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California Evermore

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Any U2 fans out there?  I really loved then in high school and college.  The Joshua Tree is one of my top ten albums of all time.  Watching them walk out on stage in 1987 opening with Where the Streets Have No Name is one of my fondest memories of my youth.  I am rediscovering them lately. 

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I like the early albums, particularly October, and then I love Achtung Baby and Zooropa (particularly Zooropa). I though The Joshua Tree was rather meh and I thought Rattle And Hum was extremely meh. The later records are OK, a few good songs on them and I have a particular soft spot for No Line On The Horizon.

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9 hours ago, kayley10 said:

I like the early albums, particularly October, and then I love Achtung Baby and Zooropa (particularly Zooropa). I though The Joshua Tree was rather meh and I thought Rattle And Hum was extremely meh. The later records are OK, a few good songs on them and I have a particular soft spot for No Line On The Horizon.

October, Boy, and War are all incredibly good.  The sound of a young hungry band.

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I have had my ups and downs with U2 but in the end, generally come down in favour of them. It may seem hard to believe now after their songs have been played to death, but when they first burst on the scene with "I Will Follow" and "Gloria", there was a fresh vibe to their sound and The Edge had a uniquely distinctive guitar sound. It was rather similar to the way The Police broke through amongst their contemporaries.

Following The Police template, just as the Police's third album "Zenyatta Mendatta" broke them huge around the world, U2's third album "War" also was a breakthrough with "New Year's Day" and "Sunday Bloody Sunday".

Of course, U2 followed the Police template in another way with Bono becoming a crusader for causes just like Sting.

But here is where they differ...Sting really is an asshole while Bono just irks people who don't like liberal causes. That is why U2 is still together and the Police broke up. Bono has a sense of humour about himself that Sting lacks.

Any pop star who has pretensions of being a jazz musician is a world class twit. Sting's solo career is some of the most boring bland white man aural wallpaper this side of Paul Weller. Throw in his lute obsessions and all bets are off. Oh, and needless to say, The Police "reunion" of 2007 was one of the most lacklustre shows I have had the displeasure of sitting through.

Hate on Bono for his politics or whatever, but I have never experienced him being an asshole. He's Irish so he probably likes his drink and maybe someone might have caught Bono when he was drunk and didn't want to be bothered, and decided on that instance "Bono is an asshole". But what would that make John Bonham.

My favourite U2 albums are "Achtung Baby", "Zooropa", "War", "All That You Leave Behind", "Unforgettable Fire", "Joshua Tree". I readily admit I haven't cared much for their past two or three albums. And even some of their best albums I have to take a break from now and then.

But why U2 will always have a place in my heart is because of their live shows. They have always been good in concert and some shows I have seen have been epic. Nobody who was there will forget their US Festival performance and I was extremely lucky enough to catch them in their home country of Ireland on the "War" tour.

"Rattle and Hum" sucked as a concert movie (even U2 would admit that) but the concerts themselves on that "Joshua Tree" tour were spectacular. Both the LA Sports Arena gigs on the first leg and the gargantuan LA Coliseum shows on the second were memorable.

The most memorable U2 concerts, however...the ones that reside in my personal list of Top 25 shows I have seen...are the shows U2 did shortly after 9/11 in 2001. They were the perfect band with the perfect album ("All That You Leave Behind") in that moment. I had seen them twice already on the first leg of the U.S. tour earlier that year and they were pretty damn good.

But when their next U.S. leg began in October 2001, it was as if U2 performed a masssive exorcism on the country. Part Irish wake, part gospel revival, the concert was a spiritual resurrection. From the moment the show began with the lift-off of "Elevation" to the benediction of the final encore "One" and "Walk On", with the names of all the dead from the 9/11 attacks scrolling on the massive video screen behind the band, those concerts were seething with emotional intensity.

The one-two punch of "Bad" segueing into "Where the Streets Have No Name" was particularly awe-inspiring. Seek out any bootleg or YouTube clip from that tour and you will see what I mean.

In a way, those concerts were so special that there was no other way for them to go after that than down. The albums have mostly been meh since then, and while subsequent tours have been better than the albums, the concerts haven't reached the heights they did from 1981-2001.

But I still like them.

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23 minutes ago, Strider said:

I have had my ups and downs with U2 but in the end, generally come down in favour of them. It may seem hard to believe now after their songs have been played to death, but when they first burst on the scene with "I Will Follow" and "Gloria", there was a fresh vibe to their sound and The Edge had a uniquely distinctive guitar sound. It was rather similar to the way The Police broke through amongst their contemporaries.

Following The Police template, just as the Police's third album "Zenyatta Mendatta" broke them huge around the world, U2's third album "War" also was a breakthrough with "New Year's Day" and "Sunday Bloody Sunday".

Of course, U2 followed the Police template in another way with Bono becoming a crusader for causes just like Sting.

But here is where they differ...Sting really is an asshole while Bono just irks people who don't like liberal causes. That is why U2 is still together and the Police broke up. Bono has a sense of humour about himself that Sting lacks.

Any pop star who has pretensions of being a jazz musician is a world class twit. Sting's solo career is some of the most boring bland white man aural wallpaper this side of Paul Weller. Throw in his lute obsessions and all bets are off. Oh, and needless to say, The Police "reunion" of 2007 was one of the most lacklustre shows I have had the displeasure of sitting through.

Hate on Bono for his politics or whatever, but I have never experienced him being an asshole. He's Irish so he probably likes his drink and maybe someone might have caught Bono when he was drunk and didn't want to be bothered, and decided on that instance "Bono is an asshole". But what would that make John Bonham.

My favourite U2 albums are "Achtung Baby", "Zooropa", "War", "All That You Leave Behind", "Unforgettable Fire", "Joshua Tree". I readily admit I haven't cared much for their past two or three albums. And even some of their best albums I have to take a break from now and then.

But why U2 will always have a place in my heart is because of their live shows. They have always been good in concert and some shows I have seen have been epic. Nobody who was there will forget their US Festival performance and I was extremely lucky enough to catch them in their home country of Ireland on the "War" tour.

"Rattle and Hum" sucked as a concert movie (even U2 would admit that) but the concerts themselves on that "Joshua Tree" tour were spectacular. Both the LA Sports Arena gigs on the first leg and the gargantuan LA Coliseum shows on the second were memorable.

The most memorable U2 concerts, however...the ones that reside in my personal list of Top 25 shows I have seen...are the shows U2 did shortly after 9/11 in 2001. They were the perfect band with the perfect album ("All That You Leave Behind") in that moment. I had seen them twice already on the first leg of the U.S. tour earlier that year and they were pretty damn good.

But when their next U.S. leg began in October 2001, it was as if U2 performed a masssive exorcism on the country. Part Irish wake, part gospel revival, the concert was a spiritual resurrection. From the moment the show began with the lift-off of "Elevation" to the benediction of the final encore "One" and "Walk On", with the names of all the dead from the 9/11 attacks scrolling on the massive video screen behind the band, those concerts were seething with emotional intensity.

The one-two punch of "Bad" segueing into "Where the Streets Have No Name" was particularly awe-inspiring. Seek out any bootleg or YouTube clip from that tour and you will see what I mean.

In a way, those concerts were so special that there was no other way for them to go after that than down. The albums have mostly been meh since then, and while subsequent tours have been better than the albums, the concerts haven't reached the heights they did from 1981-2001.

But I still like them.

Saw them in 87' at Sun Devil Stadium, BB kIng opened for them and the show was very, very good and I believe the ticket prices were around $7...they discounted them on purpose.

Sting is a twat, I really don't like the pretentious nob. Saw him on Halloween 1999 at Mesa Amphitheater and he insisted on singing the whole fucking concert in a faux-Louis Armstrong voice. When he started the show with Moon Over Bourbon St. that way I, and the audience, thought it was cute...by the third song were were all pretty pissed. What a dick. Just imagine Roxanne sung by Louis Armstrong. Complete waste of time & money there.

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I may, or may not, be totally criticized for what I am about to post, but it is My opinion that U2 is the most overrated current band of All-Time.  They are successful, I will admit, but I personally do not understand why. 

Again, My opinion, the songs that I know of them and hear on the radio are mediocre at best (actually these songs are boring and without strength to make them popular, even though they are).  I could go into a total diatribe why I dislike U2, and Bono in particular, but I won't. 

The only positive thing that I have to say about U2 is that there best song is "Bullet the Blue Sky" because it is so "Zeppelinesque":

 

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7 hours ago, Strider said:

I have had my ups and downs with U2 but in the end, generally come down in favour of them. It may seem hard to believe now after their songs have been played to death, but when they first burst on the scene with "I Will Follow" and "Gloria", there was a fresh vibe to their sound and The Edge had a uniquely distinctive guitar sound. It was rather similar to the way The Police broke through amongst their contemporaries.

Following The Police template, just as the Police's third album "Zenyatta Mendatta" broke them huge around the world, U2's third album "War" also was a breakthrough with "New Year's Day" and "Sunday Bloody Sunday".

Of course, U2 followed the Police template in another way with Bono becoming a crusader for causes just like Sting.

But here is where they differ...Sting really is an asshole while Bono just irks people who don't like liberal causes. That is why U2 is still together and the Police broke up. Bono has a sense of humour about himself that Sting lacks.

Any pop star who has pretensions of being a jazz musician is a world class twit. Sting's solo career is some of the most boring bland white man aural wallpaper this side of Paul Weller. Throw in his lute obsessions and all bets are off. Oh, and needless to say, The Police "reunion" of 2007 was one of the most lacklustre shows I have had the displeasure of sitting through.

Hate on Bono for his politics or whatever, but I have never experienced him being an asshole. He's Irish so he probably likes his drink and maybe someone might have caught Bono when he was drunk and didn't want to be bothered, and decided on that instance "Bono is an asshole". But what would that make John Bonham.

My favourite U2 albums are "Achtung Baby", "Zooropa", "War", "All That You Leave Behind", "Unforgettable Fire", "Joshua Tree". I readily admit I haven't cared much for their past two or three albums. And even some of their best albums I have to take a break from now and then.

But why U2 will always have a place in my heart is because of their live shows. They have always been good in concert and some shows I have seen have been epic. Nobody who was there will forget their US Festival performance and I was extremely lucky enough to catch them in their home country of Ireland on the "War" tour.

"Rattle and Hum" sucked as a concert movie (even U2 would admit that) but the concerts themselves on that "Joshua Tree" tour were spectacular. Both the LA Sports Arena gigs on the first leg and the gargantuan LA Coliseum shows on the second were memorable.

The most memorable U2 concerts, however...the ones that reside in my personal list of Top 25 shows I have seen...are the shows U2 did shortly after 9/11 in 2001. They were the perfect band with the perfect album ("All That You Leave Behind") in that moment. I had seen them twice already on the first leg of the U.S. tour earlier that year and they were pretty damn good.

But when their next U.S. leg began in October 2001, it was as if U2 performed a masssive exorcism on the country. Part Irish wake, part gospel revival, the concert was a spiritual resurrection. From the moment the show began with the lift-off of "Elevation" to the benediction of the final encore "One" and "Walk On", with the names of all the dead from the 9/11 attacks scrolling on the massive video screen behind the band, those concerts were seething with emotional intensity.

The one-two punch of "Bad" segueing into "Where the Streets Have No Name" was particularly awe-inspiring. Seek out any bootleg or YouTube clip from that tour and you will see what I mean.

In a way, those concerts were so special that there was no other way for them to go after that than down. The albums have mostly been meh since then, and while subsequent tours have been better than the albums, the concerts haven't reached the heights they did from 1981-2001.

But I still like them.

Slow clap.  One of my favoritest bands ever. 

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On September 13, 2016 at 0:11 AM, Strider said:

I have had my ups and downs with U2 but in the end, generally come down in favour of them. It may seem hard to believe now after their songs have been played to death, but when they first burst on the scene with "I Will Follow" and "Gloria", there was a fresh vibe to their sound and The Edge had a uniquely distinctive guitar sound. It was rather similar to the way The Police broke through amongst their contemporaries.

Following The Police template, just as the Police's third album "Zenyatta Mendatta" broke them huge around the world, U2's third album "War" also was a breakthrough with "New Year's Day" and "Sunday Bloody Sunday".

Of course, U2 followed the Police template in another way with Bono becoming a crusader for causes just like Sting.

But here is where they differ...Sting really is an asshole while Bono just irks people who don't like liberal causes. That is why U2 is still together and the Police broke up. Bono has a sense of humour about himself that Sting lacks.

Any pop star who has pretensions of being a jazz musician is a world class twit. Sting's solo career is some of the most boring bland white man aural wallpaper this side of Paul Weller. Throw in his lute obsessions and all bets are off. Oh, and needless to say, The Police "reunion" of 2007 was one of the most lacklustre shows I have had the displeasure of sitting through.

Hate on Bono for his politics or whatever, but I have never experienced him being an asshole. He's Irish so he probably likes his drink and maybe someone might have caught Bono when he was drunk and didn't want to be bothered, and decided on that instance "Bono is an asshole". But what would that make John Bonham.

My favourite U2 albums are "Achtung Baby", "Zooropa", "War", "All That You Leave Behind", "Unforgettable Fire", "Joshua Tree". I readily admit I haven't cared much for their past two or three albums. And even some of their best albums I have to take a break from now and then.

But why U2 will always have a place in my heart is because of their live shows. They have always been good in concert and some shows I have seen have been epic. Nobody who was there will forget their US Festival performance and I was extremely lucky enough to catch them in their home country of Ireland on the "War" tour.

"Rattle and Hum" sucked as a concert movie (even U2 would admit that) but the concerts themselves on that "Joshua Tree" tour were spectacular. Both the LA Sports Arena gigs on the first leg and the gargantuan LA Coliseum shows on the second were memorable.

The most memorable U2 concerts, however...the ones that reside in my personal list of Top 25 shows I have seen...are the shows U2 did shortly after 9/11 in 2001. They were the perfect band with the perfect album ("All That You Leave Behind") in that moment. I had seen them twice already on the first leg of the U.S. tour earlier that year and they were pretty damn good.

But when their next U.S. leg began in October 2001, it was as if U2 performed a masssive exorcism on the country. Part Irish wake, part gospel revival, the concert was a spiritual resurrection. From the moment the show began with the lift-off of "Elevation" to the benediction of the final encore "One" and "Walk On", with the names of all the dead from the 9/11 attacks scrolling on the massive video screen behind the band, those concerts were seething with emotional intensity.

The one-two punch of "Bad" segueing into "Where the Streets Have No Name" was particularly awe-inspiring. Seek out any bootleg or YouTube clip from that tour and you will see what I mean.

In a way, those concerts were so special that there was no other way for them to go after that than down. The albums have mostly been meh since then, and while subsequent tours have been better than the albums, the concerts haven't reached the heights they did from 1981-2001.

But I still like them.

This post is pretty much spot on with my feelings, except that I also loved "How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb".  Great disc, IMO.  They also had the same impact you were referring to, post 9/11, with the show they did last year in Paris after the terrorist attack.  Amazing show (even watching on the tele) and vibe for a city/country hurting.  They always make the venue intimate, weather it be an auditorium, arena, or stadium.  Everyone sings their hearts out and share the brotherhood with the band.  

Live Aid was my first really positive experience with them, especially "Bad".  Before that I had written them off as another whining, "new romantic" band.  I was wrong and have loved them since July 13, 1985.  Saw them in '87 at Tampa Stadium, then again in '92 at Tampa Stadium with my new bride, then again a number of times.  Last time was Raymond James Stadium with a young Junior in tow.  He's always loved "Vertigo".  Achtung Baby has to be my favorite disc of theirs, overall.

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I like U2.  I'm a late comer to their stuff and I don't know it all, but I do like what I've heard (agree with Walter about How to Dismantle An Atomic Bomb - really like that one).  I have no issues with Bono's causes as I agree with most of them. I've never seen them live, but heard only good stuff.  And Rattle and Hum is a great beer bar in NYC :D

I must disagree with Strider about Sting, though.  He may be an asshole musically.  In fact, I'm not much of a Police fan, nor a fan of his solo career.  However, he is a very nice guy.  At least he was in 1988 (or was it 89?) when he was in Threepenny Opera at my theatre.  Truly a nice person who hung out backstage with everyone and even played the football (real football, not soccer!) pool every week.  I didn't see The Last Ship on Broadway last year, but I was sorry it didn't get very good reviews.  I just have a feeling that the songs are a lot like his solo career, so I probably wouldn't have liked it. Although one never knows...  So - musical asshole, nice guy.

 

Anyway, back on topic.  U2 is good! :) 

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On 9/11/2016 at 1:53 AM, California Evermore said:

Any U2 fans out there?  I really loved then in high school and college.  The Joshua Tree is one of my top ten albums of all time.  Watching them walk out on stage in 1987 opening with Where the Streets Have No Name is one of my fondest memories of my youth.  I am rediscovering them lately. 

Yes - of course I'm a fan U2 has a wonderful catalogue of hits and hidden gems - how can anyone not like the band? In fact I saw the last gig of the No Line on the Horizon tour and the band waved me and the Mrs as they arrived at the gig in Moncton in limo's 

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  • 3 weeks later...
On ‎13‎/‎09‎/‎2016 at 5:11 AM, Strider said:

I have had my ups and downs with U2 but in the end, generally come down in favour of them. It may seem hard to believe now after their songs have been played to death, but when they first burst on the scene with "I Will Follow" and "Gloria", there was a fresh vibe to their sound and The Edge had a uniquely distinctive guitar sound. It was rather similar to the way The Police broke through amongst their contemporaries.

Following The Police template, just as the Police's third album "Zenyatta Mendatta" broke them huge around the world, U2's third album "War" also was a breakthrough with "New Year's Day" and "Sunday Bloody Sunday".

Of course, U2 followed the Police template in another way with Bono becoming a crusader for causes just like Sting.

But here is where they differ...Sting really is an asshole while Bono just irks people who don't like liberal causes. That is why U2 is still together and the Police broke up. Bono has a sense of humour about himself that Sting lacks.

Any pop star who has pretensions of being a jazz musician is a world class twit. Sting's solo career is some of the most boring bland white man aural wallpaper this side of Paul Weller. Throw in his lute obsessions and all bets are off. Oh, and needless to say, The Police "reunion" of 2007 was one of the most lacklustre shows I have had the displeasure of sitting through.

Hate on Bono for his politics or whatever, but I have never experienced him being an asshole. He's Irish so he probably likes his drink and maybe someone might have caught Bono when he was drunk and didn't want to be bothered, and decided on that instance "Bono is an asshole". But what would that make John Bonham.

My favourite U2 albums are "Achtung Baby", "Zooropa", "War", "All That You Leave Behind", "Unforgettable Fire", "Joshua Tree". I readily admit I haven't cared much for their past two or three albums. And even some of their best albums I have to take a break from now and then.

But why U2 will always have a place in my heart is because of their live shows. They have always been good in concert and some shows I have seen have been epic. Nobody who was there will forget their US Festival performance and I was extremely lucky enough to catch them in their home country of Ireland on the "War" tour.

"Rattle and Hum" sucked as a concert movie (even U2 would admit that) but the concerts themselves on that "Joshua Tree" tour were spectacular. Both the LA Sports Arena gigs on the first leg and the gargantuan LA Coliseum shows on the second were memorable.

The most memorable U2 concerts, however...the ones that reside in my personal list of Top 25 shows I have seen...are the shows U2 did shortly after 9/11 in 2001. They were the perfect band with the perfect album ("All That You Leave Behind") in that moment. I had seen them twice already on the first leg of the U.S. tour earlier that year and they were pretty damn good.

But when their next U.S. leg began in October 2001, it was as if U2 performed a masssive exorcism on the country. Part Irish wake, part gospel revival, the concert was a spiritual resurrection. From the moment the show began with the lift-off of "Elevation" to the benediction of the final encore "One" and "Walk On", with the names of all the dead from the 9/11 attacks scrolling on the massive video screen behind the band, those concerts were seething with emotional intensity.

The one-two punch of "Bad" segueing into "Where the Streets Have No Name" was particularly awe-inspiring. Seek out any bootleg or YouTube clip from that tour and you will see what I mean.

In a way, those concerts were so special that there was no other way for them to go after that than down. The albums have mostly been meh since then, and while subsequent tours have been better than the albums, the concerts haven't reached the heights they did from 1981-2001.

But I still like them.

well said dude I think most people have had there up`s and down`s with U2...

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