Sunday U2 Sermons

Editor's note: To allow an outlet for the writer's fangirliness, yet not bore the hundreds four or five readers of this blog, we've given her weekly space for her U2 rantings. Called Sunday U2 Sermons, people who aren't interested in the Irish band or watching fangirl ramblings can skip this entry and go onto something more interesting, such as this picture.

Welcome to the Church of U2! Today's sermon will be about the act of "selling out" and what happens to a well-regarded, well-respected and internationally loved band that's been together for more than 20 years. How do you keep sounding fresh and vital, keep getting the attention of a younger generation that concentrates on getting "tipsy" and not turn into the Rolling Stones?

These concerns were raised by Chicago Tribune music critic Greg Kot in his review of the band during their first Saturday night show (which I attended). Calling them "tired warhorses," Kot observed that the Irish quartet is now in danger of becoming the Rolling Stones -- mining a catalogue of hits and essentially becoming an U2 jukebox.

Kot's been critical of the group in the past four years, saying that the past two albums haven't broken new ground and worrying that the iPod ad was a sign that the band is selling out.

Needless to say, these criticisms didn't go by Bono without comment. Kot met with "Jesus" for awhile and we, the lucky ones, reaped the reward of an interesting interview transcript.

After reading the interview and Kot's arguments mixed with Bono's reasonings for the recent moves, I have to agree with Kot and Bono.

I agree that the past two albums haven't been new or particularly groundbreaking, which is a damn shame. I love U2 of the '90s -- Achtung Baby is my "college paper writing" CD of choice and Pop I will defend violently. It might not have been what people wanted, but there it was -- the sacred and the trashy living together on one sublime record. Like Kot, I can't help but wonder if the public and critical reaction to Pop made the band draw inwards and fall back on what they know works.

Keep in mind, it's not just Bono that deserves a thwap upon the head. There's three other members and a longtime manager to the group and each has a say in the direction that the band is going.

But I'm also sympathetic to Bono's defense regarding the ticket fiasco -- family illness will rattle anyone and if anything, it's an understandable mistake. In addition, the other presales after the first mess (which the band has apologized for so much, I'm expecting to see Larry publicly flog Bono on stage next time -- but that might be for other irritants also) have gone smoothly and with much satisfaction.

As for the iPod commercial -- some will see it as selling out -- and while I'm not even going to touch Bono's viewpoint that hip-hop is better because it's not afraid to commodify itself (that's another sermon for later), the man has a point. How can one stay relevant if you've been around for decades and are seen as an icon?

In a youth-obsessed market such as MTV -- where the younger the singer the better -- it's difficult to get music such as U2 and Radiohead across. Metallica's documentary, Some Kind of Monster illustrates this concern perfectly. Normally the metal gods wouldn't do a radio promotion ad, but this time they've been forced into it because the company that owns the radio stations can control whether or not their single gets on the air. It's the case of "I'll wash your back so you won't stab mine." Let's not forget that MTV's owner -- Viacom -- has partnership with radio stations, thus consolidating whether or not things with get on the airwaves.

So how do you get around it? Why not do an iPod ad? The group didn't take the money and in a way, they did want to do it (I can picture Edge futzing over the iPod, taking it apart and adding another hard drive to it). It was a great success that resembled more of a music video than anything else and it also brought the band great success. The problem is that it opens up a slippery slope. First the iPod, what next? Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own being used for OnStar's on-the-road emergency call features?

I doubt the band will go that far, but like I said, it's a slippery slope. Kot's simply voicing concerns that I think a lot of us have regarding our favorite band. In a way, the beautiful thing about Kot's article and Bono's response is that it's part of the ongoing discussion regarding music and its future role in the world.