U2, "the Claw" and bike rack in Denver, Colorado

S.Moss and T.Mounsey went to investigate the set-build for U2's 360 concert tour in Denver last month. Here are some insane stats courtesy of Sarah and The Denver Post (and, uh, Wikipedia):

- "The Claw" set: 360 degrees around (get it? 360? In the round??? They're so clever.) 

- Takes 47 semi trucks to transport - with THREE sets leapfrogging the continent (see picture to right...that's a whole lotta carbon offsets, U2)

- Currently world record holder of the largest concert stage set-up

- Is the largest grossing concert ever at $558 million (worldwide)

Anyway. Where is the bike rack, you ask? Turns out, during the load-in, U2 showed up and did their own little ropeline...with bike rack, naturally. Duh. 

(Note - the bike rack is a little hard to see, but it's being mobbed by the legions of crazy people, I mean fans, to the top left of the photo.)

And, check out that little mini-motorcade! Big Black Suburbans and all. How the hell do you get to be advance for rock stars? I want in! 

More bike rack is protecting the giant trailers presumably being used for the band/roadies/groupies etc. Damn.  I bet those double-wides are super sweet. 

So, here's a photo of the sets - was all the hoopla worth it? Probably, as long as U2 didn't sing "Stuck in a Moment You Can't Get Out Of." Ugh. That song makes me cringe, every time. 

For a set that makes J.J. Abram's "Cloverfield" monster look tame...wait, I'm judging bike rack, aren't I? I am. So where does that leave me...ah, yes. On one hand, I kind of want the fans to club Bono and The Edge over the head for Spiderman: The Musical; then again it wouldn't be the barricade of choice for rock stars and politicans alike. I guess I'll split the difference: TWO bicycles out of four. 

Bourbon Street Bike Rack

S.Pollard makes his BRATW debut with a solid entry from New Orleans - and from the famed Bourbon Street in the French Quarter, no less. My imagination tells me he got a shot of this fairly standard bike rack after a night of debauchery; but the lighting and shadows on the ground indicate this is more post-Cafe du Monde than post-Hand Grenade-filled night.

Well, I'm sure he let the good times roll here anyway. Check out that street sign - if that's not an indication of the kind of fun you'll have in this town, I don't know what is.

For making me hungry for a beignet and a fried shrimp po' boy (the only way to go) - TWO bicycles out of four.

Colorful and crazy Egyptian bike rack

Wild and crazy bike rack as featured in Cairo, Egypt - I'm guessing this was pre-revolution, as things look pretty peaceful in the background. We have J.Infazon to thank for the colorful candy-striped variety as shown here.

The signage on the bike rack indicates that it belongs to the Giza traffic authority - and who knew they'd have such a flair for color? I'm starting to think that the only people who like their bike rack in steel gray tones are Americans; there are much more colorful versions to be found internationally (such as here, here and here, for starters). Its been awhile since we've seen panache on this blog.

And not just one color scheme - I mean, green and white. Okay. But orange and turquoise? Who do those Egyptians think they are, the Miami Dolphins?

For the juxtaposition of the bike rack to the Cairo cityscape complete with palm trees swaying in the background - THREE bicycles out of four. What bike wouldn't want to be racked to these lovelies. Only pyramids or a damn mummy in the background could top this.