U2 -

cricketfieldclarets · Post by **cricketfieldclarets** » Fri Feb 16, 2018 11:34 am

Can anyone explain logically why so many people dislike U2 yet they are so universally popular at the same time? Has a band ever split opinion so much?

Seen a few topics in the past on them and still don't understand.

Mrs loves some of their tracks and was surprised when I told her that people actually hate them.

Is it anything political, religious or otherwise?

Anyone here love or hate them?

Anyone been to see them and opinion changed one way or the other?

starting_11 · Post by **starting_11** » Fri Feb 16, 2018 11:36 am

Just don't like the music.

I mean I have my opinion on certain members but that doesn't affect why I don't like them.

Sidney1st · Post by **Sidney1st** » Fri Feb 16, 2018 11:36 am

Like their music as a whole, some stand out songs that will stand the test of time.

No time for the multi millionaire suggesting I donate to various charities though.

As for why people dislike them, I've never understood it either.

Walton · Post by **Walton** » Fri Feb 16, 2018 11:41 am

starting_11 wrote: I mean I have my opinion on certain members but that doesn't affect why I don't like them.

The Edge is fine

JohnMcGreal · Post by **JohnMcGreal** » Fri Feb 16, 2018 11:43 am

Walton wrote:The Edge is fine

How's the drummer?

edison · Post by **edison** » Fri Feb 16, 2018 11:45 am

People like what they like

Walton · Post by **Walton** » Fri Feb 16, 2018 11:49 am

JohnMcGreal wrote:How's the drummer?

The drummer's fine

cricketfieldclarets · Post by **cricketfieldclarets** » Fri Feb 16, 2018 11:57 am

Welshclaret wrote:This October I will be seeing them for the 49th (Manchester) and 50th (Belfast) time live.
Early stuff better than more recent stuff though I think the last album is a return to their best.
They're like marmite and I do hate people's lazy comments about them.
"Pay your taxes, don't put a free album on my phone" etc
It's not cool to like U2 but us loyal fans still struggle when tickets go on sale for gigs. Odd.

Thats some dedication.

With or without you, sunday bloody sunday, new years day, pride, where the streets have no name and still havent found what I'm looking for are some of my favourite tracks by any band!

piston broke · Post by **piston broke** » Fri Feb 16, 2018 12:07 pm

Excellent rock band with some portfolio of great tunes.
As others have suggested it's the little fella sticking his nose into politics and then tax avoiding on an industrial scale whilst advocating the working man gives his pennies to charity.

starting_11 · Post by **starting_11** » Fri Feb 16, 2018 12:08 pm

Walton wrote:The drummer's fine

When did you last see each other?

JimmyMac'sMate · Post by **JimmyMac'sMate** » Fri Feb 16, 2018 12:09 pm

Me thinks our ex player Ross Wallace as a good look of midge ure utc

Darthlaw · Post by **Darthlaw** » Fri Feb 16, 2018 12:19 pm

cricketfieldclarets wrote: Has a band ever split opinion so much?

Coldplay?

In terms of U2, I find some of their music is great and some quite mediocre. They do tend to put on a decent live show, like.

As for Bono, I think he's a tax dodging bellend but then being a dipstick talented musician isn't anything new is it?

UpTheBeehole · Post by **UpTheBeehole** » Fri Feb 16, 2018 12:24 pm

Although the extravagance of the tour was visually and technically impressive, the early dates of PopMart were, on occasion, marred by subpar performances. The band had booked the tour before the album was finished, and with the planned November 1996 release pushed back until March 1997 to finish the album, valuable tour rehearsal time was lost. This lack of preparation manifested itself in the shows, particularly during the poorly received opening night in Las Vegas when the band lost their timing on the song "Staring at the Sun", stopped playing partway through, and then started over.

The band had some difficulty filling stadiums in the southern and Midwestern US

Despite its cleverness and positive critical response, many fans felt alienated by the shows; certain material from the Pop album didn't go down as well as U2 might have hoped

Disrupting a few shows, technical problems also arose throughout the tour. As the band was about to walk out of the giant mechanical lemon for the encore of a show in Oslo, the lemon malfunctioned, trapping the band inside and forcing them to escape through a small hatch at the back. This incident was later listed as one of "Rock 'n' Roll's 15 Most Embarrassing Stage Antics" by AOL's Spinner.com. The lemon malfunctioned again at a show in Sydney, and was not used at all, and also malfunctioned in Osaka, Japan, where the band was again trapped inside, but was unable to escape through the back.

Farcical

TheOriginalLongsider · Post by **TheOriginalLongsider** » Fri Feb 16, 2018 12:31 pm

They used to be really good then they got all pretentious and self-righteous- or rather Bono did

I saw them on the Unforgettable Fire tour and later on the Zoo tour. On the Zoo tour I was sitting towards the side of the stage and could see all the backstage area. When they came off stage they all got wrapped up in foil blankets - it was July !!!

No Ney Never · Post by **No Ney Never** » Fri Feb 16, 2018 12:52 pm

I was well into U2 in the early 80's when many people would say U who? The Daily Mirror did a two page spread on them titled 'the great unknowns'. Following that lots more people got into them and it became harder to get tickets for their gigs.
Some of my favourites back then were Twilight and A Day Without Me from the Boy album. Gloria off October, particularly the live version of I Will Follow on the b side of the single. Surrender and Seconds along with Sunday Bloody Sunday on the War album.
Some great songs on The Unforgettable Fire and then came The Joshua Tree, wow, that is a great album.
After that they started getting a bit more experimental, there's some great music on Pop and Zooropa, but then seem to lose it.
Love their earlier stuff but now I can pretty much take them or leave them.

yTib · Post by **yTib** » Fri Feb 16, 2018 1:02 pm

how DARE bono become interested in politics. he should know his place!

seriously, i've never encountered such an irrational dislike of somebody who, let's face it, has done more for charity than you.

bobinho · Post by **bobinho** » Fri Feb 16, 2018 1:26 pm

What about the other one?

bluelabrador16 · Post by **bluelabrador16** » Fri Feb 16, 2018 1:48 pm

What the Irish Hate About Bono ..... by Rosita A. Sweetman

"What sticks in the craw about Bono with most people in Ireland is his crafty avoidance of massive tax liabilities at home while simultaneously strutting the world stage as a Messiah, a ‘jumped up Jesus’ (Bono’s own words), intent on ‘saving’ Africa’s poor...

... ‘What’s the difference between God and Bono? God doesn’t strut around Dublin all day thinking he’s Bono’....

..Or as Harry Browne puts it in ‘Frontman’, Bono’s approach to Africa is “a slick mix of traditional missionary and commercial colonialism, in which the poor world exists as a task for the rich world to complete”....."

https://www.counterpunch.org/2013/08/23 ... bout-bono/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Time to throw up!

"U2’s Bono hailed former president Shimon Peres at a show the band performed in Toronto on Tuesday night, which Peres attended.

On the anniversary of Operation Protective Edge, the lead singer for the Irish superstars praised Peres for his longtime efforts to bring peace to the region..."

http://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Cultur ... ono-408378" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Finally...

Bono slammed for U2's decision to play in Israel

""Performing in Israel would violate the almost unanimously endorsed Palestinian civil society Call for Boycotts, Divestments, and Sanctions (BDS) against Israel. This Call is directed particularly towards international activists, artists, and academics of conscience, such as yourself. Moreover, it would come a year and a half after Israel’s bloody military assault against the occupied Gaza Strip which left over 1,440 Palestinians dead, of whom 431 were children, and 5380 injured,..."

https://www.irishcentral.com/news/bono- ... -237683791" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

LeadBelly · Post by **LeadBelly** » Fri Feb 16, 2018 3:10 pm

I liked their earlier stuff & think Joshua Tree is a classic album but their later stuff has lost originality + I think Bono is a pontificating hypocrite nowadays.

The quote I think about is "Asked about his position on tax, he told Sky News that just because he had campaigned for a fairer society it did not mean he had to be “stupid” in business"
ie. I may pontificate about a fairer society, but I employ accountants to ensure I pay the minimum tax that I can get away with (including moving companies out of Ireland to a foreign country).

Blackrod · Post by **Blackrod** » Fri Feb 16, 2018 3:11 pm

I started liking them in the 80s and the earlier stuff is better. It seems Bono is a bit of a joke amongst many Irish I know who see him proclaiming to be some type of Messiah figure. I'm friends with one of Adam Clayton's relatives and apparently the rest certainly are just normal blokes who have done extremely well for themselves.

Stalbansclaret · Post by **Stalbansclaret** » Fri Feb 16, 2018 3:14 pm

Bono is generally pretty dislikable in his pomposity maybe but I'm with Cricketfield in finding their best songs massively enjoyable and uplifting. A lot of it is The Edge's guitar sound I think . I mean, come on, consider:
Sunday Bloody Sunday
Where the Streets have no Name (one of the best intros ever surely)
Red Hill Mining Town
Bad
New Year's Day
One
The Unforgettable Fire
With or Without You

I've lost interest in their more recent stuff on the whole though enjoyed Every Breaking Wave of their last-but-one album (the enforced freebie).

houseboy · Post by **houseboy** » Fri Feb 16, 2018 3:33 pm

I think the problem is twofold:
Firstly there are a lot of people out there (a drummer friend of mine is one) who seem to think it is somehow fashionable to hate bands or individuals who are immensely popular because it appears to give them some sort of originality. These are quite often the same type of people who are vocal in their hatred of, for instance, Game of Thrones, even though they may never have seen an episode. The same kind of people who dismiss a band or artist with phrases like, 'never listened to them and never would', to which the question must be asked, 'how do you know you don't like them then'? A strange philosophy in my view but there's no accounting for some.

Secondly a lot of the criticism of U2 stems, it seems, from an intense dislike of Bono, something else I have never understood. I have seen it on this very thread, many people criticising him for doing that which I believe we would all love to be able to do, make a real difference to the lives of people a lot worse off than us. The same thing happened with Geldoff. He broke his balls to pull off Live Aid and lost a lot of his own personal wealth doing so and yet years later people are calling him all the names under the sun. It is a very British thing to do, build someone up to almost Godlike status then knock them down as something pretentious and/or false.

There are a lot of bands/artists that I don't particularly like (The Smiths, Paul McArtney, Rihanna, Frank Sinatra and virtually any soul act) but I don't hate them, they have given millions happiness so whatever I think about them doesn't matter.

People just get a bit too fired up about some successful people and I can only imagine it is out of some misplaced jealousy.

Sidney1st · Post by **Sidney1st** » Fri Feb 16, 2018 3:37 pm

In regards to Geldof I admire his efforts with the first event which I do have some memory of.

I also have massive respect for his efforts with his kids plus the daughter who wasn't his.

Jel · Post by **Jel** » Fri Feb 16, 2018 6:49 pm

Walton wrote:The Edge is fine

It's a very fine edge!

cricketfieldclarets · Post by **cricketfieldclarets** » Fri Feb 16, 2018 9:29 pm

Stalbansclaret wrote: Where the Streets have no Name (one of the best intros ever surely)

Absolutely.

cricketfieldclarets · Post by **cricketfieldclarets** » Fri Feb 16, 2018 9:29 pm

houseboy wrote:I think the problem is twofold:
Firstly there are a lot of people out there (a drummer friend of mine is one) who seem to think it is somehow fashionable to hate bands or individuals who are immensely popular because it appears to give them some sort of originality. These are quite often the same type of people who are vocal in their hatred of, for instance, Game of Thrones, even though they may never have seen an episode. The same kind of people who dismiss a band or artist with phrases like, 'never listened to them and never would', to which the question must be asked, 'how do you know you don't like them then'? A strange philosophy in my view but there's no accounting for some.

Secondly a lot of the criticism of U2 stems, it seems, from an intense dislike of Bono, something else I have never understood. I have seen it on this very thread, many people criticising him for doing that which I believe we would all love to be able to do, make a real difference to the lives of people a lot worse off than us. The same thing happened with Geldoff. He broke his balls to pull off Live Aid and lost a lot of his own personal wealth doing so and yet years later people are calling him all the names under the sun. It is a very British thing to do, build someone up to almost Godlike status then knock them down as something pretentious and/or false.

There are a lot of bands/artists that I don't particularly like (The Smiths, Paul McArtney, Rihanna, Frank Sinatra and virtually any soul act) but I don't hate them, they have given millions happiness so whatever I think about them doesn't matter.

People just get a bit too fired up about some successful people and I can only imagine it is out of some misplaced jealousy.

Whole post nails it.

Holtyclaret · Post by **Holtyclaret** » Sat Feb 17, 2018 3:24 pm

Poor mans alarm!

Only joking early stuff tremendous, absolutely love under a blood red sky.

Personally prefer The alarm, big country and Simple Minds.

elwaclaret · Post by **elwaclaret** » Sat Feb 17, 2018 3:50 pm

Musically they hit the seem appealing to American and British audiences. Catchy and well produced. They are also fantastic live.

The hate is very much built on Bono's hypocrisy - a tax exile who expects Britain to wipe out world debt. A man whose business interests are mind boggling who at the same time pretends to be a man of the people. An environmentalist who flies into gigs in their private jet plane. If he practiced one third of what they preach the hatred would likewise reduce.

yTib · Post by **yTib** » Sat Feb 17, 2018 4:50 pm

elwaclaret wrote:a tax exile who expects Britain to wipe out world debt.

he's irish and i'd love to know when he has said he'd like britain to wipe out 'world' debt. he's asked for the uk to cancel the money owed to the uk from third world countries. hardly the same thing.

elwaclaret wrote:A man whose business interests are mind boggling who at the same time pretends to be a man of the people.

this is the root of it. pure jealousy.

just because a man makes a success of his life doesn't mean he has to be some aloof lord snooty.

what a quaint view of the world you have.

Damo · Post by **Damo** » Sat Feb 17, 2018 5:25 pm

It is pure jealousy.
I too would charter planes to fly my hat across the Atlantic, while lecturing poor people about the plight of africa, if I was as rich as him
Just for the lolz

cricketfieldclarets · Post by **cricketfieldclarets** » Sat Feb 17, 2018 5:28 pm

Surely someone with his public image and fame, its only a good thing to use that to encourage us all to be better?

He raises millions. Doesnt mean he has to sacrifice everything?

elwaclaret · Post by **elwaclaret** » Sat Feb 17, 2018 5:33 pm

yTib wrote:he's irish and i'd love to know when he has said he'd like britain to wipe out 'world' debt. he's asked for the uk to cancel the money owed to the uk from third world countries. hardly the same thing.

this is the root of it. pure jealousy.

just because a man makes a success of his life doesn't mean he has to be some aloof lord snooty.

what a quaint view of the world you have.

I'm sorry who are you? Do you know me? A question was asked I offered reasons.

Quite right they're not British - maybe he should ask his government.... oh they' re non-resident here too. Funny that. Hypocrites.
No they don't have to be snooty, they just have to be honest. Jealous of there success? To a point obviously that much money COULD solve a lot of problems on a world wide scale.... funny its still in their banks while they ask others to sort it. I don't waste my time being jealous and I'm only surprised I even offered a view on this thread. So your opinion holds zero sway with me as do your insults you silly little man/woman.

Cleveleys_claret · Post by **Cleveleys_claret** » Sat Feb 17, 2018 5:34 pm

I think Bono is similar to Lewis Hamilton in people dont like being preached to. I mean didnt Bono once charter a plane to bring his hat to him as he had forgot it. Also charities he is linked to all have massive issues with funding and how money doesnt filter down properly

I mention Lewis as he tells people they need to look after the environment more whilst driving a formula 1 car and chartering his own plane. His solution he tells us is when he brushes his teeth he turns the water off during the brushing as some people dont have access to water.

Sometimes these people and their belmtardery has no limits

Billyblah · Post by **Billyblah** » Sat Feb 17, 2018 5:49 pm

No Ney Never wrote:I was well into U2 in the early 80's when many people would say U who? The Daily Mirror did a two page spread on them titled 'the great unknowns'. Following that lots more people got into them and it became harder to get tickets for their gigs.
Some of my favourites back then were Twilight and A Day Without Me from the Boy album. Gloria off October, particularly the live version of I Will Follow on the b side of the single. Surrender and Seconds along with Sunday Bloody Sunday on the War album.
Some great songs on The Unforgettable Fire and then came The Joshua Tree, wow, that is a great album.
After that they started getting a bit more experimental, there's some great music on Pop and Zooropa, but then seem to lose it.
Love their earlier stuff but now I can pretty much take them or leave them.

Yeah 80-82 they were quite obscure but fully agree with your choice of stand-out songs from early albums. First saw them at Salford Uni on the "October" tour when it was easy to get tickets. Looking forward to seeing them later this year in Manchester but I'll be particularly listening out for material from the first five albums.

Holtyclaret · Post by **Holtyclaret** » Sat Feb 17, 2018 8:54 pm

Welshclaret wrote:Impeccable taste mate. Met Mike Peters many times. Lovely fella.
The Alarm - The Welsh U2. Love 'em.

Gutted I missed this years gathering, hoping to go next year. Last saw them at Oxford last year, final gig of the tour, they were amazing.

RogerBest · Post by **RogerBest** » Sun Feb 18, 2018 9:18 am

Walton wrote:The drummer's fine

He is not Bono. He is rubbish.

houseboy · Post by **houseboy** » Mon Feb 19, 2018 9:32 am

elwaclaret wrote:I'm sorry who are you? Do you know me? A question was asked I offered reasons.

Quite right they're not British - maybe he should ask his government.... oh they' re non-resident here too. Funny that. Hypocrites.
No they don't have to be snooty, they just have to be honest. Jealous of there success? To a point obviously that much money COULD solve a lot of problems on a world wide scale.... funny its still in their banks while they ask others to sort it. I don't waste my time being jealous and I'm only surprised I even offered a view on this thread. So your opinion holds zero sway with me as do your insults you silly little man/woman.

There is actually a world of difference between raising awareness of world poverty and giving away all your own hard-earned. As has been rightly pointed out just because he is wealthy doesn't mean he has to give it all away to practice what he preaches. It's all about awareness and raising people's levels of consciousness. You and I are not in the position to be able to do that but someone like Bono is and the fact that there are those in positions power who actually do speak to him and discuss these things is a credit to the man and he should be praised for his efforts.
On the tax-exile business I'd say I don't agree with that but as he is Irish it doesn't make one jot of difference to you or me. And some people are called tax exiles because they live in a different country when that may not even be the reason. If I had his wealth there is no way on this earth I would live in the UK, I would be off somewhere where the weather is glorious, the food is fantastic and girls walk round in bikinis all day. But that's just me (or maybe it isn't).

yTib · Post by **yTib** » Mon Feb 19, 2018 10:11 am

the notion that a wealthy man who gives to charity ought not to be wealthy is very odd logic indeed.

quoonbeatz · Post by **quoonbeatz** » Mon Feb 19, 2018 10:35 am

achtung baby is one of my all-time favourite albums but they went progressively worse after that.

can't believe the toss-by-numbers they churn out these days.

elwaclaret · Post by **elwaclaret** » Mon Feb 19, 2018 1:13 pm

yTib wrote:the notion that a wealthy man who gives to charity ought not to be wealthy is very odd logic indeed.

and yet is ok for him to keep asking others to put there hands in their pockets for his pet causes. Interesting I might try that with our charity work. Save us a fortune. Thanks

yTib · Post by **yTib** » Mon Feb 19, 2018 1:17 pm

elwaclaret wrote:and yet is ok for him to keep asking others to put there hands in their pockets for his pet causes. Interesting I might try that with our charity work. Save us a fortune. Thanks

so what are you saying? bono should give all of his money away?

are you an adult?

elwaclaret · Post by **elwaclaret** » Mon Feb 19, 2018 1:44 pm

yTib wrote:so what are you saying? bono should give all of his money away?

are you an adult?

You clearly aren't. Where have I ever said he should give all his money away. Maybe you should look to answer whats actually being said rather than your pathetic attempts to score points. Anyway I'm more than a little bored with you pettiness, so lets leave it and I'll find someone who can hold a proper conversation and you can get back to putting pop posters on your bedroom wall.

Damo · Post by **Damo** » Mon Feb 19, 2018 2:00 pm

If you don't want him spitting his dummy out then perhaps you should stop insulting his favourite pop star

HiroshimaClaret · Post by **HiroshimaClaret** » Mon Feb 19, 2018 2:06 pm

Four words- Bono is a tit.

yTib · Post by **yTib** » Mon Feb 19, 2018 2:13 pm

Damo wrote:If you don't want him spitting his dummy out then perhaps you should stop insulting his favourite pop star

there's only one person having a tantrum on here and it isn't me. but nice of you to join in somebody else's argument.

i'm not particularly into u2 - some of the early stuff is okay.

i just don't get the personal malice towards a man who gives up his time and money to help strangers. geldof gets the same sort of abuse and i've never understood it.

elwaclaret · Post by **elwaclaret** » Mon Feb 19, 2018 2:49 pm

HahaHaHa.... would you believe it.....jobs in.... Teenage Cancer Trust (that'll be The Who's charity)....3rd job.... Stroke Association

I'll never be as rich as Bono.

#

claptrappers_union · Post by **claptrappers_union** » Mon Feb 19, 2018 3:03 pm

Ive noticed I don't like music which I hear all the time. So if I hear a song with the first time, I might like, I'll enjoy it second time, third time and then maybe a fourth time. But as soon as it being played ALL the time on the radio or in television adverts, or some animated movie with the celebrity voices - thats it, its done. I can't stick the song any longer.

Its taken me a while to realise this, so thats why why I can't do with bands like U2, Coldplay, Queen and so on. I detest them. I like some Queen songs, but how can you enjoy listening to "Don't Stop Me Now" when it makes you think of the Trafford Centre, or some Holiday Company. Status Quo is another, I only know their songs from television adverts - and I'm certain thats why they were written.

U2 is the type of music you'll have in Business Awards playlist - its so broad, inoffensive and everybody knows every song because it so safe.

yTib · Post by **yTib** » Mon Feb 19, 2018 3:05 pm

you seriously didn't just equate coldplay with queen.

did you?

UpTheClaretsFCBK · Post by **UpTheClaretsFCBK** » Mon Feb 19, 2018 3:28 pm

Don’t like their music and don’t like them as people.

claptrappers_union · Post by **claptrappers_union** » Mon Feb 19, 2018 5:41 pm

yTib wrote:you seriously didn't just equate coldplay with queen.

did you?

Yes, 'Bohemian Rhapsody' in the same box as Coldplays 'Yellow' for me - same overplayed crap. I liked them when I first heard them though