God Help U2 tonight....

[hluvslmj]

I hope everyone will realize they are getting older and may not have as much energy as they did 10, 20 yrs ago.
I went 5/9 and 5/12 and had a great time - to me they sounded spectacular I downloaded the 5/12 show and not every song sounds "perfect" - sometimes Bono's voice is a little weak, maybe he doesn't have as much power in his voice as he used to, but @ the shows I thought they sounded great - it doesn't matter to me that not every song was exactly as on their CDs.
I saw Garbage once and although they sounded great they were actually too technically and vocally perfect - KWIM? - they sounded like they were playing their CDs and it wasn't that exciting. It's kind of cool to hear U2 mix it up a little.
Has anyone heard the 5/12 concert? I thought Elevation sounded great especially - I loved the way they had the crowd sing along then BAM the music came in -

 

[pub crawler]

Jebus, Chizip and Ramblin Rose you were on the same wavelength at the same moment there. That is really quite an amazing coincidence.

 

[indra]

well hopefully he will not care what other people say and realize that the only thing that matters is that he loved the show



and i must say the fact that ramblin rose and i posted the exact same passage from willies diary at the exact same time is one of the biggest coincidences in the history of coincidences

Maybe you are each other's dopplegangers.

 

[peach]

Chizip and ramblin rose, thank you both for the quote. It's so sweet.

Speaking of the coincidence…

 

[bombergirl1978]

That was such a wonderful story. It brought me to tears when I read it. Love reading willie's diary.

I wish everyone would enjoy the show like that, and just be thankful there's a band, as wonderful as U2, around.

 

[corianderstem]

Heh - that could have been me Willie was talking about. Sounds just like my own "Streets" euphoria.

'Cept that I'm a girl and all.

 

[Klink]

The good news is that most people are too busy to waste their time worrying about every little detail. Free speech? Sure. Criticism? Also good. I am very critical of some things (the ridiculous ellipse policy, for example), but hopefully most people have the sense to realize that if the band responded to every demand and wish in order to please everybody, there would be no U2.

Jon

 

[doctorwho]

Nothing is as good as a person's memory. After all, we all remember things perfectly, no?

Take, for example, the "Star Wars" movie series. Fans adore all the originals to the point of worshipping them - while they loathe the new films. These prequels aren't anything compared to the blessed original trilogy.

Aaah... memory.

See, I'm an old fart. And as an old fart, I recall seeing all of the original "Star Wars" films in the theater. I adored the first one - saw it several times. The second was great, although I was disappointed in the ending. This is a personal gripe - I hate when movies *insist* upon a sequel to finish a story (same goes for the first "Matrix" movie). As such, I've always favored the first movie a bit more, even if I will readily acquiesce that "Empire" is better in terms of writing and direction.

However, in 1983, I awaited the day to see "Return of the Jedi" (originally called "Revenge of the Jedi" - I even have a button stating that title). When my friends and I left the theater we looked at each other and said, "What the hell was that crap? Return of the Muppets?" Yes, it was a solid film, but yowzah! What happened?

As such, when I hear people talk about the bad "Star Wars" films, I felt it happened - way back in 1983. As such, I actually liked one of the prequels more than "Return"!

Not wanting to brag, but I'm unique. I saw the good and bad in those films and I adjust accordingly.

The same is true for U2.

Sadly, I didn't see any 80's concerts in person (stupid friends) but I did see ZOO TV. I loved it. I also adored the Elevation shows. Why do I love these tours so? Well... let's see. In March 1992, I saw my very first U2 show ever - and it was a blast. Perhaps that left an impression on me? One that won't ever be topped? Hmmm... And in 2001, I saw two Elevation shows while in the heart! Bono and clan were mere feet away! Could my personal memories be biasing my views of the shows? Say it ain't so!

As such, my memory says that that this current tour does seem a bit of a step down from Elevation and ZOO TV. However, perhaps I'll see U2 at the right night while having the right seat (or spot on the floor) and all of that will change. In a flash, suddenly I might just see the best U2 show ever - one that tops my memories of past performances.

Memory is a funny thing - we tend to cherish the past at the expense of the present and sometimes future. But it all balances out. Those complaining about the shows now will look back fondly on them in 3-4 years. If this happens to be U2's last tour, they'll all brag about how they saw U2 then and they were great! So I wouldn't worry much about the naysayers - they exist in every tour.

 

[slimJim]

wow they must REALLY be looking forward to tonight hey? knowing that all the "die hards" will be there, pipe in hand, anaorak on, ready to pass a judgement if they miss one note in a song, bet there will be someone clocking how many laps bono does around the catwalk, how many times he stops the show just to say hi, because obviously thats what makes the feeling of a U2 concert right? thats obviously what turns the audience on more than the music right? bono stopping, having a gab? never mind the music noooo, bono just best have a nice long chat thats what makes it a "religeous" experience, or so some reviews would have us belive,

me personally i think its just bollocks and they should just carry on rocking

FUCK THE REVOLUTION, simply because some people on this board have become the revoloution

I dunno maybe I haven’t been here long enough for the brainwashing to take affect or the pod people to find me because I still have an opinion that varies from the party line. I’ve seen plenty of bands play and on a scale of 10 I rate the Jersey show I saw a solid 6. Not the best but certainly not the worst most suck ass show either. Being technically proficient playing your instruments and remembering most of the words to your songs and putting on a good show are different things. Face it U2 has turned into corporate band that lacks originality, spontaneity, or accountability to their fans.

Most of the presentation seems phony and it’s amazing that so-called diehard fans let them get away with such mediocrity. Most of them just lap up whatever they put out and then say “thank you sir may I have another”. Pearl Jam was a great band that I loved that turned to crap. When they release a descent cd no one will be happier than me though that won’t change my opinion of the junk they tried to pass off lately. I may be a jaded degenerate moron but I never would have thought that being objective or having taste and standards would be a liability.

With all that being said my comments are strictly limited to the 05/17 concert. Their cd is okay and has some descent tracks although a talented producer can make four screaming chimps banging on trashcans sound good too. Remember Milli Vanilli?