U2 to Perform First Concerts at MSG Sphere in Las Vegas
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dan_smee
ONE love, blood, life
ascender_RS
Refugee
I think the best way to honour the spirit of Larry in these shows will be to just have a 90 minute loop of him looking disapproving on the video wall. Nothing else. Just him.
ascender_RS
Refugee
look - we've all dealt with this over the past, oh, two decades or so. probably longer for those who are older.
there were fans who sat down in the middle of a concert because they didn't get to be on the rail for the millionth time.
there are fans who set up hidden GA lists, allowing their friends and those "in the know" to get the first dibs at the best spots before making it public... IF they ever make it public.
there were fans freaking out that somehow they weren't hand delivered tickets to Bono's Reading Rainbow shows and had to try the ticketmaster route for 3,000 seat venues with the unwashed masses.
nothing about the reaction in some quarters - as exhausting as it may be- should be surprising, unfortunately.
We have a BINGO
ascender_RS
Refugee
So what is the deal with these unofficial/secret GA lists? I've heard mention of them a few times on here and on the Zootopia forum in the last couple of days.
The entitled attitude of some fans, who seem to police the behaviour of other fans on groups and forums - I've seen them many times over the years obviously,
The entitled attitude of some fans, who seem to police the behaviour of other fans on groups and forums - I've seen them many times over the years obviously,
It's improved over the years... partly because it's not as important to line up early as it was on Elevation or Vertigo.
But it's still an issue.
I'll just speak to the line here in DC. It was set up on Friday for a Sunday show. There were at least a dozen people outside the arena, and more on the "list" because they "agreed to be line leaders," even though they were literally attending another show at the time (and, ya know, only people who KNEW that this was happening could even ask to be line leaders - leaving out, oh, 99% of GA ticket holders).
They got very cranky when I hopped on their Facebook page and told everyone that the line has already started. Crankier when I added photographic proof.
It made me smile all weekend.
The past part of the whole thing was that when I walked into the arena 20 minutes before showtime on Sunday I ended up standing right behind one of the line leaders who went through this whole rigamarole all weekend long.
trevgreg
Rock n' Roll Doggie
Nothing else to add, as this is accurate. And even if Larry was playing, many people would be complaining about something else... maybe the "nostalgia" aspect or "selling out" in Vegas, etc. It's a unique situation here, sure. But the fanbase will never be 100 percent happy, like any other one out there.
they don't need the pop kids, either.
and you glorify the past when the future dries up.
Hollow Island
New Yorker
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Oh nothing should be surprising about fans of a band that's said "there's no u2 without the four of us, the magic is in the combination of the four of us" countless times - including in the singer's recent book - being cynical about the motivations of a band who suddenly back track on that idea in the face of a massive paycheque.
It follows that if the magic is in the four of them then the magic will not be there when they're asking people to pay what will likely be an astronomical sum to see a second rate incarnation of U2 celebrate their best album. That's according to their math, btw.
Then there's the issue of them celebrating what most fans seem to think is their best album in a way that's inaccessible to the vast majority of their fanbase. Ticket cost will be enough of a barrier, but then add travel costs and the time required...they can talk about how much they love their audience, but what they really love is the money that the audience gives them. I have the time and money to go, but most of the bottomless pit of money...sorry, the audience, isn't privileged enough to attend this exclusive celebration of their crowning achievement. It's an interesting move from what was once a band of the people. I look forward to Bono talking about how it's actually punk rock if any journalist has the balls to actually ask him tough questions.
It shouldn't be surprising to see so many in dead fan forum parrot the pr of a band of master pr men but it is, only because so many fans are willing to memory hole the band's ethos at the behest of the band. Actually it's not surprising at all given that more than a few people here parrot the Edge's bullshit line about SOS being older men reimagining the songs of youth despite the fact that a quarter of the album was written and recorded by, ahem, men of a certain age.
What I don't get is why they don't just use percussion backing tracks. They use them for everything else, so why not go drummerless? Such a move could even be tied into Zoo.com or whatever, if that's what they're doing. It could be a comment on automation or AI or something.
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I think the AB set for this venue is pretty cool and hope it plays amazingly.
The sadness for me is doing it without Larry. And yes, this happens for all bands and it’s not that Larry is done with U2 because of creative differences, but due to wear and tear of smashing things for 50+ years of his life.
If this was a world tour and he was out for the entire thing, I’d be more depressed.
This is more me holding on to U2 always being together.
DaveC
Blue Crack Addict
the iTunes debacle!
trevgreg
Rock n' Roll Doggie
Oh, for sure. There's certainly something big that's going to be missing here and that will make it different. Like others pointed out, we've been really lucky in that respect, and there's bands out there that just flat out couldn't make it that long or lost someone unexpectedly. So hopefully this will be a brief deal, with some fantastic shows, and Larry back in the thick of it in no time.
pacemaker
Refugee
Guys, Larry played bass on the intro to Zooropa. He’ll be there to get his “bawwwn… ba-bawn BAAWWNN” on.
And to sing Dirty Old Town(?) during the SOS b-stage set.
And to sing Dirty Old Town(?) during the SOS b-stage set.
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Don't know if it's been brought up, but my take on this is that it's not about whatever "kill fee" or other financial hit the band might take by not doing the shows.
When someone like U2 signs a contract -- which I can't imagine they did at the outset with the expectation that one of them would be too hurt to fulfill it, they'd be in a legal nightmare if there was any evidence the Sphere folks paid for "U2" at a time when the band knew they weren't going to deliver all 4 of them -- hundreds if not thousands of people we never hear of are hired. Materials are manufactured and purchased, with countless businesses making a huge portion (if not all) of their annual income from the expected work (and thus all of the salaries at those businesses, and then the businesses those people spend that money at, etc.).
If U2 pulls out of something, the downstream cost to people and businesses -- in this case many of those jobs and businesses in a town not known for economic stability -- is immeasurable.
Put that way, I'd be surprised if Larry wasn't the first person to say "get someone in my seat" when he realized he couldn't play, and fought the other 3 to come around to his side. Do you think someone as self-aware as Bono would allow his memoir to be published with so much talk about the special magic of the 4 of them if he knew at the time his bandmate wasn't going to be able to perform?
This isn't to say anyone can't feel (or not feel) any particular way about going to see a "U2" show without the founder in his seat. I'm taking a particularly optimistic view of how this came about, because I want to believe the best in them, and frankly most of the "reasons" thrown about just don't paint a picture of them that jibes with what I've seen over the decades. That could be totally different for far more die-hard fans than I am; this is just me.
I mean, ZooTV in Sydney is my favorite of their concert video releases, and a ton of the shots of Adam (and bass audio) is actually Stu, from the previous night when Adam couldn't play. It doesn't diminish it for me, in a way it's just a part of their story.
Maybe that's what's hitting everyone so hard. Vegas is going to be another chapter in their story, but we all know that Story doesn't have very many chapters left. We all really want them to end on a high note, as the best version of themselves, and playing without Larry really doesn't feel like a high note. Maybe it'll feel different in 20 years, when it's just another chapter towards the end of their story, something to ruefully laugh about like opening Popmart in Vegas (there's a dodgy parallel). Maybe not.
When someone like U2 signs a contract -- which I can't imagine they did at the outset with the expectation that one of them would be too hurt to fulfill it, they'd be in a legal nightmare if there was any evidence the Sphere folks paid for "U2" at a time when the band knew they weren't going to deliver all 4 of them -- hundreds if not thousands of people we never hear of are hired. Materials are manufactured and purchased, with countless businesses making a huge portion (if not all) of their annual income from the expected work (and thus all of the salaries at those businesses, and then the businesses those people spend that money at, etc.).
If U2 pulls out of something, the downstream cost to people and businesses -- in this case many of those jobs and businesses in a town not known for economic stability -- is immeasurable.
Put that way, I'd be surprised if Larry wasn't the first person to say "get someone in my seat" when he realized he couldn't play, and fought the other 3 to come around to his side. Do you think someone as self-aware as Bono would allow his memoir to be published with so much talk about the special magic of the 4 of them if he knew at the time his bandmate wasn't going to be able to perform?
This isn't to say anyone can't feel (or not feel) any particular way about going to see a "U2" show without the founder in his seat. I'm taking a particularly optimistic view of how this came about, because I want to believe the best in them, and frankly most of the "reasons" thrown about just don't paint a picture of them that jibes with what I've seen over the decades. That could be totally different for far more die-hard fans than I am; this is just me.
I mean, ZooTV in Sydney is my favorite of their concert video releases, and a ton of the shots of Adam (and bass audio) is actually Stu, from the previous night when Adam couldn't play. It doesn't diminish it for me, in a way it's just a part of their story.
Maybe that's what's hitting everyone so hard. Vegas is going to be another chapter in their story, but we all know that Story doesn't have very many chapters left. We all really want them to end on a high note, as the best version of themselves, and playing without Larry really doesn't feel like a high note. Maybe it'll feel different in 20 years, when it's just another chapter towards the end of their story, something to ruefully laugh about like opening Popmart in Vegas (there's a dodgy parallel). Maybe not.
When Larry takes the stage in Las Vegas with his glockenspiel, people are going to go nuts
If I have a criticism of the band over this whole thing it's that none of them have publicly spoken about what is obviously a sensitive topic amongst the fan base.
I have to imagine that's coming, and probably soon - but you'd think there would be a Rolling Stone or Variety or whatever article featuring interviews with everyone by now.
The silence only adds to the hysteria.
I have to imagine that's coming, and probably soon - but you'd think there would be a Rolling Stone or Variety or whatever article featuring interviews with everyone by now.
The silence only adds to the hysteria.
Irvine511
Blue Crack Supplier
It really does seem like no one has managed the band for the past 10 years.
So many bad decisions.
david
ONE love, blood, life
I hope the band doesn’t get stuck in the sphere.
david
ONE love, blood, life
ascender_RS
Refugee
Exactly.
They've also had two chances to get this right but even after messing it up the first time, where the interviewer had to release some other comments to try and calm the craziness down, they've chosen not to do anything differently this time.
It is what it is, but does make you wonder who's running/advising their PR strategy.
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