They're generally hated mainly because Bono's political involvement, tax avoiding and success in general, but they're also appreciated regarding spreading Irish culture around the world and creating lots of employement through 3 decades in Dublin. I'd say most Irish people love/hate U2 equally.
Does anyone know what the deal is with no GA tickets showing up on the TM resale for all of the Boston shows? Plenty of others there but I can't see any GA