Zoocoustic
War Child
I've been reading a lot of negative comments about the VMA's last night. Feelings have been expressed such as "I can't believe they didn't win!", "I can't believe they were beat by (fill in the band/artist(s))!"
Truth be told, I was very happy with the VMA's and all they did for U2.
Honestly, did U2 really deserve to win for Elevation? No, they didn't. It was a pretty ridiculous video, when you think about it. True, it had some great special effects, but others had better. Overall, it was a very confusing video - from those I've talked to, the only people who really understand that video are those who read about it before it was released, and even then it is still a very abstract video at best.
Moving on, did U2 really deserve video of the year for Beautiful Day? You may be able to make an argument for this one, but it would be a weak one. There was nothing really incredible about this video either - just the band hanging out in an airport, etc. The runway scene at the end was cool, but nothing spectacular.
U2 has always been more about making great music, and putting on great live shows. They probably could make incredible videos if they wanted to - they have the money, and I'm sure they could really blow us all away if that were their focus. But it never has been. They're not 25-year old pretty boys, and they're not making ground-breaking videos. As a result, they aren't going to score big at the VMA's. U2 has always focused on the music, and I think their music and popularity singlehandedly carried them into nominations this year, not the videos at all. That in itself is quite an accomplishment.
Overall, I thought it was an excellent night for U2, and that they couldn't have asked for more from the MTV crowd. First, Carson Daly gets up there and hypes them up for their great, almost god-like stature in the world of music. He obviously idolizes the band, and that will score big points for U2 with the younger generation, no matter how stupid the reason ("Carson Daly likes U2, so they must be pretty cool!").
Then you have that video mix which reminds all the long-time fans just how great the band is, while the younger kids think "Oh, I didn't know they did Mysterious Ways! Oh, I really love that song With or Without You! Oh, I remember that Discotheque song! Wow, I didn't realize they did all those great songs!"
Next, they bring U2 on stage for a great performance (even with the glitch at the begninning - they recovered better than anyone else could have) of Elevation and Stuck. Excellent choices: two great songs off the new album - one that is cooling off and one that is just starting to heat up. Just the fact that when the glitch occured and the music stopped you could hear the crowd singing the Elevation "oooh oooh"s proved that people are still very excited about the new music they are making. They would have never received that type of reaction at the prior VMA's when they performed Please.
Next up was the presentation of the video Vanguard award, which in my opinion celebrates the musician(s) more than the videos they have made. They did deserve this award, and it was presented in a great fashion. I feel that it was a great speech Bono gave. Personally, I thought their comments at the Grammy's were rather weak in comparison - last night Bono said all the right things. Presenting the Ramones with an award also was a very cool moment; one at which the MTV generation could learn a bit of history ("Who are the Ramones?") and at the same time gain more respect for U2 selflessly taking their time to honor someone else.
Finally, John Norris' comments following the show were excellent - he is obviously a huge U2 fan, and wanted to make it clear how important he thought the band was. The fact that he singled out their performance was a definate plus for U2 as well.
I don't remember the exact word Bono used last night, but when they accepted the Vanguard award, he pointed out that U2 had made some pretty weak videos, and I think we can all agree on that. The only time they really got creative was during the Zooropa videos, and even those were nothing spectacular. Again, U2 has always been more about the music and the performances rather than the videos; it's just their style. Truly, U2 got exactly what they deserved last night, and I think it scored huge points for the band with the MTV crowd. The album will almost certainly bounce back into the Billboard 200 after the wonderful night U2 had last night. The next leg of the tour will probably see tickets in even higher demand. Ultimately, I think that what we saw last night was U2 doing what they've done for 20+ years; putting on an incredible show and gaining yet another new group of fans.
Truth be told, I was very happy with the VMA's and all they did for U2.
Honestly, did U2 really deserve to win for Elevation? No, they didn't. It was a pretty ridiculous video, when you think about it. True, it had some great special effects, but others had better. Overall, it was a very confusing video - from those I've talked to, the only people who really understand that video are those who read about it before it was released, and even then it is still a very abstract video at best.
Moving on, did U2 really deserve video of the year for Beautiful Day? You may be able to make an argument for this one, but it would be a weak one. There was nothing really incredible about this video either - just the band hanging out in an airport, etc. The runway scene at the end was cool, but nothing spectacular.
U2 has always been more about making great music, and putting on great live shows. They probably could make incredible videos if they wanted to - they have the money, and I'm sure they could really blow us all away if that were their focus. But it never has been. They're not 25-year old pretty boys, and they're not making ground-breaking videos. As a result, they aren't going to score big at the VMA's. U2 has always focused on the music, and I think their music and popularity singlehandedly carried them into nominations this year, not the videos at all. That in itself is quite an accomplishment.
Overall, I thought it was an excellent night for U2, and that they couldn't have asked for more from the MTV crowd. First, Carson Daly gets up there and hypes them up for their great, almost god-like stature in the world of music. He obviously idolizes the band, and that will score big points for U2 with the younger generation, no matter how stupid the reason ("Carson Daly likes U2, so they must be pretty cool!").
Then you have that video mix which reminds all the long-time fans just how great the band is, while the younger kids think "Oh, I didn't know they did Mysterious Ways! Oh, I really love that song With or Without You! Oh, I remember that Discotheque song! Wow, I didn't realize they did all those great songs!"
Next, they bring U2 on stage for a great performance (even with the glitch at the begninning - they recovered better than anyone else could have) of Elevation and Stuck. Excellent choices: two great songs off the new album - one that is cooling off and one that is just starting to heat up. Just the fact that when the glitch occured and the music stopped you could hear the crowd singing the Elevation "oooh oooh"s proved that people are still very excited about the new music they are making. They would have never received that type of reaction at the prior VMA's when they performed Please.
Next up was the presentation of the video Vanguard award, which in my opinion celebrates the musician(s) more than the videos they have made. They did deserve this award, and it was presented in a great fashion. I feel that it was a great speech Bono gave. Personally, I thought their comments at the Grammy's were rather weak in comparison - last night Bono said all the right things. Presenting the Ramones with an award also was a very cool moment; one at which the MTV generation could learn a bit of history ("Who are the Ramones?") and at the same time gain more respect for U2 selflessly taking their time to honor someone else.
Finally, John Norris' comments following the show were excellent - he is obviously a huge U2 fan, and wanted to make it clear how important he thought the band was. The fact that he singled out their performance was a definate plus for U2 as well.
I don't remember the exact word Bono used last night, but when they accepted the Vanguard award, he pointed out that U2 had made some pretty weak videos, and I think we can all agree on that. The only time they really got creative was during the Zooropa videos, and even those were nothing spectacular. Again, U2 has always been more about the music and the performances rather than the videos; it's just their style. Truly, U2 got exactly what they deserved last night, and I think it scored huge points for the band with the MTV crowd. The album will almost certainly bounce back into the Billboard 200 after the wonderful night U2 had last night. The next leg of the tour will probably see tickets in even higher demand. Ultimately, I think that what we saw last night was U2 doing what they've done for 20+ years; putting on an incredible show and gaining yet another new group of fans.
