the new setlist is the perfect combo of new and old. they just left out a ton of the middle. and i think thats what the bitching is about. from rattle and hum to atyclb (with the exception of ab) we have heard 3 songs. 3 songs for 4 albums from U2's heydey. that is insane. and this is why vertigo x2 stings so much. if all i want is you had not been brought back, that would be 2 songs from 4 albums. scary.
but this whole thing about U2 playing for the masses or playing for the casuals is all wrong. U2 is trying to play for both and is missing out on the central idea that bands like springsteen, rem and pearl jam have learned. you have to play for yourself and constantly challenge yourself to make it fun. the fans will still come. as a musician myself i get urges to play songs i have written over the last decade. springsteen obviously does as well as he played 120 songs in 120 shows last tour. that is amazing. what he did was ingenius. he created a set based on new songs and a couple old and rotated close to 12-14 spots a night sometimes. it was challening, exciting and never once affected the flow of the set. U2 has to play for themselves. they wrote all these songs for a reason. don't tell me edge doesn't sit there and say, damn exit was fun on the joshua tree tour. we really nailed that live. lets try to do that again. or bono says remember that feeling during love is blindness with the stadium almost black, lets try that again. or adam says i love that bassline on tomorrow, lets try that. or larry says i love that drumming on mofo, lets try it again. what holds them back?
if i could only ask them one question, i would ask why they are afraid to play some songs live now.
, but I'm making up for it now 
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