The Official: North America got Fucked Thread

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Chizip said:


so you dont think this board is a good representation of the overall U2 fanbase?

um, we might be a might more "hardcore" than the average U2 fan... i mean, i consider myself a Stones and a Coldplay "fan" (seen them both live, own many albums), but i've NEVER posted on one of their message boards.

i'd say Interferencers, on the whole, are a bit more fanatical than the average U2 concert-goer! :wink:
 
Chizip said:


but they werent packaged together as 1 release, Miros

thats what the question is

i think that would be cool

Damn speed reading skills failed me :wink:

Hee.. and that is weird that you called me Miros... my spanish speaking friends call me that, but when english speakers try to shorten my name, the always come out with Miro (which is a lil weird and not something I encourage)...

Not that anyone cares :shifty:
 
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i actually know a lot of casual U2 fans who consider the 90's U2's best period. when the Mexico City Popmart show was on TV, all i heard was, "wow, that was great show".
 
Well, let me think: attendance problems, people walking out on U2 in that period after they had just recorded what was considered a flop album. (and how about that TV tour special with record low numbers in regards to who watched that Dennis Hopper moderated?)

Yes, I would say most U2 fans disliked it.
 
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yes I remember when they showed popmart on VH1, a lot of my friends who kind of like U2 but arent really big fans or anything were amazed at the Popmart production
 
U2girl said:
Well, let me think: attendance problems, people walking out on U2 in that period after they had just recorded what was considered a flop album.

Yes, I would say most U2 fans disliked it.

you do realize that more than just U2 fans buy their albums and tickets, right?
 
U2girl said:
Well, let me think: attendance problems, people walking out on U2 in that period after they had just recorded what was considered a flop album.

Yes, I would say most U2 fans disliked it.

if U2 tried to launch a stadium tour today in the same markets in the US that they did during Popmart they would have the same "attendance problems"

A city like St. Louis can not support a U2 stadium show, at least with the kind of prices they like to charge.

But St. Louis was still able to sell 35,000 out of 60,000 seats in a dome. For Elevation they were only able to sell 19,000 out of 21,000 seats in a arena. I'd say Elevation had more of an attendance problem in St. Louis than Popmart

My point is the attendance problem wasn't due to the quality of the tour, they just over judged their market.
 
mikal said:


if this wasn't the internet, i wonder how U2 fans would fight.....

would it be gangsta? a bunch of hair pulling? kung fu?

I don't know, I can somehow envision eye-poking. :hmm:
 
Chizip said:


if U2 tried to launch a stadium tour today in the same markets in the US that they did during Popmart they would have the same "attendance problems"

A city like St. Louis can not support a U2 stadium show, at least with the kind of prices they like to charge.

But St. Louis was still able to sell 35,000 out of 60,000 seats in a dome. For Elevation they were only able to sell 19,000 out of 21,000 seats in a arena. I'd say Elevation had more of an attendance problem in St. Louis than Popmart

My point is the attendance problem wasn't due to the quality of the tour, they just over judged their market.

With U2's boost in popularity in the last 5 years, I wouldn't be so sure about that.

I don't know about you, but 19 000 out of 21 000 to me is better than 35 000 out of 60 000. It's pretty clear which tour had an attendance problem.

Of course a part of the problem was jumping into stadiums everywhere, but if U2 played the way they did in Europe and onwards - without the early troubles - don't you think this would help them in getting more people in stadiums?
 
It means that during Popmart, they were able to sell almost twice as many tickets than during Elevation... :wink:

Sure, the stadium might have been half empty, but in sheer volume (if not venue percentage wise) PopMart was more successful
 
Why is everyone fighting over who gets the bigger and/or better show? I thought it was a tour, not a competition. :scratch:
 
I'll just stick my 2 cents in and say that while I loved Zoo TV dearly, liked Pop Mart, and have really enjoyed Elevation and Vertigo....there is nothing I've ever seen in my life to match the Joshua Tree tour. Part of that is they were supporting my favorite album, that's a given. But, there were no bells and whistles, no giant screens, nothing...just the band an incredible set list, and I was abosultely fucking mesmerized. That show literally changed my life...not drastically, but it did alter it. That's saying something.

Anyone that has read any post by me knows my love of the band is strong, so I do not attend a Vertigo show and compare and contrast it with a past tour's presentation and then let that determine my enjoyment. I love seeing the band under any circumstance I'm lucky enough to see them under. But, I have seen them on 5 tours, over 30 shows in total, and I know what I enjoyed best, and it was the show that happened to have the least amount of production attached to it.

I do appreciate, though, the bands attempts to make it more than just the music....and Zoo TV was a great example of this....Popmart much less so, IMO. Elevation and Vertigo are a good mix of that intimate vibe but still providing the audience with visuals and colors, etc.

I cannot say I got fucked, though, I saw the band 9 fucking times.....I'm supposed to think I got fucked because there's a bigger stage or screen or whatever over in Europe. I know this thread was semi-tongue in cheek to start with, but, still, a lot of people are agreeing with the sentiment, even people that did not go to a show!

We did not get fucked, we got blessed with another U2 tour. We should consider ourselves lucky.
 
joyfulgirl said:
Why is everyone fighting over who gets the bigger and/or better show? I thought it was a tour, not a competition. :scratch:

:shrug:

Wish I knew...
 
joyfulgirl said:
Why is everyone fighting over who gets the bigger and/or better show? I thought it was a tour, not a competition. :scratch:
its more a debate over which is better, huge spectacles or smaller more intimate concerts

but youre right that there really is no reason to argue over it, as it comes down to personal preference and you really arent going to change anyones mind

although I do want to say that I believe any "attendance problems" that popmart had was more because of the lukewarm response to the Pop album rather than the tour itself
 
No spoken words said:
I cannot say I got fucked, though, I saw the band 9 fucking times.....I'm supposed to think I got fucked because there's a bigger stage or screen or whatever over in Europe. I know this thread was semi-tongue in cheek to start with, but, still, a lot of people are agreeing with the sentiment, even people that did not go to a show!

We did not get fucked, we got blessed with another U2 tour. We should consider ourselves lucky.

:up: :yes:
 
Chizip said:


if U2 tried to launch a stadium tour today in the same markets in the US that they did during Popmart they would have the same "attendance problems"

A city like St. Louis can not support a U2 stadium show, at least with the kind of prices they like to charge.

But St. Louis was still able to sell 35,000 out of 60,000 seats in a dome. For Elevation they were only able to sell 19,000 out of 21,000 seats in a arena. I'd say Elevation had more of an attendance problem in St. Louis than Popmart

My point is the attendance problem wasn't due to the quality of the tour, they just over judged their market.

Nonsense.

Have you seen the ticket demand here in the US in EVERY market U2 is playing?

They are a much hotter ticket now as oppossed to pop.

POPMART was a european themed album/concert.

People here in the US didn't want to go see a gimmick show.

Bono with all the makeup and all of them in muscle shirts and big huge lemons and Bono coming out like a boxer, it was almost embaressing.

I know people in europe were into it but it certainly came off as cheesey here in the US and as a result it flopped.

Now that U2 is back to acting like musicians and not like a traveling circus you can't get a ticket here in the US.

And as somebody else pointed out POPMART bombed in a ton of european markets as well.
 
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There was no make up involved in Popmart... :mad:

mac21.jpg
 
JR#9 said:


Nonsense.

Have you seen the ticket demand here in the US in EVERY market U2 is playing?

They are a much hotter ticket now as oppossed to pop.

POPMART was a european themed album/concert.

People here in the US didn't want to go see a gimmick show.

Bono with all the makeup and all of them in muscle shirts and big huge lemons and Bono coming out like a boxer, it was almost embaressing.

I know people in europe were into it but it certainly came off as cheesey here in the US and as a result it flopped.

Now that U2 is back to acting like musicians and not like a traveling circus you can't get a ticket here in the US.

back in 1996 people werent on the internet reading reviews, setlists and downloading the concerts before it came to your city. You really had no idea about the lemon, the olive, or what they would be wearing. so i really dont see how that kind of stuff would affect attendance. if anything affected attendance it was that people didnt like the new cd.

and Vertigo just recently sold out in st louis, after a few months of tickets being on sale. if they had made it a stadium show they would have had a hard time selling the 35,000 they were able to sell for popmart.
 
JR#9 said:


People here in the US didn't want to go see a gimmick show.

Bono with all the makeup and all of them in muscle shirts and big huge lemons and Bono coming out like a boxer, it was almost embaressing.

So why was ZooTV and the Outside Broadast such a huge success in the US? Huh? HUH? Makeup, costumes, glittery platform shoes, MacPhisto's dressing room, Mirrorball Man...America ate it up bigtime. Critics went crazy, fans went crazy, it was huge. I didn't go see Popmart for the exact reason Chizip says: I was lukewarm on the record (and had also just made a huge life change so seeing Popmart just wasn't an option for me at the time). Of course I love Pop now and kick myself everyday. :reject:
 
joyfulgirl said:


I didn't go see Popmart for the exact reason Chizip says: I was lukewarm on the record (and had also just made a huge life change so seeing Popmart just wasn't an option for me at the time). Of course I love Pop now and kick myself everyday. :reject:

Me too :scream:

:banghead:
 
Miroslava said:
Maybe STL just sucks? :hmm:




:wink:

as a u2 market is does :sad:

but i think there are many similiar markets, the mid range type cities. the charolottes, the cincinattis, the indianapolis, the kansas citys. they would not be able to sell out stadiums in these type of places today, and thats exactly what they tried to do during popmart, hence the "attendace problems"
 
JR#9 said:


Nonsense.

Have you seen the ticket demand here in the US in EVERY market U2 is playing?

They are a much hotter ticket now as oppossed to pop.

POPMART was a european themed album/concert.

People here in the US didn't want to go see a gimmick show.

Bono with all the makeup and all of them in muscle shirts and big huge lemons and Bono coming out like a boxer, it was almost embaressing.

I know people in europe were into it but it certainly came off as cheesey here in the US and as a result it flopped.

Now that U2 is back to acting like musicians and not like a traveling circus you can't get a ticket here in the US.

And as somebody else pointed out POPMART bombed in a ton of european markets as well.

Yeah. I can see all the European themes on Pop. Love, loss, faith, Miami, Michael Jackson, Playboy mansion, OJ Simpson.....
and if an idea goes over a nations head, it's embarrasing is it?
 
U2girl said:
Perhaps you should have thought about that before you started this thread. I didn't know I was the only one posting in it, either.

(ps I wouldn't even answer if achtungy'all didn't bring that quote up)



Same old, same old. It always someone elses fault with you....

Ever noticed that YOU are the common denominator in all these little disputes you have? Think on it.
 
achtung y'all said:


Yeah. I can see all the European themes on Pop. Love, loss, faith, Miami, Michael Jackson, Playboy mansion, OJ Simpson.....
and if an idea goes over a nations head, it's embarrasing is it?

The style of music.

The electronic feel to it wiseass.America is more into the straight R-n-R.
 
Chizip said:
id rather see a huge spectacle from a little further away then be super close at a less impressive show

i dont agree with people who say a concert is just about the music. if you just want to hear the music then listen to the cd. its a show, it should be entertaining, a mixture of music and spectacle. total sensory overload, a la zoo tv.

but thats just my opinion.

I almost hate to say it - but I agree with this.

Everyone really needs to take this thread with a grain of salt.

Of course if we got to see the band we should not complain but on a scale of relative fuckedness I see it as follows:

People who have never seen the band live = the absolute most fucked

People who live in countries where the band is not playing = The most most mostest fucked.

People who saw them in the US - fucked

People who will see them in Europe - still fucked, but will get to see a grand show.

Look, we are all fucked, but I think the point of this thread was to show a little jealousy towards the Europeans who will 1) see a huge U2 show and now unfortunately 2) get the fucking fucked Olympics.

Oh, and I do go to the show to see the pretty lights.

:wink:
 
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