MERGED->please drop Bullet and Elevation!+already bored this tour

[nbcrusader]

I'd say this tour's setlists are better than Elevation. Only the strongest songs from the current album are getting played, and a wide variety of older tunes get played as well.

 

[corianderstem]

Also, look at the reviews for the first Chicago show last night on U2tours.com. Most of the fans were very disappointed with the quality of the show. Something is wrong with this tour. It's SO obvious.

So ... what? The band can't have an off night?

 

[Aardvark747]

So ... what? The band can't have an off night?

NO! Damn them!! They're supposed to be GODS!!!!

 

[Matthew_Page2000]

All they really need to do is rotate out some of the old tired songs once in awhile. Stop playing Pride for a few shows, rotate old favorites like Unforgettable Fire and In God's Country back in, and basically have a revolving setlist. The only stuff they really need to play at EVERY show is the new Vertigo materal. They have a sufficient back catalogue of classic material that they should be able to please themselves as well as most fans if they start rotating it out more often. As a matter of fact, listening to most of the older songs on the bootlegs it would seem they're getting really tired of playing the same old songs night after night.

I thought the same thing until I saw three shows. The crowd really gets into the boring old classics like Pride and NYD. They snore through Sometimes, Yahweh, LAPOE and MD.
Please note that I'm talking about a majority of the arena--not the fanatics.
The crowd goes absolutely nuts for BD and Elevation.
I love the new songs but they're just not connecting like the ATYCLB songs did.

As for bringing out the old classics...that would be exciting for those of us who are following along online. Live and in person it would be a disaster. The crowd doesn't recognize or care for An Cat Dubh, Gloria, Zoo Station or the Ocean. They barely recognize RTSS and 40. They wouldn't care for or recognize God Part II or UF unfortunately. You'd just have another dead moment in the show with audience members talking over the music and leaving for beer and popcorn.

What I'm saying is that what seems great on paper and what is actually great in person are different things. The one song I was least looking forward to (Elevation) based upon the boots I heard was actually rather thrilling in person. The crowd was so into it that they erased my skepticism.

 

[Matthew_Page2000]

I think the setlists are good, but they need to switch it up a little more. Basically my complaint about this tour is the same as before the tour started.

BTBS and Pride every night?

Sigh. Look they played BTBS and Pride every night on the JT tour, Lovetown, ZooTV, ZooEuropa, PopMart and Elevation too.
Some songs are just going to get played whether we like it or not.
And frankly most people do like it.
As for BTBS I though it sucked on Elevation up until Bono started to do his thrilling Mark Chapman rant.
I prefer the version this tour with Edges more restrained bluesy solo. It's different and I liked it when I heard it in person.

 

[Mirrorball Man]

If there's anybody bitching on here from England, then would they sell me their ticket please?

 

[TheRat]

For those who are saying that A Cat Dubh doesn't work in an arena, there is something seriously wrong with you. It was my favourite song of the night, and I had only heard it once before.

The tour is awesome, but not distinguishable. Every U2 tour from Uf-on has been unique in its own way, but vertigo just seems to be a re-hash of elevation with a few blinking lights added. That's not to say it wasn't an amazing show, it's saying that adding a curtain of lights and changing the shape of the heart does not give the impression that a ton of thought was put into the tour.

Highs:
- Curtain of lights was very cool, the lighting was superb throughout
- Boy/Achtung Baby segments were awesome
- Love and peace/sunday bloody sunday/bullet/running/pride/streets/one segment is extremely well done and is the only time i saw some hint of a theme in the tour.
- 40 is an amazing closer, bono with the spotlight was wicked. As well as Larry's drum solo

Lows:
- Many of the new songs fell flat. Sometimes... was good, but the 'bonos dad is dead' song was done far, far better with Kite. The slane version is stunning, and I can't see Sometimes.. approaching that level.
- The curtains of lights weren't used nearly enough. I can't even remember them being used for half the show.
- Some restructuring needed for the middle of the show. Drop Miracle Drug and put New Year's Day into rotation with The Ocean as its intro, as it seems to bog down the pace. Miracle drug especially; the show has been so high energy up to that point, to drop into two average ballads so suddenly slows things to a grinding halt.
- Elevation Version 2.0: Bigger, Faster, Stronger.

I think that to really distinguish the tour, it needs to be turned into a full fledged rock show. Drop miracle drug and move sometimes... near the end, because I know it's going to be played, and it's only a dream of mine that Kite replace it. The slow burn version of Elevation worked very very well live and was one of my favourites, even if the song itself is rather silly. They need to keep the pace up and kick people's asses more than they are doing. That's what the album was supposed to be about, wasn't it?

 

[STERKERNOG]

The sets pretty much suck. Big time.

And tonite saw them drop Electric Co. AND Gloria, pretty much the highlight of the tour.

Elevation had a standard set, and it was 10X better than the Vertigo Tour standard.

IF YOU DON'T LIKE IT, DON'T GO. THERE ARE MANY PEOPLE WHO WOULD LOVE TO SEE THEM

 

[TheRat]

IF YOU DON'T LIKE IT, DON'T GO. THERE ARE MANY PEOPLE WHO WOULD LOVE TO SEE THEM

Wow, that's never been said before!

You're a winner.

 

[stagman]

Re: please drop Bullet and Elevation!

Is there any way that we can get some sort of petition to the band to stop playing Bullet the Blue Sky and Elevation? Please!

Thank God.. they will never see or hear of this pathetic post!!

 

[starvinmarvin]

IF YOU DON'T LIKE IT, DON'T GO. THERE ARE MANY PEOPLE WHO WOULD LOVE TO SEE THEM

What if you've already seen them? It's too late then, isn't it?

 

[HyperU2]

If it weren't for bootlegs no one would give a fuck what they're playing. There are proabably 18,000 people per show that don't know what to expect.

 

[RademR]

there's a different between complaining and stating what you would like to see.

I think BTBS and Pride shouldn't be played every night. They have 25 years of music so ya, I would like to see other songs played.

I'm not even looking for "rare" songs, but UTEOTW, IWF, Stay...songs like that I would prefer if they played once in a while.

I'll be at Chicago 5/10 and if BTBS comes on I'll go nuts with everyone else, but in big picutre of the tour, I think they shouldn't play it every night.

 

[HyperU2]

I don't think anyone realizes how important Pride is to Bono. It'll never drop.

 

[RademR]

they didnt play Pride on shows during the Elevation tour.

 

[starvinmarvin]

I wouldn't mind seeing Pride dropped, or at least put into rotation, but I have to admit it still gets the crowd going as much as it ever did.

 

[starvinmarvin]

I wonder if the band realizes how much Bullet The Blue Sky divides the fans...if I were in U2 and read some of these threads, I'd be having second thoughts about playing it AGAIN on this tour.

 

[HyperU2]

I'd say fuck em.

 

[dizzy]

How many of you guys are basing your opinions entirely off of boots?

Because the show was awesome.

An Cat Dubh positively rocked tonight, and I was surprised! I was looking forward to Electric Co. or Gloria, but I didn't really care that they were missing. Bad is fucking amazing. Zoo Station/The Fly/Mysterious Ways is 1000x better when you're seeing it and not sitting at home with your headphones listening to it. Hell, I even liked Elevation.

I love the Zoo TV songs.
Miracle Drug was awesome too!

I was looking forward to the "Stories for Boys" snippet, but I think because of the audio problems, Bono didn't do it. And this may be blasphemy to some, but I'd rather hear The Cry/Electric Co. than Bad. But Bad would be better as opposed to Pride and New Year's Day. Then again, the shows aren't just for hard core fans but casual fans who'd like to hear the hits or staple U2 songs.

As for Elevation, I still like it.

 

[starvinmarvin]

I'd say fuck em.

Which is exactly what the problem is...listen to the fans, we buy the overpriced tickets.

 

[U2ElevatesMe415]

What if you've already seen them? It's too late then, isn't it?

Then save your time,money and complaints and just not go to any more shows !

 

[HyperU2]

Stop buying them. Maybe they'll only sell out in 20 minutes instead of 5.

If anyone would rather listen to older stuff I'll send you the MP3's.

 

[dizzy]

I wouldn't mind seeing Pride dropped, or at least put into rotation, but I have to admit it still gets the crowd going as much as it ever did.

The girl next to me (in the GA) stopped singing during Pride and Streets.

 

[starvinmarvin]

The girl beside me staryed to sing, so I guess it just depends on where you're sitting (or standing)

 

[Axver]

I don't think anyone realizes how important Pride is to Bono. It'll never drop.

Bono wanted to drop Pride before Popmart but the other three talked him into it.

Might explain why Popmart easily has the worst performances of Pride ever.

 

[stagman]

U2 is diverse... Live with it!!

They woudn't be U2 if they were to play 22 Miracle Drug's or
Pride's.

The only way of justifying dropping BTBS would be to replace it with Exit, Acrobat or God Part II.

 

[bono_man2002]

I dont really care what they do....Based on the shows I've seen this tour (6, sorry /end bragging) and the bootlegs i've heard

Keep Elevation - Love it this tour.
Rotate Bullet - Aint gonna happen, cause it works well from LAPOE -> SBS -> BTBS -> RTSS.

 

[Ninja Bunny]

"Bullet" is powerful this time around, with Bono's torture poses and the quiet ending with "Johnny Comes Marching Home" and "Hands That Built America" thrown in...

"Elevation" - not relevant or moving, but a HELL of a lot of fun!

Agreed. This was my first U2 concert ever so I haven't had the chance to become bored or annoyed with anything in their setlist. For different reasons I really loved both songs live.

All the people I saw dancing their asses off at the 3 concerts I went to seem to agree with me.

Yup, everyone at mine was chanting and singing along to all of the "up" songs, Elevation included. They were all crowd-pleasers.

 

[knox]

We aren't the only ones bored with the setlist apparently...

http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/chi-0505090017may09,1,377000.story?coll=chi-news-hed

But at least half the show was consumed with a run through U2 warhorses that were already starting to sound exhausted on previous tours: "Pride (In the Name of Love)," "Where the Streets Have No Name," "One." Save for the belly dancer missing in action from "Mysterious Ways," this was tired nostalgia, apparently to sate customers who shelled out hundreds of dollars for tickets.

 

[knox]

And this may be blasphemy to some, but I'd rather hear The Cry/Electric Co. than Bad. But Bad would be better as opposed to Pride and New Year's Day. Then again, the shows aren't just for hard core fans but casual fans who'd like to hear the hits or staple U2 songs.

Until Saturday, I hadn't heard it live, and I rank it as the best song U2 has ever performed.

So you can see why I was excited for it.