How does U2 feel about bootlegs?
In 1991, when a bootleg of U2’s studio sessions called The New U2 (the first version of what would eventually become the Salom bootleg) was being distributed, Island Records took out a full-page ad in the British publication Music Week warning record stores that the label would “take legal proceedings” against anyone selling the bootlegs. U2 manager Paul McGuinness issued a press statement saying the bootleggers were cheating fans by distributing inferior material. In a later interview about the incident, Bono said: “The only thing that can piss you off is if people are charging a lot of money for something that isn’t very good. It [the Achtung Baby working tapes] got bootlegged in Berlin and it was just like having your notebook read out. That’s the bit I didn’t like about it. There were no undiscovered works of genius, unfortunately, it was more just gobbledy-gook.” During 2001, several other comments were made by the band regarding the recording of their shows. They made it clear th
