U2 just made a visit to my humble hometown. The only venue big enough for them was University of Phoenix Stadium (how funny is it that a university with no sports program has naming rights to an NFL stadium?).
This had many locals aflutter. Fortunately, one of my buddies posted on Facebook that he’s one of the few dudes in U2’s demographic age range that just didn’t care. He doesn’t grok U2’s near messianic status at all.
Right on, my friend.
So why doesn’t this Minor League Rocker like U2?
It starts with the frontman.
Bono’s studied smugness drives me nuts. He seems so certain he’s got it dialed in, and you should do what he says. Because he’s rich and has an accent. I’ll pass, thanks. I love that he’s always on about saving the planet, yet he and his bandmates fly around in an Airbus A320. A fairly efficient plane, yes. But is it not overkill? And let’s not forget the pollution-spewing 727 that used to ferry the band around.
Unfortunately, Bono passes that smugness to many of his disciples. The attitude reminds me of many wanna-be artsy Mac worshipers infesting coffeehouses. Bono and U2 have really created a brand more than they’ve created music. And it’s a brand I don’t buy.
Even worse, though, is The Edge.
Here’s what I dislike about The Edge: He builds his songs around effects. If all of his delay pedals blew up before a show and couldn’t be replaced, you wouldn’t recognize much of his music. He relies on effects, sculpting not only his tone but the stressed members of his songs with them.
I have nothing against effects, per se. But I think they should add to the music, not be the music. Contrast The Edge with David Gilmour of Pink Floyd. The guy’s rig looks as a complex as a 747’s cockpit. But again, let’s say all his effects blew up. You would still recognize the solo from “Comfortably Numb”. You’d still get every riff in “Learning to Fly”. Gilmour is simply a tone chaser - he’s not using his rig to compensate for his shortcomings as a guitarist.
For Me, They Just Don’t Rock
The U2 catalog, by and large, bores me silly. It seems to lack genuine energy, enthusiasm and joy. The biggest exception is “Bullet The Blue Sky.” Admittedly, though, I think that might be because I rarely ever heard the tune - and then I saw Queensryche cover it live. And that cover was absolutely monumental. I gave the original another listen, and heard an edgey, caged growl in it. It still fell short of the ‘Ryche’s cover, but I recognized it as a good song.
Oddly enough, most of the U2 fans I know don’t rate Bullet that high.
Still Love ‘Em? Then Listen Away
Now I can bet that any U2 fan reading this is turning purple. I have yet to meet a die-hard U2 fan that can handle any criticism of U2 whatsoever. One fan replied to my friend’s comment by saying “listen harder”. Because obviously, if you don’t worship U2, you just must not be listening closely enough or you’re simply not smart enough to “get it”, whatever “it” is.
But look, I’m not telling you not to like U2. You may have legitimate reasons for loving U2. You may just be another docile follower. Whichever you are, listen if it makes you happy. I have equally legitimate reasons for not liking them, and you’ll just have to get over it that someone out there has no desire to book a ticket on your U2.
