#fun lovin criminals
COVER STORY
(In Which We Cover Covers)
The Edge - “Suspicious Minds”
Whatever you expect to get from the above video, I think I can guarantee that you won’t get it. The title of the video promises U2 guitarist / Spider-Man librettist The Edge singing Elvis Presley’s post-movies comeback hit “Suspicious Minds.” You might think that sounds promising, or at the very least interesting.
But you also failed to notice that the title also tells you that this is from a live show in 1997, which means that it comes from the band’s PopMart tour. If you’re unfamiliar, this tour was U2′s grand attempt to double down on the sensory overload of their Zoo TV tour, ironically skewering consumerism by creating the most absurdly gaudy spectacle that they could.
In one sense, it was a great success, in that it was an absurdly gaudy spectacle. But the whole thing also toppled into literal Spinal Tap levels of absurdity, including multiple times that the band got stuck inside a forty-foot-tall motorized mirrorball shaped like a lemon. Yes, you read that correctly.
But anyway, the fact that this cover took place on that tour should probably tip your hat to the fact that things are gonna get weird.
After The Edge has brief heart to heart with the audience and a pre-recorded guitar track comes in, Huey Morgan, frontman of supporting act Fun Lovin’ Criminals, tells the crowd to put their hands up because “THIS IS THE EDGE!!! THIS IS THE EDGE!!! YEAH!!!” He will not stop for the duration of the song.
What follows can only be described as the biggest karaoke concert in history, with the guitarist of biggest band on the planet moseying through a perfectly acceptable rendition of pop hit as the lyrics appear on the jumbotrons behind him (presumably to allow the audience to sing along).
You gotta admit that I was totally right, though.
When you started this video, I’m certain that you were not expecting “guitar-free karaoke, but with an incessant hype man.”
But that’s exactly what it is.
- TWG
PS: How wild is it that this isn’t the worst U2 solo cover I’ve posted here?
