why the band would call it quits

[allbecauseofu2]

despite these rumors, i believe that theres only one way i would believe they would just retire out of nowhere. I think that, due to the ego of the band, they might retire if a album/demand for tour was poor. Let me list some things that i can't see u2 ever doing or agreeing to do by force.

I'm in the us, so i'm going by how numbers work in the us.
Lets say they had a album that peaked at like, 56 on the charts, sold like 150,000 copys and then disappeared . complete flop. Their are bands that do certain things when they haven't had a hit in years.

1. play outdoor theaters in a package tour with other groups in a effort to sell tickets. Like most 80's hair metal bands, old pop acts, etc. Summer concert series presented by some lame ass sponsor. Or, if they do play bigger venues, must have a hot band as opening or co headliner.

2.Because no one cares about new music from old bands, they play 2,3 songs from new album, and then all old hits. No deep cuts, or rare songs, nothing. Nostalgia shows.

3.Because the band has nothing going on, they play a old, classic album in its entirety. Sometimes they do this even if they just put out a album. Like judas priest just release a double cd concept album, and midway through the tour they decide to play a old album in its entirety. Wow, way to push the new stuff.

4.Play only one era of your music. Like how iron maiden plays these tours that are recreations of tours from the 80's.

5. Play your new album in its entirety to spite your fanbase that only wanna hear the old stuff. Like what iron maiden did before said 80s tour. And they play a few old hits after everyone has fallen asleep while they played the new album.

6. Play whatever you want. Not because you want to or have to, but because no one cares and you only have ultra hardcore fans attending the shows. Like the dead or the cure, or pearl jam, who have cult fan bases who accept whatever they play. At some 5,000 or less seater.

I'm sure theirs some other gimmicky stuff that i am forgetting , but basically if u2 is ever in these siturations after a flop album, I would believe that it could lead to them retiring. i think they couldn't function in that environment. They can;t be told they are irrelevant. If they were told, that they had do one of the following things i listed above, goodnight. lol. No way is u2 doing that shit. Imagine u2 doing a recreation of the joshua tree tour, with no stage set and just the big tree thing in the background. Playing only 80's songs. I can;t see them ever doing that. That would mean they didn't matter anymore.

 

[BVS]

They will quit because the setlist bitching will finally lead Adam and Larry to blows, Edge to drinking, Bono to develop agoraphobia, and Paul to manage Britney Spears.

 

[Max_theHitman]

They will quite when Bono become "Bald"

 

[zooropop40]

despite these rumors, i believe that theres only one way i would believe they would just retire out of nowhere. I think that, due to the ego of the band, they might retire if a album/demand for tour was poor. Let me list some things that i can't see u2 ever doing or agreeing to do by force.

I'm in the us, so i'm going by how numbers work in the us.
Lets say they had a album that peaked at like, 56 on the charts, sold like 150,000 copys and then disappeared . complete flop. Their are bands that do certain things when they haven't had a hit in years.

If U2's album didnt sell... they WOULD NOT call it quits. They would try again with a new sound to appeal to the new generation.

This would mean hip-hop and rap U2. Heavy metal U2. and perhaps a more Jonas-brothers like U2.
If they did not sell their record, they would conform to whatever style is selling. If anyone would choose to break up U2, I think it would be Larry.

Lets hope this never happens.

and hopefully when the time comes, they will quit like "Seinfeld" ... stop before you get bad, and go out with a bang.

 

[Rob33]

despite these rumors, i believe that theres only one way i would believe they would just retire out of nowhere. I think that, due to the ego of the band, they might retire if a album/demand for tour was poor. Let me list some things that i can't see u2 ever doing or agreeing to do by force.

I'm in the us, so i'm going by how numbers work in the us.
Lets say they had a album that peaked at like, 56 on the charts, sold like 150,000 copys and then disappeared . complete flop. Their are bands that do certain things when they haven't had a hit in years.

1. play outdoor theaters in a package tour with other groups in a effort to sell tickets. Like most 80's hair metal bands, old pop acts, etc. Summer concert series presented by some lame ass sponsor. Or, if they do play bigger venues, must have a hot band as opening or co headliner.

2.Because no one cares about new music from old bands, they play 2,3 songs from new album, and then all old hits. No deep cuts, or rare songs, nothing. Nostalgia shows.

3.Because the band has nothing going on, they play a old, classic album in its entirety. Sometimes they do this even if they just put out a album. Like judas priest just release a double cd concept album, and midway through the tour they decide to play a old album in its entirety. Wow, way to push the new stuff.

4.Play only one era of your music. Like how iron maiden plays these tours that are recreations of tours from the 80's.

5. Play your new album in its entirety to spite your fanbase that only wanna hear the old stuff. Like what iron maiden did before said 80s tour. And they play a few old hits after everyone has fallen asleep while they played the new album.

6. Play whatever you want. Not because you want to or have to, but because no one cares and you only have ultra hardcore fans attending the shows. Like the dead or the cure, or pearl jam, who have cult fan bases who accept whatever they play. At some 5,000 or less seater.

I'm sure theirs some other gimmicky stuff that i am forgetting , but basically if u2 is ever in these siturations after a flop album, I would believe that it could lead to them retiring. i think they couldn't function in that environment. They can;t be told they are irrelevant. If they were told, that they had do one of the following things i listed above, goodnight. lol. No way is u2 doing that shit. Imagine u2 doing a recreation of the joshua tree tour, with no stage set and just the big tree thing in the background. Playing only 80's songs. I can;t see them ever doing that. That would mean they didn't matter anymore.

The problem with this is that U2 will NEVER sell only 150,000 copies, just because they're U2. But I do agree with you to some degree that ego will play a role in their retirement if they ever decide to call it quits. Though I sort of doubt they will ever officially retire, or call it quits. Maybe though, it's too early to tell.

 

[allbecauseofu2]

i could see it leading to friction in the band. if they were forced to do one of those things i listed above. I mean, you have to really picture and imagine u2 in that situation. It would not go well. being told they don't matter. Being forced to play only hits and no real new songs. i mean you really have to look at the situations from above and picture u2 playing some piece of shit outdoor amphitheater, with duran duran and cyndi lauper in some package tour , sponsored by some nobody.,The snickers summer tour,lol. Listen, if they release a total flop album, it may not happen right away because the tour would be booked in advance. But next time, if they released another flop album, then they would become commercially irrelevant. Having people go to the bathroom during new songs would really affect the band. You have to remember they have never tasted failure. They made it with the 3rd album and never have flopped.

 

[Laura M]

despite these rumors, i believe that theres only one way i would believe they would just retire out of nowhere. I think that, due to the ego of the band, they might retire if a album/demand for tour was poor. Let me list some things that i can't see u2 ever doing or agreeing to do by force.

I'm in the us, so i'm going by how numbers work in the us.
Lets say they had a album that peaked at like, 56 on the charts, sold like 150,000 copys and then disappeared . complete flop. Their are bands that do certain things when they haven't had a hit in years.

1. play outdoor theaters in a package tour with other groups in a effort to sell tickets. Like most 80's hair metal bands, old pop acts, etc. Summer concert series presented by some lame ass sponsor. Or, if they do play bigger venues, must have a hot band as opening or co headliner.

2.Because no one cares about new music from old bands, they play 2,3 songs from new album, and then all old hits. No deep cuts, or rare songs, nothing. Nostalgia shows.

3.Because the band has nothing going on, they play a old, classic album in its entirety. Sometimes they do this even if they just put out a album. Like judas priest just release a double cd concept album, and midway through the tour they decide to play a old album in its entirety. Wow, way to push the new stuff.

4.Play only one era of your music. Like how iron maiden plays these tours that are recreations of tours from the 80's.

5. Play your new album in its entirety to spite your fanbase that only wanna hear the old stuff. Like what iron maiden did before said 80s tour. And they play a few old hits after everyone has fallen asleep while they played the new album.

6. Play whatever you want. Not because you want to or have to, but because no one cares and you only have ultra hardcore fans attending the shows. Like the dead or the cure, or pearl jam, who have cult fan bases who accept whatever they play. At some 5,000 or less seater.

I'm sure theirs some other gimmicky stuff that i am forgetting , but basically if u2 is ever in these siturations after a flop album, I would believe that it could lead to them retiring. i think they couldn't function in that environment. They can;t be told they are irrelevant. If they were told, that they had do one of the following things i listed above, goodnight. lol. No way is u2 doing that shit. Imagine u2 doing a recreation of the joshua tree tour, with no stage set and just the big tree thing in the background. Playing only 80's songs. I can;t see them ever doing that. That would mean they didn't matter anymore.

This would mean hip-hop and rap U2. Heavy metal U2. and perhaps a more Jonas-brothers like U2.
If they did not sell their record, they would conform to whatever style is selling. If anyone would choose to break up U2, I think it would be Larry.

I can't imagine any of those things happening to U2. I have no idea when they'll stop making music. It would not surprise me if that would happen in the next few years though. I assume that their age and wanting to do other things outside of the band might be big factors.

 

[Rob33]

I can't imagine any of those things happening to U2. I have no idea when they'll stop making music. It would not surprise me if that would happen in the next few years though. I assume that their age and wanting to do other things outside of the band might be big factors.

Well, they just signed a 12 year deal with Live Nation, and I really can't imagine U2 touring without a new album to push. Plus SoA is around the corner, so I think "in the next few years" is unrealistic.

 

[Laura M]

Well, they just signed a 12 year deal with Live Nation, and I really can't imagine U2 touring without a new album to push. Plus SoA is around the corner, so I think "in the next few years" is unrealistic.

I said I would not be surprised if they stop making music, well slowing down at least, in the next few years. I didn't say it was likely that would happen. I actually said I had no idea when or why they'd retire. Personally I can't imagine U2 reaching 60 and still wanting to devote the same amount of time and energy that they currently do into making new albums and touring.

 

[U2girl]

It will depend on Bono's voice and/or Larry's wrists/back problem.

 

[mad1]

of course I have not seen 360 degree tour.


but I felt that Elevation and Vertigo Tour were kinda alike.

I bet the boys will call it a day when they have lost their goals in writing an awesome song for an album - and when tours have become less challenging because they cannot move beyond similarity.

I dunno.

Im used to the albums and tours being so different. now they all gettin similar.

this could be the U2 for us now, or it was the U2 and now its just 'hey, new material'



dont bite me cause most of you folks are a lot smarter than me and know more and Im just circling my finger round it in simple terms.

 

[doctorwho]

If U2's album didnt sell... they WOULD NOT call it quits. They would try again with a new sound to appeal to the new generation.

This would mean hip-hop and rap U2. Heavy metal U2. and perhaps a more Jonas-brothers like U2.
If they did not sell their record, they would conform to whatever style is selling. If anyone would choose to break up U2, I think it would be Larry.

Lets hope this never happens.

and hopefully when the time comes, they will quit like "Seinfeld" ... stop before you get bad, and go out with a bang.

I think you're being a little harsh.

While U2 did change directions in 2000, they also changed in 1991 and in 1984. So it's not as if U2 haven't tried other styles. Plus, I feel in each case, they experimented with a type of sound as much as they could and had to explore something else. For example, after AB, Zooropa, OS1 and Pop, U2 pretty much tried as much alternative as they could! Four albums, with some really out there stuff, pushed a lot of boundaries. Yet, within each album, there were classic U2 sounds (One, Stay, Miss Sarajevo, Staring..., Please). When U2 changed in 2000, it seemed like they took those classic sounds from their 90's albums and experimented with them. As a result, the albums have been more mellow, but they still have classic U2. In 2000, Britney Spears, N'Sync, Backstreet Boys and whatnot were all the rage. ATYCLB sounded nothing like any of that. In 2004, R&B and R&B rap dominated - HTDAAB sounded nothing like that. So U2 have not changed to sound like other bands. In fact, the only time U2 really pushed themselves a bit to sound similar to the music scene was with Pop and those techno sounds. But even then, it was still clearly U2.

So if the album failed, U2 may make their sound more Top 40 friendly (i.e., more songs like BD, Vertigo, One, etc.) but they wouldn't suddenly sound like another band. They would just see if they could still generate hits. That said, with an album like NLOTH, it seemed U2 was more willing to experiment - and IMO, it is brilliant.

 

[allbecauseofu2]

u2 has made it look easy. As far as releasing a album and it just automatically becomes a hit of some level. They have a new song off a compilation album , and becomes a minor hit. Its not easy. In this music world you can be forgotten just as easily as you made it. Van halen had success for 20 years until their van halen 3 album that struggled to go gold. They wish vh3 had done what pop did. Red hot chili peppers is another band that once they had sucess they have not failed . And i wonder what would happen if they release a album that flopped.

 

[A stor]

It will depend on Bono's voice and/or Larry's wrists/back problem.

I think so too.

Plus, the band has said they will retire, while they are at the top of stardom. And I don't blame them for this. Though, I hope it is not for a long time. I think U2 still has some great music in them.

 

[allbecauseofu2]

yea. whens that country album due out? lol. i mean every other artist trys Nashville at some point. how about some world music? lol. have like 6 extra guys on stage playing bongos and other worldy instruments.

 

[U2DMfan]

Sorry, I don't find this very applicable to U2.

1. U2 would never get to a place where they would have to play with someone else on the bill. In the United States, they could sell out a basketball arena in any of the 50 (maybe even 75) biggest cities in America, even with no album to support, in 2009 or in 2015.

2. "Nostalgia shows" still make money and still sell tickets.
U2 are forever at a popularity where they would never have to do what 'Def Leppard' or someone else does.

3. I'm positive they would rather call it a day than start playing TJT or Achtung in full just to justify the ticket cost.

4. How would this even be the case? They've had big global hits in three different decades. Actually multiple in each decade, not realistic in the slightest.

5. U2 could do this, I'll grant you this one. That is, play an album that tanked at the sales counter, just to spite everyone. If it's a good album, I'd say more power to them.

6. U2 actually pay mind to their fans, hardcore and casual. There will never be a day where U2 doesn't feel obligated to play Pride or SBS or WOWY or some combination of a handful of 'nostalgic' hits. That's exactly what they should do, IMO. The toothpaste is already out of the tube, there is no going back for them.


U2 will quit when they lose a member, whether Larry quits because of his back, Edge just gets sick of touring, Bono wants to concentrate on his political work etc. or one of them is afflicted with a sickness. Also clearly a John Bonham-like sudden death would end the band immediately.

As long as they all want to do it, they will.
They have a profile so large that they don't even need new music to fill arenas.
So I think this outline of possibilities might be more appropriate for looking at Coldplay or The Killers (who the fuck ever) several years down the road, when all of their core fanbase grows older. U2 have forged ahead because they were able to replace the fans that moved on, the bands that can't do 'nostalgic' festivals and toss out these kinds of gimmicks.

 

[allbecauseofu2]

oh they could do what maiden did on their last tour. lol. somewhere back in time tour. they had their powerslave tour setup, from i think its 1984 tour. they played only 80's songs. So u2 can do the back on the Joshua tree tour.lol. They will have the tree in the background, and play boy-rattle. lol. rock hottest ticket... again. lol.

but all kidding aside, i know its just about impossible for these things to happen. But i am also grateful for the fact they have had so much success. and i don;t take it for granted. The only way, they would do a co headliner tour, if it was some mutual respect tour. with another group they respected. Something that would go good together. And that band can only be REM. That would be amazing to hear in the same night. As long as they both had 2 hours each . rotate who plays last each show.

 

[Salome]

I don't think the band is really considering to quit yet
they will do at least another album + tour
(if SOA appears even 2 albums)
which will keep them going for another 5 years
they'll be mid 50s so they might consider another round of it
after that they'd really need to consider what they want to do

at the same time I wouldn't be shocked if they announced after this tour they're calling it quits
50 years and onwards it can never be completely unexpected

 

[MadelynIris]

I don't think they will ever stop crafting music. Depending on how Spider Man works out, etc... they will always be writing and producing music for a lot of different things, not just U2 albums.

But there might be a time, where they'd like to spend more time with their families (like grandchildren) and they simply would like to retire like the rest of us. Still be artists, still make music, but spend more time doing other things as well.

It will happen.

 

[Galeongirl]

I think the only moment the band would call its quits is when Larry isn't able to play the drums anymore due to his condition. Otherwise I just don't see it happening.

 

[DrTeeth]

3.Because the band has nothing going on, they play a old, classic album in its entirety. Sometimes they do this even if they just put out a album. Like judas priest just release a double cd concept album, and midway through the tour they decide to play a old album in its entirety. Wow, way to push the new stuff.

Is it wrong to look forward to this?

As much as I like the shows, I wouldn't mind if U2 stopped touring altogether and just focussed on releasing more material.

 

[allbecauseofu2]

yea,lol. they should stop playing NLOTH and just play joshua or AB start to finish.

 

[Anji]

I don't even want to think about them calling it quits But sadly I think it will be sooner rather than later. I would not be shocked if this was their last ever tour