U2..what happened to the passion?

[3db]

They were practically punk when they came out. Those first two albums are very energetic and have emotion on them. Even in their teens, these guys had music that already had a lot of feeling and said something. I haven't gotten that from them in years.

I realize I'm being somewhat cynical but when they first started out, they were hungry and wanted to proove to the world that they could write meaningful passionate music. However, once they became successful, I beleive complatency set in and they lost that hungry edge that made them great. Why work for the money when the money works for you?

 

[Chu Gai]

Bono's investment firm still hasn't found it's looking for. And now, for a Bono joke.

At a U2 concert in Glasgow, Bono asks the audience for some quiet.
Then in the silence, he starts to slowly clap his hands.

Holding the audience in total silence, he says into the microphone
"Every time I clap my hands, a child in Africa dies."

A voice from near the front pierces the silence;
"Well, stop clapping your ****ing hands then!"

 

[Hicks]

One thing I respected about No Line on the Horizon was that it really sounded like it was an album they made for themselves, without trying to figure out what their audience wanted to hear.

What it isn't though is a good album that I'll ever listen to again. Although I agree with the OP that U2 has been pretty boring for quite some time, I did enjoy Achtung Baby and Zooropa so I'd say they were viable for at least the first half of the 90s, Zooropa in particular is highly underrated IMO.

In any case, the new generation of bands like Radiohead and Arcade Fire have clearly taken over from them in the inspiration department.