Two notes before I begin. First, someone fairly close to the situation asked if I was going to continue my vendetta against Dallas Morning News music critic Mario Tarradell. The answer: YES, capped because I can’t curse here. Second, I know he didn’t write this headline, but “U2 to perform songs from several of its CDs at Cowboys Stadium concert” certainly has a “From the Desk of Mario Tarradell” feel to it.
I mean, come on, here is the first sentence of his U2 column: “That U2 concert sure is the huge music event of 2009, to say the least.” Guh. I’m not done.
Then there are these bits of typing (not writing):
“Vertigo” should be a highlight of the night. That’s U2 on hyperspeed adrenaline.
An excellent U2 creation, Behind was the CD that brought them back to artistic prominence after the misguided messes that were 1993’s Zooropa and 1997’s Pop.
Tree is an album that transcends the decade in which it was released. It’s timeless.
But War, the band’s third studio effort, immediately defined U2 as a passionate rock band with plenty to say about worldwide social and political issues.
On balance, this is not as bad as some Mario Tarradell creations. But is it so hard for him to write something that doesn’t sound like a Wikipedia entry with a (slight) bit of rewording? The only real opinion — re: Pop and Zooropa — is nothing more than conventional wisdom. (Of course, I’d go double-guns on the Zooropa punch-up, just for its inclusion of “The Wanderer,” featuring Johnny Cash.) I don’t want his job. I just want the DMN to give it to Hunter Hauk.
