Things change. Longtime fans recognize that U2 are a different band now than they were in 1976. It’s that ability to change and adapt that has made our favorite band what they are. Imagine where we’d be right now if U2 followed up Rattle And Hum with another album in that vein. Imagine if there was no electronic or experimental phase to their career, no returns to form or controversial work with modern producers. U2 are defined by how they’ve changed and grown along the way.
In other words, while change can be frustrating and downright frightening, it also has the potential to be a positive thing. You might have noticed quite a lot of changes here at AtU2 in the past year or so. After nearly 25 years of steady leadership under our founder Matt McGee, we now find ourselves relearning what it means to be a news site. There have been a number of difficult conversations among our staff since his decision to step aside, and a number of familiar names in our community decided that it was their time to step aside too. We wish all of them the best; this community could not be what it is without them, so we owe them a debt of gratitude.
In the aftermath we found ourselves having to figure out how to grow. We discussed what directions we should take, and how to best serve our readers. Over the past couple of months we came to realize that we simply cannot be exactly the same AtU2 that Matt McGee built, because, well, none of us are Matt McGee. That realization was difficult for a lot of us, but we’ve pressed on and will continue to do so. We’ve added some fresh new voices who you are likely already familiar with. Ian Ryan and I have been doing our best to guide AtU2 into a new phase while also honoring its past. We’d particularly like to thank Karen Lindell for her work transitioning from Matt to our current leadership. We are confident that we are all headed in the right direction together. One thing we’ve all come to realize is that our new group of folks have different priorities, different responsibilities and a different outlook.
So what does this mean for you, our dear readers? It means that recently you may have noticed we’ve missed a few newsworthy items, or flagged a bit in some tour coverage. We apologize sincerely and pledge now that we are working to overcome those issues to bring our coverage back up to the level you deserve from us. It might take a little more time, but we will get there. To start, we have introduced a new “Week In Review” feature that summarizes the band’s happenings rather than reporting on things as they happen. Of course, we’ll still be ready to jump on anything big (Songs Of Ascent, maybe?), but otherwise we’ll be just a little quieter on the news front. We’ll continue to provide timely news coverage through our social media channels, so that’s likely the best place to find us going forward. You can find links to our social media pages below. And we will certainly continue to provide analysis and opinions at the same rate we always have. That won’t change.
We thank you for your patience, and for sticking by us during what has been a trying time. But it has also been an affirming process, as we have all had the opportunity to evaluate what makes us passionate about U2 and how we can best channel that into this website. We will continue to foster a lively discussion about U2 and serve you, our readers. It’s not lost on me that this rebirth is occurring during what will be our 25th year of existence. It’s been a wild ride up to this point, but I see no reason why it can’t continue. I hope that we can keep going until long after the band hangs up their guitars and drum sticks.
All of us here at @U2 wish you, our readers, a Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah and a Happy New Year!
© AtU2/Betteridge, 2019