Springsteen, at an older age than U2 is now, released Wrecking Ball - which Incorporated loops, celtic themes and even a little hip hop, and managed to do so without it sounding desperate and out of touch. He was able to experiment and sound fresh without sounding like he was selling out for the kids. The kids didn't buy it, and he didn't give a crap. The record was well received critically and it sounded great live.
And if anything, Bruce not giving a turkey about cow towing to any demographic has kept his stature as an icon, and possibly raised it with everyone not named U2Girl ([emoji90]).
This is the phase I want U2 to enter into - the "yea, we're old now, but we're still pretty bad ass, not afraid to step out of our comfort zone here and there, and oh btw our career shits all over 99% of those who are hip and cool with the kids so who gives a crap about that" stage, and leave behind the "we're still trying for a top 40 hit and end up looking lame and out of touch because of it" stage.
So EDM? Nah. A remix? Cool. A full album? Fuck no.
I'd like to see them explore creating musical landscapes again and not care about being so tight and pop song like. I know that's not advancing their sound, but it's what they do best and better than anyone else. I also wouldn't mind seeing them explore their Irish roots a little more... not saying they need to write folk songs, but something along the lines of In The Name Of The Father.
Stop trying to be cool and they'll be cool again. Keep trying to be cool and they'll destroy their legacy.
