Toward the end of Kot's interview with Bono, he mentioned how U2 initiated a week long debate in Chicago about music's place in the world. This got me to be thinking about how only U2 could spark something like this. They're the only band where arty, indie and non-mainstream songwriting sensibilities merge with marketing, mass communication and more mainstream songwriting sensibilities. I think this phenomenon, that only U2 encapsulates, makes them the most relevant band in the world, still. U2 are the place where Radiohead, Coldplay, P Diddy, Springsteen, and Jay Z fans etc. all come to talk to figure out the good and bad of current music because elements of it all can be found in U2's catalog of music, including their current stuff.