U2Kitten said:
Really?! 
That's not how I saw it at all, and that's not what happened. It was very different. Are you saying because of the 'funny' 90's personas they are more respected now? Uh, sorry, but I beg to differ on this too. Here's why- A lot of fans and press who had respected U2 in the 80's lost it in the 90's. A lot of people were put off by the way they acted and presented themselves. With some, it happened with AB and the devil suit. I never had a problem with AB and neither did anyone I knew, but I did notice a bit of bad press. That bad press, and fans speaking ill of them, kicked in with the Lemon video and Zooropa. But it was POP that really hurt them. Now I know a lot of people get upset by this so please don't be angry, but what you said about 'everything they did went fine' after 1991 was simply not true. POP was ridiculed by the press and fans alike. I knew, and still know previously diehard fans who mocked them and denied them. The dressing like village idiots and coming out of a lemon in circus like costumes did not gain them nearly as much respect as it lost them. As a friend from another board recently posted, "I could not bear to watch the mockery that had become of the band I once loved." They had made fools of themselves. Some of you say they were having fun, well, they always had fun. But that was too much. Maybe it's because U2 was too great and too important and wasn't meant to be made fun of. Like somebody trying to copy another person's personality to be more popular, it didn't suit them. Now I realize a lot of you love Zooropa and Pop and I'm not knocking that. I'm simply stating a fact that things were not 'all right' and if there was any 'bad press' it was from those days, not JT and Rattle and Hum!
You speak of ATYCLB and Bono's work in Africa being respected now. That is a result of the way were able to salvage their reputations and present themselves to the public, winning back the respect of media and fans alike, whether or not it was right they ever had to. It was the respect they had won in the late 80's that they won back. ATYCLB was the 'comeback' not AB! Those are the facts, man.
Now with Bono's campaigns in Africa and all his accolades, along with their impressive catalog of songs and videos, U2 is assured their legacy and and respect for all time.
But I must ask you, would the 'silly' U2 in their 'funny' costumes ever had been asked to do the Super Bowl, NBA halftime, etc.? 
Which is not to say that they are 'serious' now. Well, they are serious, serious about their work, sentimental, reflective and grateful. Their life experience can be heard in their recent work. But anyone who's ever seen, heard, or read a Bono interview knows he is a cool and witty guy. But he always was, all his life, regardless of what he sang or wore. But now that is has become a figure of world importance, he can't let go of his credibility. His message is too important for that. He's handling it just fine, just the way he is
Oh, did you know he said the "F" word again at the Novello awards? 
.....what a "fucking" beautiful day!
... Bono, May 22, 2003
err, U2 was blasted in the media during the Rattle and Hum Era, which is what in part spurred the whole change that they underwent in the first place. It was something called Irony, which a lot of people didn't get. There loss IMO, Pop was a fantastic album, and a fantastic tour. U2 admited they were poking fun at themselves, and the consumer culture that is heavily present in America. Pop as whole was very well recieved at first. It wasn't until after that some started putting it down. Even still, are people that shallow that they would judge a book by its cover? LIsten, if someone doesn't like Pop because of the music, fine. But to sya that that they lost respect for a band because of their image? That's shallow, not to mention silly. Would U2 have been invited to play the Bowl if they were still in their Pop phase? Probably, after all, no one seemed to object to their "sillyness" when they were playing Sarajevo. Whatever, I'm just tired of people bashing the Pop era U2 because of the way they looked. Common, are people really that shallow? The music itself was as heavy as anything U2's ever released and that's the beauty of Pop that so many missed. If anything, U2 gained respect in the real music world by having the balls to go out and do "Pop". Not the other way around. ATYCLB wasn't a comeback at all, U2 never lost anything. Maybe commercially it was, but who cares how many records they sell. It's about the quality of music. I gained a tremendous amount of respect for U2 with both Zooropa and Pop and pray that they regain their adventurerous spirit.
Bono has been involved with world affiars long before his African campaign, and has been well respected for it. The idea that Pop lessened Bonos credentials is absurd, and uninformed. The Belfast show, Sarajevo and the concert that Bono and Edge played for Sarajevo are all examples of Bono's charity work. As a matter of fact, Bono recieves more criticsm now for his "ridicoulus" sunglasses thaen he ever recieved during the Pop era.
Another view is that U2 have sold out with ATYCLB. I don;t believe it, but I've heard many people say that, far more than during the Pop era. You know what, in a way, they are right. U2 wrote material that was far more accesible to the mainstream with ATYCLB then they did with either Zooropa or Pop. That's not a bad thing perse, and much of the music was fantastic. But Pop was such an emotional record, raw emotion, ATYCLB is the aftermath. The band has a perspective, they are reliving their past, not creating it. It's a world of difference. A difference that many don;t appreciate, which is a shame. To each their own I guess......
