Is this U2's last chance of reaching out a wide audience? (Bono's getting old)

[rjhbonovox]

I do think this might be U2's last "big hoorah". The band is now in their mid-40's. This might be their last big tour. This might be the last time they do this type of promotion. Future albums might be more "low-key" (well, low-key for U2). I think part of it depends on the success of this album and tour, part of it will be personal (do they want to make another album or go on tour?) and part of it will be if they really have more music in them. In other words, I might see some smaller albums released, but nothing of this magnitude again.

Judging by the style and way the music is going on this album I hope for U2's sake that it is their last hurrah and Bono goes back to what he clearly wants to do.....save the world!

 

[Flying FuManchu]

Judging by the style and way the music is going on this album I hope for U2's sake that it is their last hurrah and Bono goes back to what he clearly wants to do.....save the world!

I don't... I see doctorwho's prediction as being a more interesting way for U2 to go on... but could Bono bear it?

 

[beau2ifulday]

I can't see U2 retiring as such, anytime soon. I just think the albums will become (even) less frequent - looking at how many they spawned out in the 80's and how many they produced in the 90's and even in this decade is proof of the fact that they're not constantly recording anymore, which is understandable. They're not a bunch of care-free 20 year olds anymore - I can imagine it must be hard on their families to have to deal with the regular absence of their husbands/partners/fathers.
U2 will always have a pretty steady fan base. Bono is the kind of front man that appeals to a whole bunch of different people - that, and the fact that they're held with such high esteem in the music industry.
Anyways, I ramble, I suspect we will see a few more albums, but without the frills - less touring, less promotion. I think there will come a point, perhaps sooner, perhaps later, when they will release an album and just depend on the fans to find it and buy it.

 

[Reggie Thee Dog]

Ha, ha, ha....that was a good joke voxson. I love the way some people get pulled into these threads...as lame as they can be.

And Jick, thanks for trying to lighten this thread up!!

U2 was too old 7 years ago when they released Pop. They were "washed up" then. So who cares about them now?

 

[voxson]

Where I wanted to focus was on whether U2 can continue being a band that can win new fans and be mainstream (as possible) as time passes and they get older. I thought of that now because it was the first time that they looked to have gotten older to my eyes. 3 years ago I saw Bono from a distance of 2 meters at an elevation concert in Paris and he looked the good old Bono I knew and imagined. Some pictures of Bono I've seen lately made me think about the fact he's getting old for the first time. What you may wonder is, why is this so important?

U2 have a big fanbase but look at how much Pop sold and how much ATYCLB sold. What made the difference? A big part of the fanbase probably bought both albums so the huge difference in sales was because of non-U2 fans buying the album, in other words because U2 had a bigger mainstream appeal.

One fact is for sure. That U2 care a lot about how successful they are also in terms of sales. This is a fact and has been proven many times not only by what they do but also from what Bono has said in the past. As a consequence, how much they sell IS important to them and IS important to whether and what kind of music they want to do. If they lose mainstream appeal, they will sell less and I really can't predict what that would mean....

To have mainstream appeal it is important how you look, you do need young buyers, you need every buyer you can get actually. So I really can't understand why some people refuse to admit the importance of looks or the importance of profile. These things do affect sales. And to state one last fact, some of you would probably keep following U2 and buying their records as long as they were relative no matter if you were the only buyers. But would U2 still care to write music in this case?

 

[what a bomb!]

still a lot of young people discovering the Beatles so why not U2? at least the are still relevant!

 

[desire25]

C'mon there's a point to this post. U2 are not getting any younger. While nothing is pointing to them slowing down or the quality suffering, they are getting older in younger music fans eyes. A lot of these young fans cannot relate to U2, some will grasp it but the majority of young music fans are more interested in who Eminem is dissing and what Beyonce is wearing.

5 yrs from now , em and beyonce and justin and britney will also be older. question is will they still be relevant? will they have the staying power as U2? then again, even if U2 gets older, so do we and the less we could be listening to singers younger than em, beyonce, etc. the bottom line is us U2 fans will still be listening. they can then be classified as rock classics.

dont worry, 3 hundred yrs after their death, people are still listening to mozart and beethoven and are still buying their records.

 

[Miroslava]

doctorwho.... the reasons you gave is why I am going all out for this tour. There shall be no vacation for me to far off lands. My travel budget is being spent on U2 mini pilgrimages. I also feel this may be the last FULL ON U2 magnitude record/tour etc and want to get as much out of it as I can. Thirty years from now I want to be able to say that I saw the greatest band of my generation on tour all these times and I flew to NYC to see them play the infamous Brooklyn show and was rewarded with front row center... In short, this not only has to do with THEM getting older (and us along with them), but also with wanting to build amazing memories for the future....

 

[amniar]

still a lot of young people discovering the Beatles so why not U2? at least the are still relevant!

The Beatles are relevant and one of their members has been dead nearly 24 years.

The point is that good music is what we remember 20-25 years down the line. How many of today's songs will be remembered as brilliant songs? A few, and that's how it should be. Most will be forgotten, or at least until someone plays them and we all go "ooh, remember this song? I remember when this came out and I was doing this and that... isn't she married to wotisname these days? Didn't she have a drug overdose?" and so on.

U2 are trying to do something relevant and lasting. It's a tricky combination. We won't know if they've succeeded for another 15 years.

 

[U2utah2U]

One reason why the Beatles' popularity is so enduring is that they recorded everything in about eight years and that was it. We have to remember that they were only a band for ten years. Younger generations still look back to those albums because they hold a certain element of youth. Although I would've loved to have seen The Beatles continue for years and years, I am not sure their musical legend would have been so strong if they had been pumping records out in the 80s. Part of their mystique is that they broke up at the top of their game.

Regarding U2, they are promoting this album heavily and I do think they are pushing to harvest some new fans.

I'll check back on this thread and see how the discussion develops.

 

[U2girl]

I think it's a bit unfair to compare a solo singer to a band; it's much harder to for a band to do it.
(people say McCartney didn't to anything worthy post Beatles, I say hasn't he done more than most bands can only dream of in 8 years? isn't that enough?)

I think Beatles might have been the only band that could have kept up the amazing music. Everyone else faded away as time goes on, we will see how U2 does it.

I can definitely seem them touring and making albums for the rest of this decade (remember three Best of deal), and so I can also imagine a next trilogy of albums - after Dismantle's follow up. After that, it might be over, especially if Bono's voice can't handle touring and if their music goes downhill. (HTDAAB is a good sign for the future)

 

[kakvox]

Bono is 44, not dead.

They only U2 I have ever known is the one in their forties. The thing that drew me to them was the music, not the image, even though the image they have I like a lot.

 

[mkjc]

Here's the solution: Fewer band shots in the videos from now on. Only bitches and ho's like Santana's Smooth video.

Seriously, this thread is depressing the hell out of me. BTW, if you read the current issue of Spin, Larry's back may be the end of the band not Bono's voice.

 

[Lisa71]

Why can't we jut all ENJOY them now? Geez, so many people are so concerned with when they are going to break up/go away. Let's just enjoy them now, while we can.

 

[Reggie Thee Dog]

I like the lines on their faces....but then again Adam is exactly 5 years and 364 days older than me, so I might be a bit biased.

 

[Seabird]

OLD? I'm the age of the band myself. Don't worry guys, us old farts will keep you in business!

 

[Bono's shades]

A while back my 23-year-old co-worker was riding with me in my car and "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" came on the radio and she started to sing along. That's someone who was in kindergarten when that song was first released. U2 are classic, folks. Their appeal will never age, just like the Beatles.

 

[desire25]

A while back my 23-year-old co-worker was riding with me in my car and "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" came on the radio and she started to sing along. That's someone who was in kindergarten when that song was first released. U2 are classic, folks. Their appeal will never age, just like the Beatles.

exactly. you know who brought me to the band? a 23 yr old co-worker. and i'm bono's age. in fact they knew a lot of trivia about the band than i do. after the joshua tree, i was thrown out of the loop by listening to too much pop, disco, you know the likes of thriller, whitney and madonna. the next thing i heard about them was winning the grammies for beautiful day.
later i found out other 25 yr old co-workers who bought POP, Zooropa and ATYCLB. and yes they know the history of these records and the tours.

that just goes to show the wide range of people interested in the albums. next week we'll all rush to the stores to get the HTDAAB> coz it's only due to be sold here next week. (sigh!!)

 

[pghas]

Comparisons to the Stones are not fair: The Stones haven't put together a really good studio effort in at least 15 (and some might say 23)years. U2's studio albums are still consistently fresh, new, relevant, interesting, artistic, and important. How amazing that discussions on this very board rage about whether Atomic Bomb is comparable to Joshua Tree or War and these are arguments that can easily be made by peiople. Nobody's comparing Bridges to Babylon to Let it Bleed.

 

[Jamila]

On this Thanksgiving Day, I am SIMPLY GRATEFUL FOT THE MUSIC AND THE PRESENCE OF U2 IN MY LIFE.

U2 has been a part of my life for the last 23 years and will continue to be an integral part of my life long after they have ceased to produce music together as U2.

But I am not rushing that day nor am I trying to deny it - U2 will continue to make music together for as long as they want and I will not overanalyze them during the interim - just enjoy them.

And that is what I would encourage all of us here to do - just enjoy U2 and be grateful for their continued musical brilliance and presence in our lives.

And when that day comes when they think they should go their separate ways musically, let us just have the courtesy and respect for U2 to not oppose their decision.

In the meantime - just relax, enjoy and be thankful for U2.

LOVE AND PEACE....

 

[u2granny]

Mr. Voxson,

I take offense to your thread title. You have stolen my writing style, particularly my method of formulating titles for "post subject." I already own patents to the phrases "U2's last chance" and "Bono's getting old." And just for your reference, I also own patents for the following phrases, among others:

"Clayton's a hack"
"Flopmart"
"the end of U2"
"corporate sellout"
"Bono's publicity stunts"
"U2 marketing gimmicks"
"Bono's scripted sincerity"
"the logical end of U2"
"the POP fiasco"
"the POP debacle"
"U2 and Bon Jovi: Not Too Far Apart"

I reserve the right to use any of those phrases for future titles of threads I may start in this forum so be forewarned. I would like to request that you cease and desist from using a writing style of which I am already a U2 Forum Patent Holder of. Otherwise, I may be constrained to file charges against you for plagiarism and moral damages. I hope you will be more original next time in selecting your subject headings, as it would pain me to make you suffer from the expenses and embarrassment of litigation.

Cheers,

J

Quite possibly your greatest post.

 

[indra]

Wait a minute...Bono's getting old? What about the rest of 'em? Did they find the fountain of youth, but not let Bono drink or something?

 

[david]

They're just going to use promotional pictures of Larry and let Larry be in all the videos alone and when they go on tour everyone but Larry will hide behind screens while they play.

 

[Janine89]

They're just going to use promotional pictures of Larry and let Larry be in all the videos alone and when they go on tour everyone but Larry will hide behind screens while they play.

He's going to have to "age" sometime soon... He is what 43? and looks 27. I hope he still looks 27 when he's 50 ;-)

 

[yimou]

I think Bono looks better now, than he did during ATYCLB.. I dont care if they get older, i just want them to keep releasing albums.

Anyway, then i am growing older with them. I dont expect them to ever release an album that tries to steal Britney Spears fans.
U2 will ALWAYS have a huge following until the day THEY decide that its over.

 

[Miggy D]

Bono has really aged horribly from 1994-2004. I remember in 2001 when U2 was everywhere, and touring and whatnot, my friend asked me how old Bono was and I said 41 and he said 'are you kidding? He looks so much older.' I couldn't disagree with him. I don't know if it was the smoking or just the unhealthy lifestyle or what, but Bono looks much older than a man his age should look. Look around at other people his age - George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Tom Cruise...they look mature but not the same age as Bono, which indeed they are. When B-man was 40 he looked 50 and he looks even older now. The Edge has aged really well, Larry...well that's an obvious one, and even Adam, who looked 40 when he was 30, has basically continued to look 40ish for the past 10 or so years, so that's fine. But Bono, man. Not sure what went wrong, there.

-Miggy D

 

[starsgoblue]

I'm a 24 year old fan and I find older men to be very sexy....Bono included. Age isn't a bad thing from my point of view. Especially when determining my taste in music.

U2's music is not affected by their ages, if anything I think it has helped them. They are comfortable with thier style and way of creating music--they don't feel the need to succumb to the pressure of other flash-in-the-pan "musicians" that are splattered everywhere. They know who they are as a group and what works for them. As a result....thier music is what is ageless. And that is the main reason I am a fan.

 

[U2girl]

Bono has been aging since 97. Look at POP album sleeve pictures, the wrinkles and deep lines/bags under eyes started then.

He looked better in 2000, and he looks good enough now, save for that haircut. That said, he looks his age, just like Edge or Adam - NOT 10 years older. He's not Keith Richards.

 

[intedomine]

The only thing stopping u2 from reaching out to a wide audience is the disasterous "music" that exists today. Pollution in the form of mainstream hip hop, modern punk, and most significantly, the IDOL bullcrap that is messing up the entire world.

How to dismantle an atomic bomb is the greatest record of the 21st century, but it's not fashionable to be in a band of honest, fair dinkum, creative rockers anymore so u2 wont get the credit they deserve. (Nor the audience they deserve)

Image is Everything today and so many "artists" get a free ride to recognition and a free ride to attracting an audience (eg. IDOL)

 

[Miggy D]

Yep, the changes that happened between the end of the Zoo Tour and the beginning of the Pop marketing are literally shocking. In less than 3 years time Bono aged about 7 years. Pretty incredible. He's slowed down, thankfully.

-Miggy D