*Rumor* - Larry to retire after E+I tour

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Although embarrassing, on the surface it does look like a new tour for a new album, NLOTH beat out a retro nostalgia tour for U2's most popular album. But momentum from the previous Vertigo Tour and HTDAAB album probably impacted 360s results as well.

Most assuredly.

What U2 discovered after the POPMART disaster is that they couldn't release an album that wasn't a monster hit and still sell out stadiums like the Stones.

So . . release a Best Of 80's to reconnect fans, release a classic like ATYCLB and go back to arenas to build the fan base, cut a monster like Vertigo, do the arenas again and presto -- this time you can release a flop like NLOTH and still have the biggest selling tour of all time.

They seemed poised to try that again, with the JT30 tour, that is, recharge the fan base and then release a new album while going back to arenas. But for reasons already mentioned it won't quite work that way this time around.

Without a monster album they won' be able to have a monster tour again.

I think a AB30 is highly unlikely.
 
I think AB30 is likely because of that reason. An Achtung Baby / Zoo TV 2.0 tour is their last chance to have a big stadium tour. That, or a farewell tour, which I don't think seems likely but you never know.
 
Larry can retire from touring but hopefully get in the studio to crank out more albums.

This is what I think would happen if he did retire. Unless he's so physically dilapidated that he can't play drums at all, I hope that he would still be on future albums, even if he didn't go on tour anymore. If he announced "My back hurts, I don't wanna tour anymore, U2 is over, now get off my lawn," that would be the worst-case scenario. Then he would vanish from the public eye, Adam would open an art gallery, Edge would join Muse, and Bono would wander aimlessly, singing into strangers' faces on the street. Sad.
 
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Most assuredly.

What U2 discovered after the POPMART disaster is that they couldn't release an album that wasn't a monster hit and still sell out stadiums like the Stones.

So . . release a Best Of 80's to reconnect fans, release a classic like ATYCLB and go back to arenas to build the fan base, cut a monster like Vertigo, do the arenas again and presto -- this time you can release a flop like NLOTH and still have the biggest selling tour of all time.

They seemed poised to try that again, with the JT30 tour, that is, recharge the fan base and then release a new album while going back to arenas. But for reasons already mentioned it won't quite work that way this time around.

Without a monster album they won' be able to have a monster tour again.

I think a AB30 is highly unlikely.

I'm still amazed they didn't chose to tour stadiums with the sucess of BD...and bailed on US stadiums on Vertigo tour.

There was a long gap between Vertigo and NLOTH...people really think Vertigo sold 360 ? The Claw did.

And from the looks of it, (and predicted by some...), thanks to I/E tour and (Live Nation forced?) JT30 , U2 now has issues on US tour dates.

To the OP : no. U2 will quit as a unit, I don't believe any one of them will walk away solo. My guess is SOA tour might be a last full blown world tour. Past 60 I doubt they'd be up for 100+ dates juggernaut tours. I also expect AB30 in 2021.
 
I'm still amazed they didn't chose to tour stadiums with the sucess of BD...and bailed on US stadiums on Vertigo tour.

There was a long gap between Vertigo and NLOTH...people really think Vertigo sold 360 ? The Claw did.

And from the looks of it, (and predicted by some...), thanks to I/E tour and (Live Nation forced?) JT30 , U2 now has issues on US tour dates.

To the OP : no. U2 will quit as a unit, I don't believe any one of them will walk away solo. My guess is SOA tour might be a last full blown world tour. Past 60 I doubt they'd be up for 100+ dates juggernaut tours. I also expect AB30 in 2021.

If you look at the timeline of events, it's likely that they planned a stadium leg for Vertigo, but after Edge's daughter got sick it through everything for a loop.

The success of the two early 2000s albums absolutely aided the success of 360. The spectacular nature of the stage setup and the large availability of tickets at affordable rates certainly helped as well. The album itself was probably the least important part of the equation.
 
I'm still amazed they didn't chose to tour stadiums with the sucess of BD...and bailed on US stadiums on Vertigo tour.

There was a long gap between Vertigo and NLOTH...people really think Vertigo sold 360 ? The Claw did.

And from the looks of it, (and predicted by some...), thanks to I/E tour and (Live Nation forced?) JT30 , U2 now has issues on US tour dates.

I think the reason that they didn't do the stadiums was directly related to POPMART. They just weren't sure how things were going to go over while reapplying for the "best band in the world." Let's not forget, after the Rattle & Hum backlash and 5 years passing. They dipped their toes back into touring doing only arenas for AB, until they could gauge how it would be received, then they went to stadiums.

The "Claw" . . . yes, there is no question that the spectacle was a draw to an extent, but it would be just as erroneous to think that people only came to the show because of the stage in and of itself.

Finally, yeah they made it harder on themselves with so many tours in such a relatively short period of time, with no big hits to generate interest other than from the diehards.

You can never count U2 out (I don't), but they haven't had a big hit their last 3 albums and that will take something of a toll on concert attendance. Short of tours like JT30, it may be that we'll never see them play a stadium again. Now I balked at Henry Rollins writing them off as a stadium band after the POPMART flop, but now I am inclined to think that the time has come, outside of a farewell tour that is -- and let's be honest, AB30 would certainly be good cover for a farewell tour.
 
They can still play stadiums in many parts of Europe if they want to. The draw and demand is still there for them. I can see them easily selling out 3x Ullevi stadiums in Gothenburg, they havent been there since 360, if it was a known 'Farewell tour' that Elton John and Paul Simon is doing. Well then it would even be a mad rush for tickets. The demand here in Scandinavia is huge in general, both Royal Arena dates sold out in like 15-20 minutes when they went on general sale.

Other countries they can play stadiums:

Portugal
Italy
Netherlands
UK
Poland
Germany
Spain
Ireland of course
France
Slovakia or Czech republic
Croatia / Bosnia / Serbia
 
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Just now seeing this, doesn’t seem to have gained any traction with the fan accounts on Twitter.

Anyways, I think they take a break after EI and then do one last stadium tour.
 
Just now seeing this, doesn’t seem to have gained any traction with the fan accounts on Twitter.

Anyways, I think they take a break after EI and then do one last stadium tour.

Agreed. A farewell tour worldwide. A year or so long. After releasing SoA
 
Reading all this stuff makes me scared, because I only went to one concert. I know this is fake. :reject::lol:
 
If you look at the timeline of events, it's likely that they planned a stadium leg for Vertigo, but after Edge's daughter got sick it through everything for a loop.

That’s essentially right. They had the demand (and stage) to do a stadium leg in Fall ‘05. But because they’d cancelled gigs in the Spring leg to move the start later for Edge and Sian, they had indoor venues they owed gigs to in the Fall. Otherwise, it would have likely been in stadiums.
 
I :heart: that this thread, started as a throw away by an occasional user who hasn't checked in on it since day one, based on a completely unsubstantiated Facebook rumour, has now gone 14 pages, largely fuelled by arguing with a banned users two sock puppets.

Never change, Interference. Ever. :heart::heart::heart:
 
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(I CANNOT FUKIN POST THROU WORK NOW, fuckin defaults to reloggin in, bustards)

so finally can post a bit today, and before I saw this thread, I kid u all the fuk not, I imagined that if U2 were to be no more, I thought, 'bet cause Larry has had enough'.....................................





................THEN I saw this thread/post, I swear to fuk :ohmy:


so I guess it will happen, he strikes me as always fed up :D

remember how he was mad when someone ran on stage, but managed to multitask drumming/frown/pointing sticks/looking at Security/looking at fan all at once?

wharra guy! :applaud:
 
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remember how he was mad when someone ran on stage, but managed to multitask drumming/frown/pointing sticks/looking at Security/looking at fan all at once?

wharra guy! :applaud:

Like this video from PopMart in Edmonton. Skip to 24:05 to watch Larry's reaction as the cameraman settles in at the base of his kit. "You got your five songs, mate, now shove off." :lol: Surprised he waited that long, since the media usually only get to shoot the first three songs up close...
 
U2 success in selling tickets increased each tour as each album sold more than the previous album or sold about the same. Then POP was released and the band experienced a 50% decline in attendance throughout most markets in the United States. The band then went back to arenas on the Elevation tour which was sort of a rebuild phase for the bands popularity on the road. The Elevation tour did really well despite the huge increases in the price of certain tickets. The following Vertigo Tour was overwhelmingly successful and should have been booked in stadiums which would have soldout easily. 360 did amazing in the United States, but probably not as well as Vertigo would have done had it been booked in Stadiums.

Then as the Songs Of Innocence album was not received well, the band once again experience a shocking downturn in attendance in the United States. The most noticeable was in Denver Colorado. There were 79,000 in attendance on 360 in Denver for one show, but now U2 failed to sellout two shows in an arena and only combined for 28,000 in attendance for the two shows. 28,000 tickets is what the band sold for the Popmart show in Denver in 1997.

Other examples include only playing 5 shows at the forum arena in Los Angeles due to low ticket demand when they had planned to play 8. Chicago stopping at 5 when they had planned to play 6. San Jose having lower priced tickets still unsold weeks after they went on sale despite their only being 2 shows in that market.

Bottom line, with Songs Of Innocence, U2 returned to Popmart levels of demand in the United States. Unless U2 has another hit song or announce a last tour, ticket demand in the United States will likely stay at that reduced level.

Would love to take your word for this but too many big claims made without evidence.
 
I don't understand why people say things like this when they like the album. Why would you be happy for them to quit? If they make a good album, I hope they make more, not give it up. This attitude of "good job, now stop before you screw up" is baffling to me.

Agree with this. I still hold out hope that they make one final album that does not consider popular acclaim in its construction. A final love letter to us true fans.
 
Agree with this. I still hold out hope that they make one final album that does not consider popular acclaim in its construction. A final love letter to us true fans.

Ah, but WHICH fans?

The fans who love War?

Pop?

SOI?

Passengers even?

Hard to please all the fans.
 
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