Rumours of U2 visiting New Zealand in November
With rumours of U2 possibly touring Australia in November/December this year heating up, the question has inevitably arisen about whether U2 would also cross the Tasman Sea to play New Zealand. Last year, rumours abounded that a potential Australian tour would include a New Zealand concert at Westpac Stadium in Wellington, as we reported here. The latest crop of Australian tour rumours had not included much mention of New Zealand - until now.
The New Zealand Herald, one of the country's major broadsheets, is reporting that U2 may perform in New Zealand this November before heading to Australia. They claim plans are being finalised, and as far as potential venues go, they first mention Auckland's Mt Smart Stadium, the venue for U2's Vertigo Tour visit, before going on to mention Wellington's Westpac Stadium as another possibility.
However, a closer reading of the article prompts questions about its reliability. It is better written and more carefully researched than the Courier-Mail article we critiqued last week, but how close to the band are the sources?
The article itself concedes there is no official word regarding a tour. U2's prior Australasian promoter, Michael Coppel Presents, declined to comment, while Live Nation merely indicates that its Australian office is involved in preparations for U2's Oceania tour. The use of "Oceania" rather than "Australia" indicates the tour may well cross the Tasman, but that is it for official content.
Instead, the article relies on unidentified "international reports", "sources", and "speculation [that] is rife" amongst "fans [who are] eagerly awaiting an announcement". It reads less like a leak from somebody in-the-know who declined to be identified, and more like a concise summary of rumours and popular theories on Interference, U2fanz, atU2, and this website. It's happened before.
Maybe the New Zealand Herald does have a genuine source it does not wish to identify. It's just hard to look past the co-incidence that within days of various rumours and theories being tossed around on fansites and forums, a news article appears that essentially summarises them. Everything from the belief that an announcement must be imminent if U2 are coming here before Christmas, to fears that any such announcement has been held back to ascertain how well Bono's back copes with the European concerts, and if his condition is not ideal, an Oceania tour may be delayed or canned.
Time will tell.
The New Zealand Herald, one of the country's major broadsheets, is reporting that U2 may perform in New Zealand this November before heading to Australia. They claim plans are being finalised, and as far as potential venues go, they first mention Auckland's Mt Smart Stadium, the venue for U2's Vertigo Tour visit, before going on to mention Wellington's Westpac Stadium as another possibility.
However, a closer reading of the article prompts questions about its reliability. It is better written and more carefully researched than the Courier-Mail article we critiqued last week, but how close to the band are the sources?
The article itself concedes there is no official word regarding a tour. U2's prior Australasian promoter, Michael Coppel Presents, declined to comment, while Live Nation merely indicates that its Australian office is involved in preparations for U2's Oceania tour. The use of "Oceania" rather than "Australia" indicates the tour may well cross the Tasman, but that is it for official content.
Instead, the article relies on unidentified "international reports", "sources", and "speculation [that] is rife" amongst "fans [who are] eagerly awaiting an announcement". It reads less like a leak from somebody in-the-know who declined to be identified, and more like a concise summary of rumours and popular theories on Interference, U2fanz, atU2, and this website. It's happened before.
Maybe the New Zealand Herald does have a genuine source it does not wish to identify. It's just hard to look past the co-incidence that within days of various rumours and theories being tossed around on fansites and forums, a news article appears that essentially summarises them. Everything from the belief that an announcement must be imminent if U2 are coming here before Christmas, to fears that any such announcement has been held back to ascertain how well Bono's back copes with the European concerts, and if his condition is not ideal, an Oceania tour may be delayed or canned.
Time will tell.
Posted on by Axver