January 31, 2010

FOR BONO: Vision Over Visibility- Update January 31, 2010

As I write this, the Grammy Awards show is on and U2 have so far won nothing. If they do not win for "Best Rock Album" of the year, it will be a shame. NLOTH is one of the most original & creative albums to come out in years and maybe U2's best "themed" album since "The Joshua Tree".

If U2 do not win this award - they should. They stand far above the dribble that I am seeing tonight at the Grammies parading itself as "music". U2 have NOTHING to apologize for or feel embarassed about in NLOTH.

True genius and real talent are often not appreciated at first but the test of time reveals which music is meaningful and eternal. Such it is with U2. KUDOS to them!

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There are a lot of reasons why it's so GREAT to be a U2 "fan" but it's often hard to put these reasons into words. That's because much of what we love about U2 emanates from the FEELINGS that their music evokes in us - and feelings can be hard to put into words (just ask Bono).

First, there's their music. It's big, bold and beautiful, yet amazingly intimate and personal. Every song that U2 have ever written or performed have come out of a frame of experience for them, whether direct or indirect. Since "Boy", U2 have chosen to take on the "big ideas" of the human experience - love, loss, alienation, redemption, etc - and along the way found an international audience thirsting for music that was more than what they heard on the radio.

Along with their glorious music, U2 have also given us tremendous productions that will probably go down in rock music history as being some of the most elaborate and engaging uses of stage presence ever. From the "Boy" backdrop to the Zoo TV trabants, from the POP Lemon to the current "Claw", U2 in concert is as visual an experience as it is an audio one.


Next to their tremendous compendium of music over the last thirty years, U2 have given us who follow them a sense of community - of belonging to something greater than ourselves. U2 have always sought to break down the barriers between themselves and their audience as they also hoped that their music would break down the barriers that existed within their fanbase.

And in many respects, they have been successful in that endeavor. U2 have brought together their fans and followers from around the world into a truly international community of people who not only support the band but also support the band's social "causes". This has woven the U2 fanbase into a very unique phenomenon unlike any other that I can think of.


As an example of this, I will end this column with a video that I think completely demonstrates the uniqueness of the U2 experience. It is U2's performance of "New Year's Day" at their Chorzow concert in Poland last August. If this video doesn't send chills up your spine and put a smile on your face, then you probably are not the sort of U2 person that I'm speaking of in this column.

Green Day have just won the "Best Rock Album" of the Year which means no respect for NLOTH or U2 at this year's Grammies. Their loss, not U2's.

See y'all in two weeks to complete my ideas on why it's so GREAT to be a U2 fan.
Please continue to remember Haiti with your prayers....and your pocketbooks.

ONLY LOVE, debbie :) worldview_14@yahoo.com