1. Originally posted by markreed:Plenty of unpack here, but some quick thoughts :

    I get the feeling a summer 2017 tour to tie in with SOE was planned alongside an early 2017 release, but the well known brush with mortality saw the band reshape rewrite and revisit SOE in early 2017 - thus missing the original release window.

    The Brush With Mortality? Lots of speculation here, but I'm thinking it may have been a heart attack, stroke or similar : there are degrees of heart attack, and some can be very mild so much so that sometimes people are unaware ; especially if they are asleep at the time. Very common in people around his age.

    Common time of death during sleeping hours is normally between three and four in the morning. What is clear is, whatever it was, it shook him and reminded him that despite what we often think of ourselves, we are neither invincible or immortal.
    I hate to be cynical but I really wonder what's the show and what's the truth with Bono.
  2. Originally posted by argyleg:Still think it can't have been that serious as he and the band could /would /should have done a Bowie in 03 and walk away from everything until their mate was well, I am sure they would have the resources to tell livenation to do one.
    There's a common theory of "leisure sickness" : https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2002/nov/26/healthandwellbeing.health

    That is, when one stops working, the defences come down, and you get ill. Stanley Kubrick died a week after finishing his last film. Tom Petty died a week after his final live show on his final tour.

    Maybe Bono felt it better to work as a 'goal' to aim for. Bowie was planning a long absence after the end of the 2004 tour to raise his kid ; Bowie's heart attacks in Prague on 23rd June and later at Hurricane Festival on the 26th later just sped up his decision to go off the road. Bowie was significantly minted and had deliberately made no touring decisions after July 2004, i.e. no multiyear deal with LiveNation to fulfill.
  3. Fairpoint about Bowie markreed, the days before the likes of livenation changed everything for both artist and fan. As to leisure sickness I can see that too, every holiday from work in the last twelve months has seen me have some ailment or other