IWasBored
Blue Crack Supplier
- Joined
- Nov 8, 2002
- Messages
- 36,783
Well, lets compare the stats for the last album/tour for both U2 and R.E.M.
U2 - NLOTH - sold about 4 million copies worldwide.
R.E.M. - Collapse into Now - sold just under 400,000 copies worldwide.
U2 - 360 tour - GROSSED - $736 million
R.E.M. - Collapse into Now tour - GROSSED - less than $30 million
U2's 360 tour broke all gross and attendance records in history. It is the highest attended tour of all time. NLOTH was the 7th biggest selling album around the world in 2009.
R.E.M.'s Collapse into Now was the lowest seller of their entire career, although a big reason for that is the collapse of the entire music industry in terms of selling albums.
On the tour R.E.M. largest crowd in the United States was less than 14,000 despite only playing 14 shows in the United States.
The two bands could not be at more different places in terms of commercial sales of albums and concert tickets. U2 is at the top of everything, while R.E.M. is near the bottom, at least in terms of being popular and widely recognized for their latest efforts on tour and in the studio.
Now, I think Collapse Into Me is a great album and I think R.E.M. is an amazing live band and I am shocked that they are suddenly breaking up. Unfortunately, the general public and much of their old fan base either has not heard their new material, or has simply turned away. I'm not saying that had anything to do with them breaking up, but I'm still puzzled as to why they won't continue as a band. Why not take a break for a number of years and then get back together. Why break up if there are no personal differences and everyone still loves and enjoys making music?
I wonder sometimes if the remaining band members have grown apart. I think all of them live in different states in the US. Although some people will claim being in your 50s is old, its not. It might be if you play NFL football, but its not if your a musician. The Rolling Stones are about to go into their 70s in the next year or two and they still have a new album and tour planned for 2012.
Many people often ask U2 why they don't break up. What they have said is that they all love making and performing music. So then the next thing they think is who they would like to do that with, and the same names come up each time.
now i remember why i never go into the sub-forum where people crunch u2's sales numbers.