All right, since I know this question has een posed before and I never said anything because I mostly lurk about on the forums, I'll just add in my 2 cents.
I don't agree with Outkast's statement, however I can see where they are coming from even if what they did say seemed tinted with a tad of jealousy.
People that don't closely follow U2 may have a different view of their career, where they are headed, when they are supposedly going to throw in the towel. I remember people saying U2 were washed up with the release of POP, labelling the record as mediocre, and labelling the band as has-beens. This is all fine - they're opinions and they are welcome to them.
I also remember people saying the same thing after the release of the Rattle and Hum movie and record.
I even remember far back to the October days when people said U2 wouldn't last.
I remember people saying during the Joshua Tree days that that moment in time was the pinnacle of their career and that no matter what, they would never achieve that grand status every again.
I also remember how wildly successful Achtung Baby was, and how the greatest band of the 80's were able to hold their ground in the early part of the 90's.
How wrong everyone was, to make these wild predictions about U2 - but take into consideration that these opinions are based on a band who is in the public eye, even inbetween records and tours. A band of U2's magnitude is up for public speculation and obviously people are going to draw their own conclusions.
One thing U2 has always done that has made me respect them all these years is they keep coming back and surprising everyone. ATYCLB is proof of that. Even though I love U2 and have seen them grow and grow over the years, I was skeptical of how well their latest record was going to be perceived. Were people going to knock U2 down for being old has-beens? Was their tour going to be more successful than the POP tour? Are people going to think U2 lost the old spark they had from the Joshua Tree and Achtung days? How wrong I was to even be skeptical of their success - U2 proved me, and countless other people no doubt, wrong. They keep plugging away making the music they want to make, and they do it successfully and they please their fans and make some new fans along the way. I know one day the band probably will throw in the towel, as all good things come to an end eventually. But right now with the success they had with ATYCLB, from a musical standpoint they must feel inspired to keep plugging along and making music. I don't think it's appropriate to start speculating the end of U2's career just yet.
