' dance superstar tells MTV News of working with pop-rock legends.
By Mawuse Ziegbe, with reporting by Akshay Bhansali

David Guetta
Photo: MTV News

David Guetta can check Akon, Rihanna and Flo Rida off his list of superstar collabos, but the next possible high-wattage team-up in the works for the producer/DJ may be much more than the clubs can handle.
The French behind-the-boards whiz recently told MTV News that he's been speaking with pop-rock icon Bono about putting his hit-friendly touch on the next U2 project. "We met with Bono, and I was really excited, really honored because he proposed me to maybe produce some tracks for the next U2 album," Guetta said. The architect of smashes like the Akon-assisted speaker-crusher "Sexy Chick" and the ubiquitous Black Eyed Peas anthem "I Gotta Feeling," Guetta added that he's more than ready to broaden his professional horizons beyond the main-room bangers and R&B-tinged tracks that have netted him tons of fan acclaim and status as a dance-music demigod. "I've been more and more open to different styles of music, and obviously electronic music is still my main thing, but I just love music. If it's good, it doesn't matter what style," he said. "After those collaborations with all these urban artists, I thought it would be a real challenge for me to try to go in that direction." But what would a Guetta-helmed U2 jam sound like? The quartet has spent decades blowing minds with their epic yet intimate pop-rock cuts, but how does one marry the fist-pumping, booty-rattling throb of Guetta's body of work with the Dubliners' sensibilities? The DJ told us that's he's already trying to figure that out. "That's done already," Guetta smiled, admitting that he started tinkering with some sounds in the studio. "I started a few ideas already, yes." Bono said late last year that U2 are actively exploring a dancefloor-friendly sound in some of their new music, and have also enlisted Broken Bells producer Danger Mouse, Lady Gaga soundsmith RedOne and the Peas' will.i.am to craft some tracks. "U2's remixes in the 1990s were a real treasure," Bono explained to Australian newspaper The Age in October. "So we wanted to make a club-sounding record. We have a pile of songs." What do you think a David Guetta/ U2 collabo would sound like? Sound off in the comments!

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