do you think the guys have fun on stage?

[Aceofhearts]

Maybe a dumb question (who wouldn't have fun performing to thousands of adoring fans on a nightly basis) but I wonder if they actually have fun on stage, or if it, at least at times, becomes a chore with the amount of performing they do.

Plus, they must get really sick of playing the same songs over and over and over.....

 

[bono_man2002]

I think most nights they have fun.
Its just that one night off, when somone feels like crap when they're not enjoying it.

 

[u2_england]

... but I wonder if they actually have fun on stage, or if it, at least at times, becomes a chore with the amount of performing they do.

Plus, they must get really sick of playing the same songs over and over and over.....

I used to play in a band and, surprisingly, even when you're rehearsing a song you've played a gazillion times you still get a buzz because you still want to play it right.

This mainly applies to your own tracks. If you had to play covers every night then that's where the word 'chore' can arise.

U2 will have a setlist that they are happy with and are happy playing, but as the tour evolves they might drop some songs that are difficult to play or that are not giving the band that 'buzz'.

 

[ramblingrob]

I'm sure there are nights when they mail it in, but they probably do have fun. The money doesnt hurt either.

 

[Axver]

Well, go watch Pride on the Slane DVD. Bono's exclamation of "this is our love" says it all.

 

[bonoed]

having all those people loving you every night, what wouldn't be fun.

 

[lauren430]

nope, I think they hate it

 

[HelloAngel]

I think with any job, some aspects can become tedious. But U2 have always said that where they truly live is live in concert -- so I think most nights they enjoy it. But then again, they are human beings with real lives that go on that of course can influence anything.

 

[babyman]

of course they have fun, how would you otherwise explain 30 years career? if they'd have done music just for cash they'd have split off after 5 years, the fact that they're back again, the fact that they made a great record, the best record, the fact that when U2 appears all the other bands vanish in the vacuum, means that they have still a lot of fun. this is music, if you play without joy you fall off in nothing

 

[OldTimerU2Fan]

of course they have fun, how would you otherwise explain 30 years career? if they'd have done music just for cash they'd have split off after 5 years, the fact that they're back again, the fact that they made a great record, the best record, the fact that when U2 appears all the other bands vanish in the vacuum, means that they have still a lot of fun. this is music, if you play without joy you fall off in nothing

All very true, I agree.

But I still think a job can be just a job some nights, when you're congested and tired, you've had a fight with your spouse over your in-laws visiting next week, and you're playing (insert nowhere town here.. I don't want to offend anyone).

On the other hand, just once, in Heaven I want to experience what it's like to walk out on the Slane Castle stage in front of all that. Hmmmm, ok... maybe they never get tired of it.

 

[neutral]

Maybe a dumb question (who wouldn't have fun performing to thousands of adoring fans on a nightly basis) but I wonder if they actually have fun on stage, or if it, at least at times, becomes a chore with the amount of performing they do.

I don't think this is a dumb question and I have wondered if they, or really any band with such a long career, still enjoys playing a song they've performed countless times. Some good answers here.

 

[bonoed]

I think the adrenalin starts pumping when they hear the intro and the crowd, just like for us when we go to a U2 show, because the actual getting there is tedious, the parking, the lines, the crowds, blah blah, but when the intro song starts, the only thing you are is "in the moment," and it has to be the same way for them.

Which btw, what song will they intro with this time? Pop Muzik, Sgt. Pepper's, what songs will they play before this time.

 

[Blue Room]

Sure they dont feel like playing sometimes. Probebly not all 4 at once very much. But they all have off nights or nights they may not feel like playing. I think most of the time they enjoy it alot though.

I remember an interview with Mick Jagger a while back and they asked him a similiar question. His response was that yes, they get tired or dont feel like it sometimes. But all he does is says to himself before the show that there is at least ONE fan out there that has never seen our show. I have to perform my best for them and make sure they get the whole experience.

I think U2 takes a similiar approach.