I’m a U2 fan. I have been since my early teens. Their album, The Joshua Tree, was the 2nd cassette tape I ever purchased (yes, I’m that old); Sonic Temple by The Cult was my first. I was in my early teens and discovering music. I’ve been a U2 fan since then.
Age has changed my taste a bit. I used to call U2 my favorite band, but my taste has evolved and I would now say my favorite bands are Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin and currently, The Black Keys are my obsession (Turn Blue is awesome!). However, U2 still ranks highly for several reasons.
First, they are a good band. The quality of their music is consistent and although I do cringe every now and then at some of Bono’s lyrics, they provide more substance than most active bands today.
Second, I consider U2 the band of my youth. Their music filled my teen years so I will always hold their music in high regard. My friends also liked U2 so their music was always playing and I would try to learn their songs back when I used to play guitar.
Lastly, U2 happen to be my wife’s favorite band. Besides the nostalgia that I have when I listen to U2, knowing that they are my wife’s favorite band endears me to them. My wife and I have been to every U2 concert together since they came to Los Angeles on June 21, 1997, before we were married. We even did a mad dash in November 18 of 2001 to see them in Las Vegas, since we didn’t get a chance to buy tickets to see them in LA. We drove up on a Sunday, caught the show, drove back immediately afterwards and went straight to work. That was life before kids!
As a side note, my 4 year old daughter attended the Pasadena U2 concert… in my wife’s womb. Needless to say, the wifey was an emotional mess! She really loves U2.
Now, U2 are elder statesmen. They’re music still sounds as full and as iconic as ever. I haven’t had the time to fully immerse myself in their new album, Songs of Innocence, which they released for “free” to all iTunes customers. From the few songs I’ve heard, I can tell I’ll like it.
