I’m Sorry: I Can’t Leave That DMN U2 Review Alone

Posted on October 13th, 2009 10:09am by Zac Crain
Filed under Media, Music

I mentioned it in Leading Off this morning, but since I was there and (more or less) saw what Mario Tarradell saw, I’m going to have to dig in a little deeper. You’ll find me after the jump, still trying to drown out the voice of the guy behind me who 1) never stopped singing and 2) couldn’t find the right key with a GPS and a Mapsco.

Here's the guy I just mentioned. For a moment, I considered asking him if I could pose for a picture, since I never thought I'd score seats next to Bono. Instead, I went with this, which is why the photo is predominantly forehead. But I was able to catch him over my shoulder.

Here's the guy I just mentioned. For a moment, I considered asking him if I could pose for a picture, since I never thought I'd score seats right in front of Bono. Instead, I went with this, which is why the photo is predominantly my forehead. But, fortunately, I was able to catch him over my shoulder. He's the guy with his eyes closed. I will say this: while he was annoying, what with the off-key singing, the running commentary he shouted to what I think was his nephew, and the constant dog whistling, he was amazing at either predicting the next song, or identifying it based on one note.

Okay. Now. Mario’s review.

U2 is the quintessential stadium rock band.

Mario Tarradell is the quintessential weak lede writer.

We don’t need further proof of that. But if we did, Monday night’s show at Cowboys Stadium certainly would serve as enough evidence.

I don’t need further proof. If I did, this would serve as enough evidence. Skipping ahead…

These guys couldn’t be more comfortable before a humongous mass, or underneath such high-tech gadgetry. For about two hours the U2 members sang and played with passionate precision. They backed up the spectacle with plenty of dramatic substance.

Two problems: 1) this is three non-sentences in a row. Might as well be Greeked-in copy for all it illuminates, and 2) we’re three paragraphs in — short paragraphs, but still — and he hasn’t written anything that required his attendance at the show.

Bono was a messiah figure when he performed. Dressed in black and prone to raising his arms and tilting his head back, as if basking in the presence of his disciples…

And so on. This would probably be a good place in the review — if one were paying attention and casting a critical eye at the proceedings, instead of being one of the disciples — to note that for a goodly portion of the show, Bono seemed to be going through the motions. He was sort of a parody of himself. The other guys were into it, especially The Edge, but Bono wasn’t the same showman he was been on other occasions. His stage patter was weird and affected. For instance, after one song (I think it was “Mysterious Ways,” but I wasn’t on the clock and so wasn’t taking notes), he said, “Where are you going on the DART? … Fort Worth? … Richardson? … Fair Park?” Props to Morgan Lyons for apparently sneaking a transit map backstage.

For sheer U2 explosiveness,

Guh.

we got “Vertigo,” “Get On Your Boots,” “Elevation” and “Beautiful Day.” If you wanted a good groove,

Double guh.

The tunes from No Line On the Horizon, the quartet’s newest disc, blended perfectly with older material.

Sort of. The reworked, made-for-the-dancefloor version of “I’ll Go Crazy If I Don’t Go Crazy Tonight” was a standout. I guess they blended. But starting the show with two of them (”Breathe,” “Get On Your Boots”) was a bad idea. Got the show off to sort of a jog instead of a sprint.

One more song deserves mention: “Sunday Bloody Sunday,” an anthem that prompts fist pumping. It’s just as inspiring a song now, with all the violent political unrest in the world, as it was back in 1983 when it was originally released.

So at least the copy-and-paste function on his computer works. I think this pair of sentences is contractually required to appear in every review of every U2 show ever.

Which brings us to the sound at the venue, a constant source of argument among concertgoers. Two colleagues of mine sitting in section 449, basically nosebleed seats, said the sound was “pretty muddy” during opening act Muse. It only got “marginally better” for them during U2’s set.

However, sitting next to me in section 136 were Robb and Rebecca Peterson. U2’s gig was their first visit to the stadium. Robb said the sound was “fantastic, considering the huge place they’re working with.” Rebecca had heard it was “awful,” but admitted,”It was better than I thought it would be.”

The sound wasn’t good. It was terrible for Muse and better but not great for U2. I think part of the problem is that the stage was meant to be in the center of the floor, but thanks to the giant HD TV, they were crowded into one corner. They did raise the screen, but the stage still would not fit.

Anyway, I thought it was a decent show, but too packed with songs from the last two records, which I think are extremely marginal — at best — entries in their catalog. They’d be better served just embracing their new status as the modern-rock Rolling Stones, just as they once embraced stardom and celebrity and reinvented themselves on Achtung Baby! Serve up the spectacle, rely on the hits, and mix in a song or two from whatever record they released to give them an excuse to tour. It’s not the worst thing in the world.

I’ll leave you with a shot of their expanding video screen, which made the stage look like a pineapple.

pineapplestage


28 comments

  1. There’s obviously a huge void in this town’s media for legitimate and insightful music critique. D Magazine has one of the most knowledgeable and entertaining music writers on it’s staff. Why aren’t you guys using the resources you have to fill that void? You have blogs for brides, charities and book clubs for Christ’s sake. How about something related to the local music scene and concert reviews?

    @ 10:34 am on October 13, 2009

  2. I’m no fan of Tarradell — or a number of the other News’ reviewers, actually. But the way I understand it, they’re not permitted to answer the flak that Frontburner and Unfair Park often provide.

    So … I’m always impressed with the real zeal you bring to shooting at people who can’t fire back.

    @ 10:48 am on October 13, 2009

  3. Steve: stay tuned. I’ll see what we can do.

    St. Benedictine: Kent Fischer fired back at me on a DMN blog previously. James Ragland jumped in the comments on several occasions here. I don’t do it thinking Mario won’t fire back. I’m HOPING he will.

    @ 11:39 am on October 13, 2009

  4. I’m sorry, regardless of whether Tarradell can or cannot respond to criticism in his articles, I don’t think its unfair to call him out on his crap reviews. If he wants to respond he can do so by writing better articles and maybe pretending that he knows something about whats going on in music today.

    Personally, I won’t be holding my breath for that day because, having both read and commented on his DMN blog, which he can and does respond to, it is abundantly clear that he doesn’t seem to see ANY problem in his taste and opinions.

    @ 11:56 am on October 13, 2009

  5. Maybe he doesn’t respond because he doesn’t spend time on Frontburner, or because he doesn’t think Zac’s opinion is particularly important. Zac, I love your writing, you are very talented, but when it comes to Tarradell, you’re starting to sound like a whiney 13-year-old who didn’t make the cheerleading squad.

    @ 12:15 pm on October 13, 2009

  6. Radiohead is not THAT influential

    @ 12:20 pm on October 13, 2009

  7. couple quick hits from your favorite philly phan who missed both the show and the Phillies game last night due to a flight back from Key West…

    it’s gotten to the point where i read Mario’s stuff just to see how bad it’s going to be and that’s just sad

    he made no mention of the greatest rock’n roll band in the universe playing The Unforgettable Fire last night as they have most of this tour and something they haven’t done for nearly two decades

    there’s your lede right there

    @ 12:21 pm on October 13, 2009

  8. Hey I for one would LOVE to see Zac be assigned to write music stories but it’ll never happen, you know why? Because then he’d actually have to WORK and that’s not something Zac is any good at. The guy spends so much time whining about the Dallas Morning News, too bad he’s never been good enough to get hired there. Spare all the way and like St Benedictine said, a bully, too. Say what you will about Mario, at least he had a review written and ready to roll. You don’t see a U2 review written today by Zac, do you? Nope all you see is him taking a crap on someone else. Real class act.

    @ 12:22 pm on October 13, 2009

  9. Zac,

    We’re waiting on your review of the U2 concert in lieu of the music blog that Wick will veto.

    @ 12:28 pm on October 13, 2009

  10. oh, and i forget to mention that if that clown was sitting behind me i woulda said early on something akin to what Steve Hanson told the referee during the national anthem scene of Slap Shot…

    @ 12:30 pm on October 13, 2009

  11. THE SOUND WAS TERRIBLE. I AM LOOKING FOR A COMPLETE REFUND. I LEFT SHORTLY AFTER U2 STARTED. THIS WAS INDEED THE WORST CONCERT I HAVE BEEN TOO.

    @ 12:34 pm on October 13, 2009

  12. I think the sincerest form of criticism is ignorance. Ignore Mario. Ignore the Dallas Morning News. Everyone else does.

    Put that in your Cue Cat and smoke it.

    @ 1:14 pm on October 13, 2009

  13. G-Wiz: Maybe I’m not good enough to get hired at the DMN. I disagree, but I’ll concede the topic could be debated. As for my work ethic: Mario went to the show. I wouldn’t call what he did “work.” He wrote a few hundred words, almost all of which could have been written at any point prior to the show. There was more detail from the actual U2 concert in my review of his review than his actual review.

    But, I don’t know. Clearly you know me better than I know myself.

    @ 2:02 pm on October 13, 2009

  14. I’m sorry but I feel the same as Zac. Ever since I read the DMN’S “Best of 2008 List” I’ve been praying that the DMN would get a clue- and a better music writer.

    Call it whiney or retarded, I just think that the ONLY major daily newspaper in the city should be able find someone other than a man who seriously believes that Third Day, LeAnn Womack, and Kylie Minogue were the best albums of last year. I mean, I know taste in music is subjective, but Jesus Christ!

    @ 2:22 pm on October 13, 2009

  15. Zac, big fan here. But what were you doing at a big dumb U2 stadium concert in the first place? Free tickets?

    @ 2:23 pm on October 13, 2009

  16. I could have written the DMN review without going to the show, and I could have critiqued it without reading it. U2’s greatest contribution to music is selling a lot of albums and concert tickets. The DMN is no longer relevant.

    @ 2:33 pm on October 13, 2009

  17. It may become a problem for U2 if anyone ever realizes that going to the 3D movie of the U2 concert is a more entertaining (and certainly better sounding) experience than actually attending the U2 concert live. IJS.

    @ 3:07 pm on October 13, 2009

  18. Why is anyone getting music crits from the DMN or D Mag? Um, maybe I’m an elitist, but this is not exactly like Stereogum or even Pitchfork for that matter.

    @ 3:08 pm on October 13, 2009

  19. @Andy: Free tickets from my wife’s stepfather. No way I could/would have paid those prices.

    @ 3:28 pm on October 13, 2009

  20. I didn’t go to show. But am surprised that no one has commented on the length of the show. Sounds like it was a bit short. Only 2 hrs? A healiner of the quality of U2 with it’s catalogue should do 3 hrs every time out and maybe more on a speacial night.

    Had I gone the combination of bad sound and short show would have left me feeling ripped off

    @ 3:43 pm on October 13, 2009

  21. ceemac brings up a good point that speaks to a larger one: Last night’s show, for the first time in the three or four times I’ve seen U2, was more about the band than the fans. It was not a fan-friendly set list by any stretch of the imagination. I know they’re proud of their last album, and the one before that, but the fact is: people don’t want to hear those songs if it means that knocks stuff from the older records off the list. And a two-hour run time demands that will be the case.

    That’s not to say I think bands should always follow a greatest-hits formula. But for a band with that many that chooses to play giant stadium shows like last night’s, well, I think they have to give in to that. Starting with two from No Line of the Horizon was maybe a brave decision, but not a smart one. Especially since Bono lacked his usual charisma. In the past, he might have willed those songs to work. Last night, he couldn’t. Or didn’t.

    In many ways, this was a straight repeat of the Pop Tour — and that will never pass as a compliment.

    @ 4:00 pm on October 13, 2009

  22. Way to go Zac!! Thanks for mentioning me in the blog. I have been to three concerts now at Jerryworld. The only one where the sound was passable was at Paul McCartney where we had floor tickets directly in front of Sir Paul’s enormous speakers. The acoustics at U2 and George Strait were abominable. I hope the sound engineers for future concerts will come early to at least try to get the acoustics better.

    @ 4:01 pm on October 13, 2009

  23. I had no problem with them using a lot of material from the new album, mainly because it’s been out for some time now (Feb. I believe). For those of us who are long time U2 fans, it doesn’t feel like “new” material. It would be one thing if they’d tried to play unreleased stuff – there is nothing worse than “hey, we’d like to try out a new song tonight!” Crowd: *groan*. Also, U2 generally sticks to the same setlist for each tour with few exceptions. So again, many of us already knew the core setlist coming in (such as the superfan behind you, Zac). I definitely knew Breathe would be the first song, as that has been the opener for almost every single show. Predictable, yes, but on the flip side, at least they’ve got it down? Poor guys are old, they can’t be spontaneous anymore! There isn’t enough Geritol in the world to get Bono to remember all the lyrics to all his songs.

    I often wonder about acts that make it this long. U2 has been touring since the late 70s/early 80s, I can’t imagine not getting completely burned out after you play the same songs over and over and over. These new songs seem to reenergize them, at least for the first half of the tour. Spices things up in a world of One, With Or Without You, Sunday Bloody Sunday repeat repeat repeat. You know?

    I was at the opening show of the North American leg of this tour in September and I can tell you the vibe was entirely different from last night. Totally electric, both from the band and the crowd. So last night was a bit of a disappointment, but I still enjoyed it. Crappy Jerryworld sound and $8 beers notwithstanding.

    @ 4:55 pm on October 13, 2009

  24. For the record, U2’s stage was not supposed to be in the center of the stadium floor. Look at the set up at Chicago’s Soldier Field ( http://leisureblogs.chicagotribune.com/turn_it_up/2009/09/u2-brings-monster-stage-to-soldier-field.html ) and in Barcelona ( http://www3.whig.com/whig/blogs/hartofthematter/?m=200906 ), where there is no roof and no overhanging Screen Monster to get in the way.

    @ 6:49 pm on October 13, 2009

  25. David and CDD: Fair enough.

    @ 7:36 pm on October 13, 2009

  26. Zac said:

    “too packed with songs from the last two records, which I think are extremely marginal — at best — entries in their catalog.”

    They also played the same number of songs from 2 previous albums combined: Achtung Baby and All That You Can’t Leave Behind (They didn’t play anything from the 2 albums released between Achtung and Behind, which are far more marginal than the 2 that you are criticizing).

    @ 9:49 pm on October 13, 2009

  27. Zac and CCD,

    I’m going to disagree with you on what should be in the setlist. If they are only going to play 2 hrs then I do not want the hits. I can listen to Joshua Tree at home.

    And at least half of the show should be new music that they have not put on record yet.

    If you must play a hit at least rework in some way.

    @ 9:05 am on October 14, 2009

  28. can anybody me if we are getting a refund from cowboys stadium horrible acoustics?

    @ 8:39 pm on October 16, 2009

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