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  1. It’d be different if they kicked Larry out. I’d be against that.

    Right now he’s just sitting out for health reasons. Fair enough.

    If later it comes out that he has in fact quit playing live with the band, then that is his decision. Should the rest of them not be allowed to carry on just because Larry isn’t on board?
  2. Being a drummer is hard on your body. Ask Phil Collins about that. Neil Peart was at the end of his rope and was going to quit touring even if he didn't find out that he had a brain tumor. I have not heard anything about Larry's surgery, and what it was all about. I hope it's not his back. If it is, he might not be able to play anymore. That sucks, but I don't think the band should throw in the towel if he can't be there. Sure, the band will lose a few fans over it, but I don't think they will lose very many.
  3. Originally posted by coldrain:[..]
    I get it. Some fans will move on if the lineup changes, and I can't say that I blame them. I witnessed Jerry Garcia's decline first hand and it was pretty awful. The last few years were not very good, and in hindsight I probably should have bailed after Bruce Hornsby left the band. I decided not to see the Stones with Steve Jordan on drums. Charlie Watts was the weak link in the band for years before he passed, but I heard recordings with Jordan and wasn't feeling it. The Stones are so far past their collective prime that I didn't feel that the high priced ticket was worth it at that point. From what I have seen, once musicians reach their 70's everything starts to go south pretty quickly if it hasn't already. That said, I don't think that U2 has a lot of tours left in them. Larry Mullen or not, I would go see them. At this stage of the game, you never know when the next show could be the last.
    I respect that. I was lucky to see Grateful Dead and DMB in Vegas in 95. I'm glad I did, Jerry was gone not too long after. Who knows how much time U2 has left? That's the magic question. I hope everyone who gets to go to the Vegas shows has a blast, and I hope they tear the roof off the Sphere. I'll be seeing the expensive movie on October 6th, and I may be in the area with some digital equipment either before or after that date to see what happens to be flying over the stratosphere LOL..Just sucks knowing the end of a great ride may be near. And regarding any and all members of U2 carrying on if any of them call it quits? Sure, keep at it, keep the creative juices flowing and keep getting that rush that a live audience gives. But there would certainly be a large amount of fans that wouldn't like it. And, as has been said many times before, it would kind of be against what they've preached for decades.. but things and situations change, and if they decided to hang it up after Vegas they'd still be my favorite band and I'd still be thankful for the 30+ years of music I've experienced. I play mainly guitar and bass, but I've also played some drums over the years. It is definitely hard playing for two or three hours here and there, I can't imagine playing all the dates they've had over the years, especially with his (previously admitted) poor technique. I just hope for the best for all of them.
  4. Originally posted by podiumboy:It’d be different if they kicked Larry out. I’d be against that.

    Right now he’s just sitting out for health reasons. Fair enough.

    If later it comes out that he has in fact quit playing live with the band, then that is his decision. Should the rest of them not be allowed to carry on just because Larry isn’t on board?
    I think if Larry quit that might be different.

    But Larry sitting out cause of surgery and the rest saying “we’re U2” doesn’t sit well with me. It’s not U2. It’s Bono and Edge and Adam and some other dude.

    I remember years ago Bono spoke about how U2 are “more” (not better) of a band than the Beatles because each member of U2 is more essential to U2 because of their unique and exclusive rolls. I always liked that idea.

    But they’re old now and Larry may decide he’s had enough soon. I don’t know. But I thought this quote- and it’s timing w Edge’s quote pasted above about being able to move on without a member (as if they would ever move on without Edge or Bono) - was interesting to hear now.

    From Variety quoting the Washington Post:

    “In describing the “blunt” posture of Mullen, who is “the least public of the group’s four members, by far,” Edgers says that the drummer “admits the dynamics in the band are not the same as they were decades ago. As the ’80s wore on and U2’s stature grew, band decisions would be made by what they called the ‘Politburo,’ named after the policymaking committees in most communist systems. In Mullen’s view, the system that served the band well for so long has now become more of a benevolent dictatorship.”

    “The story quotes Mullen as saying, “You only do this if you’re having the best time. And not everyone is going to make it because the price is so high. So I think the challenge is for more generosity. More openness to the process. I am autonomous and I value my autonomy. I don’t sing from the same hymn sheet. I don’t pray to the same version of God. So everyone has their limits. And you only do this if it is a great time you’re having, you know?”

    https://variety.com/2022/music/news/u2-2023-tour-unlikely-larry-mullen-jr-surgery-1235443755/?fbclid=IwAR1RK1Yw5nIkxI_aIWCMcmupq2_CFz46zlwBt-6JJHu8jg064-WHR8MIImc
  5. From interviews with Larry and quotes that are out there, the surgery that he had several months ago is directly related to his long career behind a drum kit. Some of what's in there is a repeat of what's in the link above, but in this article Larry provides a little more info on what is/was wrong with him physically and it's as I suspected. He will be 62 in a few months and his body is beat up from almost 5 decades of drumming. I hope he comes back AND can still play at a high level, but I won't count on it.

    https://www.dublinlive.ie/news/celebs/u2-drummer-larry-mullen-reveals-25636206
  6. Originally posted by coldrain:[..]

    ...The Who is Pete Townsend and Roger Daltrey. Keith Moon, for all his antics, was a side man. So was John Entwisle. ...

    Like another poster here said, just be happy that U2 is still playing 47 years later. Most bands don't even make it 7 years, let alone 47.


    total rubbish - if you know anything about the who then moon was an incredible character (and drummer) and entwistle was a master of his instrument

    the ONLY fucking reason they 'left' the band was because THEY DIED

    you ask any fans and they would ALWAYS want the original band if it was possible

    and you are missing the point totally too - U2 is a band the members are just that

    if the rest of the band want to go on then that's fine (we are all okay with that) - just not under the name of U2

    2 things - 1. it is NOT U2 and 2. it would be a cynical move to use the name to attract 'business' and fans

    the same could be said of ALL the bands you mentioned - they were thinking about the money as they could easily have changed their names - just as joy division did
  7. I didn't want to be a downer on the Vegas thread, so I'll post this here: I've given it time, tried to come to terms with things, and I still think it absolutely sucks that "U2" are playing Vegas without Larry.

    I happen to think the Vegas thing sucks in general: glitzy shows for people of means.

    I honestly think Bono and Edge have forgotten that most people don't have thousands of dollars to throw away on a party weekend in Vegas.

    I mean, financially they haven't been living in anything like reality for 30 years. I'm not sure we need to look any further for reasons why they have nothing to write about anymore except for vaguely inspirational songs full of imprecise abstractions or their long lost youth when they were actually still in the fray.

    In 1992, Bono felt guilty about fame and wealth and wrestled with it. ZooTV was, in part, an ironic takedown of celebrity and stardom. I mean, he ended shows as the devil, for f's sake, revealing who and what is at the heart of the celebrity-industrial complex.

    In Vegas they will become the thing they once mocked.

    That they would play these shows, and play them without Larry, are, to me, fundamental betrayals. Yuck, yuck, yuck.
  8. I don’t think Larry feels betrayed. He couldn’t give a fuck less about not making these shows, other than maybe missing out on a paycheck.

    The thing is, these shows will sell out. So if that many people are willing to make the effort to come, then Bono, Edge and whoever else aren’t off base about this at all. If you can’t afford it, or can’t go for any number of reasons, then don’t. Others will.

    I’d love to go. But there is literally no way my wife is going to sign off on me going on a trip like that. So I have to live with the FOMO, but that’s life. Someone else will go in my place.
  9. It is understandable the position that without Larry it is not U2, or that they can continue to use the name of U2 without him. To tell the truth, few bands with a character as legendary as U2 have changed or replaced some members over the years without changing their name.

    What's more, except for the most staunch and purist fan, this issue is totally irrelevant.

    The bad thing is that it is such a new and limited event, in a space that any lover of sound and image would like to enjoy. It cannot be marketed on blueray because it does not have the original drummer.

    We will always have YouTube.
  10. i imagine Larry will get paid regardless of if he's there or not
  12. I reckon he's jumped ship 🚢 completely think about it 2019 they did just 15 gigs as part of the JT tour, 2020 - 23 has basically been dormant as regards band activities (SOS was basically an Edge project) the guy had plenty of time to get himself sorted has access to the best medical experts money can buy and get treatment whenever he needs it , Adam Clayton said in interview with The independent last December about playing Vegas without Larry"If it were something we had to face, I imagine you would do what needs to be done, but it wouldn’t be a decision we would take easily or comfortably. But I don’t think that’s the decision we’re facing at the moment" so at this stage he was allegedly on board to play Vegas as far as Adam was concerned something definitely sounds off and I don't think his medical issues are the main reasons he's not playing Vegas 🤔