1. Originally posted by ahn1991:Bono would not be Bono without the schmoozing and philanthropy. Let Bono do what Bono does. Plus, you can't force an album to be produced quicker than it's intended to. I'm probably going to get a lot of crap for this, but remember Pop?

    I've argued here before that if the band want to break new ground like they did in the early 90's (and they've compared their current situation to then too) the first thing that has to change is Bono's public persona once again. He's become a bit of a charicature, a bit predictable, and I think as an artist he needs to get back to the fundamentals if he wants to challenge music listeners. Maybe they're too old and too "greatest hits" for that now, who knows.

    And as much as I would agree about Pop, it doesn't excuse the fact that other bands are able to make great music in MUCH less time than U2 and some other bands do. I understand these things take time, but not THIS much time. At least a band like The Killers stated they were taking a break after waiting a few years to make a new album, U2 just takes that long on the norm. And a lot of people around here would argue that that's why Pop is so great, because U2 didn't get to the "worrying" stage of getting a more conventional mix on the ground. They were forced to release a gutsy mix. I'm of the crowd that says Pop is unfinished, but it's just another viewpoint.

    Another reason that it isn't good to wait this long is that expectations slowly go up the longer the wait, especially as soon as the band start discussing how the next album is amazing.

    I hate to sound like that fan that thinks he's entitled to a new album when he wants it, and hopefully that's not the vibe I'm giving off. I'm just saying that coming in this thread for U2 News and only seeing celebrity stuff after a while gets trying, if anything I'm just excited for their next work whenever that may be!
  2. We say that Bono should change his persona, but let's remember that Bono's been doing the political schmoozing for quite a while. I wouldn't say that this has any influence on the band's musical direction. U2 without Bono's activism is U2 no longer. That's pretty much how I see it.

    Plus, didn't we already get news that U2 wouldn't release something until 2013 anyways?
  3. Originally posted by ahn1991:We say that Bono should change his persona, but let's remember that Bono's been doing the political schmoozing for quite a while. I wouldn't say that this has any influence on the band's musical direction. U2 without Bono's activism is U2 no longer. That's pretty much how I see it.

    Plus, didn't we already get news that U2 wouldn't release something until 2013 anyways?

    At the beginning of ZooTV they threw away the activism, it wasn't until things like Sheffield and Sarajevo started coming up that they slowly went back to it, and even then it was with reservation.
  4. Originally posted by RattleandHum1988:[..]

    At the beginning of ZooTV they threw away the activism, it wasn't until things like Sheffield and Sarajevo started coming up that they slowly went back to it, and even then it was with reservation.

    Sheffield?
  5. Wasnt Zoo TV Sheffield the show with Salman Rushdie onstage??

  6. That was London during the Zooropa leg.

    EDIT: Maybe Alex means Sellafield?
  7. Wembley 11th Aug 93 he was on stage - i was at that show.
  8. Ah alright. It was just a guess

    Yeah he probably means Sellafield


  9. Babyface (performed only 5 times) and Zooropa (3 times) and Mr. Rushdie. Must have been a legendary concert.
  10. Originally posted by RattleandHum1988:[..]

    At the beginning of ZooTV they threw away the activism, it wasn't until things like Sheffield and Sarajevo started coming up that they slowly went back to it, and even then it was with reservation.

    I'm not sure you can say it was with reservation... plus with the phone calls to leaders every night it may have been in an effort to be ironic but it was still political.
  11. My mistake! I meant Sellafield, damnit.

    And look at the Sellafield stuff, yeah it was political and done with green peace, but it was done in their rock star personas, and the Sarajevo thing was still done using the theme of the tour, same goes with macphisto. There's a difference between standing there before One talking about poverty and AIDS medication and forcing people to watch innocent people beg for peace in the middle of a rock show. One is our front man preaching and the other is watching the actual thing happen. Yeah the latter is more political and in your face, but it still put the political thing on U2 and not Bono alone. Bono is the only really public activist now, it's not even U2 as a group anymore.