PopMart "failure"

[thavidesco]

I remember Bono saying during one of the concerts: "Is the sound okay, you three at the back?

I wonder if the tour earned something or if it was at the verge of the bankrupt

 

[Axver]

I wonder if the tour earned something or if it was at the verge of the bankrupt

Now this is just being silly. Attendances at shows in Europe (excluding Germany), Canada, and Latin America would have been more than enough to rake in the cash.

I believe U2 were paid rather substantially by the promoter for the tour, so if there was a loss on any night the promoter wore it.

 

[U2girl]

Yet another flippin' Pop thread. Give it a rest. It's the SOI era.

It's like a bat signal of some sort. New album = more Pop talk.

 

[thavidesco]

...talk about..Pop muzik...talk about...Pop music...shooby dooby dooba...whap bap doo bap...

 

[brooklynmike]

Here are some of the worst boxscores I have for Popmart:

San Diego: 30,572/40,000
Denver: 28,540/45,000
Tempe: 33,539/45,000
Dallas: 38,043/45,000
Memphis: 22,734/35,000
Clemson: 20,251/36,500
Kansas City: 23,709/38,500
Pittsburgh: 27,785/40,000
Oakland 2: 24,490/42,500
Madison: 34,002/40,000
Chicago 3: 31,972/42,500
New York 3: 36,312/46,666
Detroit: 35,463/40,000

Please note that for Oakland, Chicago and New York i had total Box Scores for all shows, so I divided the totals by the number of shows.


Contrast those results with Canada:

Winnipeg: 42,270 sold out
Edmonton: 90,000 two sell outs
Toronto: 99,519 two sellouts
Montreal: 48,855 sold out


The United States performance was dismal. Even more so when you compare it to 360 in some of the markets!


Sent from my iPhone using U2 Interference

I have a feeling this list of attendance in the States is what put a stop to the "experimentation".

95-97 was probably my peak of obsession with U2. I'd caught the bug from reading Flanagan's book, and watching the Sydney show on VHS a million times and was expecting an experience similar to what I saw on that video. I follow U2 like you'd follow a sports team and want to see them win. It was a tremendous blow walking into Giants stadium on the second night and seeing a partially empty stadium. It was even worse when I brought my buddies with me to night three, bragging about how awesome they are and we walk in and the stadium looks half empty right before the show started.

I understand the perspective of "I don't give a shit if anyone else likes them, as long as I like them", but it's a big blow when there's a poor turnout.

 

[The Panther]

I think those attendance figures have to put in the context of how well-worn the venues/cities were at the time.

For example, the reason the PopMart tour sold 90,000 tickets in Edmonton (a small Canadian city) is because U2 had never played there before, and in Canada young people can't drive to the big cities for shows because the cities are in different time zones. The novelty of a U2 show at that place, at that time, was big.

Conversely, U2 had already toured a lot of US-midwest cities and venues a great deal in 1987 and 1992. They were in vogue then and had a bunch of hits on the radio (albeit less so in '92).

In 1997, it's now 10-years past U2's American prime, and the lead-off single passed most Americans by. There are younger, more vital groups with the people's attention. In that year, U2 switched from being a contemporary group to a 'classic' group, at least in American terms. They weren't really winning over young people anymore, as tends to happen with no big radio hits.


There are several good things to say about the Pop record, but I find it weak harmonically. I don't think the tunes are the type to grab people's ears that much if you're not already an interested fan. In retrospect, the record marks the point at which U2's albums changed from being expressions of their artistry at the time, and changed to being the overworked results of a great deal of compromise and meta-creativity.

 

[thavidesco]

I have a feeling this list of attendance in the States is what put a stop to the "experimentation".

In retrospect, the record marks the point at which U2's albums changed from being expressions of their artistry at the time, and changed to being the overworked results of a great deal of compromise and meta-creativity.

I cannot AGREE more. It was a big turning point in how they started thinking about their music.

 

[thavidesco]

I just listened to Leeds bootleg and I cannot believe how great it is in comparison to many other bootlegs, Bono sounded nothing like from Pop era, it was like from 10 years ago. Very strange indeed...

 

[mikal]

I just listened to Leeds bootleg and I cannot believe how great it is in comparison to many other bootlegs, Bono sounded nothing like from Pop era, it was like from 10 years ago. Very strange indeed...

When U2's career is done, hell....right now....you can look back at the Leeds show and confidently say that it was one of U2's finest live moments. Absolutely amazing show. If I ever gain access to a time machine, this is one of the first items on my To-Do list.

 

[rennowba]

PopMart "failure"

Where was this leeds show?elland road?

 

[KEVIN051269]

Where was this leeds show?elland road?

Roundhay Park and it was very wet!

Cast supported and wouldn't play their big hit 'Walkaway', the singer said it is too slow and you're all too cold and wet already. That day there had been an interview with George Harrison in 'The Sun', he wasn't very complimentary about U2, it certainly put a fire in Bono's belly that night.

A fantastic concert and the best Popmart show I saw

 

[thavidesco]

Do you think it was the best Popmart night musically?

 

[rennowba]

PopMart "failure"

Was that the "its all about lemons and ego's" line from George Harrison?

Cast ? britpop flashback that ?

 

[KEVIN051269]

Do you think it was the best Popmart night musically?

I think it there was a great atmosphere that night, that is captured on the bootleg. The best musically? I have no idea? If I had to tell someone to listen to one Popmart show it would certainly be Leeds though.

 

[KEVIN051269]

Was that the "its all about lemons and ego's" line from George Harrison?

Cast ? britpop flashback that ?

I can't remember what GH actually said, but along those lines yes

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5_xjtTVDCwM

 

[brooklynmike]

PopMart "failure"

The setlist on POPMART was the most static of any U2 tour, right? I know there was a week of tweaking the first half a bit, but after that it was relatively the same every night. We had a switch out of Miami for acoustic SBS but that's about it.

Zoo TV was pretty static too but seemed to have more variation, even if it was the way they played indoor to outdoor.

I'd love to see the 2 nights of the I/E tour have the first night be a powerful Zoo TV/POPMART style setlist where there are a lot of powerful transitions from song to song like Please or RTSS into Streets, and the second night be Lovetown style where it was pretty random.

 

[stigman]

Reggio email liam embraced it 175,000 they say


Sent from my iPad using U2 Interference

 

[stigman]

I just listened to Leeds bootleg and I cannot believe how great it is in comparison to many other bootlegs, Bono sounded nothing like from Pop era, it was like from 10 years ago. Very strange indeed...

Miami from the Leeds show is fantastic


Sent from my iPad using U2 Interference

 

[thavidesco]

Harrison said unlike Beatles, U2 play boring music and they would be forgotten in 20 years just like Oasis or Spice Girls. 17 years later U2 are still a long way from being forgotten At least he was right about Oasis and Spice girls.

 

[RaisedByWolves]

Harrison said unlike Beatles, U2 play boring music and they would be forgotten in 20 years just like Oasis or Spice Girls. 17 years later U2 are still a long way from being forgotten At least he was right about Oasis and Spice girls.

Trying living in England and saying that about Oasis (and maybe even Spice Girls).

 

[rennowba]

PopMart "failure"

Harrison said unlike Beatles, U2 play boring music and they would be forgotten in 20 years just like Oasis or Spice Girls. 17 years later U2 are still a long way from being forgotten At least he was right about Oasis and Spice girls.

oasis and the spice girls are apart of british history to be honest,they will both never be forgotten on this island.maybe even more so then u2. (In the uk anyway)

 

[Galeongirl]

Here the Spice Girls are not forgotten either. Same with the Backstreet Boys and Britney Spears. Just part of the music my generation grew up with. They're by no means relevant or anything today though.

 

[brooklynmike]

Spice Girls lol. That shit reminds of Aqua and Eiffel 65.

 

[Yahweh]

Stop right now thank you very much you need somebody with the human touch...

 

[rennowba]

Stop right now thank you very much you need somebody with the human touch...

??

This is a sad fact that i probaly shouldnt share but i was 10 when they came out and i had their cd's?dont ask me why?i did have a massive crush on ginger spice Geri though. Well i still have a thing for her if im honest ???

 

[Galeongirl]

Aqua, Eiffel 65, Toy Box... damn good childhood there.

 

[rennowba]

Aqua-barbie girl ??

 

[Yahweh]

Nothing wrong with the spicer's there was a lot of rip offs of them that came later that wearnt as good but had some success.

There was another girl group from the UK that had some hotties - All Saints in it that had 1 or 2 hits around the same time as the Spice Girls.

The thing that I find quite mindblowing is that the same amount of time has past between POPMART and now then past between the start of U2s career and Popmart.

I remember very well Bono sticking up the middle finger to George Harrisons comment about them not being remembered in 20 years.

 

[jeevey]

I can't remember what GH actually said, but along those lines yes

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5_xjtTVDCwM

I didn't know there was video of this.

 

[The_acrobat]

I didn't know there was video of this.

That's awesome!!! Now he'd be snippeting all of George's lyrics into songs and writing a polite, open ended letter to George begging him to love his band. Fuck George, nobody'd know who he was if it weren't for his two band mates.