Archive for Thursday, May 28, 2009
Courtesy photo
Billy "Bono" Bunting fronts the Denver-based U2 tribute band Under a Blood Red Sky. The group plays at 9 p.m. today at Ghost Ranch Saloon.
Tapping into U2
Under a Blood Red Sky goes for authenticity in tribute
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If you go:
What: Under a Blood Red Sky, U2 tribute band
When: 9 p.m.
Where: Ghost Ranch Saloon
Cost: $15 at the door
Call: 879-9898
Listen to the band: Denver tribute band Under a Blood Red Sky's versions of "Where the Streets Have No Name," "Pride (In the Name of Love)," "With or Without You" and other hits by iconic Irish rock band U2 are streaming at Under a Blood Red Sky.
Steamboat Springs — Billy "Bono" Bunting didn't plan his music career around fronting a U2 tribute band.
Before coming to Denver in the early 1990s, Bunting played his own songs to a Los Angeles audience. After moving to the mountains, he fronted another original band for 10 years.
But there was an image haunting Bunting: On June 5, 1983, U2 delivered an epic live show at Red Rocks Amphitheatre, a concert that would be cemented in Bunting's mind by a movie and MTV clips. Playing that venue became Bunting's goal, and though his original bands earned him spots on at The Fillmore and other Colorado main stages, they never got Bunting a shot at Red Rocks.
And so the U2 tribute band Under a Blood Red Sky was born.
The band plays seven- or eight-song blocks from each era of U2's 29-year-long discography, adding visual elements to give each show the look and feel of a U2 concert, Bunting said. In 2007, the group took the stage at Red Rocks.
"It's fun. It's like right when you're getting used to something in the early stuff and it's maybe not something you're into, then we're dashing out a huge block of 'Achtung Baby'," he said.
At 44 years old, Bunting credits early U2 records such as "War" for sparking his interest in music. His first concert experience was a U2 show in New Haven, Conn., almost 30 years ago, he said.
"I played the whole 'Sunday Bloody Sunday,' 'Out of Control' - the early stuff - to death when I was in high school. It's kind of when I discovered music," Bunting said.
Under a Blood Red Sky plays at 9 p.m. today at Ghost Ranch Saloon. Tickets are $15 at the door.
To reach Margaret Hair, call 871-4204 or e-mail mhair@steamboatpilot.com
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