Tabby
Refugee
It's just that....I've heard it all before... so many times
LivLuvAndBootlegMusic said:Good posts, Angela, Kitten, and Axver!
I would like to add that sometimes I feel as if there are two basic groups of U2 fans that sometimes overlook or simply refuse to recognize the other.
For example, at my job, EVERYONE is older than me, I'm the only girl, and most of the guys 30-40 are U2 fans and have been for a long time. Their claims to U2 fandom is that they were around for the JT-AB golden era and can say "I remember this UF Tour concert...". On the other hand, there's people like me, who simply because of my age, get pushed into the catagory of Pop/ATYCLB fans. I can't help it that I wasn't born until JT was released. I won't deny that ATYCLB and the Elevation Tour sparked my interest, but I like to think that I'm WAY beyond that now. I see a lot of times fans judging other fans based on simple demographics like age. So a part of me wonders if it's not so much the issue that U2 is not as popular as we think, but that we tend to group their popularity into the die-hard-been-there-done-that fans and the ones that get labelled Pop-loving-teeny-boppers.
I don't believe this is an issue on these boards, really, everyone here is beyond that, but at work, school, among friends and my parents' friends it happens over and over.
Of course, there are always casual fans that can hum along to a few of the Best Of hits, but that's not a BAD thing either.
I dunno, I hope this post makes sense. I'm not trying to point fingers or be negative, it's just how things have panned out in my experience. Maybe I'm typing out of my butt....
WinnieThePoo said:fans grew older , they're no longer interested in that extreme , hard on the edge , rock'n'roll , they want it safe , like ATYCLB , pure adult pop , pure market music .
EmilyBono said:A lot of people have been pointing out that fans come and go through different stages of U2's career. For instance, some may have been fans during the JT era, then weren't during ZooTV. Or were fans during ZooTV, but not of ATYCLB. I am one of those people, as I'm sure many here are, that just loves almost all of U2's songs. And it's not b/c I think, "oh it's U2, so I like it." For some reason, they're just the band for me. I love all the different eras they have been through and the uniqueness of each album. I think U2 will always have that fan base, because some people just innately enjoy most of their music.
Originally posted by U2girl
Well maybe for some people, but I also think a lot of young (15-20 years, 20something old) fans really liked ATYCLB too.
IMO U2 would look redicioulus if they tried to play and present themselves like they did it when they were 20somethings. They're not the same people and they are aging gracefully.
KhanadaRhodes said:it's hard for me to say. this sounds like the tripe i heard...six years ago, during popmart. you wouldn't believe (all right, maybe you would) the teasing i got when people heard i was seeing U2 in concert.
EmilyBono said:I think U2 will always have that fan base, because some people just innately enjoy most of their music.
TiaraGurl said:A cheesy analogy or is it a metaphor-
Anyway I think U2 is sort of like a train it has been going for awhile you can get on at any point and still pass from one car to another and see where the train came from. (Okay this sis sounding way pretentious and not well articulated)
rivergoat said:Seems to me that U2 is more popular than I ever think they are... I just mention U2 to total strangers, or overhear them on the jukebox in a bar and people of all ages and backgrounds perk their ears right up... still kinda amazes me.
Y'all folks are talking about how these days, U2 has to 'compete' with Britney, hip hop, etc ad nauseum... hate to say this, but it's ALWAYS been like that... U2 has always had to share air time with here-today, gone-tomorrow artists, and critics and fans alike have talked about U2 as if they've already got one foot in the grave... then a new album comes out and those words of doubt are forgotten...
I remember after Unforgettable Fire, the three long years before a new studio release and everyone was wondering if U2 were just going to do a few benefit shows and drop off the Earth like every other early '80's act... then "The Joshua Tree" really whanged everyone upside the head and U2 were glorious again... then.. where did they go? Eh, they're resting on their laurels, they've reached their peak... Oh my, here comes "Acthung Baby!" and the glory continued... etc...
Maybe if U2 put out a crap album every year, with maybe ONE decent song for airplay, things would be different... maybe if they put out music that was easily stuck into ONE neat little category, things would be different... maybe if U2 would just put their heads down and act like the good little rock stars they are and retire, things would be different... but hell, they've got to do things THEIR way on THEIR schedule.. and they just GOT to keep coming back and mixin' it all up again...
and I GOT to stop rambling...
}~
goat
Moonlit_Angel said:
No need to stop. Very well put. .
Angela
The_acrobat said:Lately I've been subjected to a lot of negativity towards U2. Friends are telling me that U2 is over-rated, and that Edge's guitar playing is boring, and Bono is the most pretentious asshole the world has ever seen. My own girlfriend hates Bono, because she thinks he's full of himself. If she would only see his good, humble side, she'd probably love him.
I went to the ROck'n'roll hall of fame on Saturday. The U2 exhibit is amazing. To those who haven't gone yet.....go. It is the current Mecca for all U2 fans...until the exhibit is over. I met a lot of big U2 fans. But there was a group of teenage boys who said "are the top 2 floors nothing but U2? Well, nevermind." And they preceded to walk downstairs towards the exit. Another kid was being drug around the U2 section with his mother, and he said "God, U2 is the worst band I've ever heard. Why would they even put anything of theirs in this building."
But the worst thing is that I have this friend who has been a U2 fan as long as I have. We practically grew up on them. Now, he's went off to college, and nobody in his dorm likes U2. Now suddenly, he is saying how they're not that great, and likes younger, trendier bands.
So are they as popular as we think they are? Lately I've just been getting a bad vibe. I don't know if it means anything or not. Sometimes I just think "man, am I the only one who gets this band?" I fear how their next tour will do in terms of attendance and ticket sales. I don't know if stadiums are the way to go anymore, at least in America. Not just for U2, but really for any artist. Somehow, I fear that a huge public backlash is in store for U2. Can anyone else comment on this matter?
TheBrazilianFly said:and I also don?t understand why today?s youth thinks that when someone gets older apparently they?re not consider cool anymore, that?s just dumb.