That's pretty much how I feel about the situation.
I think if U2 revolutionized anything it's how to do live shows. I mean, ZooTV really was a game-changer. Even Mick Jagger stole Bono's elevator entrance to the stage.
Maybe it's just that I live in NY, but even back in my homeland and when I was away at school, U2 is just not a band people talk about in depth when it comes to music, unless you happen to run into diehards. Now this is just my experience, it may be shocking to some. But rarely have I found people who can open up and talk about U2 aside from my own friends who have similar tastes (we also love old school genesis with a passion). Look, it's snotty and elitist perhaps, but how many times in your life has someone taken you aside and been like "I gotta show you this record, man! It's U2!"
U2 are the band that everyone likes, at least a little bit. And everyone knows they're huge, cuz they're fucking everywhere all the time, at least every few years. Bono's in like every single documentary about music, not to mention being the super celebrity philanthropist he is. But does the music itself get fair recognition. Does the music outside their most well known hits get recognition? That's all I'm saying. For the record, I think they're a swell band.