On the importance of U2

One of my best friends wrote a Facebook note about the upcoming U2 album, and how previous albums have played roles in his life.

There have been pivotal moments in my life coinciding with U2 albums, but I guess I never really paid attention to it.
I can reduce it to this... The U2 albums I like most really don't speak to the honesty and grittiness that gave the band their start and their flavour; their soul, if you will. I mean, I have damn-near all of them. Boy, War, Unforgettable Fire, Rattle and Hum, etc... They're all classics, and they all feel as honest as the day is long.
But they're not my favorites.

• Achtung Baby is one of my all-time favorite albums. Musically and poetically, it's one of the richest albums I can think of. And they used everything they could to make that album and their namesake a true bellwether of popular culture. Their 'One' videos? Stunning. My favorite was the one with all the buffalo.
• I really like Zooropa. It's kind of a bat-shit crazy album, actually, and that brand of craziness was endemic of the relationship I was in at the time. Kray-Zee! We're talking Flava Flav Kray-Zee...
• Passengers is just so amazing on so many levels. If I have to explain why, you won't get it. But it is, so deal with it.

To be honest with you, All That You Can't Leave Behind was a sort of nail in the coffin for me. I think it kind of sucked. There are a couple catchy ones in there -- The Edge's towering, enigmatic guitar riffs in 'New York' shouldn't be missed, and 'In a Little While,' which, allegedly, Bono sang to Joey Ramone on his deathbed.

Otherwise, I think it's insipid.

I won't turn my back on U2, but I'm probably not the typical fan. When I saw them in Cleveland some years back (help me out, Joe... When was that? 2000?), it really was one of the very best concerts I had ever seen. Not only did they sounds so very good, but they sounded so very good. This is to say, the sound quality at the show was the best I had ever heard.

And, they performed 'Stay (Far away, so close!),' which is one of my faves.

I'll leave it with this:

Bono was able to verbalize, in just a few short words, my sentiments about religion:

"The god I believe in isn't short of cash, mister."