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  1. Hey guys. I'm sure this has been discussed among U2 fans many times in the past. But I've been curious about this for a long time, and I have yet to definitively solve the mystery. So I was hoping if I could hear it from all the U2 historians here.

    We all heard how Pop and Popmart weren't as successful as the band had hoped. In fact, I once read about the half-empty stadiums, the slow ticket sales, the negative reviews, and the dead crowds.

    Over a decade later, U2 360 becomes the highest-grossing tour of all time. And it's still got momentum.

    Why was Popmart a disappointment compared to U2 360? What was wrong about Popmart that U2 360 has right?

    I'm quite puzzled about this because U2 are known to have a loyal, massive fanbase worldwide. If that is true- Why didn't these loyal fans turn out in droves for the Popmart shows?

    So can any U2 experts here explain to me the actual reasons as to the "failure" of Popmart? Do any fans here know for sure?

    Thanks guys!

    P.S. I felt the need to ask about this for the most preculiar of reasons. See, Avril Lavigne released the poorly received album The Best Damn Thing back in 2007. The album was a radical departure from her previous stuff. As a result, she had difficulties filling up arenas when she went on tour to support the album. Now, she faces a stigma that she won't be able to shake off, because she doesn't have the massive, loyal fanbase to keep her career going.
  2. Avril Lavigne's fans turned 18. That was the only problem.

    360 is successful because it capitalizes on what threw U2 back into the limelight of the mainstream- All That You Can't Leave Behind + a HUGE spectacle of a show. PopMart was way too much of a carved out glam-niche to hit a MASS audience. Simple as that.
  3. Plus, can you really consider it a failure? It was still one of the biggest tours that year right?


  4. LOL

    I can't argue with that.

    However, I wonder how Britney is still going strong, given how her catalog includes Oops! I Did It Again.

    (Sorry to derail this thread a bit.)
  5. Popmart was maybe too far ahead for those times. It was not understood in its full meaning, or at least media wanted to let it be misunderstood. Media went into the "fashion" of criticize whatever they did trying to give a megalomaniac image of them, in negative terms.
    it seemed to me they just enjoyed in trying to take them down the throne;
    so the show was described mostly just as an ostentatious show without any concept in it. and maybe masses got these thoughts. not the fans anyway who knew and know the real meaning behind that very big stage (the biggest ever at those times) and the various representations during the gig.
    for me all of this contributed to the weak start of the tour in terms of audience.
    for sure it wasn't a lucky tour .. negative media, technical problems, death, security problems, Bono voice who began his journey that took him to have surgery operation.
    not a lucky tour indeed but with a litle bit less then 4 millions of attendances (and 150.000 in a single show) you can say it was a flop? maybe yes for the initial intetions.
    anyway it was full of highlights, it went to new parts of the world, Johannesburg, Tel Aviv and .. Sarajevo, first time ever in South America and so on.
    with Popmart U2 had been ahead of the times, as they often are .. and it wasn't fully understood then.
    not my best tour but it was awesome .. i loved it and i'm still loving it
  6. PopMart didn't hit the intended heights as Pop was released too close to the tour and fans didn't know what they were buying a ticket for.

    Many fans (Americans in particular) didn't 'get' the album or the concept and given the poor performances early on, people who were undecided on whether or not to buy tickets simply didn't and attendances (by u2 standards) were poor on most legs of the tour as a result.

    The band were firing by the time it hit Europe (albeit there weren't many sellouts) but the 'Dome' portion of the tour (3rd leg I think) was a disaster in terms of attendances so we have a lot to thank South America for. They saved the tour and arguably the band.

    It's other problem, in my view, is that it just wasn't Zoo TV. Whilst visually stunning, PopMart did not compare with Zoo TV in terms of musical performance, supporting album (and therefore set-list) or concept - it just wasn't as good.

    Having said that, no other band has come close to re-creating either spectacle but Zoo TV especially, has stood the test of time.

    I loved PopMart, don't get me wrong but it still rankles with me a little. Still feels like an opportunity missed in my eyes...

  7. A combination of blind and boring music critics slating the POP album in the first place.

    And a tour and stage that was designed to cynically poke fun fun at the egotistical glamour of the emerging MTV mainstrema musicians such as Britney Spears. Unfortunately alot people didn't get it and thought U2 had turned into the egotistical maniacs they were trying to parody.
  8. the majority of americans didn't 'get it'

    the tour where musically U2 decided to stop trying to be ahead of their time.

    personally for me this will always be the most special time in U2's career as i was there and it was my first gig but zootv will always be the high point, never to be beaten.

    great days!
  9. Yeah, the 3rd leg was a complete disaster. Jacksonville, for example, only sold 18,000 tickets when there was about a capacity of 40,000. Basically, one North American leg was enough for Popmart, but of course, Mexico City done pretty well so it was good to go back to that.

    I remember reading (don't know if it's accurate) that only 13 shows out of the 93 sold out. Also, the German shows were extremely disappointing too. None of them sold out. I think Leipzig or Mannheim was the worst? Yeah will have to correct me up on that one, because he went to 4 of them.

    Also about Popmart, they were going to put on an extra Philadelphia show, which the done in the end. But it got cancelled because only 4,500 tickets were sold. East Rutherford had 3 shows, which was pointless too, because I remember reading from someone that went to the third show, and apparently the stadium seating was half empty, literally.

    But because Popmart wasn't a success? I don't know, but mainly because of the low ticket sales in North America & Paul McGuiness organising the tour dates when the album is nowhere near done. But I suppose, U2 did say "go ahead with it, Paul". One of the biggest mistakes they've made.

    Here's a picture of Popmart's emptyness:

    [image]
  10. Originally posted by PEDRO67:PopMart didn't hit the intended heights as Pop was released too close to the tour and fans didn't know what they were buying a ticket for.

    that's an indisputable point i think .. tour announcement before album release
    McGuinness strategy failed that time
  11. Originally posted by KieranU2:Yeah, the 3rd leg was a complete disaster. Jacksonville, for example, only sold 18,000 tickets when there was about a capacity of 40,000. Basically, one North American leg was enough for Popmart, but of course, Mexico City done pretty well so it was good to go back to that.

    I remember reading (don't know if it's accurate) that only 13 shows out of the 93 sold out. Also, the German shows were extremely disappointing too. None of them sold out. I think Leipzig or Mannheim was the worst? Yeah will have to correct me up on that one, because he went to 4 of them.

    Also about Popmart, they were going to put on an extra Philadelphia show, which the done in the end. But it got cancelled because only 4,500 tickets were sold. East Rutherford had 3 shows, which was pointless too, because I remember reading from someone that went to the third show, and apparently the stadium seating was half empty, literally.

    But because Popmart wasn't a success? I don't know, but probably because of the low ticket sales in North America.

    Here's a picture of Popmart's emptyness:

    [image]



    yeah i remember pictures like that at the time depressing the shit out of me! i'll always wonder whether if they hadn't oversold america and played a fewer amount of dates in larger cities whether the tour would be viewed the way it is by them and looked back on more fondly ad not as a 'failure' by some people?
  12. Originally posted by ric:[..]


    yeah i remember pictures like that at the time depressing the shit out of me! i'll always wonder whether if they hadn't oversold america and just played a fewer amount of dates in larger cities whether the tour would be viewed the way it is by them and looked back on more fondly?



    It depresses me too, because I believe that picture was taken during Streets.

    But I also think that disappointing ticket sale in Jacksonville may have been because of too many dates in Florida. They done Tampa, Jacksonville & Miami. They should've skipped Jacksonville because people can travel to shows and that might have made Tampa and Miami closer to selling out.
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Contribute to the U2 community with uploading photos or by telling us which shows you have visited.
Contribute to the U2 community with uploading photos or by telling us which shows you have visited.