When you swing for the seats, you can wind up a goat or a hero. No rock 'n' roll band in recent memory swings for the seats like U2. The Irish foursome may have been influenced by punk, but it never bought into punk's non-commercial strain. U2 never wanted to be anything but the biggest band in the world.

There's no other band that enjoys U2's level of popularity while, 25 years into its career, still making music that isn't a pale shadow of its early work. U2 has provided fans with many thrilling and memorable moments. It also has given even its most die-hard supporters moments of pause. Even agony.