Shuttlecock XVI - Cobbler's Revenge

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PhilsFan said:
Bono'd probably look a lot more like his father now if he wasn't dying his hair.
Click to expand...

Bono got his hair right once...Zoo TV.

Other than that, it has been mostly a ride of "why you should not follow the era's favorite hairstyles if you pictures taken"
 
At least in 87-1990 his long hair was all one length. I don't think The Joshua Tree era would be as timeless as it is if he kept the mullet.
 
Bono's attempt to grow long hair again during the Bomb era produced a hairstyle I simply refer to as Darth Vader Helmet Hair.
 
Ok, now that I'm finally home, here is my (way too long) review of the Philly show:

We were in GA, and this was my fifth Shuttlecock show, it was my first time doing GA. We were maybe 2/3 of the way back on Adam's side of the stage. We didn't do that standing in line thing, we just got there about an hour before they took the stage(we didn't care about the Lumineers). Even though we could've pushed and shoved and squeezed are way closer to the front, neither of us wanted to do because we wanted the personal space, room to breathe, etc, that being a little farther back allows. Anyway, being on the floor was awesome. Real close to the screen, close enough to see the band, room to jump up and down and have a good time, etc.

So anyway...

Sunday Bloody Sunday

I thought this was an incredibly effective opener, maybe my favorite of all the openers they've used in the 21st century. The way Larry just struts on stage, sits down, and as soon as the Pogues are over, BANG. Then the riff starts and out comes Edge, then oh-oh-oh and out comes Bono, Adam bringing up the rear. They way they used it to give everyone and individual entrance, and how amped up the whole building gets right away. The song also sounds more energetic than it has in a long time, I'd say since Elevation or, maybe even since the original JT tour. Great opener, classic song.

New Year's Day

One of those warhorses that never gets old for me. I don't need to tell you all why the song fucking rules, but it was a great performance, was impressed with Bono still hitting 'though torn in two/we can be one'. I have to say, though, hearing 'maybe the time is right, maybe tonight' and 'so we're told that this is the golden age' was special. I don't know why they decided to play the 'War' version of the song this tour, but I'm glad they did. They probably won't do it again after this tour, so that was awesome to hear it in person.

Bad

Ok. I've said before that I hadn't gotten Bad since my first show in 2001, and that was from nosebleeds, so I was looking forward to this big time, and it didn't disappoint. Simply one of the greatest songs they ever wrote. I was transfixed the whole time, wanting to take in every ounce of the moment. There's nothing like when the whole stadium erupts into 'LET IT GO/SO NOW FADE AWAY/I'M WIDE AWAKE' at the same time. Every U2 fan should experience it. I also thought the America snippet worked well. But I tell you what, that moment when Bono finishes talking after the snippet/interlude, and Larry hits the drums to bring the song up to speed again and Edge takes off....fucking magic. It always is, even on bootlegs and official live releases, but in person, on the floor....it's just something else.

I will say that I hadn't realized until they were playing it that they skip a verse now. Apparently they've been doing it for awhile. Oh well, it doesn't really matter. It was incredible.

Pride

Pride, for me, is one of those songs that's skippable on boots anymore, but is always special in person. It's an absolute, seminal, classic song, and the crowd is rarely more unified than when singing 'IN THE NAME OF LOVE'. The studio version will always be tops for me, but in person, it's still great to hear live.

Where The Streets Have No Name

Streets is their Stairway. It's never not spine-tingling. The way they did the intro, visually speaking, was genius, with all of them standing in front of the tree, with Edge kind of standing behind the others so that when the riff finally starts, it's like it's coming out of nowhere, and then they step aside to reveal Edge playing. And then watching Larry get in place behind the drums on the main stage and then hit that first beat hard. They got the theatrics down. And the performance kicked ass too. Another warhorse that never, ever gets old.

As an aside, I sometimes wonder why the band has never played Streets in its album arrangement(i.e. with the 'beaten and blown by the wind' middle 8 as opposed to the oh-oh-ohs they do live), but when you're in the building especially, it becomes clear there's no other way to do it. That moment Edge adds the higher vocal on the second round of oh-oh-ohs always takes my breath away.

I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For

This was about as good a performance as you can hope for of this song at this point. Full-band and energetic, as opposed to the karaoke versions they'd been doing the last couple tours. Bono's vocal was on point, very good, though obviously he can't sing it like he did 30 years ago. Also, I thought Edge nailed the backing vocals/harmonies, and it really adds a lot.

With Or Without You

The song that got me into U2 in the first place, and ultimately probably still my favorite track of theirs, so holds a very special place in my heart. The band has never faded on this track live, but Bono obviously doesn't sing it the way he did in 1987 because he can't. But I have to say I thought he sang it better than he has since maybe Zoo TV. He's actually singing it and not speak-singing. So band kicking ass+Bono making the effort to sing it for real = great stuff. And the climactic oh-oh-ohs, both rounds, are another of those special moments that always brings everyone in the building together. One of their greatest tracks. No Shine Like Stars though.

Bullet The Blue Sky

Bullet is so heavy. It's placed perfectly on the album, a big dose of rock after the opening big 3. I think skipping it on 360 did wonders, as it's sounded so rejuvenated and energized and fresh both on I+E and here. You can tell they really get into playing it, and Bono enjoys singing it. I can't imagine what it feels like to be Edge when solo time comes and he has 60,000 people in the palm of his hands. The solo is more or less played in its original JT Tour form, and it really works in this context. He pretty much nailed it. For some reason I was expecting a longer extended spiel from Bono during the spoken word parts, but it's just the normal with a few small embellishments. Which, again, I think is the right call in the context of the album being played.

It's interesting, Bullet wasn't a single, but it's been played so much that it's got every bit the recognition. Total classic in its own right.

Running To Stand Still

This was highly anticipated. I'd only heard it once before, on the Vertigo tour, and to be honest, I felt like that performance in 2005 felt a bit stale. But this one knocked it out of the park. Understated, not overdoing it, just letting the beauty of the song speak for itself. Bono nailed the vocal, and going up an octave for the second 'ah la la la de day' is very effective. And the harmonica at the end was actually haunting, imo. Bono nailed that as well. Nothing will ever top the ZooTV versions imo, but I would go as far as to say that this version on this tour might be the second best, better even than the original JT Tour versions. Did not disappoint.

Red Hill Mining Town

The whole second side of the album was surreal. For so long I thought I'd never have a chance to hear these songs in person, and as soon as this tour was announced I began hoping that they'd do right by these songs and knock them out of the park. And they did.

When I listened to a recording of RHMT from this tour, I thought it was good, but not great. But it really, really worked in the building in Philly. I didn't even miss the guitar, the horns felt right at home to me. I thought Bono did a great job adjusting the vocal to fit his voice now. On the album, it's a great vocal take, but it's a lot of yelling. Here, he's singing it in a more controlled manner, without losing any of the passion. Getting to sing along to 'hanging on, you're all that's left to hold on to' and 'love, slowly stripped away, love, seen its better day' when we all never, ever thought it would be possible was just awesome. Great performance.

In God's Country

I legit jumped in the air when they started this. Not because I was surprised, obviously, but because hearing Edge play that riff, and hearing it sound almost exactly like it does in all of the recordings from 1987, just excited me so much. This song is a monster, and it's catchy, and I don't understand why they don't play it, full band, all the time. So much fun singing along to it. Underrated song on the album, and I think one of their all-time underappreciated choruses in terms of catchiness and accessibility. Fuck was this awesome to hear.

Trip Through Your Wires

Like many, I always thought of this as the weakest track on the album, but in getting re-acquainted with the song, it's grown on me in a big way. Bono's vocal style is unique on this song, he doesn't often sing with that twang and vaguely southern cadence. I've come to love the chorus melody and the loose, fun vibe of the whole thing. I like it now more than I ever have, and they seemed to love playing it. Great fun.

One Tree Hill

One of the most poetic lyrics Bono has ever written. He talked all about Greg Carroll beforehand. You can tell they still feel this song pretty deeply. It was a flawless performance. The band firing on all cylinders. The only thing was Bono having to sing so low on 'and when it's raining, raining hard etc'. You can tell he wishes he could still go high there. But he makes up for it with soul, and he was perfect on the verses, so whatever. Just a beautiful song.

Exit

Ok. Exit has long been #2 on my list of holy grail never-heard-it-in-person U2 list(#1 is full-band Please). I fucking love the song, have listened to the JT tour recordings from Rattle And Hum and Live From Paris 1987 so many times. I think it's one of the most incredible rock songs in their catalogue, from the atmospherics, to the brooding, somewhat scary lyrics, to the buildup, to the explosion. So it was easily what I was looking forward to the most on this tour. And my god, did it deliver.

Bono perfectly captured the paranoia and panic and franticness of the album version, just as he did on stage 30 years ago, and I just don't have the words for when the explosion happens and the band just goes into it, and then again a second time, and then again a third time. I was jumping up and down and headbanging so much, more than at any other point in the show. I think there may not be another moment in their entire catalogue where they rock as hard as they do at the end of this song. I didn't notice if the rest of the crowd was as into at as I was(though they did applaud loudly when it was finished) and I don't care. It was incredible, and I will not forget it.

Mothers Of The Disappeared

It's just a gorgeous song, and I'm glad they're doing it full-band, akin to the album version. Really tight, passionate performance. Hearing it against the visual of the mothers was pretty heavy. I did get the feeling that some of the crowd was done after Exit though. Some people were leaving, and some of the people that stayed weren't terribly into this song. Shame on them.

Miss Sarajevo

Ok. I had said beforehand that I didn't mind them piping in Pavarotti. Having seen it in person now, I see that it is a little awkward, yes, but it didn't bother me that much. I think the bigger issue is that it just shouldn't be opening the encore. It kills the energy. It should be in the middle of the encore. Anyway, it was still a great performance and it was cool to see the flag being passed over the crowd.

Mysterious Ways

So ok, I'd been looking forward to Ultraviolet. But I did get Ultraviolet at my 360 show, so it's not like I missed my only chance. So I was mildly bummed, but MW is a total classic, the band kicked it, and the slide solo is orgasmic. Ultraviolet would've been great, but this was a blast too.

And let's not blame Peef for this one. Losing The Fly for Magnificent is an orders of magnitude worse drop-off than going from Ultraviolet to MW.

One

I wasn't expecting this to be a highlight, but it was. Sometimes you hear the beginning of One and you think 'ok, here's One, it'll be pleasant, but I've heard it too much'. That's kind of what I was thinking at the very beginning. But I don't know. That was about as strong and affecting a performance of the song as I've heard since maybe ZooTV(with the exception of the one-off Modena version). The past couple tours they were kind of sleepwalking through it(I+E was a karaoke version like ISHFWILF), but they were into it here. Full on. The band was great, Bono nailed the vocal, and it was just one of those moments where you're reminded why a special song is a special song.

And we got Hear Us Coming. I mean they're doing it every night pretty much right now, so I was expecting it, but you still never know. The song doesn't feel complete live without it. Was so great to hear it. And Bono killed. He's still got some falsetto in him with that 'ooh ooh ooh' at the end.

Another thing about this is he had his glasses off. It seems like a silly thing to care about, but the fact is he's been wearing glasses 99% of the time in public for 20 years now, so at those points in shows where he does a song or two without them, there's something poignant about it, for me at least. It's like seeing someone you haven't seen in a while - I felt like I was looking at the Bono from the 'Bar' One video. Plus, seeing his uncovered face on the huge screen really sends it home that he's older now, they all are, and we are too. I don't know, it just struck me, probably didn't anyone else.

Beautiful Day

I go in thinking I'm bored of Beautiful Day, but when you're in the building it's so hard not to jump up and down to it. I think the new touches, the intro and electronic middle 8, are interesting and freshen it up a little after so many years of it being played the same way. Still works so well in the live setting. There's a reason it's considered a classic. That bass line is damn near legendary.

Elevation

Despite the fluff lyrics, I've always loved this song, there's something so effortless about it, something you can't say about some of their later singles. And they're playing it straight without the extended intro, so it's even better. Crowd was really into it. Really fun to sing along to.

BTW, this is why I said recently that ATYCLB is my favorite of their 21st century albums. It's classic, and even if you're bored of those big hits, you're still gonna bobbing along when you're in the building.

Vertigo

Would I rather have had I Will Follow? Yeah. But you know what? They sell Vertigo by being really into it, just having a blast, and the crowd loved it, so it was fun, energetic way to end things. And I kind of liked how they didn't end it after the first yeah-yeah-yeahs, but rather slowed it down and then launched into another round of riffage and yeah-yeah-yeahs. Spices it up a bit.

It was just a great, great show overall. I was struck by how fucking good these guys are at their jobs. So rarely is there a bad performance of anything. Bono is a master of getting the crowd involved, and the band is as tight as ever. Larry and Adam driving everything. Edge playing guitar, playing keyboards, and still never, ever missing a backing vocal. He's amazingly consistent and solid with the backing vocals, and I think he's not appreciated enough for that.

In addition to being fucking great at their jobs, they also looked to me like four guys who truly love their jobs, and that's always a nice thing to see. It's so obvious they're happier on the stage than in the studio.

Finally, the screen was incredible, all those visuals. I avoided as much of the visuals as possible when playing youtube clips beforehand, but now I realize that if you haven't seen them on the actual screen, you haven't really seen them. From the scenic shots(the highway during Streets?) to the shots of the women to the shots of the mothers in MOTD to the shots of the band themselves, it was just a brilliant use of the screen. You wouldn't have thunk it, but the visuals on I+E and this tour have been a lot better than anything they did with the claw on 360.

Anyway, it was so great being there. No matter how many times you've heard the songs, no matter how many boots you've listened to, it never gets old being there, and seeing them right there on the stage, and sharing the energy with the band and the crowd. It's like a drug, you feel high the whole time(and I'm not talking about the weed that you could totally smell around us).

If you're on the fence about going to this show, go, you won't regret it.
 
The Jesus hair circa 1987-90 worked for him, at that age and at that time, them being about what they were about at the time, and stuff. He was right to never grow it that long again though.
 
Namkcur, thank you so much for that review. Snapped me right out of the mire that interference drags you into and reminded me of just how fucking great this show is. You captured everything really well and I felt almost exactly the same as you about everything. Fucking lovely post man and all of a sudden I'm upset I don't have a show around the corner.
 
namkcuR said:
Ok, now that I'm finally home, here is my (way too long) review of the Philly show:

We were in GA, and this was my fifth Shuttlecock show, it was my first time doing GA. We were maybe 2/3 of the way back on Adam's side of the stage. We didn't do that standing in line thing, we just got there about an hour before they took the stage(we didn't care about the Lumineers). Even though we could've pushed and shoved and squeezed are way closer to the front, neither of us wanted to do because we wanted the personal space, room to breathe, etc, that being a little farther back allows. Anyway, being on the floor was awesome. Real close to the screen, close enough to see the band, room to jump up and down and have a good time, etc.

So anyway...

Sunday Bloody Sunday

I thought this was an incredibly effective opener, maybe my favorite of all the openers they've used in the 21st century. The way Larry just struts on stage, sits down, and as soon as the Pogues are over, BANG. Then the riff starts and out comes Edge, then oh-oh-oh and out comes Bono, Adam bringing up the rear. They way they used it to give everyone and individual entrance, and how amped up the whole building gets right away. The song also sounds more energetic than it has in a long time, I'd say since Elevation or, maybe even since the original JT tour. Great opener, classic song.

New Year's Day

One of those warhorses that never gets old for me. I don't need to tell you all why the song fucking rules, but it was a great performance, was impressed with Bono still hitting 'though torn in two/we can be one'. I have to say, though, hearing 'maybe the time is right, maybe tonight' and 'so we're told that this is the golden age' was special. I don't know why they decided to play the 'War' version of the song this tour, but I'm glad they did. They probably won't do it again after this tour, so that was awesome to hear it in person.

Bad

Ok. I've said before that I hadn't gotten Bad since my first show in 2001, and that was from nosebleeds, so I was looking forward to this big time, and it didn't disappoint. Simply one of the greatest songs they ever wrote. I was transfixed the whole time, wanting to take in every ounce of the moment. There's nothing like when the whole stadium erupts into 'LET IT GO/SO NOW FADE AWAY/I'M WIDE AWAKE' at the same time. Every U2 fan should experience it. I also thought the America snippet worked well. But I tell you what, that moment when Bono finishes talking after the snippet/interlude, and Larry hits the drums to bring the song up to speed again and Edge takes off....fucking magic. It always is, even on bootlegs and official live releases, but in person, on the floor....it's just something else.

I will say that I hadn't realized until they were playing it that they skip a verse now. Apparently they've been doing it for awhile. Oh well, it doesn't really matter. It was incredible.

Pride

Pride, for me, is one of those songs that's skippable on boots anymore, but is always special in person. It's an absolute, seminal, classic song, and the crowd is rarely more unified than when singing 'IN THE NAME OF LOVE'. The studio version will always be tops for me, but in person, it's still great to hear live.

Where The Streets Have No Name

Streets is their Stairway. It's never not spine-tingling. The way they did the intro, visually speaking, was genius, with all of them standing in front of the tree, with Edge kind of standing behind the others so that when the riff finally starts, it's like it's coming out of nowhere, and then they step aside to reveal Edge playing. And then watching Larry get in place behind the drums on the main stage and then hit that first beat hard. They got the theatrics down. And the performance kicked ass too. Another warhorse that never, ever gets old.

As an aside, I sometimes wonder why the band has never played Streets in its album arrangement(i.e. with the 'beaten and blown by the wind' middle 8 as opposed to the oh-oh-ohs they do live), but when you're in the building especially, it becomes clear there's no other way to do it. That moment Edge adds the higher vocal on the second round of oh-oh-ohs always takes my breath away.

I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For

This was about as good a performance as you can hope for of this song at this point. Full-band and energetic, as opposed to the karaoke versions they'd been doing the last couple tours. Bono's vocal was on point, very good, though obviously he can't sing it like he did 30 years ago. Also, I thought Edge nailed the backing vocals/harmonies, and it really adds a lot.

With Or Without You

The song that got me into U2 in the first place, and ultimately probably still my favorite track of theirs, so holds a very special place in my heart. The band has never faded on this track live, but Bono obviously doesn't sing it the way he did in 1987 because he can't. But I have to say I thought he sang it better than he has since maybe Zoo TV. He's actually singing it and not speak-singing. So band kicking ass+Bono making the effort to sing it for real = great stuff. And the climactic oh-oh-ohs, both rounds, are another of those special moments that always brings everyone in the building together. One of their greatest tracks. No Shine Like Stars though.

Bullet The Blue Sky

Bullet is so heavy. It's placed perfectly on the album, a big dose of rock after the opening big 3. I think skipping it on 360 did wonders, as it's sounded so rejuvenated and energized and fresh both on I+E and here. You can tell they really get into playing it, and Bono enjoys singing it. I can't imagine what it feels like to be Edge when solo time comes and he has 60,000 people in the palm of his hands. The solo is more or less played in its original JT Tour form, and it really works in this context. He pretty much nailed it. For some reason I was expecting a longer extended spiel from Bono during the spoken word parts, but it's just the normal with a few small embellishments. Which, again, I think is the right call in the context of the album being played.

It's interesting, Bullet wasn't a single, but it's been played so much that it's got every bit the recognition. Total classic in its own right.

Running To Stand Still

This was highly anticipated. I'd only heard it once before, on the Vertigo tour, and to be honest, I felt like that performance in 2005 felt a bit stale. But this one knocked it out of the park. Understated, not overdoing it, just letting the beauty of the song speak for itself. Bono nailed the vocal, and going up an octave for the second 'ah la la la de day' is very effective. And the harmonica at the end was actually haunting, imo. Bono nailed that as well. Nothing will ever top the ZooTV versions imo, but I would go as far as to say that this version on this tour might be the second best, better even than the original JT Tour versions. Did not disappoint.

Red Hill Mining Town

The whole second side of the album was surreal. For so long I thought I'd never have a chance to hear these songs in person, and as soon as this tour was announced I began hoping that they'd do right by these songs and knock them out of the park. And they did.

When I listened to a recording of RHMT from this tour, I thought it was good, but not great. But it really, really worked in the building in Philly. I didn't even miss the guitar, the horns felt right at home to me. I thought Bono did a great job adjusting the vocal to fit his voice now. On the album, it's a great vocal take, but it's a lot of yelling. Here, he's singing it in a more controlled manner, without losing any of the passion. Getting to sing along to 'hanging on, you're all that's left to hold on to' and 'love, slowly stripped away, love, seen its better day' when we all never, ever thought it would be possible was just awesome. Great performance.

In God's Country

I legit jumped in the air when they started this. Not because I was surprised, obviously, but because hearing Edge play that riff, and hearing it sound almost exactly like it does in all of the recordings from 1987, just excited me so much. This song is a monster, and it's catchy, and I don't understand why they don't play it, full band, all the time. So much fun singing along to it. Underrated song on the album, and I think one of their all-time underappreciated choruses in terms of catchiness and accessibility. Fuck was this awesome to hear.

Trip Through Your Wires

Like many, I always thought of this as the weakest track on the album, but in getting re-acquainted with the song, it's grown on me in a big way. Bono's vocal style is unique on this song, he doesn't often sing with that twang and vaguely southern cadence. I've come to love the chorus melody and the loose, fun vibe of the whole thing. I like it now more than I ever have, and they seemed to love playing it. Great fun.

One Tree Hill

One of the most poetic lyrics Bono has ever written. He talked all about Greg Carroll beforehand. You can tell they still feel this song pretty deeply. It was a flawless performance. The band firing on all cylinders. The only thing was Bono having to sing so low on 'and when it's raining, raining hard etc'. You can tell he wishes he could still go high there. But he makes up for it with soul, and he was perfect on the verses, so whatever. Just a beautiful song.

Exit

Ok. Exit has long been #2 on my list of holy grail never-heard-it-in-person U2 list(#1 is full-band Please). I fucking love the song, have listened to the JT tour recordings from Rattle And Hum and Live From Paris 1987 so many times. I think it's one of the most incredible rock songs in their catalogue, from the atmospherics, to the brooding, somewhat scary lyrics, to the buildup, to the explosion. So it was easily what I was looking forward to the most on this tour. And my god, did it deliver.

Bono perfectly captured the paranoia and panic and franticness of the album version, just as he did on stage 30 years ago, and I just don't have the words for when the explosion happens and the band just goes into it, and then again a second time, and then again a third time. I was jumping up and down and headbanging so much, more than at any other point in the show. I think there may not be another moment in their entire catalogue where they rock as hard as they do at the end of this song. I didn't notice if the rest of the crowd was as into at as I was(though they did applaud loudly when it was finished) and I don't care. It was incredible, and I will not forget it.

Mothers Of The Disappeared

It's just a gorgeous song, and I'm glad they're doing it full-band, akin to the album version. Really tight, passionate performance. Hearing it against the visual of the mothers was pretty heavy. I did get the feeling that some of the crowd was done after Exit though. Some people were leaving, and some of the people that stayed weren't terribly into this song. Shame on them.

Miss Sarajevo

Ok. I had said beforehand that I didn't mind them piping in Pavarotti. Having seen it in person now, I see that it is a little awkward, yes, but it didn't bother me that much. I think the bigger issue is that it just shouldn't be opening the encore. It kills the energy. It should be in the middle of the encore. Anyway, it was still a great performance and it was cool to see the flag being passed over the crowd.

Mysterious Ways

So ok, I'd been looking forward to Ultraviolet. But I did get Ultraviolet at my 360 show, so it's not like I missed my only chance. So I was mildly bummed, but MW is a total classic, the band kicked it, and the slide solo is orgasmic. Ultraviolet would've been great, but this was a blast too.

And let's not blame Peef for this one. Losing The Fly for Magnificent is an orders of magnitude worse drop-off than going from Ultraviolet to MW.

One

I wasn't expecting this to be a highlight, but it was. Sometimes you hear the beginning of One and you think 'ok, here's One, it'll be pleasant, but I've heard it too much'. That's kind of what I was thinking at the very beginning. But I don't know. That was about as strong and affecting a performance of the song as I've heard since maybe ZooTV(with the exception of the one-off Modena version). The past couple tours they were kind of sleepwalking through it(I+E was a karaoke version like ISHFWILF), but they were into it here. Full on. The band was great, Bono nailed the vocal, and it was just one of those moments where you're reminded why a special song is a special song.

And we got Hear Us Coming. I mean they're doing it every night pretty much right now, so I was expecting it, but you still never know. The song doesn't feel complete live without it. Was so great to hear it. And Bono killed. He's still got some falsetto in him with that 'ooh ooh ooh' at the end.

Another thing about this is he had his glasses off. It seems like a silly thing to care about, but the fact is he's been wearing glasses 99% of the time in public for 20 years now, so at those points in shows where he does a song or two without them, there's something poignant about it, for me at least. It's like seeing someone you haven't seen in a while - I felt like I was looking at the Bono from the 'Bar' One video. Plus, seeing his uncovered face on the huge screen really sends it home that he's older now, they all are, and we are too. I don't know, it just struck me, probably didn't anyone else.

Beautiful Day

I go in thinking I'm bored of Beautiful Day, but when you're in the building it's so hard not to jump up and down to it. I think the new touches, the intro and electronic middle 8, are interesting and freshen it up a little after so many years of it being played the same way. Still works so well in the live setting. There's a reason it's considered a classic. That bass line is damn near legendary.

Elevation

Despite the fluff lyrics, I've always loved this song, there's something so effortless about it, something you can't say about some of their later singles. And they're playing it straight without the extended intro, so it's even better. Crowd was really into it. Really fun to sing along to.

BTW, this is why I said recently that ATYCLB is my favorite of their 21st century albums. It's classic, and even if you're bored of those big hits, you're still gonna bobbing along when you're in the building.

Vertigo

Would I rather have had I Will Follow? Yeah. But you know what? They sell Vertigo by being really into it, just having a blast, and the crowd loved it, so it was fun, energetic way to end things. And I kind of liked how they didn't end it after the first yeah-yeah-yeahs, but rather slowed it down and then launched into another round of riffage and yeah-yeah-yeahs. Spices it up a bit.

It was just a great, great show overall. I was struck by how fucking good these guys are at their jobs. So rarely is there a bad performance of anything. Bono is a master of getting the crowd involved, and the band is as tight as ever. Larry and Adam driving everything. Edge playing guitar, playing keyboards, and still never, ever missing a backing vocal. He's amazingly consistent and solid with the backing vocals, and I think he's not appreciated enough for that.

In addition to being fucking great at their jobs, they also looked to me like four guys who truly love their jobs, and that's always a nice thing to see. It's so obvious they're happier on the stage than in the studio.

Finally, the screen was incredible, all those visuals. I avoided as much of the visuals as possible when playing youtube clips beforehand, but now I realize that if you haven't seen them on the actual screen, you haven't really seen them. From the scenic shots(the highway during Streets?) to the shots of the women to the shots of the mothers in MOTD to the shots of the band themselves, it was just a brilliant use of the screen. You wouldn't have thunk it, but the visuals on I+E and this tour have been a lot better than anything they did with the claw on 360.

Anyway, it was so great being there. No matter how many times you've heard the songs, no matter how many boots you've listened to, it never gets old being there, and seeing them right there on the stage, and sharing the energy with the band and the crowd. It's like a drug, you feel high the whole time(and I'm not talking about the weed that you could totally smell around us).

If you're on the fence about going to this show, go, you won't regret it.
Click to expand...
Great review!
 
namkcuR said:
Ok, now that I'm finally home, here is my (way too long) review of the Philly show:

We were in GA, and this was my fifth Shuttlecock show, it was my first time doing GA. We were maybe 2/3 of the way back on Adam's side of the stage. We didn't do that standing in line thing, we just got there about an hour before they took the stage(we didn't care about the Lumineers). Even though we could've pushed and shoved and squeezed are way closer to the front, neither of us wanted to do because we wanted the personal space, room to breathe, etc, that being a little farther back allows. Anyway, being on the floor was awesome. Real close to the screen, close enough to see the band, room to jump up and down and have a good time, etc.

So anyway...

Sunday Bloody Sunday

I thought this was an incredibly effective opener, maybe my favorite of all the openers they've used in the 21st century. The way Larry just struts on stage, sits down, and as soon as the Pogues are over, BANG. Then the riff starts and out comes Edge, then oh-oh-oh and out comes Bono, Adam bringing up the rear. They way they used it to give everyone and individual entrance, and how amped up the whole building gets right away. The song also sounds more energetic than it has in a long time, I'd say since Elevation or, maybe even since the original JT tour. Great opener, classic song.

New Year's Day

One of those warhorses that never gets old for me. I don't need to tell you all why the song fucking rules, but it was a great performance, was impressed with Bono still hitting 'though torn in two/we can be one'. I have to say, though, hearing 'maybe the time is right, maybe tonight' and 'so we're told that this is the golden age' was special. I don't know why they decided to play the 'War' version of the song this tour, but I'm glad they did. They probably won't do it again after this tour, so that was awesome to hear it in person.

Bad

Ok. I've said before that I hadn't gotten Bad since my first show in 2001, and that was from nosebleeds, so I was looking forward to this big time, and it didn't disappoint. Simply one of the greatest songs they ever wrote. I was transfixed the whole time, wanting to take in every ounce of the moment. There's nothing like when the whole stadium erupts into 'LET IT GO/SO NOW FADE AWAY/I'M WIDE AWAKE' at the same time. Every U2 fan should experience it. I also thought the America snippet worked well. But I tell you what, that moment when Bono finishes talking after the snippet/interlude, and Larry hits the drums to bring the song up to speed again and Edge takes off....fucking magic. It always is, even on bootlegs and official live releases, but in person, on the floor....it's just something else.

I will say that I hadn't realized until they were playing it that they skip a verse now. Apparently they've been doing it for awhile. Oh well, it doesn't really matter. It was incredible.

Pride

Pride, for me, is one of those songs that's skippable on boots anymore, but is always special in person. It's an absolute, seminal, classic song, and the crowd is rarely more unified than when singing 'IN THE NAME OF LOVE'. The studio version will always be tops for me, but in person, it's still great to hear live.

Where The Streets Have No Name

Streets is their Stairway. It's never not spine-tingling. The way they did the intro, visually speaking, was genius, with all of them standing in front of the tree, with Edge kind of standing behind the others so that when the riff finally starts, it's like it's coming out of nowhere, and then they step aside to reveal Edge playing. And then watching Larry get in place behind the drums on the main stage and then hit that first beat hard. They got the theatrics down. And the performance kicked ass too. Another warhorse that never, ever gets old.

As an aside, I sometimes wonder why the band has never played Streets in its album arrangement(i.e. with the 'beaten and blown by the wind' middle 8 as opposed to the oh-oh-ohs they do live), but when you're in the building especially, it becomes clear there's no other way to do it. That moment Edge adds the higher vocal on the second round of oh-oh-ohs always takes my breath away.

I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For

This was about as good a performance as you can hope for of this song at this point. Full-band and energetic, as opposed to the karaoke versions they'd been doing the last couple tours. Bono's vocal was on point, very good, though obviously he can't sing it like he did 30 years ago. Also, I thought Edge nailed the backing vocals/harmonies, and it really adds a lot.

With Or Without You

The song that got me into U2 in the first place, and ultimately probably still my favorite track of theirs, so holds a very special place in my heart. The band has never faded on this track live, but Bono obviously doesn't sing it the way he did in 1987 because he can't. But I have to say I thought he sang it better than he has since maybe Zoo TV. He's actually singing it and not speak-singing. So band kicking ass+Bono making the effort to sing it for real = great stuff. And the climactic oh-oh-ohs, both rounds, are another of those special moments that always brings everyone in the building together. One of their greatest tracks. No Shine Like Stars though.

Bullet The Blue Sky

Bullet is so heavy. It's placed perfectly on the album, a big dose of rock after the opening big 3. I think skipping it on 360 did wonders, as it's sounded so rejuvenated and energized and fresh both on I+E and here. You can tell they really get into playing it, and Bono enjoys singing it. I can't imagine what it feels like to be Edge when solo time comes and he has 60,000 people in the palm of his hands. The solo is more or less played in its original JT Tour form, and it really works in this context. He pretty much nailed it. For some reason I was expecting a longer extended spiel from Bono during the spoken word parts, but it's just the normal with a few small embellishments. Which, again, I think is the right call in the context of the album being played.

It's interesting, Bullet wasn't a single, but it's been played so much that it's got every bit the recognition. Total classic in its own right.

Running To Stand Still

This was highly anticipated. I'd only heard it once before, on the Vertigo tour, and to be honest, I felt like that performance in 2005 felt a bit stale. But this one knocked it out of the park. Understated, not overdoing it, just letting the beauty of the song speak for itself. Bono nailed the vocal, and going up an octave for the second 'ah la la la de day' is very effective. And the harmonica at the end was actually haunting, imo. Bono nailed that as well. Nothing will ever top the ZooTV versions imo, but I would go as far as to say that this version on this tour might be the second best, better even than the original JT Tour versions. Did not disappoint.

Red Hill Mining Town

The whole second side of the album was surreal. For so long I thought I'd never have a chance to hear these songs in person, and as soon as this tour was announced I began hoping that they'd do right by these songs and knock them out of the park. And they did.

When I listened to a recording of RHMT from this tour, I thought it was good, but not great. But it really, really worked in the building in Philly. I didn't even miss the guitar, the horns felt right at home to me. I thought Bono did a great job adjusting the vocal to fit his voice now. On the album, it's a great vocal take, but it's a lot of yelling. Here, he's singing it in a more controlled manner, without losing any of the passion. Getting to sing along to 'hanging on, you're all that's left to hold on to' and 'love, slowly stripped away, love, seen its better day' when we all never, ever thought it would be possible was just awesome. Great performance.

In God's Country

I legit jumped in the air when they started this. Not because I was surprised, obviously, but because hearing Edge play that riff, and hearing it sound almost exactly like it does in all of the recordings from 1987, just excited me so much. This song is a monster, and it's catchy, and I don't understand why they don't play it, full band, all the time. So much fun singing along to it. Underrated song on the album, and I think one of their all-time underappreciated choruses in terms of catchiness and accessibility. Fuck was this awesome to hear.

Trip Through Your Wires

Like many, I always thought of this as the weakest track on the album, but in getting re-acquainted with the song, it's grown on me in a big way. Bono's vocal style is unique on this song, he doesn't often sing with that twang and vaguely southern cadence. I've come to love the chorus melody and the loose, fun vibe of the whole thing. I like it now more than I ever have, and they seemed to love playing it. Great fun.

One Tree Hill

One of the most poetic lyrics Bono has ever written. He talked all about Greg Carroll beforehand. You can tell they still feel this song pretty deeply. It was a flawless performance. The band firing on all cylinders. The only thing was Bono having to sing so low on 'and when it's raining, raining hard etc'. You can tell he wishes he could still go high there. But he makes up for it with soul, and he was perfect on the verses, so whatever. Just a beautiful song.

Exit

Ok. Exit has long been #2 on my list of holy grail never-heard-it-in-person U2 list(#1 is full-band Please). I fucking love the song, have listened to the JT tour recordings from Rattle And Hum and Live From Paris 1987 so many times. I think it's one of the most incredible rock songs in their catalogue, from the atmospherics, to the brooding, somewhat scary lyrics, to the buildup, to the explosion. So it was easily what I was looking forward to the most on this tour. And my god, did it deliver.

Bono perfectly captured the paranoia and panic and franticness of the album version, just as he did on stage 30 years ago, and I just don't have the words for when the explosion happens and the band just goes into it, and then again a second time, and then again a third time. I was jumping up and down and headbanging so much, more than at any other point in the show. I think there may not be another moment in their entire catalogue where they rock as hard as they do at the end of this song. I didn't notice if the rest of the crowd was as into at as I was(though they did applaud loudly when it was finished) and I don't care. It was incredible, and I will not forget it.

Mothers Of The Disappeared

It's just a gorgeous song, and I'm glad they're doing it full-band, akin to the album version. Really tight, passionate performance. Hearing it against the visual of the mothers was pretty heavy. I did get the feeling that some of the crowd was done after Exit though. Some people were leaving, and some of the people that stayed weren't terribly into this song. Shame on them.

Miss Sarajevo

Ok. I had said beforehand that I didn't mind them piping in Pavarotti. Having seen it in person now, I see that it is a little awkward, yes, but it didn't bother me that much. I think the bigger issue is that it just shouldn't be opening the encore. It kills the energy. It should be in the middle of the encore. Anyway, it was still a great performance and it was cool to see the flag being passed over the crowd.

Mysterious Ways

So ok, I'd been looking forward to Ultraviolet. But I did get Ultraviolet at my 360 show, so it's not like I missed my only chance. So I was mildly bummed, but MW is a total classic, the band kicked it, and the slide solo is orgasmic. Ultraviolet would've been great, but this was a blast too.

And let's not blame Peef for this one. Losing The Fly for Magnificent is an orders of magnitude worse drop-off than going from Ultraviolet to MW.

One

I wasn't expecting this to be a highlight, but it was. Sometimes you hear the beginning of One and you think 'ok, here's One, it'll be pleasant, but I've heard it too much'. That's kind of what I was thinking at the very beginning. But I don't know. That was about as strong and affecting a performance of the song as I've heard since maybe ZooTV(with the exception of the one-off Modena version). The past couple tours they were kind of sleepwalking through it(I+E was a karaoke version like ISHFWILF), but they were into it here. Full on. The band was great, Bono nailed the vocal, and it was just one of those moments where you're reminded why a special song is a special song.

And we got Hear Us Coming. I mean they're doing it every night pretty much right now, so I was expecting it, but you still never know. The song doesn't feel complete live without it. Was so great to hear it. And Bono killed. He's still got some falsetto in him with that 'ooh ooh ooh' at the end.

Another thing about this is he had his glasses off. It seems like a silly thing to care about, but the fact is he's been wearing glasses 99% of the time in public for 20 years now, so at those points in shows where he does a song or two without them, there's something poignant about it, for me at least. It's like seeing someone you haven't seen in a while - I felt like I was looking at the Bono from the 'Bar' One video. Plus, seeing his uncovered face on the huge screen really sends it home that he's older now, they all are, and we are too. I don't know, it just struck me, probably didn't anyone else.

Beautiful Day

I go in thinking I'm bored of Beautiful Day, but when you're in the building it's so hard not to jump up and down to it. I think the new touches, the intro and electronic middle 8, are interesting and freshen it up a little after so many years of it being played the same way. Still works so well in the live setting. There's a reason it's considered a classic. That bass line is damn near legendary.

Elevation

Despite the fluff lyrics, I've always loved this song, there's something so effortless about it, something you can't say about some of their later singles. And they're playing it straight without the extended intro, so it's even better. Crowd was really into it. Really fun to sing along to.

BTW, this is why I said recently that ATYCLB is my favorite of their 21st century albums. It's classic, and even if you're bored of those big hits, you're still gonna bobbing along when you're in the building.

Vertigo

Would I rather have had I Will Follow? Yeah. But you know what? They sell Vertigo by being really into it, just having a blast, and the crowd loved it, so it was fun, energetic way to end things. And I kind of liked how they didn't end it after the first yeah-yeah-yeahs, but rather slowed it down and then launched into another round of riffage and yeah-yeah-yeahs. Spices it up a bit.

It was just a great, great show overall. I was struck by how fucking good these guys are at their jobs. So rarely is there a bad performance of anything. Bono is a master of getting the crowd involved, and the band is as tight as ever. Larry and Adam driving everything. Edge playing guitar, playing keyboards, and still never, ever missing a backing vocal. He's amazingly consistent and solid with the backing vocals, and I think he's not appreciated enough for that.

In addition to being fucking great at their jobs, they also looked to me like four guys who truly love their jobs, and that's always a nice thing to see. It's so obvious they're happier on the stage than in the studio.

Finally, the screen was incredible, all those visuals. I avoided as much of the visuals as possible when playing youtube clips beforehand, but now I realize that if you haven't seen them on the actual screen, you haven't really seen them. From the scenic shots(the highway during Streets?) to the shots of the women to the shots of the mothers in MOTD to the shots of the band themselves, it was just a brilliant use of the screen. You wouldn't have thunk it, but the visuals on I+E and this tour have been a lot better than anything they did with the claw on 360.

Anyway, it was so great being there. No matter how many times you've heard the songs, no matter how many boots you've listened to, it never gets old being there, and seeing them right there on the stage, and sharing the energy with the band and the crowd. It's like a drug, you feel high the whole time(and I'm not talking about the weed that you could totally smell around us).

If you're on the fence about going to this show, go, you won't regret it.
Click to expand...

Nice
 
If I had to choose, I'd rather get the Edge solo like in R&H than the verse itself, but obviously would prefer both. I think the verse provides the song with more resolution than the Oooohh-oohhs, and these days I can't help but be disappointed when they just go straight to Ooohhhh-Oohhh.
 
I'm with laz on this one. I am baffled how this became A Thing, with signs at almost every show now.

I mean, I like the tag, and wouldn't hate it if I was at a show where they did it, but it's weird that it became such a big deal.
 
I think it's probably because it's on the R&H version, and that's the definitive version of the song for a lot of people.
 
To be singing "one heart, one hope, one love" as a coda when you already have another song those same words are a key part of is redundant. And as I've maintained before, it adds far less to the song's power than "Hear us coming" respectively does for its counterpart.

Glad I'm not alone on this.
 
corianderstem said:
I'm with laz on this one. I am baffled how this became A Thing, with signs at almost every show now.

I mean, I like the tag, and wouldn't hate it if I was at a show where they did it, but it's weird that it became such a big deal.
Click to expand...



I suppose I've probably played a role in this, promoting Shine Like Stars via U2gigs, and I very much believe it's a much better way to end the song than some bland oh oh ohs, but why would anybody take a sign for it rather than an actual song?

On the other hand, it is more achievable than most song requests...
 
I am absolutely with Laz. I 100% blame Axver for making it a thing, and I find the yearning for it annoying. Particularly when One's coda is a million times better and more powerful.
 
I'm good with Shine Like Stars because it's a bit more of a semi-reprise kick to end the song.

Yet the reason I like the studio version of With Or Without You is the restraint at the end.

So my multiple personality disorder is aware of itself.
 
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