Can U2 sell another ticket for a gig again after Glasto?

Coach H

What rubbish!

I was all excited after watching a great set by Mumford and sons (who acording to Chris Moyles are only moonlighting from their Irish Removals firm of the same name). I got myself all set in front of the TV to watch some of my boyhood heroes only to witness one of the most lacklustre sets I have ever seen.

To be fair to U2, it was not their original line up. Daniel Day-Lewis' character from Gangs of New York was on guitar. Some bored session musician had replaced Larry Mullen on drums and although I think it was Adam Clayton on bass his sound tech had turned him off and told him so.

Bono was still Bono, but 25 years ago he was all edgy and full of passion. On Friday he looked like your average Dad dancing at a family wedding - he knew he used to be cool but was now trying so much too hard.

Then on Saturday the humiliation began. 'Mogadon for the Masses' Coldplay played a blinder. I only intended watching 10mins but watched the lot. The band members all looked interested and the lead singer connected with the audience. Really very good. How could U2 have been outplayed by this lot?

And so to tonight, Sunday, the U2 humiliation ends. I am currently watching Bouncy play a better set than U2. Has it really come to this?

I hope there are a lot of those dodged tax $/Euro's hidden away, because I cannot see anyone paying good money to see U2 live again now!

ynyswen24

I know well known banjo player Edge from Pop Musics The U2's cousin.

RichN95.

They weren't particularly good, but bands who have to play Glastonbury when it's hammering down with rain rarely are.

TommyEss

RichN95 wrote:

They weren't particularly good, but bands who have to play Glastonbury when it's hammering down with rain rarely are.

I respectfully disagree - I saw Muse* playing "New Born" whilst it was bucketing down - just like in the video. It was mint.

*May have been Reading - most festivals are a bit of a Blur!

MattC59

RichN95 wrote:

They weren't particularly good, but bands who have to play Glastonbury when it's hammering down with rain rarely are.

I think that the problem was U2, not the rain.

verylonglegs

Only set I've seen so far was The Chemical Brothers and it was very good I thought. May have a look later for some other highlights.

To answer the OP, yeah..they'll still sell plenty of tickets in the future.

Coach H

RichN95 wrote:

They weren't particularly good, but bands who have to play Glastonbury when it's hammering down with rain rarely are.

As I have already said, Mumford and Sons were very good and it was raining just as hard for them.

bearfraser

++1 for the Chemical Bros light show (woah!!!!!!!)

rick_chasey

They have been at it for 25 odd years.

S'longer than I have existed.


Having said that, I really hate U2 music so.

TheStone

They looked like the old men they now are. Sad really.

I like U2, but saw them live at Wembley years ago and wasn't that impressed. Surprised by their playlist at the weekend.

Also don't really get festivals (well at least the music at festivals). Would prefer to pick who I want to see and go and see them. Festivals seems to put too much random stuff together which never quite works for me.

rick_chasey

TheStone wrote:

They looked like the old men they now are. Sad really.

I like U2, but saw them live at Wembley years ago and wasn't that impressed. Surprised by their playlist at the weekend.

Also don't really get festivals (well at least the music at festivals). Would prefer to pick who I want to see and go and see them. Festivals seems to put too much random stuff together which never quite works for me.

S'probably because you're not under the influence...

estampida

Never again

Bono - spend thousands on pink sunglasses and ask the working class to give to charity

classic!!

daviesee

Last saw them in '87. They were good back in the day but that will be the last time.

Won't stop others from feeding the coffers though.......... :evil:

Coach H

Rick Chasey wrote:

They have been at it for 25 odd years. .

But Nico McBrain has been playing drums for Iron Maiden for 30 years next year and he puts 10x more into one song that Larry Mullen put into the whole set.

rick_chasey

Coach H wrote:

Rick Chasey wrote:

They have been at it for 25 odd years. .

But Nico McBrain has been playing drums for Iron Maiden for 30 years next year and he puts 10x more into one song that Larry Mullen put into the whole set.

Yeah but their music is 10x as sh!t so he has to make up for it somehow.

And that's saying something, since U2 is bloody awful.

Ginjafro

Primal Scream played in the rain and went down a storm, not bad for a band first formed nearly 30 years ago!

bigmat

They looked OK to me. What you'd expect, no more no less. They are in their 50's and were never particularly cool. Over the last few years they have reached the Rolling Stones stage of no longer being relevant but having a back catalogue that people will keep lapping up for another 25 years probably.

rick_chasey

The best performance I saw on TV was probably Elbow - though I'm not that keen on their tunes.

Seemed to hit the tone right and get the crowd beaming and glowing in time for the headliners.

Was disappointed BBC didn't put more of QOTSA on, especially given the publicity radio 1 gave the BBC when they let radio 1 listeners pick their setlist.

Tom Butcher

BigMat wrote:

They looked OK to me. What you'd expect, no more no less. They are in their 50's and were never particularly cool. Over the last few years they have reached the Rolling Stones stage of no longer being relevant but having a back catalogue that people will keep lapping up for another 25 years probably.

Second that.

I haven't really seen anything of Glastonbury on the TV I thought was worth watching this year - no doubt I've missed quite a bit but caught little bits of some of the bigger acts - U2, Kool and the Gang, Elbow, Primal Scream (was expecting better as I like them normally) and Coldplay and didn't watch any of them to the end of their set. I must be getting old !

morstar

Rick Chasey wrote:

Was disappointed BBC didn't put more of QOTSA on, especially given the publicity radio 1 gave the BBC when they let radio 1 listeners pick their setlist.

Really? One famous drummer does not a good band make!

rick_chasey

morstar wrote:

Rick Chasey wrote:

Was disappointed BBC didn't put more of QOTSA on, especially given the publicity radio 1 gave the BBC when they let radio 1 listeners pick their setlist.

Really? One famous drummer does not a good band make!

QOTSA are everything the Foo Fighters are not. I.e. a group that makes and plays excellent tunes.

lostboysaint

morstar wrote:

Rick Chasey wrote:

Was disappointed BBC didn't put more of QOTSA on, especially given the publicity radio 1 gave the BBC when they let radio 1 listeners pick their setlist.

Really? One famous drummer does not a good band make!

Joey Castillo? Great drummer.

watchfire

I assumed he meant Alfredo Hernandez.....

That man has more groove in his kick pedal than all of Glastonbury put together.

Pointless thread really, when were U2 ever vital? Certainly not anytime in the last 25 years.

Graculus

I remember seeing them at uni in about 1981.

The gig only cost £1.45 'cos no-one had really heard of them (top bands like the Eurythmics or Gary Glitter were a massive £2!!).

Don't actually remember if they were any good, in fact I may have been a bit trollied, because when I took my jumper off and tried to tie it round my waist I had forgotten that I had a pint of cider in my hand, and I poured the whole lot down my front.

Now, who would like a Werthers original?

Aggieboy

One Man And His Bike

Just to bring it back into perspective....

Bill Bailey ownage. XD

Gazzaputt

Coldplay were awesome.

RichN95.

One Man And His Bike wrote:

Just to bring it back into perspective....

Bill Bailey ownage. XD

I've found it very hard to take them at all seriously after he did.

StanwaySteve62

Did anybody watch the jo Wiley interview after? Sycophantisism at its best with Bonio giving proof that you can suck your own d*ick whilst his band members sat looking frankly emabarresed as their leader droned on. Was so full of himself he referred to Damien Hirst as 'Hirsty' :x . Hope he never meets the queen or will be telling us about how he's mates with Liz

Ps Shame Wiley did not have the courage to ask bonehead about the "ballon"

Alain Quay

It sometimes surprises me when people say 'oh I hate U2', then
go on to say they love Coldplay, Take That etc.
I don't like U2 but notice a lot of other bands admire them, and not just the
bank balances. Out of all their albums, there are probably half a dozen
songs the likes of Coldplay etc could never do e.g.
- where the streets have no name and err...

bompington

watchfire wrote:

when were U2 ever vital? Certainly not anytime in the last 25 years.

25 years ago is about the right answer - I have most of their first few albums (Boy, October, War, The Unforgettable Fire), I'm still amazed at the guitar work in particular - it was genuinely innovative at the time and you still don't get a lot like it - and I still get the same kick from listening to them as I did when I was at school. And yes, they were cool* then, I remember the NME were big fans.
The received wisdom seems to be that they peaked with The Joshua Tree but I reckon it was sooner than that.

I often wonder how hard it must be to keep from disappearing up your own backside in the weird world of mega-stardom: this is my favourite take on it.


*except that "cool" was a word only used by sad 60s and 70s leftovers when I was at school