U2 is quite possibly the most Marmite act ever to grace the music scene – and the best part? It’s all by choice. Bono and his bandmates are well aware of their gimmicky reputation, but it’s as much a part of the fun as secretly infiltrating everybody’s iTunes one random day in 2014.
Controversial but iconic all the same, U2 are about as divisive as it gets in modern rock music. For some, calling them legends of the genre is a bit of a stretch – just ask Liam Gallagher. “They pass themselves as a rock ‘n’ roll band, but what the? Come on, man, I’ve never seen fucking Bono,” the former Oasis leader told Loudwire. “I mean, I’ve never seen any of them do anything remotely rock ‘n’ roll.”
Even those closest to the band personally and musically seem to have something to say. The Rolling Stones’ Mick Jagger, for instance, has collaborated with Bono before and even calls him a friend: “I’ve known Bono since I can’t remember,” he said. “We’ve always had singsongs…. When I’d done ‘Joy’– I hadn’t finished all the vocals – I thought it would be great to do with him. U2 were playing in Cologne, so I took my little recording system to his hotel room, and we did it.”
Regarding U2’s approach to live music, however, Jagger couldn’t feel less aligned. “I love Bono, and I like the band and the records,” he said. “But having said all that, I don’t think they really performed as large as I thought they should. You have to transcend the production. OK, if you’re Bono, you don’t want to be like me, running up and down the fucking thing all the time. But it’s one way to get people’s attention, you know?”
Continuing: “There he is! It’s him in yellow! Listen: it’s theater; it’s large; it’s entertainment. I think it’s possible that U2 are not really a stadium act – in their hearts. They always seem to be apologising. I never want to apologise for spending $10 million, say, on the Steel Wheels tour…”
According to Jagger, U2 appear a little lacklustre when it comes to performance and entertainment. “We were always out there with a good show for market price,” Jagger explains, discussing the Stones’ live act. “And, really, I always try and get out there and make sure that we’re keeping their attention, working the audience, whether you’re in a club or a theatre or a stadium. You can’t just stroll through it. I wish you could, sometimes – when it’s the second night in wherever, it’s 41 degrees, and it’s raining. But you really have to push it.”
Although U2 have become a cool band to dislike, similar to acts like Coldplay, decisions like automatically downloading Songs Of Innocence onto peoples’ iPhones have felt a necessary indicator of musical value, along with the general consensus that the band has succumbed to the commercialisation of music over the years. Nonetheless, many of their songs remain classics in the realm of rock music, making them one of the biggest bands of late.
