The Edge throws 360/12 and kicks it across stage

philco · Post by **philco** » Sun Apr 27, 2003 11:01 am

I noticed in my video of U2's 2001 Elevation Tour that The Edge threw down his Jetglo 360/12 at the end of a song. He began to walk away, then angrily turned around and kicked it across the stage. The name of the song was "Gone", and that is probably one gone guitar. It should at least keep his guitar tech busy for a while. Shades of Pete Townshend!!! I have never seen The Edge treat a guitar this way before. He never picked up a Rick for the rest of the concert, and you never see him treat his Fenders, Gibsons, Gretsch, or Taylor guitar this way on the concert. Think maybe he is mad because he didn't get a signature model named after him after playing Ricks all these years, or shall we just accept this behavior as an occasional "Irish Thing" of his that comes up every now and then, and the 360/12 just happened to be the unfortunate guitar?

He seems to have taken a fancy to his Gibson Explorer more than at any time in the past, although he has played it on every video I have of the band. He just never seemed like the kind of person that would treat a guitar the way he did that 360/12. Anybody know if he still plays that 360/12, or was his behavior a statement about his feelings toward the 360/12?

ricnvolved · Post by **ricnvolved** » Sun Apr 27, 2003 11:39 am

Probably just an unfortunate aberration, although it's my understanding that Irish of artistic bent in some form or another are heavily prone toward alcoholism. It's possible the idea that his career could very well be on the downside may have occurred to him when he had the 360/12 in his hands. We may never know the real reason til someone enterprising enough (and who cares enough about it to ask) confronts him with the question.

As for high profile rock guitar players smashing their instruments, I don't recall Ritchie Blackmore destroying anything other than Fenders. Is there a subtle message in this relevation that the public has failed to pick up on? "Pete Townshend Lite", perhaps? However, I've never been a fan of Blackmore (although I certainly recognize and respect his genuine talent) and it's quite possible he may have smashed other brands. Someone please correct me if this is the case.

eddier · Post by **eddier** » Sun Apr 27, 2003 4:12 pm

>>>shall we just accept this behavior as an occasional "Irish Thing"

>>>although it's my understanding that Irish of artistic bent in some form or another are heavily prone toward alcoholism.

Correct me if I am wrong gentlemen, but, Dave "The Edge " Evans is actually of Welsh lineage. Your points are well taken though.

Anyway I wish Edge would kick Bono across the stage, like he did the RIC. Unlike the RIC, Bono deserves it.

jimintexas · Post by **jimintexas** » Sun Apr 27, 2003 5:13 pm

Is it possible that the guitar in question ****** him off because it "let him down" during the performance of a song (ie. went out of tune, broke a string, the neck shifted between soundcheck and show time etc.)?

I'm sure that you guys that take your rig to work have had all the above happen to you, especially with a 12 string.

philco · Post by **philco** » Sun Apr 27, 2003 5:22 pm

Hey, Edmond, what if The Edge knocked Bono across the stage with the 360/12, and Adam returned the serve with his Fender bass, and a point is scored by the first person to send Bono through Larry's drum? Would that satisfy everybody's need for some mayhem? If the 360/12 isn't strong enough for the task, the 650D certainly is, and much more cost effective. Anyway, growing up poor and not having nice stuff like these guys, this sort of behavior aggravates me. I don't even want to see a Fender smashed, and there are enough of them around to smash one every day from now to eternity without running out.

ricnvolved · Post by **ricnvolved** » Sun Apr 27, 2003 7:21 pm

Edmond-- Point noted on The Edge being of Welsh descent. (Obviously, I'm not a big fan of U2 either.) However, one immediately thinks of the late Welsh actor Richard Burton and his well documented love affair with the bottle. Regardless, Irish or Welsh, I stand by my crude & sarcastic innuendo concerning The Edge's behavior with the Ric 360/12.

admin · Post by **admin** » Mon Apr 28, 2003 1:18 am

I am not sure who was first to destroy expensive equipment on stage, however, as surely as such acts gained attention in the 1960s, the same can be said for similar events today.

Whether you pulverize or barbeque a beautiful instrument, it speaks volumes about one's personality and emotional status. Is the act of smashing the very instrument that has lead to one's "fame", a reflection of having edge, being on edge or being over the edge?

jazzsmith · Post by **jazzsmith** » Mon Apr 28, 2003 2:31 am

I've only been playing for five years and most of my friends are professional musicians who have been playing all their lives. So, it gets frustrating knowing that, even if I had the talent I will never catch up. Still, I content myself with the knowledge that I can play at least as well as one of the most famous, wealthiest guitarists in the World - The Edge!

wormdiet · Post by **wormdiet** » Mon Apr 28, 2003 4:45 am

Y'all may be getting upset over very little. I can think of one EXCELLENT use for a rickenfaker.

And yes, U2 may be a collective of pompous overblown poseurs, but they have produced some very good music in their day. SOme of us think so anyway.

johnhall · Post by **johnhall** » Mon Apr 28, 2003 6:25 am

The Edge damaged the jack assembly, sparking this incident and putting the guitar out of commission for awhile. After getting some replacement parts, guitar tech Dallas Schoo repaired it and put it back in service. Unfortunately, it was later totally destroyed when the river Liffey flooded U2's warehouse Dublin.

philco · Post by **philco** » Mon Apr 28, 2003 3:17 pm

I like some of U2's music, but Bono committed an even graver act of arrogance and stupidity than The Edge in the name of political correctness when he ragged on Charlton Heston and Charlton's reasonable assertation that a gun in the hands of a good person was of no threat to anybody except bad people. U2 is always making a half-baked political statement in about every video I have of them, and it "do get tiring", to say the least. I think the statement Charlton made that the band disparaged and twisted could be amended to say "A gun in the hands of The Edge is a threat to everybody, unless he points it at Bono".

"Pull the trigger on the rock-n-roll nigger. He's bigger than Jesus on a bumper sticker." (Hey, Edge, those are Bono's own EXACT words used in the concert. Give him his wish!) The words that Bono speaks in a self-righteously serious vein are far worse than anything that Mick Jagger ever said in the name of showmanship. As the lone pagan in the band without a religious ax to grind, I tend to give Adam the benefit of the doubt. He seems to be a bit more laid back and tolerant, and he and Larry give Bono and The Edge a firm foundation for their grandstanding and posing.

Bono and Philco have definitely opposing views of private gun ownership, but since Philco's views are backed by a scoped and very-well-sighted-in and meticulously maintained and very accurate and rugged Springfield Armory FAL variant that he NEVER mistreats like The Edge does his 360/12, and Bono's views are not backed by anything but his big mouth and 100,000 watts of audio power, I guess Philco and his 10 pound FAL wins that round hands down. I think that was Charlton's point.....we do not let idiots run our lives and get the upper hand on us. Especially the type that hold fine things that have been hard won in contempt. CAN I GET A WITNESS???

Bono, go back to singing and dancing and making a politically correct *** of yourself, and leave the serious life-and-death stuff to others who are more sane than you.

Edge, keep your hands off of my guitars until you decide to grow up and act responsibly toward the finer things in life.

Adam and Larry, do try a bit harder to keep your fellow grandstanding bandmates within the bounds of reasonable sanity.

eddier · Post by **eddier** » Mon Apr 28, 2003 5:10 pm

Jeffery Bauguss-Your point is well taken on the innuendo and you have a fellow sympathizer regarding the fate of the Edge's poor RIC.

Philco-I like the idea of "El-Kabonging" Bono into the drum kit with the RIC. Shades of Pete Townshend & Abbie Hoffmann (never has an SG served a more nobiler purpose).

Mr. Hall-What is your reaction when you see pop stars abuse their RIC instruments?

ricnvolved · Post by **ricnvolved** » Mon Apr 28, 2003 8:54 pm

Edmond-- Thanks for your support; I'm also quietly pleased that you detected the cutting sarcasm in my initial post. But, like John McKelvy, I really don't get too wound up over such guitar smashing antics anymore. Maybe it's a sign of my later years, but I'm (to use a well-worn cliche) more philosophical about such silliness. To be honest, I was far more critical of Ritchie Blackmore's destruction than I ever was of Pete Townshend's. Why? Because I was a huge Pete fan, of course. Yes, it was hypocritical, but what are ya gonna do? Besides, Pete did it first.

That's not to say that I was completely forgiving of Pete's actions. It bothered me knowing that Townshend was shredding Rics; I just wasn't as vocal about it compared to Blackmore's theatrics.

When it comes right down to it, it WAS The Edge's guitar after all and I suppose it's his privilege to smash it. I consider it to be cheap, tawdry rock 'n roll sensationalism and it would far more interesting to see if he has it within him to achieve something even marginally original in his music & playing. I'm willing to lay odds that The Welsh ****** doesn't have a clue.

philco · Post by **philco** » Tue Apr 29, 2003 1:34 pm

The problem with attitudes like the one that The Edge has with his guitar it that they lead to other attitudes like the one that Bono (and probably the whole band) have toward people like Charlton Heston. Bono smashed and twisted Charlton's statement with even less regard than The Edge has for his guitar. Bono is able to get up on stage and run his big mouth because of first amendment rights that are safeguarded by the second amendment rights he willingly trashes. As a matter of fact, this last video upset me so much with the band's half-baked politically correct posturing, that I doubt I will ever buy another one. They have long aggravated me in this regard, even mentioning positive remarks for that whitewashed murderer Bishop Tutu. The liberal media makes sure to keep his past covered up, while braindead do-gooders like U2 paint a different picture like a bunch of "useful idiots" from the early Soviet era. I can excuse only so much ignorance.

Yes, The Edge can darn well do as he pleases with his own guitar (and I support that right while frowning upon the act), but I can darn well think of him as an overgrown spoiled adolescent as well. Pete Townshend had given up his destructive behavior before reaching The Edge's age, I do believe. Pete started his amp smashing because Vox kept supplying him with unreliable amps that would not make it through a concert without blowing up. Contract bound him to use no other brand on stage. Pete was letting Vox know that he was tired of being screwed and would retaliate from then on unless changes were made, or he was released from the contract. The first amp Pete smashed was freshly blown, and Pete was freshly ****** off again, from the information I got. The continuation of destruction resulted from wild audience approval, which still doesn't make it entirely right if Vox fixed the problems later. Has Rickenbacker ever done anything to offend The Edge? Is it right to show public contempt for a fine musical instrument that has served a musician well, which might lead an audience to conclude the instrument was substandard in some way? It's not legally wrong what The Edge did, and I don't want "guitar police" wandering around to prevent guitar smashing by rightful owners, but it points to greater problems the band has with their thinking. In many bands, the other members would be offended if any single member displayed such behavior that could negatively reflect upon them. A band of U2's character (and especially Bono) has no right to be giving a person such as Charlton Heston a character assassination in front of a large audience. In spite of The Edge's half-baked political views, up to this point I at least thought he respected his own guitars.

Now, in my opinion, The Edge is just The Welsh ****** as Jeffery has appropriately labeled him. While not the best rock guitarist, he does play a bit better than Bleeding Heart Bono sings.....which is about two notches below the coyotes at the local wildlife preserve.

profjeff · Post by **profjeff** » Tue Apr 29, 2003 5:17 pm

I hate to see this become a band bashing forum. What has always impressed me about this venue is the support we offer each other. When we start to criticize bands, we polarize ourselves. I am a professional musician and I will not ever make negative statements about another artist in a public forum. Neither would most professionals.

I saw U2 for the first time at the Us Festival in San Bernardino, California in the early '80s sharing the bill with David Bowie, the Pretenders, and a several other long since defunct acts (I think Berlin and Missing Persons played). U2 opened the show...they were at the bottom of the pecking order. When I saw Bono climb up the scaffolding about 100 feet in the air without a safety belt and unfurl a white flag, I knew that this would be a band to be reckoned with. Their sound was totally fresh, and the Edge's staccato-multi tap delayed guitar licks echoed off the smog-enshrouded foothills like a machine gun. I was, and still am, totally impressed.

I was the first one to mention the Edge's on stage antics months ago in this forum and I stand behind the statement I made at the time: "The guitar made some cool noises as it slid across the stage."