U2 adapts to changing times

Even while maintaining its status as one of the few musical acts that can still fill stadiums, U2 is struck by how quickly its world is changing -- musically and politically.

Charismatic front man Bono, in a reflective mood as U2 closes the North American leg of its "360" tour, notes the different, more polarized atmosphere in the United States since the band performed its anthem "City of Blinding Lights" at President Obama's inauguration in January.

"I didn't think it could come to this so quickly, after the joyous occasion of that election," Bono said in an interview on board the band's plane, as they jet to another stop on the tour. "I thought America was looking good. ... Things are getting a little rough now."

Bono said he's been in touch with Obama and is confident the president will deliver on campaign promises, including the singer's favorite issue: funding to fight AIDS in Africa.

Meanwhile, Bono the rock star and the rest of U2 are struggling a bit themselves -- as incongruous as that might seem for a band that will have performed to millions of people before its tour wraps overseas next year.

From left, Larry Mullen Jr., Bono, Adam Clayton and The Edge of the rock band U2 make their way out to the stage Sept. 24 during their "360" world tour stop at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J. (Evan Agostini ~ Associated Press)

Like other bands in the digital age, U2 is struggling to grab new listeners. Its members admit to frustration at the average album sales for its most recent release and wonder, as bassist Adam Clayton put it, whether the idea of an impassioned rock 'n' roll fan is becoming a thing of the past.

"The commercial challenges have to be confronted," Clayton said backstage at "Saturday Night Live," before the band's performance on the show's season kickoff. "But I think, in a sense, the more interesting challenge is, 'What is rock 'n' roll in this changing world?' Because, to some extent, the concept of the music fan -- the concept of the person who buys music and listens to music for the pleasure of music itself -- is an outdated idea."

The band's latest CD, "No Line on the Horizon," debuted at the top of the charts when it was released in March and has sold a respectable 1 million, according to Nielsen SoundScan. But the CD, which features more electronic music experimentation from U2, is the group's lowest selling CD in more than a decade. It represents a drop from 2004's "How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb," which has sold 3.2 million copies to date, and 2000's 4.3 million seller, "All That You Can't Leave Behind."

"No Line" is also hasn't had a signature hit.

U2's last CD had "Vertigo," which wasn't a huge song on the pop charts but became so ubiquitous thanks to Apple's iPod commercial that it might as well have been a No. 1 smash.

The first single from "No Line" -- the driving, upbeat "Get on Your Boots" -- didn't have a similar platform and didn't crack Billboard's top 30 singles pop chart. Meanwhile, "I'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight" was featured in a Blackberry ad as part of the new partnership between the mobile device and U2 but was not released as a single.

Songs from the new album are clearly resonating with die-hard fans. "Get on Your Boots" drew one of the more frenetic responses from the crowd during a recent concert in Foxborough, Mass., outside of Boston, as did the anthemic show closer, "Moment of Surrender." Yet the album hasn't had the impact for which U2 had hoped.

Some would argue that the Irish rockers -- Bono, Clayton, The Edge and Larry Mullen Jr. -- remain pop's biggest act. They are entering their fourth decade of music-making with a string of awards, from Grammys to Billboard to Golden Globes, tens of millions of records sold and a social impact that few musical acts can ever hope to achieve.

Still, they find themselves in the same challenging position as most pop groups today, who must seek new ways to connect with music buyers in a declining industry and an increasingly fractious entertainment world.

"Music exists in an environment where people are multitasking, and I think that's a very different environment," Clayton said. "I worry that the world of rock 'n' roll that I grew up in is destined to end up that way."

U2, of course, is hardly in danger of becoming a band that only gets heard in obscure clubs.

Its "360" tour is a massive undertaking that has the band performing in the center of stadiums, hence the "360" title. The production, which includes stages that take days to dismantle, has been one of the top grossing tours in the country since it kicked off in September.

"The thing about U2 has always been its audience, and in this environment, I think the audience is so important, and the reaction is so important," Mullen said.

On tour, U2 can best gauge fan reaction to the new material. Last month at the cavernous Gillette Stadium near Boston, it was almost as frenzied and passionate as the reaction U2 gets for its classics. A roar came from the crowd as the band opened the show with "Magnificent," and the energy kept building as U2 performed four more new songs, including "Get on Your Boots."

"Judging by the reaction to the album, live, I feel like it has really connected," The Edge said. "There's a lot of records that make great first impressions. There might be one song that gets to be big on the radio, but they're not albums that people ... play a lot.

U2 is still hustling to promote the CD. When it was released in March, the group did "Good Morning America" and an unprecedented five-night appearance on "Late Show With David Letterman." More recently, U2 appeared on "SNL."

"I love to see an outsized band like U2 behaving like they're in the kindergarten and just doing what you do with your first album -- taking it to the market, setting up your table, selling your wares, selling it out the street corners, giving out fliers," said Bono, breaking into a wide grin. "I think selling out is when you stop believing enough in your music to put yourself out to explain it to people."

U2's Blackberry partnership includes an application that allows users to download the CD and photographs, liner notes and more.

Yet the band is also careful not to be too unwieldy when it comes to attempting new avenues to promote its music.

"We're trying to do everything we can on that front without having to change what we're about artistically: The music stays sacrosanct," The Edge said. "We are much more focused on being the best than being the biggest."

And that means perhaps making the kind of album that doesn't guarantee hits but does guarantee surprises and new ideas, which "No Line" has delivered.

"The biggest danger for a band like U2 is accepting that you've reached a certain age, and, therefore, you can just actually sit back," says Mullen.

"That's not what we signed up to do. We want to make relevant, great music, and Bono has said numerous times, 'One crap album and you're out,"' he adds. "We've avoided it so far."