Politics and Religion in U2's Music

At RockBandLounge.com, a recent discussion has been the mixing of politics and music, with a primary example offered by those who are very much against said mixing being that done by Bono and U2. Now, I am very much aware that not everyone is going to agree with their politics (often, myself included). Similarly, there are those who say the same about religion and music...that if they wanted to hear songs about God, they would go to church. My question to these people though, is how could you know much of any of the music put out by U2 and not realize that political issues and religion are two of the primary components that go into their music? If it is so prevalent in the music, why would you not expect those things to be emphasized in a live concert setting?

U2 is an Irish band...and Ireland is a country with a long history of political and religious stife. Bono's lyrics are about what is important to him, about what he is thinking and seeing and feeling because of the world around him. And as they have grown in popularity and travelled the world, they have seen the political issues all around the world. All of that has found a way into their music, and in exchange, into their live shows.

U2 songs focusing on/dealing with politics, or having a political element (not an exhaustive list):

A Celebration, A Sort of Homecoming, Acrobat, Bullet the Blue Sky, Desire, Fast Cars, God Part II, I Will Follow, If God Will Send His Angels, Like a Song, Love and Peace or Else, Miss Sarajevo, Mothers of the Disappeared, New Year's Day, New York, October, One, One Tree Hill, Peace on Earth, Please, Pride (In the Name of Love), Rejoice, Seconds, Silver and Gold, Staring at the Sun, Stranger in a Strange Land, Sunday Bloody Sunday, The Refugee, The Wanderer, Van Diemen's Land, Walk On

U2 songs focusing on/dealing with religion, or having a religious element (again, not a comprehensive list):

40, A Celebration, Acrobat, All Because of You, All I Want is You, Always, Bullet the Blue Sky, Drowning Man, Exit, Fire, Gloria, God Part II, Grace, Hawkmoon 269, I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For, I Will Follow, If God Will Send His Angels, In a Little While, In God's Country, Like a Song, Love and Peace or Else, Miracle Drug, Miss Sarajevo, Mofo, Mysterious Ways, One, Peace on Earth, Please, Red Hill Mining Town, Rejoice, Scarlet, Shadows and Tall Trees, The First Time, The Three Sunrises, The Wanderer, Vertigo, Wake Up Dead Man, Walk On, When Love Comes to Town, Window in the Skies, With a Shout, With or Without You, Yahweh

Many of the songs listed above fall into both categories, both politics and religion. These things are an intrinsic part of who the members of U2 are, and also what U2 the band is all about. If you stripped the politics and the religion out of U2's music, would it even be worth listening to anymore? What would they be saying? U2 has always been a band with a message...

Since they are such integral components of U2's music, I would think that they would be remiss if they left some sort of statement out of their live concerts to that effect. Should the whole concert be about their political views and their religion? Of course not. But I feel that they have struck a good balance in how to present it within the context of the concert experience. By and large, their political message is present during one or two performances of songs during a set. They end each concert, typically, with one of the songs they end their albums with...songs which speak directly to God. Fans of the band who are not intrested in the political message typically know when it is coming, and it is more often done in a visual manner than in an auditory manner (i.e. images on the screens during a song), so they could close their eyes during that time, or just simply watch the band and not the screens. Fans who aren't interested in the religious message can enjoy the close of the set can interpret those songs in another manner, which is possible with virtually all of those songs. Bono leaves his lyrics open for whatever interpretation a person chooses to place on them... The point is though, that if a person is even a relative fan of the band, they should be aware of the political and religious themes prevalent in their music and not be shocked, surprised, or otherwise turned off by a bit of it cropping up in a concert situation. If they did not include some of that in their performances, they would not be being true to who they are as a band.

Anyways, take that all as you will. I'm sure I will not convince anyone of the opposing opinion to change theirs...I just think it should all be laid out there.