Hello readers!
Twenty-nine years today an Irish band made its big break during the 1986 Live Aid concert at Wembley Stadium. Nine days from today, my brother and I will be going to experience that same band at Madison Square Gardens for their iNNOCENCE tour. (If you feel like watching their 12 minute performance of Bad, it's right below. If you don't feel like it, you should anyway!)
My love for U2 skyrocketed during this past year; actually I didn't start listening to them until last summer when my friend Savannah (who's going to iNNOCENCE next Monday) kept sending me their music. Then my brother turned me onto Actung Baby (I'm thanking him by giving him my extra ticket). Since then I've been a passionate 2vian (bad, I know), even going so far to make it official that they've bumped my favorite band, the Beatles.
Yeah, really. And this is the first time I've come out and said it. But there you go. They're that good.
It took a lot to admit that they've replaced the Beatles for me. After all, the Beatles are unquestionably the greatest rock 'n roll band of all time (I'm still upholding that). Their music influenced rock and pop forever, including (and certainly not limited to) U2. The Beatles never hit a point where they were considered unsuccessful (even Magical Mystery Tour didn't dampen their fame) while most bands have faded out of the spotlight temporarily. And they were productive: in their seven years together (not counting their decade building up to success) they came out with twelve albums, twenty-two singles and five movies, not to mention worldwide tours until 1966. Its a lot to live up to, and even U2 hasn't hit that same level.
So, I guess what it came down to was what did U2 that makes them better than any other band?
They stand for something.
U2 has a ton of Christian themes in their music, which is what made them unique from other 80s bands. But even if Christianity is something you don't subscribe to, every song has a deeper meaning. Sunday Bloody Sunday brought awareness to the Troubles in Northern Ireland. Bad, Running to Stand Still and Trip Through Your Wires subtly bring up the problem with heroin in Dublin, and promote world peace through many of their songs, most prominently in Peace on Earth.
They connect with their fans.
The Live Aid performance of Bad was a turning point for U2, partly because it showed Bono's enthusiasm for their fans. About halfway through the performance, Bono leaves the stage, calls three girls out of the audience, vaults to the ground to dance with one and hugs the other two before returning to sing Ruby Tuesday. The rest of the band was furious that he went off for a good five minutes and were convinced that this would ruin their career. However, it was Bono's interaction with the audience that set them apart from the other performances, strengthened their fanbase and set them on the road to superstardom.
They're Irish.
Yes, I'm biased. But the backgrounds of the individual band members influenced them as songwriters and musicians, and much of their background was set against the Troubles. Not only did the conflict in Ireland inspire many of their songs on War and Songs of Innocence, it also influenced their outlook on life. ¨Irish people do melancholy,¨ Bono said in an interview with Rolling Stone, but it's the melancholy that brings out the depth in what would be their more secular music. One, Love is Blindness, With or Without You and Song for Someone would all be just love songs without the touch of Irish sorrow.
They promote other artists.
U2 is huge, so huge that they pretty much overshadow most other rock bands. But they use their fame to bring other groups to the forefront of music. They still perform covers by smaller bands like For Aslan's This Is. One of my favorite music collaborations is Bono with Chris Martin and Brandon Flowers for the War Child charity singing the Killers' early hit All These Things That I've Done. During another performance, U2 brought Brandon Flowers out to sing In a Little While while on tour in Las Vegas. (I haven't shared the War Child performance due to poor visual quality, but its well worth a listen!)
They won't give up.
In the early 90's, the Edge's wife divorced him, leaving U2's guitarist crushed. Instead of giving up, the Edge poured out his pain into his songwriting. The results turned up on Actung Baby, which is arguably one of their most complex and strongest albums with songs like One and Love is Blindness. Last December, Bono was injured in a biking accident which left him with severe damage to his shoulder. In an open letter to his fans, the singer revealed that it was unlikely that he would be able to play guitar again. However, ¨the band have reminded me that neither they nor Western civilization are depending on this,¨ Bono added. But his injuries haven't stopped him musically, nor physically apparently (the singer climbed up the between the LED screens to sing Cedarwood Road early on in their iNNOCENCE tour.)
They're not afraid to fail.
Just look at the free download of Songs of Innocence on iTunes. Although it looked like U2 had nothing to lose, there was a huge number of iTunes owners who were less than happy that a free album was available in their purchases. Maybe it wasn't their most popular move, but it was a bold one. When touring the US, the band was told they couldn't play an venue in Virginia because the audience only wanted country music; so they went incognito as The Dalton Brothers, a cowboy-disguised group who only played ¨country and western¨. U2 doesn't do things in small doses, which really defines them as a band.
Hopefully you enjoyed this overview of my new favorite group. If you're a 2vian (or BonoBro, whichever you prefer), let me know in the comments which is your favorite song! If you haven't listened to them, I gave you a pretty good starting list, so hope you enjoy it :)
Cheers,
Victoria
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