RIP, U2's summer tour

Worst U2 show I've ever seen. They played to the camera and not to the crowd. Phoned it in.

 

I always thought U2 got lucky The Clash went bust when they did. It's also too bad Stiff Little Fingers didn't get the nod over U2 at the time. They were the much better Irish rock band.

 

Please.

I like Stiff Little Fingers. Cool band, and I have a soft spot in my heart for any Ulster act. But at their absolute best, they were never close to U2. That's silly.

And the Clash was never, ever going to have the widespread appeal that U2 has. Brilliant band -- one of my favorites -- but when given the opportunity to do something foolish and self-destructive, they always went after it with gusto. And not for nothing, U2 is a terrific arena band. They're as good as anyone at playing to the last row of a football stadium. I saw the Clash twice in front of festival-size crowds. They were mediocre the first time, and so horrid the second time that people who waited hours and hours to see them threw shit at them and walked out before the concert was over.

 

The Clash was awesome - until it sold out and did "Combat Rock," which was an absolute piece of garbage. That was the end of them, and that's a shame. The Clash really had something going.

U2 at least learned its lesson when it veered toward that techno-crap, then got back to its roots.

 

No Interpol tour is the biggest crime.

 

The Undertones and Boomtown Rats were both damn good Irish bands too but neither are in the league of U2. As for SLF, "Suspect Device" and "Alternative Ulster" are two of the greatest records of that era but I don't think that's enough to give them the edge (as it were) over U2.

Mammoth Clash fan but when they hit a dead end - like with most of Sandanista for example and continuing without Mick Jones - they stumbled badly.

 

It was 1982. I went to that show in Knoxville. They played Alumni Gym on the October tour and fucking killed it. After they finished, I shot over to the Civic Coliseum to see Rod Stewart on the Tonight I'm Yours tour.

Pass the Metamucil.

 

I saw the Dalton Brothers open for U2 in Indianapolis in 87.

 

Nice pull, Bob...saw them twice on the Joshua Tree tour myself. Too bad they never released an album .