U2 is my favorite band after The Beatles. Joshua Tree is my favorite album ever, "Streets" is my favorite song and U2's best tracks do more for me than any other artist. I consider the last two albums to be about an 8 out of 10 and the best songs from HTDAAB ("Vertigo"..."Sometimes"..."City") honestly did more for me than practically anything else that came out in 2004. This is still a very capable, very good band, but they overthink things far too much and are too concerned with playing to the masses. I mean, do you think The Beatles ever actually gave a fuck about that? It just so happened where they were the Seinfeld of their day, putting out the most creative product and it also happened to coincide with what the public at large absolutely craved.
So, as a fan of my favorite active band, I just get annoyed at the five year gaps between new material and a new tour (they are, after all, the best live act of all time). I love their music so much that they annoy and frustrate me to no end with their schedules. I would much rather have a couple of unpolished albums with stuff like "Levitate" and "Native Son" than wait five years for a single new record that's still full of filler. Waiting four years for "One Step Closer" and "Crumbs" or five years for "Stand Up Comedy" is just effin ridiculous.