U2's Relationship With Their Fans

[xaviMF22]

fake edge should start posting on u2.com.

I 'ed

 

[fly so high!]

U2 are not very close to their fans at all. Every other band I follow even half as closely as I follow U2 has a much better relationship with their fans. For example, just a few days ago, Crowded House did a free live broadcast of one of their rehearsal sessions - 2.5 hours of music for any fan, anywhere in the world, to enjoy. Or Dream Theater's Mike Portnoy goes to great effort to vary setlists not only from night to night, but from prior sets played in each city, and when filming DVDs, he seeks to make the setlist almost totally different to past DVDs so that fans don't get repeat tracks (meanwhile, U2 have six consecutive appearances of Streets and counting). Or Porcupine Tree's Steven Wilson, who goes to great efforts to satisfy fans who, like him, have an enthusiasm for collector's editions, vinyl, and rarities. And so on and so forth.

All U2 seem to do is talk a bit about their fans. I see very little interaction beyond a bit of meet-and-greet after some shows, and occasionally pulling someone onstage to play guitar. U2 don't even seem interested in the opinions of their most dedicated fans, those who aren't fairweather fans, those who support U2 through thick and thin - just last tour, we had Bono yelling at a fan requesting something different. It is part of the reason why I am increasingly disillusioned with U2. Their musical output is declining, both in quantity and quality, and their interaction with their fans is poor to say the least.

 

[U2girl]

Presale was a disaster, but it also got fixed. And no, not by internet complaints but people talking to U2 members on the street. The "two words for you" finish was a valid point, and the same guy (Adam rarely speaks but I think it's odd that the internet user of the band or the great communicator didn't speak up) apologised not only on the band's site but in front of worldwide audience at the Grammys - both of which was IMO beyond the call of duty, a PM statement or U2.com (and especially Ticketmaster) apology would be enough. If I remember right U2.com and Ticketmaster apologised.

The lottery execution can be debated but overall I like the idea that someone else should have a chance to get better seats, not just the "biggest fans" that camp.

The website is lacking but then again, not like there is a lack of U2 sites on the internet to catch the news. Willie diary is a neat idea.

As far as setlists....please. It's got nothing to do with U2-fan relationship and the last tour was very good in this regard and people still moaned.

And there's a reason why the first night of the tour is weaker than the latter shows. You're only screwing yourself if you go to the first show, knowing full well how the first nights of U2 tours are.

 

[AndrewCowley]

I love U2, they are my band. But I know if Pearl Jam were my band that I'd feel a lot more special about being a Pearl Jam nut than I do being a U2 nut. You only have to look at Pearl Jam's fan club and the ticketing offers that fan club members get. Then there's the setlist issue, which I see as Pearl Jam rewarding the nut fans with songs from leftfield. They know they don't need to play Daughter every night. U2 on the other hand are obsessed big sales, getting into the charts and so on and for that they need to take for granted the nut fans and put all their efforts into 'marketing' of their brand so as to keep growing. This is what keeps U2 interested so I'm not criticising it. But my observation is that their obsession with their popularity (c'mon... what other band would crap on about 're-applying to be the best band in the world') comes at the expense of rewarding and recognising the hardcore fans. Pearl Jam embrace the fact that their are fans who see multiple shows, and from memory (please correct me if I'm wrong) haven't U2 gone on record saying they don't like to see the same faces over and over at the front. Gee those faces are the ones who have bought every single thing U2 have released; some have done this their entire adult lives.

 

[Chizip]

And there's a reason why the first night of the tour is weaker than the latter shows. You're only screwing yourself if you go to the first show, knowing full well how the first nights of U2 tours are.

Right, because casual fans know full well that U2 shows are substandard at the beginning of the tour. If they only play your city once, and you can only afford to go to one show, and youre forking over 180 bucks to see them, it is a bit of a slap in the face to see what is essentially a glorified rehearsal session rather than a polished concert becuase the band didn't want to spend a few more days rehearsing.

What I don't like about U2's fan interaction is that it seems to me that they would rather make a new fan than keep an old fan. And while that makes sense business wise, it still kinda stinks that they seem to take for granted their hardcore fans.

 

[KUEFC09U2]

interesting trend here, the people who seems to bitch the most, are also bitching about fan interaction

 

[last unicorn]

Presale was a disaster, but it also got fixed. And no, not by internet complaints but people talking to U2 members on the street. The "two words for you" finish was a valid point, and the same guy (Adam rarely speaks but I think it's odd that the internet user of the band or the great communicator didn't speak up) apologised not only on the band's site but in front of worldwide audience at the Grammys - both of which was IMO beyond the call of duty, a PM statement or U2.com (and especially Ticketmaster) apology would be enough. If I remember right U2.com and Ticketmaster apologised.

The lottery execution can be debated but overall I like the idea that someone else should have a chance to get better seats, not just the "biggest fans" that camp.

The website is lacking but then again, not like there is a lack of U2 sites on the internet to catch the news. Willie diary is a neat idea.

As far as setlists....please. It's got nothing to do with U2-fan relationship and the last tour was very good in this regard and people still moaned.

And there's a reason why the first night of the tour is weaker than the latter shows. You're only screwing yourself if you go to the first show, knowing full well how the first nights of U2 tours are.

I agree.
Yes, the ticket sale thing has to be reconsidered.
And yes, U2.com is not really a worthy website. To be honest, I haven't visited in ages, since I am not a member, and I go to this forum daily, that is what makes being a fan special to me and why I feel to be part of the fan community, not the "official" website.
But many things stated in this thread have IMO nothing to do with band-fan-relationship.
If some of you think other bands are handling it better, go and become part of their fan community.
I am sure that after a while you will start to moan about them as well, maybe about different stuff.
I am glad I don't know some guys here personally because it would freak me out if someone said: I would like you more if you were more like this or that person.
That's crap.
U2 are what they are and not another band. That's why most people love them. The whole comparisons suck big time and are sometimes really disrespectful.
And the whole "old" vs. "new" fan thing is simply unfair.
I really feel that some of you oh so hardcore fans don't know (or don't understand or don't want to understand) what U2 is really about.

 

[irishbusby]

Ticket Presale Fiasco

4 of my family bought presale tickets for the Croke Park leg of the Vertigo tour.

They were in a lousy position.

Lower tier.

Back right-hand corner.

If you stood up, you couldn't see the stage.

Worst seats in the house -'specially reserved' for U2.com fan members......

My Mum and Sis left them, and walked to a more convenient standing position. Thanks to the benevolence of one of the security staff, the stood where they could actually see the show.

My Bro and I took the law into our own hands...walked to front of the stand, jumped the barrier, and sprinted into the heart of the standing crowd on the pitch before security staff could catch us!!

Of course, being U2, once the lights went down and the boys came on stage, the show was awesome.

We were left hugely disappointed in general though - we'd gone from the elation of securing special fans seats to discovering they were actually the worst in the venue.

Myself and 2 syblings all attended Mount Temple Comprehensive School, and have met the band on more than one occasion as they returned to visit teachers on the school campus.

I still treasure the memory when as a 12 year old, I saw Larry ride into the grounds on a Harley with long leather tassles hanging from the handlebars. He was on his way to visit Donald Moxham, a history teacher at our school.

He was (still is) the coolest looking guy I'd ever seen. Shades, T-shirt with ciggie box rolled into sleeve....I barely had the guts to ask him for an autograph!!

I'll always be a huge fan. The themes and emotion in their music will always mean that they 'connect' with fans more than mostother bands. In that sense, the relationship with fans will always be awesome.

The ticket fiasco was a reminder that, even with the best manager in the business, the U2 machine is still capable of providing the odd 'devastatingly disappointing' result.

For an hour on that gig night, until everyone secured a location where they could see the show, I'd never been more disillusioned.

By the time the gig ended, I realised there were only two places that mattered on earth. Inside Croke Park, and outside it.

 

[rihannsu]

I find it very interesting that all the complaints about fan interaction seem to have more to do with how much stuff you get rather than with actual interaction between the fan and the band. It seems that most of the complainers equate getting free stuff or great seats with being loved by the band. If you are talking about interaction it should be about the way the band treats the fan when they meet or about connecting in an emotional way, not about stuff. But then again it appears our society can only judge the strength of love by the stuff that goes with it. That is very sad indeed.

Dana

 

[KUEFC09U2]

Re: Ticket Presale Fiasco

4 of my family bought presale tickets for the Croke Park leg of the Vertigo tour.

They were in a lousy position.

Lower tier.

Back right-hand corner.

If you stood up, you couldn't see the stage.

Worst seats in the house -'specially reserved' for U2.com fan members......

My Mum and Sis left them, and walked to a more convenient standing position. Thanks to the benevolence of one of the security staff, the stood where they could actually see the show.

My Bro and I took the law into our own hands...walked to front of the stand, jumped the barrier, and sprinted into the heart of the standing crowd on the pitch before security staff could catch us!!

Of course, being U2, once the lights went down and the boys came on stage, the show was awesome.

We were left hugely disappointed in general though - we'd gone from the elation of securing special fans seats to discovering they were actually the worst in the venue.

Myself and 2 syblings all attended Mount Temple Comprehensive School, and have met the band on more than one occasion as they returned to visit teachers on the school campus.

I still treasure the memory when as a 12 year old, I saw Larry ride into the grounds on a Harley with long leather tassles hanging from the handlebars. He was on his way to visit Donald Moxham, a history teacher at our school.

He was (still is) the coolest looking guy I'd ever seen. Shades, T-shirt with ciggie box rolled into sleeve....I barely had the guts to ask him for an autograph!!

I'll always be a huge fan. The themes and emotion in their music will always mean that they 'connect' with fans more than mostother bands. In that sense, the relationship with fans will always be awesome.

The ticket fiasco was a reminder that, even with the best manager in the business, the U2 machine is still capable of providing the odd 'devastatingly disappointing' result.

For an hour on that gig night, until everyone secured a location where they could see the show, I'd never been more disillusioned.

By the time the gig ended, I realised there were only two places that mattered on earth. Inside Croke Park, and outside it.

weaird i dont think they actually had "special fan club seats"?

 

[irishbusby]

Agreed: that phrase is my own.

It didn't seem unreasonable to expect that tickets sold to fans in a presale wouldn't be the worst seats, at the very least.

Hope that clarifies things.

I wasn't insinuating that we'd all expected to get leather recliners floating on a cloud above the rest of the audience or anything!

But the hype created in the U2.com website and around the tickets presale led us to believe that they'd be the kind of seats that a fan would be proud of.

Not the kind of seats that would have sold last in a general sale.

 

[last unicorn]

irishbusby, I am sorry to hear this, I can understand your disappointment. That really sucks and it's a shame U2. com offered these tickets. The site can really be a shame for fans, band and the management. But good to hear that despite your dissapointing experience, you still keep things positive when it comes to the band.
Man I really hope they'll have this whole mess sorted out next time they go on tour and learn something from it.

 

[U2girl]

Right, because casual fans know full well that U2 shows are substandard at the beginning of the tour. If they only play your city once, and you can only afford to go to one show, and youre forking over 180 bucks to see them, it is a bit of a slap in the face to see what is essentially a glorified rehearsal session rather than a polished concert becuase the band didn't want to spend a few more days rehearsing.

We're not talking about casual fans who probably won't obsess about setlists and every missed note/lyric. Of course if you can only go to one show, and it happens to be the opening show, yes it won't be a perfect show. You can't expect the opening night to go over 100% smoothly. It's not like the band decides in a low lit room "Right, let's mess with our fans and SUCK the first night of the tour on purpose." U2 just aren't that good with their instruments, so they will make mistakes, and there's always the equipment/technology failure possiblity.

But I think most people here - and yourself probably - saw more than 1 show. So, having that option, and knowing U2's first night on tour is imperfect, go to another show a few days later in the tour.

 

[ramblin rose]

Nobody will deny that the 1st presale was not all one would have hoped for, even Larry said that's not the way they had planned it. But it seems that's all the complainers seem to remember, and worse than that, in some cases people seem to insinuate the band did it on purpose somehow.

Not everything always goes the way you'd wish. Very quickly after the disaster an apology was given. And it wasn't an empty apology. Soon after, the 2nd presale for the 3rd leg was announced and that couldn't have gone smoother. Not only that, but U2 rewarded it's " older " fans, (i.e. propaganda members) with a 2nd code. It's funny how no one mentions the great tickets that they got very easily during the 2nd presale. I also seem to recall that the presale for the Aussie/NZ shows worked pretty well, as well as, a presale for the Hawaii show.

I love some people say, well why can't they do it like Pearl Jam.
How many of you participated in PJ's recent European tour presale? I actually enjoyed reading the threads on their forum of people bitching and complaining because those first sales turned into a virtual disaster. I was laughing at the time, because it seemed like I was reading a thread in this forum about U2's 1st presale. You'd think since PJ has been doing these online presales a lot longer than U2 they would have gotten it right from the get go.

 

[kellyahern]

in some cases people seem to insinuate the band did it on purpose somehow.

If I recall, the "two words" were directed to those people specifically, not people who were upset with the pre-sale.

Interesting info about the Pearl Jam pre-sale. From what has been said on this board, I thought they were perfect . What happened during their pre-sale this time?

 

[ramblin rose]

If I recall, the "two words" were directed to those people specifically, not people who were upset with the pre-sale.

Interesting info about the Pearl Jam pre-sale. From what has been said on this board, I thought they were perfect . What happened during their pre-sale this time?

I agree. You can't blame people for being upset. I was upset. But did I think this was some master plan to screw the fans? No.

To be an effecitve manager you have to delegate tasks to others. Unfortunately, sometimes those you delegate to don't do things the best way and when that happens all you can do is your best to remedy the situation. That's what U2 did in the case of the pre-sale.

What happened the first day of the PJ's European presale? Pretty much the same thing that happened in U2's. Not able to access the system, tickets not available, codes that didn't work. I actually enjoyed the whole thing.

 

[djerdap]

I don't see setlists having much to do with how close a band is with their fans at all. The live broadcast thing is cool and a nice thing to do for the fans. But setlist don't have shit to do with your relationship to your fans, unless of course you found a way to let fans control the setlists, but what a nightmare that would be.

Sorry, but you're dead wrong. Setlist choice has everything to do with the relationship between the band and its fanbase. I have to choose Pearl Jam again here as an example - there are various documented accounts of fans holding signs of fan favorites for the shows and the band played it frequently. U2? Nope. They played some fan favorites on the Vertigo Tour like The Electric Co. And that song got thrown out later in the tour.

Check out this amazing story, for example:
http://www.fivehorizons.com/tour/98/east_leg/breath.shtml

Who doesn't want to read, the fanbase organized a huge campaign for a fan favorite called "Breath" - a song Pearl Jam hasn't played for 4 years. Thousands of fans held the signs which said "Breath" on it for three shows in a row.
In the third show, the band finally played it. Hearing it on the bootleg, I've never heard such an audience cheer in my life.
Now that's relationship between the fans and the band, my friends.

Oh... and to the guy that stated that PJ's only fanbase are the ones that stuck after 1994... guess again, mate.

 

[BVS]

Sorry, but you're dead wrong. Setlist choice has everything to do with the relationship between the band and its fanbase. I have to choose Pearl Jam again here as an example - there are various documented accounts of fans holding signs of fan favorites for the shows and the band played it frequently. U2? Nope. They played some fan favorites on the Vertigo Tour like The Electric Co. And that song got thrown out later in the tour.

Dead wrong? Come on!

I've been to several PJ shows, and almost every show at some point he says "put the sign away, we're not playing that song". Then there was the recent taping at the Letterman or Conan show(can't remember) where the whole crowd held up a sign for 'Leash' and they didn't play it.

And U2 has played songs held up by fans, it's rare but it does happen.

Sorry I don't see your point.

So please tell me what varying setlist has to do with the relationship with fans.

 

[djerdap]

I've been to several PJ shows, and almost every show at some point he says "put the sign away, we're not playing that song". Then there was the recent taping at the Letterman or Conan show(can't remember) where the whole crowd held up a sign for 'Leash' and they didn't play it.

And they did play Leash a month and a half later. After 11 years.

Because a lot of fans go to many shows and they want to see varying setlists, they want to see as many songs as possible. When a PJ fan goes on a huge tour, he is sure as hell more pleased than a U2 fan seeing U2 shows with very little changes.

 

[elevated_u2_fan]

When a PJ fan goes on a huge tour, he is sure as hell more pleased than seeing a U2 show with very little changes.

Well of course he is, he's a PJ fan... I personally would rather see U2 perform than PJ even if PJ changes their sets completely every night.

Maybe that's just me though...

 

[last unicorn]

U2 don't play concerts to please the minority - yes minority - of hardcore fans going to 30+ shows. For the casual fan or people just liking their music, it's a great show. If U2 were only to play for their die hard fans, then good night. You all are being a bit selfish here.

 

[djerdap]

U2 don't play concerts to please the minority - yes minority - of hardcore fans going to 30+ shows. For the casual fan or people just liking their music, it's a great show. If U2 were only to play for their die hard fans, then good night. You all are being a bit selfish here.

It's not that hard to make a mixture of greatest hits and fan favorites and mixing it. Make both the casual and the hardcores happy.

And, elevated_U2_fan, I meant U2 fan going on a huge tour seeing 20 U2 shows is not that satisfied than a PJ fan going on the same amount of PJ shows. I thought that was clear without mentioning it.

 

[BVS]

And they did play Leash a month and a half later. After 11 years.

That defeats the whole point of your earlier story. So what if they played it a month later? I wanted to see U2 play Bad the very first show I went to, but they didn't, they did play it the next night, did that do me any good? No.

That's my whole point.

Because a lot of fans go to many shows and they want to see varying setlists, they want to see as many songs as possible. When a PJ fan goes on a huge tour, he is sure as hell more pleased than a U2 fan seeing U2 shows with very little changes.

Why would you cater to the select few that go to many shows? So because you cater to the select few you have a better relationship with your fans? That doesn't make any sense.

I've been a PJ fan since the release of the single 'Alive', I've bought every album, single, etc. I've seen them at least once every tour. I've seen some shows where the setlist was amazing, some where it absolutely blew, and some where it was just OK. Best or worse, it didn't matter, the show was still good, just the song selection didn't always please me. But why should I sit through a bad setlist because some folks have seen them already 10 times?

I see no logic here.

 

[Chizip]

Does U2 ever really do anything that's specifically aimed at doing something nice for the hardcore fans?

Hmm well they released some "Unreleased and Rare" tracks that only hardcore fans would like on Itunes. But hmm, they make the hardcore fans pay 150 dollars on songs they already have to get those. Kind of a slap in the face.

Well they released a new song inbetween albums, but hmm, youve gotta buy 15 other songs you already have in order to get it, kind of a slap in the face.

The reason for the lottery was that they didn't think the hardcore fans in the heart were enthusiastic enough. Kind of a slap in the face.

Setlists are specifically designed for the casual fans.

The free stuff they give away for their fansite is stuff the hardcore fans would already have anyway, how about releasing audio to a show that hasn't already been released on DVD or whatever?

Communication from the band to the fans in extremely limited. Even just a small note every now and then on U2.com about what they were up to would be greatly appreciated.

While I understand marketing yourself to and pleasing the casual audience is smart, as its much bigger than the hardcore base, but it would be nice to see them throw the hardcore fan base a bone at least once in a blue moon.

 

[BVS]

I meant U2 fan going on a huge tour seeing 20 U2 shows is not that satisfied than a PJ fan going on the same amount of PJ shows. I thought that was clear without mentioning it.

How do you know? Have you made some poll that no one knows about? Why would someone go to 20 shows if they weren't satisfied?

 

[toscano]

Does U2 ever really do anything that's specifically aimed at doing something nice for the hardcore fans?

Hmm well they released some "Unreleased and Rare" tracks that only hardcore fans would like on Itunes. But hmm, they make the hardcore fans pay 150 dollars on songs they already have to get those. Kind of a slap in the face.

Well they released a new song inbetween albums, but hmm, youve gotta buy 15 other songs you already have in order to get it, kind of a slap in the face.

The reason for the lottery was that they didn't think the hardcore fans in the heart were enthusiastic enough. Kind of a slap in the face.

Setlists are specifically designed for the casual fans.

The free stuff they give away for their fansite is stuff the hardcore fans would already have anyway, how about releasing audio to a show that hasn't already been released on DVD or whatever?

Communication from the band to the fans in extremely limited. Even just a small note every now and then on U2.com about what they were up to would be greatly appreciated.

While I understand marketing yourself to and pleasing the casual audience is smart, as its much bigger than the hardcore base, but it would be nice to see them throw the hardcore fan base a bone at least once in a blue moon.

This guy gets it. They have poor to mediocre relationship with their hardcore fans. They are the ATT/DirectTV/Cable company types who gives the best deals to the new subscribers, everything is geared towards getting new subscribers, but the long time consumer doesn't get as good a deal.

 

[Utoo]

So leave. Clearly they don't care about you. Unless playing monday morning quarterback and complaining about what people should be doing is somehow fun. If you think they don't care about you, make them miss you.

 

[corianderstem]

I love U2 lots and lots.* Do I expect them to love me as much as I love them? No.

There's a lot in Chizip's post I disagree with, but I would have to agree with wanting a a bone thrown at us once in a blue moon. That's not too much to ask.


*but like many relationships, while I love them lots, I don't necessarily have to like everything they do.

 

[U2Man]

*but like many relationships, while I love them lots, I don't necessarily have to like everything they do.

 

[Utoo]

Blue moon bones:

- U2:7. Singles b-sides not widely available. $6.99. Not too shabby. Ask a casual fan if they've heard of 'Big Girls Are Best.'

- UABRS. Most of the songs are not from the commercially released VHS. From previous discussions on this board (mainly about why U2:18 apparently sucks), live albums are apparently for hardcore fans.

- Wide Awake In America. You can count the number of casual fans that have this on one hand.

- Melon. If it's not something hardcore fans appreciate in some way, I don't know why it regularly goes for over $30 on ebay.

- Best of 1980-1990 B-sides. Best of 1990-2000 B-sides. Most casual fans I know opted not to go for the bonus b-side disc. But alas! We had to buy the regular best of disc to get the b-side disc.

- Irving Plaza. Yeah, they're advertising here. But I'd pay anything to see them in a small venue like that. Casual fan--probably indifferent if they see them in Irving Plaza or Yankee Stadium. But I suppose the show should have only been open to fanclub members who've been around since Feedback.

- The ATYCLB studio webcam. Yeah, it sucked. But it was a good idea in theory. I doubt Joe Schmoe was checking frequently on u2.com to see what Larry was eating.