doctorwho
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U2Man said:
Is this really true?
Axver's quote is spot on. I don't have the boot, but I remember this incident well. And, to be fair to U2/Bono, I was also quite irate with Harrison's comments.
If this were 1987, when U2 first broke through, perhaps Harrison would have had a point. U2 finally made the "big time" - but there was no guarantee how well U2 would be received in 30 years. JT might have been some "flash in the pan" album that would be laughed at years later.
However, by 1997, U2 had not only broke through, but maintained their position at or at least near the top. AB was just as brilliant - in the public's eye - as JT (IMO, AB was far more brilliant). U2 had "reinvented" themselves, and still succeeded. They had changed their sound and image dramatically, yet won over even more fans because of it.
If anything, it seemed that Harrison's comments were stated out of jealousy. I recall Harrison also stated that U2 had no idea what screaming fans were REALLY like - only he and his Beatles did. There's truth there - back in 1964/65, the Beatles were everywhere. Their concert in NY was SO loud - due to the sheer volume of screaming fans - that the Beatles couldn't even hear themselves play.
BUT....
This Beatlemania started to die down. A year later, the Beatles did NOT even sell out the venue! Shortly after that, the Beatles stopped touring completely. So while their albums will always remain legends, it's very arguable if the fanaticism they experienced in '64/'65 would have been seen in '68/'69. And, of course, by 1970, the Beatles were no more.
While U2 mania never hit the heights of that Beatle era, when I see devout long-time fans seeing as many shows as they possibly can each tour (me included), that tells me something. We aren't the screaming maniacs (not that U2 concerts don't get VERY loud) that those girls were in '64 - and I think that's actually a good thing. We are there to be enveloped by the music and the concert experience, not fantasize about being married to a mop-top.
Still, the Beatles will always be remembered as one of the first in so many areas. U2 can't have that by the very fact that they were born later. However, Harrison's comments seemed outright ridiculous if not downright insane. No band has experienced what he did in '64. And by '97, U2 had established themselves as one of the best bands EVER in rock music. For Harrison to state that U2 were on the same level as the Spice Girls was about as insulting a comment one could make. Therefore, IMO, Bono's comments and actions toward Harrison were justified.
Of course, they weren't very professional. Bono recognized this and later publicly apologized for them. He's also stated how he and the rest of U2 adored the Beatles and Harrison, but that Harrison clearly was not a fan of theirs. Fortunately, McCartney is - and that may arguably be better.