MTEdge said:
FWIW, U2 briefly used pyro's for the "boom-cha's" in Discotheque on the Popmart tour. In particular, they were used for the third Giants Stadium show, but not the second. (I wasn't at the first, so someone else may remember.)
I love this thread.
I was at this show and was sitting off to the side.
I saw the pyro wired before the show, and was curious as to how it was going to be used since I was sitting in the section directly next to it.
When the booms went off during discoteque I nearly lost my hearing (I waited to do that for this past tour - yes, my ears are still ringing and I am seeing a highly expensive acupuncturist once a week now - thanks Edge!)
I feel like U2 is not really the band to use pyro, unless it was done very creatively. I am not a fan of the Human Rights smoke, and even think that effect is somewhat cheesy, but I thought the fog during the Bullet / RTSS / Streets segway of ZOO was one of the most magical moments of any show I have ever been to (couple that with those helicopter sounds, and
)
I think there was a clear effort NOT to use pyro on many of the tours (I am imagining the fire on the screens during Bullet ZOO indoor) but I feel there could be some places for it.
If it were me, I would have brought this show in another direction. I think there is room for some pyro in Love and Peace at the first hard riff. I do not think though that it has to only occur at the loud ‘bangs.’ I can imagine a ‘ring of fire’ effect around the ellipse during RTSS. I can imagine the band opening with One Step Closer with Bono solo and some smoke, or fire ringing the ellipse. I think there are ways of making Sunday Bloody Sunday a big song again.
There are tasteful ways of using pyro, and to be honest I think it would make for an interesting effect to make some of these songs stand out rather than hit after hit after…