Letterman's audience - filled with paid "fans"?

The friendliest place on the web for anyone that follows U2.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
See posts with no answers
I was at the 2nd taping on Monday and I can attest...the CBS pages implore you to clap to the beat of Paul Shaffer's band, laugh out loud and often whenever Dave says anything, and no standing ovations.

After watching Wednesday and Thursdays shows and seeing how the crowd was on their feet so much, I felt bad we didn't get to exhibit the same exuberance, but I know I wasn't going to risk getting tossed!

So to the OP, no, the audience wasn't filled with paid "fans".
 
It's funny how every few days or so, some new person with a cynical idea about U2 will start a new thread trying to shoot down the enthusiasm. They want to spread doubt among the U2 faithful. They have a few little posts here and there and all with pretty much the same theme. I sometimes wonder if it is the SAME person creating new accounts and then starting a new thread....maybe someone from Pitchfork...hahaha. :hmm:
 
chlorinedream said:
This is just a suspicion on my part. But after watching the Beautiful Day performance I find it hard to believe that every single person in Letterman's audience would be on their feet and clapping (and instantly rise up when Bono tells them to). Of course, U2 has a vested interest in this week-long stint appearing successful. I wonder if they would stoop to filling the audience with paid shills ala Michael Jackson? Something seems fishy to me.
Click to expand...


Even if you're not a particular fan of a band, it's kinda hard to sit around with a :grumpy: attitude when there's blasting live rock music and an enthusiastic crowd. I've seen some crazy theories posted on Interference, but this one's kinda out there...
 
Trust me when I say that this band has built up such a massive Fan Base over the 30 yrs that they have been around with Great Songs, Great Albums, Great Marketing, signing for fans, etc....that Letterman did not have to pay anyone to come see them, in fact I would like to know if Letterman's ratings spiked this week because of their appearances.
 
chlorinedream said:
This is just a suspicion on my part. But after watching the Beautiful Day performance I find it hard to believe that every single person in Letterman's audience would be on their feet and clapping (and instantly rise up when Bono tells them to). Of course, U2 has a vested interest in this week-long stint appearing successful. I wonder if they would stoop to filling the audience with paid shills ala Michael Jackson? Something seems fishy to me.
Click to expand...

Well I was going to be paid to go to Letterman but the NY Knicks offered me more money to be in their audience.Cant pass up seeing Larry at half time.
 
I interned at Late Night a few years ago.

Trust me, they don't care one bit what the reaction is to guests.

They want you be in to "Dave" and the bits, and the Late Show band.

They're not the least bit worried about creating hoopla for the guests. That is their job.
 
lovezeuser said:
But, the couple next to me were warned that they had a high profile and needed to smile more often or they would be moved to the back.
Click to expand...

Did they smile more or move???

I thought the whole "fan" thing looked a bit odd myself. Everyone had to be SO restrained but they were bopping up and down in their seats in unison...weird (not your fault). It looked a bit ridiculous...until Bono gave everyone the "okay" to get up. Why did they do that to you? They said they wanted energy, didn't they?
 
nadie said:
Uh huh, I'm sure they would pay for fake fans to come and pretend to be excited, when they could fill the entire audience with real fans who would gladly pay for the opportunity.
Click to expand...

Didn't you hear? U2 doesn't have fans anymore. NLOTH was their doom. It's only going to sell 450,000 this week.

The question on everyone's mind should not be whether the crowd is being paid off or not, but if Bono is OK. :sad:
 
LemonMelon said:
Didn't you hear? U2 doesn't have fans anymore. NLOTH was their doom. It's only going to sell 450,000 this week.

The question on everyone's mind should not be whether the crowd is being paid off or not, but if Bono is OK. :sad:
Click to expand...

:up:

he seemed like he was ok during the show, but maybe he was paid to act happy. the band surely has to be considering cancelling their tour and retiring immediately considering they only sold 450,000 copies this week.
 
I sorta of see your point, in beautiful day when he says stand up, the front row which is full of normal looking people fly up as if there some 12 yr old rockers lol, just looked a bit odd, but from what the rest say, its not true.
 
believer75 said:
It's funny how every few days or so, some new person with a cynical idea about U2 will start a new thread trying to shoot down the enthusiasm. They want to spread doubt among the U2 faithful. They have a few little posts here and there and all with pretty much the same theme. I sometimes wonder if it is the SAME person creating new accounts and then starting a new thread....maybe someone from Pitchfork...hahaha. :hmm:
Click to expand...

And it's usually a newbie with a very low post count! :lol:
 
I have a low post count. But U2 newbie I am not.

What I am wondering is how such a ridiculous thread as this has spanned 4 freaking pages.
 
Hawkmoon72 said:
I have a low post count. But U2 newbie I am not.

What I am wondering is how such a ridiculous thread as this has spanned 4 freaking pages.
Click to expand...

You've seen nothing...
Things go a lot worse than four pages usually.
 
Clean187 said:
I interned at Late Night a few years ago.

Trust me, they don't care one bit what the reaction is to guests.

They want you be in to "Dave" and the bits, and the Late Show band.

They're not the least bit worried about creating hoopla for the guests. That is their job.
Click to expand...

Cool! So what's Letterman really like?

mikal said:
:up:

he seemed like he was ok during the show, but maybe he was paid to act happy.
Click to expand...

No, silly! He was happy because the staff ordered him to be happy. Duh. :wink:
 
SexyBootsU2 said:
I sorta of see your point, in beautiful day when he says stand up, the front row which is full of normal looking people fly up as if there some 12 yr old rockers lol, just looked a bit odd, but from what the rest say, its not true.
Click to expand...

i was in the front row there, and i think we were all itching to stand up from the beginning but didnt want to piss off the letterman people. but once bono signaled for us to stand up, we got up pretty quickly, obviously :wink:
 
Its amazing how people on this forum make up shit that doesnt even exist...and over think things. This is the biggest band in the world in general terms I think 400 people would be really excited to see them up close no matter what they played and Beautiful Day is probably the most popular song theyve wrote this decade.
 
I'm sure some acts are so lame that the stagehands encourage people to at least clap after the song to avoid embarrassing bored audience moments, but I doubt U2 is one of those acts!

The fact that their appearances were publicized well in advance means there probably was a very large contingent of people in line for the shows who were specifically there to see U2 and were very excited about it - unlike most nights, in which tourists queuing-up are just there for the show and don't much care or know who's going to be on that night.
 
Look you gotta be crazy to go to a taping of that show anyway, so you add those crazies to the U2 crazies, and you get an audience full of crazies. No payoffs required.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

N
  • Locked
NBA 2022-23 Thread
46 47 48
Replies
1K
Views
47K
U2inUtah
U2inUtah
A
The little stranger chapter 12
Replies
0
Views
771
annj
A
A
The little stranger Chapter 5
Replies
0
Views
717
annj
A
MrsSpringsteen
Eliza Dushku OpEd
Replies
1
Views
790
Moonlit_Angel
Moonlit_Angel
N
Best Live Track Survivor - Intro, Rules & Discussion
Replies
1
Views
714
Hewson
Hewson

Latest posts

Back
Top Bottom