New Music Rumors and Such, Continued

[BVS]

Vertigo had more of palable script than 360?

I think this is the most "palable script" since ZooTV and even with the spelling out of some parts I'm amazed some people don't get it.

 

[last unicorn]

I have no idea what kind of "script" Vertigo was supposed to have?

I like story-telling, so maybe someone could tell me. I don't think there was more "message" in the Vertigo shows than there is in the 360 shows. In fact, the message is different.

 

[coolian2]

I have no idea what kind of "script" Vertigo was supposed to have?

you're kidding, right?

Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own
Love And Peace Or Else
Sunday Bloody Sunday
Bullet The Blue Sky / When Johnny Comes Marching Home (snippet) / The Hands That Built America (snippet)
Miss Sarajevo
Pride (In The Name Of Love)
Where The Streets Have No Name
One

played more or less in that order every single night. the whole omg war/human rights/african/coexist thing?

I think this is the most "palable script" since ZooTV and even with the spelling out of some parts I'm amazed some people don't get it.

however i totally agree with this, i believe.

 

[Registered Dude]

General Tour Discussion

 

[U2girl]

Vertigo had more of palable script than 360?

I think this is the most "palable script" since ZooTV and even with the spelling out of some parts I'm amazed some people don't get it.

Take out the War/Africa/human rights section and Vertigo tour has a very weak script.

360 (especially the part before COBL/UF duo and onwards) is somewhat more patchy than Zoo/Popmart/Elevation but stronger than other tours.

U2 probably *could* play more/all of NLOTH. However I don't think WAS or COL would work as they're too slow. Fez is too much of a studio piece, so the only option - even more noticeable since T-shirts have used a line in the song - is SUC.

 

[adam3000]

yeah ... i thought this was about the upcoming new album ... not the tour.

 

[last unicorn]

you're kidding, right?



played more or less in that order every single night. the whole omg war/human rights/african/coexist thing?




however i totally agree with this, i believe.

OK, but the same goes for 360, if not more, the order of songs hardly changed, they had the Burma bit, the Africa bit with Tutu, the Space theme and so on. U2 shows always have themes, I don't call them "scripts". It's not like they're playing a broadway musical every night which tells a story, it's just about the issues that U2 consider important and it was that way as well with the 360 shows.

 

[mikal]

does anyone know where on Interference i can speculate about the new album?

 

[BVS]

Why would you want to do that?

 

[MikeyJB]

Nme.com have picked up on that story about the Blackstreet guy working on All I Want Is You and Grace. No idea what it means though.

 

[Registered Dude]

Nme.com have picked up on that story about the Blackstreet guy working on All I Want Is You and Grace. No idea what it means though.

if it spreads to other news outlets, and gets reprinted, we may get some clarification from the band

 

[KhanadaRhodes]

can we please get back on topic? thanks

 

[popacrobat]

Nme.com have picked up on that story about the Blackstreet guy working on All I Want Is You and Grace. No idea what it means though.

would have been nice if they gave me credit for asking what songs and having him reply to me

 

[corianderstem]

I think some of them worked great! Do you think Stadium just equals rockers?

No, I definitely don't. I just personally don't care for the acoustic numbers in a stadium. I might feel differently about the songs in question if they were full band.

On the other hand, I was happy to have heard Stay, even acoustic, as I'd never heard it live before.

Topic, I promise!

So R&B Twitter guy ... has anyone tried asking him if he's able to clarify what he's actually working on? Other than just naming what appear to be old U2 songs?

 

[U2387]

It's more than other albums, and a lot more than most acts in their peer range.

Exactly, and they get beaten over the head in the press and by casual fans and concert goers for playing too much 2000s material. Most people think U2 neglects their back catalogue to a glaring extent.

 

[U2387]

I have no idea what kind of "script" Vertigo was supposed to have?

I like story-telling, so maybe someone could tell me. I don't think there was more "message" in the Vertigo shows than there is in the 360 shows. In fact, the message is different.

Vertigo had 2 running themes.

1.)War and peace, life and death(Sometimes, Kite and One Tree Hill in 2006, Miracle Drug).

2.)Adolescence, innocence as compared to experience, maturity, humility. A hunger and drive remains throughout. This was evident in the connection U2 made between Bomb and Boy, and in all the Boy songs played on the Vertigo tour after the opening barrage of newer songs.

Look to the 5/28 Boston set list for how they best represented this theme. They started out with the Love and Peace, then went into the new punk sounding Vertigo(kick back to the early days), Elevation then Cry/Electric co and An Cat Dubh.

Now, after An Cat Dubh, with the innocence lost, boundaries/feeling explored theme, we are back to longing for that innocence- Into The Heart and then into reflecting on it after years of living life- City of Blinding Lights.

I could go on, but the Vertigo tour was much more cohesive and told much more of a story than 360.

 

[digitize]

does anyone know where on Interference i can speculate about the new album?

Yessir

 

[Aygo]

Take out the War/Africa/human rights section and Vertigo tour has a very weak script.

360 (especially the part before COBL/UF duo and onwards) is somewhat more patchy than Zoo/Popmart/Elevation but stronger than other tours.

U2 probably *could* play more/all of NLOTH. However I don't think WAS or COL would work as they're too slow. Fez is too much of a studio piece, so the only option - even more noticeable since T-shirts have used a line in the song - is SUC.

"Lemon", "Daddy's Gonna Pay For Your Crashed Car", "Zoo Station", "MOFO", "Miss Sarajevo", "The Unforgettable Fire"are magnificent studio pieces and the band was able to put it on the setlist and play it very well, with or without substancial changes. FEZ-BB is no untouchable princess. Same goes for COL.

 

[Aygo]

No, I definitely don't. I just personally don't care for the acoustic numbers in a stadium. I might feel differently about the songs in question if they were full band.

On the other hand, I was happy to have heard Stay, even acoustic, as I'd never heard it live before. QUOTE]

On Zoo TV the acoustic set worked as honey on the audience's tongue. Why? Because it was the antidote (as someone described "geniuslly") for that whole "huge" thing. I think the same can be applied to Popmart's acoustic set.

This leads to what I wrote on another comment: it leads to the principle that the band has to decide if they want a concert or a show. If they want to be conceptual or not. Not leaving it half-way. Zoo Tv, Popmart and Elevation were very clear about this decision: that's why it worked when all put together, because there was submission (or not) if th thing was a show and not a mere rock concert.

 

[corianderstem]

On Zoo TV the acoustic set worked as honey on the audience's tongue. Why? Because it was the antidote (as someone described "geniuslly") for that whole "huge" thing. I think the same can be applied to Popmart's acoustic set.

Agreed, for the most part. It felt fresh on ZooTV, a little less so on Popmart, and even less so on Elevation. Of the 6 Vertigo shows I saw, I never once saw a show with that softer/acoustic encore. I was a happy camper.

Again, this is all just my opinion, so I'm not going to agree with your points. It all just comes down to whether or not you enjoy the acoustic sets in the show. Me, they're my least-favorite parts of the shows of the tours I've seen.

 

[U2girl]

"Lemon", "Daddy's Gonna Pay For Your Crashed Car", "Zoo Station", "MOFO", "Miss Sarajevo", "The Unforgettable Fire"are magnificent studio pieces and the band was able to put it on the setlist and play it very well, with or without substancial changes. FEZ-BB is no untouchable princess. Same goes for COL.

Zoo station isn't a studio piece. Miss Sarajevo and UF aren't that hard to do live. Mofo/Daddy/Lemon had more work involved, but only Mofo worked live and arguably bettered the studio version.

Fez would be most likely somehing like Zooropa: cut down song, probably starting at Bono's howl that opens Being Born and skipping Fez. It could be done, it just isn't a live piece. COL is way too slow - think Your blue room or Miss Sarajevo bathroom breaks en masse. I like WAS and hope it makes the token acoustic song spot, but can also see why the band would rather stick to Stuck or Stay.

Why not give the Stand up comedy riff a chance instead ? It would work very well live and would be better than the studio version.

 

[Registered Dude]

Topic, I promise!

So R&B Twitter guy ... has anyone tried asking him if he's able to clarify what he's actually working on? Other than just naming what appear to be old U2 songs?

anyone on twitter able to accomplish this?

 

[lazarus]

Zoo station isn't a studio piece. Miss Sarajevo and UF aren't that hard to do live. Mofo/Daddy/Lemon had more work involved, but only Mofo worked live and arguably bettered the studio version.

Lemon definitely worked live. Better than about 90% of anything they've ever played on stage.

 

[last unicorn]

Vertigo had 2 running themes.

1.)War and peace, life and death(Sometimes, Kite and One Tree Hill in 2006, Miracle Drug).

2.)Adolescence, innocence as compared to experience, maturity, humility. A hunger and drive remains throughout. This was evident in the connection U2 made between Bomb and Boy, and in all the Boy songs played on the Vertigo tour after the opening barrage of newer songs.

1. Yes, but the exact same thing can be said about every U2 show and in fact about all their songs and albums. Not a real "running theme" for me, at least not one that was characteristical of the Vertigo tour (or any particular tour).

2. Interesting theory, but it only applies to the very first leg of the tour. After that, they dropped most of the old stuff. On the Bomb stuff, there is indeed a certain theme of innocence vs. experience, the band talked about that in interviews as well, COBL is the perfect example. But I don't really see it as a running theme in most of the later shows they did.

 

[U2387]

1. Yes, but the exact same thing can be said about every U2 show and in fact about all their songs and albums. Not a real "running theme" for me, at least not one that was characteristical of the Vertigo tour (or any particular tour).

2. Interesting theory, but it only applies to the very first leg of the tour. After that, they dropped most of the old stuff. On the Bomb stuff, there is indeed a certain theme of innocence vs. experience, the band talked about that in interviews as well, COBL is the perfect example. But I don't really see it as a running theme in most of the later shows they did.

1.)Fair enough

2.Fair enough


It just felt more cohesive to me.

Can't say exactly why, but Aygo and Cori are most certainly on to something I think.

Look at the Zoo and Pop set lists. Big, loud rockers to go with the big stadium production. Moreover, this antidote acoustic set was placed on either side of the big rock sets. Zoo TV Sydney is the perfect example. NYD-Numb-Trying... then the Angel, Stay, Satellite Love Acoustic set then into Dirty Day and Bullet. The 80s classics then came next to close the main set and were extremely well placed. Same goes for Popmart, with IWF right out of the gate and the introduction of Until The End/NYD segue, then Pride, then Still Haven't Found as the first slower song leading to the acoustic set, Streets to close the main set and WOWY in the encore.

The 2 big problems with the flow of this set I think are the placement of the 80s classics and the placement of the acoustic numbers.

The 80s classics sound good with Magnificent, but U2 insists on grouping most of the NLOTH songs together at the beginning.

The acoustic numbers just do not sound good with Still Haven't Found and Unknown Caller as the bookends.

Satellite of Love>>>Dirty Day is the kind of launch out of the acoustic set that you need for it to be effective.

 

[zoocarolina]

Back from vacation and read through all of the pages, so to summarize, Hollister could be working with U2 on AIWIY and Grace for possible re-works for a cd (likely), for a 360 show (less likely) or other? Read his tweets and they were just odd. Elsewhere, possible AB remaster (why if we might get a new album and why not do it until 2011?), anything else I missed? Thx!

 

[corianderstem]

I think that's pretty much it.

 

[Niceman]

All the talk about ATYCLB not having a "proper" ending and peetering out towards to end. To me, ATYCLB was the last truly cohesive U2 album. I think Grace perfectly wrapped it all up. Beautiful Day and Grace make perfect bookends. The first being about seeing beauty even though everything has just fallen apart, and Grace continuing on that theme. In between those 2 songs you get songs about death, grief, midlife crisis, war, doubt, loss of faith. It all seems to gel perfectly, for me, anyway.

HTDAAB i don't even count as a U2 album. It's just so abysmal, yet it does have a certain cohesiveness to it (albeit a cohesiveness of crap), but it makes sense as a totally random mainstream pop album. It's randomness is the theme, you could say.

NLOTH, well...different story. The album itself is confused, loses its cohesiveness halfway thru, and that's the main problem. The tour is a totally seperate thing. I haven't been to any shows, but I don't remember reading anywhere that the tour had some overall concept or theme, like ZooTV or PopMart. To me, it just looks like a more elaborate stage set-up (compared to Elevation or Vertigo tours), with really no story to be told within the concert itself. So, with all the talk about U2 not being comfortable in playing their new songs...I don't buy this argument. It seems like they are plenty confident in playing the majority of the album, there's always going to be some songs that don't get played. Acrobat was never played, but no one ever questioned U2's certainty towards the AB album. This is what you get every single tour. Most new songs get played, and the others don't. NLOTH the album - confused and lacking focus. NLOTH the tour - just another U2 tour, with just a more elaborate stage set-up, no concept, no theme, just a tour.

My main interest is in hearing a cohesive U2 album.

If there was any uncertainty that I could accuse U2 of having, it would be their shunning of the Zooropa and POP albums. This seems to be quite obvious. But the answer as to why is also obvious. They didn't yeild as many classics, and U2 like to rely on classic songs. It's something I wish they would change their minds about, but whatever, I haven't been to a show since Elevation tour, and I probably won't go to another unless it's some whole other weird thing, like another ZOOTV. Until then, it's just another tour, like most bands that tour...play some new songs, and stick to the classics.

Like I said, my main interest is in hearing a cohesive, inspired album.

I disagree on some points.

I think ATYCLB peters off into mediocrity. Do the songs have a cohesiveness? Only in that half of them aren't actually good enough to be on a U2 album. When I Look at The World, New York, and Grace should have all been B-sides, and that's the last 3 tracks! (Peace on Earth should have been a good song, but Bono forgot to put any emotion WHATSOEVER into the performance....)

HTDAAB is a great collection of songs written over a 4 year period and badly recorded. I like or love every song on the album, but they sound like they came from very different sessions. They should have called the Album "U2: Best of 2000-2004." Yes, there is a theme about dealing with the death of Bono's father, but that feels tacked on.

NLOTH: a masterpiece! 3rd best U2 album ever. The second act is different than the first and third, but to me that doesn't mean it doesn't belong or doesn't flow. Rather it avoids the YAWN factor that befell ATYCLB. U2 shouldn't just write ballads. I LOVE Stand Up Comedy! The theme and meaning suffuses every song on the album

 

[Niceman]

Vertigo had 2 running themes.

1.)War and peace, life and death(Sometimes, Kite and One Tree Hill in 2006, Miracle Drug).

2.)Adolescence, innocence as compared to experience, maturity, humility. A hunger and drive remains throughout. This was evident in the connection U2 made between Bomb and Boy, and in all the Boy songs played on the Vertigo tour after the opening barrage of newer songs.

Look to the 5/28 Boston set list for how they best represented this theme. They started out with the Love and Peace, then went into the new punk sounding Vertigo(kick back to the early days), Elevation then Cry/Electric co and An Cat Dubh.

Now, after An Cat Dubh, with the innocence lost, boundaries/feeling explored theme, we are back to longing for that innocence- Into The Heart and then into reflecting on it after years of living life- City of Blinding Lights.

I could go on, but the Vertigo tour was much more cohesive and told much more of a story than 360.

I agree.

 

[Aygo]

1.)Fair enough

2.Fair enough


It just felt more cohesive to me.

Can't say exactly why, but Aygo and Cori are most certainly on to something I think.

Look at the Zoo and Pop set lists. Big, loud rockers to go with the big stadium production. Moreover, this antidote acoustic set was placed on either side of the big rock sets. Zoo TV Sydney is the perfect example. NYD-Numb-Trying... then the Angel, Stay, Satellite Love Acoustic set then into Dirty Day and Bullet. The 80s classics then came next to close the main set and were extremely well placed. Same goes for Popmart, with IWF right out of the gate and the introduction of Until The End/NYD segue, then Pride, then Still Haven't Found as the first slower song leading to the acoustic set, Streets to close the main set and WOWY in the encore.

The 2 big problems with the flow of this set I think are the placement of the 80s classics and the placement of the acoustic numbers.

The 80s classics sound good with Magnificent, but U2 insists on grouping most of the NLOTH songs together at the beginning.

The acoustic numbers just do not sound good with Still Haven't Found and Unknown Caller as the bookends.

Satellite of Love>>>Dirty Day is the kind of launch out of the acoustic set that you need for it to be effective.

That's more or that it, yeah.
The acoustic set is not a problem per se. Neither is the existence of a political/war set. Neither is the existence of a spiritual set of songs.

The problem lives in how all these things are chained and how it works as a whole.
There's no rule (U2 proved it when they went into that adventure on Zoo Tv) that says that the enchainment of these "blocs" has to be this way. There's no rule that says that the show has to start with a huge powerful rocker with a funky riff.
Maybe that specific tour didn't even need an acoustic set. Maybe that specific tour didn't require such spirituality in the set or in part of the set.
It all depends on the concept of the show and how the (that) script was conceived. I've seen shows starting with slower/mid-tempo songs and ending in euphoria and it worked. I've seen acoustic sets in the end of the main set before the encore.

Again, it's all about deciding if we want to have a concept or not [U2 decided they wanted it 20 years ago and decided to go forwards with it and keep it even in more minimal tours like Elevation]. 360º Tour doesn't have it but U2 feels they need to pretend it does. I wished it was the opposite.