u23d

after seeing the u23d movie, i feel like i have just engaged in a guilty pleasure. i suppose deep down i do not find them as relevant as i once did, though they remain both noble and important. still, i love the music and the spirit in which it is delivered.

relevance is relative and subjective. in some ways, u2 is more relevant than ever as can be seen in the movie when u2 promotes the coexist brand, where letters are symbols of belief (or thought,) systems and the message is tolerance. (hence, the word "coexist," as a directive.) when u2 promotes an idea like this, they are relevant and they do make a difference.

in this movie and in the live concerts the film was culled from, u2 is reaching millions of people around the world with this coexist message and while the people they are reaching may not represent the demographic in power, those who can make change, the millions they reach will be in that demographic someday. this is real change, the kind of change politicians can only aspire to. it takes time, but this is how change happens.

u2, as a brand, is managed especially well.

by producing this movie, u2 satisfied fans who have wanted to see them and simultaneously added to their legend. 3d is not what it used to be. it's better. the technology has evolved and in this movie all the improvement is on display as the viewer, through the lens, hovers over larry's shoulder as he pounds away at the drums, perches just above and behind the front few rows of fans as they dance and cheer and snap photos from their cell phones and wave arms and sing their lungs out, joins the band on-stage to peer out at a sea of humanity, sees the u2 live show experience from every imagineable angle, in all it's joyful, serious, warm glory .

u2 is a rock band and so they are about sound. they make music and getting to hear that music in a movie theatre trumps your car or your house. getting that level of sound quality and being able to see the edge's facial expressions as he effortlessly moves from song to song is a treat and again, trumps those seats in the 80th row that cost $100 in certain ways.

ultimately, u2 continues to push out at the boundaries that would constrict them as artists. they want to appeal to all of your senses if they can and in u23d, they get your ears and your eyes, while teasing the tactile, as everyone in themovie seems like someone you could just reach out and pat on the back. if a day comes when they can feed you a coexist wafer while vibrating your seat at various time and filling the theatre with odors of snacks, other people, the night air, or ireland, they will.

this film is a tribute to u2 in so much as it exemplifies the spirit of their art to always invest in its own quality, push every boundary imagineable, especially that of technology, and seek relevance through meaning.