VeeshanVault

Yes


So i taught myself to play guitar with a U2 songbook around 1987, basically that and "Under A Blood Red Sky". First time i saw them was on the Joshua Tree tour, and saw them several times in the early 90s. Kind of had zero interest in Pop or anything they did from about 1995-1999. While i thought "All that You Can't Leave Behind" wasn't the greatest thing ever, there were some guitar parts on it that kind of tapped me back into my youthful fervor for them. So i saw that tour, and it was a great show. They came through Atlanta a second time and i didnt shell out the cash, and i regretted it.

So last spring the tickets sold out in Atlanta in a stupidly fast amount of time, and the brokers and ebay merchants started the bidding high and it stayed there. I managed to score two tickets the day before the concert for the princely sum of $215 each, which was a steal considering they were lower level where people were paying $400+.

Anyway, that is the most i've ever paid to go to a show of any kind and i'm cheap at heart...oh yeah and what was worse is i couldnt drink because of medication i was on at the time so i couldnt keep my mind off of that with chemical assistance.

So anyway, they start the show with "City of Blinding Lights" which is a tremendous song to start the show, and with the lights and the execution, i have to say it is a more impactful start than "Where the Streets Have No Name" was on the Joshua Tree tour.

they put on a great show, and sure many of the songs they played i don't particularly care for.

and sure there are many moments where Bono is doing his Bono schtick and you are like shut up already.

But the deal was sealed for me in "Bullet the Blue Sky" which isn't even a song i like that much, during the guitar solo. Don't get sidetracked watching Bono's routine, just watch Edge and it was pretty jawdropping.

Encore opened with "Until the End of the World" which again is a song i am only lukewarm to, but they absolutely tore the roof off of the place. It was silly how tight they were and the fat warmth of the guitar.

Edge's guitar sound right now is simply fucking awesome. All of these great vintage Gibsons (with the occassional tele or strat in the mix) with some subtle modern treatments, and the sound is just stellar and fat. Not the generic fatness that you often hear on Les Pauls, and not the kind of "tinny" sound that sometimes Gibsons will get in certain sound ranges.

Just an awesome sound.

Closed with "Bad" and they are just on another level. I've really warmed back up to the band entirely because of the concerts i've seen in the last couple of years, and say what you want about the Bono schtick, but the guy gets results for the bs he spouts that is on another level with what most accomplish.

"i'm sick of Bono, and i am Bono" quote from last month's Rolling Stone. I loved it.

Probably worth it if you dig what they're doing now...But I won't go...

My first U2 show was on the Riverboat President in '82...Haven't really dug them much since Rattle & Hum though...

Voronwë wrote: "i'm sick of Bono, and i am Bono" quote from last month's Rolling Stone. I loved it.

I'm glad at least he realizes he's way overexposed. Dude needs to disappear for a few years, do some drugs, kill someone, and then everyone will love him again.

I saw them in Tampa a few weeks back and yes it was worth every penny. I firmly believe that Edge can be considered to be one of the all time greats as far as guitare players go. They have withstood the test of time and even now their two last albums have been really amazing. Original of the species is a great song to see live thats for sure.

Totally disagree with that, even though I quite like U2.

Edge may be the best at using expensive effects pedals, but he is nowhere near the best guitarist, of any generation.

Purely subjective ofc.

i think to suggest that he is basically a guy who gets by on a 800ms delay is a bit of an overstatement.

i agree that he isn't the "greatest", but he is actually really a lot better than you would think on the surface.

i've never been much for saying this guy or that guy is the 'greatest'. especially in a genre like rock where quite frankly the musicianship is rarely on par with players in the jazz or classical ranks -- in fact virtually never. so in my opinion it is more or less absurd to call a rock musician of any kind the "best". i think you could have made a case for Hendrix in the sixties simply because of the manner in which he stretched the dynamic of the instrument, though he wrote a lot of music that is more or less crap, but being high as hell 24/7 tends to produce results like that.

but as for our friend Dave Evans (Edge), he can flat out play. I like to think i'm not particularly subject to hero worship, but i'd pretty much like to be him.

I'd pretty much put him in the great category because of his innovative work with guitar effects. He really has pushed guitar effects and guitar work with effects. It really takes a lot of talent to use multiple effects and not make the effect the focus especially in a three piece. He really fills out the sound well, and in fact is the sound.

The guitar solo you speak of is my personal favorite Edge solo, followed by the one in Even Better than the Real Thing. I like it, it is very dirty

Fuck that. I'd liek to be their bass player. That guy doesn't have to do shit.

U2 is great live. I went during their last tour and I've rarely been so engaged at a concert since and I knew about half the tracks and was younger than 95% of the crowd by at least 15 years. I'd pay the money again, but they decided to come only to Cleveland this time around. Douches . . .

-Alfan

1...2...3....14!

On a more serious note, I really do believe that are too overexposed. It bothers me how much they sell out (uhhh your own freaking ipod?) and yet try to still maintain this epic "we're in it because we love the music" deal. It's really up and down though, as I do recall a company offered them a ridiculous amount of money to use one of their older hits in a commercial, but it meant to much to Bono to sell it.

Confusing.

Rellix wrote:1...2...3....14!

On a more serious note, I really do believe that are too overexposed. It bothers me how much they sell out (uhhh your own freaking ipod?) and yet try to still maintain this epic "we're in it because we love the music" deal. It's really up and down though, as I do recall a company offered them a ridiculous amount of money to use one of their older hits in a commercial, but it meant to much to Bono to sell it.

Confusing.

For what its worth, they were paid zero dollars for the ipod commercials. There really isn't anything wrong with making money as far as I know.

the ipod partnership is more of a testament to being forward looking than anything else. And it is shear marketing brilliance. They literally got TENS of MILLIONS of dollars in free advertising from that.

they got so much free exposure from that - TONS - which is brilliant from a business standpoint, and they are actually embracing new technology. contrast them to similar (from a financial standpoint) bands like Metallica who wastes time sueing Napster and so forth.

the mainstream music industry has been dragged kicking and streaming through every technological advance in the last 25 years (remember tape dubbing!!!??!!). Those who position themselves ahead of that curve deserve the profits that they reap.

Financial success and being good at your business is not the same thing as "selling out". Moreover, its rock and roll - it isn't a sacrament.

Selling out only applies to "fuck the man" bands tbh.

If however any band whores themself out whilst at the same time letting their songs go to shit, no matter what type of band they are, then they are sell outs.

U2 aren't really doing that, I was just randomly debating what sell out actually is imo because I have work in 2 hours and I haven't been to sleep and I'm going insane.

Just wanted to add the fact that so many of the infinitely gifted musicians/guitarists of the sixties put the Edge to shame in literally every way music applies to me.