1. Originally posted by Mr_Trek:In my mind a lot of the info from "reliable" sources the last years may have been true... and then U2 changed their plans again. I have complete faith in Matt and hope this truth will come to be.

    Probably the most correct opinion to have in this case
  2. This bit of info has got me ecstatic, Matt. Rather... cautiously ecstatic. As Mr Trek (sorry, I don't know your real name ) points out, there COULD be a chance of U2 changing plans at the last second (as they did last year), but something in my gut tells me that this time, it's for real. Not to give my hopes too high, but let's see if this moves forward with both a new album AND tour.
  3. If everything goes to plan:

    - Single in September
    - Album in November
    - Tour starts in May

    I can dig it.

  4. If the tour starts six months after the album is released, and the album is ANYTHING short of a major blockbuster with at least 3 million sold in the US, and 10 million worldwide, they may feel they didn't have enough hits, and may not be relevant enough to actually tour behind the album...which would mean if they tour, you can expect 1-4 songs from the new album, and lots of New Year's Day, SBS, WOWY, etc. Another Greatest Hits run. I just hope they play 7-9 new songs each night, and maybe only 5-7 warhorses, and at least a few lesser played songs...something like So Cruel, Two Hearts Beat As One, MoFo, and Red Hill Mining Town or Exit...basically anything from Pop though. Pipe Dream...though.
  5. Yes I was going to mention that six months I'd a long time between the drop of the album and the tour starting. Nowadays most bands I know are just about to start touring and gigs the week the album drops. If that rumour turns out to be true I'd be expecting the album next year then
  6. Elevation tour started 5 months after ATYCLB
    Vertigo tour started 4 months after HTDAAB
    360 tour started 4 months after NLOTH

    So 5-6 months isn't a huge deal. And for all we know May is just when the US leg starts, not the whole tour.
  7. There's always the promo tour too. The months leading up to the Vertigo tour had all of those awesome performances.
  8. Originally posted by EthanD:Elevation tour started 5 months after ATYCLB
    Vertigo tour started 4 months after HTDAAB
    360 tour started 4 months after NLOTH

    So 5-6 months isn't a huge deal. And for all we know May is just when the US leg starts, not the whole tour.

    They felt ATYCLB and Vertigo were relevant, so the start of the tour mattered little to them, they believed in the songs. For NLOTH, they believed in the songs for the first two legs, and then after Bono's back surgery, they suddenly soured on them in the aftermath of lower sales and lack of a hit single. So if they start 6 months out, and the new album sells less than NLOTH, then we're probably stuck with a tour of Greatest Hits, which most of us on this site will not be happy with. Should the album be a moderate success, who knows? I'm just scared that U2 will follow my favorite artist Prince, and become a traveling Greatest Hits artist, as so many artists do. You have to think that new albums by ANY artist over 35 is not going to likely sell too well, over 45? Forget it. Over 55? Almost no chance, and we all know that by the time this album drops, the whole band will be in the 52-55 range.

    Yes, they are icons, so the large resistence to over 35 artists is not the same with them, but after the lower sales of NLOTH, it can't be expected that they will sell a lot again. It would be nice, but I want them to keep doing new music. I don't need another hit song on radio, I don't need another great trio like Achtung to Pop...I just want the best they can give.
  9. Originally posted by pleasegone:[..]

    They felt ATYCLB and Vertigo were relevant, so the start of the tour mattered little to them, they believed in the songs. For NLOTH, they believed in the songs for the first two legs, and then after Bono's back surgery, they suddenly soured on them in the aftermath of lower sales and lack of a hit single. So if they start 6 months out, and the new album sells less than NLOTH, then we're probably stuck with a tour of Greatest Hits, which most of us on this site will not be happy with. Should the album be a moderate success, who knows? I'm just scared that U2 will follow my favorite artist Prince, and become a traveling Greatest Hits artist, as so many artists do. You have to think that new albums by ANY artist over 35 is not going to likely sell too well, over 45? Forget it. Over 55? Almost no chance, and we all know that by the time this album drops, the whole band will be in the 52-55 range.

    Yes, they are icons, so the large resistence to over 35 artists is not the same with them, but after the lower sales of NLOTH, it can't be expected that they will sell a lot again. It would be nice, but I want them to keep doing new music. I don't need another hit song on radio, I don't need another great trio like Achtung to Pop...I just want the best they can give.

    Hear, hear!

    Although when I saw 360 in the last summer leg when it was basically a greatest hits show + Achtung Baby remaster promotion, it was an amazing set. I'd gladly see that again. Yes I want them to release awesome new material and push that, and I don't want to see them become a Vegas act, but if a tour ends up being that with just a couple songs from a new album, that doesn't bother me. It would only bother me if the new album was really really good and I was missing out on new songs. But if I'm honest, I'm not expecting greatness at this point. I can't hype it up for myself like I did with NLOTH because I know I'll be disappointed. Like many have already said, this isn't the same band as they were when they made masterpieces, they've all sort of moved on from the "this is all that matters" mantra, and the "we think this is art, if our audience doesn't, we don't care." Now it's "we know we have fans who will buy it regardless, we want the young people who like the new music and we want to be on the charts. Do we have a hit?"
  10. Any show where Achtung Baby is prominent, will be a great show. Thanks Matt, booked the hotel in Vancouver for May. Close to Seattle so that's then the next stop
  11. Originally posted by EthanD:Elevation tour started 5 months after ATYCLB
    Vertigo tour started 4 months after HTDAAB
    360 tour started 4 months after NLOTH

    So 5-6 months isn't a huge deal. And for all we know May is just when the US leg starts, not the whole tour.

    Source specified that May was when U2 would be officially hitting the road, kicking off in Vacouver. I would assume a promo tour would do a few club gigs and the usual TV circuit March-April with rehearsals in April for an early/mid May kickoff.
  12. Originally posted by Malahide:Any show where Achtung Baby is prominent, will be a great show. Thanks Matt, booked the hotel in Vancouver for May. Close to Seattle so that's then the next stop

    Hahaha you suck