Why do artists seem to lose something intangible in their work as they get older? I used to write it off as a physical issue until I saw U2 perform in 2018 - certain high notes proved elusive and there was less raw power in comparison to the videos I'd seen of past performances, but they still put on a great show. The new stuff, though, was hard to get excited about, and it's impossible to envision any of their post-2010 albums being considered above average (or should I say median?) by their lofty standards. Age seems to matter but there's more to the drop-off than the physical concern.
A note from U2 by U2 got me thinking about this once again. I wrote down that turning thirty is a kind of turning point for many people - they recognize that their immortality is in the past (I think Bono said it). Reader, I can confirm this notion (1). A constant sense of danger has a certain diminishing effect on life, like going from being the star to a supporting actor halfway through the play. I imagine a sense of immortality makes it easier for an artist to put his or her life through a pencil, paintbrush, or amplifier - if you don't feel at risk, you take more risks. But once you see the shadow of death, it's hard to ignore it, which makes it so difficult to throw yourself into something unrelated. It's no coincidence to me that the best U2 songs of the past decade are the few that seem to deal in some way with these inevitable accumulations of loss, but maybe it's just me; I'm getting older, too.
Endnotes / Footnotes
0) "Boring Bono" was the original title for this one but I soon realized being interesting is different from being interested.
1) This happened for me at around twenty-six, I think, which was really bad timing, but that's another matter.
