This is another one of those 'why aren't U2 doing this?' threads, I suppose, but I'd like to illustrate a point. I'd like to show the variety U2 could potentially have night after night, but first, I'll give a standard setlist so you know what I mean when I talk about 'slot 1', 'slot 20', etc.
Slot 1: City Of Blinding Lights
Slot 2: Vertigo
Slot 3: Elevation
Slot 4: The Electric Co.
Slot 5: The Ocean
Slot 6: I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For
Slot 7: Beautiful Day
Slot 8: Miracle Drug
Slot 9: Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own
Slot 10: Love And Peace Or Else
Slot 11: Sunday Bloody Sunday
Slot 12: Bullet The Blue Sky
Slot 13: Miss Sarajevo
Slot 14: Pride
Slot 15: Where The Streets Have No Name
Slot 16: One
Encore:
Slot 17: The First Time
Slot 18: Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses
Slot 19: With Or Without You
Slot 20: All Because Of You
Slot 21: Yahweh
Slot 22: 40
Now I'd like to explain what I'm doing below. I am solely showing the variety that could be used in certain spots by naming songs U2 have already played this tour - and in most cases, have played in that very position. The Slots are simply given to illustrate a general position where songs could be played, adhering to this tour's set structure. If I give only one slot number and there is a relatively small number of options, it can generally be taken that this slot should only be filled by one song that night; however, if the list is long (i.e. Slot 6), multiple songs could be played (they may just do ISHFWILF for slot six, or they may do Crumbs/IALW/WGRYWH - and if this makes the set too long, modify other parts to make the length reasonable). If I give multiple slot numbers, such as Slots 2-5, I mean all these songs can be played in these positions, in varied orders - and just because I've given four slots doesn't mean they couldn't do five of these songs on a given night.
This is not intended to be an exhaustive list of possibilities.
Slot 1: City Of Blinding Lights, Love And Peace Or Else, Vertigo
Slots 2-5: Vertigo, Elevation, The Electric Co., I Will Follow, Out Of Control, Gloria, An Cat Dubh/Into The Heart, The Ocean, All Because Of You, New Year's Day, Until The End Of The World
Slot 6: I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For, All I Want Is You, In A Little While, Crumbs From Your Table, Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses, Walk On, Stuck In A Moment
*Between Slots 7 and 8 (Beautiful Day and Miracle Drug): New Year's Day
**After Slot 9 (SYCMIOYO): Yahweh, Stuck In A Moment
Slot 10: Love And Peace Or Else, New Year's Day
Slot 13: Miss Sarajevo, Running To Stand Still
**After Slot 16 (One): Original Of The Species, She's A Mystery To Me, Unchained Melody, MLK
Slots 17-19: Zoo Station, The Fly, Discotheque, Mysterious Ways, With Or Without You, Until The End Of The World, Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses, Out Of Control, Original Of The Species, The First Time, Bad
Slots 20-22: All Because Of You, Vertigo, Fast Cars, Party Girl, Yahweh, Original Of The Species, Out Of Control, The First Time, Bad, 40
*New Year's Day often appeared between Beautiful Day and Miracle Drug on the first leg but is not taking this spot on the third.
**What I mean by 'after' is that the song in the following slot is not negated. In the case of SYCMIOYO, U2 could go straight on to Slot 10's LAPOE or play Yahweh/Stuck and then progress to LAPOE. In the case of One, U2 could leave the stage for the break, or play one of the listed songs before concluding the main set.
That's A LOT of variety they could use, and it could be easily done even in cities with only one concert. This is not unrealistic - this is, on the whole, featuring what has been done at points on the tour! However, using more frequent changes has not been utilised, and my point is that the potential is there and could be used.
Of course, I am aware of how some of these changes may require other parts of the set to be re-ordered. For example, not using COBL to open may move Beautiful Day to follow Slots 2-5, then have 'Slot 6' follow BD and lead into COBL, which would be before MD. This is illustrated below in my examples of how this could be reasonably used.
EXAMPLE OF THE ABOVE SLOTS BEING UTILISED IN A CITY WITH TWO CONCERTS
Night One
1. City Of Blinding Lights
2. Vertigo
3. All Because Of You
4. Gloria
5. An Cat Dubh/Into The Heart
6. I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For
7. Walk On
8. Beautiful Day
9. Miracle Drug
10. Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own
11. Yahweh
12. Love And Peace Or Else
13. Bullet The Blue Sky
14. Miss Sarajevo
15. Pride
16. Where The Streets Have No Name
17. One
---
18. Zoo Station
19. The Fly
20. Mysterious Ways
---
21. Out Of Control
22. Fast Cars
23. The First Time
24. Bad
Night Two
1. Love And Peace Or Else
2. Elevation
3. Vertigo
4. Until The End Of The World
5. The Electric Co.
6. Crumbs From Your Table
7. All I Want Is You
8. City Of Blinding Lights
9. Beautiful Day
10. Miracle Drug
11. Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own
12. Love And Peace Or Else
13. Bullet The Blue Sky
14. Running To Stand Still
15. Pride
16. Where The Streets Have No Name
17. One
18. MLK
---
19. Discotheque
20. Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses
21. With Or Without You
---
22. All Because Of You
23. Original Of The Species
24. 40
Slot 1: City Of Blinding Lights
Slot 2: Vertigo
Slot 3: Elevation
Slot 4: The Electric Co.
Slot 5: The Ocean
Slot 6: I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For
Slot 7: Beautiful Day
Slot 8: Miracle Drug
Slot 9: Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own
Slot 10: Love And Peace Or Else
Slot 11: Sunday Bloody Sunday
Slot 12: Bullet The Blue Sky
Slot 13: Miss Sarajevo
Slot 14: Pride
Slot 15: Where The Streets Have No Name
Slot 16: One
Encore:
Slot 17: The First Time
Slot 18: Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses
Slot 19: With Or Without You
Slot 20: All Because Of You
Slot 21: Yahweh
Slot 22: 40
Now I'd like to explain what I'm doing below. I am solely showing the variety that could be used in certain spots by naming songs U2 have already played this tour - and in most cases, have played in that very position. The Slots are simply given to illustrate a general position where songs could be played, adhering to this tour's set structure. If I give only one slot number and there is a relatively small number of options, it can generally be taken that this slot should only be filled by one song that night; however, if the list is long (i.e. Slot 6), multiple songs could be played (they may just do ISHFWILF for slot six, or they may do Crumbs/IALW/WGRYWH - and if this makes the set too long, modify other parts to make the length reasonable). If I give multiple slot numbers, such as Slots 2-5, I mean all these songs can be played in these positions, in varied orders - and just because I've given four slots doesn't mean they couldn't do five of these songs on a given night.
This is not intended to be an exhaustive list of possibilities.
Slot 1: City Of Blinding Lights, Love And Peace Or Else, Vertigo
Slots 2-5: Vertigo, Elevation, The Electric Co., I Will Follow, Out Of Control, Gloria, An Cat Dubh/Into The Heart, The Ocean, All Because Of You, New Year's Day, Until The End Of The World
Slot 6: I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For, All I Want Is You, In A Little While, Crumbs From Your Table, Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses, Walk On, Stuck In A Moment
*Between Slots 7 and 8 (Beautiful Day and Miracle Drug): New Year's Day
**After Slot 9 (SYCMIOYO): Yahweh, Stuck In A Moment
Slot 10: Love And Peace Or Else, New Year's Day
Slot 13: Miss Sarajevo, Running To Stand Still
**After Slot 16 (One): Original Of The Species, She's A Mystery To Me, Unchained Melody, MLK
Slots 17-19: Zoo Station, The Fly, Discotheque, Mysterious Ways, With Or Without You, Until The End Of The World, Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses, Out Of Control, Original Of The Species, The First Time, Bad
Slots 20-22: All Because Of You, Vertigo, Fast Cars, Party Girl, Yahweh, Original Of The Species, Out Of Control, The First Time, Bad, 40
*New Year's Day often appeared between Beautiful Day and Miracle Drug on the first leg but is not taking this spot on the third.
**What I mean by 'after' is that the song in the following slot is not negated. In the case of SYCMIOYO, U2 could go straight on to Slot 10's LAPOE or play Yahweh/Stuck and then progress to LAPOE. In the case of One, U2 could leave the stage for the break, or play one of the listed songs before concluding the main set.
That's A LOT of variety they could use, and it could be easily done even in cities with only one concert. This is not unrealistic - this is, on the whole, featuring what has been done at points on the tour! However, using more frequent changes has not been utilised, and my point is that the potential is there and could be used.
Of course, I am aware of how some of these changes may require other parts of the set to be re-ordered. For example, not using COBL to open may move Beautiful Day to follow Slots 2-5, then have 'Slot 6' follow BD and lead into COBL, which would be before MD. This is illustrated below in my examples of how this could be reasonably used.
EXAMPLE OF THE ABOVE SLOTS BEING UTILISED IN A CITY WITH TWO CONCERTS
Night One
1. City Of Blinding Lights
2. Vertigo
3. All Because Of You
4. Gloria
5. An Cat Dubh/Into The Heart
6. I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For
7. Walk On
8. Beautiful Day
9. Miracle Drug
10. Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own
11. Yahweh
12. Love And Peace Or Else
13. Bullet The Blue Sky
14. Miss Sarajevo
15. Pride
16. Where The Streets Have No Name
17. One
---
18. Zoo Station
19. The Fly
20. Mysterious Ways
---
21. Out Of Control
22. Fast Cars
23. The First Time
24. Bad
Night Two
1. Love And Peace Or Else
2. Elevation
3. Vertigo
4. Until The End Of The World
5. The Electric Co.
6. Crumbs From Your Table
7. All I Want Is You
8. City Of Blinding Lights
9. Beautiful Day
10. Miracle Drug
11. Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own
12. Love And Peace Or Else
13. Bullet The Blue Sky
14. Running To Stand Still
15. Pride
16. Where The Streets Have No Name
17. One
18. MLK
---
19. Discotheque
20. Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses
21. With Or Without You
---
22. All Because Of You
23. Original Of The Species
24. 40
