Daily(ish)

Matt McGee, founder of atu2.com, joins Chris to discuss 20 years of running the ultimate U2 fan site. They chat about the evolution of fan media (from 90s web graphics to live concert streaming on Meerkat and Periscope), U2's iNNOCENCE + eXPERIENCE Tour, arena audio and stage innovations, setlist storytelling, and memories from the road.

Links & Resources

• atu2 Website: atu2.com
• Patreon: Support Chris at patreon.com/ichris

Chapters

 00:00 - Introduction & Weather
 00:17 - Sponsors & Patreon
 00:45 - Welcome Matt McGee from @atu2
 01:31 - Early Podcasting Days vs. Modern Production
 04:01 - 20 Years of atu2.com (1995–2015)
 05:44 - Fan Media Evolution: From Photos to Live Streaming (Meerkat & Periscope)
 07:23 - U2's Relationship with Social Media & Technology
 09:28 - Reporting on the iNNOCENCE + eXPERIENCE Tour
 10:46 - Periscoping Concerts Live from the Arena
 12:11 - Concert Videos, YouTube & Band Policies
 16:41 - Attending Tour Shows & The Urge to Go to Every City
 18:30 - The Magic of U2 Live & Setlist Narrative Storytelling
 25:01 - Arena Stage Design & The Iconic LED Screen Mechanics
 30:36 - Arena Audio Innovations & Ceiling-Hung Speaker Setup
 34:23 - Deep Cuts, Surrender Theme & Setlist Expectations
 38:14 - Bringing Fans On Stage & Spontaneous Concert Moments
 40:02 - Where to Find Matt McGee & Wrap Up 

To mark the 100th episode of Daily(ish), Chris hands the mic over to longtime U2-loving cohort Christopher Schmitt (Austin, TX) for a deep dive into the Songs of Innocence era and the Innocence + Experience Tour, from stage design and sound tech to setlists, Periscope gripes, and thirty-plus years of U2 fandom.

Chapters

00:10 Welcome to episode 100 — thanks for sticking around
00:55 Weather report from Austin, with Christopher Schmitt
02:15 Catching up on the old U2Log.com blogging days
04:38 Revisiting Songs of Innocence a few months on
09:11 Studio cuts vs. live versions
11:34 Fan-shot full concerts turning up on YouTube
13:17 A Periscope/Meerkat rant
15:49 The tour's new stadium sound system
18:46 Stage design: the long catwalk, B-stage, and LED screen
26:08 Missing this leg of the tour (and looking ahead to Europe)
27:16 Ticket sales and songs connecting with the crowd
28:46 Multi-night residencies in one city
29:47 60 rehearsed songs and a deeper setlist rotation
30:24 KROQ radio show rarities
31:54 The greatest-hits treadmill vs. mixing it up
32:39 In defense of Zooropa and Pop
33:33 Achtung Baby's artistic/commercial sweet spot
34:28 A rough stretch on tour: losses and a new management team
36:53 Zooropa's surprise origins and rumors of a companion album
38:24 Where to find Christopher online 

Links mentioned

• U2Log.com — the U2 fan blog Chris and Christopher both wrote for back in the day (no longer online)
• atu2.com — the long-running U2 fan site founded by Matt McGee, run by a web-search/SEO pro; the site closed in 2020, though its tour database lives on at U2Tours.com
• Christopher Schmitt on Twitter/X: @teleject
• Christopher's site at the time was christopherschmitt.com (the domain has since lapsed; Christopher passed away in 2020)