519 May 2018

Using The Music of U2 to Help Roots 2 Wings
By Dan Savoie
individual instrument parts, then
we began the journey of sourcing
and buying the massive collection
of gear required to replicate
the soundscape. Lastly the visual
presentation was difficult as well,
finding clothing and instruments
that were as close to authentic
as possible. Our passion for music
combined with our friendship
that has lasted from high
school, has been a huge key to
our success. The other has been
our quest to make the concerts
sound as authentic as possible.”
The Windsor show is a funsraiser
for the Roots 2 Wings organization,
as part of a growing annual
event called We Will Rock Blue.
Funds raised from the event will
directly go to the organization.
Roots 2 Wings mission is to
provide youth and young adults
living with a disability the opportunities
to grow and
develop skills to enhance their
independence, social skills, and
quality of life. It began in 2013
and has now grown to 50 clients
with staff and co-op students
from St. Clair College, University
of Windsor, triOS college, and
three local high schools.
“My daughter was diagnosed
from an early age with Asperger’s
syndrome,” Shaughnessy reveals.
“She is currently going to classes
with the Transition to Employment
staff in co-operation with
the District School Board of Niagara.
I live with her and see what
she struggles with on a daily basis.
Like all of the young adults
in the Windsor area, she is someone
who puts our own lives and
struggles into perspective. The
simplest things give great pleasure
to them. Anyone directly involved
in their lives cannot help
but be changed for the better. It’s
obviously a cause we are familiar
with and proud to be supporting.”
The band is looking forward to
its first appearance in Windsor
and is excited to hit the stage at
the Chrysler Theatre on June 16
with their familiar looking stage
show.
“It is an extreme pleasure to
be able to play these incredible
songs in front of an audience
every show.,” adds Dellavalle. “A
major key to our success on tour
is the amount of audience interaction
U2 Desire brings to the
event. It’s not just the four of us
on stage playing to the crowd -
right from song one, band members,
particularly Tim as Bono, are
out among the audience. There’s
no line between the band and
the audience. It makes people
feel like they’re part of the show.”
Tickets start at $22 and are
available at the Chrysler Theatre.
The band for this year’s We Will
Rock Blue might just be “The
Sweetest Thing”. Desire, an International
tribute to U2 will perform
at the Chrysler Theatre on
June 16 to help raise awareness
and funds for Roots 2 Wings, a local
service organization offering
programs for youth and young
adults living with a disability.
The Hamilton based band has
been performing across North
America and are scheduled to
play at the 2018 Caledonia Canada
Day festival on July 1. Desire
celebrates all the iconic songs
that have made U2 one of the
most legendary rock bands of all
time. They perform such hits as A
Beautiful Day, I Will Follow, New
Year’s Day, Mysterious Ways, Sunday
Bloody Sunday, Even Better
Than The Real Thing and With or
With Out You.
“We all grew up with their music
and saw the effect it had on
our generation,” says Tim Shaughnessy,
who takes on the persona
of Bono during the shows. “As
adults it becomes a nod of respect
to a band that has transcended
success to become a cultural
phenomenon. You can count on
one hand the bands that have
achieved that level of success and
fame. When we see we’re about
to play for a ten thousand or even
a hundred U2 fans, the memories
of where we were and who we
were with come flooding back
inciting passionate performances
without fail.”
The band began as a totally different
high school unit, but it took
two years to assemble an authentic
lineup before it set out to offer
the premium U2 experience they
are known for. Shaughnessy’s
Bono is joined by Dave DellaValle
as The Edge, Gord Sobota as Larry
Mullen Jr. and Justin Faragher as
Adam Clayton. They have been
known to use screens, back lighting
and LED boards to make the
experience as U2-like as possible.
“Our success took a lot of hard
work,” explains Dellavalle. “We
spent two years of work to try
and ensure the U2 experience
was perfected, while continuing
to learn and research what U2 is
doing currently - to make the concerts
sound and look as authentic
as possible. During the two years
prior to our first performance,
time was spent first learning the