Rank the Tours

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I have no idea who posted the story. It was a while back on this board.

But they were so excited during the Popmart intro they were yelling & screaming directly at the band (while they were walking out) & Edge just gave them a look like, 'WTF dude settle down.' Hhaha

2011 360 was better than 2009 for me. Band was in much better form & it had the U2 magic. Wish they would have mixed the NLOTH w/ the AB/Zooropa material on that leg though.
 
I just realised I forgot Elevation in my ranking (probably says it all with regards to my opinion of it, especially the third leg). It would be 10th, between Vertigo and 360.



If the final leg of 360 was the only leg of 360, it'd definitely rate higher ... but that was too little, too late in my books. I won't go on at any great length because I think my opinion on 360 is reasonably well established around these parts. It boils down to the factors you named, plus the fact I just don't like stadium tours to begin with (Lovetown's weakest shows are easily the four big stadium gigs in New Zealand, much as it pains me to say so), my general disinterest in Bono's current vocals, Bono's habit of wailing over every-bloody-thing Edge tried to do, the fucking masks, and honestly just this feeling of being underwhelmed that I couldn't shake. Underwhelmed by the performances; underwhelmed by the song selection; underwhelmed by the attempted spectacle. The only other tour where I get a distinct sense of being underwhelmed is the third leg of Elevation.

All of this, yeah.

ZooTV > Popmart > Vertigo > Lovetown > JT Tour > Elevation (first two legs) > UF Tour > Boy-War >>>> Elevation (third leg) > 360

Out of those I've seen:

Vertigo >>>>>> 360
 
360 was my first tour so not much ranking if we go by "tours attended".

Going by bootlegs/DVDs and taking into account band energy/Bono performance/stage setup, the winner is divided into three parts -

Band energy : Lovetown, followed closely by Zoo TV. They were never better IMO. Top 3 is rounded up with JT tour.

Bono performance : Zoo TV, easily. Toned down the 24/7 screaming, added the falsetto and traded the Kermit voice for a cool roaring sound on the big notes. The one minus is he lost the natural tone he had in the 80's due to smoking. Likewise, followed closely with Lovetown and JT tour.

Stage setup : Zoo TV, as much as Popmart and 360 have tried, it can't be topped.

Setlist (if this matters to you) : much as it was static, Popmart really flowed well and was the perfect mix of old and new. Zoo TV might have won this one, had Macphisto and Zooropa not hijacked the show in the last legs. No other tour worked nearly as well in setlists.

Taking the JT/Lovetown/Zoo TV out of the equation, not much compares. They weren't on the same level live before, or since. A little due to their age, a little due to thinning vocals, a little due to less inspiration.
 
seen a show every tour since ZOO TV
and so far I enjoyed every tour more than the one before
 
1. Zoo TV- I wasn't there, but the Sydney DVD pretty much sealed it for me as a lifelong U2 fan.
2. Elevation- 5/7/01 Columbus- still the best gig I've ever seen. The Elevation tour as a whole just seemed to have this vibe of "right thing at the right time". Also saw the 10/10/01 South Bend show, which felt like another tour altogether in it's post 9/11 version. Also a great night, but Bono seemed subdued, and acted like his mind was somewhere else.
3. Popmart- 5/24/97, my first concert ever, U2 or other. I was 15, and I was amazed. Popmart had some shaky early shows, but by this point (a month in) they had their shit pretty well together and did a great show.
4. 360- Saw in 2009 and 2011. Also felt like 2 different tours. The performances were great, Bono's voice was really good, and I actually liked the massive scale of it.
5. Vertigo- Elevation's less likeable, but more interesting little brother. I loved the setlist variations, and wish I could've seen a stadium show to compare the 2.
6. Lovetown- I consider this to be their best era as far as musical performance. They were all very tight, and they seemed to be a little more polished and mature in their performances. You could see, and hear, 80s era U2 giving way to their less uptight 90s image.
7. JT and before
 
ZooTV is probably the only tour where Bono wasn't kind of embarrassing.
Well, he was in that "it's cool to be uncool" vibe that hit the mainstream in the early 90s.

For me personally, things like pretending to inject himself with a needle in the hammiest way possible is grandstanding to an embarrassing degree. But that's just me.
 
PhilsFan said:
ZooTV is probably the only tour where Bono wasn't kind of embarrassing.

Dont get me wrong i agree with you but i had zoo tv from sydney on the tv the other day and my missus just didnt get it she said bono looked pathetic and was embarrassing himself
 
Best overall performance: ZOO TV
Best music (band) performances: Lovetown
Best vocals: Lovetown
Best energy: War tour
Best stage design: ZOO TV
Best setlists: Lovetown
Best look: Joshua tree

Tour I would die to see and would be ok to trade 4 Vertigo concerts for: WAR
 
I've only attended the 360 Tour and I don't see how someone could dislike it, but I do agree that 2011 was better than 2009.

As for other tours, I don't think I missed much by not seeing the Africa-- I mean, Vertigo Tour, but I would have loved to see the Elevation Tour.

I wouldn't bother with anything from the 80s; I watch those concert videos the least. It's just a lot of screaming and politics. Well, maybe it's not THAT bad, but that era interests me the least.
 
Well, he was in that "it's cool to be uncool" vibe that hit the mainstream in the early 90s.

For me personally, things like pretending to inject himself with a needle in the hammiest way possible is grandstanding to an embarrassing degree. But that's just me.

Well...it's always over the top with him, especially speechifying or "acting" (which includes the rock star shtick on Zoo TV).

http://u2fanlife.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/06/bono-macphisto.jpg Surely no one found this embarassing...
 
I have always thought and will always think that MacPhisto and The Fly are badass.

Shooting up during Running to Stand Still is a little on-the-nose.
 
I wouldn't bother with anything from the 80s; I watch those concert videos the least. It's just a lot of screaming and politics. Well, maybe it's not THAT bad, but that era interests me the least.
See, to me that's like saying: "I really love Ringo Starr -- he's my favorite, except I can't stand any music he made in the 60s! It's just a lot of big tunes and powerful rhythms played with some shaggy-haired guys."
 
I wouldn't bother with anything from the 80s; I watch those concert videos the least. It's just a lot of screaming and politics. Well, maybe it's not THAT bad, but that era interests me the least.

Clearly written by someone who didn't attend a single 80's era concert, and has a profound lack of understanding of what actually went on in those shows.

And if you think the 360 shows didn't have politics, you weren't paying attention.
 
Clearly written by someone who didn't attend a single 80's era concert, and has a profound lack of understanding of what actually went on in those shows.

And if you think the 360 shows didn't have politics, you weren't paying attention.

Call me glib, but can you or any others kind of expand on that a bit? For those of us that missed out on the 80's shows, what did we miss out on in particular that we didn't get at any of the shows over the past 22 years or so? Song performances, more/less emotional, more/less political, what exactly?

That's not a cut on the 80's shows either, I'm just genuinely curious! :)
 
U2 in the 80's was just U2. No stage gimmicks or technology. Just raw energy on stage. It is the main reason they became so big because of those live performances. There was a chemistry there that I think you had to experience first hand to understand. They were young, really pushing (especially Bono vocally from 84 to 89) and you felt like you were part of it in the crowd.

The chemistry and a similiar energy is still there. But "sometimes" the technology and massiveness of the production overtakes it. Sometimes it enhances it. I do not think U2 in the 80's was any better or worse than U2 in any other era. But it was a different experience obviously. There was just something about U2 from 85 to 89 and it was more of a vibe or energy thing. They were the upcoming band and then THE band during that time and it was just a great atmosphere to experience. Obviously it is hard to describe! :lol:
 
U2 in the 80's was just U2. No stage gimmicks or technology. Just raw energy on stage. It is the main reason they became so big because of those live performances. There was a chemistry there that I think you had to experience first hand to understand. They were young, really pushing (especially Bono vocally from 84 to 89) and you felt like you were part of it in the crowd.

The chemistry and a similiar energy is still there. But "sometimes" the technology and massiveness of the production overtakes it. Sometimes it enhances it. I do not think U2 in the 80's was any better or worse than U2 in any other era. But it was a different experience obviously. There was just something about U2 from 85 to 89 and it was more of a vibe or energy thing. They were the upcoming band and then THE band during that time and it was just a great atmosphere to experience. Obviously it is hard to describe! :lol:

Well said.
 
Clearly written by someone who didn't attend a single 80's era concert, and has a profound lack of understanding of what actually went on in those shows.

And if you think the 360 shows didn't have politics, you weren't paying attention.

Yeah, it was a little hard to attend with me not being born until 1987.

And I know the 360 shows had politics, but it was more "Please help these unfortunate people," and not so much uptight, self-righteous preaching. Even though I'm sure that's not how it was all the time throughout the 80s, that's the impression I get from the material I've seen, particularly from the JT era. Bono really did need to chill out. He must have been totally unbearable.
 
Yeah, it was a little hard to attend with me not being born until 1987.

And I know the 360 shows had politics, but it was more "Please help these unfortunate people," and not so much uptight, self-righteous preaching. Even though I'm sure that's not how it was all the time throughout the 80s, that's the impression I get from the material I've seen, particularly from the JT era. Bono really did need to chill out. He must have been totally unbearable.

Well, i feel the exact opposite. Bono was unbearable during Vertigo Tour with his speech about Africa. I didn't see U2 live in the 80's unfortunately, but that's Bono's attitude of the 80's that attracted me to this band (besides music itself). And his sreams and shouts about politics and his beloved white flags.....
 
Yeah, it was a little hard to attend with me not being born until 1987.

And I know the 360 shows had politics, but it was more "Please help these unfortunate people," and not so much uptight, self-righteous preaching. Even though I'm sure that's not how it was all the time throughout the 80s, that's the impression I get from the material I've seen, particularly from the JT era. Bono really did need to chill out. He must have been totally unbearable.

Not in the least...the Bono of the 80's may have been brash and seemingly a little full of himself (or the possibilities of U2), but he was also very charismatic and extremely entertaining. The 3 shows I saw in the mid to late 80's were three of the greatest shows I've ever witnessed. The crowd was so into what U2 was about, it really was like a huge campfire where everyone is feeling the 'spirit'.

I remember April 17, 1987, Los Angeles Sports Arena...Good Friday to boot, U2 had just gone number 1 on the Billboard Charts...the crowd response to the opening notes of WTSHNN was EARTH RATTLING! I have never heard a crowd so loud, so alive, so eager to explode...and as the band came up to the stage, one by one, the noise got louder...but as soon as Bono appeared on stage (and I had the vantage point of seeing the band come up the steps to the stage) the arena literally EXPLODED in pure adulation and admiration. It was one of the greatest concert experiences I've ever had...and 25 years later I still remember it like it happened last night.

The only concert that ever came close was the April 10, 2001 show in San Jose, CA, which Bono claimed to Willie Williams was the best show U2 had ever done...I can testify that show was 'other-worldly'...an emotional experience that I doubt I will ever experience again in a concert setting.

Bono was idealistic, and wildly enthusiastic in the 80's, but listening to a bootleg in no way does justice to the actual experience of being in the crowd and seeing the interaction of band and crowd. Those days can never be recreated...I don't believe...and I'm sorry this generation can't experience that.
 
I have cringed at moments throughout U2's history with some of the political side of things. I did not get into U2 because of their political beliefs, I got into them because they make great music and are one of the greatest live acts ever.

Again, every single tour has had its moments that have made me cringe or I did not necessarily agree with what was being said. But that is not why I was there or listening. Some really like the political aspect of it and maybe that enhances their experience and there is nothing wrong with that either. Ultimately it is about the music and how that music is presented. The speeches in between or during a song or two do not make or break any U2 tour for me and never have. :shrug:
 
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