© Sam Jones/HBOTwo new specials focusing on U2's current iNNOCENCE + eXPERIENCE world tour are set to premiere on HBO this November. The first is a behind-the-scenes documentary about the trek and the second is a live concert special capturing the Irish band's November 14 show in Paris.
The documentary will look at the preparation that went into bringing the tour to fruition, including the creation of the uniquely designed multimedia stage, which features a movable, floor-to-ceiling LED screen and a catwalk that stretches across an arena. The film also delves into the challenges U2 faced in advance of the trek, including the serious bicycle accident that left Bono with multiple broken bones.
The movie, which premieres on November 7, features new interviews with all four U2 members, as well as with some of the key people who support the band and work behind the scenes on the tour. The documentary is being directed by Davis Guggenheim, whose resume includes the Oscar-winning An Inconvenient Truth, as well as Waiting for Superman, It Might Get Loud and the 2011 U2 doc From the Sky Down.
The November 14 concert special will showcase U2's performance at the Bercy Arena. Fans can expect to see the band play tunes from throughout its entire career, stretching from its 1980 debut Boy through its most recent album, Songs of Innocence. The aforementioned stage design allows the group's members to move all around the venues they've been playing, while specially created video presentations are viewable on the massive LED screen. The special will be directed by longtime U2 collaborator Hamish Hamilton, who has worked several of the band's concert videos, including Elevation: Live from Boston, U2 Go Home: Live from Slane Castle and Vertigo in 2005: Live from Chicago.
"U2 continues to take risks, which has made them one of the most consistently exciting forces in rock 'n' roll," says HBO executive Michael Lombardo. "The one-two combination of this documentary special, followed by the concert, will provide viewers with the ultimate look at this remarkable band behind the scenes and on the stage."
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