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U2 guitarist The Edge becomes Irish citizen – after 62 years in the country
English-born David Evans, 63, is conferred with ‘long overdue’ Irish citizenship
I'm not a fan of prog rock myself but how he can think that generic Will.I.Am/Ryan Tedder tat is better is beyond stupidity.Re: Bono's comments in that Rolling Stone article -
I think what he fails to realize here is that yes, the catchy hooky stuff can be really good; but something forced will always sound forced.
I also can't stand when he drones on about the evils of progressive rock. I'd argue the exact opposite; that progressive rock happens when artists have an enormous wealth of ideas. From a guy who's seemingly focused on people-pleasing, it's so awkward when he begrudges an entire genre.
I think this is more a product of Bono's age and an attempt to be cool. The rise of punk was a reaction to the sometimes bloated nature of progressive rock and hard rock/heavy metal at the time, and Bono's the right age for that mentality. As a result, it's Bono's first instinct to shit on it to preserve his "punk" ethos. The world, of course, has moved on from this restrictive thinking. Young people, in particular, are less genre-bound than they've ever been and being "punk" hasn't been a sign of anti-establishment sentiment or rebellion in at least 2 generations. Nevermind the fact that U2 is the least punk "punk rock" band of all time - Bono's insistence that U2 is punk rock is a talking point he's not going to drop any time soon and is the likely root for these kind of statements.I also can't stand when he drones on about the evils of progressive rock. I'd argue the exact opposite; that progressive rock happens when artists have an enormous wealth of ideas. From a guy who's seemingly focused on people-pleasing, it's so awkward when he begrudges an entire genre.
We'll be lucky if they acknowledge it at all. If Pop doesn't get consideration, I don't see why NLOTH would. The 360 tour was a success because it was such a spectacle (and a great tour, in general), not because of the success of the album it was promoting.20th anniversary of NLOTH - give us the 2008 album. Please
Agree about U2 and punk rock. I think the energy of their age and rage they felt…definitely punk rockI think this is more a product of Bono's age and an attempt to be cool. The rise of punk was a reaction to the sometimes bloated nature of progressive rock and hard rock/heavy metal at the time, and Bono's the right age for that mentality. As a result, it's Bono's first instinct to shit on it to preserve his "punk" ethos. The world, of course, has moved on from this restrictive thinking. Young people, in particular, are less genre-bound than they've ever been and being "punk" hasn't been a sign of anti-establishment sentiment or rebellion in at least 2 generations. Nevermind the fact that U2 is the least punk "punk rock" band of all time - Bono's insistence that U2 is punk rock is a talking point he's not going to drop any time soon and is the likely root for these kind of statements.
huh?I also fear that Bono turns up to that c**t Jeff Bezos wedding, perfectly living up to his billing of late as a corporate shill. He'd definitely go if he were invited which is the sad part.
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U2 guitarist The Edge becomes Irish citizen – after 62 years in the country
English-born David Evans, 63, is conferred with ‘long overdue’ Irish citizenshipwww.theguardian.com
Are you shitting on Bono for something you imagined he’d do in your head?All this punk rock bollocks he talks, yet I also fear that Bono turns up to that c**t Jeff Bezos wedding, perfectly living up to his billing of late as a corporate shill. He'd definitely go if he were invited which is the sad part.
All this punk rock bollocks he talks, yet I also fear that Bono turns up to that c**t Jeff Bezos wedding, perfectly living up to his billing of late as a corporate shill. He'd definitely go if he were invited which is the sad part.
Are you shitting on Bono for something you imagined he’d do in your head?
I think this is more a product of Bono's age and an attempt to be cool. The rise of punk was a reaction to the sometimes bloated nature of progressive rock and hard rock/heavy metal at the time, and Bono's the right age for that mentality. As a result, it's Bono's first instinct to shit on it to preserve his "punk" ethos. The world, of course, has moved on from this restrictive thinking. Young people, in particular, are less genre-bound than they've ever been and being "punk" hasn't been a sign of anti-establishment sentiment or rebellion in at least 2 generations. Nevermind the fact that U2 is the least punk "punk rock" band of all time - Bono's insistence that U2 is punk rock is a talking point he's not going to drop any time soon and is the likely root for these kind of statements.
THIS.what they failed to realize at the time was that they had already cemented themselves as legends and could put out whatever they wanted and people would show up
i mean... they're lazy, but not stupid.THIS.
I’m not sure they’ve realized it since but hope springs eternal… or at least until the first single drops.
Bono, as the frontman of the celebrated rock band U2 for almost 40 years, where do you think your music fits in in 2025?
We always saw ourselves as slipstream rather than mainstream. Even if you think about our biggest songs, they have very, very unusual constructions, so they’re not exactly mainstream. The problem now is trying to get into any stream! You know, there used to be a sea, there used to be rivers, now it's just an abundance of streams. The chord changes and the aggressive guitar and the drums we use, people who are attracted those sounds, they now find them, and they don't care what generation they came out of. So I do have hope that people will find U2 that way. I love when people hold on to a song, but these days, it’s unlikely U2 will get on the radio the way we used to.
Is this for real? The lack of replies to it has me wondering if I'm worried for nothing. The Edge without a new toy to play with is what's wrong with every U2 album since at least No line.Oh dear god no, The Edge has had his say on the upcoming album.
“We started to realise that if a song couldn’t hold its own with just a voice and a guitar, it wasn’t really finished. If you look at an artist like Adele, there’s something timeless about how she can strip everything back and still devastate you. That kind of clarity—it’s honest. All the sonic craftsmanship, the layers and effects, they’re not bad, but they can’t be the foundation anymore. That felt like an old way of hiding. We wanted to write songs that could breathe without electricity and we feel as if we're almost ready to get that out there.” — The Edge on U2's new album*
*According to ChatGPT
About "what they failed to realize at the time was that they had already cemented themselves as legends and could put out whatever they wanted and people would show up." . . . .i do think bono truly believes in his punk rock line - and the dublin crowd they came out of was probably pretty punk rock.
but, uh, yea - they've never been punk and the only thing more cringy than when bono calls them punk rock is when he name drops celebrities mid song at concerts.
mind you - i don't care if they're friends with other celebrities. it's certainly a common thing for wealthy and famous people to be friendly with other wealthy and famous people. it's not as if celebs can just pop in to the local pub for an unbothered pint. alas...
re: the actual music...
I would argue that U2 have always been at their best when they toe the line between commercial accessibility and art. during No Line they lost the plot and weighed commercial success heavier - probably because of the massive tour they had planned (and not wanting a repeat of PopMart). what they failed to realize at the time was that they had already cemented themselves as legends and could put out whatever they wanted and people would show up.
that they've reengaged with Brian Eno says to me that they have realized that they strayed a bit too far in one direction and need to be pulled back to the line.
It did say ChatGPT at the bottom so I think that's a fake quote.Is this for real? The lack of replies to it has me wondering if I'm worried for nothing. The Edge without a new toy to play with is what's wrong with every U2 album since at least No line.
I'm not sure these were apples-to-apples moments in their career. Take this with a grain of salt because I didn't start my mega-fandom until 2001.About "what they failed to realize at the time was that they had already cemented themselves as legends and could put out whatever they wanted and people would show up." . . . .
I would respectfully disagree.
Along that line of reasoning POPMART should have filled the stands instead of hosting (sometimes) empty stadiums. They had the 80's success behind their back, the reinvention and success of Achtung Baby and yes, even Zooropa. They were cemented at that point. Alas, it didn't stir up ticket sales (enough) to overcome an album that just wasn't making it (POP).
By contrast, heading into the 360 tour, they had ATYCLB & HTDAAB to invigorate the fanbase. They undersold the Vertigo tour so there was an unquenched thirst of demand, and they boasted an outrageous stage that all worked to pack stadiums in spite of poor sales for NLOTH, in complete contrast with POP/POPMART.
There are many moving parts of course so that sketchy comparisons will always be problematic, so I don't dismiss any of your points, I do have a thought on one thing you said . . .I'm not sure these were apples-to-apples moments in their career. Take this with a grain of salt because I didn't start my mega-fandom until 2001.
In 1997, as far as album releases go, they were less than 20 years old at that point and even less time since they were a household name (1983-84? 87?) They pulled off super-stardom and one big comeback (Achtung) from a less-than-stellar outing, but I don't think Zooropa (which benefitted from being made during a hugely successful album tour), and subsequently Passengers, were making the case for them being mainstream sweethearts like ATYCLB and HTDAAB were about to do. The thirst for a Joshua Tree repeat was still strong and having something even more out of left-field after a string of left-fielders was not as easily "forgiven" or overlooked as it would have been post-2005. POP was also yet another shift in image, entirely. Nothing about that time screamed "Even if you don't like our new album, there's something here for everyone at our shows." especially when you do the press release at a K-mart.
If anything, I think they overestimated their legendary status and the POP setback was a real gut-check for them; unfortunately one that's led them down the path of overthinking everything ever since, which leads us to...
2009 when I absolutely think they could have leaned full into experimentation and still filled stadiums because that's after the cement had dried. The craziest thing they did with their image that year was Bono wore eyeliner for like 2 minutes. Otherwise, this was U2 no matter how you slice it. You had 3 hugely successful eras under their belt in a quarter of a century.
It feels like there was a general feeling during the POP era that they had completely "lost the plot"; whereas I think conditions in 2009 would have merited much more of a "Meh, they can't all be hits" kind of response had they gone all in on experimentation and not charted well.
Indeed. I should have specified stadium tours in support of a new album (which is what I had in mind).Wasn't the JT 30 year annv tour in stadiums?
I don't know if they can pack them on the back of a new album, but I think they could do it for a greatest hits type thing