There's been a lot of talk about this next band and their lead singer... maybe too much talk. This next band isn't just a group of social activists; they're the greatest rock band in the world (aka U2). If those last two sentences confused you, you need to pick up U2's disc "Under a Blood Red Sky" and listen to the live version of Sunday Bloody Sunday. But there has been a lot of talk about U2, but what would you expect? They are one of the greatest rock bands of all time, and Bono doesn't exactly shy away from the limelight. But Bono doesn't hold the limelight by partying on the Sunset Strip or being arrested for drunk driving or getting married for the fifth time, he holds the limelight in support of his many social causes. The strange thing is that the same people who enjoy reading about Lindsey Lohan's latest exploits in the tabloids are the same people who say they are tired of listening to Bono talk about this social cause and that social cause and that he should just shut up and sing.

I tend to fall on the other side of things; U2's involvement with social justice makes me more interested in their music. Nonetheless, I can understand people who go to a rock show to hear rock music, not to be preached at. Apparently, Bono understands this too.

On U2's live version of Silver and Gold from their album "Rattle and Hum" Bono takes a break in the middle of the song to do a little preaching. He tells the story of Apartheid in South Africa and the lack of action from Western nations. And at the end of his preaching Bono calls out those who are bored with his talk of injustice. He calls out those who don't have time to listen to talk about injustice. Bono says "Am I buggin' you? I don't mean to BUG you!" (which is even funnier when you realize that Bono is about to invent his infamous character "The Fly") And then Bono and the Edge prove all those people who say U2's music suffers because of their interest in social justice wrong. After sarcastically apologizing for bothering people with his social justice concerns he simply says, "Alright Edge, play the blues." The Edge then rips off one of the greatest guitar solos of all time, slapping the nay-sayers with the fact that their music can stand alone and despite their personal views they can still rock. This speech and guitar solo seem to answer U2's critics on all fronts. So next time you hear critics of U2 slamming their social justice activism and claiming that their music isn't as good because of all their extracurricular activities, point them to this video clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-9NaIYULk6s