Originally posted by TheRealEdge:[..]
was that tour sold on the spectacle of the claw solely though?
would people been as quick to attend if it was a standard rock show?
and we have to take into account that it visited a lot of places so it was going to garner attention and ticket sales anyway
That's true. People may have bought tickets on the basis of the Claw rather than the No Line album.
But that also means they can potentially rinse and repeat, making up for failed albums with big-spectacle rock shows.
There aren't many bands still standing with U2's stature. That's why I think it might not matter any more (except to us) if they continue to disappoint with their recorded work.