Kasabian singer hated touring with U2

[LemonMelon]

I second the opinion that U2 shouldn't bother with opening acts, by the way. An extra 10 songs every night would solve some of the setlist bitching, and all of the opener bitching.

 

[gvox]

There's been alot of opener bitching, apart from one or two bands a small but very vocal minority here like?

 

[doctorwho]

When Snow Patrol opened for U2 on the Vertigo Tour, I had not heard of them at that time. However, they were SO good, I quickly became a fan. And thanks to them touring with U2, they gained quite a few more fans - so much so that by the time they toured with U2 again on the 360 Tour, fans were rocking to their music and making them feel right at home. The Boston crowd wildly impressed them by continuing to sing one of their songs well after it ended - and this occurred on successive nights!

PJ Harvey is another one who won over the crowd. Later in the Elevation Tour, people made cut-outs of "fish" for her song "Big Fish, Little Fish". I was at a show when Harvey stopped and asked what were those things people kept holding up during that song. One fan gave her his "fish" and again, she was very impressed. She had gained a following.

So an opening band can succeed - if they are good and, perhaps more importantly, win over a crowd. Calling fans "cut-outs" may reflect more on them than it does the crowd.

 

[LemonMelon]

There's been alot of opener bitching, apart from one or two bands a small but very vocal minority here like?

Enjoying the opening act has become a minority opinion over the past couple of legs, and if I'm going to feel awkward attempting to get something out of the opening act in a sea of disinterest (this has happened at both U2 gigs I've been to), I would simply prefer U2 play more songs.

 

[gvox]

Enjoying the opening act has become a minority opinion over the past couple of legs

Interesting. Ive seen more respectful generally interested fans the last few legs than not. I may have seen a greater variety of openers, however. Just my personal observation that most of the openers have been decently received. A couple have not, and it seems the disinterest of some in those couple of bands strikes a raw rather defensive nerve in a select group here. No sure why, but I suppose if they really like said band it might aggravate them a bit..

 

[deep]

anyone that says anything rude about U2 fans can go fuck themselves

 

[LemonMelon]

Interesting. Ive seen more respectful generally interested fans the last few legs than not. I may have seen a greater variety of openers, however. Just my personal observation that most of the openers have been decently received. A couple have not, and it seems the disinterest of some in those couple of bands strikes a raw rather defensive nerve in a select group here. No sure why, but I suppose if they really like said band it might aggravate them a bit..

I'm not new to the forum, Gabe. Opening bands always get bitched out. Every tour. No exceptions. Kings of Leon, Interpol, Kanye West (this one makes me laugh, in hindsight), Kasabian, even Pearl Jam and Rage Against The Machine weren't exactly crowd favorites back in their day. It is true that we have only recently examined crowd reactions thoroughly, but the examples given aren't from one or two isolated experiences. I feel as if you're playing devil's advocate here, because I don't think the first adjective that comes to mind when most people think of fans watching an opening act is "welcoming." U2 fans aren't unique there, but they don't do anything to turn the tide. I don't agree with pointing out U2 fans as especially awful, but what other crowds of that size have they performed to?

There are, of course, acts that were generally well liked. I'm glad Florence went over well.

 

[gvox]

Well let's make a distinction between forum posters; the percentage of which who a. actually saw some of these acts, ever or b. actually went to these acts opening for U2 is fairly small in comparison with the number of people actually at the shows overall so when I say "generally decently received" I mean looking around at the people in the heart, ellipse, pit, etc. I'm not really overly concerned with what *maybe* 20 people write on an internet board, to be honest.

You've named off 1 maybe 2 acts per tour. I've already basically acknowledged that every tour there are a couple of acts that don't go over so well. I don't think that's in any way a grounds to conclude that U2 fans are close minded lemmings just because there's a couple of openers that don't work.

But to speak to your examples:

Kings of Leon - At the show: they were largely brutal. On this forum: people pretty much let them have it. Notably, they improved apparently.

Interpol - we've already been through that.

Kanye West - On this forum before: U2's choice was largely panned. At the shows: Well to very well received. On the forum after: some people had to eat their hats. Others remained hating him, but they hated him before anyways.

Kasabian - again been through this already.

Pearl Jam - At the show: very well received. On the forum: very well received I don't much if any negativity surrounding their performances.

RATM - People dissed RATM? Can't speak to it this forum wasn't even around in this format but I'd find it hard to believe they were at the top of their game in those years from what I remember.

Then you mention Florence and The Machine, BEP etc. Here's where the duality exists. It's ok for you so long as it's music you like.

It's ok to openly revile Dashboard Confessional, because everyone did, but not Interpol, because some few here liked them. It's quite a double standard.

At any rate, don't get too wrapped up about it. If you want to go and enjoy an opener, by all means do so! Most people here have panned Damian Marley - I liked that album and had a great time, and no comments posted here after the fact can change that. Not everyone around me liked him, some did, and some further up in the stands did. I think he was able to win over a few with his showmanship and pulling out a few of his dad's hits with Stephen didn't hurt either. The point is, he didn't let it get to him, he pulled off a decent performance and then was gracious about the opportunity later in interviews. All these openers all have to put up with tough crowds in some way or form over their careers. Mouthing off about it to the press and panning a whole - rather large - set of another band's fans may be great for stirring publicity or whatever, but it's not likely to endear anybody to you any more..except, of course, the U2 haters

 

[Nick66]

I really enjoyed hearing Muse, and was impressed enough to check out more of their music after seeing them @ 360. I can't say I remember much about the crowd reacted though.

My girlfriend at the time really like PJ Harvey at the Elevation show we saw, and became a fan of hers after. She actually ended up getting a PJ Harvey shirt at that show rather than a U2 one.

Having said that, 360 was particularly unforgiving to opening acts. With the lights up there's just no way to fill that stage, or create any kind of intimacy w/ the audience, especially if they don't know your music. It's tough enough for openers in a small venue, but at least there they can almost force the audience to notice them and have an opportunity to connect.

But let's face it....unless you're in the circle, most people are finding their seats or getting beer during the opening act. Most people don't care about the opening act, and their only obligation, if any, is polite applause. This conceited prick from Kasabian can say wherever he wants, I don't care either way, but it just sounds like self-important rock star whining to me. Poor guy got ignored by U2 fans. Cry me a fucking river. If people aren't getting into their music that's hardly the fault of the audience. The arrogance of some of these guys is really pretty unbelievable, to expect the entire crowd to stop and pay attention like they're in a club because some artist they probably never heard of is playing. They were frankly lucky to be there, and if Kasbian didn't like it then they should have built their own fucking spaceship.

 

[cobl04]

Why should he have to say "Look, the crowd weren't really into us, but that's probably because they all had a hard day arguing over who was #2 in the line and who was #3. Also our music isn't good enough to win them over and they were there to see U2, not us. It's a great opportunity though." ????

fuck, the lead singer can say whatever he wants. This shouldn't even be a thread.

 

[Nick66]

Ya, because they totally knew how lame the fans would be when they signed up. They should be grateful for the experience and keep everything to themselves!

Actually, all those things are true. They should know how most crowds treat openers, they should be grateful for the experience, and yes, U2 invited them to their house and if they didn't like it they should have the grace to shut the fuck up and keep it to themselves instead of whining about it after the fact like a school boy who didn't get extra dessert.

Why anyone would want to excuse the bad behavior of a spoiled rock star is beyond me.

 

[cobl04]

Actually, all those things are true. They should know how most crowds treat openers, they should be grateful for the experience, and yes, U2 invited them to their house and if they didn't like it they should have the grace to shut the fuck up and keep it to themselves instead of whining about it after the fact like a school boy who didn't get extra dessert.

Why anyone would want to excuse the bad behavior of a spoiled rock star is beyond me.

That is complete fucking horseshit

jesus christ.

 

[gvox]

"Also our music isn't good enough to win them over and they were there to see U2, not us. It's a great opportunity though."

fuck, the lead singer can say whatever he wants. This shouldn't even be a thread.

If you substitute "music" for "performance that night", sentence #1 becomes basically the reality of it.

The lead singer can certainly say what he likes, but if he rants against U2 fans, its not a huge leap to expect that some U2 fans might talk about it in a thread on a U2 fan site.

 

[cobl04]

You're right, it's not, but the problem is that he's not wrong. The article sources an interview with the Herald Sun, Melbourne's biggest daily metro paper.

"U2 fans are cardboard cut-outs...their fans are probably only into one band...[Did you feel you may as well have been playing to an empty stadium?] that's how it felt to us."

He has some points there, some U2 fans are like that. And if he feels that way then he is sure as hell entitled to say it.

Here's some other quotes, which didn't bother me in the slightest but will surely enrage many of you:

Did you get any words of wisdom from Bono?
He told me about this Irish poet guy, can't remember his name. He's like, look him up on youtube, or whatever. That's all he said to me, something fucking big like that.

You never googled it did you?
No I never looked it up. Soon as he said it I forgot his name.

Some people would kill for that opportunity.
Well it ain't really as big as you think it is. I was just looking at Bono going Wow. What a legend. You have leather trousers on. Legend.

 

[Vlad n U 2]

Doesn't really enrage me, it just tells me that he's a bit of an arsehole.

 

[gvox]

I'm hardly enraged by clowns like him. He's just another arrogant prick without anything useful to say. He couldn't be bothered to pay attention to something Bono was saying to him? Why did he even want to be a part of the tour? Seems pretty stupid to put yourself in a position where you're opening for someone you so openly despise, or at minimum have zero respect for.

I don't know any U2 fans who are only into one band. Honestly, I don't. I'm certainly not one.

 

[U2jer]

When Snow Patrol opened for U2 on the Vertigo Tour, I had not heard of them at that time. However, they were SO good, I quickly became a fan. And thanks to them touring with U2, they gained quite a few more fans - so much so that by the time they toured with U2 again on the 360 Tour, fans were rocking to their music and making them feel right at home. The Boston crowd wildly impressed them by continuing to sing one of their songs well after it ended - and this occurred on successive nights!

I was at Boston 1 on 360. When I found out that SP was opening I was ecstatic- I had become a fan of theirs when Run got some airplay in the US. They didn't disappoint- Gary had his usual banter going and good spirits- the audience finishing Shut Your Eyes was an example of the good that can come from when opening bands have fun with the situation. (Of course everyone knowing Chasing Cars helped lol).

Institute in Atlanta and Charlotte was interesting- more so because people around me recognized Gavin Rossdale and assumed it was Bush.

 

[U2BROTHR]

If Bono approached me to open up for the U2 show......even as a one man band.....and that meant carrying my own gear......whilst fighting the boos and dodging the rotten tomatoes thrown at me.

I still would be forever grateful!

I might even do a rousing rendition of this....

Freedom for my people - YouTube

 

[gvox]

 

[gvox]

I might even do a rousing rendition of this....

Freedom for my people - YouTube

You're giving me ideas here

 

[kafrun]

I second the opinion that U2 shouldn't bother with opening acts, by the way. An extra 10 songs every night would solve some of the setlist bitching, and all of the opener bitching.

lol, as if anything would solve U2 fans' bitching.

There's been alot of opener bitching, apart from one or two bands a small but very vocal minority here like?

I'd beg to differ that it's a small minority. I saw a lot of positive feedback on Twitter about a certain band who shall remain nameless.

So an opening band can succeed - if they are good and, perhaps more importantly, win over a crowd. Calling fans "cut-outs" may reflect more on them than it does the crowd.

Nah, I'd say that's a pretty accurate description of U2 fans that I've seen, regardless of the act in question. I'd say Arcade Fire is the only band that had most of the crowd on their feet and right into the music.

 

[cobl04]

Again this all pays major credit to Jay-Z and good his live show is.

 

[kafrun]

^ Jealous.

 

[Jive Turkey]

Disagree. I've seen Kings of Leon(In Vancouver when nobody knew who they were), BEP, Muse, Snow Patrol, Kanye West, Nelly Furtado, Keane(in NY when nobody knew who they were) among others open for U2 and they were all recived quite well.

You just listed a bunch of top 40 artists. And when Keane opened at MSG, they were probably at their most popular

 

[Jive Turkey]

Seems pretty stupid to put yourself in a position where you're opening for someone you so openly despise, or at minimum have zero respect for.

Are we still talking about Kasabian here? Because he said that it was awesome to meet them and watch them play. I didn't read anything about hating U2

 

[Jive Turkey]

What helped was my brother, among a few others, told me what a great band they were, so I went in with an open mind. Even when I wasn't blown away the first time, I figured it'd be worth it to make a little effort to aquaint myself with their material and they're one of my favourite bands now.

It's always the bands that don't immediately jump out at you, but slowly grow that are the most rewarding to listen to

 

[Jive Turkey]

Having said that, 360 was particularly unforgiving to opening acts. With the lights up there's just no way to fill that stage, or create any kind of intimacy w/ the audience, especially if they don't know your music. It's tough enough for openers in a small venue, but at least there they can almost force the audience to notice them and have an opportunity to connect.

But let's face it....unless you're in the circle, most people are finding their seats or getting beer during the opening act. Most people don't care about the opening act, and their only obligation, if any, is polite applause. This conceited prick from Kasabian can say wherever he wants, I don't care either way, but it just sounds like self-important rock star whining to me. Poor guy got ignored by U2 fans. Cry me a fucking river. If people aren't getting into their music that's hardly the fault of the audience. The arrogance of some of these guys is really pretty unbelievable, to expect the entire crowd to stop and pay attention like they're in a club because some artist they probably never heard of is playing. They were frankly lucky to be there, and if Kasbian didn't like it then they should have built their own fucking spaceship.

Actually, all those things are true. They should know how most crowds treat openers, they should be grateful for the experience, and yes, U2 invited them to their house and if they didn't like it they should have the grace to shut the fuck up and keep it to themselves instead of whining about it after the fact like a school boy who didn't get extra dessert.

Why anyone would want to excuse the bad behavior of a spoiled rock star is beyond me.

So you completely agree with him about the fans but think he should just be quite about it? Awesome.

 

[LemonMelon]

lol, as if anything would solve U2 fans' bitching.

Touche.

You just listed a bunch of top 40 artists. And when Keane opened at MSG, they were probably at their most popular (and put on a horrible show)

We're diving into the realm of subjectivity here, but this is an internet forum and I can say whatever I please, so fuck it. It's entirely unsurprising that BEP and their ilk go over well, considering U2 are a mainstream band with a lot of ignorant fans who probably have no idea who the fuck Interpol or PJ Harvey are. Therefore, there's no period in which these bands need to ingratiate themselves: their moronic hits are in our DNA. Furthermore, these more successful acts have more experience playing to massive crowds.

As much as I adore the XX (and I know U2 does as well) enlisting them as an opening act would be a waste of their time. Some music just sounds better in the confines of your own home, and quality music isn't going to be acceptable to all. This is the same debate we have with regards to playing Heartland/Drowning Man every night instead of Elevation/Boots, really. Quality vs. Decible count vs. Familiarity. What wins out? I really wish U2 would start playing arenas with minimal lights and a greater emphasis on the back catalog, but I'm not their market anymore. They have me already. And maybe those songs would sound shitty in that context anyway. I don't know. All I know that the most shithouse bands U2 chose as openers went over pretty well, and that almost makes me sympathize with Kasabian. The guy is still an opportunist though.

 

[cobl04]

It's always the bands that don't immediately jump out at you, but slowly grow that are the most rewarding to listen to

 

[Jive Turkey]

As much as I adore the XX (and I know U2 does as well) enlisting them as an opening act would be a waste of their time. Some music just sounds better in the confines of your own home, and quality music isn't going to be acceptable to all. This is the same debate we have with regards to playing Heartland/Drowning Man every night instead of Elevation/Boots, really. Quality vs. Decible count vs. Familiarity. What wins out? I really wish U2 would start playing arenas with minimal lights and a greater emphasis on the back catalog, but I'm not their market anymore. They have me already. And maybe those songs would sound shitty in that context anyway.

Well said, LeMel