I've been a huge fan since I was about 15 (I'm 53 now). I would have lost my mind if I had come across them playing in the subway. They are still amazing after all these years... Sometimes I forget how much their music has helped me over the years but hearing those first few notes made me remember that their music heals my soul.
+Noah Freitas A "random street group" with multiple professional cameramen, professional sound booms, and multiple professional photographers. You can see the film crew a minute or so in. I like the photgrapher at the end with a 500mm zoom lens 6 feet from bono. Great video.
+Noah Freitas Every person in that station knew what was going on. There were police surrounding the area, there was a massive film crew, and there were signs up everywhere explaining that there was filming going on for a TV show. What you see in the crowd are actors.
I've listened to U2 from the beginning back in my elementary days of school. I begged for the cassette player for Christmas then had a paper route which payed back then in the early 80's 25 a week. I bought my first U2 cassette "BOY" then I purchased "October". The following year for Christmas, I got a powel& peralta skateboard and the Joshua tree cassette. The best memories from a 80's kid
Carlos G if you were transported back to 1987 in a sinking ship with U2 and the bones brigade and you could only save one group in your personal submarine which would you choose?
sodamncrazyomg She doesn't really knows who he is. She just knows is someone famous and is using him to boost her way up the social media ranks. Yep, sad world we live in.
Not all angles are from cameramen, they also set up some fixed cameras high on pillars and not all cameramen are using video cameras, they are using photo cameras...so they are not so obvious. I saw only 1, maybe 2 video cameras and the small kind, not super professional looking.
***** I guess you ignored the part where Jimmy said he had a camera on his sunglasses to catch it. You don't see the camera men until Jimmy reveals them and they run up behind the crowd
Yeah the reaction of people would have been "who is this band? Good or not. Clearly important enough to have THAT kind of camera equipment filming them."
the first part gave me goosebumps, and when you took off your disguises, the sheer joy of shining like that brought tears to my eyes healing my heart guys so much love and WOOOO!!! 2u2!
that was frigging awesome. you could tell within the first minute that it wasn't some street band. incredible live performance. sounded very close to their studio recording, which you rarely hear when it's live like this. insane.
This feels so good! Watched them live 2 months before Pandemic took over Earth. They are the best group I have ever watched in a concert. Bono is amazing.
True U2 fans would've recognized it was U2 right off the bat as soon as Bono started singing and NO one, can duplicate the ringing notes of Edge's guitar.
Consider that one month ago several people didn't recognize them and they were sit down close to them in a restaurant in Italy!!! Poor... nobody asking them for a selfie ... maybe too busy in following their idols on Instagram... and they didn't see the real Gods in music ♡
Hello Nancy Luer, How're you doing, it's been a long journey, and I'm nothing without amazing fans like you who appreciate my musical craftiness, All love to you and yours ❤️
Actually there is, check out the singer from Simple Minds. He's not copying Bono at all but they do have similar voices. Listen to the end of their rendition of "Belfast Child" for instance.
I'm from Australia and I can say with all honesty that I would have stood and watched Bono singing, even if I didn't recognize him at first, and I would not have pulled out my phone. What a marvelous voice.
***** Thank you! I have a friend's old iphone and her music taste is very different than mine... not to mention, my daughter listens to music on it... there are a couple tracks that are NOT radio version, lol!!
Dave i totally agree ... people need to turnoff the fucking phone when at a concert and contribute to life. for once in your day to day , just have the guts and balls to say you were there, and the ones who weren't there, weren't . people, you look like a jack ass making a fool of yourself when you pull out your silly piece of plastic communication device and ruin the moment for what its supposed to be. it should be an exclusive shared experience for the music. the beauty of how a rundown subway is being used as a surrogate venue for one of rock and rolls most influential artists, U2. so please , next time something amazing happens and you dont want to miss it.... open your eyes wide. dont blink. bask in the glory that you will never want to forget this moment . no no no keep that fucking phone back in your side pocket and soak in all of that memory , cuz if you dont you will be living a life of lost memories only half partially consumed behind a thin glass screen .
This warms my heart. It’s so nice that people can’t engage with anyone or thing directly, and have to look at their goddamn cell phone screen as an intermediary for everything they experience. It’s so cool & awesome, definitely not horrible or fucked up at all.
I think you are prone to the lefty lie. I like the part when Chelsea Clinton has a $10M apartment and says, "We should think about equality." Chick can think about anything she likes, but that is massive Russian tundra level hypocrite. Meanwhile mama Hillary Clinton is preaching "Love and kindness." U2 is humble? Let me tell you something, you and me are buying hashish from different vendors.
Yes, it had that kind of a "set up" feel to it. I mean amps, bass, mics.. seriously? Didn't seem super authentic. And I agree with you about letting it build.
I agree, also they were being rather comically inept on the first song. What it does highlight is people's interest in celebrity over music though. It would be good to see a straight comparison, same disguise, same song, same subway station and then masks off.
What a down to earth, class act U2 is, very cool to see them playing on the subway platform! Back in 1991 had the chance to walk by the narrow street that leads to their recording studio and the security guards their gave the impression of Don`t even try to walk towards the recording studio! But what a great band!
Who knows how long they actually did this? It could have been literally hours of them singing in Disguise with no results before they took the disguises off
Yeah, I wish he sang "New Year's Day" firs tin disguise just like at a regular concert to see what happened. With a good bass amp, that would have worked, but they needed a keyboard. Then launched into "Beautiful Day" or "Elevation."
@@HerveBoisde yes but damn you can still hear that iconic voxce there. I guess in person you really wouldnt be expecting it to be Bono in the subway. Haha. That was really cool though.
@@egroegartfart I would know it was Bono from the first note. People these days just have awful taste in music and apparently don't know who U2 are as if they've been living under a rock.
Watching U2 live in concert is really extra ordinary. They were here 🇸🇽just couple of months ago. They are awesome! That was the last day i was out in a crowd. Today social distancing and lockdowns are everywhere. I wish to watch them again live. They are so worth it 💙
What really kinda sucks about this is, what Jimmy realized after just a few minutes, that most passersby aren't really interested in lending an ear to street performers, no matter who they are and what they can do musically, hence his move to "Plan B", stripping off any disguise to reveal his personal celebrity status and announce the fame level of the band. This fact was also well documented via an attempt to put Joshua Bell, a world renown violinist, in the subway of NYC, playing what he deemed to be the most beautiful music ever written. This video was rather strangely directed. In disguise, the band didn't actually seem to do much. That is, they put out very little energy while performing. The drummer didn't look as though he had any real skill with percussion on plastic buckets. I have friends that are far better players on buckets. The acoustic guitarist didn't seem to display much ability either. Maybe, the power of the band's amplification, when on stage, does the majority of their work. I don't know if they were purposely directed to play wimpy for the first part of this video or what. And what surprised me even more is, that the band didn't really get much better at what they were doing after they were revealed to be who they really are. The only thing that changed was the passersby association with the level of the band, not the level of the band. Just as no one recognized Jimmy, while in disguise and ignored his attempts at gathering a crowd. It was only when he revealed who he was, as a celebrity, that anyone paid attention to him. This same subject, the differences between artistry and celebrity, seemed to be the main theme of the movie "Birdman." I also can't tell if the audience that did gather were ringers, invited to step into the camera shot at a specific moment, to purposely create a crowd during the latter part of the video. Actually what Jimmy was doing while in disguise, seeking the attention of an audience by walking around barking at them, "we are a local artists...", in order to gather a crowd, is considered aggressive panhandling and many security or police officers would have shut any normal band down for trying that move. I was further surprised that the band couldn't get by without amplification for their singer Bono. This experiment seems proof that a band, used to the power they can muster via amplification, are ill-equipped to translate what they can do on stage to performing on the street. Without the power of their celebrity and the gear they sling on stage, perfectly calibrated to enhance their ability, they'd likely be flipping burgers at some greasy spoon, because they certainly wouldn't be able to make it as street performers.
The 80/20 Drummer I was also surprised by the audience reaction after the disguises were removed. Instead of enjoying the show, the woman standing in front of Bono and a good many others, decide it's more important to capture a video of the experience, to, no doubt, post to FB or YT. The securing of the video became more important than the real life experience of enjoying the performance. It's a strange and twisted place we've come to, when real life is subjugated to serve online "likes" and "hits!" Again, I can't say for certain whether half of the audience holding cameras was directed into the scene by the producers of the happening, or if that was a natural occurrence but as a long time street performer, who has had more cameras pointed in his direction than you can shake a stick at, I can attest that the sad fact is, a great many passersby seem far more interested in capturing images of the unique performances offered by street artists than supporting the artists, in any more tangible fa$hion. It causes one to wonder, if a performance artist, band or troupe is impressive enough to get passersby to pull out their cameras, to capture images and video, why then is it so very challenging for most of those same audience members to also pull out their wallets in response to what they've enjoyed so thoroughly? Most street performers that I know are not being supported by government grants, trust funds, rich uncles, or the celebrity status they've gained via their regular gigs as TV stars. Nor are they internationally known super bands. They don't play on the street on their days off from their 9 to 5. They choose to lay their talents on the line, hoping they can offer their artistry in exchange for a livelihood. This form of fair exchange has been around for thousands of years. It is the original manner in which we as a people have entertained one another, long before corporate control of entertainment twisted it into an industry.
Reggie Miles There's a great british show called Dark Mirror that has a fantastic episode skewering the modern "like-crack" addiction, and the way corporations take advantage of it. (He says as he types a UA-cam comment instead of Talking to a Friend or taking a walk in Nature;)
The 80/20 Drummer No they sounded better after they took their disguises off because they actually started trying, if they had actually played well before with their disguises on everyone would have known.
Yes, who can say for certain exactly how this video was directed. Perhaps they were told to use more simple instrumentation, buckets and acoustic guitar, to help them look more like an average band of Joes offering U2 cover songs. They obviously weren't able or allowed to bring their regular gear with them. That level of gear would have been an instant giveaway that something was up and that the band wasn't just some average local dudes. If they had something closer to what they're used to using, they may have had an easier time getting the attention of passersby. Poorly amped acoustic guitar and bucket drums didn't seem to carry their music well, either before or after their disguises. They did seem to have more energy once they had the support of an audience but that's the way of it with every performance, no matter who, when or where. If an audience of listeners is supporting a performance, that level of energy can go a long way to carry a performer or band.
I had in 1991 access to some of the newest cell phones and had one ever since. I detest them now as I see everyone around me replacing the bible with this idol. I know what God does when people replace him with an idol.
imedi Most u2 fans will hang for a bit if they hear any U2, that sounded too closely to Bono obviously, those disguises were pathetically weak, one look at them and it's easy to see.
I've been a huge fan since I was about 15 (I'm 53 now). I would have lost my mind if I had come across them playing in the subway. They are still amazing after all these years... Sometimes I forget how much their music has helped me over the years but hearing those first few notes made me remember that their music heals my soul.
I feel the exact way about everything you said, except I'm 40 & have loved them since I was around 6. Would have fainted if I got to see that
... PERFECTLY well said... and exact same here. Same ages even... 🤍👍
no kidding lol no clue than WTF lol right next to me or something damn lol id have felt moronic lol
Same here. They have been my favorite band since 1983 😊
❤ same
This music still gives me the chills after all these years. Timeless.
U2 in disguise looked like U2 in disguise.
LOFL !!! 🤣
My thought exactly!
😂
Also Bono in disguise still sounds like Bono.
And Bono trying to hide Bono’s style of singing sounds like Bono trying to hide Bono’s style of singing.
Bono and Edge walk into a bar
Bartender: oh it’s you two again
it’s U2 again
😆
Hilarious
I would rather miss my ride to work than miss seeing U2 sing live for free on a subway. Its like mortal sin to just pass them by.
Your boss would of forgiven you.
It would have been a closed off set, all the people around know about it.
@@shanecarroll5376 I agree. Nobody would notice all of the security and professional cameras! Jimmy is a fraud. ;)
Imagine walking right past this thinking it was just a random street group only to realize later that you missed an opportunity to see U2 in person.
+Noah Freitas A "random street group" with multiple professional cameramen, professional sound booms, and multiple professional photographers. You can see the film crew a minute or so in. I like the photgrapher at the end with a 500mm zoom lens 6 feet from bono. Great video.
But there were people that walked by not knowing.
+Noah Freitas Every person in that station knew what was going on. There were police surrounding the area, there was a massive film crew, and there were signs up everywhere explaining that there was filming going on for a TV show. What you see in the crowd are actors.
DavoBirmingham2 But not everyone stopped to watch.
+Noah Freitas I would love to say.. "Good cover, dudes.. but you don't sound like U2"
Id recognize his voice over ten subway stations
Exactly, anyone who didn't must live in a bubble!
TBH im not the biggest U2 fan, but if i heard this from a busker, i'd have thought he was pumping in music live
MarkOfTzeentch ú885
jesus im thinking where are these people from ? maybe it is just they are shy ... ? i would go and give them a french High 5 Hug !
I think they were being respectful and giving them space. I would have kept some distance too
Bono - such a unique voice. I’m surprised people walked by.
I've listened to U2 from the beginning back in my elementary days of school. I begged for the cassette player for Christmas then had a paper route which payed back then in the early 80's 25 a week. I bought my first U2 cassette "BOY" then I purchased "October". The following year for Christmas, I got a powel& peralta skateboard and the Joshua tree cassette. The best memories from a 80's kid
Carlos G almost wore out the Joshua tree cd,man,it doesn't seem like 30 years ago,yikes
Carlos G if you were transported back to 1987 in a sinking ship with U2 and the bones brigade and you could only save one group in your personal submarine which would you choose?
SHUT UP BONO
Carlos G
I’m named after Joshua tree
Imagine walking and thinking to yourself, 'Meh, he's alright'
no need to imagine. that's exactly what i do think.
Look up the Joshua Bell experiment from years ago.
That's exactly what i think when I actually hear a u2 song.
Heavily produced is usually going to sound way better than a simple street performance.
I was legitimately thinking about how I've heard subway acts that make them look like dicks ... it really wasn't good
Legendary Rock Band playing in a subway station with the drummer beating on buckets. F-ing cool...
I think that was the most impressive part,..he made those buckets sound flippin good!!
You can"t "disguise" Bono's voice. It's very clear from the first lyric it's him.
So fucking true!
@@thestrengthwithin4249 no he ain't he better than any singer right now.
@@thestrengthwithin4249 can u do what he does?
@@thestrengthwithin4249 that was part of the performance. He needed to disguise his voice.
@@thestrengthwithin4249 yea, sorry for that. U stay safe too
The girl with the round sunglasses is looking at her phone's camera, while Bono sings in her face. WTF PEOPLE???
sodamncrazyomg I don't even have the words.
sodamncrazyomg She doesn't really knows who he is. She just knows is someone famous and is using him to boost her way up the social media ranks. Yep, sad world we live in.
Hm yeah. That strangely pissed me off
LolindirElros even if she does not know him it's rude
idk who cares
Bono looks like Robin Williams
only in nyc
there was a similarity between those 2 in their later years.........bono williams
its true and i got sad.
one hour photo great movie
I got more Bobcat Goldthwait. :)
Guy calls into work: I'm going to be late
Boss: why?
Guy: I missed my train because U2 was performing in the subway
Boss: Dammit Tom you're fired.
But boss, this is Jerr- er, wait, I mean... yyyyeah this is Tom. Oh shoot, this sucks. Dang, sucks to be me, “Tom”, today...
Fired for not calling me to come on down asap
How great is this? Ihave tears in my eyes and I’m not even there!
😂🤣
Hahaha..i like it
I love U2 they are so down to earth. How he interacts with his fans. Sweet
There were like 5 cameramen filming it. Real incognito.
Not all angles are from cameramen, they also set up some fixed cameras high on pillars and not all cameramen are using video cameras, they are using photo cameras...so they are not so obvious. I saw only 1, maybe 2 video cameras and the small kind, not super professional looking.
***** I guess you ignored the part where Jimmy said he had a camera on his sunglasses to catch it. You don't see the camera men until Jimmy reveals them and they run up behind the crowd
***** Yeah, it was not well hidden at all.
Yeah the reaction of people would have been "who is this band? Good or not. Clearly important enough to have THAT kind of camera equipment filming them."
People will crowd around anything if they see professional cameras are filming it.
the first part gave me goosebumps, and when you took off your disguises, the sheer joy of shining like that brought tears to my eyes
healing my heart guys
so much love and WOOOO!!! 2u2!
that was frigging awesome. you could tell within the first minute that it wasn't some street band. incredible live performance. sounded very close to their studio recording, which you rarely hear when it's live like this. insane.
This feels so good! Watched them live 2 months before Pandemic took over Earth. They are the best group I have ever watched in a concert. Bono is amazing.
True U2 fans would've recognized it was U2 right off the bat as soon as Bono started singing and NO one, can duplicate the ringing notes of Edge's guitar.
So true.
they did you saw the double takes when they were in costume
Consider that one month ago several people didn't recognize them and they were sit down close to them in a restaurant in Italy!!! Poor... nobody asking them for a selfie ... maybe too busy in following their idols on Instagram... and they didn't see the real Gods in music ♡
Precisely. Bono's voice is unmistakable.
I think a lot of people probably did!
Bono and U2 Rocks.... Gives me goosebumps just to hear them, wish I had been there...
Hello Nancy Luer,
How're you doing,
it's been a long journey, and I'm nothing without amazing fans like you who appreciate my musical craftiness,
All love to you and yours ❤️
2022 here, even trying to play off keys those guys are just different class.
I'm not a big U2 fan, but I would have recognized Bono's voice in a heartbeat.
Bono looks exactly like Robin Williams character in August Rush 😂👌🏼
Sure it wasn't him lol
I’ve been saying it for years, if Robin Williams didn’t kill himself, he could’ve played Bono in a U2 biopic.
Fucking wizard 🤣
WIZARD LMFAOOOOO
A few dozen people and Bono still gives it everything. That man just loves to perform!
I would have known as soon as Bono opened his mouth. Too distinctive of a voice.
But you probably wouldn't expect him to be busking, so you might assume that it was just someone who sounded like him.
Mo Poppins Yeah, people mostly see what they expect to see. Same goes for hearing, I guess.
Bono has such a distinctive voice-there's no one who sounds like him :)
Actually there is, check out the singer from Simple Minds. He's not copying Bono at all but they do have similar voices. Listen to the end of their rendition of "Belfast Child" for instance.
Bono could be singing in front of like 40 people there and he still acts like he's in a 50,000 seater venue. Great. 😃
Yeah, surprised Bono didn't invite a chick to lay on the concrete with him like in concert.
Yes. That's what makes such artists stars.
muscle memory
Rock ⭐ Star
@@DexterHaven 😄... true... they always do that
and then that woman uploaded her vertical encounter with Bono
¬_¬
TheAgentAssassin please kill me, I don't want to be on this planet anymore.
Whyyyyy
*****
***** Because some random woman films something vertically, this warrants a suicidal declaration from you? Really?
TheAgentAssassin I would be dancing and singing along! then be pissed that I didn't get a vertical encounter!!!
This would be approximately the best thing to ever happen to me in the subway. I wish I'd been there. Great work, guys! :)
"Hey, those guys look like U2 with disguises on, and playing U2 songs...Wait a minute!!" lol
😂
I'm from Australia and I can say with all honesty that I would have stood and watched Bono singing, even if I didn't recognize him at first, and I would not have pulled out my phone. What a marvelous voice.
Hopefully all of their smartphones enjoyed the experience.
lol life isn't meant for living. It's meant to be recorded on a portable device so we can put it on another larger device and watch it indoors!
well if they didnt take a pic to prove it , how would they show it off too all the people that dont care :D
My thoughts exactly. 😥 Bono is singing 10 cm away from this girl's face and she watches him through her phone. How disappointing.
Mauve Raccoon so sad......
Omg I was thinking the exact same thing, I would have been singing with him instead of recording.
If I was there at the moment I would have recognize that voice from the very beginning!!! 😍😍
Since U2 has been my favorite band since 1983 I wish I was there in that subway!
Right, what are the odds?
Thank you for your support U2. Love love love your work
He doesn’t even need a microphone geez! What a treat these people got
Props to those without phones who enjoyed it to the fullest.
So beautiful how music brings everyone together
the first song he didn't even use a microphone and his voice is quite unique. awesome.
I still want their album off my phone
Then learn how to use it and delete the album! Simple
Darth_Paul Why? Have you finished listening to it?
DuffPaddy1 yea i didnt like it
***** thanks
***** Thank you! I have a friend's old iphone and her music taste is very different than mine... not to mention, my daughter listens to music on it... there are a couple tracks that are NOT radio version, lol!!
Put you f^%cking phone down, It's BONO singing in your face!! TJEEEZZZZ
Its subway station 🤷
Coz telling people about it is more imp. Its all about approval.
Literally everyone who walked past said to themselves “Is that U2 pulling an undercover U2 stunt?” 😂😂
MY FAVOURITE U2 JOKE
Why did BONO fall off stage
He was standing to close to THE EDGE
NO, Just no
My favourite joke
Why are U2 such hypocritical arseholes?
They're too busy stashing their millions in an offshore bank account!
Whats the difference between Jesus and Bono? Jesus doesn't think he's Bono.
People need to chill out with the selfies. Every moment doesn't need to be saved. Just enjoy the show sheesh.
Dave i totally agree ...
people need to turnoff the fucking phone when at a concert and contribute to life.
for once in your day to day , just have the guts and balls to say you were there, and the ones who weren't there, weren't .
people, you look like a jack ass making a fool of yourself when you pull out your silly piece of plastic communication device and ruin the moment for what its supposed to be.
it should be an exclusive shared experience for the music. the beauty of how a rundown subway is being used as a surrogate venue for one of rock and rolls most influential artists, U2.
so please , next time something amazing happens and you dont want to miss it.... open your eyes wide. dont blink. bask in the glory that you will never want to forget this moment . no no no keep that fucking phone back in your side pocket and soak in all of that memory , cuz if you dont you will be living a life of lost memories only half partially consumed behind a thin glass screen .
Dave Thank you! 100% correct when you said "Just enjoy the show sheesh" Haha
Dave I know right. As if it's not already being filmed by a far better camera...
Agreed
Dave Exactly in which way have they harmed you by doing that?
"Nobody knows that it's U2"
* *sunglasses camera cuts to a large excited crowd, 5 camera men, and cue cards that say "nobody knows that it's U2* *
Dill weed idiots like Fallon -- their whole lives are a pretend make-believe lie.
Yeah I suspect the crowds are staged here idk
This crowd definitely looked closed off where others looked like the more active subway station.
Dude, that's New York. If it's not crazy, it's not normal.
They are soooo incredibly lucky to have been so close to amazing artists!
BRILLIANT.
U2! You are awesome! Close to the people! Admirable!
This warms my heart. It’s so nice that people can’t engage with anyone or thing directly, and have to look at their goddamn cell phone screen as an intermediary for everything they experience. It’s so cool & awesome, definitely not horrible or fucked up at all.
Bono has such a distinctive voice that EVERYBODY should have recognized him!
Humble band....!! thats why they are the best.
Bono humble! he's so far up himself that if he was chocolate, he would lick himself to death!
+oldfart4751 Why do you say that?
I think you are prone to the lefty lie. I like the part when Chelsea Clinton has a $10M apartment and says, "We should think about equality." Chick can think about anything she likes, but that is massive Russian tundra level hypocrite. Meanwhile mama Hillary Clinton is preaching "Love and kindness." U2 is humble? Let me tell you something, you and me are buying hashish from different vendors.
Bono humble??? HAhahahahahahahahahahahahahahhahahahahahahhhahahahahhahahahhahaaaaa!!!!
you dont have to give up all your money to be able to make accurate claims about the problems of wealth distribution in our country
I'll do this in Milan subway for the Expo.
nobody knows you piece of shite
Ruggero de I Timidi FIGO ASSOLUTO
fammi sapere quando!!!!
I did not understand a word you just said. Is that Canadian?
Bleh..... blew the disguise way too quick. Shoulda let the talent build up the crowd rather than the prestige/fame.
Agree with you. It also would give a good life lesson to slow down and listen to people around you.
You know, that's a really good point. I like your way of thinking.
Yes, it had that kind of a "set up" feel to it. I mean amps, bass, mics.. seriously? Didn't seem super authentic. And I agree with you about letting it build.
I agree, also they were being rather comically inept on the first song. What it does highlight is people's interest in celebrity over music though. It would be good to see a straight comparison, same disguise, same song, same subway station and then masks off.
Kind of makes Fallon look like a big old sold out liar.
been to live concert while doing my post grad in UK…and loved every bit of it!!! love U2 !!! ROCK LIVES FOREVA!!!
And on that day... everyone was late for everything.
Well, heck people. I'm not even that in to U2 but I would have recognized those vocals as the genuine article right away.
Lol guy in the background at 2:15
“U2? I can’t compete with that”
They made Larry play the buckets for the whole set.. 😂Lmfao
That girl. Put down the camera when the man is singing at you.
you are goddamn right ! ;)
Agreed, that was how it made 80s 70s were awesome
I think he was waiting for her to sing with him.......
can you imagine, bro. nobody lives life today. But they have a recording of themselves not living it.
Hes singing at the camera, typical egocentric Bono..
What a great surprise. U2 are legends.
3:23 this makes me sad. Fucking Bono was right there singing in front of her face and she'd rather look at her phone.
bangmeow The "look at me" generation of twats. Fucking stupid man.
bangmeow Unfortunately THAT'S how you know it isn't staged.
bangmeow she took a photo with him,actually
MrApocalisse I know that...
What a down to earth, class act U2 is, very cool to see them playing on the subway platform! Back in 1991 had the chance to walk by the narrow street that leads to their recording studio and the security guards their gave the impression of Don`t even try to walk towards the recording studio! But what a great band!
Too impatient. He should have let them carry on, rather than screaming U2.
The frontman for U2 voice is so recognizable I wonder how no one knew that was him he's in New York for God's sakes
Who knows how long they actually did this? It could have been literally hours of them singing in Disguise with no results before they took the disguises off
It's because they sounded like crap
@@kdeloris2225 I think bono purposely diguised his voice just enough for the first song, and he sure fooled a lot of people
Yeah, I wish he sang "New Year's Day" firs tin disguise just like at a regular concert to see what happened. With a good bass amp, that would have worked, but they needed a keyboard. Then launched into "Beautiful Day" or "Elevation."
How could nobody recognize that voice? I would had stopped dead in my tracks!!!
How could people not recognize that voice when he was singing still haven't found what I'm looking for?
He was singing it a bit off on purpose. Changed the melody a bit and not really singing it at 💯
@@HerveBoisde yes but damn you can still hear that iconic voxce there. I guess in person you really wouldnt be expecting it to be Bono in the subway. Haha. That was really cool though.
@@egroegartfart I would know it was Bono from the first note. People these days just have awful taste in music and apparently don't know who U2 are as if they've been living under a rock.
@@HerveBoisde actually that’s just called “washed up so bad they needed to contact Jimmy Fallon for relevance.”
Watching U2 live in concert is really extra ordinary. They were here 🇸🇽just couple of months ago. They are awesome! That was the last day i was out in a crowd. Today social distancing and lockdowns are everywhere. I wish to watch them again live. They are so worth it 💙
What really kinda sucks about this is, what Jimmy realized after just a few minutes, that most passersby aren't really interested in lending an ear to street performers, no matter who they are and what they can do musically, hence his move to "Plan B", stripping off any disguise to reveal his personal celebrity status and announce the fame level of the band. This fact was also well documented via an attempt to put Joshua Bell, a world renown violinist, in the subway of NYC, playing what he deemed to be the most beautiful music ever written.
This video was rather strangely directed. In disguise, the band didn't actually seem to do much. That is, they put out very little energy while performing. The drummer didn't look as though he had any real skill with percussion on plastic buckets. I have friends that are far better players on buckets. The acoustic guitarist didn't seem to display much ability either. Maybe, the power of the band's amplification, when on stage, does the majority of their work.
I don't know if they were purposely directed to play wimpy for the first part of this video or what. And what surprised me even more is, that the band didn't really get much better at what they were doing after they were revealed to be who they really are. The only thing that changed was the passersby association with the level of the band, not the level of the band. Just as no one recognized Jimmy, while in disguise and ignored his attempts at gathering a crowd. It was only when he revealed who he was, as a celebrity, that anyone paid attention to him. This same subject, the differences between artistry and celebrity, seemed to be the main theme of the movie "Birdman."
I also can't tell if the audience that did gather were ringers, invited to step into the camera shot at a specific moment, to purposely create a crowd during the latter part of the video.
Actually what Jimmy was doing while in disguise, seeking the attention of an audience by walking around barking at them, "we are a local artists...", in order to gather a crowd, is considered aggressive panhandling and many security or police officers would have shut any normal band down for trying that move.
I was further surprised that the band couldn't get by without amplification for their singer Bono. This experiment seems proof that a band, used to the power they can muster via amplification, are ill-equipped to translate what they can do on stage to performing on the street. Without the power of their celebrity and the gear they sling on stage, perfectly calibrated to enhance their ability, they'd likely be flipping burgers at some greasy spoon, because they certainly wouldn't be able to make it as street performers.
This might be the most insightful comment so far. What's more, I'm quite sure they "sounded better" once people realized who they were.
The 80/20 Drummer I was also surprised by the audience reaction after the disguises were removed. Instead of enjoying the show, the woman standing in front of Bono and a good many others, decide it's more important to capture a video of the experience, to, no doubt, post to FB or YT. The securing of the video became more important than the real life experience of enjoying the performance. It's a strange and twisted place we've come to, when real life is subjugated to serve online "likes" and "hits!"
Again, I can't say for certain whether half of the audience holding cameras was directed into the scene by the producers of the happening, or if that was a natural occurrence but as a long time street performer, who has had more cameras pointed in his direction than you can shake a stick at, I can attest that the sad fact is, a great many passersby seem far more interested in capturing images of the unique performances offered by street artists than supporting the artists, in any more tangible fa$hion. It causes one to wonder, if a performance artist, band or troupe is impressive enough to get passersby to pull out their cameras, to capture images and video, why then is it so very challenging for most of those same audience members to also pull out their wallets in response to what they've enjoyed so thoroughly?
Most street performers that I know are not being supported by government grants, trust funds, rich uncles, or the celebrity status they've gained via their regular gigs as TV stars. Nor are they internationally known super bands. They don't play on the street on their days off from their 9 to 5. They choose to lay their talents on the line, hoping they can offer their artistry in exchange for a livelihood. This form of fair exchange has been around for thousands of years. It is the original manner in which we as a people have entertained one another, long before corporate control of entertainment twisted it into an industry.
Reggie Miles There's a great british show called Dark Mirror that has a fantastic episode skewering the modern "like-crack" addiction, and the way corporations take advantage of it. (He says as he types a UA-cam comment instead of Talking to a Friend or taking a walk in Nature;)
The 80/20 Drummer No they sounded better after they took their disguises off because they actually started trying, if they had actually played well before with their disguises on everyone would have known.
Yes, who can say for certain exactly how this video was directed. Perhaps they were told to use more simple instrumentation, buckets and acoustic guitar, to help them look more like an average band of Joes offering U2 cover songs. They obviously weren't able or allowed to bring their regular gear with them. That level of gear would have been an instant giveaway that something was up and that the band wasn't just some average local dudes. If they had something closer to what they're used to using, they may have had an easier time getting the attention of passersby. Poorly amped acoustic guitar and bucket drums didn't seem to carry their music well, either before or after their disguises. They did seem to have more energy once they had the support of an audience but that's the way of it with every performance, no matter who, when or where. If an audience of listeners is supporting a performance, that level of energy can go a long way to carry a performer or band.
From the first tone I knew, that voice is instantly recognisable.
HOW DO THEY NOT HEAR IT?!!
A real U2 fan would recognize Bono's voice in a second.
Imagine you have a private concert from U2……..❤❤❤
Larry Mullen Jr never gets old...
Sharqui Metal.... larry is a vampire... hehehehe
HUE HUE HUE
Sharqui Metal forever young
Sharqui Metal exacly!
Talk about “being in the right place at the right time”
I had shiver as soon as he started singing, love them
Love you U2 from Ethiopia. Thank you Bono
I think it's really cool that these bands are bringing out back to the real fans. Great job guys
That's me at the 1:35 mark with the Grey Blue shirt. I walked past Jimmy Fallen and didn't even recognize him.
This is SO AWESOME!!!
Like if you love U2!!!!! (I LOVE U2)
Great song
Damn I didn't know U2 was that good, even without tech they sound as amazing as they do. Good on them.
I still can't delete their album
***** And I stiiiiiill do not know, how to get it of (sing it like the first song in the vid)
***** you don't need to delete it.
***** delete their album?
***** I mean if i was able to slide and delete it like the rest of my other albums
***** delete from what?
I would immediately know that that was Bono.
The MINUTE Bono opens his mouth...... It was over!!! 😆
Why were you late for work?
THIS
My boss would be totally ok with it.
this is why u2 are still the best band in this world
I miss the time when cell phones didn't exist.
Brent Peterson ok boomer
I had in 1991 access to some of the newest cell phones and had one ever since. I detest them now as I see everyone around me replacing the bible with this idol. I know what God does when people replace him with an idol.
They say that one day they will perfect the phone app so we can talk to each other clearly
@@jfmarino979 Snowflake
Grand Waha what? Haha
I love U2 ever since👏👍😍🥰I wish I am there.
The Edge is the coolest person ever!
Had my first kiss, my prom, my first car accident, with U2 songs !!
Not at during same moment I hope
Love them or hate them, these guys are 100% Amazing!
Who the hell hates U2? lol
@@robr7200 Me
These the free music guys that auto play when I plug in my iPhone, every time, without fail.
"Okay guys this isn't working. We need to take off our disguises so people can appreciate us by our celebrity status."
Anne Kromhout im a u2 fan and to be honest i would keep walking people dont tend to hang around and wait in the subway too busy getting somewhere
imedi Most u2 fans will hang for a bit if they hear any U2, that sounded too closely to Bono obviously, those disguises were pathetically weak, one look at them and it's easy to see.
true but i dont think i would have given any time to check
Was expecting "Angel of Harlem", my favourite song.
Absolutely! “Angel of Harlem” would probably have sounded better (and arguably more appropriate for the NYC subway crowd) than “Desire”.
I’m sure everyone just got mad because U2 was playing free songs for them...
Exactly 😔
their harmonies when they're still in disguise are very nice. and the low-volume drumming
Is that robin Williams from August Rush?
Amylopez15 no its bono
Amylopez15 hahahaha
Amylopez15 that's exactly what i thought! ahahah
Amylopez15 august one hour photo rush
I thought he looked familiar!!
Clap people....people: I cant I have my cell on my hand....🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
It's uplifting and exciting when an established good band performs for free, especially spontaneously, in humble places.
Must be a great morning for everyone's at the New York subway 👉💞👈
Love U2 👍😎👍