Is Bono gonna be too preachy this tour?

[bridonohue]

Lately it seems Bono is less able to seperate his day job from his hobbies. Do people think he is heading back to "bore your arse off" Bono from the Joshua Tree period? (great voice, dull speeches) He sometimes seems like an old man who has to tell you long stories about each song, or why a certain cause is so important. I agree with his causes, but I don't want to go to a rally, i want to go to a rock concert. what was so refreshing about the first leg of zoo tv, outside broadcast, popmart, and most of elevation was that they let the music speak, not the lead singer.

that 9 1/2 minute declaration of human rights video worries me.

Is it just me, or do most people enjoy listening to him go on about his outside work. I would rather the time be used for another song.

 

[Val]

It is what it is. A love fest that spills over to the rest of the world. If you go to see U2, expect to leave with a message whether it's presented in song, or film, or live broadcasts. There's no stopping Bono, so I wave my white flag and tag along. Gladly I might add.

 

[DPrinceNY]

Yeah I hope Bono takes it down a notch with his rallys and speachs. save a couple of rants during sunday bloody sunday and leave it at that.

MORE music LESS talk

 

[martha]

I'm hoping the video pisses off even more people than the Charleton Heston video did.

I like a thinking woman's band. Too many U2 fans are too conservative. They need an eye-opening; some even need a kick in the ass.

 

[scarlet october]

Music often says more then words ever can. But you know Bono ... Speeches are often his thing.

 

[bcrt2000]

isn't music about being preachy? spilling your guts out, saying whats on your mind?

i am not a lefty nor a righty, i fall somewhere inbetween, but i just feel that this notion of being "too preachy" really is silly.. as long as hes not claiming to be devine or a prophet i'm OK with him

 

[nurse chrissi]

Bono/u2 has always been preachy - quite possibly one of the reasons I love the band so much - they wear their hearts on their sleeves and they are not afraid to make people uncomfortable/open eyes

now as to the show that Bono claims to be a divine prophet from God - that is a show I want to be at as I would expect the magic tricks to be AWESOME

 

[NYRangers78]

Lately it seems Bono is less able to seperate his day job from his hobbies. Do people think he is heading back to "bore your arse off" Bono from the Joshua Tree period? (great voice, dull speeches) He sometimes seems like an old man who has to tell you long stories about each song, or why a certain cause is so important. I agree with his causes, but I don't want to go to a rally, i want to go to a rock concert. what was so refreshing about the first leg of zoo tv, outside broadcast, popmart, and most of elevation was that they let the music speak, not the lead singer.

that 9 1/2 minute declaration of human rights video worries me.

Is it just me, or do most people enjoy listening to him go on about his outside work. I would rather the time be used for another song.

that 9 1/2 minute video is the perfect time for a power nap...set your cellphone alarm for 9 1/2 minutes and just stand up and close your eyes. when u wake up.it will be all over. i love u2 and i love the fact that they get involved and as a conservative i agree and disagree with them on issues but i really would rather not hear or see nearly 10 minutes of some crappy video about the un right declarations. the UN did a bang up job of the iraq oil for food scandal. not to mention all their workers raping women left and right in africa. the organization is a sham. i pay my hard earned money to hear good songs and see a rock show and be in a good mood. not a pbs show on human rights declarations or to be reminded every 2 seconds of the struggling in the world by a band thats worth probably 500 million dollars. no offense to anyone here...

 

[bcrt2000]

Re: Re: Is Bono gonna be too preachy this tour?

that 9 1/2 minute video is the perfect time for a power nap...set your cellphone alarm for 9 1/2 minutes and just stand up and close your eyes. when u wake up.it will be all over. i love u2 and i love the fact that they get involved and as a conservative i agree and disagree with them on issues but i really would rather not hear or see nearly 10 minutes of some crappy video about the un right declarations. the UN did a bang up job of the iraq oil for food scandal. not to mention all their workers raping women left and right in africa. the organization is a sham. i pay my hard earned money to hear good songs and see a rock show and be in a good mood. not a pbs show on human rights declarations or to be reminded every 2 seconds of the struggling in the world by a band thats worth probably 500 million dollars. no offense to anyone here...

Bono believes rock and roll can make a difference in the world, he doesn't want to settle for complacency... thats why they wrote Sunday Bloody Sunday, thats why Bono campaigned for MLK to have a national holiday even though his life was in danger, thats why they wrote Even Better than the Real thing, thats why Bono says fuck the revolution in Rattle & Hum, thats why Bono sings "Hey John... War is over we don't need your help, America's making war on itself!", thats why the new album is called How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb, thats why they wrote Love & Peace Or Else and Crumbs From Your Table.... you can't have a sucessful struggle without raising awareness... people have too many distractions these days to know what the heck is going on in the rest of the world-- if everyone really knew everything that was going on, then we'd have a utopian society, but obviously that will never happen

 

[bridonohue]

hi nyrangers78,

i purposely said i agreed with his "causes" and not their solutions to steer this away from politics. both left and right would probably agree that his causes are good, eliminating aids in africa, fighting poverty, relaxing trade restrictions,etc, but they disagree on how to do it. well meaning people will disagree.

without choosing a political side or solution, i am just questioning if this is going to take away from the ROCK CONCERT we are all looking forward to attending.

when people listen to boots of the past shows do they fast forward over any track named "bono speech" like i do, or do people really like to listen to him get preechy?

does anyone know of a single speech bono gave at a show that was as powerful as the inclusion of the "promised land" mlk video during pride?
(I can only think of the Inniskillen one)

The songs speak so lyrically of the bands causes, does bono add or take away from the concert experience by his mini lectures?

Maybe it's just a matter of preference, but i would rather hear them play crumbs then talk of what it's about. i get it, now make me feel it.

 

[NYRangers78]

well said...and yes i do fast forward on the u2 bootlegs on my ipod all the speeches before songs...but sometimes they are really good within the song like on the slane dvd during sunday bloody sunday. and sorry i brought up the politics but someone brought it up first by saying u2 fans are too conservative and need a kick in the ass... to each his own.

 

[bridonohue]

agreed on SBS at Slane.

Again, it seems to make more of an impact within the context of a song. maybe edge should have soundtrack music for bono's speeches.
passengers 2 anyone?

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

bono's always been preachy. it's part of who he is... why would it now be a problem?

 

[skjuls]

bono's always been preachy. it's part of who he is... why would it now be a problem?

My thoughts exactly.... Why change who he is??? He's always been this way!

the Band did stuff for Greenpeace and other organizations, why would they stop now!

 

[starsgoblue]

Bono/u2 has always been preachy - quite possibly one of the reasons I love the band so much - they wear their hearts on their sleeves and they are not afraid to make people uncomfortable/open eyes

now as to the show that Bono claims to be a divine prophet from God - that is a show I want to be at as I would expect the magic tricks to be AWESOME

 

[bridonohue]

maybe i should have titled the thread "is bono going to be too boring on this tour?"
preachy can be exciting and moving, like the examples i listed above, and bono has often been that way in the past, but the 9 1/2 minute video of a document sounds dull. when he talks in between songs he can be dull. do people really just feel blessed to hear anything he has to say and never find him dull?
preach to me, but make it exciting and moving. He started to fail at that during the end of Josua/Lovetown, and he admitted it, recognized he was turning into a characture and that's part of the reason why we got Zoo TV. Live feeds to Yugoslavia were preachy, often uncomfortable, but never dull.

 

[nuke126]

MORE music LESS talk

can't say it any better than that. personally i'm sick and tired of it, just give the people what they pay for, U2 music. we didn't pay these high ticket prices for a speech.

 

[RademR]

I dont mind speeches within the context of the song, I always thought the rants during SBS were awesome.

But the 5 minute speeches about Africa before "One" I hear the guitar riff from the song and I go crazy cause it's my favorite song ever, and then I have to hang out for 5 mins. to hear a word of it.

I think someone had a good point earlier, the song itself has so much meaning. Let it do the talking

Now his speeches during "Out of Control", we need more of that

In the end, I dont even mind his speeches during One, the one in DC on 6-15-01 was amazing, the Notre Dame show...but a 9 1/2 minute video about human rights? I dont see how Larry didn't step up and say "that's a crap idea."

 

[nuke126]

just boo it hopefully they'll get rid of it.

 

[Chizip]

i kind of agree about the video

if the choice is between a 9 and a half minute video on human rights or lets say a 9 and a half minute version of bad, ill pick the music every day of the week and twice on sunday...

 

[joyfulgirl]

bono's always been preachy. it's part of who he is... why would it now be a problem?

Exactly. His preachiness has a lot more credibility for me now than in the early days because his sincerity has deepened and ripened with age, and the man walks his talk.

 

[bcrt2000]

i kind of agree about the video

if the choice is between a 9 and a half minute video on human rights or lets say a 9 and a half minute version of bad, ill pick the music every day of the week and twice on sunday...

how about a 9 minute video on human rights vs a 9 minute video with a fat lady dancing to lemon?

i think a 9 minute video can work, don't underestimate the boys

 

[grant72]

Re: Re: Is Bono gonna be too preachy this tour?

that 9 1/2 minute video is the perfect time for a power nap...set your cellphone alarm for 9 1/2 minutes and just stand up and close your eyes. when u wake up.it will be all over. i love u2 and i love the fact that they get involved and as a conservative i agree and disagree with them on issues but i really would rather not hear or see nearly 10 minutes of some crappy video about the un right declarations. the UN did a bang up job of the iraq oil for food scandal. not to mention all their workers raping women left and right in africa. the organization is a sham. i pay my hard earned money to hear good songs and see a rock show and be in a good mood. not a pbs show on human rights declarations or to be reminded every 2 seconds of the struggling in the world by a band thats worth probably 500 million dollars. no offense to anyone here...

AMEN to that. At a concert, I want too see a cartoon of some guy stuck in space or something........something to keep my attention and add to my altered state of mind while the band chills for a few minutes....not something that's going to kill by buzz.

I'll turn my attention to that type of stuff for during the week newspaper reading.

 

[RademR]

Bring back Zoo Confessionals

 

[martha]

sorry i brought up the politics but someone brought it up first by saying u2 fans are too conservative and need a kick in the ass... to each his own.

That would be me.

And I'm sticking to it. I think there's enough proof to back me up right here in this thread.


Preach on dear Bono! Maybe the POed people will go home and make more room for me to dance.

 

[*k_i_t_e_86*]

how about a 9 minute video on human rights vs a 9 minute video with a fat lady dancing to lemon?

i think a 9 minute video can work, don't underestimate the boys

I agree. None of us has seen it yet, so don't judge it, just because it sounds crappy.

 

[Dalton]

I like a thinking woman's band. Too many U2 fans are too conservative. They need an eye-opening; some even need a kick in the ass.

Yeah, I love the "open minded" U2 fans like yourself...

 

[korczykp]

I love Bono's preachiness... it's never bored me... Bono could deliver any of his lengthy radio or Jubilee speeches on stage and I'd still be captivated.. and knowing U2, the Human Rights video is probably going to be anything but boring. And it's human rights, anyone, conservative or liberal who's read the decleration, I don't see how can they be morally or ideologically opposed to it, so it's something everyone can digest.

Bono has the power to reach out to a completely different audience with his music and 'preachiness' that might not otherwise be aware of a lot of the things he's talking about...

more power to him..

 

[RademR]

It's no biggie, at my first show, I'll watch the video and see what it has to offer. If I'm not into it, the rest of the shows I'll go grab a beer before the encore

 

[DPrinceNY]

about the 9 1/2 minute video about human rights.
where did this information come from? are they gonna play this video in a context of a song or somewhere at the begining of the concert? Just want to make sure the info on this video is for real.