U2start.com | Hello, hello

Hi All,

Just said I'd drop a few lines to introduce myself - My name is Sean, and I live in Ireland. I'm 32 years old at present, and have been a U2 fan since 1984 when they first released the Unforgettable Fire. I'll always remember hearing Pride on the radio as an 8 year old, and being so struck by the guitar intro, and of course the vocal outro. I've been lucky enough to see U2 a few times now, but unfortunately missed them during the JT tour, as I was only eleven at the time, and wasn't allowed to go to see them (thanks for that Mom BTW - ha ha!!)

Still, I live about 13kms from Cork, and could actually, depending on which way the wind was blowing, hear some of the music from their Pairc Ui Caoimh gig - well, some of the noise anyway. After that, I got to see them during ZOO TV in Cork, the Popmart tour in Dublin - both nights, Elevation at Slane (2nd night); and most recently at Croke Park for the first Vertigo gig as well, so I've been lucky in that regard.

Anyway, I'm really looking forward to the new album, and if they have a physical midnight release in Dublin, as is their custom, then I'll be there as well no doubt!! Plus of course, I'll have to get the digital download, the digipack CD and the vinyl version as well - the joys of being a U2 fan, eh?

Speaking of the new album, I've been reading a lot of the comments & posts on the forums, and without a doubt there's a huge amount of interest in it; but there's also a huge appetite for U2 to produce another landmark album with some truly innovative music on it as well (as they and others have been proclaiming).

For me, the last two albums have been a bit of a letdown really. There's some fine songs on them individually, but IMO, they don't really gel together all that well; and that's what all good albums should be: a collection of songs where the whole is greater than the sum of the individual parts.

U2's music has always been about emotion for me: that hair-on-the-back-of-your-neck moment when you hear songs like Heartland, or WOWY live etc (I could go on, but you get the point). No matter what epoch they're in, U2's songs should always be about the emotion; and that's why the last album failed (as much as a multi-award winning album by U2 can be judged a failure) for me - it's too over-produced, clean & polished; and in the end lacks the emotional depth of previous albums, such as the JT in particular (I'm a JT fan over AB when it comes to best album ever, BTW).

To finish, as Bono himself is so often fond of quoting: "The goal is soul!!" so let's hope that the new album is innovative and sonically groundbreaking, as we're hearing it is; but still contains the true essence of U2...soul

Goodnight...God bless you...see ya around!!

U2Nick

16 years

Originally posted by nowiamthemaster:I got to see them during ZOO TV in Cork, the Popmart tour in Dublin - both nights, Elevation at Slane (2nd night); and most recently at Croke Park for the first Vertigo gig as well, so I've been lucky in that regard.

My god, mate!!!!!! I'm Quigs, Welcome here Sean!

germcevoy

16 years

Nice to have another Irish man amongst us. you could really hear them from near 10 miles? That is just YES YES YES. Welcome

MWSAH

16 years

Welcome mate

JohnnyVOXX

16 years

Awesome intro Sean!!!
welcome to the forums mate!!!
It'll be great to have you around!!
and you went to some VERY VERY AMAZING gigs friend!!!
greetings from Argentina!!

MacStripey

16 years