With or Without You (Back in its original form?)

[CDragon]

After hearing various recordings, in my opinion, I feel the current live version of "With or Without You" has returned back to its old late 80s form (ie. Rattle and Hum)

Anyone have any thoughts on this? (or is it not worth discussing? )

 

[djerdap]

Drums are back. Bass is back.
Edge needs to improvise a bit and it will be 90% as the late 80's/early 90's versions.
Bono is a lost cause, though. But that's OK.
The song finally works, after being massacred on both Popmart and Elevation.

 

[Kopite]

yeah i was thinkin rattle and hum-esque last night. edge's guitar tone was a little off for the song but it worked. i'm glad this was played as it probably is my fave song, was a far better performance than on the elevation tour.

 

[CDragon]

The song finally works, after being massacred on both Popmart and Elevation.

Including ZooTV they didn't do a good job with

 

[YBORCITY]

Including ZooTV they didn't do a good job with

Indeed, nothing compares to the JT versions with the "Shine like stars" verse at the end.

 

[CDragon]

I like the drumming now to the current live version. I didn't like how the drumbeats sounded in the last 3 tours because, it didn't have enough "oooomph" to it (if you know what I mean) The current live version sounds more powerful in my opinion


(Yes if you noticed, I'm a big Larry fan and in addition, I'm a drummer also -- Use to be in a U2 cover band)

 

[Theedge555]

Indeed, nothing compares to the JT versions with the "Shine like stars" verse at the end.

So are we getting this version with the extra verse or just the verses from the album?

 

[loverippedaway]

Its alright, better then Elevation and Popmart...I wish Bono would sing "love will tear us apart" at the end...I miss that, well he didn't do it often often, but it was pretty cool.

 

[ricj]

I disagree... the Zootv version is my personal favourite.. Still think the late 80's versions were amazing but to me nothing compares to the Zootv Sydney version of the song -SO dramatic and i love the way Lemon fades into it and the extra build up bit at the very end and the macphisto style of singing..

But one question i've always wanted answering is- was that sydney version of the song just an improvisation done on the night? Ive heard a lot of Zootv bootlegs it seems the song was played pretty simillar to the original version on the rest of the Zoo tour... Even on the final date of the zooropa tour in Dublin the song remained the same as the way it was played in Lakeland at the start...

? hmmm

 

[OffAxis]

Even on the final date of the zooropa tour in Dublin the song remained the same as the way it was played in Lakeland at the start...

? hmmm

I don't think that Dublin was the last date on Zoo TV. I'm pretty sure it was Tokyo, which was part of the Zoomerang/Australian tour. Maybe it was different on that leg only. I've wondered the same thing myself.

I highly doubt it was improvised as U2 doesn't really do this.

 

[ricj]

Sorry i meant Dublin rds was the last date of the Zooropa tour not the last date of the Zootv tour.

I havnt heard any bootlegs from the Zoomerang/Zootv japan leg so maybe they re-worked the song for that final leg? If i could hear a couple of bootlegs from that part of the tour and WOWY was the same as the sydney version that would answer my question...

 

[salty72]

WOWOY is performed the same way at Adelaide during Zoomerang as it is at Sydney. So Sydney isn't the only city the song was played that way.

 

[one4u2]

Indeed, nothing compares to the JT versions with the "Shine like stars" verse at the end.

 

[orelse]

On one of the tokyo shows from zoomerang they let the "Lemon" beat roll into WOWY much longer than the other ZooTV shows. It sounds really haunting if you can find that boot. I'm not sure whether it was intentional or a fluke.

 

[walkon11]

I disagree... the Zootv version is my personal favourite.. Still think the late 80's versions were amazing but to me nothing compares to the Zootv Sydney version of the song -SO dramatic and i love the way Lemon fades into it and the extra build up bit at the very end and the macphisto style of singing..


? hmmm

I agree 100% with this.

IMO, these versions (Austrailia-Tokyo '93) kill every other version.

 

[Ghostwriter]

I agree the song is better now that Larry is putting more oomph into the drumset. Pity they didn't do this earlier in the tour, or during POPmart/Elevation for that matter.

 

[Zoocoustic]

When they started Zoomerang they started playing Lemon and from there until the tour ended it was the Lemon-fade into-WOWY like you hear on the Sydney video. This was done a total of 10 shows - the entire length of Zoomerang.

 

[nickypiemcg]

The Zoo TV version starts well but I don't like the way they end it (the outro is nothing compared to other tours as on record that is my favourite bit of Edge's guitar playing). I wasn't a big fan of the Rattle and Hum version as I prefer it when Edge just keeps playin the riff and not lots of improvisation. To me Popmart, Elevation and vertigo all pretty much have the same version? Was when I saw it at Glasgow anyway

 

[nickypiemcg]

right enough the drums are different! That is better but my favourite version is still from Slane

 

[Zoomerang96]

On one of the tokyo shows from zoomerang they let the "Lemon" beat roll into WOWY much longer than the other ZooTV shows. It sounds really haunting if you can find that boot. I'm not sure whether it was intentional or a fluke.

i love that seg-way

seriously though, if you can find a copy of it, you should let me know. danka.

 

[kickthedarkness]

i love that seg-way

seriously though, if you can find a copy of it, you should let me know. danka.

maybe this isn't the place .... whatever :

tokyo 1993-12-09 (not so good audience - tokyo 1993-12-10 is worse, but ... contains the 'love will tear us apart'-part) --> hxxp://s4.you send it.com/d.aspx?id=04CV84XFGS0MK350IXWSVN2ICV

and i think the 'strangers in the night'-snippet is as touching as the 'shine like stars'-snippet at the time ... but maybe that's because i'm 33 in the meantime ...

 

[Muad'zin]

It's still the same version as they did during Elevation, stopping prematurely on the 2nd woohoo's, only Larry now starts drumming earlier, the way he should. Good job guys, now work on the end. Bono should sing another round of with or without, or pretend and let the audience sing. Add in a few snippets, it doesn't have to be the ones they always did and the song is ready for a new round to kick ass.

 

[ZOOTVTOURist]

Well, this is not as easy as it might sound, but: "ZOO TV"-version wasn't "ZOO TV"-version! In `92 indoors (and in the US outdoors, too) Bono still played the 2nd (acoustic) guitar, that gave the song a perfect sounding like in the late 80ies. Of course so he concentrated more on singing the tune than dancing cheek to cheek with some hot girlie. And, yes, we had the beautiful "shine like stars" part, too - which was rather usual these. These long versions had a different, though really great ending - a new, dramatic guitar solo by The Edge showing his skills.
On the other hand, the version got shorter during the last shows in Europe '93 - becoming one of the last McPhisto's flashes before the show ended under the stars, as you heard perfectly in Dublin for example.

In '97 the drummung and general sound wasn't that convincing anymore (the first shows even had a completely new electronic drumming experiment!) - and the singing wasn't that nailed anymore as before, too. Although I saw U2 performing a few astonishing and highly emotional versions of the tune, too - also inserting the "Love Will Tear Us Apart" snippet...
But the lowpoint of this THE JOSHUA TREE classic was definitely the last tour being more a "woooo-oooo-ooo-oooh" singalong of the crowd and sandwitched in the encore after "Bullet The Blue Sky" and before "One". Not a good idea at all, so I was really glad it was replaced by the really inspired "What's Goin' On" on the 3rd leg....
On the current tour, the tune is much more nailed again, regaining some of its moments plus a really strong vocal and band performance - but still lacking the last kick of the missing lyrics or snippets. But we're on a very good way, so let's see, what the future will bring ...

 

[YBORCITY]

Well, this is not as easy as it might sound, but: "ZOO TV"-version wasn't "ZOO TV"-version! In `92 indoors (and in the US outdoors, too) Bono still played the 2nd (acoustic) guitar, that gave the song a perfect sounding like in the late 80ies. Of course so he concentrated more on singing the tune than dancing cheek to cheek with some hot girlie. And, yes, we had the beautiful "shine like stars" part, too - which was rather usual these. These long versions had a different, though really great ending - a new, dramatic guitar solo by The Edge showing his skills.
On the other hand, the version got shorter during the last shows in Europe '93 - becoming one of the last McPhisto's flashes before the show ended under the stars, as you heard perfectly in Dublin for example.

In '97 the drummung and general sound wasn't that convincing anymore (the first shows even had a completely new electronic drumming experiment!) - and the singing wasn't that nailed anymore as before, too. Although I saw U2 performing a few astonishing and highly emotional versions of the tune, too - also inserting the "Love Will Tear Us Apart" snippet...
But the lowpoint of this THE JOSHUA TREE classic was definitely the last tour being more a "woooo-oooo-ooo-oooh" singalong of the crowd and sandwitched in the encore after "Bullet The Blue Sky" and before "One". Not a good idea at all, so I was really glad it was replaced by the really inspired "What's Goin' On" on the 3rd leg....
On the current tour, the tune is much more nailed again, regaining some of its moments plus a really strong vocal and band performance - but still lacking the last kick of the missing lyrics or snippets. But we're on a very good way, so let's see, what the future will bring ...

I pretty much agree with all of this, this time around it sounds as if they're just not " going through the motions" with this song. Musically it's better but with Bono, I'm not sure if we'll ever hear the way it was done on JT or ZOO TV.

 

[fandangamoq]

ZOOTV sydney is by far the best version i've heard. I love the RH version second, but I really do like the Boston dvd version, watching him with that girl onstage is incredible, whether or not the music is spot on anymore.

 

[Ghostwriter]

IMO the version that really sucked was the one from Dublin '93. It sounded great, then all of a sudden after the first "woo-oh-oh-ohhh" verse it suddenly comes to a screeching halt, after just 3:49 minutes! It seems each time the song gets shorter and shorter as the tour rolls along.

 

[MTEdge]

IMO the version that really sucked was the one from Dublin '93. It sounded great, then all of a sudden after the first "woo-oh-oh-ohhh" verse it suddenly comes to a screeching halt, after just 3:49 minutes! It seems each time the song gets shorter and shorter as the tour rolls along.

That short version for that show may have been due to a curfew (if I remember correctly, it was cut short at both Dublin shows).

Nearly all ZooTV shows had the long WOWY version with the "shine like stars" snippet and The Edge's guitar solo. As noted above, this particular version was dropped for the Mr. MacPhisto Zoomerang version. I love both versions!!

 

[bono_man2002]

From listening back, I really like Manchester I and London II's WOWY's.
I did actually like the Snippiet of Clouds Above.....and Manchester with Transmission -> Love Will Tear Us Apart sounded awsome too.