Music

11 Reasons Why U2 Are One Of The Greatest Bands In The World

U2 perform at The SSE Arena, Belfast tonight and tomorrow night and at 3Arena, Dublin on 23, 24, 27 & 28 November as part of their iNNOCENCE + eXPERIENCE tour. Here are 11 reasons why U2 are one of the greatest bands in the world:

 

1. Their spectacular stage settings

U2’s stage settings are nothing short of spectacular and their ‘iNNOCENCE + eXPERIENCE’ tour is no exception. The band give fans an insight into the concert experience with this video:

 

Sneak Peak - iNNOCENCE + eXPERIENCE Tour 2015 #U2ieTour

 

2. Their charitable contributions

U2 recently announced that they will donate €2 million from the ‘iNNOCENCE + eXPERIENCE’ concerts to Music Generation, Ireland’s national music education programme. The director of Music Generation, Rosaleen Molloy, exclaimed:  “Music Generation would not exist without U2’s vision. It was the band’s very own personal experience of music education as children and teenagers that has driven their commitment to kick-start this ground breaking project.”

U2 have also previously contributed to charities including Amnesty International, Comic Relief, Greenpeace, Habitat for Humanity, Live 8, Special Olympics and Stand Up To Cancer.

 

3. Same members since the beginning

U2 has had the same four members – Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen – since they started out in 1976. They never broke up, never replaced any members and no member tried to go solo …for 39 years!!

 

4. Awesome Collaborations

U2 have joined forces with some very talented artists to produce brilliant songs. Watch the videos for some of their best collaborations:

Slow Dancing – U2 & Willie Nelson

Slow Dancing written for Willie Nelson by U2

The Saints Are Coming – U2 & Greenday

U2, Green Day - The Saints Are Coming

One – U2 & Mary J. Blige

Mary J. Blige, U2 - One (Official Music Video)

 

5. Their music has evolved over time

They performed a version of ‘Sunday Bloody Sunday’ with Jay-Z at Brandenberg Gate in Berlin in 2009. They are constantly keeping their music relevant and adapting their music to that of the fast-paced music industry. Their current albums sound very different to the music they created at the beginning of their career.

 

6. They are a household name

U2 are a band that almost everyone has heard of. Most people you meet could sing along to some of their most famous songs such as ‘Sweetest Thing’, ‘With Or Without You’ and ‘Beautiful Day’.

 

7. They have great nicknames

Everyone knows Bono and The Edge by their nicknames and some people aren’t even aware of what their real names are! No other band manages to pull off nicknames like these two members of U2.

 

8. A special edition U2 iPod was released

In 2004 Apple decided that U2 deserved their own special edition U2 iPod. This featured their signatures on the back of it and was available to customers for a limited time.

 

9. Their songs have deep meaning

You could easily listen to U2’s songs without realising the depth of meaning within the lyrics. For example one may not realise that ‘Sunday Bloody Sunday’ is about the troubles in Northern Ireland, ‘I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For’ is about understanding’s one’s spiritual beliefs, ‘Sometimes You Can’t Make It On Your Own’ is about Bono’s relationship with his father and ‘The Saints Are Coming’ is about Hurricane Katrina.

 

10. They do brilliant covers of songs

U2 sound just as good covering songs that aren’t their own. Here are some of their best covers:

U2 Cover of Helter Skelter – The Beatles

U2 Cover of The Wanderer – Johnny Cash

U2 Wonderer I Walk the Line A Night for Johnny Cash

 

11. They’re Irish!

All four members are from Dublin. Their contribution to the global music industry as Irish artists has been outstanding. In 2005 they were inducted into the Hall of Fame. That year they won their 22nd Grammy award, a record which had only been surpassed by Stevie Wonder.

 

U2 kick off their 6-date Irish tour in Belfast tonight at The SSE Arena! Limited tickets are still available for both dates in Belfast and for 23 & 24 November at 3Arena, Dublin.

 

Images: echoba.se, everymac.com