Bono/Edge American Idol Performance Setlist Party

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TheEdge25 said:
I just wanna say that Bono's voice right now (I think) is best it has been this whole decade
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Having just seen them in Denver, I have to agree 100% with this comment:D
And bono has not looked this good in years either! :drool: (Although he always looks mighty fine in my eyes:wink:)
 
I thought they did great, I was in the audience and besides me most of the crowd was unfazed and unenthused, as they also were for Gaga. The only 2 numbers I enjoyed. The rest was complete drudgery.
 
BVS said:
:huh:

You really missed my point...





Well it was to promote something bigger than just U2.

Until some of you figure that out this anger towards AI is just pointless.
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I agree with you 100% on this. I personally liked the song and do not see a problem with Bono and Edge appearing on AI besides Bono was already on American Idol a few seasons ago.

YouTube - ‪Bono at American Idol‬‏
 
Yes, yes. We all know Idol is quite ridiculous and annoying.

But seriously, who's going to look down on Bono & Edge and/or U2 for being on the show? A) people who already hate them anyway; and B) the last handful of outraged music fans who still think there's something called "rock and roll cred" or whatever in 2011.

I'm guessing B includes some of the people on this forum.
 
BVS said:
:huh:

You really missed my point...





Well it was to promote something bigger than just U2.

Until some of you figure that out this anger towards AI is just pointless.
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No, I get it, I just don't care for it. To me, it brings up memories of the outdated promotion approach U2 implemented for NLOTH. (And Carney's voice has no character, the contrast only did him disservice)
 
It's not about 'rocknroll cred' (what?) or whether or not you like U2 or Bono to begin with (and if you hate them, this is nothing more than a fresh supply of useful ammunition.)

I'm sure plenty of people think it's below them. Everyone has a line drawn somewhere. I think not only Idol but a Broadway musical about Spiderman is below them. But for others that line is further along, e.g. you think Broadway/Spiderman/AI is fine, but you might not think Michael Bay Soundtrack As Next Album/Reality Show Competition To Replace Larry Once His Wrists Go is so crash hot. For me, Broadway/Spiderman/AI = tacky, below them, but that's just me (and Larry, it might seem.)

However, I think for the vast majority who don't like this, it's about simply not liking people like Bono and Edge 'endorsing' what Idol represents (no matter how loosely, or out of what commercial necessity.)
 
What, do you mean because there were so many other performers and so much else going on? And it would be different if it had just been them showing up on one of the regular weekly shows to pimp out the musical?

(Not arguing, just trying to see if I know what you're saying. :) )
 
No, I mean bundled with other U2-ey things deemed as 'disappointing'. All the new album stuff, general sense of drifting, all of that. Hence, this one event attracts extra fire.
 
Oh, gotcha. Yeah, I can see that.

I'll add a C) to my list: Frustrated U2 fans who just want a new album already.

:wink:
 
DeVaul said:
No, I get it, I just don't care for it. To me, it brings up memories of the outdated promotion approach U2 implemented for NLOTH.
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I really have no clue what these two have in common. Seems ironic that you bring up "outdated promotion" yet seem to long for a 90's Bono. :wink:

But why do these memories bring up so much anger for some.


I said it before in another thread:

AI has a big audience, for better or worse and this plays going to need a big audience. Crew, cast, etc many people's jobs depend on that.

I don't see the big deal. I don't understand all this "below them" BS.

If you take your rock stars off the pedestals for awhile you might enjoy the music more.
 
BVS said:
If you take your rock stars off the pedestals for awhile you might enjoy the music more.
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I agree with this sentiment :up:

Its 2011, if anyone's worried about "Street Cred" for Rock musicians, then you're still stuck a couple of decades behind the rest of us.

As big an act or powerful within the industry as U2 might be, they are still struggling to stay relevant in this age of record company created and auto tuned knockoffs that pass for real music these days.

Bono and Edge were supposed to write a handful of songs in their spare time and give them to this musical and ride off into the sunset.

Instead, this production has been one epic disaster after another and when you have 75 million dollars invested in a project, then you'll whore yourself out to any low brow but highly rated TV show to market said product
 
Drowningman said:
Its 2011, if anyone's worried about "Street Cred" for Rock musicians, then you're still stuck a couple of decades behind the rest of us.
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So you'd be happy to see them embrace much more sponsorship on their tours as well then? In between the main set and the encore they could run some adverts for Palm devices or whatever. Maybe bring out a line of Kiss-style merchandise - band dolls perhaps? The whole argument about them being on AI is kinda pointless in U2's case - since they've always strived for the widest possible audience and the biggest platform.

I wonder though - if Spiderman hadn't been panned across the board would they have decided to use AI as a promotional outlet? To me it smacks of desperate marketing and the only reason I'm comfortable with it is because its Bono and Edge trying to save their Broadway musical.

On the other hand I would be majorly disappointed if U2 as a band used American Idol or (in the UK) The X-Factor as a means of promoting their latest single. That for me would be testing their credibility too far. As has been said before, its end-of-the-pier karaoke garbage that they (as rock legends well into their third decade in the music business) are way way above.
 
How is it different from promoting their singles on Top of the Pops like they did in, say 1983? I realize the premise of the two shows are obviously different, but these are the shows these days where bands/singers can go to push their material, because there isn't anything like Top of the Pops or American Bandstand anymore.

And as far as "much more sponsorship," I don't know. It was weird seeing all the Blackberry stuff (that apparently is no longer there in recent shows, which I thought was interesting), but you know what, it's a different world out there now, I think. I just don't think it's as big a deal as it used to be. Maybe I'm just older now and care less about what other people might think about my favorite band, or realize that lots of things change - the times, the music business, and YOU, as you get older.

I don't understand why so many fans keep expecting U2 and/or Bono to have the same attitudes and opinions as they did 20 years ago. (Which is a whole 'nother topic.)
 
It's not about cred or whatever. That's ridiculous. You either understand what people don't like about it, or you don't, and so just assume it's some childish 'sell out' thing.

And I've heard Bono complain about the state of the industry today, saying that if they were a new band in the past decade, they would have probably been dumped after October. And he's absolutely right, so it is stupid for him to complain about it, recognise it's a bad thing, and then go bow at the alter of Simon Cowell - the greatest living embodiment of one of the two or three specific reasons why U2 would likely have never gotten even to War if they'd been formed in the 00s.

That's what I mean by "they're above this". Not that they're above promoting something on a mega-rating TV show, but that these ones in particular are effectively laughing behind their backs while they're up there.
 
I didn't want to raise hackles by using the word "sell out," but that's the connection I immediately made when MikeyJB mentioned "more sponsorship."

And that's a good point about Bono's previous complaints. I guess the need to push Spiderman outweighed whatever his true thoughts are on the matter. I know some people might see that as giving up his principles, but I don't think it's so black and white.
 
Earnie Shavers said:
It's not about cred or whatever. That's ridiculous. You either understand what people don't like about it, or you don't, and so just assume it's some childish 'sell out' thing.

And I've heard Bono complain about the state of the industry today, saying that if they were a new band in the past decade, they would have probably been dumped after October. And he's absolutely right, so it is stupid for him to complain about it, recognise it's a bad thing, and then go bow at the alter of Simon Cowell - the greatest living embodiment of one of the two or three specific reasons why U2 would likely have never gotten even to War if they'd been formed in the 00s.

That's what I mean by "they're above this". Not that they're above promoting something on a mega-rating TV show, but that these ones in particular are effectively laughing behind their backs while they're up there.
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But they are promoting a BROADWAY act!!! Not new music.

U2 has always been about complaining about it, yet using it.

They did Top of the Pops, MTV(when it was more about the fashion than music), and all kinds of TV shows that were embarassing to their hardcore fans.
 
"Sell out" as it is most often used is the most ridiculous term. To me it means really going completely against the foundation of what your band is about, and/or in some way truly fucking your fans over for nothing more than cash. A bit of tour sponsorship, one advert for a music product, and some big time TV appearances do not maketh the sell out. A few seriously dumbed down singles do not maketh the sell out. I would think MikeyJB's example of Palm ads running on the big screen during breaks in a concert would pretty much universally be agreed upon as being if not all the way there, at least a very big first step over the line.
 
BVS, I know you'll never disagree with anything the band ever says or does, but surely you can see the difference between Top of the Pops/MTV, and American Idol/X-Factor?
 
Earnie Shavers said:
BVS, I know you'll never disagree with anything the band ever says or does, but surely you can see the difference between Top of the Pops/MTV, and American Idol/X-Factor?
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Oh yes the easy cop out answer, let's just label the other person as an apologists rather than actually discuss the issue. I've disagreed with A LOT this band has done. But to me, this has little to do with the band. If this were U2 promoting a single, I'd probably share your frustration.

Not sure your age but TOTPS and MTV during it's early days were considered just as bad by many music fans and musicians. There were some bands that refused to make videos for years because it became more about the image rather than the music. These shows were considered by many to be what was wrong with music back then, so I see a very relevant comparison.
 
The difference, as far as I see it, between TOTP/MTV and shows like AI, is that the former were outlets for creativity to be promoted and a chance for fans to see/hear the new work presented by the artists. On the other hand, the latter is a means of encouraging the lusting for and aspiration towards stardom, whilst stifling actual true creativity. Innovation is dispensed with in favour of mimicry and emulation.
 
MikeyJB said:
The difference, as far as I see it, between TOTP/MTV and shows like AI, is that the former were outlets for creativity to be promoted and a chance for fans to see/hear the new work presented by the artists. On the other hand, the latter is a means of encouraging the lusting for and aspiration towards stardom, whilst stifling actual true creativity. Innovation is dispensed with in favour of mimicry and emulation.
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TOTP forced many artists to lyp synch or mime their instruments.

MANY saw MTV just like you see AI just a platform to encourage the likes of pretty pop acts that couldn't really play.

AND many have thought AI to be the platform to show that they could sing and it be a jumping point for their singer songwriting career.

Lots of thin gray lines everywhere.
 
And so, ultimately it all does come down to the bottom line doesn't it ?

A 75 million dollar failure is not an option so if going on a televised Kareoke contest is how you have to sell your product then that's what happens.

We as fans have an idealistic view of what the band members are like. And for the most part they absolutely do live up to our expectations but, they are never going to be able to please everyone.

Like it or not, U2 is more than just a band anymore. It is a business, a corporation. Many people's livelihoods are dependent on whether's the band's or individual member's projects succeed.

I'm sure stuff like this weighs on their minds as well before they go on a show like Idol.
 
BVS,
BVS said:
I really have no clue what these two have in common. Seems ironic that you bring up "outdated promotion" yet seem to long for a 90's Bono. :wink:
.
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AI is a lowest common denominator promotional approach. 5 nights on Letterman was a very outdated approach. Big as they were in the 90s, the band didn't gun for this type of promo until the dismally rated A Year In Pop (which itself was still kinda snarky).

As for promoting a musical, since Bono & Edge aren't performing on Broadway, this performance & digital single featuring them do have a whiff of desperation.

We can agree to disagree, but don't say you can't see a common thread here. Ultimately, they're not willing to just let the music do the talking. Or in this case, the reviews... which have actually been quite positive!
 
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