has this tour been the mosy critised by fans?

[bridonohue]

best innovation from the tour in my opinion was the use of the in-house lighting systems to enhance the light show, and that was a only a last minute addition to the chicago video shoot, and not repeated.

that was a fantastic idea and i hope they figure out a way to incorporate that next tour with their new stage designer.

 

[KUEFC09U2]

best innovation from the tour in my opinion was the use of the in-house lighting systems to enhance the light show, and that was a only a last minute addition to the chicago video shoot, and not repeated.

that was a fantastic idea and i hope they figure out a way to incorporate that next tour with their new stage designer.

but as blue room said, the stage was the bands idea, they wanted to "enhance" what the already had with the elevation tour, so to say willie had no innovation is completley wrong imo, plus the light curtains are very innovative imo

 

[Chizip]

but as blue room said, the stage was the bands idea, they wanted to "enhance" what the already had with the elevation tour, so to say willie had no innovation is completley wrong imo, plus the light curtains are very innovative imo

where did you see this?

from everything i've read willie and his people would come up with ideas then run them by u2 and theyd give him the yes or no

if you read the detailed article about the production it says this

The U2 members have been considerably less involved in the design process for Vertigo than on previous tours, leaving Williams and Fisher to the task of conceptualizing around the current themes and moods dictated by the new album and the world around them. On the fateful day that Edge had his CD stolen, Williams joined the band in Nice to present some generic designs of how a stage could be placed in an American basketball arena, merely as a starting point for discussion.

i really think the show suffered due to the band's hands off approach this time around

 

[U2Man]

where did you see this?

http://forum.interference.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=145742&pagenumber=3

 

[U2Man]

Fine, ignore my kiind help

 

[U2girl]

I don't remember Elevation having nearly as much critisism by the fans, and this is a tour that has definitely more variation in the setlists (!), a better sounding Bono, at least equal if not better band performances and longer shows. Great lighting, from what I've seen on pictures and DVD promo bit, and the outdoor version looks certainly more different to arena shows than, say Slane vs Boston on the last tour.
I think the heart on the floor is a fresh enough idea that can be borrowed again. (just like B-stage and the catwalk) By Williams' own admission this has the spirit of Zoo TV, Popmart and Elevation all rolled into one (with the political edge to it that sets it apart from the last few U2 tours).

But if Willie Williams really isn't coming back on the next tours, a new guy in charge for the stage setup/lights should mean more new things right?

 

[ouizy]

best innovation from the tour in my opinion was the use of the in-house lighting systems to enhance the light show, and that was a only a last minute addition to the chicago video shoot, and not repeated.

that was a fantastic idea and i hope they figure out a way to incorporate that next tour with their new stage designer.

This baffles me as well.

What do you mean by "in-house lighting systems?
"

This is the first I have heard of this...

 

[KUEFC09U2]

This baffles me as well.

What do you mean by "in-house lighting systems?
"

This is the first I have heard of this...

i think he/she is refering to the rings of LED advertising lights/board that were around the arena in chigago

 

[bigwali]

if you read the detailed article about the production it says this
i really think the show suffered due to the band's hands off approach this time around

I don't really think it suffered. As someone mentioned, Bono, Edge, Larry & Adam agreed on the general concept and theme and framework of the concert and then left it up to Willie and the designers to create that concepualization and design. To me it was simple but effective, and didn't distract from the music like the giant spectacle of Popmart. Just for fun, let's go back to what Bono said regarding the general theme and concept of the music selection.

Bono
"We have ideas that we want to communicate [in a concert], not just a bunch of songs. If we get it right, it feels like one song. What band at our level would play 10 songs, seven from the new album and three from our first album? The reason we do that is because this album and our first album have very similar themes. The first is an ode to innocence, as it's being held onto. The latest is an ode to innocence, as it's been remembered, with the thought that you can get back to it.

For the second half of the show, we take on this notion of the journey of equality. This is our generation's challenge. So we thought about using flags as a backdrop during "Where the Streets Have No Name." I remember singing it the first night: It's not a very good lyric, but it has really great ideas suggested in the lyric, the idea that you could go on a journey to that other place. That lyric was written in a dusty field in northern Ethiopia, and I can finally make sense of it because of what we're talking about in this show. And then we go into "One," and we could do a new arrangement of "One" as you might want us to, but you see, I'm only one member of this band,...."

 

[Shade]

this is exactly what causes a lot of the complaints i think. it's not that the staging sucks, it's that the tour could be called elevation part 2.

if staging a concert was just a matter of tweaking what was good from the last tour and just making a few changes then we would have never had popmart or elevation and they could have just toured with zoo for the past 15 years, with a few tweaks.
maybe bono is ultimately responsible for the lack of creativity, but willie should have pushed his clients towards innovations. and the few ideas willie came up with that were rejected by the band that have leaked out (like the bomb on the floor people could write on) were incredibly lame.

i'll stick with willie has run out of innovative concert staging ideas.

again, music:9/10
staging: 3/10 - place the blame wherever you want

Bri - have you seen either of Peter Gabriel's last two tours? If so, what would you think about U2 hiring Robert LePage to design their next tour?

 

[Sicy]

I think its quite annoying honestly the way some people nit pick every single thing U2 does. Christ, I am just happy there's a new album and I got to see a couple shows. U2 could have quit after the last tour if they wanted to and then we'd have nothing.

 

[bridonohue]

I think its quite annoying honestly the way some people nit pick every single thing U2 does. Christ, I am just happy there's a new album and I got to see a couple shows. U2 could have quit after the last tour if they wanted to and then we'd have nothing.

still nothing worse than people complaining about people complaining, and that's not complaining.

 

[bridonohue]

Bri - have you seen either of Peter Gabriel's last two tours? If so, what would you think about U2 hiring Robert LePage to design their next tour?

no i haven't, but now i'll try to track a video down of them.

i don't want to seem like i am bashing willie, because i really like him and think he has made revolutionary changes to concert industry. i just think the band and he maybe could use some time working with others.

just like how they change producers on albums to keep the creativity up and make sure they don't repeat themselves, i think now is a good time to do the same with the production team, at least on the creative side. there are a lot of talented people out there and it would be interesting to see what a fresh prespective would bring to u2 live.

 

[bridonohue]

i think he/she is refering to the rings of LED advertising lights/board that were around the arena in chigago

yup, that's what i meant. just watched vertigo from chicago and the use of the lcd's is stunning, a great advancement.

and KUEFC09U2, don't take this the wrong way, but your posts are much better than a few months ago. i wouldn't post in a thread where you were active because it seemed that you would attack anything someone said you perceived as against the band. you still disagee, like we do on this, but you are not disagreeable. like i said, don't take it the wrong way, it's meant as a compliment.

i find the boards much more enjoyable when there is a exchange of ideas and disagreements, not just allelulia's.

 

[JOFO]

I gotta say it because I have the feeling people here think of me as a complainer:

the band is defintely better this tour than last; the songs have more variety than last; Bono's voice is WAY better (somehow) now than then. however:

it's their CHOICE of songs I disagree with:

1. beating a three times over dead horse: vertigo twice sucks, and yes, I have "experienced" it in person.


2. some songs deserve retirement; (EVERYONE here has a song they want to see go; mine are: pride, elevation, SBS, and BTBS).

 

[Shade]

no i haven't, but now i'll try to track a video down of them.

i don't want to seem like i am bashing willie, because i really like him and think he has made revolutionary changes to concert industry. i just think the band and he maybe could use some time working with others.

just like how they change producers on albums to keep the creativity up and make sure they don't repeat themselves, i think now is a good time to do the same with the production team, at least on the creative side. there are a lot of talented people out there and it would be interesting to see what a fresh prespective would bring to u2 live.

Check out Secret World Live and Growing Up Live. Hamish Hamilton kind of butchered the Growing Up DVD, but it's still an amazing stage production. Peter Gabriel and LePage really let their imaginations run (tastefully) wild.

 

[U2Man]

I think its quite annoying honestly the way some people nit pick every single thing U2 does. Christ, I am just happy there's a new album and I got to see a couple shows. U2 could have quit after the last tour if they wanted to and then we'd have nothing.

Nor would U2 - which is why they don't quit.

 

[KUEFC09U2]

yup, that's what i meant. just watched vertigo from chicago and the use of the lcd's is stunning, a great advancement.

and KUEFC09U2, don't take this the wrong way, but your posts are much better than a few months ago. i wouldn't post in a thread where you were active because it seemed that you would attack anything someone said you perceived as against the band. you still disagee, like we do on this, but you are not disagreeable. like i said, don't take it the wrong way, it's meant as a compliment.

i find the boards much more enjoyable when there is a exchange of ideas and disagreements, not just allelulia's.

lets just say things happend that made me relise just how much of an idiot i was being

 

[jimjam]

I agree that it is the most critisised, but having actually seen some of the shows (both arenas and stadiums) this is (IMO) one of U2s greatest tours.

 

[bbison]

Check out Secret World Live and Growing Up Live. Hamish Hamilton kind of butchered the Growing Up DVD, but it's still an amazing stage production. Peter Gabriel and LePage really let their imaginations run (tastefully) wild.

The butchered one is Secret World, where they took the original video and "re-formatted" it to wide screen by chopping the top and bottom off in the DVD release.

But both were great live productions.

 

[LuvandPeace1980]

but was elevation criticized? every review seems to be gushing etc, were on this tour we have the now famous "i was dissapointed"

I saw three shows.. how could any sane U2 fan be dissapointed?
I definately prefer the songs on The Vertigo Tour to that of any U2 tour, apart from maybe ZOO TV.
This tour rocks!

 

[Joshua_Tree_Hugger]

I've been to Elevation and Vertigo and can safely say that Vertigo is a better tour. Don't forget that Vertigo shows clock in at 20-30 mins longer than Elevation shows, and we are getting more rotation than we ever got with Elevation (in Elevation there was only one opener, one encored opener and one closer with one or two very small exceptions and Axver has already demonstrated that Vertigo has a greater range of songs).

Also, we've got oldies like An Cat Dubh and Electric Co. that people would have never expected to see again. And finally IMO the HTDAAB songs are better than the ATYCLB ones.

 

[Ellay]

After popmart at Wembley, I remember speaking to people who absolutely hated it. I couldn't believe they'd been to the same show as me.

There seems to be a lot more nit picking this time round, but that's because of the web, we get to talk about it a lot more.