Five musicians who can’t stand U2
U2 were the first band to play the Sphere in Las Vegas, arguably the most serendipitous gig ever, thrusting the band to the forefront of the future. However, venue and band alike mirror one another in popularity; as impressive figures that are undoubtedly iconic, they’re nevertheless hated by many and considered an eyesore.
In their multi-decade run as one of the most famous bands on the planet, U2 have released a barrage of hits, won many awards and experimented with various sounds and genres. In the process, they have established and maintained a solid fanbase throughout all of this, but that hasn’t come without controversy, as many music lovers cannot stand them.
They’re a cool band to dislike, similar to Coldplay; when an artist says they hate U2, it’s met with mild sniggering and applause instead of public outcry. As such, musicians are not worried about expressing hatred towards them. As a result, they’ve often become the piñatas of modern music.
That openness has helped shape U2’s reputation in a way that goes beyond the music itself. Over time, criticism of the band has become part of their cultural identity, with opinions often tied as much to their public image as their records. Whether it is Bono’s outspoken persona or the band’s constant reinvention, their visibility has made them an easy target.
At the same time, that level of scrutiny tends to follow acts that reach a certain scale. The bigger the platform, the stronger the reactions, both positive and negative. In U2’s case, their willingness to operate at that level has ensured they remain impossible to ignore, even when the conversation turns against them.
This was amplified even further thanks to an infamous album release that automatically downloaded to everyone’s phones. If they weren’t already polarising enough, this made them the pinnacle of music’s most loved/hated acts. Alas, a healthy variety of people dislike the band for different reasons, but here are five of the most iconic.
Musicians who cannot stand U2:
Henry Rollins
When you join a punk band, there is an unconditional agreement that you have to speak your mind and make your opinion known. Primarily, this manifests in political unrest and tales of injustice, but sometimes it means slagging off Bono and The Edge… and on the rare occasion, Larry Mullen Jr and Adam Clayton.
“They have the worst rhythm section in big rock,” Black Flag frontman Henry Rollins once said. “That is the most plodding, corny rhythm section ever to fill a stadium,” he continued. ”If you look at some of those records, they’re mediocre Brian Eno records with a bad band in the way.”
Liam Gallagher
Liam Gallagher is another musician who is more than happy to make his opinions known; in fact, he arguably owes his career to it. People have always been excited to see what the Oasis frontman has to say on various topics as a poetic scepticism usually follows, something U2 are certainly not immune to.
Gallagher’s issue stemmed less from their music and more from their attitude as rock stars. He said in an interview, “I think rock ‘n’ roll deserves a little bit more than just making music.” He used U2 as an example of what he doesn’t like about modern-day musicians, “They pass themselves as a rock ‘n’ roll band, but what the? C’mon on, man, I’ve never seen fucking Bono. I mean, I’ve never seen any of them do anything remotely rock ‘n’ roll.”
Ozzy Osbourne
Both Ozzy Osbourne and his wife Sharon had issues with the band, which stemmed from U2 giving their album away for free and the subsequent impact that move could have had on the industry. “U2 are business moguls not musicians anymore,” tweeted Sharon, “No wonder you have to give your mediocre music away for free cause no one wants to buy it.”
Ozzy added to this during an interview, saying, “U2 did an album free, and it’s like, why would anybody do that? I don’t know… I liked some of their earlier stuff, but to be perfectly honest, that Bono pisses me off. He’s made his name out of working with and talking about starving people in Africa. I don’t particularly like what he does. It’s phoney.”
Echo & The Bunnymen
Everyone loves it when artists clash. Blur vs Oasis, Kanye vs Taylor and one of the most prominent of all: Echo & the Bunnymen vs U2. Ian McCulloch has never been shy about hurling insults at U2 and frequently displays a dislike towards the band, as he called them “music for plumbers and bricklayers”.
Though he wasn’t a fan of the band, Ian had problems with Bono in particular. “I’ve always thought he was a c*nt,” he said, “A real proper one. Had he been in Liverpool, he would have been laughed out of the place. U2 have never been liked in Liverpool. We know a fake when we see one.”
Patrick Carney
There is no doubt that it is hard for musicians in the modern day. It’s difficult for people to make a name for themselves and establish themselves as musicians. The mixed message that U2 managed to send aspiring musicians by giving away music can come across as patronising, and that was where Black Keys drummer Patrick Carney took issue with the band.
He said it “devalued their music completely” before continuing: “It sends a huge mixed message to bands… that are just struggling to get by. I think that they think it’s super generous of them to do something like that.” Evidently, Carney thought this showed how out of touch they had become, and he was more than happy to highlight that.
