A veritable monster on the international rock scene, U2 are a major Irish band who still draw unanimous applause from the crowds today. A band deeply committed to political and humanitarian causes, Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen Junior have, in the space of 20 years, achieved worldwide success beyond the ambitions of their record companies. According to several sources, it’s one of the most downloaded bands in the world!
U2 – MelicansMatkin – cc
The band’s story began in 1976, when 4 Dubliners decided to form a rock band. Dave Evans (later renamed The Edge), Adam Clayton, Paul Hewson (renamed Bono Vox, then Bono), answered the call. The band was then christened Feedback, then The Hype, and finally adopted the name U2, more in a spirit of communion with its audience than a reference to the American spy plane which, according to legend, was shot down in the Soviet Union on the day Bono was born.
One thing led to another, and the young Dubliner met Paul McGuinness, who agreed to become their manager. The aim now is to land a contract, and harpoon a record label. The first steps turned out to be big failures: the record companies weren’t convinced, and neither were the EMI representatives, who left their concert in the middle of the performance.
Their manager, Paul McGuinness, was not to be defeated: soon afterwards, he obtained a contract with Island Record, a record company which signed a contract with the group in 1980.
In October, their debut album “Boy” hits record stores. Their first single “I will follow” is a hit, and the band embarks on a European and American tour. The band developed an increasingly special relationship with the audience: Bono got the crowds involved, climbing on amplifiers and scaffolding, bringing people on stage with him…. His flippancy and peachiness electrify the audience.
October 81: U2 release their 2nd album, October, followed in 83 by “War”, which tackles far-reaching political issues, including the conflict in Northern Ireland (“Sunday Bloody Sunday”). It was an instant success: number 1 in the UK charts, the album broke sales records all over the world.
The fourth album, “The Unfogettable Fire”, followed. During the tour, Bono constantly puts forward messages on current political issues: the proposed Strategic Defense Initiative, the arms race, apartheid in South Africa, the conflicts in El Salvador and Nicaragua… Bono is committed, and this is one of the reasons for his success.
The Joshua Tree” was released on March 9, 1987. “With Or Without You” became a worldwide hit in the summer of ’87, and the album was certified platinum in the U.S. within 48 hours of its release. A record that crowns them as the biggest rock band on the international scene!
The following year, U2 released “Rattle and Hum” and then decided to devote themselves to humanitarian projects (the fight against AIDS, African debt, etc.).
Shortly afterwards, they discovered Berlin, a city that would become a source of musical inspiration, and which gave birth to “Achtung Baby” in 1991. The band’s sound is a radical departure from their previous albums. The use of phasing on Bono’s vocals, and distortion effects on the drums, is a further evolution of their musical maturity: “The Fly is the sound of four guys sawing up Joshua Tree,” explains The Edge.
Achtung Baby’s tour is called the Zoo TV Tour. Inspired by the power of the media as demonstrated during the Gulf War, the show is totally interactive. Bono becomes a character in his own right: “The Fly”. In a bitter, caricatured critique, he apes the influential figures of modern society.
U2 in concert – U2start – cc
In 1993, the band recorded the album “Zooropa”. an album that was shunned by the public and roundly criticized by the critics. The Zooropa Tour sees the arrival of a new character played by Bono: McPhisto, an evil double dressed in red and gold, and wearing horns. At the end of each concert, McPhisto picks up the phone and makes live calls to often controversial personalities. Among the most talked-about were Mussolini’s niece and Jean-Marie Le Pen…
In 1997, the album “Pop” was released, and U2 organized an all-stadium tour.
In 2000, the album “All That You Can’t Leave Behind” once again confirmed U2’s success with the public.
In 2003, the band took part in the 46664 live show to celebrate Nelson Mandela’s birthday and his fight against AIDS in Africa. At the same time, Bono launched an awareness campaign for the DATA program, with the aim of cancelling debts owed by African countries, and facilitating the medical process in the fight against AIDS. Bono met Georges W. Bush, Jacques Chirac and other politicians to secure funding for the project. His involvement earned him the Légion d’Honneur, and put him just short of the Nobel Prize.
In 2004, U2 released “How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb”, which once again proved a huge hit with the public, with the title track Vertigo.
In 2009, U2 released their long-awaited new album, “No Line on the Horizon”: “No Line on the Horizon”: the songs are less rock and more consensual. Nevertheless, you can still feel the band’s original signature, and fans flock to stadiums and concert halls to see them…
With a dozen albums to their credit, U2 are still one of today’s iconic rock bands. And there’s no denying it: they still have a good time ahead of them!
