do you like it when...

[ntalwar]

I don't care much for the flag waving, or dedicating songs to troops for that matter.

 

[gman]

I don't care much for the flag waving, or dedicating songs to troops for that matter.

Good point, well put!

 

[Aardvark747]

It bores me a bit. But if u wanna be a fan...u gotta expect it from him by now I guess!

 

[Canadiens1131]

Hey, a stimulating discussion thread provoked by......... oh








But on-topic, I don't mind the flag waving. I think there's a set of things you agree to accept or put up with once you become a certified crazy U2 fan, and this is one of them.

 

[redhotswami]

and also...i'm not sure he does this very often in smaller countries, which might be something to consider too.

really? i figured he did that in every country. which ones does he not wave the flag in?

 

[silvrlvr]

I prefer the statements he makes with the linings of the leather jackets. A tad more subtle than marching around with a flag in his hand.

 

[AtomicBono]

I don't really care either way. It certainly doesn't bother me It'd be one thing if he ONLY did that for the U.S., but he does it in other countries too so...he's just playing to the audience.

 

[Chizip]

its cheesy pandering to the audience, but doesnt really bug me

 

[EdgeIsTooSexy]

yeah thats what i like about U2.
theyre political.

 

[wthrwthoutyu]

Re: Re: Re: Re: do you like it when...

yeah no kidding. especially since there are actually friggin laws about how to hang a u.s. flag. ha, and people say MY culture worships icons. i just don't get the whole flag-pride thing. but that's just me.

In the U.S., there may be laws, but there are no federal penalties to enforce those laws. In other words, if you break the rules, the U.S. gov doesn't send you to jail.

When they tried to institute penalties (fines and jail sentences for 'desecration' of the flag), the Supreme Court overturned them.

Individual states may have penalties since every state has its own flag law--but I haven't heard of anybody going to jail.

So, basically, the law is only for the look of the thing and if you aren't into flag worship, you ignore it.

And no, it doesn't bother me when Bono does his flag waving thing, with the US flag or any other flag. It's partly showmanship, partly political--and completely Bono.

 

[ntalwar]

yeah thats what i like about U2.
theyre political.

I don't see it as a political thing though - mostly overt pandering.

 

[Earnie Shavers]

It's a cheezy, quick way to score points with the natives, but he does do it everywhere - including the jacket trick - so there shouldn't be complaints only when it's with an American flag.

 

[Axver]

Everywhere? I can't say I recall Bono waving around a Swiss flag or wearing a jacket lined with the Portuguese flag.

 

[catlhere]

I don't care.

As long as he gets to Streets.

 

[LMP]

Everywhere? I can't say I recall Bono waving around a Swiss flag or wearing a jacket lined with the Portuguese flag.

But there was a sale of Australian and US flag jackets at Penny's.

 

[corianderstem]

I don't care.

As long as he gets to Streets.

Can't argue with that.

 

[LemonMelon]

Pfft, I couldn't care less really. It's occasionally been poignant and moving (Super Bowl flag jacket), but generally, yeah, it's pandering. Not that I really care. I do appreciate that he actually cares about America, and I don't mind if he dedicates a performance to the troops (really, why would anyone have a problem with this?), but waving a flag around for no particular reason is a bit lame. I dunno.

 

[DreamOutLoud13]

When Bono starts waving those giant flags, he always looks like he's gonna topple over from the weight of the pole, so yeah, that's a bit worrisome. But no, it doesn't bother me.

And for those pointing out his lack of waving European flags, correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't the flag thing on the Vertigo tour really start on the fourth leg? First with the lined jackets in South America, and then with the actual flags in Australia, New Zealand, Japan, and Hawaii. If he'd been doing that from the beginning, I'm sure he wouldn't have just "skipped" any particular countries.

That said, this is my favourite Bono-with-a-flag picture:

I love the look on his face. He looks so determined. Like he's thinking "Japan will be mine."

 

[ILuvLarryMullen]

But there was a sale of Australian and US flag jackets at Penny's.

 

[LyricalDrug]

Bring back the white flag!

 

[LMP]

I think Damien Marley did.

 

[Bono's shades]

the only time i really liked a flag moment was when he waved the white flag at red rocks.

Me too. That moment to me is what U2 is all about - a white flag that doesn't represent any one country, but a uniting ideal for all countries.

I feel like the waving of individual country's flags while playing in that country almost takes away from that. It's something any other band might do to curry favor with the crowd.

(I just remembered one other flag use besides the white flag that I actually kind of liked - all the African flags during Streets during the Vertigo tour.)

 

[cobl04]

It bothers me because he's Irish, not American.

 

[bonocomet]

Well that part of it doesn't bother me. I'm not Irish but if I was in Ireland and someone handed me an Irish flag would it be wrong for me to wave it around if I'm at a party having a good time, which is what a u2 concert is really. I think he is just having fun and Bono feels the love from their fans wherever he goes.

 

[forbonou2]

I like it! It's so Very Bono!!

 

[Olov]

Sometimes it does bother me. I like the white flag, but I really think he and we should act as one... world. Not play too much on that patriosm thing. A world without borders, that's my kind of (cheesy) world.

 

[BVS]

It's basically his way of saying "Hello Cleavland!", except a little more elaborate...

 

[LarryMullen's POPAngel]

It's basically his way of saying "Hello Cleavland!", except a little more elaborate...

 

[LyricalDrug]

Sometimes it does bother me. I like the white flag, but I really think he and we should act as one... world. Not play too much on that patriosm thing. A world without borders, that's my kind of (cheesy) world.

 

[Axver]

And for those pointing out his lack of waving European flags, correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't the flag thing on the Vertigo tour really start on the fourth leg? First with the lined jackets in South America, and then with the actual flags in Australia, New Zealand, Japan, and Hawaii. If he'd been doing that from the beginning, I'm sure he wouldn't have just "skipped" any particular countries.

Well, the US lined jackets have existed since Elevation, and the UK lined jacket was the second leg of Vertigo.

As for the fourth leg of Vertigo, we didn't get Bono waving the New Zealand flag. So he did skip a country. That said, he had the Maori motif of the Auckland Warriors (home rugby league team of Mt Smart Stadium) on the back of his jacket and the red screen at the end of Streets morphed into the Kiwi flag (sans Union Jack).