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  1. Watching this again…I love Adam but he did nothing here to dispel the idea that he’s a ‘bad’ player. I get that he’s going to run through a few U2 lines in a video like this but some improvisation would have gone a long way.

    I get the impression he basically doesn’t play unless it’s for a promotion or performing with the band.
  2. Originally posted by cyborgninja117:Watching this again…I love Adam but he did nothing here to dispel the idea that he’s a ‘bad’ player. I get that he’s going to run through a few U2 lines in a video like this but some improvisation would have gone a long way.

    I get the impression he basically doesn’t play unless it’s for a promotion or performing with the band.
    Yes. This is what I wrote in the comments section of Guitarristas.info, the biggest forum of guitar & bass gear in Spain:

    I'm a U2 fan through and through, they're tattooed on my skin and in my heart, so I'm writing this from a place of affection:

    What a shambles of a showcase video.

    It bothers me deeply that a professional musician who has been playing his instrument for almost 47 years didn't realise (or worse, didn't care) that he was WAY OFF when he recorded a piece that was meant to be seen by thousands of people. This isn't about jamming on an out of tune instrument in your local pub or at a party after a few beers, it's about something that's going to be professionally produced to sell your signature amp. Damn, Adam. And he doesn't show off his more interesting inclinations and lines (Adam is a big fan of jazz, and has some very cool and varied bass lines) and at certain points he comes across as limp, like a young man starting to improvise on someone else's instrument. A video like this just gives fuel to the many who say that U2 are a band with no talent and no skills. Argh! What a shame.

    The amp is a blast. And the price even more so.
  3. I fully agree. Rather than Playing a thousand bars of NYD, he could have done thrown in the verse of Breathe, a bit of Magnificent or just some general noodling (which I don't think we've ever really seen him do?). I'd like to think he's capable of that.

    I've always thought that much of his playing on the earlier albums is some of this most impressive, the chorus of Electric Co. being a good example. A frustrating watch.
  4. I remember once in recent years during streets he must’ve been handed the wrong bass, because he was very much out of tune. And then somebody ran onstage and switched him guitars. But it’s like he didn’t even really notice.

    It’s like he thought “D is on the 5th fret, so I’m putting my finger on the 5th fret.”

    I’m not saying I’m a great musician, though I have been playing guitar for over 25 years. I would’ve cycled through that NYD riff one time and said “oh this string is out of tune, let me adjust that.” Unreal that he didn’t notice it, and that nobody else noticed it while making that video.
  5. I get the feeling he doesn't hear pitch very well. At Dreamfest he started Streets on a Bass that was in the wrong (regular) tuning, and didn't seem to notice until he was told and the bass was swapped for a flat tuned one mid-song
  6. Honestly I’m not all that surprised lol. I love Adam, but…I’m not surprised.
  7. Originally posted by LikeASong:[..]
    Yes. This is what I wrote in the comments section of Guitarristas.info, the biggest forum of guitar & bass gear in Spain:

    I'm a U2 fan through and through, they're tattooed on my skin and in my heart, so I'm writing this from a place of affection:

    What a shambles of a showcase video.

    It bothers me deeply that a professional musician who has been playing his instrument for almost 47 years didn't realise (or worse, didn't care) that he was WAY OFF when he recorded a piece that was meant to be seen by thousands of people. This isn't about jamming on an out of tune instrument in your local pub or at a party after a few beers, it's about something that's going to be professionally produced to sell your signature amp. Damn, Adam. And he doesn't show off his more interesting inclinations and lines (Adam is a big fan of jazz, and has some very cool and varied bass lines) and at certain points he comes across as limp, like a young man starting to improvise on someone else's instrument. A video like this just gives fuel to the many who say that U2 are a band with no talent and no skills. Argh! What a shame.

    The amp is a blast. And the price even more so.
    He's not only out of tune, but NYD also a semitone up from the original. I get that he probably got handed an out of tune bass in standard tuning, but it makes the talk about the mid-range etc a little less credible
  8. That’s right. It was dream fest! Hear the video.


    Bono notices it right away, and goes over there and is like WTF people?! Then kinda says “well this isn’t really my department”, and turns his attention back to the crowd. Then Edge walks over to him as if to say “uh, you’re out of tune there, hoss…”. Meanwhile Adam is just playing along as if he’s completely oblivious. Then finally somebody gives him the right bass.

    Seems kind of strange that he can play a lot of these complex parts, but can’t tell if he’s out of tune.
  9. Originally posted by podiumboy:That’s right. It was dream fest! Hear the video. [YouTube Video]

    Bono notices it right away, and goes over there and is like WTF people?! Then kinda says “well this isn’t really my department”, and turns his attention back to the crowd. Then Edge walks over to him as if to say “uh, you’re out of tune there, hoss…”. Meanwhile Adam is just playing along as if he’s completely oblivious. Then finally somebody gives him the right bass.

    Seems kind of strange that he can play a lot of these complex parts, but can’t tell if he’s out of tune.
    This is an all time great clip. How in the fuck did they ever end up playing this gig?
  10. Lmfao holy shit that’s funny
  11. He used to always look at Larry for cues. We'll see what happens in Vegas.
  12. Oh, I remember that moment... Could Adam not hear the bass? There's no way he was hearing it and thinking 'Yes, this is right' lol. I would expect Adam to be able to just 'adapt' to the wrong tuning and find the 'correct frets'. I love Adam and he is the reason I took up the bass when I was like 12, but that was just strange. And I agree with everyone about the Fender video. They want to produce a high - quality, professional video of Adam playing his iconic bass lines to promote his new amp, and they (Fender crew & Adam crew) all saw the result after and thought 'Yep, this works' ? I mean... c'mon. This was a great chance for Adam to showcase some of his great bass lines. And it's not just the tuning or the repetition, but also he plays in such a mechanical way. I don't usually complain, but being a bass player and a huge Adam fan this was a bit of a letdown.