To criticize last week's monumental U2 performance would be to criticize a spectacular display of light and sound from one of modern music's most talented groups. That would be a very difficult article to write, and luckily, I don't have the intellectual capacity or musical knowledge to offer a high-brow concert review or launch a tirade against the state of contemporary rock and roll. That said, I feel the group opened themselves up to ridicule with the absurd setup the Irishmen brought to Scott Stadium Thursday night. The massive stage looked like a cross between the set of the Backstreet Boys' Millennium Tour and some sort of deep-sea crab, with a spire of strobe lights reminiscent of St. Basel's cathedral, and in the end, the spectacle of it all lessened the impact of the music itself. A group as gifted and respected as U2 should not need rotating bridges, concentric stages and a massive hanging screen to entertain their audience, and the egotism on display last week is a shameful waste of ticket money and an unfortunate exploitation of fame.
Like any enduring group, U2's discography can be characterized by deeply lyrical songs that favor a tightly-knit, balanced sound over catchy riffs. Those who have spent serious time listening to any of U2's blockbuster albums, from "The Joshua Tree" to "How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb," know this. Accordingly, U2's rabid fan-base is the envy of the industry and has propelled the group, and especially its iconic frontman, to international superstardom. But you know all of this. U2's ubiquity is so complete that their shows do not need to prove to fans - many of whom paid large sums of money and traveled long distances for the concert - how fantastic they are. The stage need not be the tallest structure on Grounds; Bono's overly-trendy tinted glasses need not be projected over the crowd with half a million LED pixels. Rather, concert-goers want intimacy and emotion from a band that earned its fame through stunning stadium performances over two decades. And although it would be unrealistic to ask U2 to downsize their show, and na
Read More
EDITORIAL: Carla Williams deserves her seat at the table
By Editorial Board | 2 days agoLooking beyond basketball and football reveals that Virginia Athletics is, in many ways, thriving.
UPADHYAYA: The Great and not-so-Good sides of U.Va.’s 2030 housing plan
By Apal Upadhyaya | 5 days agoInstead of improving the dire state of existing infrastructure, however, the University has shifted attention away from it and chosen to expand.
EDITORIAL: Support low-barrier shelters in Charlottesville
By Editorial Board | 6 days agoInvesting in low-barrier shelters now will pay off in increased stability for the homeless, which will undoubtedly improve the safety of shelters and the community writ large.
