AtomicBono
ONE love, blood, life
U2's last two albums sold tons. They have outsold Coldplay, U2's biggest "modern" competition. And we all know U2's tours have and will easily sell out. U2 have a spot on Letterman for a week. Few other artists could do that (or would be invited to do so). U2 open the Grammy's and the Brit awards - even though they weren't nominated for either. They are all over the BBC TV and American TV ("Good Morning America"). So tell me, is that relevant? Because if U2 weren't relevant, why would any of these shows care? Why would they have U2 on if the U2 name didn't matter? Why would U2 be allowed to play new songs if they were some dinosaur act and people only wanted to hear the "oldies"?
So very true.
Also, when your lead singer can command the ear of various Presidents, Prime Ministers, religious leaders, etc., that's a sure sign of relevance. Perhaps not relevance in a strictly musical sense, but surely a sign that they are relevant in general.
Can anyone seriously imagine any other rock'n'roll frontman who could get his calls put through to, say, the US President, the PM of Britain, or the head of the UN? Imagine the response if the President's secretary said, "Sir, I have Chris Martin from Coldplay on the line."
great point. Bono is well-respected, despite people's hate for him. Him being relevant makes U2 relevant.