With two Bono shout-outs to Nancy Pelosi during their Washington DC gig Tuesday night, and an elaborate multimedia stage design ("the Claw"!) that, as one commenter noted, could have fed all Africa, U2 walked a thin line between righteousness and ostentation. The comments to the Chris Richards's Washington Post review supply a wide range of opinions about mixing music and politics:
Everytime Bono participates in American politics I think how tragic it was Mark Chapman killed John lennon
...The crowd was predominantly Caucasian and over 35. Everyone in the section I was in repeatedly yelled "Shut up and sing" when Bono abused his celebrity. It was also absurd that the band tried to tag a "Green" save the environment label on its tour. The single largest polluter of the planet in the year 2009 is Bono and his band. I laughed hysterically at his mention of Pelosi. She is the second largest polluter of the planet in 2009, zig zagging across the country every week in her giant private jet....
...Obviously you've never been to a U2 concert - that's part of the show. If you don't want to hear Bono talk about the causes he supports - buy the fricking CD and listen at home if you like the music but not the politics. You're probably the same jacka$$ I had to ask to quiet down during a song so I could listen to teh music and not your blabbering conversation with your boyfriend....
bono's pretentious political bluster rang hollow, delivered from a monstrosity of a stage that screamed excess. you could feed all of africa for what that thing had to cost, never mind how much energy that thing had to eat up. great show, but keep your self importance to yourself bono; just shut up and sing. if you need to spout your politics on stage, follow the lead of bruce springsteen. i may not always agree with the boss's opinions, but he expresses them quickly and moves on with the show. with bono on stage it almost feels like the show is secondary to his need to have everybody know what a great philanthropist he is. what a pretentious little d-bag.
Etcetera, etcetera.