Guitar World caught up with The Edge of U2 in September 2005 as the band were celebrating their 25thanniversary. In an excellent, wide ranging interview covering the band’s history, the thing that the guitarist was most concerned with was remaining relevant, especially on stage.
“Certain songs get worn down by repetition and lose their potency, and if that happens for us, we know it’s going to happen for people in the audience. We didn’t play ‘Sunday Bloody Sunday’ for the longest time because we were just at a dead end with it, so we tabled it for a time. Songs come back when they’re meant to come back.”
The Edge also explained the band’s strange relationship with their art.
“We can’t overrehearse. Otherwise we won’t make any mistakes. And mistakes are a big part of what people love about U2. There’s still this element of jeopardy. The last thing we want to be is professional! If we screw up, fine, but it won’t be for lack of effort.”
Make no mistake, it’s an interview that any U2 fan will want to read – find it here.
