U2 sound man Joe O’Herlihy: we’ve taken indoor tours to a whole new level

As well as the extensive interview with The Edge, the new collectors' issue of Hot Press sees contributions from some of the major players behind the scenes - and noone is more a part of the U2 family than Joe O’Herlihy.
“For my sins, I’ve been doing sound on U2 tours since September 25, 1978,” he says. “A lot of people get up every day and hate what they do, so I feel blessed that every day, I get up and do what I love. The band strive to make it the best show the possibly can every night, and I do the same on my end.”
For this tour, that meant trying something that had never been done before. The unique design of the iNNOCENCE + eXPERIENCE show sees the band playing all over the arena floor; a groundbreaking tour called for a groundbreaking approach to sound.
“Normally, you have a main stage with a PA left and right, and away you go. But if the focal performance is on one side of the arena, you can’t have the sound coming from the far side. We ended up with a situation where they would spend equal lengths of time at each area, and I designed the system accordingly. It’s pretty unique – it hasn’t been done before – and is specific to the band’s needs.”
“Historically, we’ve been associated with firsts when it comes to technical design, and this soundsystem is continuing that. We’ve taken the technology levels of an indoor tour to a whole new level.”
More from Joe, including why he believes this set-up will be the best fans have ever heard, can be found in the new issue of Hot Press, on sale now.
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