I Highly Doubt Elevation Will Be Played This Tour

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odowdpa

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I'm just taking a look back 10 years or so and the opening number for one tour has not been played in following tours. I started thinking about this when I saw people talking about potential setlists and mentioning Elevation. You look back to ZOOTV - Zoo Station was played to kick off the show (which was ridicuously good show starter), but wasn't played @ Popmart.

And for Popmart, Mofo kicked off the show (not including lead-ins) but was not played at all in Elevation or atleast that I remember. If it was, it was used sparingly.

I expect this trend to continue. Elevation is too good of an opener that i don't see it being played in the middle of a show....too many other good songs fill those slots. And it obviously won't be used to start this tour as U2 like to spice things up.

So, those are just my thoughts on Elevation and the upcoming tour.
 
Wasn't "Where the Streets Have No Name" the opening song for the Joshua Tree tour?
 
I think Streets is a special case as its one of U2's favorite live songs to play and fits in great with how they do their shows. Soft-lead-in, build and build and then ...well, you know

Streets will be played in every tour no matter the circumstance. Its the song that gets the crowd going the most to boot.
 
I don't think it will be either. The last few albums each seem to have a song that's completely of that album, and doesn't fit too well outside of the context the album provides. They make good openers - Zoo Station and Elevation were practically statements of intent, as is (incidentally) LAPOE - but it gets discarded when the context changes.

I don't think "Elevation" works outside of the ATYCLB context. Likewise, I don't think LAPOE will work next time, but it's impossible to say as we don't know what the next time will be like.
 
Oh hell no. Never again. Vertigo will replace it.
 
Folks, check the link in my signature for concert openers.

Zoo Station has never been played again and neither has Mofo, but let's ask the question "why?" If you will notice, they were very specific to their era. They are tied into a time and place and would not have suited the subsequent tour (or in Zoo Station's case, tours). Indeed, not even Discotheque suited Elevation and ultimately vanished from the setlist. U2 are highly unlikely to ever do anything resembling ZooTV/Popmart again, but I feel that given the right intended sound, Zoo Station could return. Distorted guitars could create a context in which it could fit.

Elevation, however, featured in a 'back to basics' tour. There was no elaborate stage setup or serious era in which it was locked. I Will Follow could have been played instead. I can see Elevation opening early U2 shows had it existed then. HOWEVER, I feel Elevation has been superseded. It will NOT appear in a show featuring Vertigo, ABOY, and I Will Follow. It could perhaps be in rotation, but if it is played live again, I would expect it to return no earlier than the tour AFTER the upcoming one.
 
stubenfo said:
Wasn't "Where the Streets Have No Name" the opening song for the Joshua Tree tour?

From the JT Tour (2 April to 20 December 1987) ...

Where The Streets Have No Name: 87 times
Stand By Me: 18
Bullet The Blue Sky: 4
All Along The Watchtower: 1
 
I think the show will open with at least 5 straight songs from the new album, ala Zoo TV. Elevation could open the encore, however. They could continue to play Elevation - Beautiful Day back to back in the encore - it's a great 1-2 punch.
 
instructions for putting on a u2 tour

1. start with guns blazing
2. slow it down a bit
3. hit the b-stage with the ole acoustic guitar
4. kick back into gear with a one or two song lead in to...
5. streets
6. wind down from streets with either another song or go right into the encore break
7. come back for an encore with a bang
8. play some classics
9. leave
10. come back for one and show closer.
11. bow
12. go get drunk
 
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