More specifically - do U2 face a reckoning now that their Vegas adventure is finished? They have already done 2 tours/show series based on past glories, so they can't go back there again (there is nothing to go back to anyway). And each tour has relied more and more on tricks and tech to make up for relatively weak new material which has been either ignored or lukewarmly received.
So the stakes seem to be as high as they have ever been for this band to release some compelling new music. Atomic City was not the embarrassing turd that Ahimsa and the football song were, but it wasn't exactly groundbreaking either... just more in the vein of Vertigo, Boots and Miracle...
Bono has done a better job lately in keeping his annoying mouth shut and they kept the politics to a minimum in Vegas, so maybe they do actually have some self-awareness about the animosity they have built up over the years. But now they have to deliver. Will they?