Anyone else want U2 to do a REAL "stripped down" tour?

[u2wedge]

Imagine a tour where it's just the stage with some basic lighting and the band...where the focus is on the music instead of the videoscreens and production...

It would be like the Brooklyn Bridge show every night...

(Well, maybe not quite THAT special, but you all see what I'm saying...)

You mean, like the Joshua Tree tour and those prior?

I think that minus the light curtains, which are used sparingly and the LED's around the perimeter of the ellipse, you couldn't ask for a more stripped down production, IMHO.

I mean going from PopMart to Elevation was a huge leap back into austerity minded shows...

 

[Lila64]

didn't read thru the previous posts (except for your post above me u2wedge), but I couldn't agree more. Unless of course they want to play in my backyard

 

[blueeyedgirl]

Hey I don't have any problem with musos, but I understood the idea of 'stripped down' to mean bass, drums, guitar and maybe piano and nothing else. If they need someone else to play the bits and pieces, then that's fine. REM and Springsteen I would argue are a bit different though, since REM haven't had a drummer since the mid-90s and Bruce is Bruce, with or without the E-Street Band and as his songs have to be backed most of the time, he does need musos (though the E-Street are quite clearly some of the most superior musos going!)

REM have three extra musicians, including guitar and keyboards. Springsteen has all his musicians on stage so he can pull any song out of the hat if he wants to, and does.

There's been much discussion about how U2 can't mix up the sets cos of the pre-programmed production. Well, this would allow them to get around it.

 

[God Part III]

Well. In one way yes, but in another way, no.

We don't need Popmart screens, agreed.
But I must admit that when all the stadium lit up just after "unos, dos, tres, catorce!" I was truly a happy person. Lightning makes it cooler. The stadium during Bullet was awesome.

I don't care about the screens, but the light show means a lot to me.

 

[1stepcloser]

I'm curious what would you say if you would not get the tickets then.

just because it's an arena, it doesn't mean there's no way i could stand a chance of getting tickets, arena's are still rather large last time i checked. it's just in an arena i feel the sound would resonate better than if it was in a large open stadium and if there was a light show it would still look good inside.

stadiums are a bit too large i think though.

 

[Ellay]

Imagine a tour where it's just the stage with some basic lighting and the band...where the focus is on the music instead of the videoscreens and production...

I've been to one - london astoria 2001

 

[malcolmbeaton]

or they could do what some of the old bands do new like the stones...when they hit a city play a couple stadium shows, for the common fan, then roll out and play the local 2,000 seat venue a couple of nights later..Since they camp out multiple dates in towns when they are not playing, doing 5 or 10 of these a tour might allow them to keep fresh, try out some stuff to bring to the big stage, and if it fails only 2,000 diehards see it...Because the club shows only go to fan club members..The synths are not the problem, as its becoming more apparent those are played totally live by terry and be changed on the fly if they wanted to, but the lightshow is a problem

but again, this is to practical and makes to much sense...u2 wont do it

 

[Ellay]

or they could do what some of the old bands do new like the stones...when they hit a city play a couple stadium shows, for the common fan, then roll out and play the local 2,000 seat venue a couple of nights later..Since they camp out multiple dates in towns when they are not playing, doing 5 or 10 of these a tour might allow them to keep fresh, try out some stuff to bring to the big stage, and if it fails only 2,000 diehards see it...Because the club shows only go to fan club members..The synths are not the problem, as its becoming more apparent those are played totally live by terry and be changed on the fly if they wanted to, but the lightshow is a problem

but again, this is to practical and makes to much sense...u2 wont do it

bloody good idea, I guess that cost v time v schedule just stops them doing it.

 

[Marmoset]

The Elevation tour seemed fairly 'stripped down' to me - certainly moreso than the current tour. I think I know what the original post meant, and I'm fine with it - I didn't think the light curtains were anything special, and can live with or without that type of thing.

But if you mean pulling back on the sound equipment and that type of thing too - I don't know, I think a 'smaller sound' would have to go with a smaller venue, which would be cool for the small number of people who'd get to see it, but not so great for everyone else. Obviously if that happened, it would be because the band really wanted to do it, because they won't make any money off of shows like that.

 

[mkdominatr]

I saw Pearl Jam 2 weeks ago and let me tell you..it was as stripped down as a rock show is going to get...it was a great show, but the U2 show blew it skyhigh out of the water. I like the staging and the spectacle too. But thats just me.

 

[scottyT]

no.

 

[Bono's Doll]

Anything that involves Bono stripped down--I'm there!

 

[kosull]

REM have three extra musicians, including guitar and keyboards. Springsteen has all his musicians on stage so he can pull any song out of the hat if he wants to, and does.

There's been much discussion about how U2 can't mix up the sets cos of the pre-programmed production. Well, this would allow them to get around it.

I do tend to agree with you on this one. It'd be nice not to be pre-programmed into a set, but I think that this tour has kinda mixed it up an awful lot more in spite of its size and the production, etc. It would definitely let them get around problems but it would probably disrupt something in the way they play. It might even make them too reliant on the extra sounds and swamp songs by adding in extra bits and pieces for keyboard. I think Original of the Species sounds great with piano, drums, bass and vocals, and although it was added to later in the tour (I haven't heard the later version) I think it was a good example of them working out a complex song on stage.

 

[RicoT.O]

Ummm didn't we have the Elevation tour? I think that was a bit bare bones in production.

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

the answer is and always has been to do exactly what the rolling stones did a few years back... do everything.

when ya come into a town like new york, play giants stadium, madison square garden and irving plaza... a stadium show, an arena show and a club show.

varry up the setlists for each different type of show... more rareities at the club shows... more of the crowd pleasers at the stadium show, etc. etc.

then most people would be happy... i'd say everyone would be happy, but i know someone will find something to bitch about.

 

[GretzkyU2Yanks]

Id love to see a stripped down tour, with maybe only a few black and white screens for close ups of the boys. Maybe a back wall that goes up and down that would have a little colour every once and awhile. That would be really cool. yeah, it would be great if the band played indoor shows only, in a reallyy intimate setting. They never do that.

OHH wait, I saw this tour already, it was called ELEVATION!!!!

But then again, some people think Vertigo is Elevation Part II because of one similiar feature, the enclosed catwalk.

 

[Lila64]

the answer is and always has been to do exactly what the rolling stones did a few years back... do everything.

when ya come into a town like new york, play giants stadium, madison square garden and irving plaza... a stadium show, an arena show and a club show.

varry up the setlists for each different type of show... more rareities at the club shows... more of the crowd pleasers at the stadium show, etc. etc.

then most people would be happy... i'd say everyone would be happy, but i know someone will find something to bitch about.

Could you imagine trying to get tickets for a U2 club date? It's costly now, just think... And then you'd be lucky to even get in the frickin door....

 

[jammin909]

I love all the lights and technology. I think they should do an in the round show and make the whole floor their stage for the next tour with fans scattered in different sections all over the floor!

 

[knox]

Don't get me wrong, the lights and screens and technology is killer.

But there's a different vibe when they're just on stage with their equipment playing a show at the Astoria or Irving Plaza (or under the Brooklyn Bridge, which was my experience). Theatrics are all cool and whatnot, but they do get stale, and a small-stage type show would do wonders for that soul that Bono seems to enjoy talking about.

I like the idea a few people have brought up about the Stones' last tour, so U2, when you come back to Chicago in 2008, I fully expect to see a show or two each at Soldier Field and the United Center, and then maybe one more at the Riv.

 

[Lila64]

I love all the lights and technology. I think they should do an in the round show and make the whole floor their stage for the next tour with fans scattered in different sections all over the floor!

U2 in the round I like it!!! Everyone has a fair shot of seeing the band. I saw Peter Gabriel in the round in L.A./Staples Center. Think he was overbooked or over[riced there, cuz it was probably about half full or something. I had seats dead center (like in a hockey game). The stage rotated if I recall, but very slowly. And with his theatrics, he was all over the stage. It was very cool - and the floor was GA...

 

[u2wedge]

Ummm didn't we have the Elevation tour? I think that was a bit bare bones in production.

I guess I'm not seeing a huge difference between Elevation and Vertigo stages... Elevation had 'curtains' as well, except that lighting was beamed ONTO them instead of FROM them. They have replaced the lights around the edge of the stage with LED's vs. regular bulbs, but that hasn't really changed much, either.

If anything the Vertigo stage is MORE stripped down than the Elevation stage because there are no screens that pop up from behind Larry's area.

Take away the chasing lights around the edge of the ellipse and I see the stripped down show everyone is looking for.

And look at the amps these guys are using... they're the same ones they've used for decades, same guitars, basses, etc. It's the same sound they played in stripped down shows years ago.

So again, for me, it would just have to go back to playing theater sized shows vs. arenas and stadiums.

I think with the exception of PopMart and ZooTV, U2 has pretty much always put on bare bones productions, albeit big ones.

 

[Clawgrabber]

I WANT ZOO TV 2!!!

LOVETOWN IS OVERRATED!!!

 

[BWU2Buffs]

This tour seems pretty stripped down -- aside from the curtain lights used for a handful of songs it seems pretty basic to me.

I don't count the video screens up top, that seems more like a feature to help folks in the $100 bleeder seats feel good about their investment.

If pulling out backing tracks, synths and stuff is 'stripped down'; no thanks - they bring context to the songs. Plus, stripped down or not, won't they always use spotlights and color to add a little something?

When I think of this issue, I think of where I'm focused during the show -- 90% on the band, sometimes on the other stuff... like that cool X-Box jet!

 

[U2FanPeter]

This tour seems pretty stripped down -- aside from the curtain lights used for a handful of songs it seems pretty basic to me.

This tour has a US$50million production - hardly a "stripped down" tour.

The Elevation tour could fit into 17 semi-trucks. POPMART was upwards of about 85 trucks.

Springsteen's and Bowies recent tours could both fit into maybe 6-7 trucks. And yes, that includes speakers/screens.

u2fp

 

[blueeyedgirl]

Ummm didn't we have the Elevation tour? I think that was a bit bare bones in production.

I'm glad you had the Elevation Tour but we in Australia and the whole Southern Hemisphere didn't because U2 and their organisation didn't think bringing a "stripped down" tour all the way here would make them money.