bjaiken

I don't like or respect Yoko.

Love Springsteen, can't get into Dylan. Both very influential songwriters and storytellers.

Pretty much every band that has a huge following has flirted with the mainstream for at least a moment. That's where the base is built. Creep, High and Dry, Karma Police, and Fake Plastic Trees all had a good run on MTV and radio. When the band goes in a new or different direction, it's just a matter of who follows; however, the name and notoriety have already been established.

I can't believe the length of his setlist. He's obviously still performing because he loves it. He could easily just call it in with an 18-20 song set based on his name, but he doesn't do that. Ticket prices are pretty high, but at least you get some value for your money.

I like going by myself. For a lot of people, a concert is just a night out. I'm a hardcore music fan, so I'm there 100% for the music, not necessarily to be social. When I find like-minded individuals, I prefer to go to concerts with friends. Otherwise, I prefer to go it alone, as other people will probably mess it up for me and then I'll be angry.

The bass in The Adventures of Rain Dance Maggie is insane. Flea is the man. I'm looking forward to the album more than I thought I would.

^ It's going to be in 5 versions. I'll buy the cheap one like I always do. I love the crazy box sets with all the extras, but it's an addiction I try to avoid.

^ I would say not good.

^ I don't agree. The other guys could easily work in the music industry after KOL. Will it be as big? It almost never is! That applies to Caleb, too. But musicians are recycled in bands all the time. I could list 200-300 names of musicians who work based on the name of their former band, and that's without even blinking.

^ You don't have to be a singer to continue to have a career in music. For example, Johnny Marr has bounced from band to band, project to project since The Smiths split. There are countless other examples.

I see the connection to the Oasis situation, with family and dysfunction involved, but I'm not sure it will end up the same. Liam and Noel appear far more obstinate than the KOL guys. We will see.

To be honest, I never found their banter about drinking to be that funny. I mean, a joke here or there about having too much to drink is fine, but they talk about being drunk all the time. Substance abuse isn't funny, and it always comes to a head.

^ I'm toying with the idea of buying the claw ;)

U2 Wraps Most Successful Tour Ever August 1, 2011 The U2 360° tour came to an end in Moncton, N.B., Canada on Saturday night, bringing to a close the most successful concert tour of all time. The massive 26-month undertaking saw U2 play 110 concerts in front of more than 7.1 million fans in 30 countries across five continents. It opened in Barcelona on June 30, 2009 before hitting the road. A second European leg started in August 2010, featuring U2’s first appearances in Russia and Turkey. In 2011, U2 returned to South Africa for the first time since 1998 playing two huge concerts in the World Cup Stadiums of Capetown and Johannesburg, and after playing three sold out nights at Estadio Morumbi in Sao Paulo, Brazil, U2 360° passed 5 million tickets sold and became the biggest tour of all time. The tour's biggest single audience was 108,800 at Stadium Azteca in Mexico City on May 14, 2011. Furthermore, 10 million people watched a live stream of U2 360° from the Rose Bowl on YouTube. Arthur Fogel, Chairman, Global Music & CEO, Global Touring, Live Nation, said, "This tour was a brilliant success on every level and all involved should be extremely proud. U2 once again have set the standard for achievement – perhaps for all time." Billboard's Ray Waddell added, "With tonight's final show, U2’s 360° tour will go down as the biggest tour ever reported both in terms of box office gross and attendance. This tour is a remarkable feat on a global scale, from its staging and production, to its video elements, all the way to the scaling of the house, routing and execution. Most importantly, U2 rocked mightily all over the world." Some other statistics announced by Live Nation about the U2 tour included: 9,760 guitar strings used; 134 crew members; 126 truck drivers; 53 gigs attended by a single fan; 12 bus drivers and 11 babies born to crew. As previously reported, now that the tour has concluded, the iconic "claw" stage will be available for sale. Designed by Bono, Willie Williams and Mark Fisher, the in-the-round transportable structure was designed to support up to 185 metric tons and engineered to withstand high winds while sustaining seismic loads. While on tour, "the claw" carried a cylindrical video screen able to open to a size of 14,000 square feet. The custom built structures will be put on sale world-wide as either a permanent or portable pavilion, where they can be used as amphitheatres, civic plazas, corporate pavilions, world expositions and more.

They have a lot of problems, both individually and as a band. I could give you my own personal accounts, but they are just going to add up to the same thing you're reading. I like their music, but they are a bunch of babies.

Cheers to a great tour. Best live band I've ever seen!

I Will Follow

^ I was going to say 40 for the closer before I listened to the video. It's the best closer in their catalogue in my opinion. Rumor has it that 40 was sound checked in Baltimore, and I don't think we've heard it yet on this tour. It closed out many nights on the vertigo tour, and it was fantastic. The crowd chanting is the best.

I can't say I'm surprised. It's sad to see people spinning out of control with this as the outcome. I'm not a fan of her at all, but it still is a shame.

That's awesome. Arcade Fire is the openner, right? What a great night of music that will be. I saw 3 nights of the 360 tour, and I was more impressed each time. I'm sad to see it come to an end. I've seen hundreds of live bands over the years, but no band captures my imagination more than U2. It's truly mind blowing what they do on that stage. Edit: try to get there early. I had GA for 2 shows and never made it to the inner circle. That's probably my only regret.

^ Are you going?

On first listen, the new song sounds pretty good. It'll be hard to not compare it to the songs with John, but that's what you have to do.

I don't think a Coldplay vs. Oasis competition would be that close in terms of album sales and attention. I certainly don't think a solo album by Noel is going to be much of a threat.

^ I understand your point. Being an opener is a tough gig, though. 99.9% of the audience is not there to see you. That's a hard thing to overcome, especially when you are a fairly sizable artist who has it's own fan base.

Low Light - Pearl Jam