U2 at the Super Bowl...will Bono get on a soapbox?
I was thinking about this today for some reason.
U2 is playing the half-time show at this year's Super Bowl, right?
What do you guys think the chances are that Bono, mouthy and cause-oriented as they come, will use this golden opportunity to make a statement of some sort?
He's aligned himself with so many things over the years (third world debt relief, world hunger, Amnesty International, Ireland's woes, etc.) that I'll be absolutely floored if he leads U2 through their segment WITHOUT getting in a little statement or otherwise getting preachy or on his soapbox.
Think of the viewership! He's smart enough to know that he'd have the ears of much of America at that moment.
Just wondering.
U2 is playing the half-time show at this year's Super Bowl, right?
What do you guys think the chances are that Bono, mouthy and cause-oriented as they come, will use this golden opportunity to make a statement of some sort?
He's aligned himself with so many things over the years (third world debt relief, world hunger, Amnesty International, Ireland's woes, etc.) that I'll be absolutely floored if he leads U2 through their segment WITHOUT getting in a little statement or otherwise getting preachy or on his soapbox.
Think of the viewership! He's smart enough to know that he'd have the ears of much of America at that moment.
Just wondering.
Comments
<strong>He'll blame 9-11 on Bush killing Kyoto.</strong><hr></blockquote>
no, he's not an asshole.
at least give the guy some respect. if he does say something it won't be something dumb.
I think they'll just do what they do best and be the best half-time show in years
If we're lucky, they'll be in adventerous mood and perform one of the songs from their upcoming album.
CONFIRMED: the first non-lame SB halftime in many years. Aerosmith and the 8th grade all-stars was sooo surreal and stupid.
Jeff
U2 is a class act. Bono might say something, but at most it would be nothing too preachy.
The only thing that scares me is how typically cheesy the half-time shows are.
I like McCartney but I just can't stand him of late with that damn song "Freedom". He thinks everyone should bow down and kiss his feet because of that damn songs and he'll do anything to make people here it.
One time was enough at the Concert for NY Paul.
He was holding out pretty good there, then suddenly BAM! Massive wrinkles and sagging, gray, thinner hair, sunken eyes, etc.
I'm guessing Linda's illness and untimely death took quite a toll on him, which is understandable.
But that concert for NYC was the first time I'd seen him in a while and all I was thinking was "wow, he looks horrible!".
I actually saw him in concert in 1992 (the "Flowers in the Dirt" album and tour) in Atlanta and this was the first tour he'd done in AGES. It was the tour where he got his Hofner violin bass out of storage and was playing it again and he played A TON of Beatle songs and was in great form and had a great band.
Probably one of the best concerts I've ever seen.
And yes, I know U2 is a "class act" (not spending their time getting arrested and beating their women down and so forth), but I still think Bono's got enough spunk or "fück it..." in him to NOT mention a thing or two during their little halftime thing.
I'll be watching, just to see, because I think it'll be funnier than shit if he does go off a little bit. It was like watching John Mellencamp testifying, years ago, in front of the U.S. Senate about America's farmers: he walks in with his denim jacket and hair all over the place, sits down and pretty much unloads on these fat-ass politicians and Washington, D.C. types for about 20 minutes straight, bitching and cutting Senators off with straight, no-bullshit answers and comments.
It was, quite possibly, the greatest thing I've ever seen a rock star do, and I'll respect him forever for that. I remember watching it on C-Span going "holy shit! He's tearing these guys a new butthole on live TV!".
He puts out klinker albums like this once in a while, they're usually trite and overly sentimental, but they also tend to precede a pretty good one. I hope that's the case this time.
Jeff
[ 01-20-2002: Message edited by: jeffyboy ]</p>
Ugh. Like when they played a "surprise" free concert in San Francisco and the idiot spray painted something like "think' on the Valliancourt fountain... Utterly pretentious.
You know this thing will be an overblown extravaganza with flag waivers and streamers and fireworks . . . and bono posing like he was young and "the Edge" with his stupid stocking cap. I mean the man calls himself "the Edge" . . .nuff said.
Bono takes himself so seriously. . . if he could, he would walk around in grainy black and white and in slow motion.
They had some good songs when they first started out.....
And I think "All That You Can't Leave Behind" was one of last year's best albums.
Jeff
In a world of vapid pop like Britney Spears, N'Sync, J-Lo, etc. it's great to see good songwriting can still last.
That being said, it's been awhile since U2 has done anything really socially relevant. They tried to jump on the Sarajevo bandwagon and that ended up looking pretty lame.
I think this is a great platform for Bono to really do or say something. I really hope he doesn't take the easy way out and talk about 9/11 (I doubt he will), but it'd be interesting to see him knock the ridiculousness of the Super Bowl (and as a non-American that is not a Football fan, the hoopla is as silly to be as those goobers in Europe who riot over a game like Soccer).
<strong>if he could, he would walk around in grainy black and white and in slow motion.</strong><hr></blockquote>Now that would be cool.
Yeah, he made a mistake 15 years ago, let's hate him for it now!