It happens to the best of
them. In fact, it only happens to
the best of them. And it seems
it’s finally happening to U2.
After more than a quarter-century
of virtually uninterrupted tenure
as Th e Most Important Band in the
WorldTM, it would appear Bono, Th e
Edge, Larry Mullen Jr.
and Adam Clayton have
reached the ultimate
plateau in a band’s life —
the magical place where
fame meets irrelevance.
Just look at the initial
response to their 12th
studio album, No Line
on the Horizon, in stores
and online Tuesday. Oh
sure, it’s getting plenty of
attention — but not the
same sort of attention
as their previous discs.
Despite its much-hyped global
premiere in January, the upbeat
leadoff single Get On Your Boots
didn’t have legs, barely denting the
Billboard Hot 100 before it tumbled
off the chart. Th eir performance
at last month’s Grammy Awards
was met with yawns of disinterest,
with many fans suggesting Bono
seemed tired and out of breath.
None of it bodes well for Horizon’s
prospects with the public, which
seems to feel that with U2, they’ve
been there, heard that and thrown
away the T-shirt already.
Bet Bono didn’t see that coming.
Tell the truth, neither did we. But we
did know it was bound to happen.
As any music geek can tell you,
there are several stages in the life
of an artist. And every
act that hangs around
long enough walks the
same path: Aerosmith,
AC/DC, Bowie,
Dylan, KISS, R.E.M.,
Madonna, Springsteen,
and countless others.
Granted, not all of them
go through the stages in
the same order or at the
same rate. Some skip
stages. Others repeat
them. A few get stuck
in one for most of their
careers. But eventually, most get to
where U2 now fi nd themselves.
Of course, the band that
blazed the trail — like so many
others — is none other than Th e
Rolling Stones. Now that U2 is
catching up, let’s follow the line
that the British rock gods drew
— and that leads inexorably to
the Irish icons’ limited horizons.
