LenF

I just got around to reading the book this past week as it has been on my to-do list for a while. As a father of two young daughters, I have to say that it was very tough to read. I actually put the book down for a day because it was so upsetting. But it is so well-written and engrossing, I picked it up again after I put my kids to bed the next night and blazed through the rest of it. The last couple pages left me with a swelling in my throat and my eyes. Despite that I am thrilled that I invested the time in reading it... absolutely incredible.

The movie is playing nowhere in my area but that may be a good thing as I think I need some time between reading it and seeing the movie.

Bono sometimes sings random lyrics from other songs in theirs. I don't think they were really playing Far, Far Away other than Bono's ramblings. It was fun! Did he really sing the rest of the verse? I didn't realize that.

 

He probably mentioned Chicago 30 times last night with enthusiastic wooing every time. There is also some IATTBYH footage in a U2 video, but I doubt the band had much to do with that.

Pretty good video of it:

They must be aware of it somewhat; otherwise, they would be on Dime a Dozen's banned list. I say I am surprised as their manager made a statement once about locking file sharers up forever, or something like that.

The band has made several statements in interviews that what they have a problem with is people making money off of recordings, otherwise they don't mind people sharing live concerts. Here's a site with a bunch of the quotes:

U2Preservation.com

Obviously, that was prior to 2007 and 2008. He has not been all bad (Santana) but for the sake of fuck, developmentally disabled rocks could tell Castillo was done.

He's definitely hit a cold spell. The first two years he was as close to perfect with his trade and signings as a GM can get (and I'm not talking about the big signings). The last two years have been the complete opposite. It's the nature of the job. Remember when Sabean was considered one of the elite GMs? Recently he has made a bunch of awful signings.

And I have no problem with the "inside all of us" stuff... that really was the theme of the book. It was about children learning to deal with their emotions and how confusing it can be at that age, not having experienced those kinds of feelings before. It really is a beautiful book that I think has helped a lot of young people. I think looking back at it as an adult, it's not possible for us to appreciate what Sendak was doing, because it's impossible for us to relive that experience and put it in the same context as a five year old who reads it for the first time and recognizes themselves in Max.

Well said. This is, after all, a children's story and to me that is the primary audience and they shouldn't betray the primary message or audience for something too mature and artsy.

That's not to say that they can't make a movie that transcends that audience and reaches adults but let's not be selfish and think that the story needs to grow up and mature just because we did.

I didn't even realize they were making a movie based on this until I saw the trailer before Monsters v. Aliens this weekend. I think my wife and I were more excited than our kids.

I like Barack but I think he gets a little too comfortable in these "informal" appearances.

I agree. I think he's a bright man and I am glad he is our president. He also seems like somebody who would make you feel very comfortable if you had the chance to be around him but he's shown some poor judgment in letting himself relax in the public spotlight. I don't think last night's statement or having a beer at an arena is that big of a deal in the grand scheme of things but it just creates a bunch of noise that can get in the way of doing his job.

Soundgarden - 1991. I just moved to Charlotte. I had heard the song "Hands all Over" and liked it but someone played Badmotorfinger for me right after it came out and I didn't care for it. They were playing at a small club called the 13-13 arond Thanksgiving. I had no intention of going but my roommates were going and they had a bunch of people over for pre-show festivities. One guy had an extra ticket and after about 90 minutes I was feeling pretty good so I decided "why stay in".

They opened with "Jesus Christ Pose" and I was hooked. It was also the first time I crowd surfed and ventured into a mosh pit. Just a tremendous rock n' roll experience.

By the way, we missed the opening band (Blind Mellon).

Thanks all for your helpful suggestions!

Fantastic.... Thanks for posting. I love his answer to "What keeps you writing songs?"

He just put out a new album not to long ago. I figure there will come a day when he leaves the band to do his own thing full time.

I don't know that he'll have to leave. The ABB are touring less as the original three get older and have experienced more health issues so he and the others have plenty of time to do their own thing. Plus, it's a much better revenue stream for him compared to his solo stuff, so if the schedule isn't too demanding then I would think he'd stick with it.

My daughter has asked for a Wii for her birthday (she turns 7). I told her I would think about it. It's a bit expensive for a birthday gift, but she has offered to have a slumber party instead of a paying to have a party somewhere.

If I do get one, I am looking for advice the accessories I need outside of the basic console (for example... so I need numchuks and controllers) and any suggested games for a seven year old (I also have a five year-old daughter).

I have never been a gamer so I am pretty clueless about this stuff.

Billy Joel - Never been a fan but a friend bought me a ticket for my birthday. Horrible venue (Carrier Dome in Syracuse), Horrible Album (Storm Front tour), I went with two other guys (we were the only ones there without dates).

Lenny Kravitz - Until someone mentioned him in this thread, I had forgotten that I had seen him

Smashing Pumkins - Headlining Lolapalooza and they were miserable and Billy Corgan even made a sarcastic comment about their energy when they came back for the encore.

I can hear clearly that they're trying, they're not just putting out an album to launch a megatour behind that features the hits the crowd needs. These songs are vibrant - who else could get away with having a longassed career that is represented heavily on classic radio, then playing a hugely hyped theatre show (the Somerville Theatre ain't no club, no matter what you're hearing) consisting of four new songs and one song that's barely five years old - and not getting shit for it? This album is not as good as U2 says it is, but it's pretty good. So I guess why not play it to death for a few weeks.

I mentioned earlier in this thread that the odds are against them ever creating another superior album such as War, Joshua Tree or Achtung Baby. However, what I think gets them by is that they still tend to put out albums that generally sound good and build their setlists around new material rather than just playing an obligatory new song or two.

They also can still create a classic song. Beautiful Day is a great rock song and is up there with any single song they have ever created. While I am not a fan of their hyper rave-ups... Vertigo is another song that feels just as comfortable as I Will Follow, New Year's Day, With or Without You, or Until the End of the World as setlist standard. Because of time and legacy, we know U2 all too well for them to ever really floor us again, but that doesn't mean they can't continue be a great band.

That being said, I would love for them to dig up a deep cut or two on this tour.... Exit, God's Country, Surrender, Seconds, Utra Violet... any of them would all fit nicely into a stadium setlist.

I don't have exact numbers but I'd put the bands I've seen the most into two categories:

Dozens of times:

-Springsteen

-Phish

-U2

More than a dozen times but probably less than two dozen times:

-Wilco

-Allmans

-Pearl Jam

hmm.... glad my decision has no ramifications as to whether I get to hear either one again. That being the case, I always thought the lyrics to Sunken Treasure were extremely powerful. Also, while the "Nothing!" screaming at the end of Misunderstood provides a cathartic moment when performed live, it's not something I enjoy listening to on a recording.

I have attended at least one show on every North American U2 tour since Unforgettable Fire but I was pretty sure I was going to skip this one (just not a fan of stadium shows or major act ticket prices any more).

However, seeing that they are playing Raleigh, North Carolina on a Saturday night in the fall is just too much of a temptation, especially if there will be cheap tickets. This tour seems like it will be similar to the Pop tour where it's as much about the "show" as it is the music. If that's the case, the cheap seats will provide a decent perspective in terms of the overall spectacle.

I could've sworn I paid almost $100 for the ticket I bought last year...I'm not 100% sure because I ended up being really sick and wasn't able to go. I remember thinking when I was buying it "So this is what I can expect to pay for U2 on the next tour."

The vast majority of Springsteen tix sell in the $100 range. They sell a very small percentage in the $60 range.

You can look at the comparison between Springsteen and U2 pricing in 2 different ways:

U2's is fan-friendlier because the floor seats (which many prefer) are significantly cheaper than Springsteen floor seats OR

Springsteen's is fan-friendlier because he basically has a flat rate and doesn't sell any at a premium (last tour the tix for much of the lower tier in arenas were about $150+ and this tour they have $250 seats)

I'd also like to add, that it's very possible I will never come across another album that affects me in the way Yankee Hotel Foxtrot did. I was at a point in my life that may have been the most important point in terms of personal growth when they released YHF. That was the perfect album for that point in my life and I connected with it in ever single way. From Jeff's "I know I'd die if I could come back new", to the sweet Beatlesesque riff after the first verse of I'm The Man Who Loves You. Everything moved me. But I'm not there anymore, personally, and I just don't know that any album that any artist will ever put out again will be able to affect me so deeply. So I can't really expect THAT again from Jeff and gang, can I?

Probably not... It's rare for the stars to align and find total synergy between what's happening in your personal life and a contemporary work of art... at least that's my experience.

For me, Wilco has one superior album (YHF) and several good to very good albums. I think it's unrealistic to expect another superior or classic album. It's hard enough for a band to put out one, let alone two or more. That being said, I trust this band more than any other contemporary band out there to put out quality music that I will connect with on some level, no matter what direction their efforts take their music.

Dave said something like "You weren't supposed to actually say that!" Hilarious. I forget what the actual Uncool Name was.

Cool Name: The Edge

Uncool Name: The Itch

For what it's worth, they had a hard time with The Unforgettable Fire songs in a live setting also. Or, so I have read.

 

Unforgettable Fire: Past, Present, and Future--The Definitive Biography of U2 (Hardcover) by Eamon Dunphy

Yes, they did. I remember seeing a show early in that tour. I was a sophomore in high school and I was so psyched to see them but I was completely bummed by the songs off of the album (with the exception of Bad) that I was sure they'd go back to the more direct sound of the first three albums. I was able to see them later in that tour and the songs came off much better but it is still the least impressive of their tours that I ever saw.

As for Pop... My biggest issue with it was their failed attempt at irony in their presentation, marketing and tour. It just never really clicked. It fell flat for a lot of people and that "failure" was magnified because they did such a great job with the Zoo TV/Zooropa concept.

My six (soon to be seven) year old daughter loves iCarly and I would rather have her watch that than some of the other shows.

I don't sit down and watch it with her but I do watch Scooby Dooby Doo with her and my four (soon to be five) year old daughter. My oldest has taken to calling me "Shaggy" since I work from home and only shave about twice a week.

I am thinking about going to see this in Baltimore next week. I am a big Frank fan, but have little use for his kids...er...uh, musical creations. But I figure if Dweezil is playing the notes his father wrote with the crack muscianship that the material demands with a great band and not "injecting" his style onto them I might love it. Anybody seen or know about this ensemble? It's in a medium sized club and sorta pricey at 5o bucks a head. I don't want to pay and hate it, otherwise I might as well stay at home for some titties and beer

I saw this with a friend who is a huge Zappa fan. Both of us thought it was an amazing show. Since then, he's traveled extensively to see this show multiple times.

So my guess is that most die-hard Zappa fans would find this well worth their time.

Anybody heard Hold Steady's version of Atlantic City? Have not found it yet. I would imagine they would pull that off quite well considering how big an influence Bruce is on their sound.

You can find it here:

http://stereogum.com/archives/new-hold-ste...ver_049671.html

I haven't really been able to get into the Black Keys but I am really liking this album a lot.

I'll have to circle back around to some of the Black Keys material. Considering I like this, any suggestions as to what I should listen to from the Keys? I have Rubber Factory but never gave it too many listens... should I go back to it or start somewhere else?