--------I just thought those academics were pretty impressive for a pack of modern day U2 fans. They're probably Ph.Ds or something. Perhaps they can actually afford the band's concerts.-----------
I should get royalties for creating that thread----lol.
That Rules person seems pretty smart. I wish he/she'd hang around here more. He/she seemed willing to anticipate the future and attempt to identify indicators that could be gleaned from the last few RH albums. Plus, he/she called me an academic. I'm glad to carry the torch for the modern-day U2 fan----lol.
I know RH fans think it's quaint to use U2 as a model for long term greatness, but the roads they've traveled and how they've traveled them are the most applicable example we have in anything that might be considered modern-day Rock.
Every artist has to navigate a thing called yourself. I think one of the great things U2 has given to Rock longevity is that they've proven to be expert in when and where to fight and/or ride creative tendencies or habits. That is something that has derailed many an artist, irregardless of artistic medium.
I think RH have yet to prove how they'll navigate their own aritistic evolution. That's not really a criticism because their only a little over a decade into their career. That first decade is always about taking the experiences of your youth and using them to discover yourself through art.
The more difficult challenge is what to do when the discovery of yourself begins to wane and 'who you are' begins to dominate the artistic process. Film directors and authors can go through these creative lulls and come out the other side, but Rock bands cannot because historically they die if they creatively fail in this area.
I'm not predicting RH will dissolve. I'm just saying I thought the indicators from the last couple of albums were not positive in terms of bursting into a new kind of discovery, like U2 accomplished in their 2nd decade.