For the first time in a decade, U2 failed to win a Grammy. What went wrong? Let's face it, NLOTH was not U2's greatest moment. I confess that I hardly ever listen to it because it...hurts. Yes, Bono's lyrics are still searching for the answer to the ultimate meaning of it all. But, in the past his lyrics have had a sense of hope and the music would carry you along to a higher plane. I think the lyrics and the music lack the ethereal quality of their previous albums. When I first heard the album, my first thought was that Bono needs Prozac. The songs Unknown Caller and Fez come across as self indulgent poetry. Now that I have pissed you off, dear readers, we will move on to my opinion about the rest of the Grammys.

Brian Eno won an award for his collaboration with David Byrne. They won in the category of "recording package." I'm not sure what that is, but kudoz to them.

U2 lost big time to Green Day. I was really looking forward to their performance, but instead I got a glee club performance. Green Day on Broadway? I thought they were way too cool for such a thing! Speaking of Broadway, will Spiderman ever see the light of day?

I was disappointed with the Michael Jackson tribute. I think it could have been so much more--longer for one. I was expecting hip hop and rocks brightest performing Jackson's greatest hits-not Celine Dion and Carrie Underwood. Slash was in the house so why not let him rock out to Thriller or Beat It?

I now understand Lady Gaga. She is the love child of Ziggy Stardust and Elton John. Yes, I realize that both Bowie and John are male, just go with it.

So that you don't think I am a total arse, I enjoyed Pink's trapeze performance. It was graceful and elegant.

Finally, Dave Mathews (I am a fan) demonstrated that his dancing is worse than all of the members of U2 put together. What started out as a nice love song quickly turned into a hoe down.

It is hard to believe but ten years have passed. During this past decade a lot has happened to the world, including the world of U2.

The decade started with U2 releasing their first album of the twenty-first century. Rumored to be a return to their rock n' roll roots, U2 had their careers riding on the album's success. The band had spent the 90's experimenting with new sounds. While these albums were successful creatively, they left critics and some fans scratching their heads. The band had in the past thrived under pressure, and this was no different. ALTYCLB proved to be a success both artistically and financially. U2 had reclaimed their position at the top.

The lyrics in ALTYCLB seemed to echo the times as the U.S. tried to cope with the aftermath of 911. U2 showed their support by displaying the names of the victims on a screen during their concerts. Bono also took to wearing a jacket lined with an American flag.

'Twas the night before a U2 Christmas, when all through the house
Not a U2 was stirring, not even Bono's mouth;
Their boots were sat by the chimney with care,
In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there;

They were nestled all snug in their beds,
While visions of music notes danced in their heads;
When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,
They sprang from the bed to see what was the matter.

When, what to their wondering eyes should appear,
But U2 fans riding reindeer
There were a lot fans, lively and quick,
U2 wondered, "What of St. Nick?"

More rapid than eagles the fans they came,
And they whistled, and shouted, and called them by name;
Now, Bono! now, Edge! now, Adam! and Larry!
Come Out! Come Out! You all in a hurry!

And then, in a twinkling, the fans were on the roof
They danced and sang with the reindeer's little hoof.
As U2 got worried and was turning around,
Down the chimney fans came with a bound.

They were dressed for fun from head to foot,
And their clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot;
Their eyes -- how they twinkled! Their cheeks how merry!
Their mouths were like roses, their noses like cherry!

They were singing and jolly just like Santa's elves,
And U2 laughed when they saw them, in spite of themselves;
A wink of an eye and a twist of a head,
Soon gave U2 to know they had nothing to dread;

They spoke not a word, but went straight to their work,
And took their souvenirs and then turned with a jerk,
And laying their gifts they stood in a pose
And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose;

They sprang to their deer, and then gave a whistle,
And away they all flew like the down of a thistle.
But u2 heard them exclaim, ere they drove out of sight,
"HAPPY CHRISTMAS TO U2 AND TO ALL A GOOD-NIGHT!"

I was unable to go to New York for the Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame 25th Anniversary Concert; so I jumped for joy when HBO played 4 hours of the concerts last night. I jumped around and sang along to most of the songs as if I were really there in Madison Square Garden.

I could say many things about all of the performances, but I will stick to U2's performance for my blog. I did notice that the editors of this program gave a bit more time to U2 footage (coming in second only to Bruce Springsteen who got almost a full hour of coverage).

U2's duet with Bruce Springsteen for "I Still Haven't Found what I'm Looking For," was pure genius. I would of liked to have seen Springsteen and U2 perform a few more songs.

U2's 360 tour
No Line on the Horizon
The members of U2 are growing older gracefully
People who are not afraid to stand up to rock stars
My U2 buddy, Abbey
U2 Station.com
The Jubilee Network for never giving up or backing down
U2 Station.com administrator god, Jonathan
Those tight pants Bono wore in the 80's
Larry's handsome good looks
The Edge's guy next door image
Adam for being the coolest under pressure
The Charlottesville concert on my birthday
Brian Eno
Willie Williams
The Claw
Next year's tour
Elvis Presley
John Lennon
Jim Morrison
U2 fans
U2 Station.com readers (you guys are the greatest)

I'm writing this as I listen to Muse's "Resistance" and even now, a month after I saw them open for U2, I can still remember hearing the first beats of their music as they took the stage. The sound was loud, strong, and perfect for the 360 tour. They won me over and I went out the very next day and brought their latest album.

This got me thinking about other bands that have opened for U2 throughout the decades. Which ones do I remember most? What one do I wish I could forget?

P.J. Harvey blew me away during the ATYCLB tour. I still can't believe that strong voice comes out of such a tiny body. I am now a big fan. Her album, "Stories From the City, Stories From the Sea", remains one of my all time favorite albums. Her more recent work has not captivated me as much, but I will never forget seeing her live.

by Brenda Clemons, U2Station.com Staff Writer

U2 in Charlottesville was a fantastic experience. The stage is probably the best in rock n' roll history. The band performed a powerful show. Bono, as usual, was the ultimate PR person, bringing in local facts when he addressed the audience.

I could of been inside of the inner ring but I opted out for an outside wall because I heard you can view more of the screen and stage from that angle. I wasn't disappointed by the visual affect and several times U2 came out near where I was standing. The Edge and Bono performed most of one song directly in front of me and I got smiles from both of them (perhaps it was my Guinness hoodie).

I absolutely loved Ultraviolet and I would of liked to have seen the laser jacket used for another song. This was also a big hit with the audience including those that were not hard core U2 fans.

This month marks the 40th anniversary of Woodstock. I grew up in a family of hippies and so the music of that generation was all around me. Not to glorify a day gone by, but my family has so many great stories of that era: everything from seeing the Beatles perform live to dropping acid with a then unknown poet named Jim Morrison. I had to pause and ponder the question: Have I been witness to any historical rock n' roll moments? If so, I'm sure it involved U2.

My parents were rather old when I was born, both in their 40's. All of my cousins were older than me and still dedicated to their hippie music and lifestyle. I remember at a young age seeing all of the long hair, fringe, and tie dye. My one cousin, Marilee, was living with a guy, David, who had a "devil dog" patch sewn to the crotch of his pants. (For those of you too young to know, Devil Dog was a cup cake brand popular in the 70's). I'm sure that at the young age of 5, I would not have made the connection of devil dog with this man's crotch if my parents had not made such a big deal about it.

U2 are the biggest band in the world and I have personally met Bono and I love him to death. This doesn't mean that I am going to stand around and tell the world (and him) that I love everything that he and the rest of U2 are doing. And I think that the Bono I have met would respect that. At least I hope he would. If he doesn't, then I feel sorry for him. I remember Bono saying in an interview once that he fears being in a room filled with nothing but people on his payroll because he knows that he may not be getting their honest opinion on things. I respect him too much to not give him an honest opinion.

First off, hey Great Administrator God, since you have turned off censoring, can I cuss in my blog. I ask this because, after seeing the Ultraviolet video we have streaming, I can only say, "What the fuck?".

I kind of like the lazer jacket because I think it may be a cool effect to those sitting in seats higher up in the stadium. i even like the rope, which I affectionately call the "monkey rope". I think this suits Bono and will be great once he figures out what he should do with it. What I don't like about it is that it looks like a big steering wheel with the microphone in the middle. As a monkey rope, it works well. As a microphone hanging down from the top of the stage, what the fuck? Or, maybe my complaint is that it covers his face during most of the song. Please tell me, is this the only song that uses this micriophone contraption?

After watching the concert footage, I realized something that I haven't thought of, no mater how close I get to the stage, at some point I will be looking at butt. (Because the stage rotates). Now, I love U2, but I can see old butt sitting in my living room.

The stage concept is Magnificent. But it screams for some hard core Pop or Achtung Baby.

As for the mask, I have a better idea. Hey U2 Gods, if you are lsitening, instead of having us download and print out a ridiculous mask, how about just having each one of us donate a dollar to Amnesty International? I figure it will probably cost me about that much in paper and ink (and time) to print out that mask. Imagine how much money that would be if each concert goer donated a dollar?

Now that I have complained, let me just remind everyone that we are U2 fans and we finally get to see a concert. Perhaps we should not look a gift horse in the mouth!

Achtung, Baby!!!!