W
e live in a time of instant celebrity.
Win a Cowell talent show and you’ve
got it made. But for every Leona Lewis
there are plenty of Leon Jacksons,
U2
Steve Brooksteins and Michelle McManuses. As
good as the lovely Leona undoubtedly is, nobody can
forecast with any certainty if a Whitney Houston career
awaits or whether in fi ve years time we’ll be watching a
‘what happened to...’ documentary on Sky Living.
In 1976 in East Dublin, four lads got together and
formed a band. Nobody but them would know what
As Cardiff gears up to be invaded by
their plans were, but I doubt very much if 33 top 10
the multimedia, bells-and-whistles
UK singles (including seven number ones), two US
single number ones, 14 top 10 UK albums (includ-
extravaganza that is U2, Buzz looks
ing 10 number ones), seven US album number ones,
back through Bono and the fellas’ three
worldwide sales in excess of 150 million, oh, and
not to mention a lead singer who has Clinton, Blair,
decades in the biz and celebrates their Obama and Mandela in his phone book, would have
Pope-phoning, African child-helping,
really been part of their masterplan.
U2 are a phenomenon, and for the lucky 60,000 of you
Naomi Campbell-dating enormity.
who have tickets to the closing concert of the European
words: DAVE BRAYLEY
leg of their 360° world tour, you can make your way to
the Millennium Stadium safe in the knowledge that you
will be witnessing a group perform who would justifi ably
compete for the right of being the best rock band of the
last millennium and, very possibly, this one too.
The secret of longevity in music: changing, while also
remaining the same. The equation is simple. You get
famous because people like your music. You get bigger
because even more people buy your music. Then, the
record companies throw the big bucks at you, and
pretty soon – well, in about fi ve or six years if you’re
“It was The Larry Mullen Band
for about 10 minutes, then Bono
walked in and blew any chance
I had of being in charge.”
august 2009.indd 6 28/7/09 10:26:25
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