Drugs at U2 shows?

[-macphisto-]

Drugs are stupid, so is alcohol

 

[lazarus]

Drugs are stupid, so is alcohol

Well at least you're not one of those hypocrites who talks about getting plastered all the time but thinks marijuana is a tool of Satan.

But you're still wrong. Wine, some beer, and whiskey are some of the finer things in life. It's all about a time and place, and moderation. People are stupid, not the things they choose to put into their bodies.

Same with pot. I'm sure it could enhance the experience of going to a concert. If you do too much, you'll be zonked out and probably forget the whole thing.

A good experiment is to smoke and then listen to Zooropa (or any album). You'll be surprised at how your attention goes to different sounds or layers.

Let me also say that I don't use drugs very often at all, and it's limited (these days) to the occasional puff when it's offered to me. But I definitely condone it, and suggest that people should try things before they pass judgement on them, as long as they aren't hurting anyone.

 

[elviscostrummer]

For one, I'm quite pleased with how this discussion is going, there are definately different opinions of this subject. Alot of people have been saying essentially "why pay so much money on a ticket to a show and then take a drug that will cause you to not remember it the next morning?" I would say that for some people the show is about the moment more so then it is about the memory. (personally I think it's about both) My memory of the time I saw the band on acid is blurry but I do remember being ecstatic the whole time, even though I don't remember whether or not Bono had taken his sunglasses off before New Years Day. I've seen the band 14 times, this show wasn't the first show I had seen and I knew it wouldn't be the last so I choose to experiment with it and I must say it's one of my more unique concert experiences. This all leads me to ask the question of would you rather see a show that is a run of the mill U2 show and remember all the details, or would you rather see the best U2 show you've ever seen and not remember it? -Adam

 

[elviscostrummer]

Another thing in reference to the guy who said that all drugs and alchohol are stupid I quote Bill Hicks in saying "For all of you who don't think that drugs have had positive affects on the world we live in then take all your albums and burn them." That includes your U2 records.

 

[BonoIsMyMuse]

I smelled marijuana the last time I was in GA, and what a nice smell it was

I think the most important factor is that you're not disturbing anyone around you, no matter what you're doing. I agree that a few beers or a joint is fine. I'm all about relaxing and having a good time, but I want to be able to remember the show (and not barf in the parking lot afterwards).

To be honest, I think I'd rather be beside someone who's stoned than someone who's drunk. From my experience, they're just more mellow. At my last two shows, I was around drunk people who were totally annoying. When I had a seat, the people next to me made about 8 beer runs between them, and they were supposedly driving home after the show I spent so much time in the aisle moving for them that I finally just stayed out there.

The next night, in GA, this drunk woman next to me elbowed me in the head and jumped on my foot because she wasn't paying any attention to anyone around her. Not that I wasn't jumping around and screaming my head off, as was everyone around me, but the rest of us tried to be careful of those around us.

As long as people know their limits, let them enjoy the show however they want to.

 

[Calluna]

OK, I guess I'll be the bad one here.

I took acid at POPmart. The visuals were fantastic!

I took two hits of ecstasy when I was in the heart for Elevation LA2. The music sounded amazing!

I don't regret it or anything but I have also seen U2 sober and it is a great experience that way too. I will be seeing them in Portland in December and I am not planning on being under the influence of anything then.

 

[DPrinceNY]

i was under the influence once at the 10/11 msg show but i had a better time at the 10/14 show were i wasnt under the influence. The nosebleed to GA upgrade and better setlist didnt do it for me

 

[oktobergirl]

i smell lots of pot at shows, but i can't imagine getting deliberately high before hand.

i enjoy a beer or a couple shots of good whiskey beforehand tho (Pop angel knows what i'm talkin' about)

 

[HelloAngel]

i smell lots of pot at shows, but i can't imagine getting deliberately high before hand.

Not to get into semantics on being stoned on pot, but it really depends on your own personal reaction to it. When I'm high on pot, I am very chipper, things slow down a bit, and I feel very at peace. So to that end, I'd much rather feel that way before a show than being woozy after drinking.

 

[Jdragonfly]

A little herb smell doesn't bug me at all. But I can never see consuming a 6-8 beers at a show, and being completely trashed during it.

MSG 1 was pretty funny. The guy in front of me was uber-excited, and received some of the queerest looks from his gf during his 'dance' moves . And the dude on my left comsumed me in a hug and sang to me, during 'One'. Good times!

 

[martha]

I hate it when people smoke anything indoors at concerts. My clothes still fucking STINK from the cigarettes and pot in Vegas. The drunken fools aren't much fun either. Needless to say, I don't go to any concert under the influence of anything. I want to enjoy every aspect of the show. What's the point of seeing the "greatest" show ever, and then not remembering it?

 

[aislinn]

I really don't care what other people do, as long as it doesn't affect my enjoyment of the concert.

I've never attended a concert high on anything and I doubt I will in the future...but there's a first time for everything and cheers to all who partake.

I will admit that I went to the Phoenix 2 show pretty buzzed and that was fun. Just as long as I don't go over the limit so I'm too drunk to remember anything later.

 

[elviscostrummer]

Smoke and sweat is the elbow grease of rock 'n roll, if you don't want to smell smoke then don't go to a rock show, go see Celine Dion. Cigarette smoke is to spitting and kicking you would have seen if you had been to U2's first show in London during the punk era, now that's rock and roll. Saying that you want your rock concerts to be free of all the smoke and drink is tantamount to saying you want the danger taken out of rock and roll, because if you can't hang with that then how could you ever hang with the raw nature of where it began. Another thing to consider is what would the show be like if everyone in the arena was sober, I gaurantee you it wouldn't be as festive. Why do you think it is that crowds in Boston are so lively? It's because Boston is a town that likes to get sauced. Just listen to a bootleg of Zoo TV at the Boston Garden on st. patrick's day 1992.

 

[martha]

Smoke and sweat is the elbow grease of rock 'n roll, if you don't want to smell smoke then don't go to a rock show, go see Celine Dion. Cigarette smoke is to spitting and kicking you would have seen if you had been to U2's first show in London during the punk era, now that's rock and roll. Saying that you want your rock concerts to be free of all the smoke and drink is tantamount to saying you want the danger taken out of rock and roll, because if you can't hang with that then how could you ever hang with the raw nature of where it began.

Sweetheart, I saw the Ramones and may others before you were even born, so don't lecture me on what a rock and roll concert is. You can go to all the concerts fucked up all you want, but if I don't want to stink like an addict when I come out of one, that's ok too.

 

[topplehatU2]

Sweetheart, I saw the Ramones and may others before you were even born, so don't lecture me on what a rock and roll concert is. You can go to all the concerts fucked up all you want, but if I don't want to stink like an addict when I come out of one, that's ok too.

Daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaamn.

 

[martha]

What?

 

[elviscostrummer]

Now that's the kind of answer I've been looking for. While it's true that you might have me beat on age, and I conceed that with comes experience, in my short life I've been more closely associated with rock music then most people, I basically grew up in the back of a tour bus and I've just never seen the point in being uptight about the goings on at a rock concert. One of things that keeps me coming back to see U2 shows is the audience reaction and the specticle of it all, I just feel like it's not an isolationist or individualist thing. I go to a show to be a part of something, and if that includes getting smoke on my clothes. Besides, most of the new generation of arenas don't allow smoking indoors anyhow. My question is this, would you mind if it was Bono's smoke swirling around you or Bono's beer getting spilt on you? Would you be upset if during Party Girl he sprayed champagne all over you while you were rocking out in the ellipse?

 

[ShellBeThere]

I was actually pleasantly surprised to smell pot in GA in Detroit...ohmygod, people still do that! Can you tell it had been a long time since I'd been to such an event?!
I'm quite sure I wouldn't want to get drunk for a show; was tempted on the day I didn't have to drive to have like maybe a single drink, but I really didn't think alcohol would enhance the experience much, just maybe take away. And drunks in the audience are just annoying as hell. I hate worrying about someone puking on me I really do. But I can see where pot might make for some fun...not so much of it that your thoughts would take you far away from where you were or too far into those little extraneous details like your own breath, but just enough to give that feeling of a broadened psycho-sensory palette for recording the experience. It is a bit distancing, no matter what, I think, so I wouldn't want to do it unless I'd already seen some shows sans substances.
On that other issue, of whether its preferable to recall all the details of a runofthemill show or to experience a fab one and not recall much...I swear I never recall all the details! I guess it's like someone already said; seeing U2 is already so engrossing for me that it's like a trip itself.
cheers all!

edit: I wouldn't mind a bit if Bono blew smoke in my face, and I actually thought of his champagne antics when I had some at dinner tonight (it was my birthday, dammit!). I would probably be thrilled to get covered in his champagne, but pissed off if someone spilled some on me in GA or elsewhere, admittedly.
Smoke don't bug me since I've struggled with it myself, but alcohol or puke blown in my face does. I'm pretty sure I wouldn't be happy if Bono puked on me, for what that's worth. Even if i was stoned.
I'll stop now, I realize the question wasn't even really for me anyway...
cheers!

 

[-macphisto-]

Another thing in reference to the guy who said that all drugs and alchohol are stupid I quote Bill Hicks in saying "For all of you who don't think that drugs have had positive affects on the world we live in then take all your albums and burn them." That includes your U2 records.

That is bullcrap, you dont need drugs to make a good album, or great music. And I strongly believe that U2 was not on drugs for 99% of the music that they have made.

 

[elviscostrummer]

And do you think that 99% of U2's influences were sober when they made their albums as well? I seem to remember Bono saying, in the Making of The Joshua Tree documentary, that when recording exit the spirit of John Bonham was in the room with Larry and that the same can be said about Jimmy Page and The Edge. Now we all know how Led Zepplin were the pillars of sobriety.

 

[elviscostrummer]

Maybe if you were at the show right now and you were high you would forget that they were going to play Bullet The Blue Sky right after SBS and you'd actually be surprised.

 

[-macphisto-]

Well at least you're not one of those hypocrites who talks about getting plastered all the time but thinks marijuana is a tool of Satan.

But you're still wrong. Wine, some beer, and whiskey are some of the finer things in life. It's all about a time and place, and moderation. People are stupid, not the things they choose to put into their bodies.

Same with pot. I'm sure it could enhance the experience of going to a concert. If you do too much, you'll be zonked out and probably forget the whole thing.

A good experiment is to smoke and then listen to Zooropa (or any album). You'll be surprised at how your attention goes to different sounds or layers.

Let me also say that I don't use drugs very often at all, and it's limited (these days) to the occasional puff when it's offered to me. But I definitely condone it, and suggest that people should try things before they pass judgement on them, as long as they aren't hurting anyone.

I agree with you on the "people are stupid for what they put in there bodies".

Your right Ive never tried alcohol, or drugs in my life, but that is not to say I have not been around it, and see what it does to people. I hate the smell, I hate how people act when they are on drugs or alcohol. Of course they are used for many reasons, escape the pressures of life, for fun, addiction, etc... but the only way I see it appropriate is if a doctor prescribes the use of them. Bottom line is, is I dont need drugs to have a good time at a concert or anytime, I dont need drugs to escape the pressures of life, I d rather face them instead of hiding, I dont need drugs to enhance my life, Im already happy, and greatful without them.

And I dont need drugs to listen to Zooropa to hear the layers and the diffrent sounds, that is how I listen to music. I love to put on a nice set of headphones and listen to all the diffrent layers, cool sounds, etc.. like you said. The Doves albums are great examples of layers in there music.

But I think I can pass judgement on drugs and alcohol without trying them, I have seen the effects on my friends, I have heard experiences, and it is stupid IMO.

 

[-macphisto-]

And do you think that 99% of U2's influences were sober when they made their albums as well? I seem to remember Bono saying, in the Making of The Joshua Tree documentary, that when recording exit the spirit of John Bonham was in the room with Larry and that the same can be said about Jimmy Page and The Edge. Now we all know how Led Zepplin were the pillars of sobriety.

Where is it proven that the drugs make the music? You can make the smae music with or without drugs or alcohol

 

[-macphisto-]

Maybe if you were at the show right now and you were high you would forget that they were going to play Bullet The Blue Sky right after SBS and you'd actually be surprised.

So its good to fry your brain with drugs to forget what songs coming next, ya I want to do that

 

[Lemonfix]

I agree with you on the "people are stupid for what they put in there bodies".

Your right Ive never tried alcohol, or drugs in my life, but that is not to say I have not been around it, and see what it does to people. I hate the smell, I hate how people act when they are on drugs or alcohol. Of course they are used for many reasons, escape the pressures of life, for fun, addiction, etc... but the only way I see it appropriate is if a doctor prescribes the use of them. Bottom line is, is I dont need drugs to have a good time at a concert or anytime, I dont need drugs to escape the pressures of life, I d rather face them instead of hiding, I dont need drugs to enhance my life, Im already happy, and greatful without them.

And I dont need drugs to listen to Zooropa to hear the layers and the diffrent sounds, that is how I listen to music. I love to put on a nice set of headphones and listen to all the diffrent layers, cool sounds, etc.. like you said. The Doves albums are great examples of layers in there music.

But I think I can pass judgement on drugs and alcohol without trying them, I have seen the effects on my friends, I have heard experiences, and it is stupid IMO.

Your choice is fine, but can you honestly pass judgement on an adult who drinks a glass of brandy at Christmas or someone who has a glass a day of wine at dinner for health reasons? I'm guessing you don't, or you would not have the respect for U2 that you have. Some people are predisposed to alcoholism, but most people are not and can make responsible choices.

 

[indra]

That is bullcrap, you dont need drugs to make a good album, or great music. And I strongly believe that U2 was not on drugs for 99% of the music that they have made.

Some people do better with 'em, others do better without. And don't most members of U2 drink like fish? Alcohol is as much a drug as pot or acid etc. So chances are very good members of U2 have indeed been at least somewhat under the influence while making a fair amount of their music.


As for concerts (sorry, haven't been to any U2 shows), I usually have to do the driving, so generally I don't partake, although at a few shows the pot smoke was so heavy I got a slight buzz...and I must say those were really fun shows. I actually think a bit of a buzz (on your favourite substance) can be beneficial to a good concert experience.

For other people at shows -- I don't like really super drunk people near me at shows, because they are often obnoxious and I don't much care for being puked on. High concertgoers are generally easier to handle.

 

[indra]

Where is it proven that the drugs make the music? You can make the smae music with or without drugs or alcohol

No, I don't think many of the musicians who have made great music would make the very same music without drugs. The experience and perception they have are different under the influence, and those different perceptions are what you are hearing in many many songs. An awful lot of artists write all their songs under the inflence of one thing or another.

But you can listen to it any way you please.

 

[-macphisto-]

Your choice is fine, but can you honestly pass judgement on an adult who drinks a glass of brandy at Christmas or someone who has a glass a day of wine at dinner for health reasons? I'm guessing you don't, or you would not have the respect for U2 that you have. Some people are predisposed to alcoholism, but most people are not and can make responsible choices.

If it is beneficery to the persons health, and is proven to help the person, then it is fine. But other then that I dont like any kind of drinking. Since this subject was brought up, I spoke my opinion, I dont pass judgment on what kind of a person you are individualy, but on the drinking and smoking. For example, I think Bono is stupid for how much he drinks and smokes, but I also think Bono has a good heart, and is a good person, and really tries to make the world a better place.

 

[-macphisto-]

No, I don't think many of the musicians who have made great music would make the very same music without drugs. The experience and perception they have are different under the influence, and those different perceptions are what you are hearing in many many songs. An awful lot of artists write all their songs under the inflence of one thing or another.

But you can listen to it any way you please.

But the musician can still make great music or better music without the drug. The question is, what does the drug add to the music?

 

[indra]

But the musician can still make great music or better music without the drug. The question is, what does the drug add to the music?

You'd really have to ask the individual musician about that wouldn't you? I think if you talk to musicians who have used drugs many, though not all, would tell you that the drugs do indeed make a difference in the type of music they make. The drugs change the musician's perception and that different perception means the music they make under the influence will be different than the music they make not under the influence or even under the influence of different drugs. Creating music is exploring beyond what is normal and for many musicians drugs aid in that exploration. I think that is why music can have the power to make people feel transcendent when they listen. For some musicians the drugs provide a way to get that transcendent feeling and then they are capable of translating that feeling to music.