Chicago Tribune | U2's midlife crisis:
"The band always aimed high, but with a high-minded purpose. Forged in the post-punk climate of the late '70s in Dublin, the quartet built a huge worldwide following by not only playing soul-searching arena rock, but by evincing a genuine passion for social and spiritual matters that had little to do with corporate-rock affairs of the wallet.
Or so it seemed.
In recent years, their business practices have become more suspect, their attention-seeking more transparent, their principles more readily compromised, and their music less challenging."
This is one of the best U2 articles in some time. As a longtime fan, I found myself nodding a lot, and was impressed with the relative accuracy of the story. And I attended the New Orleans PopMart concert, 8th row center, baby!
I still haven't paid the $40 fee for U2.com, though I was a subscriber to Propaganda (fan club magazine) for years. I didn't buy the U2 iPod, or the digital box set, or the $50 "collector's edition" CD with booklet and 1 extra song (that happens to be one of my favorites, "Fast Cars"). They're squeezing big U2 fans for $, put homey don't play dat.
It'll be interesting watching U2 at the Grammy's tonight....maybe Bono will say the F-word again.
By the way, did I mention what a great article this is? Click on it, dude, I promise!