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U2 'Songs of Innocence' Album // iNNOCENCE + eXPERIENCE Tour 2015 Discussion


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The fact that people get so upset with artists and bands and talk about beating them or their fans up is hilarious :lol: I mean come on, Len.

Now this is where you go 'you're just butthurt', so explain this to me, how do i do the un-butthurt thing? It's cuz I'm whining about something that nothing can be done about anyway, thats what that phrase is getting at right? So what can i do thats physical as opposed to verbal, what is the proactive way to expressing this? What can i do thats a physical manifestation of that objection? What, find a U2 fan and smack him in the mouth? Thats a good idea, send then pussy Bono round mine, or better yet I'll link him up at a gig in London, slap him around a bit and that'll be my un-butthurt way of daring to express that i don't like the idea of people inserting shit into my shit without my say so.

Have a read and think long and hard about what thats saying :lol: Is it not clear as day whats being said there? All you can get from that is some threatening to beat up fans? The entire first half of the paragraph doesn't set it up perfectly for you?

Len.....what's up my man!!!

You were threatening to beat me up to in the Little girl selling cookies topic!

Why so violent lately!! Lay off the Lil Wayne for a while and chill out with some Taylor Swift!!!

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  • 4 weeks later...

T-Minus exactly 1 month till opening night of the tour. Can't wait. Still no idea what the stage will look like or what to expect really from this tour. Band has been really quiet since Bono's accident. I have a feeling we're in store for something pretty cool and high tech. But we'll see,

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U2 releases an album for free and everyone loses their mind, but Wu refuses to release an album to their fans and it's not that big of a deal. Lol

Because a lot of people don't like U2 and dont want their music foisted on them? As in they deeply dislike that? I love how you guys are like 'so whaaaat, it's just thereeee', do you fuckin' go into a restaurant and order a steak and greens and have a bit of custard on your plate, question it and hear the waiter go 'so whaaaat, it's just theeereee', is that how life works? And then when you have some like me who has despised U2 for many years, i don't wanna see em in my shit.

I was at an Italian restaurant some time ago and I ordered some pasta and with the pasta came a small bowl of tomato salad complimentary. I guess it was an appetizer sort of thing because the guy brought it a few minutes before the main course. (I personally don't like tomatoes at all.) I just pushed it to the side and ate the rest of the meal without any issues. I am not in any way upset that I received that tomato salad.

As for the album itself it didn't even download itself on my iPhone. It just showed up as an available download off the cloud with a small cloud icon next to it. I downloaded it and listened to a bit but I didn't like it very much.

I've always taken 'butthurt' to mean upset over something not worth being upset about. Edit: seems UD agrees with me.

I was thinking of maybe going to see U2 live, because they seem to put on a good show, but I'm not a fan, I only really like a few songs. I live in London though where tickets for anything sell out in minutes so I think I've missed my chance anyway.

Edited by GivenToFly
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U2 already in Vancouver a month prior to opening night. They have booked the Pacific Coliseum in Vancouver for an entire month to rehearse. That's how ya fucking get ready for a tour. This is gonna be an incredible tour. I can't wait for opening night. I'll be there. Be jealous. Be very jealous haha.

http://www.vancitybuzz.com/2015/04/u2-rents-vancouvers-pacific-coliseum-month-rehearsals/

There are reports that Irish band U2 are in Vancouver to practice for their upcoming worldwide iNNOCENCE + eXPERIENCE tour set to begin later this spring.
According to The Province, the Pacific Coliseum at the Pacific National Exhibition in Vancouver’s Eastside is being used as the rehearsal venue.
There are more than a dozen semi-trailers belonging to a company U2 is known to work with. In addition, the venue is surrounded by roaming security personnel and all windows and door cracks have been sealed with dark fabric.
CTV News reports the band has booked the arena for a whole month to prepare for the six-month-long tour spanning 70 dates and 20 cities in North America and Europe.
The first concerts of the tour will be held at Vancouver’s Rogers Arena, with back-to-back performances on May 14 and 15. Based on the PNE’s online calendar, there are no public events scheduled for the Pacific Coliseum until Cirque du Soleil’s Vancouver shows, beginning May 20.
U2 has faced uncertainty and instability over the past year. Their newest album performed poorly and they faced a major public relations gaffe in October 2014 when Apple customers received the album for free on their iTunes.
Bono was severely injured in a bike accident the following month, to the extent that he feared he may never play guitar again.
He broke his arm in six locations and fractured his eye socket, hand and shoulder blade. He had extensive surgeries to repair the damage and install a titanium elbow.
Since the accident, Bono has been working hard to recover in time for the band’s first stop in Vancouver.
Edited by Bono
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U2 releases an album for free and everyone loses their mind, but Wu refuses to release an album to their fans and it's not that big of a deal. Lol

Because a lot of people don't like U2 and dont want their music foisted on them? As in they deeply dislike that? I love how you guys are like 'so whaaaat, it's just thereeee', do you fuckin' go into a restaurant and order a steak and greens and have a bit of custard on your plate, question it and hear the waiter go 'so whaaaat, it's just theeereee', is that how life works? And then when you have some like me who has despised U2 for many years, i don't wanna see em in my shit.

I was at an Italian restaurant some time ago and I ordered some pasta and with the pasta came a small bowl of tomato salad complimentary. I guess it was an appetizer sort of thing because the guy brought it a few minutes before the main course. (I personally don't like tomatoes at all.) I just pushed it to the side and ate the rest of the meal without any issues. I am not in any way upset that I received that tomato salad.

As for the album itself it didn't even download itself on my iPhone. It just showed up as an available download off the cloud with a small cloud icon next to it. I downloaded it and listened to a bit but I didn't like it very much.

I've always taken 'butthurt' to mean upset over something not worth being upset about. Edit: seems UD agrees with me.

I was thinking of maybe going to see U2 live, because they seem to put on a good show, but I'm not a fan, I only really like a few songs. I live in London though where tickets for anything sell out in minutes so I think I've missed my chance anyway.

Right well if the waiter or the chef or the other people in the restuarant had decided to call you a cunt for saying you dont want that tomato salad on the table then your analogy would be more accurately applicable. My phone, my songs on it, thats all i ask, if thats fuckin' like...some mind-blowing instance of me being unreasonably pedantic or OCD or anal or whatever, well you could just go fuck yourself then cuz i pay the bill, i pay for the phone, i choose what goes on it. Sorry if thats just mindblowingly illogical to you.

Its not a big deal to me either, im not standing outside Apple with placards, I'm making a point of my annoyance on an internet forum, an annoyance further exacerbated by the fact that i despise U2.

'If it was Wu Tang you wouldnt mind'. Uh, well...yes, cuz i like em, that is the whole crux of the matter, i dont want albums i dont like on my shit.

'But you still have to download it', right well thats even less point to it being there then!

Butthurt is just a phrase you young hooray for tolerance!s use to make it so you're all scared of having an opinion of your own, I'm alright there cuz i dont give a flying fuck, im gonna say what im gonna say regardless, I'm not a fuckin' 8 year old :lol:

'You're a cupcake, you're butthurt, you're a hater', i feel 'suck my dick' explains my position on that clearly as you like :D

Edited by Len B'stard
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Don't mind the album being free but just think the album is a bit lite and falls in line with the whole pop trend at the moment. When a band as big as U2 could be doing something so much more. It's what Billy Corgan was saying about rock bands being too pop. Pop is fine but rock is dying because rock bands act like pop bands. Just my personal take on it. Not to hate on U2 too much,I know they've done everything anyway and in some ways the free with Apple is very Zeitjest and cool. But I guess rock is dead, the shock is all in your head. Going to arena shows is like going to church these days. Everyone in line, phones out, barely care about the show just there to be seen then leave early. Buy a t shirt, take some selfies.

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That last bit is spot on, thats why i wont go to no rock n roll shows no more, cuz they're dud, its all for fuckin' Grandads and middle class kids that grew up on their parents taste, it aint really a working class pursuit no more, they look at you like you shot their Mum if you jump up and down a bit or are pissed up or whatever. Thats why i fuckin' got into rock n roll, to get pissed up and go to gigs and jump around. The 'i paid good money for my ticket' brigade.

The bigger a band the bigger the cunts at their shows, two worst shows i seen in terms of audience was GnR in Hammersmith and Paul McCartney at the 02.

Edited by Len B'stard
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I was queuing in the freezing rain for the Stones and someone said I wonder what the band is doing? Probably banging groupies. Then you go in and basically nobody cares. People got up to boogie to Miss You but that was it.

I felt that at a festival no one was drinking. It was a GNR show. They just stood there and went home.

Now the trek out to the arena isn't worth it.

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What do u mean first part. Most rock bands seem to start out sell outs now. I like some of bands like The Killers, The Strokes, Black Keys, Jack White but its a bit pussyfied. No fi-ah. I mean Lana del rey would kick they ass.

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Ticketmaster / U2 just did a ticket drop for the 2nd night in Vancouver. They released about 100 seats that were previously going for upwards of $1000 or more on resale sites like StubHub. I just scored tickets for face value. So pumped up because they are basically the exact seats I've been looking to get. So now my spring looks like this:


U2 - Vancouver, May 14th (opening night of the tour)

U2 - Vancouver, May 15th

U2 - Montreal, June 12th

U2 - Montreal, June 13th


Less than a month away!!!

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Given where the redzones are indicated on all the venue seating charts and given the fact they show a stage that extends the entire length of the floor I'm starting to think the iNNOCENCE + ePERIENCE tour logo might actually be the stage design. Check it out.

10995377_10155517325690397_7182774600389

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Yeah it would make perfect sense. I've been trying to figure out why the redzones which are by far the most expensive tickets woudl be o the far end away from the main stage but if it's set up like this it makes sense. And given how much U2 has been trying to make the venues feel more intimate the last three tours, especially by attempting in the round stadium shows with 360 tour this would definitely give everyone in the buidlinga great seat. Assuming they'd utilize the entire stage often throughout the show. Guess we'll have to wait and see. 26 days till opening night.

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Some awesome lighting effects likely to be used in the show. Pretty cool how they react to body movement. Reminds me of something Nine Inch Nails would use.

I'm seriously starting to believe there will be no opening act for this tour. We're 23 days out from opening night and no opening bands have been announced.

Edited by Bono
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Alan further explained the challenge U2 faces in getting the music to a wider audience on commercial radio: "U2 delivered an album that was aimed towards the current attitude in music -- and that is commercial pop. I think they could have called it 'Pop 2.' There are good, streamlined 'modern-sounding' songs on that album. So why avoid the airwaves? The problem may be that the age group that listens to pop on the radio is young, and they have their heroes. To them, U2 may be their parents' or older sibling's band. Then, U2's album may not resonate with older fans that resist the very commercial music on hit radio. So, the album may have driven between two audiences, reaching relatively few as a result."

Kind of what I was saying, it's too much of a poppy sell out.

But I think the tour will turn around as once people see the shows momentum builds.

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Looks like the band isn't having the same level of success this go around regarding ticket sales as they had the previous few tours.

Interesting read:

http://www.atu2.com/news/can-u2-reach-me-now-ticket-sales-radio-airplay-down-in-us.html

Yeah it's pretty interesting. They were hitting the talk shows hard in Europe and seemed to really be pushing Every Breaking Wave. They even performed it at the Europe MTV awards and Bono gave an amazing performance. U2's problem the last two albums is they pick the wrong lead singles. Last album they picked Get on Your Boots instead of Magnificent and this time they picked The MIracle of Joey Ramone instead of California. They also left The Crystal Ballroom off the album which could've been a good single as well.

I was just thinking about how the lead up to this tour has been rather dull compared to 360. Every since Bono's accident it's almost like the band just gave up on any type of promotion. There's been absolutely no word from them at all in the last few months and like the article says there is no concept art of what the stage will look like. Last tour they had documentaries coming out explaining the stage and a interactive 3D map on their official website of the 360 stage. This time around nothing. They also haven't announced any opening acts for the tour so 22 days out from opening night my guess is there will be no opening act? Also if they're calling the tour the iNNOCENCE + eXPERIENCE tour where the hell is the Songs of Experience album? Abslutely no word on that now either.

10 000 unsold tickets out of 36 shows isn't so bad really though in the grand scheme of things. It's an average of 277 empty seats per show and many fo those seats will sell before show time I wold assume. They've sold out 28/36 shows in North America. Not great considerin their history but not awful either. A LOT of artists wold kill to have those numbers. 2 of those non sell outs are in New York but they've already sold out 5 shows in NYC. Those plus the 2 non sellouts which will in all liklihood be sold out come show time(July 31), They're playing to almost 140 000 people in NYC so it's not like they aren't selling. In Chicago 2/5 aren't sold out but they will still play to roughly 100 000 people and those two shows could still sell out come show time. Is it the frenzied sale of tickets we've seen from U2 tours in the past? No. But they are still a touring force. Just maybe not to the epic levels of the highest grossing tour of all time that was the 360 tour.

It wuld be nice if they had been able to reschedule their 5 nights on Fallon right before this tour kicked off but that never happened. It's definitely not the guns blazing, taking the world by storm U2 we saw at the begining fo the 360 tour which kinda sucks because I have a feeling this tour is gonna be off the charts. Wait and see I guess.

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Alan further explained the challenge U2 faces in getting the music to a wider audience on commercial radio: "U2 delivered an album that was aimed towards the current attitude in music -- and that is commercial pop. I think they could have called it 'Pop 2.' There are good, streamlined 'modern-sounding' songs on that album. So why avoid the airwaves? The problem may be that the age group that listens to pop on the radio is young, and they have their heroes. To them, U2 may be their parents' or older sibling's band. Then, U2's album may not resonate with older fans that resist the very commercial music on hit radio. So, the album may have driven between two audiences, reaching relatively few as a result."

Kind of what I was saying, it's too much of a poppy sell out.

But I think the tour will turn around as once people see the shows momentum builds.

I just listened to Joshua Tree last night and then Songs of Innocence. There is no way anybody can say with a straight face that SOI is a poppy sell out and then turn around and say how great Joshua Tree is. The albums are incredibly similar when you really listen to them. I'm not saying you compared them because I didn't see you do that anywhere but I think it's become a real cop out for people to claim how great a soft rock album like Joshua Tree is then turn around and call SOI a sell out pop album. One may be better than the other but they aren't so dissimilar that one can be considerd a sell out whiel the other is not. Both are top 5 U2 albums in my opinion. SOI is their best album in my opinion since Achtung Baby so......

The real problem is there comes a time when radio themselves just turn their backs on artists they once adored. An example here in Canada is David Usher. Back in 2001 the guy was on fire. He was the frontman of aguably Canada's best rock band of the 90s and he had gone solo. He put out his album Morning Orbit and won a Juno for best rock album. A Juno is Canada's version of the Grammys. Anyways he was the king in Canada. His music was everywhere. A few years later he released his album Hallucinations. It was even better but the radio stations didn't support it the same. Then he put out If God Had Curves and it was over. Mainstreme radio had all but turned their back on him for the newer generation of to be blunt crap. Some of those songs on SOI are up there with U2's very best work but people just don't care as much anymore and when the band stops promoting themselves that's a sure fire way to fade into obscurity. U2 had a big plan to promote SOI I think but the second Bono got hurt they ditched that plan. It likely wouldn't have worked anyways. I think the days of U2 being popular on modern radio are likley over.

Edited by Bono
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The days of a lot of older bands being popular on the radio are over. I think Beautiful Day was the last big song for them on the radio. Is that because the last two albums don't have a good enough song for the radio for people to enjoy? I don't think so. I just think the times are different.

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Honestly it's not exactly that its pop. It's poppy in the way pop is pop now. So it's trying to mimic those bands in the charts now but not getting those fans because they see U2 as a dinosaur not a hipster band. Which is awarkward.

It's kind of timing too. The U2 audience now just wants something more mature, more rock. Rock stations would play something with balls from U2. And they could do it very easily.

But they can do that next. Manics do it all the time.

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Honestly it's not exactly that its pop. It's poppy in the way pop is pop now. So it's trying to mimic those bands in the charts now but not getting those fans because they see U2 as a dinosaur not a hipster band. Which is awarkward.

It's kind of timing too. The U2 audience now just wants something more mature, more rock. Rock stations would play something with balls from U2. And they could do it very easily.

But they can do that next. Manics do it all the time.

I'm not so sure U2 can do that. I've been wanting them to put out a rock album for years but they won't do it. The Ege won't let himself go which is weird cause he does it in concert but won't on albums. It's beena long time since the Edge ripped off some good guitar solos like on Achtung Baby. I mean look at Vertigo. They tried really hard to make that their ballsy rock song and the weak link in the song is The Edge because he wiffs on the guitar solo. I'm not sure u2 has ballsy rock in them anymore to be honest. They're a pop rock band and they do that incredibly well I think but they'll never crunch out a real ROCK song.

The days of a lot of older bands being popular on the radio are over. I think Beautiful Day was the last big song for them on the radio. Is that because the last two albums don't have a good enough song for the radio for people to enjoy? I don't think so. I just think the times are different.

Beautiful Day is without question their most popular song this century but Vertigo was huge as well and was their last BIG hit on radio. That's 11 years ago. Beautiful Day was released 15 years ago this October. It's crazy to think how long ago that was.

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SOI is poppy at times, but I love it. One of last year's best records imo.

The lead up to this tour isn't like 360, because 360 was a one of a kind event. This will be an arena tour (which will be awesome). As big as arenas are, they are much more scaled back compared to the craziness that was 360.

That is totally fine, these will still sell like crazy. U2 has reached legacy status like any other major band of the 60s, 70s, 80s, and even the 90s now. Their new stuff won't do much except make hard core fans happy but their concerts will still be near sell outs

Its just a natural stage in their career.

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