PurpleSeven
The Fly
I know that this song is from the Sacred U2 Canon, and is my personal all-time-favorite, but maybe the song needs to be put away for a while.
They've done it with Bad, WOWY - and maybe it's time to do the same with One. Listening to the version from San Diego, it doesn't seem to pack the same emotional punch that it used to - and I don't think that it could ever again match the levels of emotion that were reached on the Elevation tour.
Maybe it's time to take it out of regular setlist rotation, or perhaps move it to much earlier in the set (a la Zoo TV- wasn't it only the fourth of fifth song in?). The song has grown so...dramatic, for lack of a better word, on tour. You know - it's late in the night, they've already come out for an encore or two, the synth strings come on and edge does his opening riff, Bono talks over this for a while, and then into the song.
Listening to the boot from San Diego, it seems to me that if the song were to be taken out from the closing sequence, the effect would only be to improve. There is always an emotional build-up with U2 in concert - whether it would be building up to 40, Love is Blindness/Can't Help Falling in Love, One/Wake Up Dead Man, One/Walk On.
Now, One just seems out of place. The 'build-up' - at least in San Diego - was to Yaweh/40. I don't know where it was posted, but somebody/somewhere said take out One, put in UTEOTW.
Streets->UTEOTW->ABOY->Yahweh->40 seems to flow.
If moved to earlier in the set, then maybe strip the 'dramatic' arrangement back down to what the album version was (listen to a live version and then compare it to AB) - the song can really plod along when performed live vs. the album version.
These are just my thoughts, feel free to discuss amongst yourselves.
They've done it with Bad, WOWY - and maybe it's time to do the same with One. Listening to the version from San Diego, it doesn't seem to pack the same emotional punch that it used to - and I don't think that it could ever again match the levels of emotion that were reached on the Elevation tour.
Maybe it's time to take it out of regular setlist rotation, or perhaps move it to much earlier in the set (a la Zoo TV- wasn't it only the fourth of fifth song in?). The song has grown so...dramatic, for lack of a better word, on tour. You know - it's late in the night, they've already come out for an encore or two, the synth strings come on and edge does his opening riff, Bono talks over this for a while, and then into the song.
Listening to the boot from San Diego, it seems to me that if the song were to be taken out from the closing sequence, the effect would only be to improve. There is always an emotional build-up with U2 in concert - whether it would be building up to 40, Love is Blindness/Can't Help Falling in Love, One/Wake Up Dead Man, One/Walk On.
Now, One just seems out of place. The 'build-up' - at least in San Diego - was to Yaweh/40. I don't know where it was posted, but somebody/somewhere said take out One, put in UTEOTW.
Streets->UTEOTW->ABOY->Yahweh->40 seems to flow.
If moved to earlier in the set, then maybe strip the 'dramatic' arrangement back down to what the album version was (listen to a live version and then compare it to AB) - the song can really plod along when performed live vs. the album version.
These are just my thoughts, feel free to discuss amongst yourselves.