KEV ANGELL

I always listen to U2 when things are crap, it really does help, doesn’t change things from being crap but does lift me inside to help me battle on.

Totally agree, always thought the album was right up there but live the songs have become even stronger. The fact I didn’t miss any JT songs is testament to SOE and hearing Zoo Station and WGRYWHorses was sublime. The mix of Get out of your own way into New Years Day really worked too.....fantastic shows.

What a couple of nights, last night seats, tonight red zone, they seemed to love it tonight and crowd were up for it too. Fantastic show

Well they arrived and wow what a couple of nights, yet again they show the world how to put on a show .......fantastic! Only disappointment no Red Flag Day but everything else was just fabulous!

Haven't received London 1 yet but looked on my TM account and says they are dispatching now, so therefore think we should have next in 48 hours, is getting a bit tight now, as I travel up on Monday next week, so only have 4 working days left to arrive now. Not panicking yet but will be come Thursday if still not here. Have to say normally receive U2 tickets months and months before the event, don't think it has eve been literally the week before.

Left me feeling quite choked watching the footage. Pray he gets well soon so we get to see the show but his health is what comes first. Get well soon Bono.

U2 have never hidden behind their beliefs, they have always said and done what they think sometimes for the best and sometimes not. Doubt Macphisto will hold back on Brexit if he doesn’t like it ?

Trouble is these days that we get to see the set list before we see the show, whereas 20 years ago we didn’t. So now people think the set list is boring before they start whereas in fact it isn’t boring and is a fantastic show. I remember thinking the innocence tour set list looked weak but wow was I wrong when we got there the way it all entwined together. Just hope I get to see Red Flag Day and Gloria at the London gigs. Finger crossed.

Well 12 weeks on and I am still loving the album so much so that I have been revisiting albums as well and playing them before listening to SOE. So far listened to NLOTH, Zooropa, October, Unforgettable Fire and War and watched Under a blood red sky and Joshua Tree 2017Croke Park from YouTube! Fantastic stuff and still really enjoying SOE.

Bono has always been a little bit awkward in his opinion and you think sometimes, why did you say that and I certainly don’t agree with him on a fair few occasions BUT when you see him live or on some chat shows in recent years he comes across as a very humble person. I Can see how he does/can annoy people but that is what makes the man he is and he certainly does far more good than is attributed for. I have had on many occasions argued on his behalf to some of my mates saying their opinion of him is only based on how the media portray him and when you see him perform it shows a totally different side of him. I remember the Milton Keynes Bowl gig in 1985 when the electronics went wrong at the start of Bad, he just casually if a little awkwardly told some jokes and it was that moment I saw a very humble man who treated you as a mate down the pub would. Whatever his view is whether I agree or not I certainly respect him and find him very adhering. The politics have always been a part of U2 and I love the way they have stood by this even when it has brought them in many ways unfair criticism. i doubt there will ever be another band like U2 and I feel privileged to have grown up with them through my life, every step of the way.

Not sure The Joshua Tree Tour is comparable, it was a rushed together tour but still wonderfully done. Compare it to The I & E tour which blew me away with its visual majesty, playing from inside the screen which I don’t believe anyband had done before. U2 have always set down the markers on live performance, whether that be Coldplay, Muse etc, great bands but U2 did it first with Zoo TV and then again 360 and then again with I & E.

I don't dislike Coldplay and fix you is a song i have very fond feelings for but i do find them a little annoying generally, like i do Ed Sheeran. To me they set out to emulate U2 globally and did so but without the panache U2 did it with through the 80's and 90's. Coldplay and Ed are both hugely talented but i don't want to hear Ed with 10 songs in the Top 12 and to me this sums up the state of the music industry in the last 2 years. Coldplay will sell vast amounts as they are firstly, very well advertised, i haven't seen SOE advertised on TV at all?, where as Head full of Dreams, was tirelessly advertised in TV ads and still is, secondly they have become to me a Dinner Party band, rather like Keane did and Travis etc but with a little more success. U2 have had bad press, particularly over here in the UK pretty much from Day 1, the NME has always taken exception to them for whatever reason, think it became trendy to bash U2 back in the 80's and it has again since SOI was released because of the whole Apple download saga. Q magazine on the other hand has always supported them and to me given fair assessment of the music too.

Sadly, downloading has seriously affected record/cd sales for all music and the charts mean nothing anymore. Rock will make a comeback at some point in the next few years, it always does. Playing live is now the main way Bands make money and is probably a lot to do with U2 touring 3 times in the last 5 years, especially as they are sadly coming to the end of their careers in next 5 - 10 or so years. U2 are probably weirdly more popular globally than they have ever been but less so in the UK as music fans here are a little bit snobby for some reason but thats why i love this band, they just do their thing. People claim they are too political now but they have always been political as we the fans know and understand, i suppose social media just gives people a louder voice these days.

Agree UF assessment it isn’t their best album but it is my favourite and probably their most important as it was the prequel to JT and AB and Zooropa too in many ways. Opening notes to Sort of Homecoming always send a tingle through me when I put it on, I can remember putting it on my turntable that first time lying back and being transported to another time, another place ?

Yes the latter I feel NLOTH has a similar feel to UF did, it took me back to it when I first listened. A bit like Red Flag Day takes me back to War.