bands who've turned down offers to open for U2, (and reasons why?)

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dr. zooeuss

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Thought of this topic after reading an old thread saying Incubus turned down an offer to open for U2... their singer seems to really like U2 based on an interview, so now I'm really curious...

Maybe it's similar to why bands like Coldplay havent'- too far along in their career (by the time they were asked-?)

Anyone know of any stories like this?
 
I'm sure there's a lot of rumors and speculations out there, so it will be interesting to see actual quotes and references...
 
In the book U2: At The End of The World, there is a brief discussion about how Kurt Cobain and Dave Grohl turned down an offer to open for U2. They said "We are just a small club band, we are not about the stadium thing" or something to that affect. This was before they got really big though. Apperatnyl after the Nirvana explosion Bono confronted Kurt Cobain about how he was now a big stadium band. I'm not really sure how the conversation ended though
 
interesting... i remember that bit also mentioned dave Grohl did not seem so brainy. At the time I read that it seemed to make sense to me, yet in his post-Nirvana years with the Foo Fighters, he seems to have emerged as a quasi-genius. That's often really puzzled me...
 
Well, it's been about 15 years since those days, let's hope that Grohl has gained some wisdom. Plus I think finally stepping out of Kurt's shadow and emerging as his own rock star has forced him to mature alot
 
dr. zooeuss said:
interesting... i remember that bit also mentioned dave Grohl did not seem so brainy. At the time I read that it seemed to make sense to me, yet in his post-Nirvana years with the Foo Fighters, he seems to have emerged as a quasi-genius. That's often really puzzled me...

He got off the drum stool and switched to guitar, I mean, just think about it.....
 
I can't remember the interview I read this in, but I recall Grohl saying that he thought Bono was a 'cunt'.

Although apparently, he did like War.
 
in the book "u2 at the end of the world" they diss nirvana in there as well, and praise pearl jam, who did open for them.

nirvana must have really done something to piss them off.
 
LemonMelon said:


Can my band open for you? :sexywink:

yessss we'll have a chain of bands opening for U2

better find someone to open for you

I wish I actually had a band...my drummer is gonna be gone for 4 months at basic training :scream: and we don't really have a singer :shifty:
 
I need a drummer first. My cheap drum machine is a piece of junk. :angry: The only cool thing about it is that you can run it through guitar effects and use delay.
 
LemonMelon said:
I need a drummer first. My cheap drum machine is a piece of junk. :angry: The only cool thing about it is that you can run it through guitar effects and use delay.

LOL yeah i have a drum machine too...they're useful but don't quite take the place of a real drummer

why are good drummers so hard to find? hopefully i will find one in college; then i'll be on my way to world domination fo' sho'
 
LemonMelon said:
I need a drummer first. My cheap drum machine is a piece of junk. :angry: The only cool thing about it is that you can run it through guitar effects and use delay.
My band currently has a White Stripes thing going on, drummer and guitar. Unfortunately this only works if you are the White Stripes
 
I read somewhere that Arcade Fire had to turn them down to open for more of the tour because it conflicted with their own tour schedule :sad:
 
Berto87 said:

My band currently has a White Stripes thing going on, drummer and guitar. Unfortunately this only works if you are the White Stripes

Yeah, you have to be a supremely talented songwriter for something like that to work. :slant: I still wonder why they never overdub bass onto the recordings...they certainly have the means, and Jack is a good bass player.

AtomicBono said:


LOL yeah i have a drum machine too...they're useful but don't quite take the place of a real drummer

why are good drummers so hard to find? hopefully i will find one in college; then i'll be on my way to world domination fo' sho'

Word. World domination by 21 is my goal. :wink:
 
well, this thread didn't exactly go where i intended; not yet anyway.

schedule conflicts also occurred to me as a deterrent, though most bands could probably figure out how to make some time to open for U2.
 
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