I don't think there's much U2 can do about their last decade. Whether or not you think it is good quality is of course subjective, but its certainly not exciting in a 'new' or interesting way that would attract new, younger listeners who are looking for exactly that, and getting it in spades elsewhere. That a lot of people of a certain age or demographic think the U2 of Beautiful Day/Elevation/Vertigo/Boots is far more along the Bon Jovi end of the scale rather than the, say, Arcade Fire end of the scale is totally understandable IMO.
I think the shame is that it's blocked out a lot of their back catalogue from fresh discovery. Most of the people who say they hate U2, call them the most over-rated band ever, say they're boring etc, would only know the 00s singles + U218. You know they're not saying that having heard, say, Achtung Baby end to end. And a lot of the U218 end of it is so drilled in now it would be hard to hear it with fresh ears. I mean, the opening three of Joshua Tree would just be 'classic rock' to so many.
I’ve become pretty good friends here with a guy here who is a lot younger than me - me 32, he 25 - big music buff, but a musical generation behind me. I'm a teenager of the 90s, he's a teenager of the 00s. We'd had a few nights basically doing nothing but drinking (a lot) and a lot of listening to and talking music, and it was on only maybe the third time that I dropped some U2 love into the conversation. I would say his reaction was more of being a bit stunned than anything else. "U2? The U2?" Definitely more confused than mocking or snarky. What on earth has U2 done of any interest, right? Why would someone who likes all this good stuff like U2? Played him a few songs I thought would be up his alley, and a lot of it really surprised him. Whether it was the Unforgettable Fire or Lemon or I Will Follow, he was genuinely really wide eyed about it all. I wouldn’t say he was converted into a fan, but there are about 10 U2 tracks he now loves, and more to the point, he had absolutely no idea that there was anything to U2 beyond fairly dry stadium rock. Simple songs like Ground Beneath Her Feet got a genuinely surprised “This is U2? Seriously?”
So to ever think these opinions will change, there's a lot of learning to be done, and if U2 can pull off something amazing here, that will be one hell of an introductory lesson for many. It will be an opportunity to hear the U218 end of their catalogue with fresh ears, and if they pick the rest of the set right, it might give people the impression that, actually, there might be a bit more to them than 80s mid-tempo classic stadium rock and 00s desperate rock jingles.