HelloAngel
ONE love, blood, life
By Greg Soria
2005.12
What should an opening song at a concert do? Should it grab you and shake you from your seat? Should it gently draw you in and weave its way into your subconscious? Can it do both? The opening song must capture and captivate you while hinting at what lies ahead for the evening you are about to spend with the band. A U2 show really is an experience unlike any concert—ask any of the millions who have been served over the years. A key ingredient to a U2 show is the opening song. In a matter of two hours your senses will be assaulted with visual effects, the sheer power of U2's music and a sense that the audience and the band are one and the opening song is always key to starting everything on the right track.
I've had the pleasure of seeing U2 in concert 14 times over the last 20 years. Each tour has used a single, unique song to open that tours shows, and in the case of the Vertigo Tours three songs have been rotated as the show opener. Some songs have worked better than others in the opening slot. Take for instance "Zoo Station," a great opener that set the mood for the ZooTV tour by assaulting our senses with both a new sound for the band and wild visions. Whereas opening an Unforgettable Fire tour show in Australia, with "MLK" was disastrous, as reported by Pimm Jal de la Parra in his book "U2 Live: A Concert Documentary," as the pent-up crowd whistle and jeered throughout the quiet, moody song. Some openers I still have trouble hearing elsewhere in the set, such as "Where the Streets Have no Name," a song I still associate with seeing the band walk onto the stage during the synthesizer opening of the Joshua Tree Tour.
So what are the best opening songs U2 has used on tour?
Some bands hit you head on with an up-tempo, in-your-face opener with the amps cranked up to 11. Others will open with a soft, moody piece from which it builds the set list into their high-powered songs. U2, for the most part, have always prescribed to the former, opening with a fast-paced song to immediately elevate its audience. This successful formula has allowed U2 to attain the status of being a legendary live band by both fans and critics. You can't really go wrong with a show that opens with a musical bang.
With a quarter century of material under its awarded belt, U2 has an extensive library of songs to choose from to open its shows. Here are five songs I feel did the best job of priming the audience for the rest of the show over the years.
"11 O'Clock Tick Tock"
The first of the memorable openers, and maybe my all-time favorite opening song, is the Unforgettable Fire Tour version of "11 O'Clock Tick Tock." The song is actually U2's first single released on Island Records in May of 1980. Prior to the "Unforgettable Fire" album and tour, the song had rarely been heard in the United States but with the release of the "Under a Blood Red Sky" video and album it gained a new audience. The song had actually been linked as a co-opener during the Boy Tour with "The Ocean" so this was not its first time at the top of the set list. A mid-tempo rocker that on record sounds a little muddled, but when played live brings out the urgency of the lyrics and color of the musical accompaniment.
I remember waiting to see band for the first time in Los Angeles in March 1985 and as soon as Edge hit the opening notes of this song I felt like I was having an out of body experience. Even though the song is mid-tempo, the reaction it received from the crowd was stunning. The crowd rose as one and remained that way for two hours until well after the concert ended. At the time "11 O'Clock Tick Tock" was well known among U2's more ardent fan base but among casual fans it was still unknown, however the audience sang it like it was "I Will Follow" or "Sunday Bloody Sunday." It seems strange to think of this as a fist pumping song, but as Edge's guitar solo closes the song that is exactly what you get—15 to 20,000 U2 fans thrusting their hands in the air at once.
"Where the Streets Have no Name"
"Where the Streets Have no Name" is an epic song that opened both "The Joshua Tree" album and tour and a lot of shows during the Australian Lovetown Tour in the late '80s. This song evokes the feeling of embarking on a journey through the music of U2, with Bono's lyrics painting the picture of the desert and the eternal struggle to find one's self, perfect for the album the band was touring. The Joshua Tree Tour shows took you to the deserts of Ethiopia, Africa, the killing fields of El Salvador, the back alleys of Dublin and then to the deserts in America.
"Streets" with its slow synthesizer opening, allowed the band to use a slow, moody musical build up which then kicked into a high-powered rocker. This in turn kicked the show into high gear right off the bat. The lyrics help cement the connection between the band and its audience with the line "and when I go there, I go there with you" again achieving what U2 strives for in its shows—making the band and audience one.
The memory that sticks out for me with this particular opening song, is being at the Los Angeles Sports Arena in April 1987 and seeing the houselights go down and the stage slowly light up as each member of U2 ascended the stairwell to the stage and then made their way to their spot on the stage floor. The build-up was incredible and the fan response was the loudest I've ever heard for any band in concert. By the time Bono got to center stage and grabbed the microphone the crowd noise was so loud my eardrums began to rattle. Once Bono began singing it was a release of pent up energy that didn't dissipate until I fell asleep much later that evening.
"Gloria"
Opening a show with a religious flavored song would be a death knell for most secular bands, fortunately U2 can talk about God, politics and sex without contradicting itself. This is a fine line for any band to walk and U2 pulls it off without sounding too preachy or being too cute by never calling out to God, but leaving the subject of "Gloria" open for interpretation. Opening with "Gloria" for the October Tour and the first half of the War Tour worked very well, allowing the band to achieve lift off with its audience and setting an energetic tone for the show.
Edge's urgent guitar riff and Bono's soaring vocal mixed with the thumping drive of Adam Clayton's bass and Larry Mullen Jr.'s drums makes for an explosive beginning to any U2 show. The band is able to convey feelings of self doubt and the struggle to stand on your own two feet which allows the audience to, once again, feel a connection to the band.
Bono's call of "hey, hey" gives the audience a chance to respond back and be part of the song. The crowd sings along was immortalized on the "Under a Blood Red Sky" video, and was a staple of the song until the band stopped playing it regularly on the Lovetown Tour. It has recently been added to some of the Vertigo Tour shows and is still a favorite of mine.
"Zoo Station"
Now for the pomp and circumstance of ZooTV. Widely considered by fans and critics to be one of the most incredible tour spectaculars to have ever woven its way across the globe, ZooTV was all about commercialism and chaos, war and television, money and religion. It was a little bit of everything multimedia wrapped up in one, and what better song to open it up than "Zoo Station"?
"Zoo Station" is a travelogue of the sights and sounds of U2's stay in Berlin in 1990 during the initial sessions for what became "Achtung Baby." With its distorted guitar introduction, the pulse of the rhythm section and Bono painting lyric images of the Zoo Banhoff train station in Berlin, the industrial sound of Edge's guitar and Larry's drums brings a sense of jumping on a slow-moving train that takes you on a chaotic journey through out the city of Berlin, and the lyrics hint at the band's difficulty in recording "Achtung Baby."
Actually when it comes right down to it, was it the song I enjoyed so much or was it the screens and images that made the opening so incredible? The white noise of TV interference which rumbled across the screen after the opening statement of "We Will Rock You" by then-President George Bush care of the Emergency Broadcast Network, or the montage which aired before the Zooropa shows, made for a great effect whenever Edge's guitar rumbled out the opening notes. The song takes the band and its audience somewhere they've never been before, a place that the U2 audience never imagined they could go, and then gently sets them down to be assaulted by the next song. After hearing "Zoo Station" on the Vertigo Tour, I realized the sights of ZooTV were just compliments to the sound of the song itself.
"Elevation"
"Elevation" works as well as any opening song I've ever seen and heard by any band. The manner in which the song was presented live on the Elevation Tour was brilliant—the band entered the stage with the house lights on while the opening sequence is played. This may have been U2's most effective ploy to bring the audience into the show to date, especially after the irony of the ZooTV and PopMart Tours. Before the song even begins each member takes his place on the stage and is able to look the audience in the eye.
Lyrically this is not U2's deepest song but even U2's trash is another band's treasure. The high energy of the "woo hoos" and the driving, distorted guitar grabs the audience and picks each member off their feet, shaking them into hysteria. The U2 audience was given some daylight along with "Beautiful Day" before the set list delved into the darker subjects like "Stuck in a Moment You Can't Get out Of," a song that confronted the suicide of INXS singer Michael Hutchence.
Whenever I think of this song live I think back to the first time I saw the Elevation Tour Boston DVD. I first saw the song on NBC during the halftime of the NBA Finals in June 2001. It was being broadcast on the same night as the concert, and it was really inspiring to see and hear U2 at the top of its game on national TV in the states. I also remember Bono's voice being just a bit hoarse as he sang "a star, lit up like a cigar, strung out like guitar." For some reason it sounded better the way he sang that line on that night. My opinion is this song might be the best song U2 has ever used to open a show.
Here we have a collection of five songs that, in my opinion, are the best songs U2 have used to open its concerts with on various tours. Each song picks the crowd off its seats and infuses it with an energy that lasts the whole show. Each song sets the tone for the set list of songs to follow and creates the incredible atmosphere and excitement that is a U2 concert.
2005.12
What should an opening song at a concert do? Should it grab you and shake you from your seat? Should it gently draw you in and weave its way into your subconscious? Can it do both? The opening song must capture and captivate you while hinting at what lies ahead for the evening you are about to spend with the band. A U2 show really is an experience unlike any concert—ask any of the millions who have been served over the years. A key ingredient to a U2 show is the opening song. In a matter of two hours your senses will be assaulted with visual effects, the sheer power of U2's music and a sense that the audience and the band are one and the opening song is always key to starting everything on the right track.
I've had the pleasure of seeing U2 in concert 14 times over the last 20 years. Each tour has used a single, unique song to open that tours shows, and in the case of the Vertigo Tours three songs have been rotated as the show opener. Some songs have worked better than others in the opening slot. Take for instance "Zoo Station," a great opener that set the mood for the ZooTV tour by assaulting our senses with both a new sound for the band and wild visions. Whereas opening an Unforgettable Fire tour show in Australia, with "MLK" was disastrous, as reported by Pimm Jal de la Parra in his book "U2 Live: A Concert Documentary," as the pent-up crowd whistle and jeered throughout the quiet, moody song. Some openers I still have trouble hearing elsewhere in the set, such as "Where the Streets Have no Name," a song I still associate with seeing the band walk onto the stage during the synthesizer opening of the Joshua Tree Tour.
So what are the best opening songs U2 has used on tour?
Some bands hit you head on with an up-tempo, in-your-face opener with the amps cranked up to 11. Others will open with a soft, moody piece from which it builds the set list into their high-powered songs. U2, for the most part, have always prescribed to the former, opening with a fast-paced song to immediately elevate its audience. This successful formula has allowed U2 to attain the status of being a legendary live band by both fans and critics. You can't really go wrong with a show that opens with a musical bang.
With a quarter century of material under its awarded belt, U2 has an extensive library of songs to choose from to open its shows. Here are five songs I feel did the best job of priming the audience for the rest of the show over the years.
"11 O'Clock Tick Tock"
The first of the memorable openers, and maybe my all-time favorite opening song, is the Unforgettable Fire Tour version of "11 O'Clock Tick Tock." The song is actually U2's first single released on Island Records in May of 1980. Prior to the "Unforgettable Fire" album and tour, the song had rarely been heard in the United States but with the release of the "Under a Blood Red Sky" video and album it gained a new audience. The song had actually been linked as a co-opener during the Boy Tour with "The Ocean" so this was not its first time at the top of the set list. A mid-tempo rocker that on record sounds a little muddled, but when played live brings out the urgency of the lyrics and color of the musical accompaniment.
I remember waiting to see band for the first time in Los Angeles in March 1985 and as soon as Edge hit the opening notes of this song I felt like I was having an out of body experience. Even though the song is mid-tempo, the reaction it received from the crowd was stunning. The crowd rose as one and remained that way for two hours until well after the concert ended. At the time "11 O'Clock Tick Tock" was well known among U2's more ardent fan base but among casual fans it was still unknown, however the audience sang it like it was "I Will Follow" or "Sunday Bloody Sunday." It seems strange to think of this as a fist pumping song, but as Edge's guitar solo closes the song that is exactly what you get—15 to 20,000 U2 fans thrusting their hands in the air at once.
"Where the Streets Have no Name"
"Where the Streets Have no Name" is an epic song that opened both "The Joshua Tree" album and tour and a lot of shows during the Australian Lovetown Tour in the late '80s. This song evokes the feeling of embarking on a journey through the music of U2, with Bono's lyrics painting the picture of the desert and the eternal struggle to find one's self, perfect for the album the band was touring. The Joshua Tree Tour shows took you to the deserts of Ethiopia, Africa, the killing fields of El Salvador, the back alleys of Dublin and then to the deserts in America.
"Streets" with its slow synthesizer opening, allowed the band to use a slow, moody musical build up which then kicked into a high-powered rocker. This in turn kicked the show into high gear right off the bat. The lyrics help cement the connection between the band and its audience with the line "and when I go there, I go there with you" again achieving what U2 strives for in its shows—making the band and audience one.
The memory that sticks out for me with this particular opening song, is being at the Los Angeles Sports Arena in April 1987 and seeing the houselights go down and the stage slowly light up as each member of U2 ascended the stairwell to the stage and then made their way to their spot on the stage floor. The build-up was incredible and the fan response was the loudest I've ever heard for any band in concert. By the time Bono got to center stage and grabbed the microphone the crowd noise was so loud my eardrums began to rattle. Once Bono began singing it was a release of pent up energy that didn't dissipate until I fell asleep much later that evening.
"Gloria"
Opening a show with a religious flavored song would be a death knell for most secular bands, fortunately U2 can talk about God, politics and sex without contradicting itself. This is a fine line for any band to walk and U2 pulls it off without sounding too preachy or being too cute by never calling out to God, but leaving the subject of "Gloria" open for interpretation. Opening with "Gloria" for the October Tour and the first half of the War Tour worked very well, allowing the band to achieve lift off with its audience and setting an energetic tone for the show.
Edge's urgent guitar riff and Bono's soaring vocal mixed with the thumping drive of Adam Clayton's bass and Larry Mullen Jr.'s drums makes for an explosive beginning to any U2 show. The band is able to convey feelings of self doubt and the struggle to stand on your own two feet which allows the audience to, once again, feel a connection to the band.
Bono's call of "hey, hey" gives the audience a chance to respond back and be part of the song. The crowd sings along was immortalized on the "Under a Blood Red Sky" video, and was a staple of the song until the band stopped playing it regularly on the Lovetown Tour. It has recently been added to some of the Vertigo Tour shows and is still a favorite of mine.
"Zoo Station"
Now for the pomp and circumstance of ZooTV. Widely considered by fans and critics to be one of the most incredible tour spectaculars to have ever woven its way across the globe, ZooTV was all about commercialism and chaos, war and television, money and religion. It was a little bit of everything multimedia wrapped up in one, and what better song to open it up than "Zoo Station"?
"Zoo Station" is a travelogue of the sights and sounds of U2's stay in Berlin in 1990 during the initial sessions for what became "Achtung Baby." With its distorted guitar introduction, the pulse of the rhythm section and Bono painting lyric images of the Zoo Banhoff train station in Berlin, the industrial sound of Edge's guitar and Larry's drums brings a sense of jumping on a slow-moving train that takes you on a chaotic journey through out the city of Berlin, and the lyrics hint at the band's difficulty in recording "Achtung Baby."
Actually when it comes right down to it, was it the song I enjoyed so much or was it the screens and images that made the opening so incredible? The white noise of TV interference which rumbled across the screen after the opening statement of "We Will Rock You" by then-President George Bush care of the Emergency Broadcast Network, or the montage which aired before the Zooropa shows, made for a great effect whenever Edge's guitar rumbled out the opening notes. The song takes the band and its audience somewhere they've never been before, a place that the U2 audience never imagined they could go, and then gently sets them down to be assaulted by the next song. After hearing "Zoo Station" on the Vertigo Tour, I realized the sights of ZooTV were just compliments to the sound of the song itself.
"Elevation"
"Elevation" works as well as any opening song I've ever seen and heard by any band. The manner in which the song was presented live on the Elevation Tour was brilliant—the band entered the stage with the house lights on while the opening sequence is played. This may have been U2's most effective ploy to bring the audience into the show to date, especially after the irony of the ZooTV and PopMart Tours. Before the song even begins each member takes his place on the stage and is able to look the audience in the eye.
Lyrically this is not U2's deepest song but even U2's trash is another band's treasure. The high energy of the "woo hoos" and the driving, distorted guitar grabs the audience and picks each member off their feet, shaking them into hysteria. The U2 audience was given some daylight along with "Beautiful Day" before the set list delved into the darker subjects like "Stuck in a Moment You Can't Get out Of," a song that confronted the suicide of INXS singer Michael Hutchence.
Whenever I think of this song live I think back to the first time I saw the Elevation Tour Boston DVD. I first saw the song on NBC during the halftime of the NBA Finals in June 2001. It was being broadcast on the same night as the concert, and it was really inspiring to see and hear U2 at the top of its game on national TV in the states. I also remember Bono's voice being just a bit hoarse as he sang "a star, lit up like a cigar, strung out like guitar." For some reason it sounded better the way he sang that line on that night. My opinion is this song might be the best song U2 has ever used to open a show.
Here we have a collection of five songs that, in my opinion, are the best songs U2 have used to open its concerts with on various tours. Each song picks the crowd off its seats and infuses it with an energy that lasts the whole show. Each song sets the tone for the set list of songs to follow and creates the incredible atmosphere and excitement that is a U2 concert.
