martha
Blue Crack Supplier
We will make this work if we ever have to!
Shuttlecock XV: Seppos and the 42: Cobbler's Epic Fail
- Thread starter cobl04
- Start date
The friendliest place on the web for anyone that follows U2.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
We will make this work if we ever have to!
OP
OP
cobl04
45:33
Yeah the JT throwbacks are awesome. Just wish Edge had put on a top hat for Exit.
bono_212
Blue Crack Distributor
Alright, people in line around me are chill. Let's do this thing!
And @cobbler, you better say hi after the show this time! (and if you need a lift if you went solo, lemme know)
And @cobbler, you better say hi after the show this time! (and if you need a lift if you went solo, lemme know)
OP
OP
cobl04
45:33
I'd love a lift 
I'm getting there at 5.
I'm getting there at 5.
lazarus
Blue Crack Supplier
I'll spoiler-tag the non-JT stuff.
Disclaimer: we did not walk around 30 minutes looking for "organic" water. Other people wanted refreshments too before we got to the stadium, and we had to go a couple blocks south out of the way before we found a place anyone wanted to go into. I was holding out for a cheaper convenience store, which was eluding us. Once we began heading west (the right direction), we wound up passing a Ralph's and I was excited because I could basically get anything and it would just be supermarket prices.
Anyway, show was great. A little further back than I'd like but jesus that screen might be too overwhelming if you get close.
It felt a little odd getting Streets so early in a set but it still delivered. Yes, the gigantic red screen was epic, but of course the real highlight is always when those giant house lights come on and you can see everyone in the whole stadium, As Cobbler mentioned, insane visuals, the sharpness/clarity is out of this world. ISHFWILF still needs a little more bounce and that perfect guitar sound will never be replicated, but at least this wasn't acoustic. I have some bad associations with this song after it unsatisfactorily closed the I&E shows but whatever.
WOWY isn't exactly a stinker but it really isn't working as well as it should. Bono on the verses isn't recreating any of the original's mysterious atmosphere and it's only the chorus that works. Luckily Edge and Adam still save it. Bullet was great, maybe not the best incarnation post-JT but delivered as well as it needed to.
And then we come to RTSS. Bono dedicated this to Chris Cornell (thankfully instead of playing Stuck) and Cornell's family, and what followed was maybe the most moving live performance of a song I've ever seen. The camera was tight on Bono's face throughout the song, and the emotion he was conveying was extremely powerful. Combine that with one of the band's best tracks ever and it was an obvious highlight. He can't still do the "whooooo" after the second verse but whatever. Harmonica.
Red Hill was a mixed bag. Bono definitely nailed the vocal IMO, but I didn't care for Edge on piano instead of guitar. He's taking a bit of a backseat due to the horns, which is interesting but not but better than what could have been a straight-up version. Am I crazy or did In God's Country have a really dancey beat? That was strange, but it all sounded great.
Trip was another huge highlight. Sounded absolutely perfect. A carbon copy of the album version aside from Bono not doing the big "YEAH!" yelps. Harmonica was so great to hear live. Just a real banger. Cobbler is spot-on about this replacing Desire or Angel of Harlem in the future. So much fun. One Tree Hill, great as it is was missing something I couldn't put my finger on. Maybe I feel as Cobbler does, that it was a little overwhelming getting these rarities one after another.
Exit of course destroyed. Just a force of nature. Balls to the wall. Intense visuals on the screen. I'm not sure Bono's "eeny-meeny-miney-mo" thing works but it's nice to see him just cutting loose and going crazy. He's amped up as fuck along with the other three. And then Mothers, which is a nice soothing coda. I wish he had said something about the actual Mothers and the song's inspiration instead of just assuming everyone there knows the significance of the women holding the candles. I feel like more than any other song that one is made more powerful by knowing its subject.
And now:
Disclaimer: we did not walk around 30 minutes looking for "organic" water. Other people wanted refreshments too before we got to the stadium, and we had to go a couple blocks south out of the way before we found a place anyone wanted to go into. I was holding out for a cheaper convenience store, which was eluding us. Once we began heading west (the right direction), we wound up passing a Ralph's and I was excited because I could basically get anything and it would just be supermarket prices.
Anyway, show was great. A little further back than I'd like but jesus that screen might be too overwhelming if you get close.
SBS is an odd opener to me because of the military beat and the anger the song is supposed to convey. But it's a big hit and got the crowd going. NYD, lovely as always, I could hear this every time and not get tired of it.
ASOH is as good as anyone could hope for. Seemed a little abbreviated but they really got the crowd into it. Bono nailed it vocally as far as I'm concerned, even if he steered around a big moment or too. Such a gift to see this, really. Pride was lacking the power it has from coming later in the set. Instead of being a summation or conscience and the band's overall message of hope, it just winds up being a catchy single that everyone knows. It still works, it still sounds good, but definitely lacked because of its placement.
ASOH is as good as anyone could hope for. Seemed a little abbreviated but they really got the crowd into it. Bono nailed it vocally as far as I'm concerned, even if he steered around a big moment or too. Such a gift to see this, really. Pride was lacking the power it has from coming later in the set. Instead of being a summation or conscience and the band's overall message of hope, it just winds up being a catchy single that everyone knows. It still works, it still sounds good, but definitely lacked because of its placement.
It felt a little odd getting Streets so early in a set but it still delivered. Yes, the gigantic red screen was epic, but of course the real highlight is always when those giant house lights come on and you can see everyone in the whole stadium, As Cobbler mentioned, insane visuals, the sharpness/clarity is out of this world. ISHFWILF still needs a little more bounce and that perfect guitar sound will never be replicated, but at least this wasn't acoustic. I have some bad associations with this song after it unsatisfactorily closed the I&E shows but whatever.
WOWY isn't exactly a stinker but it really isn't working as well as it should. Bono on the verses isn't recreating any of the original's mysterious atmosphere and it's only the chorus that works. Luckily Edge and Adam still save it. Bullet was great, maybe not the best incarnation post-JT but delivered as well as it needed to.
And then we come to RTSS. Bono dedicated this to Chris Cornell (thankfully instead of playing Stuck) and Cornell's family, and what followed was maybe the most moving live performance of a song I've ever seen. The camera was tight on Bono's face throughout the song, and the emotion he was conveying was extremely powerful. Combine that with one of the band's best tracks ever and it was an obvious highlight. He can't still do the "whooooo" after the second verse but whatever. Harmonica.
Red Hill was a mixed bag. Bono definitely nailed the vocal IMO, but I didn't care for Edge on piano instead of guitar. He's taking a bit of a backseat due to the horns, which is interesting but not but better than what could have been a straight-up version. Am I crazy or did In God's Country have a really dancey beat? That was strange, but it all sounded great.
Trip was another huge highlight. Sounded absolutely perfect. A carbon copy of the album version aside from Bono not doing the big "YEAH!" yelps. Harmonica was so great to hear live. Just a real banger. Cobbler is spot-on about this replacing Desire or Angel of Harlem in the future. So much fun. One Tree Hill, great as it is was missing something I couldn't put my finger on. Maybe I feel as Cobbler does, that it was a little overwhelming getting these rarities one after another.
Exit of course destroyed. Just a force of nature. Balls to the wall. Intense visuals on the screen. I'm not sure Bono's "eeny-meeny-miney-mo" thing works but it's nice to see him just cutting loose and going crazy. He's amped up as fuck along with the other three. And then Mothers, which is a nice soothing coda. I wish he had said something about the actual Mothers and the song's inspiration instead of just assuming everyone there knows the significance of the women holding the candles. I feel like more than any other song that one is made more powerful by knowing its subject.
And now:
Beautiful Day is still lame as fuck. Yes, the pre-recorded intro was a cool touch, but the verses are just so plodding and just emblematic of so much of the weak parts of post-2000 U2. The chorus soars, but it's generic U2 in every way. The song barely has an identity. And then that weird computerized singing with the band's heads on the screen, what the fuck was that? It's bad enough the song reminds me of Coldplay but this is exactly the visual content I'd expect at one of their shows. And then at the end he shoehorns "City of Stars" from La La Land (which I actually loved) and it was clumsy, to say the least. Easily the weakest thing of the night.
Elevation, always fun. I didn't jump like a pogo stick during the chorus as I usually do. I'm getting old (though I did do it later during IWF).
Then we come to Ultraviolet. This one is hard to talk about because I love the song, and I love the celebration of women. But the content connection really seems forced. And I think the visuals distract (not detract) from the song. What I would have preferred was a longer intro featuring the "parade of inspirational women" and then a more abstract visual during the song itself. To my ears, it sounded a little inferior to the 360 version, but I'd have to hear a bootleg, it's maybe just that I was having this disconnect. Is it just me?
One is one I won't likely get sick of, and this one did have some extra OOMPH for some reason. It does seem a bit re-energized. Edge's guitar sounds a little rawer, little dirtier (maybe something to do with Bono not being on second guitar) and it really works. It was great to get "Hear us coming" but maybe I just have great luck because I feel like I've heard it many times by now.
Miss Sarajevo, it was nice to have you back on the scene for a while, but it's time to go again. Once again, the content was overpowering the music, and MS is not a strong (read: engaging) enough track to counterbalance that. And yes, if you're not going to do the Pavarotti section like you could on 360, then why fucking bother? The band played NOTHING post-ATYCLB at this show and I would have rather had something else here. I think Cori said this in her initial review (or maybe it was someone else), but it's just too downbeat after One. The energy needs to come up again. Or just maybe a song that more people recognize.
This is the point of the show where I knew there was only like 15 minutes left and that here is where any changes/rotations were going to happen. I expected Vertigo around this point, to be honest. But then Bono turned to the others and said "Let's try it" and I immediately was like FUCK YEAH. I knew Bad was a possibility and it saved the night for me. I don't think the version I saw on Vertigo that closed a show going into People Have The Power and the whole arena singing along, but it's still the best thing the band does live. Period. Nothing tops it. I've been going to U2 shows from ZooTV onward, and this is only the third time I've seen it. So I was pretty damned stoked.
At this point it's 10:50 and I figure the band has time for 2 more. I'm thinking, ok definitely Vertigo now and then the new song. Nope. Another audible appears to be called and it's I Will Follow. I've been a little negative on this song and bemoaning the fact that it isn't rotated more often with Electric Co. (so glad I got that on I&E) and Out Of Control, or even 11 O'Clock, but something about having it at the end was like a real jolt to the crowd. So much energy. I was dancing and pumping my fist.
And then...that was it. They stopped with like 5 minutes till curfew if I'm not mistaken. Certainly had time for one more. But whetever. It would have been nice to hear the new song but it doesn't sound like a very good closer to me anyway.
My big takeaway is that, again, they didn't play Vertigo? I know the song has detractors here but it never fails to get the crowd going and it can also be played in a quick 3 minutes. Really shocked they didn't slip it in somewhere. And I just have a problem with ignoring the last THREE studio albums completely.
But I can't complain because of Bad. I don't need to go back a second night. There's nothing they're likely to switch out with that I'll be upset about missing. I'm good.
Elevation, always fun. I didn't jump like a pogo stick during the chorus as I usually do. I'm getting old (though I did do it later during IWF).
Then we come to Ultraviolet. This one is hard to talk about because I love the song, and I love the celebration of women. But the content connection really seems forced. And I think the visuals distract (not detract) from the song. What I would have preferred was a longer intro featuring the "parade of inspirational women" and then a more abstract visual during the song itself. To my ears, it sounded a little inferior to the 360 version, but I'd have to hear a bootleg, it's maybe just that I was having this disconnect. Is it just me?
One is one I won't likely get sick of, and this one did have some extra OOMPH for some reason. It does seem a bit re-energized. Edge's guitar sounds a little rawer, little dirtier (maybe something to do with Bono not being on second guitar) and it really works. It was great to get "Hear us coming" but maybe I just have great luck because I feel like I've heard it many times by now.
Miss Sarajevo, it was nice to have you back on the scene for a while, but it's time to go again. Once again, the content was overpowering the music, and MS is not a strong (read: engaging) enough track to counterbalance that. And yes, if you're not going to do the Pavarotti section like you could on 360, then why fucking bother? The band played NOTHING post-ATYCLB at this show and I would have rather had something else here. I think Cori said this in her initial review (or maybe it was someone else), but it's just too downbeat after One. The energy needs to come up again. Or just maybe a song that more people recognize.
This is the point of the show where I knew there was only like 15 minutes left and that here is where any changes/rotations were going to happen. I expected Vertigo around this point, to be honest. But then Bono turned to the others and said "Let's try it" and I immediately was like FUCK YEAH. I knew Bad was a possibility and it saved the night for me. I don't think the version I saw on Vertigo that closed a show going into People Have The Power and the whole arena singing along, but it's still the best thing the band does live. Period. Nothing tops it. I've been going to U2 shows from ZooTV onward, and this is only the third time I've seen it. So I was pretty damned stoked.
At this point it's 10:50 and I figure the band has time for 2 more. I'm thinking, ok definitely Vertigo now and then the new song. Nope. Another audible appears to be called and it's I Will Follow. I've been a little negative on this song and bemoaning the fact that it isn't rotated more often with Electric Co. (so glad I got that on I&E) and Out Of Control, or even 11 O'Clock, but something about having it at the end was like a real jolt to the crowd. So much energy. I was dancing and pumping my fist.
And then...that was it. They stopped with like 5 minutes till curfew if I'm not mistaken. Certainly had time for one more. But whetever. It would have been nice to hear the new song but it doesn't sound like a very good closer to me anyway.
My big takeaway is that, again, they didn't play Vertigo? I know the song has detractors here but it never fails to get the crowd going and it can also be played in a quick 3 minutes. Really shocked they didn't slip it in somewhere. And I just have a problem with ignoring the last THREE studio albums completely.
But I can't complain because of Bad. I don't need to go back a second night. There's nothing they're likely to switch out with that I'll be upset about missing. I'm good.
BoMac
Self-righteous bullshitter
It's interesting reading people's reactions because I don't nearly have the same connection with The Joshua Tree that others do.
I first took notice of U2 when they released Hold Me Thrill Me Kiss Me Kill, and remember being enthralled with the sheer beauty of the live versions of One and Miss Sarajevo from the Modena concert with Pavarotti. It was then that I bought Achtung Baby and became a big fan. From there I delved into their back catalog and bought Pop at midnight on release day.
So it's not a surprise that I feel a stronger connection to their 90s work than anything else in the band's discography.
As psyched as I am to hear these rarities in Toronto next month, hearing a song from Pop like Please would cause me to have a reaction like Cobbler did.
I first took notice of U2 when they released Hold Me Thrill Me Kiss Me Kill, and remember being enthralled with the sheer beauty of the live versions of One and Miss Sarajevo from the Modena concert with Pavarotti. It was then that I bought Achtung Baby and became a big fan. From there I delved into their back catalog and bought Pop at midnight on release day.
So it's not a surprise that I feel a stronger connection to their 90s work than anything else in the band's discography.
As psyched as I am to hear these rarities in Toronto next month, hearing a song from Pop like Please would cause me to have a reaction like Cobbler did.
lazarus
Blue Crack Supplier
Ok I finally looked at the setlist from the previous shows and I'm a little pissed we got one less song than the previous two shows.
martha
Blue Crack Supplier
I agree on Ultraviolet. It sounded plain to me, when it should jump a bit. And I can do without anymore One/congratulatory lectures. I Will Follow was great done as a straight-up great song instead of bullshit nostalgia.
I have to eat something then take off for round two pretty soon.
I have a great life.
Hewson
Blue Crack Supplier
Sounds like overall a pretty good experience for the So Cal Cockforce and special guest "42".
Hope tonight is as good or better. Enjoy.
Hope tonight is as good or better. Enjoy.
Ultraviolet was great. The Ultraviolllettttts were as strong as I could hope for.
I think the reaction to I will follow was more than simply being the last (un)planned song of the night. It went off. I guess more "casuals" know it than we give it credit for.
The encore could use some work, yes. BD I've never been a huge fan live, but at least this version brings something new. I also like (maybe more from a curiosity standpoint) how other songs are played differently, like NYD and ASOH.
Miss Sarajevo feels redundant with the Pavarotti vocals.
Thankfully rose bowl is only a 3km walk to the station, could be worse...
I think the reaction to I will follow was more than simply being the last (un)planned song of the night. It went off. I guess more "casuals" know it than we give it credit for.
The encore could use some work, yes. BD I've never been a huge fan live, but at least this version brings something new. I also like (maybe more from a curiosity standpoint) how other songs are played differently, like NYD and ASOH.
Miss Sarajevo feels redundant with the Pavarotti vocals.
Thankfully rose bowl is only a 3km walk to the station, could be worse...
Last edited by a moderator:
joyfulgirl
Blue Crack Addict
- Joined
- Apr 11, 2001
- Messages
- 16,690
I agree on Ultraviolet. It sounded plain to me, when it should jump a bit. And I can do without anymore One/congratulatory lectures. I Will Follow was great done as a straight-up great song instead of bullshit nostalgia.
I have to eat something then take off for round two pretty soon.
I have a great life.
I was sick of One a long time ago but I thought it felt great last night. My friend who is coming with me tonight is an AIDS activist, is biking from LA to SF next week to raise money, so I couldn't help but hear Bono's words through his ears this time. It's going to mean a hell of a lot to him. So there's that.
martha
Blue Crack Supplier
There. Fixed.
martha
Blue Crack Supplier
Tonight will be my 30th U2 show. 
Hewson
Blue Crack Supplier
Tonight will be my 30th U2 show.
Nice.
Foxborough will be my 28th.
And I've never done the travel thing outside of a trip to NJ to see them do the Conspiracy of Hope show.
All the other shows were in Boston, Foxborough, Providence, Hartford and Worcester.
From the videos I've seen, Ultraviolet does seem to be missing some of the punch it had on 360. Bono would almost roar that second verse on 360, and he's much more subdued here. Perhaps a little closer to the original, but it does feel like it's missing something.
OP
OP
cobl04
45:33
Thanks man
your tweet was super lovely, so thanks for that, as well.Thanks man
Love the review Cobbler, love your emotion and enthusiasm and love for the band.
Also love that you may have just set a record for number of times the word fuck or any of its derivatives are used in one post on Interference.
Haha, just read it back, so funny.
Yes!! This is so funny, a strange feeling.
So did you have a good time?
Nice review, and glad to see you scored a GA for tonight.
Now ditch that hat.
Thanks man. And yeah, not wearing the hat tonight
Thanks
Ha, this is funny - we're all such long-time fans and have listened to so much that even live adlibs creep in. I always find myself saying "thank you" just before Edge's solo in this song, and other things like "soul! soul! beautiful soul! the goal is soul!"
cobbler's review is really making me regret selling my tickets a month ago
Oh man, what happened?!
awesome! Would be cool to meet tonight if we get a chance.And yeah, totally agreed on how awful getting to the venue is.
OP
OP
cobl04
45:33
Nice review Laz. Good call on ASOH too - was really lovely how well it went down with the crowd. A lot of people around us seemed to know it.
Hoping for the new song and some other cool swaps tonight.
Hoping for the new song and some other cool swaps tonight.
bono_212
Blue Crack Distributor
You got it dude.I'd love a lift
BoMac
Self-righteous bullshitter
namkcuR
ONE love, blood, life
I know you're not big on nostalgia act type stuff, so I know where you're coming from, but I disagree with you on the underlined.
First off, Vertigo in particular I've heard three times live and it just doesn't excite me anymore. The song is fine, but there are so many others I'd rather hear.
More broadly speaking, I almost feel like the post-JT stuff feels somehow out-of-place, because the rest of the setlist is just JT+pre JT stuff, and it feels like a 1987 setlist in a different order. I think this is part of the appeal and why the show seems to be so special for a lot of people. A lot of us weren't old enough to go or even born in 1987(I was 2-3 years old during the original JT tour), so it's like a chance to have that experience. It's just like, City Of Blinding Lights and No Line On The Horizon don't really have a place in this particular experience, you know?
And I say that as someone who likes a good deal of post-2000 U2 more than a lot of people here. I'm one who thinks SOI is among their best work in that period. But it's just not what this tour is about.
If anything, I wouldn't complain if they dropped the post-80s stuff in the encore altogether and added more of the tracks that were regulars or semi-regulars on the original JT tour(not that I don't like the tracks they're playing in the encore). Here are the tracks I can think of that fit that criteria:
Out Of Control
The Electric Co.
Gloria
"40"
The Unforgettable Fire
Silver And Gold
Spanish Eyes
It's not like those are obscure tracks that the casuals wouldn't know.
Just my .02.
namkcuR
ONE love, blood, life
Also, I'm seeing people complaining that Bono isn't singing Pavarotti's part in MS. Look, I think Bono sang it as well as he possibly could on Vertigo and on 360. I think he did a terrific job. But he's not Pavarotti. Pavarotti's performance on the record is transcendent. It's magic. I will never complain about having to listen to it.
Would it take me out of the performance a little going from the band live to the recording back to the band live? I mean, maybe, we'll see, but I'm not too worried about it. It's not like the band stops playing altogether, right?
I guess people think this decision was made because Bono can't do it anymore, which is possible, but I think there might be another reason. The song is being given the context of the refugee crisis this time around, right? So maybe they think, given that, that the subject matter is so heavy and important that Pavarotti simply does it more justice, that his delivery conveys the emotion of the whole thing better in that context. Just a thought.
Would it take me out of the performance a little going from the band live to the recording back to the band live? I mean, maybe, we'll see, but I'm not too worried about it. It's not like the band stops playing altogether, right?
I guess people think this decision was made because Bono can't do it anymore, which is possible, but I think there might be another reason. The song is being given the context of the refugee crisis this time around, right? So maybe they think, given that, that the subject matter is so heavy and important that Pavarotti simply does it more justice, that his delivery conveys the emotion of the whole thing better in that context. Just a thought.
bono_212
Blue Crack Distributor
Thank you. I was too lazy to go look for it.
OP
OP
cobl04
45:33
A pre-record does it no justice. It's really weird. I'm fine with the song being in the set but Bono not singing it sucks.
lazarus
Blue Crack Supplier
You may be right. But there are other signs of him not having the vocal stamina he did back in 2010, so who knows?
As for your suggestion that the band play only 80s material, that's a tough one. I would have loved to see some Rattle & Hum songs in there, but at the risk of completely burying themselves in the past...I'm not so sure it's the best message, even if they are releasing something soon.
As for your suggestion that the band play only 80s material, that's a tough one. I would have loved to see some Rattle & Hum songs in there, but at the risk of completely burying themselves in the past...I'm not so sure it's the best message, even if they are releasing something soon.
I noticed that Bad had actually been played at the last two shows, and was merely moved from an earlier spot in the opening section to the end. Is it possibly this becomes a mainstay for the whole tour? This would be the first time since ZooTV it would be getting a nightly spot. Aside from acknowledging how awesome that would be for everyone who's missed it in the past, will this affect its holy stature? I don't think so, personally. I think it's their best offering, and should be as fixed in stone as much as Streets and One (and certainly moreso than fucking Beautiful Day.
One last thing, I was watching a video of last night's Bad performance, and at the beginning as Edge's guitar begins and everyone starts cheering you can see Adam acknowledging the crowd's excitement by pumping his fist. I love that.
One last thing, I was watching a video of last night's Bad performance, and at the beginning as Edge's guitar begins and everyone starts cheering you can see Adam acknowledging the crowd's excitement by pumping his fist. I love that.
OP
OP
cobl04
45:33
Link me to that clip of Bad with Adam fist pumping?
corianderstem
Blue Crack Distributor
He posted a hilarious video on FB of his reaction to Elevation.
lazarus
Blue Crack Supplier
Similar threads
Latest posts
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
U2 Live From Sphere - Final Show SiriusXM stream
- Latest: Headache in a Suitcase
