U2 at the EMA'S???

[womanfish]

Actually, what speaks volumes is those who feel the need to respond to criticism of U2 with personal attacks and suggestions that fan cards be turned in. U2 is not your mother.





Indeed, there seems to be a certain subset of "fan" here that takes any criticism of U2 personally, and so responds in personal terms...the current favourite being "Maybe it's time for you to move on from U2". And as unnecessary as a comment like this is, it's better than the personal insults that are often dolled out by people who take any criticism of U2 a little too personally. There’s no reason to throw other fans under the bus just because you disagree on a frakking performance for frak’s sake. It's possible to disagree about U2 without taking it as a personal attack, no matter how personally you may feel about U2 and their music. We are all fans here.

Now with regards to the "genuineness" of Bono's theatricality and over the top emotionalism at certain times, we can all provide our own opinions and personal anecdotes on this matter, but given that he said post-360 that on many nights he was just going through the motions, I really don't think there's much to discuss here. He's an entertainer, part of his job is to deliver a performance whether he's really "feeling it" or just, you know, putting on a show. Which again, is his job.

It's the whole reason that while Edge has a fantastic voice, he's not out front leading the band. Imagine Larry!!! LOL.
Bono is one of the great frontmen in history. LIke I said before, he's a salesman by nature. I think he knows how much to give and when, and why more than any of us could understand.

You can't expect for him to be genuinely moved and reflect consistent emotion in every performance of each particular song. I'm sure there are times he has to put on a show just to get through that 127th time of doing the song on a night he feels like shit. I don't think that the EBW performance was one of those. But like I said, he knows what he needed to do for the venue and setting and he killed it.

I mean Perez freaking Hilton posted a glowing review on his gossip site. This is the same guy that only talks about the young and popular actors and musicians, and usually draws dicks on people's foreheads to make fun of them. But he thought the performance was amazing.

I think Bono did well.

 

[brooklynmike]

Absolutely.


Sent from my iPhone using U2 Interference

 

[RaisedByWolves]

This performance is stunningly beautiful!

 

[RaisedByWolves]

"Bono is one of the great frontmen in history. Like I said before, he's a salesman by nature."

but he's not going to buy just anyone's cockatoo!

 

[david]

I mean Perez freaking Hilton posted a glowing review on his gossip site. This is the same guy that only talks about the young and popular actors and musicians, and usually draws dicks on people's foreheads to make fun of them. But he thought the performance was amazing.

I think Bono did well.

Yep, that is the power of U2 and Bono. When they have the ability to even move someone who is known to draw dicks on people's foreheads you know they are doing something right.

 

[U2girl]

I think the skepticism about his passion is interesting.

Gotta love it. Twitter going off about U2's acoustic take on SFS on Graham Norton and EBW on MTV awards, and the chosen few moan how acoustic sucks or how it's all fake OTT from the singer.

 

[ozeeko]

Gotta love it. Twitter going off about U2's acoustic take on SFS on Graham Norton and EBW on MTV awards, and the chosen few moan how acoustic sucks or how it's all fake OTT from the singer.

Wow. People with minds of their own. How unheard of.

 

[Nick66]

Gotta love it. Twitter going off about U2's acoustic take on SFS on Graham Norton and EBW on MTV awards, and the chosen few moan how acoustic sucks or how it's all fake OTT from the singer.

Gotta love it. When Twitter was going off about how U2 raped their iPhone, they were all ungrateful idiots. Now they're our musical taste barometer.

Perish the thought that anyone should disagree with the Twitterverse (to say nothing of EYKIW) and make up their own mind.

 

[BVS]

It's one thing to "make up their own mind", everyone has opinions, some more viable than others.

But saying who is or who is not a true fan, is not an opinion.

Saying the emoting of a song is incorrect(or not genuine) because they somehow know the meaning of the song better than others even the writer himself, is not opinion.

So let's separate facts from opinions and opinions from pretensions.

 

[Nick66]

It's one thing to "make up their own mind", everyone has opinions, some more viable than others.

But saying who is or who is not a true fan, is not an opinion.

Saying the emoting of a song is incorrect(or not genuine) because they somehow know the meaning of the song better than others even the writer himself, is not opinion.

So let's separate facts from opinions and opinions from pretensions.

This, of course, goes without saying. But my comment was about how the credibility of the Twitterverse when it comes to U2 apparently shifts based on whether Interference agrees w/it.

That said, no one other than Bono and perhaps those close to him can say whether his "emoting" is genuine or showmanship (though most likely it's some combination thereof). Like observing any performer, we can only say what we think about that performance.

So if it seems to someone that Bono's "emoting" is not genuine, or that his performance is over the top, that's a critique of the performance that people can disagree with, just as they can disagree about any musicians performance, or actor for that matter. If someone doesn't think he's coming across as genuine, then to them he's not coming across as genuine. There's nothing to argue in that, BVS. Just as there's nothing to argue if you think he does come across as genuine. All that is, in fact, opinion.

Now, to the extent anyone said they knew for a fact what Bono was and was not feeling in any given moment (and granted, we get a lot of people telling us they know what the band is thinking and doing here) then yes, that would be incorrect. Did someone do that in this instance?

As for the whole "true fan/not true fan" thing, that's a game 6th graders play...or those with the mentality thereof.

 

[Moser]

If you didn't like this performance, you're "not trying hard enough"

Joking aside, U2 was out on a mission to connect with young audiences with that killer moment.

 

[Hewson]

Joking aside, U2 was out on a mission to connect with young audiences with that killer moment.

I don't see that as a style that will connect with young audiences.

 

[BVS]

This, of course, goes without saying. But my comment was about how the credibility of the Twitterverse when it comes to U2 apparently shifts based on whether Interference agrees w/it.

That said, no one other than Bono and perhaps those close to him can say whether his "emoting" is genuine or showmanship (though most likely it's some combination thereof). Like observing any performer, we can only say what we think about that performance.

So if it seems to someone that Bono's "emoting" is not genuine, or that his performance is over the top, that's a critique of the performance that people can disagree with, just as they can disagree about any musicians performance, or actor for that matter. If someone doesn't think he's coming across as genuine, then to them he's not coming across as genuine. There's nothing to argue in that, BVS. Just as there's nothing to argue if you think he does come across as genuine. All that is, in fact, opinion.

Now, to the extent anyone said they knew for a fact what Bono was and was not feeling in any given moment (and granted, we get a lot of people telling us they know what the band is thinking and doing here) then yes, that would be incorrect. Did someone do that in this instance?

As for the whole "true fan/not true fan" thing, that's a game 6th graders play...or those with the mentality thereof.

You probably need to read the WHOLE thread.


Sent from my iPhone using U2 Interference

 

[gvox]

Sent from my ass crack

 

[Hollow Island]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bnYF5O91EfM

This was their best EMA performance so far imo.

"Looking for to save my, save my soul!!"

Maybe their best TV performance. Totally fucking badass. Badass U2, RIP.

Adam's playing is great; the chill groove plays against the chorus so well. Amazing dynamics.

So much confidence, and raw emotion that they didn't need a press campaign to sell it.

As much as I love Iris, MOFO is more powerful lyrically.

 

[Hollow Island]

So if it seems to someone that Bono's "emoting" is not genuine, or that his performance is over the top, that's a critique of the performance that people can disagree with, just as they can disagree about any musicians performance, or actor for that matter. If someone doesn't think he's coming across as genuine, then to them he's not coming across as genuine. There's nothing to argue in that, BVS. Just as there's nothing to argue if you think he does come across as genuine. All that is, in fact, opinion.

Singers are performers. We tend to forget that since it's so common for them to write their own lyrics, and the confessional rock singer stereotype is so common that we often cannot separate the singer from the song. If a singer seems insincere then it's a bad performance. If they can't convince you that they feel what they're singing then they fail at their job. Here's a consummate salesman.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7cSAKlu0OlU

I think the more "intense" Bono gets the less he sells the song. I really like the EBW acoustic arrangement, but sometimes it seems overwrought, and it's not as convincing as the LP version.

 

[Aygo]

i think it's more like the incessant whining just gets a bit tedious sometimes, i mean, everybody knows how you feel already - you seriously don't need to keep banging the point home just to get some attention

Girl, I don't need attention. But maybe a different opinion from the blindsheeping massive critique stands out and maybe that's why you think that.

 

[Aygo]

You not being a Kite lover is reason enough to disregard your opinion on emotion.

And using the fact that EBW was being worked on back during NLOTH to justify the fact that it somehow doesn't fit on SOI and then somehow diminishes the emotion that Bono feels for it is ludicrous. I'm sure there are dozens of songs left over from every batch of work they do. It takes in new direction and life and comes to the fore once it's ready.
It was more than obvious that it was NOT ready to have it on NLOTH. The performances of it were really rough- it was a song with strong verses that died every time it got to a point where a chorus should be.

And just because SOI has songs about their youth doesn't mean it's out of place. The Troubles is maybe the best song on the album, but doesn't fit that mold.

EBW is definitely more open ended and nebulous in its meaning, I would say this goes for many of the bands biggest and most beloved hits. One, WOWY, ISHFWILF for example.

I think it's obvious at this point that this song is important to them and they believe in it. I balance the showman Bono with the true emotional Bono and of course both were present at the mtv performance. I think he knew a lot rode on that performance. He came out swinging and I think, got swept up in the momentum of it. I think it was strong and beautiful and was a stark statement that a band, now named the longest running signed band of all time, can play to the same audience that came to see Nikki manaj and they killed.

Seriously?!

It's more than obvious... For you. I can't perfectly picture a full band "Every Breaking Wave" based on the 360º stripped performances (in fact there's a fan made version around there). And I'm not gonna argue any more about the "need a strong chorus" argument, which is flat, in my opinion.

 

[Aygo]

This whole stripping everything back plan seems kind of the wrong time to me, especially since most of the songs on the album are anything but stripped back, and all the better for it. They have so many fun, electric, upbeat and creative songs to jam out to, I don't know why they'd all of a sudden switch lanes and go unplugged.

This.
That's what I feel about going acoustic now, in this context, with an album with this sort of background (and soundscapes).
I would've understand better and unplugged approch with NLOTH, recalling those videos with the songwritting process in Morocco, where everything sounds pretty stripped and laid back. I remember watching on Youtube a brazilian band that used to play U2 songs making acoustic covers of most NLOTH and it just sounded awesome.
In fact, I always had the feeling that NLOTH was an album to be played not in stadiums with megalomaniac stages, but in smaller places and eventually stripped down... As they're doing now with an album that asks everything but an acoustic strip tease. Feels like they're doing things in the reversed way.

 

[Bad Exit]

This.
That's what I feel about going acoustic now, in this context, with an album with this sort of background (and soundscapes).
I would've understand better and unplugged approch with NLOTH, recalling those videos with the songwritting process in Morocco, where everything sounds pretty stripped and laid back. I remember watching on Youtube a brazilian band that used to play U2 songs making acoustic covers of most NLOTH and it just sounded awesome.
In fact, I always had the feeling that NLOTH was an album to be played not in stadiums with megalomaniac stages, but in smaller places and eventually stripped down... As they're doing now with an album that asks everything but an acoustic strip tease. Feels like they're doing things in the reversed way.

I'm not a fan of acoustic, though I like this EBW version.
So, probably you're right.

But the important thing here is: IT'S WORKING.
Some people obviously doesn't like it, but apparently the majority is loving it. So, either if you're right or wrong, I don't think there's going back.

This version is staying AND this choice was not a mistake.

 

[Aygo]

Hold up guys. Let's tone down the hyperbole on both sides. Telling a lifelong superfan they should move on to another band is a bit much. Ozeeko was stating an opinion on ONE performance. While I don't agree, he is entitled to that and it doesn't take away from the fact that I liked it.
I think one thing that the critics of this performance need to remember is that this was for a televised MTV performance being seen by 95% non U2 fans. Bono is nothing if not a salesman. Most performers there are worried about lipsyncing while getting their dance moves right. Others are effortless crooners like Sam smith.
Bono knew that a heart on your sleeve, from the guts performance was the way to go right now. And from the general media response it worked!
This is most likely not how the song will be on tour. He doesn't need to sell us.

So, you're saying I was right. Bono that whole pseudo-heartfelt emotion... Is - as I felt - somehow calculated and, thus, not real, not spontaneous, not as in the examples I pointed out.

 

[Aygo]

This version is staying AND this choice was not a mistake.

What makes it a mistake? The fact that people are liking it, thus, paying more attention to U2 and the album and consequently buy more albums/show tickets?
The mistake to me was to transform an average song - an outtake - into a still-average but "we desperately need a hit" song and including it on an album in which it doesn't fit and, then, making a boring piano/orchestral version plenty of a fake emotion that the lyrics do not ask for.
That's not how I see things, but that's okay.

 

[Aygo]

Saying the emoting of a song is incorrect(or not genuine) because they somehow know the meaning of the song better than others even the writer himself, is not opinion.

So let's separate facts from opinions and opinions from pretensions.

Oh so now it's up to you to decide what is an opinion and what is not. So, if the opinion is on your side is considered an opinion, if one writes differently from you (ex: I think there may have been some uncounscious calculism in that eventual huge emotion in the MTV performance) that's not considered an opinion, but pretensions instead. LOL

 

[Bad Exit]

(They) transform(ed) an average song - an outtake - into a still-average but "we desperately need a hit" song

that people are liking it, thus, paying more attention to U2 and the album

---

On one hand, they have people (finally) talking good things about their music, even people who never have liked them before and the media praising them for the decision, thus encouraging to keep playing the acoustic emotional version.

On the other, some of their fans don't feel confortable (or plainly hate) the acoustic version of their song and the fact that he's too emotional while singing it, and would rather hear the full band version instead.

They have to make a decision on which version to play.

I think the decision has already been made, and I think that they've made the right decision. (And I like the full band version better).

 

[gvox]

Ay, go


Sent from my ass crack

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

Go, ay

 

[gvox]

Ay


Sent from my ass crack

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

Go

 

[womanfish]

So, you're saying I was right. Bono that whole pseudo-heartfelt emotion... Is - as I felt - somehow calculated and, thus, not real, not spontaneous, not as in the examples I pointed out.

Your reading comprehension is not great.
Like I've said in past posts. Bono is a performer. He is an artist. He has been doing this for 40 years. Each performance is going to be approached in a different way. The job of every front man, or solo artist is to sell that work, that song, to the audience. Doesn't matter if you are little weekend bar band, or the biggest band in the world. This in no way means what they do is not sincere and genuine.

As I said before, Bono knew that this was an important performance. He knew he had to reach down and really feel the song and bring that out in the performance. Put it all out there. Just because he might think about the delivery and performance beforehand by no means that it equals a "calculated" thing.

I used to be a singer for a little band. I would think about how I would deliver every song, and it changed on the venue for sure. But while I was singing, the emotion comes and you kind of lose yourself in it.

If you want to imagine that you are right and it was all fake. Then that's ok. I'm not faulting you for not liking one performance. no big deal. But I'm just trying to bring some perspective.

 

[Earnie Shavers]

O
Interesting take on 'Every Breaking Wave', but it seems to be about a man with two lovers. He is contemplating leaving his long term lover for another woman, but in the end decides to stay with his long term lover. It's gut wrenching because he is in love with both of them, and has to let one of them go. The conversation he is having is with the other woman: "Every dog on the street knows we're in love with defeat," is him telling her they are in love with each other out of giving into defeat with their long term relationships (the easy way out), and him asking her, "Are we ready to be swept off our feet and stop chasing every breaking wave?" is him saying are we ready to be swept off our feet with the our long term relationships and finally accept our responsibilities? When I first heard these lines, I thought it was in reference to each other, but it's actually in reference to the other two (the long term lovers of the two having this conversation) IMO.

Agree with this. It's also likely why he's dodged the question on (at least) two occasions now.