Best U2 Live Performances

[thavidesco]

Discotheque from Toronto on the Vertigo tour.

Yesss! Best performance of the son ever. Why they didn´t play it regularly remains a mystery to me

 

[popacrobat]

Edge said he didn't think it fit the setlist, or something silly.

 

[djerdap]

Yesss! Best performance of the son ever. Why they didn´t play it regularly remains a mystery to me

Agreed. The Chicago version is also great.

Edge didn't like it. At least it was played, unlike Mofo which was extensively rehearsed but never got the chance to shine in front of an audience.

 

[thavidesco]

Agreed. The Chicago version is also great.

Edge didn't like it. At least it was played, unlike Mofo which was extensively rehearsed but never got the chance to shine in front of an audience.

Edge had to be out of his mind, that rockier version fit perfectly, it had tremendous energy!!!

 

[brooklynmike]

UTEOTW from Sydney was phenomenal.


Sent from my iPhone using U2 Interference

 

[purpleoscar]

UTEOTW Hall of Fame
Vertigo Hall of Fame

 

[pop_mofo]

You all know what I'm going to post.

The finest five minutes of U2 ever. They could have begun and finished their career with this and I would like them no less:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H2kWgm-0xmM

Perfection.

This is easily one of their finest single performances! A sublime 5 mins!




Sent from my iPad using U2 Interference

 

[thavidesco]

This is easily one of their finest single performances! A sublime 5 mins!

Sent from my iPad using U2 Interference

Edge was fucking on fire!!!

 

[JDon169]

Seeing U2 in Munich Joshua Tree Tour... just a couple of years before the Wall Fell...You entire lower level was surrounded by Troops with machine Guns and most were dancing to U2!

 

[OneLoveOneLife]

The Rattle & Hum version of Sunday Bloody Sunday with Bono's speech is so so so awesome.

Also, Running To Stand Still - Chicago 2005 ;
One from Slane Castle 2001 is the best version of it that I've seen so far ;
Staring At The Sun, Kite, Until The End Of The World & All I Want Is You from Slane too ;
Stay from Boston 2001.

& I'm clearly forgetting some.

 

[Blue Room]

You all know what I'm going to post.

The finest five minutes of U2 ever. They could have begun and finished their career with this and I would like them no less:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H2kWgm-0xmM

Perfection.

100% agreement. Streets from the same show is also quite powerful.

 

[Blue Room]

Agreed. The Chicago version is also great.

Edge didn't like it. At least it was played, unlike Mofo which was extensively rehearsed but never got the chance to shine in front of an audience.

Edge did not think it fit in the setlist (I disagree). Bono is the one that nixed the Popmart intro to it. That is why the intro was not done in Chicago (which I also disagree with)! Bono was not in a good mood that day.

 

[Axver]

100% agreement. Streets from the same show is also quite powerful.

Yeah, probably the best version of Streets ever.

 

[bobsaget77]

There could honestly be entire threads about the best versions of Bad and Streets.
I'm still going with Bad 1993 Dublin and Streets at Slane.
Worst version of Streets is the version with Springsteen. Not sorry to Bruce fans either, that was awful. His voice was totally wrong for that song. And with Bono, it would easily be Glastonbury. That Jerusalem segue was ear screeching and it was played way too early in the setlist.


Sent from my iPhone using U2 Interference

 

[YBORCITY]

You all know what I'm going to post.

The finest five minutes of U2 ever. They could have begun and finished their career with this and I would like them no less:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H2kWgm-0xmM

Perfection.

Yes... my favorite song and the best live version ever. And agreed on Streets that night... hell the whole show was tremendous, prolly my all time favorite.

 

[thavidesco]

That Jerusalem segue was ear screeching and it was played way too early in the setlist.


Sent from my iPhone using U2 Interference

To me Jerusalem segue was perfect, the best intro for Streets ever. Unlike Amazing grace that was done plenty of times and that was impossible for Bono to sing in Streets key.

 

[prbiker15]

The Jerusalem snippet was my least favorite segue.

 

[bobsaget77]

Hallelujah and Amazing Grace were pretty good segues on 360. Bad/40 and All I Want Is You were incredible on elevation.
But Please beats them all; best song transition they've ever done.


Sent from my iPhone using U2 Interference

 

[Axver]

I'd say Bad was at its prime in 1987. Some truly incredible performances.

Streets' prime managed to run all the way from 1987 to 1993, though I'd say 26 and 30 December 1989 are the two clear frontrunners for the title of best. The sequence of Bad/40/Streets on Elevation was pretty damn good but Bono's voice wasn't what it was so they never quite hit the lofty heights of the best 1987-93 performances.

 

[YBORCITY]

I'm lucky that Streets is one of my all time favorite songs and I'll know I'll see that every show. As for OTH,I've only seen it live a handful of times and the last time was Joshua Tree Tour. I would love for them to play it more often but if they don't it will be okay as the rarity factor makes it so special. Bad US a bit different though, I've seen this one live a number of times and while I love it so much, the Joshua Tree Tour's epic 10 plus minutes of sheer heaven can never be revisited.
Now if they would dig out ASOH and consider Heartland, I would be totally happy.

 

[bobsaget77]

Bad from Point Depot December 31 1989 was amazing. But the mic totally went haywire about halfway through and it hurt the song imo. Which is a dang shame. Still one of the best, though.


Sent from my iPhone using U2 Interference

 

[thavidesco]

You are right I forgot about Please into Streets transition, that was epic

 

[jeevey]

Love is Blindness - Birmingham, June 1st 1992

Beautiful, stunning, breathtaking, Bono reciting Yeats' September 1913 at the end. Edge's performance is out of this world.

Bullet the Blue Sky, London, August 11th 1993

"ZOONITED NATIONS!"

Exit - Austin, November 22nd 1987

Featuring snippets of Riders on the Storm, Gloria (Van Morrison) and Silver and Gold. Edge goes crazy in the end, extending the song til it explodes.

Mysterious Ways - Dublin, August 28th 1993 and Sao Paulo, January 31st 1998

One of their best live songs.

Bad - East Rutherford, April 15th 1985

A 16-minute version. It never outstays its welcome.

Dirty Day - Sydney, November 27th 1993

This doesn't warrant an explanation.

With or Without You - East Rutherford, March 18th 1992

Early ZooTV shows combined the spectacle with a bit of Lovetown spontaniety. This version is a key example of that.

Tryin' to Throw Your Arms Around the World - Stockholm, June 11th 1992

Loose and fun.

Running to Stand Still - Rotterdam, January 6th 1990

Amazing crowd, motivating the band to keep going with the song, Bono adding an extra Bongolese verse at the end.

Hawkmoon 269 - Sydney, November 18th 1989

Again, no explanation needed.

Desire - Rotterdam, January 10th 1990

Edge shredding. Enough said.

...and many more.

You've given me a research project to celebrate the end of the semester with. Many thanks.