U2 Concert or Bono Saves The World Rally??

[poidda]

Anyone go to the gig last night? I thought it was very disappointing. I've seen them a bunch of times now and each it's less and less of U2 and more and more of preaching Bono. I'm all for spreading good messages and getting involved, but when 1/3 of your gig is propaganda it's a bit much.

I'm afraid that'll be the last U2 gig I go to.

And that's not to mention the state of QEII Stadium. I think it'll be their last gig as well. Got there before 6pm and stood in queue for 75 minutes to get into the GA area. Meanwhile Kanye West started and finished his set.

[Golf_Novice]

Kayne West as a support to U2? That got me scratching my head!!

And I'm sure you didn't pay $xxx to hear someone 'spreading the good word' That's what Live 8 and telethon's are for :)

I went Madonna concert a few years back at QEII and it wasn't too bad.. and I'm off to Robbie next month at Suncorp Stadium - so lets see how that goes!

[Jarro]

U2 have become way too political for me nowadays.

I watched a great interview with Bono (done by Andrew Denton) the other night. All he talked about was political shit, and nothing about the music :(

[poidda]

Yep, I'm all for the musicians using their tallenst to spread the word, but when it becomes a priority at your gigs it a bit sad.

I'm off to Robbie as well (which should get me plenty of points for golf) and I'm sure Lang Park will run like clock work. let's just hope Robbie's back on teh booze and drugs and isn't such a misserable twat.

[BrisVegas]

U2 have become way too political for me nowadays.

I watched a great interview with Bono (done by Andrew Denton) the other night. All he talked about was political shit, and nothing about the music :(
I watched that Denton interview too. As much as I respect and admire his opinions, I think he goes too far at his concerts with the "preaching". I last saw U2 at the Pop Mart tour in about 98 at ANZ and it was "ok", not that great. Suncorp would be a way better venue.

[Golf_Novice]

Let's just hope Robbie's back on teh booze and drugs and isn't such a misserable twat.


Well I'm just hoping that he doesn't cancel it like he has some of his others!! I'm going to see Kylie in a fortnight (with backstage passes!!!!) and I've had to already wait over 18 months to see her after her first cancellation!!

Two days after Kylie - I'm going to see Billy Joel!!

What a way to end the year!! :D

[poidda]

Well I'm just hoping that he doesn't cancel it like he has some of his others!! I'm going to see Kylie in a fortnight (with backstage passes!!!!) and I've had to already wait over 18 months to see her after her first cancellation!!

Two days after Kylie - I'm going to see Billy Joel!!

What a way to end the year!! :D

you groupy yoU! :-D

[Golf_Novice]

Hehe.. also got offered to go to the Wiggles, but it's the day before Robbie! I have to prepare myself and go Robbie spotting around town ;)

Groupie? What groupie? ;)

[poidda]

I last saw U2 at the Pop Mart tour in about 98 at ANZ and it was "ok", not that great.

Pop Mart was well better than last night. I saw the Elevation tour in London and they pretty much just played tunes with a bit of BS thrown in, and it was one of the best gigs I'd been to.

[Courty]

It looks like it will be Ozgolfer spotting at Robbie Williams. See if you can find me. I'll be holding the bar up. :mrgreen:

[Golf_Novice]

One of my friends went to the concert last night. Here's her comments after I told her about your comments:


I did enjoy U2....I'm not a massive fan and that was the first concert of there's I went to but I thought it was great!

They did do a bit of preaching but I didn't think that it was 1/3 of the concert. It was pretty deep but thought it was good...they got the message they wanted out there.

I can understand the comments about the GA area. We were in the stands and it was better there. I felt for the people in the GA area cause that would have sucked unless you were right up the front. They did look like they had to wait for ages. Wasn't that bad in the stands which is a huge plus for us! Kayne West was a bit of an odd support act...he was alright but nothing fantastic. And he came on heaps earlier than planned. I think they stuffed up the timing of things last night...cause Kayne was supposed to start at 7.30 but he was on stage when we got there about 6.30.

[poidda]

I'm glad your friend enjoyed it.

We were up close in the GA, and as I said the crowd just didn't get into it. I can imagine what it would be like for the people up the back of QEII. Maybe I over extimated the 1/3, it might of only been 4/15th's. :-D But I was always waiting for him to butcher another classic.

Anyway enough with my rant. haha.

[Golf_Novice]

4/15th's ? Hehe - how do you measure that???

You can rant all you like - you pay the big bucks - you expect to get what you pay for!!!!!

[Virgal_Tracy]

I don't know if that makes me feel better or not. I'm going Friday night at Telstra. HAven't seen them since "love comes to town" tour in '90.

Then like novice I'm off to see Billy joel at the Superdome on Wednesday night. AS GN said, what a way to finish the year.

[AndyP]

I'm going to see Kylie in a fortnight (with backstage passes!!!!) and I've had to already wait over 18 months to see her after her first cancellation!!
Bring it on! I'm there Saturday, then heading to the Wickham or The Beat straight afterwards..........

I'll ask my mate what he thought of the concert last night.

[AndyP]

Courier Mail: http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,23739,20720527-952,00.html

My mate said he absolutely loved it and had no problem with the "preaching" as it was expected. He did agree that the stadium is "the biggest hunk of crap".

[Golf_Novice]

So how many people are going to Robbie? Sounds like a few...

1. Golf Novice
2. Poidda
3. Courty

[shazza_rs]

So how many people are going to Robbie? Sounds like a few...

1. Golf Novice
2. Poidda
3. Courty
4. shazza_rs
5. Peter_rs (under protest)

[Grunt]

I would like to see Robbie,

I saw U2 in the Zoo TV tour in about '94

[amanda]

As much as I love going to concerts - these days I just can't justify to myself spending $150-$200 on a concert ticket + drinks + food + parking

I'm too much of a cheapskate!

[AndyP]

I usually pretty tight too, Mandy. The last concert I went to was in 2003, and I was kicking myself after for not getting the premium tickets. However, this time around, I'm treating myself to get the most out of the experience.

[BrisWesty]

U2 have become way too political for me nowadays.

I watched a great interview with Bono (done by Andrew Denton) the other night. All he talked about was political shit, and nothing about the music :(


I checked out Alaina's photos of her latest trip to South Africa last night. Bono can preach all he wants. If it makes a few people wake up, then good! AIDS is a sleeping dragon here. I'll be non-PC here and say that most of us rate it as a disease for poofs and drug addicts. It's out of control there. Here's a few comments about how good we have it.

46% of households in Zambia (population 20 million) are looking after AIDS orphans or have had someone in their family die of AIDS. That's Australia folks.

The AIDS virus can be transmitted in breast milk. They won't give the babies retrovirals, they just treat the symptoms (TB etc). Therefore the babies die young. Holding a little baby, hearing their chest rattle, knowing there is no hope for them breaks Alaina up every time. That's why she keeps going back, taking other people along, trying to make a difference.

Some of the settlements over there have 1 tap for 6000 homes, while we bitch about not being able to wash our cars or keep our lawns nice.

We spend more on our dogs than they get in a week.

For a single mum in South Africa, the government provides way less than the poverty line. If you have AIDS, you get more from the gov't. There are some people trying to catch AIDS so they can get a bit more money to provide enough food so their kids can eat. While we spend our baby bonuses on plasma screens etc.

Some of the witch doctors say that you can be cured of AIDS by sleeping with a virgin. Nice way of spreading a disease! Also explains why some babies get raped.

Sorry for raining on everybody's parade. Maybe we need some more Bonos. There is a lot of crap going on in the world and most of us are more interested in what an extra 0.25% will do to us.

SCREW LIFESTYLE!

[shavey]

Bono, is that you?

Totally agree BW... sometimes we too can be a little self-centred like that county on the other side of the world which we like to bag the crap out of sometimes..

It's not a problem but an epidemic as you mentioned which unfortunately I don't see being 'cured' in our lifetimes.

[wavemaker]

Whilst I agree with the sentiments he expresses , it is so easy to do when you have more money than you could ever spend. Im sure he donates and does good works too. I wonder how much money John Lennon had when he wrote "Imagine"

[billybaub]

who really cared about the preaching...i didnt think it was that bad
the concert was awesome


or maybe it was just the fact that i got to the front and then they let people into the ring...what a fluke

[Golf_Novice]

Big complaints today in the Courier Mail about the stadium though...

[amanda]

BW made some good points - if Bono is so serious on saving the world though, how much of his personal wealth is committed towards this? If he's serious - do a Warren Buffett - give away the majority of your fortune to be spent by charity (in his case, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation which also works in Africa).

[Golf_Novice]

I heard a really great story about Sandra Bullock the other day (I know this thread has nothing to do with her) but the story was about how much she actually gives to charity etc without making a big song and dance about it! It was awesome!

She has so much money (like they all do) and no, she doesn't give it ALL, but she gives a large portion and is happy doing what she's doing without photographers taking photos of her walking with sick children, or adopting orphans and I think that's AWESOME!! :)

And that's my two cents worth....

[amanda]

GN - great story - what are celebs going to do with all this money when they die? get buried with it?

[Iain]

GN - great story - what are celebs going to do with all this money when they die? get buried with it?

Especially all the ones who have don't children!!

Imagine Michael Jackson's bank balance and some of the others... where does that all go????

:confused:

Me? hehe! :-D


** Please note - this is from Golf_Novice (accidently logged in as Iain not herself!)

[Courty]

Especially all the ones who have don't children!!

Imagine Michael Jackson's bank balance and some of the others... where does that all go????

Errrm. Last time I checked, Wacko Jacko had 2 kids. :-| :???:

[just]

And he's almost broke!!!

[BrisWesty]

I'd suggest that Bono probably backs up his words with his giving.

One of the nicest things about philanthropy, is being able to give without revealing the source.

[Moe Norman]

actually, wealthy Australians are among the tightest in the world.

On the plane the other day I was reading Time magazine and it said that of all the billionaires in the USA, they cumulatively donate just under 12% of their wealth to charity. Small sample size in Australia, but the figure was less than 1%.

[poidda]

AC/DC singer Brian Johnson blasts Bob Geldof, Bono

AC/DC frontman Brian Johnson has lashed out at charity work done by Bono and Bob Geldof.

In his only Australian interview, the outspoken singer said he and his Grammy-winning band prefer to help in private with no press conferences.

"I do it myself, I don't tell everybody I'm doing it," Johnson told The Daily Telegraph.

"I don't tell everybody they should give money - they can't afford it.

"When I was a working man I didn't want to go to a concert for some bastard to talk down to me that I should be thinking of some kid in Africa.

"I'm sorry mate, do it yourself, spend some of your own money and get it done. It just makes me angry. I become all tyrannical."

Johnson said AC/DC's aversion to playing at charity events goes back to turning down a slot at 1985's Live Aid.

"Bob Geldof is a canny lad. He did what he thought was right at the time but it didn't work," he said. "The money didn't go to poor people. It makes me mad when people try to use politics or charity for publicity.

"Do a charity gig, fair enough, but not on worldwide television."

With the band's Australian tour - their first since 2001 - starting in Melbourne next week, Johnson also shot down reports that he was contemplating retirement.

"Of course I don't want to retire," he said. "But I'm telling you if the body or the voice packs in there's nothing I can do. Pride is what it is. You don't want to let yourself, the band or the fans down. I'll go on as long as I can.

"Thankfully the old tubes have held up. They've got a little bluesier, that just happens with life. I'm 62 now and I know it. And I've got another birthday coming, which is a bit of a bugger but what better way to get old?"

http://www.news.com.au/entertainment/music/acdc-singer-brian-johnson-blasts-bob-geldof-bono/story-e6frfn09-1225826215165

Gold. At least I can go to the gig later in the month without the fear of being preached to.

Anyone else going?

[Yossarian]

I've read the U2's charity group red or whatever it is called actually turns a profit for boner. That might not be true though.