Shuttlecock XVI - Cobbler's Revenge

[Imperor]

people who have precious little memories about that time that girl let them touch them to ASOH are mad.

For tonight, at last, I am coming hard.


I am coming hard.

 

[Hewson]

 

[lazarus]

Classic Imperor drive-by.

 

[iron yuppie]

people who have precious little memories about that time that girl let them touch them to ASOH are mad.

In all honesty that scenario sounds horribly unsexy.

 

[coolian2]

In all honesty that scenario sounds horribly unsexy.

I didn't want to ruin the moment and run across the room to slam my laptop shut as my afternoon turned interesting, just as the band hit Exit on the live stream I was on.

Relearnt my nine times tables that afternoon.

 

[PhilsFan]

Some assorted thoughts on last night:

Spoiler

- I found the crowd very rude in a way I haven't experienced at any other show before. Lots of snippy arguments, not aided by the packed-in nature of the GA and how humid it was. I was accused by 12-15 people of lying about trying to return to my area of the GA with water and very nearly was not allowed by some particularly surly fans.

- I had a similar GA experience during the show to my show in 2011. I seemed to be around a group that was not that into the show and it made me self-conscious about singing along, which wasn't fun. The woman next to me literally spent 80 percent of the show with her fingers in her ears.

- What a treat to see Bad. I was worried it being played in a lower key would take something away, but by the time that first chorus hits you're so into it you don't remember. It felt very natural the way he played to the crowd and got them to turn their phone lights on. And having lost some people I know recently to heroin overdoses, it was very poignant.

- Red Hill Mining Town. I haven't seen any videos from the Philly show but I can tell you when they finished Bono was pumped up in a "we nailed that" kind of way. He went back to Adam and seemed to be excited about the performance.

- In God's Country and Trip were two they seemed to be finding their stride in. Bono even said as much.

- One Tree Hill is an incredible song, but I do think Bono should shut up during Edge's solo. If you can't hit the notes, that's fine, there's no need to half ass it and grumble "rain" repeatedly over that outro. Didn't ruin it but an easy improvement can be made there.

- The visuals were way better in person on most of the songs, but I thought Exit's were sort of underwhelming compared to the videos I'd seen.

- I was disappointed by the crowd at the end of Mothers of the Disappeared. The lack of people singing along to the outro again made me feel out of place.

- Miss Sarajevo kind of worked, which surprised me.

- We got the "Hear Us Coming" outro on One, which was cool.

- I laughed for the first 90 seconds of Mysterious Ways thinking about the reaction in this thread to Ultraviolet getting bumped.

- Elevation and Vertigo as closers is interesting. Elevation was as hyped as the crowd was all night. I thought for a pretty standard rock song and simple camera work it was very well done to get people the most engaged (the shot from behind Larry, close up of Edge on the solo, etc.).

 

[corianderstem]

Some assorted thoughts on last night:

Spoiler

- I found the crowd very rude in a way I haven't experienced at any other show before.

- And having lost some people I know recently to heroin overdoses, it was very poignant.

- grumble "rain" repeatedly over that outro.

Spoiler

a) Few things can bring down an otherwise good show than shitty people around you. I had one of those kinds of experiences in Vancouver in 2005, which for that reason alone makes it one of my least favorite shows I've been to

b) So very sorry to hear about that, that's terrible.

c) I don't know why, but your phrasing of that complaint is hilarious

 

[PhilsFan]

The people I was with wanted to be up close and weren't drinking, which didn't help. When I see them in Buffalo I'm going to hang much farther back and drink plentifully and hopefully have a blast.

 

[lazarus]

Spoiler

- I was disappointed by the crowd at the end of Mothers of the Disappeared. The lack of people singing along to the outro again made me feel out of place.

I guess there's a reason Bono is giving the crowd SPANISH LESSONS.

a) Few things can bring down an otherwise good show than shitty people around you. I had one of those kinds of experiences in Vancouver in 2005, which for that reason alone makes it one of my least favorite shows I've been to.

Understandable.

 

[corianderstem]

I hadn't met him yet in 2005, so .... oh shit, he might have been stalking me and I didn't even know!!

 

[Wide Awake n AZ]

In all honesty that scenario sounds horribly unsexy.

Doesn't it?

I know...shut up.

 

[namkcuR]

My review of the philly show will have to wait another day. Fucking airport nightmare today. Flight out of Philly was supposed to leave at 2:15, but the whole airport got grounded because of a heavy storm coming through. By 5, flights were leaving again but not mine. After over an hour of the departures board having wrong info on it and of the people waiting for this flight being told nothing, we finally boarded after 6. And then after everyone was boarded, the pilot announced that the flight had been cancelled after all. So everyone had to de-board and re-book for tomorrow. Delta, of course, declined to offer anybody hotel vouchers after all this. Fortunately I didn't have to go through trying to find a room in the midst of a bunch of flights being cancelled at the same time, as I have a relative relatively nearby in Jersey, and the uber bill was like a hundred bucks less than a room would have been. Flying sucks sometimes. Still, the show was worth this completely wasted and infuriating day.

 

[Axver]

Still deciding whether to get tickets for NY2. I feel like seeing this tour twice is sufficient given the static sets, but then there's the fear of missing out on a possible nice surprise on night 2. At the same time, what are the chances at this stage that the "surprises" are Mysterious Ways/UV and I Will Follow/Vertigo rather than ASOH?

I imagine the rotations will be ASOH and Bad, MW and UV, and Vertigo with either I Will Follow or Little Things.

I mean, replacing ASOH with Bad was not an affront to humanity. I love ASOH, but it was not universally received at Rose Bowl 1. The people who did, like me, went nuts, but Bad is a similar era track of similar emotion, and longer, that pulls a bigger response. Yeah, we are sick of songs like Elevation, but up tempo rockers are they way they want to exit, and a lot of people know Elevation, my least favorite song of the set for sure, but people bump to it.

Yeah nah. A massive part of the complaint, beyond that ASOH was ripped away after only just coming back from an effective 30-year absence, was that ASOH was literally not replaced with anything. They cut the show from 22 songs to 21. And haven't gone past it. It's just crazy. With a few scarce exceptions in 2005, they haven't done a show shorter than 22 songs since the Elevation Tour. 22 has been the standard minimum, and on the last two tours they've typically gone for around 23-24. Hell, right now they've done literally just 26 different songs across 15 shows - and that includes little old MLK at Vancouver and the debut of Mysterious Ways. On the 40-date second leg of the IE Tour, which ended just 18 months ago, they did 25 to 27 songs per night. There's no reason they can't play all 26 songs currently in their repertoire in one show. So to cut ASOH and not even bother to replace it is going to sting.

Also, what PFan said.

 

[coolian2]

I got one of those 21 song bastards in 2006.

 

[gump]

Remember that 27-song or whatever it was Dublin 3 show in Vertigo. Damn, those were the days.

 

[Axver]

I got one of those 21 song bastards in 2006.

The one and only 21-song show of the 2006 legs! All the others were 22-24.

On the other hand, the first One Tree Hill in just about 17 years counts for fifty songs by itself.

Remember that 27-song or whatever it was Dublin 3 show in Vertigo. Damn, those were the days.

That'd be this 26-song show, which at the time was the longest U2 show ever in terms of number of songs (and probably longest in terms of runtime too, but I've never confirmed that): U2 Dublin, 2005-06-27, Croke Park, Vertigo Tour - U2 on tour

It appears on U2gigs as a list of 25 songs as we now present An Cat Dubh/Into the Heart on the same line, but both count as full songs so it's still counted as 26 songs for the purposes of the first list on this page: TourDB statistics - U2 on tour

The two longest U2 shows ever were the 27-song setlists at Cologne 2 and Paris 3 in late 2015.

 

[coolian2]

The one and only 21-song show of the 2006 legs! All the others were 22-24.

On the other hand, the first One Tree Hill in just about 17 years counts for fifty songs by itself.

Now how on earth does that fit my poor me narrative?

 

[elevated_u2_fan]

2 of the 3 Elevation shows I saw were 20 songs, I was less jaded back then I guess...

 

[Hewson]

I do think Bono should shut up during Edge's solo.

From your lips (keyboard) to God's (Bono's) ears.

 

[lazarus]

Proceed cautiously, but the album is done according to Claycourt.

U2’s Adam Clayton Talks ‘Joshua Tree,’ MusiCares Honor, Next Album | Variety

 

[lazarus]

...

 

[PhilsFan]

I fundamentally refuse to believe The Edge thinks the album is done.

 

[Wide Awake n AZ]

Certainly, more songs equals good. But I didn't feel robbed walking out the doors at the Rose Bowl. Of course, I did get both ASOH and Bad. Maybe my response was misplaced annoyance, but I do feel there is a segment who is going to jam these guys no matter what they do. Like Ultraviolet for Mysterious Ways...it is a change and if UV is your favorite song you are disappointed, but it is a fair era-appropriate change and has been reworked to be much better than the original. And it is a change for people who saw one show then see another...I am excited in Phoenix and SD that I will get a different experience.


But, yeah...21 songs or 20 songs is a worthy complaint compared against past output. I can admit my annoyance was expressed with broad brushes that also cover legit complaints. It was a build up from observation...I am new to the boards and while I am no stranger to message board culture, it can get a little ridiculous. But, yeah...fair play: for the money they are charging, they should sweat out a fair length of setlist.

 

[iron yuppie]

Do you guys really count the songs while you are at a show?

 

[Wide Awake n AZ]

I usually look at the setlist before and if it is light, I am not thrilled. And if the band has been dropping 20 song sets and I get 18, I am also a bit upset and will look to see if there is a known reason (band sick, delayed start, etc). But I don't use my fingers and toes and appendages to mark the total while I am there...it is just noticed when you have reviewed setlists and realize you were shorted.

 

[DaveC]

after all the changes to the set list since the LA shows, i am a lot less upset now about selling my tickets for friday than i was after cobblers reviews. i'll periscope it and i am sure i'll be okay with that. i ultimately ended up with kendrick lamar tickets, who i am orders of magnitude more excited to see for the first time than i would be for another u2 show.

 

[coolian2]

Do you guys really count the songs while you are at a show?

I'll usually only notice when I'm leaving the venue and I'm having a look at Interference/U2gigs/Twitter to pass the time in queuing.

This is aided by the exit plan for Mt Smart Stadium being worse than George W Bush's exit plan from Iraq.

 

[Wide Awake n AZ]

I'll usually only notice when I'm leaving the venue and I'm having a look at Interference/U2gigs/Twitter to pass the time in queuing.

This is aided by the exit plan for Mt Smart Stadium being worse than George W Bush's exit plan from Iraq.

For many heritage bands that I go see, we have an encore exit plan. I mean, the 10th time you see Def Leppard play the same setlist, is Pour Some Sugar On Me worth 45 minutes of your life stuck in the parking lot? No...no, it really isn't worth a second of my time, but even if I liked the song, I am not going to stay with the masses on that. So many shows I go to are one song short for me.

For a band like U2, I stick it out, with one exception...I did leave the Rose Bowl early to get the shuttle back to the engineering firm. I had heard that line might become overrun and it may require walking out of the canyon, and I was not looking to force my wife to do that for a song I could hear from line.

 

[Hewson]

Do you guys really count the songs while you are at a show?

I often note the time the band hits the stage and the time they finish, but don't count songs.

 

[PhilsFan]

Do you guys really count the songs while you are at a show?

No, but I conceptually understand time and can tell the difference between a shorter show and a longer show. I do not remember how many songs they played when I saw them in 2011 but I know it was a longer show than this one. It's a really short main set on this tour. I also remember shows where I kind of felt short changed by a short setlist. Three off the top of my head are Lykke Li, Kurt Vile, and Grimes. I couldn't tell you how many songs were played then either but I know they were short shows.