Vertigo 2006 // Tour In Recap

[zoopop]

^^^^^Seeing how LPOE only opened 9 times I feel pretty lucky seeing it once (Chicago I). I really enjoyed this tour very much so. I was lucky enough to see 3 different Vertigo shows.

Chicago I
Houston
Monterrey Mexico

My highlights-
COBL opener (Epic)
Electric Co. (stadium show and arena)
Bad in Chicago (Bono standing less than 20 ft. sounding amazing)
Zoo Station/Fly encore
Fast Cars

My favorite was the overall experience of seeing U2 in Mexico. The buzz they created for Monterrey was amazning. U2 = BIGGEST BAND IN THE WORLD. Standing in the cold with 45000+ was a once of a lifetime experience.

Can't wait till next tour

 

[Snowlock]

Well, two more days until the end of the tour... it will all end in Hawaii.

It certainly has been an interesting tour, with a lot of great surprises. Things have been good, and bad as well. I'd like to post about what made this tour great, by starting off with my first U2 show, in Minneapolis 9-23-05.

I was there too. I flipped out when they did Crumbs. My girlfriend was embarrassed

The highlight of that show was when the crowd took over ISHFWILF. Bono started to sing it, then was drowned out, smiled and shrugged and let the crowd go to it. That was awesome. Performance-wise not the stongest show of theirs I've been to, but definately the most connected with the crowd.

I wonder what it is with Minneapolis and U2? Boston I can understand, but why us? During the Elevation tour, Bono spent quite of bit of time talking about Minneapolis and their first show at First Ave (the venue was immortalized in Purple Rain, if you need a reference), and remembered back when it was called Uncle Sam's, which it hadn't been for like 21 years at that point.

I threw A Brick Through A Window was written while in Minneapolis as well.

And find the the bootleg of the ZooTV show from the first leg. Listen to WGRYWH, it's the best version ever. Bono just goes off with it, extends it; and call me a homer if you like, but I've never before or since heard a better version. Toward the end he's singing at the top of his lungs, "Hang on, sugar hang on! Love is gone, hang on. Haaaaaannnnng On!" I wish that performance had been released as a live b side or something.

 

[YBORCITY]

up until OZ it was for me:

The Fly - real version
An Cat Dubh - I don't think anyone could have seen this coming back.
The Electric Co. - simply awesome


But then they played



ONE TREE HILL

To be there and see them play this song must have been unbelievable.

 

[coolian2]

Vertigo has produced the best performances of The Fly ever.

 

[jimjam]

Nobody here has talked that much about the second leg, the only memory we will ever have of it are unchanging setlists and 10 songs from Milan, If you were there it you would know that it was the most amazing leg the band has ever done, even Larry said in U2 by U2 they were the best shows.

However every leg was great in its own way, and I also feel that the tour over all 5 legs is the second best tour U2 has ever done. Setlist wise and Performance wise

 

[mwheelonh]

Best bit for me (after 3 shows) had to be the last show in LA, when Bono invited Exit on stage, the guys turned their instruments over to the girls, and they ripped out a version of Out of Control that tore the freaking roof off.

 

[theu2fly]

Re: Re: Vertigo 2006 // Tour In Recap

I was there too. I flipped out when they did Crumbs. My girlfriend was embarrassed

The highlight of that show was when the crowd took over ISHFWILF. Bono started to sing it, then was drowned out, smiled and shrugged and let the crowd go to it. That was awesome. Performance-wise not the stongest show of theirs I've been to, but definately the most connected with the crowd.

Most of the videos/audio I've seen and heard from different states, the audience doesn't seem to respond to it. I would think Minneapolis's reaction to the same is almost comparable to Milan's. It was really a great moment, the audience was loud.

 

[cleazer]

· 2005-10-03 - Boston, Massachusetts - Fleet Center
· 2005-10-25 - Auburn Hills, Michigan - Palace Of Auburn Hills
· 2005-11-02 - Los Angeles, California - Staples Center
· 2005-11-19 - Atlanta, Georgia - Philips Arena
· 2005-11-22 - New York, New York - Madison Square Garden

It followed One on all occasions.

I was at 2 of those shows!

 

[cleazer]

The Fly - real version
An Cat Dubh - I don't think anyone could have seen this coming back.
The Electric Co. - simply awesome

That's a mighty fine list of 3 songs. This has been a great tour for me, mostly because I was able to make it to a number of shows.

After enjoying An Cat Dubh for years and years on boots, I can't believe I finally got to hear it live a few times. It was spectacular.

The shocking highlight though was The Electric Co. I knew that was a good song. Ever since I put Under A Blood Red Sky in the tape deck and played it over and over again, I've liked it. But I had no idea it was THAT good. Wow! What a freaking brilliant live song! Talk about a song that gets better with age!

The only bummer is that it's not a regular part of the setlist. Hopefully it'll stay around for the next tour.

And I always got a little lump in my throat whenever Bono did the Bonorotti part in Miss Sarajevo. That was a brilliant inclusion in the setlist. Do we know who's idea it was to dump that in there?


And of course, all the great live songs are still great. Streets is still definitive. Bad is wisely not overplayed, so it still feels special when it shows up. And the Achtung Baby rockers (UTEOTW, MW, Fly, and even occasionally Zoo Station) still remind everyone that they don't mind going to a ton of U2 shows and hearing the same songs over and over, especially when it's those songs.


One minor regret (besides Electric Co not being played every night): wish they would have put a little more effort into OOTS and especially Crumbs.


That said, this has been a brilliant tour. The willingness to dip into the back-catalog has been fantastic, because it's not just the old famous stuff, but complete shockers like An Cat Dubh and The First Time, two old favorites that seemed long forgotten (or never even attempted).

The fact that they've added so many surprises to the Leg 5 shows gives me great hope for the future. Not just the Saints and Windows, but also the suprises with Kite, and the unexpected longevity of One Tree Hill sticking in the setlist.

Most important I think though is the return of Desire and Angel of Harlem to the set. I view that as a sign that U2 is well aware that they have a large catalog of songs to choose from, and they're looking at them all. And they have no intention to forget any of them!

Because of that, I fully expect more surprises on the next tour, whenever that may be. Get ready for God Part II, Ultraviolet, Electrical Storm, and if we're really lucky, Love Comes Tumbling!

 

[shortfuse]

Having seen the Vetigo show five times in Australia, I feel these were the songs that stood out...

City of blinding lights (the best new song... a sensational way to open the show)

Until the end of the world (rocking as ever)

Beautiful Day (amazing community singing... fantastic adlibbing from Bono... stunning snippets at the end)

The Fly (highlight of the tour)

Mysterious Ways

With or without you (maybe its just me..but this was one of the standouts on the aussie dates... its just great live... )

Special mentions to Walk on at sydney 1 (FULL BAND!) and of course... the memorable reworked Kite!

 

[Axver]

The Fly (highlight of the tour)

Ah, the words of someone unfortunate enough to miss The Electric Co. I would consider The Fly to be the highlight of the Australian shows, but The Electric Co. or One Tree Hill have to take the prize of "overall tour highlight".

With or without you (maybe its just me..but this was one of the standouts on the aussie dates... its just great live... )

When Bono sung the Never Tear Us Apart and Love Will Tear Us Apart snippets, I feel it was better than most of its recent performances. However, when Bono pulled a girl on stage, it instantly became totally fucking boring because he'd mumble the lyrics and butcher the singing even worse than he normally does.

I was really bored by the change to Fly/MW/WOWY from ZS/Fly/WOWY. It was better when he wasn't dragging girls on stage and mumbling lyrics at their waist.

 

[coolian2]

I was so dissapointed by WOWY in Auckland. I totally ignored everything i'd heard on the net about the shows (how the War/Peace section is boring etc...btw it rocked), and i made up my own mind of WOWY and it was really not good.

ZS/Fly/MW

 

[silvrlvr]

I saw U2 for the very first time on 10/25/05 with a visiting friend from OZ. He had given up on ever seeing U2 and when I suggested he come for the concert, jumped at the offier. At that point, the OZ dates had not been officially announced and he had no idea he would be able to see them at home a year later.

The night we went, Bono had voice problems from the start, which disappointed me no end, given that I hoped U2 live would live up to its advance billing. We kept watching him drink from a cup of something from a roadie in between numbers, so we knew he couldn't be feeling very good. That filled me dread over Sometimes, because I didn't think he'd be able to make the high notes.

But Bob's hand must have come down and rested on his sboulder because he not only hit the notes, his voice was stronger for the rest of the night. Not 100%, but okay. And it was the day Rosa Parks died, so we got the bonus of hearing Bono's tribute to her.

I would so love to hear them again live so I can experence what other people have gotten to witness over the years.

 

[cdparky]

Nobody here has talked that much about the second leg, the only memory we will ever have of it are unchanging setlists and 10 songs from Milan, If you were there it you would know that it was the most amazing leg the band has ever done, even Larry said in U2 by U2 they were the best shows.

However every leg was great in its own way, and I also feel that the tour over all 5 legs is the second best tour U2 has ever done. Setlist wise and Performance wise

Well said re the Euro leg - those shows were superb. Variety in set-lists is always welcome, but that should not detract from some truly outstanding shows last summer.

 

[popmart86]

YEA YEA

this tour was very imprtant to me too seeing it was also my first u2 show [10-22-05]. worth the 4 and a half year wait.

 

[theu2fly]

Well the tour is finally done... hard to believe...

Nice setlist for Hawaii though. It's interesting to see how the last setlist took such a change, no One Tree Hill though!

 

[Caroni]

It will be quiet around here

 

[thankyou]

Re: Re: Vertigo 2006 // Tour In Recap

I was there too. I flipped out when they did Crumbs. My girlfriend was embarrassed

The highlight of that show was when the crowd took over ISHFWILF. Bono started to sing it, then was drowned out, smiled and shrugged and let the crowd go to it. That was awesome. Performance-wise not the stongest show of theirs I've been to, but definately the most connected with the crowd.

I wonder what it is with Minneapolis and U2? Boston I can understand, but why us? During the Elevation tour, Bono spent quite of bit of time talking about Minneapolis and their first show at First Ave (the venue was immortalized in Purple Rain, if you need a reference), and remembered back when it was called Uncle Sam's, which it hadn't been for like 21 years at that point.

I threw A Brick Through A Window was written while in Minneapolis as well.

Minneapolis was my first time ever being able to catch the boys. I too am so thrilled that we were lucky to get to still hear Miracle Drug (being a nurse I had a banner made in honor of that song saying "nurses U2" and got that one brief moment where Bono makes eye contact with you, mmmmmmmmmm wow!!) Got to hear Crumbs, For the first Time (COULDN'T BELIEVE IT!! I thought I'd died and gone to heaven), Wild Horses. Awesome awesome show.
So true that the show was just really special. The moment the crowd drowned out the band during ISHFWILF was magical. Just brought me to tears. So many special moments.

Wished I could have highlights of about 40 shows, but i'll settle for the two I made it to. I'm sooooooooooo grateful for those few hours of absolute, complete, utter, amazing, unbelievable, pure ecstatic joy!!! They're my miracle drug.

 

[Val]

Thank you to all the tapers

Songs...Electic Co was incredible every time. And Fast Cars in NYC was awesome. Loved all of the acoustic versions and the way Bono and The Edge perform them.

The sight of all four members at the edge of the walk during Yahwee was a sight. Larry singing and Adam interacting with the fans was worthy.

Patti Smith and Pearl Jam as openers were brilliant. Mary J. Blidge stunned the MSG audience with her powerful voice, and I loved it when my husband leaned over to me and said The Kings of Leon made his ears bleed.
Lets hear it for Rock and Roll!

The biggest thank you for me goes to the and his family.

 

[PietroChocko]

An amazing tour..... one minor gripe I have tho:

Does anyone think that the transition from Pride to Streets lacked oomph and kinda betrayed the awesome song that is Streets?

With the crowd doing the call from Pride, and the flow to Streets, it just didnt work for me. Did it work for you guys?

By the way, first ever U2 tour.... amazing.

 

[Muad'zin]

Personally I thought the European part of the tour was boring as shit. Nice if you see them only once, but so them more..... They rarely shook things up and if you see them more then once (or saw or heard some of the boots/DVD's prior) you noticed how boring, how predictable, how choreographed everything was. There was barely a shred of spontaneity in there. All the good stuff that made it worthwhile, like An cat dubh, Gloria, Bad, Discotheque, One Tree Hill, they didn't do in Europe. Except for one Dublin show. Instead we got the endless Vertigo 2x.

During Elevation I saw them three times and I enjoyed every show as each was different. Now I saw them three times and I thought that was at least one time to many. And they are supposed to be my favorite band, they are supposed to make you want to go more then once.

The changing of a single song becomes an earth shattering event, meriting whole threads dedicated to it here. Hell, a mere snippet of a song becomes an earth shattering event, meriting whole threads dedicated to it here.

 

[theu2fly]

Just for old time sake's I wanna make a setlist just cause!

1. Vertigo / Stories For Boys (Snippet)
2. Out Of Control
3. The Electric Co. / I Can See For Miles (Snippet) / Send In The Clowns (Snippet)
4. Elevation
5. Gloria
6. New Year's Day
7. I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For / In A Little While (Snippet)
8. Beautiful Day / Blackbird (Snippet)
9. One Tree Hill
10. City Of Blinding Lights
11. Norwegian Wood (Snippet) / Original Of The Species
12. Angel Of Harlem
13. Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own / Black Hills Of Dakota (Snippet)
14. Love And Peace Or Else
15. Sunday Bloody Sunday / Rock The Casbah (Snippet)
16. Bullet The Blue Sky / When Johnny Comes Marching Home (Snippet) / Please (Snippet) / The Hands That Built America (Snippet)
17. Miss Sarajevo
18. Crumbs From Your Table
19. Pride (In The Name Of Love)
20. Where The Streets Have No Name
21. One / Old Man River (Snippet)

22. Zoo Station
23. The Jean Genie (Snippet) / The Fly / Satisfaction (Snippet)
23. Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses
24. With Or Without You / Shine Like Stars (Snippet)

25. Instant Karma!
26. Kite
27. Bad / People Have The Power (Snippet) / 40 (Snippet)

 

[tommycharles]

During Elevation I saw them three times and I enjoyed every show as each was different.

The "sameness" of the European Vertigo leg (which honestly is nothing new for U2 in stadiums - the amount they mixed up legs 4/5 on the Vertigo tour is quite surprising) was a thousand times worse on leg 3 of the Elevation tour - not only were the songs almost the same every night, but it was big hit played generically after big hit played generically... not good.

 

[theu2fly]

1. City Of Blinding Lights
2. Vertigo / She Loves You (Snippet)
3. Elevation
4. I Will Follow
5. Beautiful Day / Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (Snippet) / Ultraviolet (Snippet)
6. An Cat Dubh
7. Into The Heart
8. I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For / In A Little While (Snippet)
9. Miracle Drug
10. Bad
11. Sunday Bloody Sunday / Rock The Casbah (Snippet)
12. Bullet The Blue Sky / Please (Snippet) / The Hands That Built America (Snippet)
13. Running To Stand Still / Happy Birthday (Snippet)
14. Pride (In The Name Of Love)
15. Where The Streets Have No Name
16. One / Unchained Melody (Snippet)

17. Until The End Of The World
18. Mysterious Ways
19. With Or Without You / Love Will Tear Us Apart (Snippet)

20. The First Time
21. Yahweh
22. Walk On

 

[djerdap]

1. City Of Blinding Lights
2. Vertigo / She Loves You (Snippet)
3. Elevation
4. I Will Follow
5. Beautiful Day / Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (Snippet) / Ultraviolet (Snippet)
6. An Cat Dubh
7. Into The Heart
8. I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For / In A Little While (Snippet)
9. Miracle Drug
10. Bad
11. Sunday Bloody Sunday / Rock The Casbah (Snippet)
12. Bullet The Blue Sky / Please (Snippet) / The Hands That Built America (Snippet)
13. Running To Stand Still / Happy Birthday (Snippet)
14. Pride (In The Name Of Love)
15. Where The Streets Have No Name
16. One / Unchained Melody (Snippet)

17. Until The End Of The World
18. Mysterious Ways
19. With Or Without You / Love Will Tear Us Apart (Snippet)

20. The First Time
21. Yahweh
22. Walk On

OK, I have to ask now... No offense, but, how many time do you exactly have on your hands?

 

[KUEFC09U2]

Personally I thought the European part of the tour was boring as shit. Nice if you see them only once, but so them more..... They rarely shook things up and if you see them more then once (or saw or heard some of the boots/DVD's prior) you noticed how boring, how predictable, how choreographed everything was. There was barely a shred of spontaneity in there. All the good stuff that made it worthwhile, like An cat dubh, Gloria, Bad, Discotheque, One Tree Hill, they didn't do in Europe. Except for one Dublin show. Instead we got the endless Vertigo 2x.

During Elevation I saw them three times and I enjoyed every show as each was different. Now I saw them three times and I thought that was at least one time to many. And they are supposed to be my favorite band, they are supposed to make you want to go more then once.

The changing of a single song becomes an earth shattering event, meriting whole threads dedicated to it here. Hell, a mere snippet of a song becomes an earth shattering event, meriting whole threads dedicated to it here.

do you read setlists from previous tours by any chance? maybe check some popmart setlists, even cities with more than 1 show had pretty much the same identical setlist, even elevation tour in manchester wasnt that much different, and we even had a bono tantrum where he stormed of the stage after ONE,

 

[perrypickwick]

my highlight of the tour is still to come: the 3D Movie.

I also liked "An Cath Dub" and what I saw from the leg in South America - that looked really cool.

What I hated - Bonos flag-thing on the hole tour
and "Miss Sarajewo" - horrible. And also this Peace-Rambo-Bono-Outfit during SBS and Love and Peace.
and I cannot stand when Bonos thanking the army and dedicating songs to the army. This is really not my all-time favourite Bono from the Rattle and Hum movie. They seems to be have nothing in comment.

But after all - It was a really great tour from a great Band. Not a fantastic band they were 20 years ago.

 

[ckonanz]

A lot of highlights for me
Shows that I went
- Eletric Co
- The Fly
- Out of control (Boston May 25)
- 40
- Streets in Miami ( I miss the red background)
- Orginal of the species full band
- City of blinding lights as opener
- Who's gonna ride your wild horses
- Bas as closer

Shows I didnt go
- Kite (simply amazing)
- One tree Hill
- Discotheque. I cannot believe they only played this song twice. Please take the time to watch the chicago video in youtube, it's just amazing how they change it, and for me the best use of the LED courtain.

 

[boston2012]

I'm biased because I was there but after looking at most of the setlists for the tour, two out of the three Boston shows in May on the 26th and 28th just can't be beat on this tour....

The 26th featured "Out of Control" when Bono spontaneously added it to the encore when people were leaving but also included "Gloria", "Running to Stand Still", "Until the End..." (which was rare on the 1st leg), "Original of the Species" (played for only the 9th time), "The Ocean" and "Bad/40" to close the show.

The 28th featured "An Cat Dubh/Into the Heart", "The Cry", "Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses", (first time since 1992) and "Electric Co.".

This doesn't even include the December Boston shows that were incredible also.....something about Boston.

 

[last unicorn]

For me, a highlight was Bono's voice, especially during the last leg and in songs like Miss Sarajevo and Sometimes. I was delighted to find Miss Sarajevo in so many shows, never thought they would play that so often. I also liked the very old stuff and the Australian closings with Kite. Also One Tree Hill. Many highlights for me.