Adam Clayton

I recently visited the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland. Whilst there we watched a 90 minute IMAX3D U2 concert. 

I've always been a casual fan of U2. Well...fan is the wrong word. I've enjoyed their music but wouldn't consider myself a fan. I really like The Joshua Tree and it was one of those albums that set my musical taste off in a certain direction...which ended up tending further alternative/college rock than mainstream. If I heard U2 the radio today I wouldn't change the channel, but the only U2 album I own remains Joshua Tree.

Anyway, the sweetie likes U2 and so we watched the IMAX. I'm not a fan of IMAX, but it was an interesting experience. You could see, really see, what the drummer was playing. You could read the lable on the drum heads for god's sake. And you could watch the bass player closely too.

What surprised me was that neither the bass player nor the drum were playing anything too complicated. And I guess that by now this really SHOULDN'T surprise me. You are always being told to "serve the song" and that complicated isn't better.  But the fact remains is that people equate complicated with good when it comes to instrumentalists. So it is a paradox. Case in point...people make fun of Ringo Starr for being a shitty drummer because he played simply. But there's no denying that The Beatles are the biggest thing in the history of rock. So it is easy to feel the mixed message.

So it turns out, U2 as well plays simply. And people love it.

So I bought the U2 bass playalong book recently to confirm my suspicions. And sure enough, it is easy stuff. Maybe choosing to write those parts wasn't easy and is where the real magic is...but playing them from sheet music was a snap.

More on this in the next post.