U2 fans - what should the band's future plans be?

karaokeman

Adam Clayton and The Edge expressed uncertainty in recent interviews regarding the future of U2 as a band.

They have all said they can't imagine a new tour even though with a new album out late next year they would have to.

http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/exclusive-the-edge-and-adam-clayton-talk-u2s-future-20110610

Personally I would love U2 to play the O2 and it may be possible because Clayton said he loves arena tours because they are much easier to organise and manage. And they have played Croke Park 10 times so I can't see this happen again.

Mister Jingles

Can't see why they would split up tbh, like I said on another thread yesterday Bono is still a great performer and U2 have a lot left in them.

GoldenTickets

Pack it up, pack it in.

iMax

They need to strip away all the crap, do a Glastonbury style (no lightshow/effects/props or sets) greatest hits tour, complete with the now overdue third greatest hits album.

I've often thought they sound the best when there's no visual distractions. Apart from Zoo TV, because that tour was built around the media.

Personally though I think they're done for about five years, the world is tired of them now. I've heard that all is not well in the camp anyway & a forced break where they could do solo stuff for a number of years & then maybe come back with something great would be worthwhile.

I've listened to the last album twice since I got it (day of release). Hate it. It's pompous & not relevant to anything. They need to get back to rock music.

karaokeman

Mister Jingles wrote: »

Can't see why they would split up tbh, like I said on another thread yesterday Bono is still a great performer and U2 have a lot left in them.

I agree U2 have plenty of fight left.

I just put that option up so the poll could satisfy everyone including the people wanting them to split.

But yeah I have no doubt they will be together for the rest of their lives.

Just hope there will be a chance of a U2/R.E.M co-headlining Slane show next year.

thegreengoblin

They need to stop touring for a start. I'm a longtime U2 fan but they are going through the motions on tour. Bono's preachings are beyond irritating and when he starts going on about the One campaign I usually head to the jacks. The constant world tours are purely money-driven and deaden their creative senses - the exception being the Zoo TV tour when they made the brilliant Zooropa in the middle of it all.

They should be producing more records. While creatively they will never surpass that brilliant six-year period from Achtung Baby to Pop, they showed on the last album that they can still come up with some great moments. More electronic, experimental stuff would be nice but I can't see it happening.

iMax

Zooropa is included as an "extra" on the super & uber delux sets. Obviously not thought that highly of.

thegreengoblin

Zooropa was conceived during the tour and it incorporates many of the elements of Zoo TV so it's in there as a companion piece, it's not just a throwaway extra.

iMax

It degrades it's status as Standalone album (which it was) to Companion or extra

eviltimeban

U2 need to do what they did around the time of Rattle & Hum, which is rethink themselves, "dream it all up again". My favourite U2 period was 1991 - 1997, ie everything from Achtung Baby to Pop, taking in Passengers too, and they need to get back into the headspace that allowed them to create those albums. In other words, experiment; be willfully uncommercial *.

What I'd love to see U2 do is head into the studio, with Brian Eno, not to create a "rock" album that'll sound great in stadiums, be to make an intimate album, with lots of lo-fi sounds and production, electronic elements, Bono singing in his low register, absolutely no "classic" Edge sounding guitar - something akin to Passengers / Pop.

Its an unpopular choice but Pop is my favourite U2 album; you have to hand it to them to experiment in such a way at the height of their careers; Zooropa also falls into that category. The only other band who have done the same thing, completely changed their sound yet remained commerical, was the Beatles. Obviously after Pop they decided they wanted to be a big stadium rock band again, hence "ATYCLB", which I actually like, but "Atomic Bomb" and the last one were awful, awful records; and the failure of the last one to sell vast quantities has probably shown that U2 have their limits in this field.

Obviously they are still selling out tours, the 360 tour was the highest grossing tour ever or whatever. So they have to decide, do they want to be an albums band, making decent, studio-based music; or a touring band, who put out derivative records ever other year to support the tour?

I think U2 are too ambitious musically to become just a "greatest hits" touring band - eventually they'll go "sod that", head into the studio, and record "Passengers Vol 2"! :-) Here's hoping!


* As long as Larry is in the band, they'll never be "willfully uncommercial" I guess.

Weepsie

their change in sound was not quite as earth shattering as some would suggest. A third greatest hits album would be an insult to anyone as they've barely had a great song in ell over a decade. They've become a parody of themselves almost. Try to hard to be relevant in some social/political way and have a message and don't challenge and change as much as anyone says, (leave that to the radioheads of this world).

They should pack it up or try one good album, strip it back and do tours in small (Olympia) type venues and see how good they are then.

Oh and they should definitely leave the props and nonsense elsewhere

Mister Jingles

Off topic but since were talking about U2, today is The Edge's 50th Birthday

mielzi

They should do a bit of a smaller tour, perhaps, they've been to big for quite a while. I would have killed to have seen them demoing the NLOTH stuff in Chicago in the clubs; they're an awesome band when using a simple set-up. Not that I don't like the pomp, I just think it's time to go back to basics for a bit.

me-skywalker

Get tongue piercings and tattoo's punk covers album.

Sack The Edge get in Slash.

Trad Album with The High Kings

Stage Blending with Westlife

karaokeman

It seems that U2 are on hiatus for some time.

Bono just announced yesterday, that they won't return to performing "for a while".

U2 won't be back for a while, says Bono

Thursday, September 8 2011, 17:44 BST

By Tom Eames, Entertainment Reporter

Bono has revealed that U2 are unlikely to be embarking on a new tour "for a while".

The Irish frontman explained that the band "genuinely loved" their latest two-year '360° Tour', but they are now looking to rest in the immediate future.

Speaking at the GQ Men of the Year Awards, Bono told Metro: "They say every tour is ten days too long. Not with this one. We genuinely loved every single night and at the end we were so sad.''

While accepting U2's award for 'Best Band', he added: "Growing up is not what is meant to happen to a rock band. It has happened, we are now men."

Bono recently dismissed reports that he suffered a heart scare during their latest tour.

Kold

Where's the don't care but I like clicking polls option?

InTheTrees

What they need to do is write some good new songs.

And dont give that crap about people only wanting to hear the old stuff, thats only because they havent written anything memorable in years.

And they need to release an entire Album of memorable songs. Thats what everyone else has to do to make a hit. You dont get a pass because you're u2. There's certainly no future in wallowing in the past either, if they're just going to play their hits they may as well hang it up now.

I saw them play last year and was thoroughly under whelmed.

karaokeman

InTheTrees wrote: »

they havent written anything memorable in years.

I really like that song Bono wrote for his father.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CuDqHtAR6L8

iMax

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jzeR0hV0ZTU

Discovered this today, probably be on the super delux edition, but heart it might get a limited release in Ireland around the time of the 20th anniversary album re-release