What makes U2 a great live band?

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theu2movement

theu2movement

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Aug 21, 2010
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I'm doing a persuasive essay on how U2 is the best live band. I have seen them once during the 360 tour and they were by far the best live act I have ever seen. Just wondering, what do you all think about this? What do you think makes U2 such a great live band?
 
they seem to manage to connect with their audience - this has only just dawned on me after seeing the Chilis the other week at the Stade de France where U2 played on 360 and Vertigo...

while the Chilis gig was great, there was total disconnect - Anthony Kiedis (lead singer) hardly said a word to the audience the whole night, not even thanks and good night LOL so i'm left feeling like i am unable to form an opinion on him as a character or even as a live performer - it was like he wasn't "there" sadly - maybe he was having an off night i don't know... but Flea (bassist) did all the talking - he was lovely and incredibly full of energy and i thought he was sweet, crazy, funny and wonderful!

anyway, the whole experience got me thinking how amazing my U2 concerts at the same venue have been (not biased at all LOL, actually i'm a pretty tough customer when it comes to U2 and music in general)

i think it's genuinely because when they throw themselves into their performance heart and soul, and just give give give, and something amazing happens and the whole atmosphere changes - the audience feeds on it and give back to the band and the band maybe then feed off the energy coming from the audience, i don't know... but the whole place comes alive when they play - always has done at the handful of U2 gigs i've seen anyway...
 
they're sound. u2's live sound is mixed so clear i can just sit there with my eyes closed and just listen, no visuals required.
the energy in the venue. u2 feeds the audience they're energy and the crowd gives it back and share that energy with each other. the audience seems the transform from thousands to just one humongous u2 fan.
i'm hard to please. i hardly leave a restaurant/car dealership/movie theater/hot dog stand/the post office/ etc feeling like i got my moneys worth.
left every u2 show i been to feeling like i got a thousand times what i spent in return.
 
mama cass said:
while the Chilis gig was great, there was total disconnect - Anthony Kiedis (lead singer) hardly said a word to the audience the whole night, not even thanks and good night LOL so i'm left feeling like i am unable to form an opinion on him as a character or even as a live performer - it was like he wasn't "there" sadly - maybe he was having an off night i don't know... but Flea (bassist) did all the talking - he was lovely and incredibly full of energy and i thought he was sweet, crazy, funny and wonderful!
Click to expand...

I've been to about 15 Chili Peppers shows in the last 13 years. You're spot on with your description, but it's not a "bad" night. It's every night.
 
LemonMelon said:
Larry's expressions whenever someone in band gets anywhere near him.
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2its9le.jpg
 
I don't know why I left "the" out of "in the band."

Makes Larry sound like a jock, which I guess he is.
 
I don't know what makes them so great live....mostly intangibles, I think. When they are on, they're on, and can truly make magic like not other live act. And even when they're off, they're still pretty great. But some nights truly take off.

I think those special nights used to happen for them more effortlessly than it does now, however. The 360 shows I was at Bono seemed to be trying a bit hard to conjure up whatever random magic can make a U2 show so transcendent where previously it just sort of happened on its own. But that's just my impression.

I think U2's audience has a lot to do with it as well, and someone mentioned reinterpretation of old songs, which I think definitely makes them more interesting to see live than a lot of other bands. A lot of their songs also have a spiritual expansiveness with seems particularly well suited to being performed among large, eager audiences.

But yeah, most it is intangible stuff that really can't be bottled.
 
somehow they always manage to turn (already) good songs into great songs. You are always left after the show with that 'wow' feeling....
 
Chemistry. Theirs is the perfect blend of functional and dysfunctional.

Willie Williams and Joe O'Herlihy both deserve a ton of credit, though. They are two of the best in their respective fields.
 
From my perspective, part of what makes them the greatest live band is that I've never seen them on stage when they weren't trying to entertain the crowd, i.e. I've never seen them 'phone in' a performance. They may have nights where things are slightly off, but I've never known them to just show up & expect you to be thankful they made it to the stage. Like kingofsorrow said, I always leave one of their shows feeling I got way more value than what went into the purchase of my ticket.

Another, more personal, reason for me is that Mr. Blu is not a crowd person... I can hardly get him to go to local street fairs & we live in a small city of less than 10K. But because of the overall positive atmosphere at a U2 show, he not only agrees to do GAs, he insists on it now. (Yaay for my powers of persuasion! :applaud: ) There is NO other group that he'll do that for - Hell, there aren't many others I'd do GA for - and it just proves to me they're the greatest in the world. :bow: :wink:
 
I think their such a great live band because all their songs take on a different life or there own when there performed live. The songs sound so much better live then on record.

The sound itself is the best sound ive ever heard at a gig. This proved itself at glastonbury were half the concert bonos voice was quite low,this would never of happened at u2's own gig

The stage,light and effects are unbelieveable

Bono is one hell of a frontman you cannot to tour eyes off him. Having bono as the singer does help u2 alot. The edge is great but without bono u2 wouldnt be the same.u2 wouldnt be u2 without bono.

Emotion and passion

I read a quote from someone the once that said seeing u2 is like a religous experience and sometimes i really think it is!
 
rennowba said:
I think their such a great live band because all their songs take on a different life or there own when there performed live. The songs sound so much better live then on record.

The sound itself is the best sound ive ever heard at a gig. This proved itself at glastonbury were half the concert bonos voice was quite low,this would never of happened at u2's own gig

The stage,light and effects are unbelieveable

Bono is one hell of a frontman you cannot to tour eyes off him. Having bono as the singer does help u2 alot. The edge is great but without bono u2 wouldnt be the same.u2 wouldnt be u2 without bono.

Emotion and passion

I read a quote from someone the once that said seeing u2 is like a religous experience and sometimes i really think it is!
Click to expand...


This.


Bono is one of the best front men ever. And while we here sometimes question Bono's vocals, it's only because we are spoiled. He remains one of the best vocalists around. Hearing him belt out operatic "Miss Sarejevo" or powerful screams or haunting falsettos is still a highlight.

U2 have also made music that is designed for the arena (or stadium). Many of their songs just get you up off your feet, wanting to sing along. While the songs themselves are fantastic, U2 work very hard at finding a way to present these songs in a live setting - and they've long since succeeded. Some artists are worried about reproducing what they created in the studio. U2 not only wants to improve on that sound, but wants to add to it as well. This is why we so often hear an extra verse or extended chorus or the snippets.

Lastly, U2 use technology to their advantage. The innovation with trabants and TVs to giant arches to ball screens to video filled claws - it helps bring the audience in. This is very important in a stadium setting where it's all too easy to get lost amongst the tens of thousands of people.

The results from the 360 tour prove that even when U2 need to delay part of their tour, people will wait - and will happily see the show.
 
brooklynmike said:
I've been to about 15 Chili Peppers shows in the last 13 years. You're spot on with your description, but it's not a "bad" night. It's every night.
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ahh ok thanks! maybe the chilis are better in a tiny intimate venue where they don't need to try hard to reach the audience (the stadium i saw them at has a capacity of 80,000)? i mean, the music itself, mainly the jamming between bass and drums, was fantastic!
 
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