“U2 ARE now very close to irrelevance” - Bono to Irish Times, Sept 10, 2011

[happyme]

I think he's exactly right. They were pushing it with Bomb, but saved by the Vertigo.

NLOTH failed because IMO they tried to re-write Vertigo with Boots.

I think the music landscape may be changing again. Sucess of Adele may hint people are getting sick of Gaga and the rest of manufactured pop brigade. And I don't think it's "I want to compete with Bieber", it's more along the lines of "let's give kids some alternative to empty pop". I'm reminded of the same ambition in the younger Bono's quote of "we want to compete with the music on the charts, because I do think we're better".

I Agree with you about people becoming sick of the manufactured pop stuff, my teenager has grown out of that Beiber thank goodness (though ive been theres a new album soon so who knows!).& im lucky that thay all ways thought Gaga sucked, (ive been told by friends who work at the ticket sales place that are handling ticket sales for her current tour in Australia that her sales have been rather slow!).

I think Adele has helped turn the tide in music with people deciding that thay want real music not cookie cutter stuff, ied also say that Taylor Swift has also been one turing the change as well. Friends of mine went & saw her the other night thay were raving about her, my teen daughter & friends also went & loved her, i also saw that she was the Highest money earner in music in the last 12months according to billboard, U2 came in second.

Even the teens have been getting into Foo Fighters, it makes me laugh we my daughter tells me how funny & good Dave is.She does have a intrest in U2 & so do her friends, yes it maybe because of there parents but its a gunine intrest in what thay do there are some kids out there that do apperciate real music. Thats why i feel if the boys did an album EP or what ever soon thay maybe able to get the timeing right again.

But the other big thing in teen world at the moment is One Direction a boy band like most of us would rember from the past. all though there anoying & cheesey thay seam to have normal type songs (what ever that means),

[Kurukira]

I think that the one philosophy they have always went by has gotten diluted by this 'relevance' stuff.  Throughout the 80s and 90s, U2's music was driven by one thing - finding new sounds that interested them.  That's all they were really driven by.  We were just fortunate that the sounds they have been interested in took on lives of their own.  As Bono once said at a Popmart show (I forgot which): "If it's interesting to us, it won't be B.S. for you."  If they go with their instincts instead of whatever trends that are here and gone in a minute, the relevance will happen. 

[Sugarcube]

U2 is not good enough at pure pop to ever compete with Bieber or Beyonce. But they have said repeatedly that they would love to be able to. U2 is always looking for more fans, not fewer - it's clear by now that they don't have an allegiance to any one particular style of music.[/b[

See, I think I'd call those huge strengths missing in bands like Radiohead, not weaknesses.

Huh? Radiohead got more fans, sold more records and played bigger gigs the more diverse their music became. Otherwise they'd still be putting out records like the Bends.

No. Radiohead had the potential of being the world's biggest band circa OK Computer (when U2 sucessfully failed with Pop). Then they became a niche band.

Yes. Radiohead are a massive band now. They headline major festivals the world over and sell out both arenas and stadiums.

Radiohead have become so big and successful, they even gave away their In Rainbows LP.

If I was in a 'niche' band as big and successful as Radiohead I'd be very happy.

[xy]

Considering how they've continued to sell out arenas and get number one albums since then, I'd hardly call them a niche band.

But they are. Selling out venues has nothing to do with why/how they are a niche band.

[xy]

U2 is not good enough at pure pop to ever compete with Bieber or Beyonce. But they have said repeatedly that they would love to be able to. U2 is always looking for more fans, not fewer - it's clear by now that they don't have an allegiance to any one particular style of music.[/b[

See, I think I'd call those huge strengths missing in bands like Radiohead, not weaknesses.

Huh? Radiohead got more fans, sold more records and played bigger gigs the more diverse their music became. Otherwise they'd still be putting out records like the Bends.

No. Radiohead had the potential of being the world's biggest band circa OK Computer (when U2 sucessfully failed with Pop). Then they became a niche band.

Yes. Radiohead are a massive band now. They headline major festivals the world over and sell out both arenas and stadiums.

Radiohead have become so big and successful, they even gave away their In Rainbows LP.

If I was in a 'niche' band as big and successful as Radiohead I'd be very happy.

http://www.greenplastic.com/gigography Yes, truly a stadium giant band (festivals aren't really the same thing as filling out a stadium on your own). How many years didn't they tour pre In Rainbows ? Yes...great model for U2, right down to not making albums anymore.

Yes, that was a brilliant PR "we don't care about it but we'll make a pile of cash anyway" move. They're very good at being a niche band. Do not doubt they carefully craft their image. The cult tag works wonders for them.

[Sugarcube]

U2 is not good enough at pure pop to ever compete with Bieber or Beyonce. But they have said repeatedly that they would love to be able to. U2 is always looking for more fans, not fewer - it's clear by now that they don't have an allegiance to any one particular style of music.[/b[

See, I think I'd call those huge strengths missing in bands like Radiohead, not weaknesses.

Huh? Radiohead got more fans, sold more records and played bigger gigs the more diverse their music became. Otherwise they'd still be putting out records like the Bends.

No. Radiohead had the potential of being the world's biggest band circa OK Computer (when U2 sucessfully failed with Pop). Then they became a niche band.

Yes. Radiohead are a massive band now. They headline major festivals the world over and sell out both arenas and stadiums.

Radiohead have become so big and successful, they even gave away their In Rainbows LP.

If I was in a 'niche' band as big and successful as Radiohead I'd be very happy.

http://www.greenplastic.com/gigography Yes, truly a stadium giant band (festivals aren't really the same thing as filling out a stadium on your own). How many years didn't they tour pre In Rainbows ? Yes...great model for U2, right down to not making albums anymore.

Yes, that was a brilliant PR "we don't care about it but we'll make a pile of cash anyway" move. They're very good at being a niche band. Do not doubt they carefully craft their image. The cult tag works wonders for them.

I don't understand your post. Like everyone here you seem totally obsessed with record sales and size of concerts. I'm just saying Radiohead aren't a niche band as they're very popular indeed and sell lots of records. I'm not saying they're better or worse than U2 but to call them niche is ridiculous

[satellitedog01]

Well they fill the annoying art rock pretender niche in xy's fun loving sunshiny mind.

[Sugarcube]

Well they fill the annoying art rock pretender niche in xy's fun loving sunshiny mind.

 

[xy]

U2 is not good enough at pure pop to ever compete with Bieber or Beyonce. But they have said repeatedly that they would love to be able to. U2 is always looking for more fans, not fewer - it's clear by now that they don't have an allegiance to any one particular style of music.[/b[

See, I think I'd call those huge strengths missing in bands like Radiohead, not weaknesses.

Huh? Radiohead got more fans, sold more records and played bigger gigs the more diverse their music became. Otherwise they'd still be putting out records like the Bends.

No. Radiohead had the potential of being the world's biggest band circa OK Computer (when U2 sucessfully failed with Pop). Then they became a niche band.

Yes. Radiohead are a massive band now. They headline major festivals the world over and sell out both arenas and stadiums.

Radiohead have become so big and successful, they even gave away their In Rainbows LP.

If I was in a 'niche' band as big and successful as Radiohead I'd be very happy.

http://www.greenplastic.com/gigography Yes, truly a stadium giant band (festivals aren't really the same thing as filling out a stadium on your own). How many years didn't they tour pre In Rainbows ? Yes...great model for U2, right down to not making albums anymore.

Yes, that was a brilliant PR "we don't care about it but we'll make a pile of cash anyway" move. They're very good at being a niche band. Do not doubt they carefully craft their image. The cult tag works wonders for them.

I don't understand your post. Like everyone here you seem totally obsessed with record sales and size of concerts. I'm just saying Radiohead aren't a niche band as they're very popular indeed and sell lots of records. I'm not saying they're better or worse than U2 but to call them niche is ridiculous

It's obvious you don't understand it.
Not obsessed at all with sales and size of shows.

It is possible to be very good at being a niche band.

[Sugarcube]

U2 is not good enough at pure pop to ever compete with Bieber or Beyonce. But they have said repeatedly that they would love to be able to. U2 is always looking for more fans, not fewer - it's clear by now that they don't have an allegiance to any one particular style of music.[/b[

See, I think I'd call those huge strengths missing in bands like Radiohead, not weaknesses.

Huh? Radiohead got more fans, sold more records and played bigger gigs the more diverse their music became. Otherwise they'd still be putting out records like the Bends.

No. Radiohead had the potential of being the world's biggest band circa OK Computer (when U2 sucessfully failed with Pop). Then they became a niche band.

Yes. Radiohead are a massive band now. They headline major festivals the world over and sell out both arenas and stadiums.

Radiohead have become so big and successful, they even gave away their In Rainbows LP.

If I was in a 'niche' band as big and successful as Radiohead I'd be very happy.

http://www.greenplastic.com/gigography Yes, truly a stadium giant band (festivals aren't really the same thing as filling out a stadium on your own). How many years didn't they tour pre In Rainbows ? Yes...great model for U2, right down to not making albums anymore.

Yes, that was a brilliant PR "we don't care about it but we'll make a pile of cash anyway" move. They're very good at being a niche band. Do not doubt they carefully craft their image. The cult tag works wonders for them.

I don't understand your post. Like everyone here you seem totally obsessed with record sales and size of concerts. I'm just saying Radiohead aren't a niche band as they're very popular indeed and sell lots of records. I'm not saying they're better or worse than U2 but to call them niche is ridiculous

It's obvious you don't understand it.
Not obsessed at all with sales and size of shows.

It is possible to be very good at being a niche band.

Me not understanding your post isn't necessarily flattering to you. 

Roughly speaking the word 'niche' means having specific appeal. Following your logic every band on the planet is a niche band.

You are clearly obsessed with size as you keep mentioning it. 

[xy]

Yes. Radiohead are a massive band now. They headline major festivals the world over and sell out both arenas and stadiums Radiohead got more fans, sold more records and played bigger gigs the more diverse their music became. You brought up size first.

It really isn't flattering, as again, niche has nothing to do with size or sales.

Exactly, they have a specific appeal. Or rather, a specific image/angle they have perfected...

[dysthanasiac]

What's Radiohead's niche? 

The Bends sounds nothing like OK Computer sounds nothing like Kid A sounds somewhat like Amnesiac sounds nothing like Hail to the Thief maybe sounds like In Rainbows sounds nothing like The King of Limbs.  Yet, each are excellent records that somehow, despite their wholly disparate formulae, all manage to sound exactly like Radiohead.  Additionally, they've not once so much as even nodded to their initial breakthrough in music ("Creep") along the way.  I really don't see a niche at all unless you consider originality a niche.

Rammstein is a niche band.  Radiohead is an expansive band whose relevance will not be in question until they rip themselves off for the sake of success.

(Sometimes I think about a hypothetical world where U2 followed the same career path, and I get really, really sad that it didn't happen.)

[Sugarcube]

Yes. Radiohead are a massive band now. They headline major festivals the world over and sell out both arenas and stadiums Radiohead got more fans, sold more records and played bigger gigs the more diverse their music became. You brought up size first.

It really isn't flattering, as again, niche has nothing to do with size or sales.

Exactly, they have a specific appeal. Or rather, a specific image/angle they have perfected...

Following your logic, U2 have a niche audience, albeit a large one. As do Radiohead, albeit a large one. Or Coldplay, albeit a large one. Or...

Do you really think U2 didn't carefully craft a public image for themselves? Everyone does it. It's just Radiohead are a bit cleverer than U2

[xy]

Sure. All major bands have crafted public images. And unlike Radiohead content sticking in their own niche...I don't think U2 has a niche, unless it's "we don't have a niche because we want to be no.1".

[mattressjedi]

POP sure seems to have cast a loooong shadow over the last decade for the band. It's like they've spent the last decade trying more to NOT be that band than trying to be something different.