(11-12-2006) U2 could have been sexier, but energy's still there - SMH*

[tonyhotland]

Yeah, it won a lot of grammys, including album of the year, so of course it's weak.


.

geez, I can't believe anyone still using the grannys, i mean the grammys, to indicate a great album...

 

[kellyahern]

I regret I even mentioned it.

All albums of the year automatically suck.

 

[U2girl]

Exactly. "Weakest album since October" That was a blanket statement, worthy of a couch/forum fan, not a critic. He should back it up with further points and so make it more credible.

Second, his job is to review the SHOW. Not Bomb itself, not ATYCLB and 80's U2 comparison (take out Walk on, Kite, and guitar verses in New York and All that... is nothing like 80's U2 albums), not Vertigo tour vs other tours comparison, yet all that somehow got in.

I don't see exactly what "sexy" there is to be done about the world post 9/11 or African poverty - the two main topics the tour addresses.

And for the record, I am aware that overall the writer liked the night.

 

[JCOSTER]

Talk about being sexy, I would love to see Bono move around on stage they way he did in the Beautiful Day video.

 

[violetfly]

First off, I love October so I'm not sure why it's being mentioned in such a derogatory way.

And second, yeh I would have enjoyed seeing more of the Zoo TV aspect but only because I didn't get to see it the first time around, but to be honest I don't want them to do the "same" show again...I prefer they're doing something different and they gave me a glimpse into ZooTV for that little encore and that made me happy.

 

[kassandra]

My main objection over the "weakest album since October" line was that he stated it as if it was an accepted truth. I know some people didn't like HTDAAB, but it was hardly panned. That's why I mentioned the grammys.

The review overall didn't bother me. Just that opening line struck me as odd. "Weakest album since October"? Um, okay, that's the first time I've heard that opinion .

I don't think disagreeing with that statement makes me a sychophant.

What she said ^

 

[ShellBeThere]

Oh god, not the era-wars again...

I love the sexy U2 as much as anyone, but that review was such crap. To start out with claiming they're in a weird position touring on the back of their 'weakest album since October" is quite the non-starter. Oh yeah, this guy was open-minded and someone who should be getting paid to review the concert, don't you think?! Twit.
Really, not a very informative or evocative bit. Rather one of the lamest concert reviews I've ever seen....
Was there something he can point to in the *show he saw* that would tell us why/how/ who else shares his view that HTDAAB is weak, especially as has been pointed out that it fucking won many grammys?! It's just ignoring the audience, ignoring the news, ignoring the cultural context in which he's watching the bloody show...bad bad journalism.
and lazy seeming.
makes his paper look like crap I think.
cheers all!

 

[caragriff]

I regret I even mentioned it.

All albums of the year automatically suck.

now i regret making fun of the grammys. looking back, i think you have a good point kelly. even though i don't really like the Bomb - it did win lots of grammys, so calling it weak in a concert review is pretty biased.

 

[JCOSTER]

There was no Mysterious Ways on this leg of the tour?

thats a sexy song

 

[Zoots]

Great! People taking offence to the slighest criticism of U2... yet AGAIN!

 

[yertle-the-turtle]

The hilarious thing is that that's actually a positive review.

 

[Vincent Vega]

Ah, btw, yertle-the-turtle, you didn't happen to see my camera, a Kodak C330, anywhere in Singapore, did you?

 

[U2girl]

Great! People taking offence to the slighest criticism of U2... yet AGAIN!

...and we all know how well any critisism of Zooropa or Pop goes down, don't we?

 

[Zoots]

...and we all know how well any critisism of Zooropa or Pop goes down, don't we?

What the hell are you talking about? This is not about HTDAAB vs. Pop/Zooropa. I was talking about people who feel the need to defend U2 if there is the slightest tinge of negativity in any thread. I don't give a rat's ass if somebody criticizes Pop or Zooropa. It's their loss!

 

[Teta040]

Actually, isn't the weakest U2 album "Passengers"?

"Throttle And Scum" (as I affectionately still call it) had "Angel Of Harlem", "God Part 2", and the New Voices Of Freedom/live ISHFWILF, and it's their weakest album?

The band don't really have a weakest album, b/c the parts add up to some kind of whole. U2's weakest work by far is side 2 of UF (barring MLK of course, though stricltly musically speaking, MLK is MUSICAL crap too...it's a tone peice).

I hesitiate to say it, but even after almost a decade, much of Pop is brilliant too. (contains one of my alltime favorite U2 lyrics.."Getting hot in a photo booth"..um, I won't get into this!) .

However, I am NOT backing down on my hatred of the intellectual sinkhole that was PopMart....

 

[U2girl]

What the hell are you talking about? This is not about HTDAAB vs. Pop/Zooropa. I was talking about people who feel the need to defend U2 if there is the slightest tinge of negativity in any thread. I don't give a rat's ass if somebody criticizes Pop or Zooropa. It's their loss!

I'm talking about how some of the loudest "too sensitive to critisism of U2" people are VERY quick to be quite touchy when it's 90's U2 that is critisized. You know?
Want an example - what do you think would have happened if this writer said "weakest album since October" about Zooropa, or better yet, Pop? He would be smoked before you can say "my mammy", and far worse than anything posted so far in this thread.

I didn't realise official reviewers are untouchable and that official reviews can't be questioned.

Sure you don't care.

 

[Zoots]

These album and era wars are getting old.

U2girl, you seem to be the first in line to instigate though!

 

[BGD75]

I don't think that "being sexy" is the priority of U2 right now.

Exactly!! It's all about the great music. Personally, I will rather see a shows like Elevation/Vertigo that are not so over the top. They should have their music speak for itself ..... that's sexy enough for me.

 

[ROCKMEISTER]

PLEASE STANDBY FOR TRANSMISSION:I predict that at some time in the future, U2 will be added to the Periodic Table of the Element's!

 

[u2wildhoney]

I strongly doubt that HTDAAB is their weakest album since October, anyway, October was a very good album, with fabolus lyrics!

What's more, I think -knowing that they are over 40year old men!!, so they are not teenagers, and not 25-30 year old yuppies!!- they look quite well.. Bono needs to loose some kilos, and I better enjoyed his longer hair-style he had in 2005 than his update hair-style, but basically, they look all nice.......

Edit: I do agree with lost unicorn, I think U2's chief aim in the 2000s to compose and play great music and to pay attention to some social and political problems... I think it is a lot more better aim than being sexy for teenage girls....