Create A Greatest Hits Style Tour Setlist

[Headache in a Suitcase]

It's 2021 - Songs of Ascent is in the "Edge is still tinkering" stage. The band has been off the road since the end of 2018 (sorry Australia!) and is getting an itch to tour - but instead of doing an album tour like JT30, decide to do a massive stadium tour on the backs for their most popular singles and live tracks.

No B sides, no deep cuts (unless they became live staples) - create a live set of 25 songs that has some sort of flow to it

Allow me to begin...

1. Out of Control
2. The Fly
3. Mysterious Ways
4. Discotheque
5. Vertigo
6. Beautiful Day
7. I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For
8. Gloria
9. Sunday Bloody Sunday
10. I Will Follow
11. New Year's Day
12. Bullet The Blue Sky
13. Pride (In The Name Of Love)
14. Elevation
15. Desire
16. Stay (Faraway, So Close!)
17. One
18. All I Want Is You
19. City of Blinding Lights
20. Where The Streets Have No Name
[--encore--]
21. Electric Co.
22. 11 O'Clock Tick Tock
23. With or Without You
24. Bad
25. 40

 

[DeVaul]

Ohhhh yes.

http://oi50.tinypic.com/29yleut.jpg

I'll be back with mine...

 

[The_acrobat]

Good thread idea! Will also post mine later when I have more time to think!

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

They could easily fill two nights without repeating a song if they really want to, playing only singles or well known live tracks.

 

[Axver]

I'm not even going to go for a cut like The Electric Co., popular as it has been live. Everything here is on the Best Ofs/U2:18.

1. Until the End of the World
2. Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me
3. Vertigo
4. Elevation
5. Even Better Than the Real Thing
6. Mysterious Ways
7. Beautiful Day
8. Angel of Harlem
9. Sweetest Thing
10. Stay
11. One
12. All I Want Is You
13. I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For
14. Where the Streets Have No Name
15. New Year's Day
16. Pride
17. I Will Follow
18. Sunday Bloody Sunday
19. Gone

20. Desire
21. When Love Comes to Town
22. The Fly

23. Discotheque
24. With or Without You
25. Bad (with 40 outro)

Honestly, I'd enjoy the shit out of that. I thought of putting in COBL, or a moderately successful non-Best Of single like THBAO or In God's Country or Gloria, but decided to keep it quite constrained to the hits of the hits. Originally I was going to cop it and include Stuck in a Moment, which is hard to avoid under this concept, but then I figured Sweetest Thing fits in the same spot and is well liked.

Could come up with plenty of variations too. Just using singles/Best Ofs, you can assemble something with some massive treats. It's insane just how scarce hits like AIWIY, WLCTT, HMTMKMKM, and Stay have been.

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

I'm not even going to go for a cut like The Electric Co., popular as it has been live. Everything here is on the Best Ofs/U2:18.

1. Until the End of the World
2. Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me
3. Vertigo
4. Elevation
5. Even Better Than the Real Thing
6. Mysterious Ways
7. Beautiful Day
8. Angel of Harlem
9. Sweetest Thing
10. Stay
11. One
12. All I Want Is You
13. I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For
14. Where the Streets Have No Name
15. New Year's Day
16. Pride
17. I Will Follow
18. Sunday Bloody Sunday
19. Gone

20. Desire
21. When Love Comes to Town
22. The Fly

23. Discotheque
24. With or Without You
25. Bad (with 40 outro)

Honestly, I'd enjoy the shit out of that. I thought of putting in COBL, or a moderately successful non-Best Of single like THBAO or In God's Country or Gloria, but decided to keep it quite constrained to the hits of the hits. Originally I was going to cop it and include Stuck in a Moment, which is hard to avoid under this concept, but then I figured Sweetest Thing fits in the same spot and is well liked.

Could come up with plenty of variations too. Just using singles/Best Ofs, you can assemble something with some massive treats. It's insane just how scarce hits like AIWIY, WLCTT, HMTMKMKM, and Stay have been.

Seriously... It would be easy to do a "two sets" concept, similar to what i/e was supposed to be, using only hits, singles and popular live cuts.


It's a crime that this band doesn't mix things up more. There's just so much that they're leaving out.

 

[DeVaul]

Gone ain't a hit and you could slot in any of the other songs you mentioned and only us maniacs would complain.

 

[EdgeFest]

How about Elevation 27x.

 

[DeVaul]

How about Elevation 27x.

Maybe at the start, but it'll end up being 24x

 

[kabigon]

22 of them will end up bossa nova acoustic

 

[TinKnight]

No B sides, no deep cuts (unless they became live staples) - create a live set of 25 songs that has some sort of flow to it

I wanted to great really anal about this, but I guess I'll consider anything a single to be a hit

1. Even Better Than The Real Thing
2. I Will Follow
3. Lemon
4. Gloria
5. Beautiful Day
6. New Year's Day
7. Elevation
8. One
9. Desire
10. Electrical Storm
11. The Fly
12. Mysterious Ways
13. Discotheque
14. Staring at the Sun
15. Get On Your Boots (come at me)
16. All I Want Is You
17. Stay
18. The Unforgettable Fire
19. Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me
20. Sunday Bloody Sunday
21. Pride (In The Name of Love)
22. Love is Bigger Than Anything In Its Way
23. With or Without You

Encore:
24. Vertigo
25. Kite (Walk On if Kite not acceptable)
26. Bad
27. Where The Streets Have No Name


lol @ U2 playing a 27 song hit-fest. Sure, take out Boots and Love is Bigger I guess.


I'd be pretty happy with this, although I love when bones are thrown. I think I'd rather see 3 hits swapped out to see something like Out of Control, Zooropa, or something else out of the ordinary.

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

I wanted to great really anal about this, but I guess I'll consider anything a single to be a hit

1. Even Better Than The Real Thing
2. I Will Follow
3. Lemon
4. Gloria
5. Beautiful Day
6. New Year's Day
7. Elevation
8. One
9. Desire
10. Electrical Storm
11. The Fly
12. Mysterious Ways
13. Discotheque
14. Staring at the Sun
15. Get On Your Boots (come at me)
16. All I Want Is You
17. Stay
18. The Unforgettable Fire
19. Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me
20. Sunday Bloody Sunday
21. Pride (In The Name of Love)
22. Love is Bigger Than Anything In Its Way
23. With or Without You

Encore:
24. Vertigo
25. Kite (Walk On if Kite not acceptable)
26. Bad
27. Where The Streets Have No Name


lol @ U2 playing a 27 song hit-fest. Sure, take out Boots and Love is Bigger I guess.


I'd be pretty happy with this, although I love when bones are thrown. I think I'd rather see 3 hits swapped out to see something like Out of Control, Zooropa, or something else out of the ordinary.

you broke a rule

No B sides, no deep cuts (unless they became live staples) - create a live set of 25 songs that has some sort of flow to it

2 songs must go. i suggest starting with Boots

also, "popular live tracks" are allowed... because technically speaking Bad was not a "hit" either.

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

Gone ain't a hit and you could slot in any of the other songs you mentioned and only us maniacs would complain.

but it was on the second greatest hits album, and was played every night on two straight tours, so i'll allow it.

 

[TinKnight]

you broke a rule

2 songs must go. i suggest starting with Boots

fine, ill take out the greatest song of the 21st century, nay, humankind, ever conceived, crafted, recorded and performed.

Part of me wants to keep Love is Bigger just for any sort of representation past 2004, but the person has spoken: Love ain't bigger than the rules.

also, "popular live tracks" are allowed... because technically speaking Bad was not a "hit" either.

Not too many fit the bill for this though, huh? Bad, Bullet, Until the End of the World, Homecoming?

 

[DeVaul]

but it was on the second greatest hits album, and was played every night on two straight tours, so i'll allow it.

It wasn't played every night on Elevation. Starting your weekend early?

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

It wasn't played every night on Elevation. Starting your weekend early?

Meh... More than half of the first two legs.

And on the greatest hits 1990-2000 CD.

I'LL ALLOW IT.

 

[DeVaul]

So you are drinking already, then.

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

fine, ill take out the greatest song of the 21st century, nay, humankind, ever conceived, crafted, recorded and performed.

Part of me wants to keep Love is Bigger just for any sort of representation past 2004, but the person has spoken: Love ain't bigger than the rules.



Not too many fit the bill for this though, huh? Bad, Bullet, Until the End of the World, Homecoming?

Those are some pretty big motzah balls though.

Running To Stand Still is another one.

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

So you are drinking already, then.

One needs to stop in order to be able to start

 

[TinKnight]

26. Bono slurping down 3 bowls of motzah ball soup

 

[DeVaul]

One needs to stop in order to be able to start

Restart and top off yourself

 

[YBORCITY]

I'm not even going to go for a cut like The Electric Co., popular as it has been live. Everything here is on the Best Ofs/U2:18.

1. Until the End of the World
2. Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me
3. Vertigo
4. Elevation
5. Even Better Than the Real Thing
6. Mysterious Ways
7. Beautiful Day
8. Angel of Harlem
9. Sweetest Thing
10. Stay
11. One
12. All I Want Is You
13. I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For
14. Where the Streets Have No Name
15. New Year's Day
16. Pride
17. I Will Follow
18. Sunday Bloody Sunday
19. Gone

20. Desire
21. When Love Comes to Town
22. The Fly

23. Discotheque
24. With or Without You
25. Bad (with 40 outro)

Honestly, I'd enjoy the shit out of that. I thought of putting in COBL, or a moderately successful non-Best Of single like THBAO or In God's Country or Gloria, but decided to keep it quite constrained to the hits of the hits. Originally I was going to cop it and include Stuck in a Moment, which is hard to avoid under this concept, but then I figured Sweetest Thing fits in the same spot and is well liked.

Could come up with plenty of variations too. Just using singles/Best Ofs, you can assemble something with some massive treats. It's insane just how scarce hits like AIWIY, WLCTT, HMTMKMKM, and Stay have been.

I could endorse this, what a great set, perfect flow!

 

[YBORCITY]

26. Bono slurping down 3 bowls of motzah ball soup

and this.....

 

[jphelmet]

Always like the idea of them doing a chronological type show.

01 Out of Control
02 11 O'Clock Tick Tock
03 Gloria
04 A Day Without Me
05 NYD
06 SBS
07 Bad
08 Pride
09 Streets
10 I Still Haven't Found
11 Without or Without You
12 Desire
13 All I Want is You
-Intermission: Go Away and Dream it Up Again Video-
14 The Fly
15 Even Better
16 One
17 Stay
18 Lemon
19 Discotheque
20 Please

21 BD
22 Elevation
23 Vertigo

24 Moment of Surrender
25 EBW
26 40

 

[Axver]

Seriously... It would be easy to do a "two sets" concept, similar to what i/e was supposed to be, using only hits, singles and popular live cuts.


It's a crime that this band doesn't mix things up more. There's just so much that they're leaving out.

Yep. I think I've posted similar in the past, that this is a band with such a huge catalogue of hits that you can have considerable diversity without even digging into the deep cuts. It's simply strange how some hits have gone so neglected. To take just one example, look at AIWIY, surely one of the band's defining songs. It has not even been performed 200 times; it's behind songs like Zoo Station, October, An Cat Dubh, and Walk On. As far as regular tours go, it has been played 72 times times since 2000 - even The Electric Co. has over 100 performances in that time!

Gone ain't a hit and you could slot in any of the other songs you mentioned and only us maniacs would complain.

but it was on the second greatest hits album, and was played every night on two straight tours, so i'll allow it.

Anything that is on a Best Of is about as well-known and widely exposed as a U2 song can be. Gone belongs on a greatest hits tour.

I'm literally posting here because of that song being on that compilation.

 

[DeVaul]

Best Of doesn't equal an automatic "greatest hit." And that's coming from someone who loves Gone. The First Time and October are on the Best Ofs and neither qualifies, either.

All great songs, though.

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

Best Of doesn't equal an automatic "greatest hit." And that's coming from someone who loves Gone. The First Time and October are on the Best Ofs and neither qualifies, either.

All great songs, though.

I think it would qualify all of the songs as well known ane/or readily recognizable though

 

[Axver]

I'm going to give the no-repeats-over-two-nights thing a go. We all know U2 would never shake it up like this, but let's see what it would look like if they did. Obviously I need to cast the net a bit more broadly than just the Best Ofs/U2:18, because that's not enough songs, but sticking with songs that have been live staples or made a dent in the charts. I have also allowed each set one relatively prominent post-HTDAAB song.

Arrows indicate potential segues.

NIGHT ONE
(This night gets a serious political sequence in the middle. The songs beforehand, SYCMIOYO/Stuck/Stay, could be seen as a personal segment, the general theme being about the personal being political. It could be an acoustic section but hell no - could get too slow anyway, without the likes of Stuck being full band. And I must admit I love the ending - 11OTT seems to be seguing into The Ocean like the old days, Bono sings a few lines, and then in comes the red screen and Streets kicks the show out of the park.)

1. Beautiful Day
2. Out of Control
3. Two Hearts Beat As One
4. Sunday Bloody Sunday
5. Until the End of the World -->
6. Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses
7. Desire
8. Staring at the Sun
9. Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own
10. Stuck in a Moment
11. Stay
12. Please -->
13. Miss Sarajevo -->
14. The Unforgettable Fire
15. I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For -->
16. All I Want Is You
17. Mysterious Ways
18. The Fly

19. Gone
20. Magnificent
21. When Love Comes to Town
22. Vertigo
23. The Electric Co.
24. 11 O'clock Tick Tock (with The Ocean outro) -->
25. Where the Streets Have No Name

NIGHT TWO
(Without Streets, the big segue is in the main set: One's outro leads into The First Time, which then provides a transition into WOWY as the highest point of the night. But the encore is where I think the action is. I struggled to think of how to fit in Numb, but it works here as part of a nineties encore segment, essentially as Edge providing a commentary on the period. Play HMTMKMKM/EBTTRT out on a b-stage, then fade into Edge doing Numb while the rest of the band go back to the main stage, and then blend an "I feel numb/too much is not enough" Edge outro with Bono singing to him that he can reach, but he can't grab it, etc. The alternative is to open the encore with Numb and use it as an introductory piece for the nineties songs. And, after the nineties excess, Electrical Storm is a bit of a cleanser before concluding with Bad/40 as the ultimate finale to any two-night stand.)

1. Elevation
2. I Will Follow
3. Gloria
4. In God's Country
5. Bullet the Blue Sky -->
6. Running to Stand Still -->
7. New Year's Day
8. Last Night on Earth
9. Angel of Harlem
10. Sweetest Thing
11. Every Breaking Wave
12. City of Blinding Lights
13. Lemon
14. One -->
15. The First Time -->
16. With or Without You
17. Pride
18. Walk On

19. Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me
20. Even Better Than the Real Thing -->
21. Numb -->
22. Discotheque
23. Electrical Storm
24. Bad -->
25. 40

It was only after I had listed about 44-45 songs that I felt my inclusions were starting to push the limits. 49-50 was an executive decision - Please and LNOE were singles that charted in the UK top ten, so I took them ahead of The Hands That Built America and Window in the Skies, despite those two being on major comps. By this point there's also possibly a case for Boots, but, in the spirit of taking executive decisions, "fuck that shit".

Anyway, I would pay many dollarydoos for these shows.

 

[DeVaul]

I think those tracks would be a "stump the casuals" moment at a Greatest Hits show. I had to tell people around me to shut the fuck up when the band dug out October in 2015.

 

[DeVaul]

More importantly, I feel like I'm getting somewhere in sequencing my GH setlist.