UPDATE 05.03.13: The Guest Reports are pouring in. Read what attendees said about the U2 Conference 2013, and consider sharing your report too.

UPDATE 04.30.13: If you attended the conference last weekend, please take our Feedback Survey 2013 to let us know what you thought and help us plan for the next one.

UPDATE 04.29.13:  We have some U2 Conference 2013 t-shirts for sale.

The U2 Conference held its second meeting for an international gathering of scholars, critics, teachers, and fans in collaboration with the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland, Ohio, on April 26-27, 2013.

Featured speakers were Steve Averill, Bill Carter, Jim Henke, Brian O’Neal, John Gorman, and U2 tribute band Unforgettable Fire.

 AN INHERENT COMMUNITY UNLIKE ANYTHING I HAVE EVER SEEN AT A CONFERENCE.

– Catie Serex, U2Con 2009

The theme for the 2013 U2 Conference is “U2:TRANS-,” indicating an interest in U2 going across, over, and beyond boundaries in rock and roll, and working toward making moments of passing through or crossing over possible for fans as well as for the band itself. “TRANS-” concepts such as transform, transgress, translate, and transcend, for starters, will be in focus for the program sessions. Parallel session programming is open to all attendees, with sessions designed for both academic and mainstream audiences. We are pleased to have @U2′s assistance in programming the mainstream audience sessions.

 THE MIX OF ACADEMICS AND FANS LEVELED THE PLAYING FIELD AND THE FANS WERE OFTEN JUST AS INSIGHTFUL AS THE ACADEMICS.

– Daniel Kline, U2Con 2009

The U2 Conference is a gathering where students, scholars, and fans of popular music can discover, examine, learn, and share what U2 has created and what U2 means to its listeners in all the contexts popular music is a part of. Our inaugural 2009 meeting brought together a multi-disciplinary group from seven countries and featured over 40 formal presentations, three films, and networking opportunities.  From the presentations came the edited essay collection Exploring U2: Is This Rock ‘n’ Roll? (Scarecrow Press, 2011). See our 2009 recap for more information.