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  1. who cares if he uses a teleprompter or not....they've made hundreds of songs with hundreds of lyrics in each song....it's a very difficult thing to remember lyrics from something you wrote 30 years ago....i would rather have him sing the words the right way, reading them or not, than to butcher the song because he forgot them...im a fan either way...teleprompter or not... ;-)
  2. Well, it's not like they perform a different hidden gem each night, like Bruce Springsteen... They perform the same 15-20 songs night after night since a lot of years ago. Not knowing or remembering that over-played lyrics is a sin. I could understand when Bono didn't remember the A Sort Of Homecoming lyrics back in 2001 when it was performed on surprise and by request, or even the Walk On lyrics in 2005, but... Teleprompt for One, Streets, Still Haven't Found, Pride? Seriously?
  3. and way to go reviving a 4 year old topic!


  4. Noticed that too during the Colbert performance - he seemed to be looking down at a screen on the floor for the "Martello Tower" bit.

    Hey, whatever works.
  5. Originally posted by BloodyValentine:[..]


    Noticed that too during the Colbert performance - he seemed to be looking down at a screen on the floor for the "Martello Tower" bit.

    Hey, whatever works.
    Bono has been reading almost everything he says or sings onstage for almost three decades now. And it's gotten worse in recent years.

    In his solo shows he had several teleprompts in different places of the venue. At least two of them, maybe 3, were wedges placed on the ground, at his feet, in different spots of the stage. In Madrid (and I suspect everywhere else too) I saw he had two others hanging off the first balcony, so he could read his stuff while "looking at the crowd". And believe me, virtually EVERYTHING that came out off his mouth that night was in the teleprompts. Even some of the "Gracias" (Spanish for "Thank you") were.

    It's gotten to a point where I honestly think he just wouldn't be able to pull off a show (whether a U2 gig or Stories Of Surrender) without a teleprompt. It's the exact same as using a calculator to do your simple maths or saving phone numbers into a contact list: your brain just forgets how to do the calculations and doesn't memorise numbers anymore.
  6. I would see a teleprompter as a 'trigger reminder" not "blank slate". He has plenty to remeber for these solo shows and pulled off the one I saw magnficently. Go easy on this.
  7. He's aging, give him a break. I would rather he use a teleprompter than mumble his way through Desire. There is nothing wrong with using one during a live show.
  8. Originally posted by coldrain:He's aging, give him a break. I would rather he use a teleprompter than mumble his way through Desire. There is nothing wrong with using one during a live show.
    Now he's aging, the more reason he should not use a teleprompter. Memory training keeps older peoples brain healthy
  9. Originally posted by LikeASong:[..]
    In Madrid (and I suspect everywhere else too) I saw he had two others hanging off the first balcony, so he could read his stuff while "looking at the crowd".


    Same in Paris. Despite my back being to it I actually found it quite distracting. The fact that I could turn around and read what the next 4 or so lines were or what song was next.
  10. It's theatre. It is not a concert. This is as scripted as it gets.
  11. I disagree. A live concert in front of 10k+ people who all paid a lot of money to get in the door is not the time to practice one's memory training. 100% of the focus needs to be on the concert itself, and if Bono needs to use a teleprompter as a crutch, so be it. I'm a little surprised given that U2's set lists are always pretty static. It's not like they have 200 songs in their bag that they could play on any given night like the Grateful Dead did. Jerry Garcia was a frequent offender when it came to flubbing lyrics. He finally started using a teleprompter in the 1990's. Unfortunately, he only used it part of the time. He should have used it all the time.
  12. This is an argument of the past.