Vertigo X2 wasn't a bad thing...

[theu2fly]

Instead, I think it was a good idea... how many people can go to a U2 concert and say U2 played the same song twice? Not since the days of Boy, did U2 use 11 O'Clock Tick Tock and The Ocean to open and close their shows...

I think it was a good move, and it makes the show all the better.

 

[Axver]

U2 have played songs twice in one concert since the Boy Tour. Just not all too regularly.

And who cares? Just because it's rare doesn't make it good.

 

[Kildare]

I think Vertigo X2 was an awesome move. Just awesome.

 

[bathiu]

I agree. The best way to end the show

 

[namkcuR]

IMO, the main thing that makes Vertigo X2 undesireable is that behind Bomb, U2 have a 25-year, ten LP back catalog - well over a hundred songs - from which to draw material to perform, but instead they play a new song twice, all the while completely ignoring whole albums(*cough* Zooropa *cough* Pop *cough*). It just seems like a waste of a setlist spot to me. I'd much rather have an 11 O'Clock Tick Tock, an Unforgettable Fire, an Exit, a One Tree Hill, an Even Better Than The Real Thing, an Until The End Of The World, an Ultraviolet, a Love Is Blindness, a Lemon, a Dirty Day, a HMTMKMKM, a Discotheque, a Mofo, a Staring At The Sun, a Last Night On Earth, a Gone, a Please, a Kite, a New York, or an Electrical Storm, among endless others, rather than hear an already-overplayed song twice in the same show.

 

[discothequeLP]

the transtion from 40 to Vertigo was amazing (with Larry by himself, then the rest of the guys running back onstage), but i don't think Vertigo 2x was all that great

 

[BANZAI]

Vertigo 2x sucked.

 

[LemonMelon]

The way to make those happy who dislike the idea of playing a song twice is simple; don`t play it the first time.

Vertigo (besides "40") is the best closer U2 has used in a long while, much better than One or certainly Love Is Blindness. Walk On is close (very close), but nothing screams awesomeness like 40-Vertigo.

So, how do you fill the space that kicking Vertigo out of the main set left behind? Make Electric Co. a permanent part of the set, or use it later to put something rare in; or both!

 

[cobl04]

IMO, the main thing that makes Vertigo X2 undesireable is that behind Bomb, U2 have a 25-year, ten LP back catalog - well over a hundred songs - from which to draw material to perform, but instead they play a new song twice, all the while completely ignoring whole albums(*cough* Zooropa *cough* Pop *cough*). It just seems like a waste of a setlist spot to me. I'd much rather have an 11 O'Clock Tick Tock, an Unforgettable Fire, an Exit, a One Tree Hill, an Even Better Than The Real Thing, an Until The End Of The World, an Ultraviolet, a Love Is Blindness, a Lemon, a Dirty Day, a HMTMKMKM, a Discotheque, a Mofo, a Staring At The Sun, a Last Night On Earth, a Gone, a Please, a Kite, a New York, or an Electrical Storm, among endless others, rather than hear an already-overplayed song twice in the same show.

 

[namkcuR]

Vertigo (besides "40") is the best closer U2 has used in a long while, much better than One or certainly Love Is Blindness. Walk On is close (very close), but nothing screams awesomeness like 40-Vertigo.

The idea that Vertigo is a better closer than Love Is Blindness/Can't Help Falling In Love is absurd imo. LIB/Can't Help was a sublime, chilling, immobilizing, heartbreakly beautiful way to end a show. Vertigo is just an adrenaline pumper.

I have always loved U2's somber, downbeat closings("40", LIB/CHFIL, One/WUDM) and I hope they come back to that concept sometime.

 

[pgv]

I loved that they did vertigo twice, when they did that at cardiff things totally went off. I think at a huge stadium like that, not everyone was a diehard u2 fan and if they had played a better song such as love is blindness things wouldnt have 'gone off' the way they did. But because EVERYONE there knew vertigo, it worked better and meant that we left the gig on that 'something amazing just happened' feeling.
In an arena though I wouldnt want them to do that, or in a smaller venue.

 

[An Cat Gav]

In theory it was an awful idea, but when I saw it happen in London, it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be.
However I woul have preferred it if they had just played 1 more song instead of Vertigo twice.

 

[coolian2]

I wouldn't mind seeing Vertigo X2 once.

I'd still rather a show closed with Bad/40.

 

[Zooropean103]

My top closers:

1. All I Want Is You (4th leg vertigo)
2. Vertigo (2nd leg)
3. Walk On (elevation)
4. '40' (80's)
5. Bad/People Have The Power snippet (3rd leg vertigo)
6. One/WUDM (popmart)
7. Love Is Blindness/CHFIL (zoo tv)

Resuming: Vertigo x2 is an awesome closer, just watch the performance from Milan!

 

[ElectricalVoice]

Great move. On every concert I attended, the last Vertigo shook the whole stadium. It was awesome to end a fantastic concert that way, with everyone jumping up and down going crazy, a version of Vertigo who never ended. It wasn't like they had too few songs to play, so they had to play the same twice. The concert ended where it started. Brilliant.

 

[Ellay]

Vertigo X2 at Manchester got the whole crowd going at the start of the concert, and then left us all on a high at the end.

As a die hard fan, perhaps I'd liked to have heard a different song, but the vast majority of people who go to these concerts aren't obsessives like ourselves, and would all have known vertigo.

So therefore I think it was a good idea

 

[Salome]

it worked extremely well

 

[Chizip]

for the people that thought it was awesome, was it awesome because you got to hear Vertigo twice at the same show, or was it awesome because the show ended with a rocking tune?

i could see why people would like going out with a rocking tune, but i dont see why people would like to have a second vertigo in place of another song.

instead of 2 Vertigo's wouldnt you rather have All Because of You opening, another song like Bad (or your favorites song) somewhere else in the set, and then Vertigo closing?

anyway, hasn't this topic been beaten to its bloody death already?

 

[Chizip]

Instead, I think it was a good idea... how many people can go to a U2 concert and say U2 played the same song twice? Not since the days of Boy, did U2 use 11 O'Clock Tick Tock and The Ocean to open and close their shows...

I think it was a good move, and it makes the show all the better.

btw, when did you change your mind?

Lets hope the negative reviews of Vertigo x2 have been heard. I think U2 realizes people want 40 back...

Biggest Disappointment...

Vertigo x2
Pride seguing into Streets
Lack of I Will Follow, Out Of Control, Until The End Of The World, New Year's Day
No real closer

How well was it received at your concert?

During Minneapolis, when they played it a second time, I remember seeing the crowd kinda bummed, like "Oh this song again?" they didn't go as wild as they did the first time it was played.

 

[Salome]

well, I would always say - sitting behind my computer - that I would have preferred to hear another song instead of the same song twice

but they played Vertigo twice at both shows I went to and I just felt an enormous energy surge and I didn't feel or think that I was missing out on a song I didn't hear yet

so I do think it just worked very well

 

[Axver]

I saw Vertigo x2 live and it was really bland, it didn't do anything either good or bad for me and I thought it was a rather weak way to end what had otherwise been an amazing concert.

 

[bono_man2002]

I saw Vertigo x2 live and it was really bland, it didn't do anything either good or bad for me and I thought it was a rather weak way to end what had otherwise been an amazing concert.

Geez, you hate Achtung Baby, Didnt like Vertigo X2 SUM! FANZ U AREZ!!......next thing you'll be saying TUF is U2's greatest album

 

[discothequeLP]

IMO, the main thing that makes Vertigo X2 undesireable is that behind Bomb, U2 have a 25-year, ten LP back catalog - well over a hundred songs - from which to draw material to perform, but instead they play a new song twice, all the while completely ignoring whole albums(*cough* Zooropa *cough* Pop *cough*). It just seems like a waste of a setlist spot to me. I'd much rather have an 11 O'Clock Tick Tock, an Unforgettable Fire, an Exit, a One Tree Hill, an Even Better Than The Real Thing, an Until The End Of The World, an Ultraviolet, a Love Is Blindness, a Lemon, a Dirty Day, a HMTMKMKM, a Discotheque, a Mofo, a Staring At The Sun, a Last Night On Earth, a Gone, a Please, a Kite, a New York, or an Electrical Storm, among endless others, rather than hear an already-overplayed song twice in the same show.

well, Bono made it clear that he didn't want this tour to be a 'greatest hits' tour. it's the Vertigo tour. so, fuck it, play our new shit twice.

 

[andyuk]

i was'nt a fan of the idea until i saw the show and have to agree it was an awesome move! the second vertigo nearly brought the house down with everyone in the whole stadium going nuts!

Great move!

 

[djerdap]

Oh c'mon...
A band with over 200 songs, 11 albums in their catalogue, with so many fan favorites not being played for years... play one song twice?
It's a disgrace!

 

[adrball]

... behind Bomb, U2 have a 25-year, ten LP back catalog - well over a hundred songs - from which to draw material to perform

Originally posted by ElecticalVoice
...On every concert I attended, the last Vertigo shook the whole stadium...

I personally really like Vertigo LIVE. Great opening and on closing left me with an incredible buzz. It's a balance act problem that many bands would simply love to have. Can see both points here...tough call.

 

[Chizip]

the last vertigo would have shook the whole stadium whether you had opened with it or not

if ya want to shake the stadium to end it, fine use vertigo to close, but open with something else and play another song from the catalogue rather than vertigo twice in the same set

 

[tpsglick2424]

Bring back 40! That's the only way to end it! 'and if you're not going to end with it play another song out of the 100 you wrote...

 

[U2girl]

I liked Bad closing on this tour, looking at songs that closed the most shows. Vertigo was ok as the adrenaline finish, and I didn't care for the overplayed 40.

 

[theu2fly]

Chizip, I need to evaluate...

I always wanted to hear 40, but I knew it wouldn't be possible, it's the ideal closer. But U2 has played 40 so many times, that it would have been tiring...

I think Vertigo X2 was a good move, now that it's a year after the concert...