SOE 21 - It comes down to this...

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I tend to agree. I'm probably 75% leaning towards an early 2018 release. That December 1st rumor is the only reason I'm not completely in the 2018 camp, along with Registered Dude's info. However, as we've seen before, things can change very quickly with this band. I just feel like they're going to sit on it until this JT Tour is done, and then fine tune it a little more after the tour ends, up until Christmas, just to make sure they're happy with it. Then 1st single in January, album in March, 2018 is going to be our year, etc.

The month between the Europe leg and the 2nd North American leg will be vacation time, and next to no work will be done during that time.



I should have mentioned that I was joking. The album is coming out this year.
 
Last time they played arenas in Australia was LoveTown

Perth 3
Sydney 8
Brisbane 3
Melbourne 7
Adelaide 3

I could see a similar number of shows if they did arenas again. Except maybe 6 in Sydney and Melbourne. Its worth noting they spent 21 Sep to 19 Nov touring Aus and NZ during LT, not sure they would want to do that again.

That tour was actually meant to end on 11 November 1989 in New Zealand - those last three Sydney dates were postponed, from when Bono's voice conked out in October. They were meant to be 22-25 October (I forget if it was 22/24/25 or 23/24/25). The folks who went to the 18 November show not only got a postponement, but also an evacuation from a bomb scare beforehand - and then one of the best goddamn sets U2 have ever played, including the definitive versions of Hawkmoon, Desire with the shredding solo, and Watchtower.
 
That tour was actually meant to end on 11 November 1989 in New Zealand - those last three Sydney dates were postponed, from when Bono's voice conked out in October. They were meant to be 22-25 October (I forget if it was 22/24/25 or 23/24/25). The folks who went to the 18 November show not only got a postponement, but also an evacuation from a bomb scare beforehand - and then one of the best goddamn sets U2 have ever played, including the definitive versions of Hawkmoon, Desire with the shredding solo, and Watchtower.



Ah some interesting stuff there.....
 
Could December 1 be the release date of the first single with the album out early 2018?
 
Little Things back in the set list last night, with Bono announcing that "we have a new album coming" before they played Little Things. Positive enough still I'd say.
 
I know we have all been disappointed and burned before on album delays. But if we look at what's happening, it does seem that the band is actually sticking to a plan.

Video at the beginning of the year saying they will be doing special Joshua Tree shows, and a new album will be coming in 2017.
They do JT dates, and U2.com of all places has confirmed the tour ends in the fall, with definite last date.
We have dates from reputable sources saying a new single in July and another in September.
Another very reputable source confirming the single news and giving a Dec. 1st album release date.
Video company doing promo video shoots.
Bono is consistently talking about a new album coming when singing Little Things at shows.

This is happening folks. doubters be damned.
 
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But if we look at what's happening, it does seem that the band is actually sticking to a plan.

Yeah, I think they're ending the JT30 tour after Brazil specifically so they can still release SOE this year.

The JT30 tour has been a massive success, and they could easily add multiple legs to the tour. But they're choosing not to. The obvious reason being SOE.

And now on top of that we're hearing about planning for the E+I (?) tour next year.

The writing is on the wall. At this point my biggest doubt about the Dec 2 date is actually if it'll come out before then. Why wait until December if the album is done before that? (That may be Bono's plan: if the Edge says it's done, quick, release it asap, before he has a chance to change his mind.)

Not only do I expect an album this year, but I really wouldn't even be surprised if we got tour dates for Leg 1 of the next tour before New Year's rolls around.
 
Well, having previous albums be released in March and April show that's not necessarily the case in this day and age (along with other factors like streaming and digital sales maybe taking a bigger slice of the pie).

Every year, that goes by, album sales, whats left of them, get more concentrated in the 4th quarter of the year. There is still a Christmas effect, because people still buy gifts for other that they wrap and put around a tree. Most big releases tend to be in the 4th quarter of the year, more so now than at any other time before.

After the release of the Joshua Tree, U2 have only released 3 albums at times other than the 4th quarter of the year:

Zooropa,
POP
NLOTH

All three were not perceived not to be great when it came to sales, and the POP and NLOTH were originally scheduled for a 4th quarter release but the band failed to meet the deadline.

So we'll see what happens. I imagine if the band is simply going to give away the album for free like they did with Songs Of Innocence that there will be a better chance for an early 2018 release.
 
The writing is on the wall. At this point my biggest doubt about the Dec 2 date is actually if it'll come out before then. Why wait until December if the album is done before that? (That may be Bono's plan: if the Edge says it's done, quick, release it asap, before he has a chance to change his mind.)

This has been my thought for a while. The tour ends Oct 21, so why not release it within the next week or so? Or better yet, make the official announcement at the show itself?

November just seems like the smarter move business-wise compared to December 1st, which again I'll point out is after Black Friday.
 
Be cool for U2 to release SOE on Oct 20th or Oct 21st. Announce it at the show in some capacity.

I think that would go a long way with U2 not being a nostalgic act to close out the JT tour.
 
It's kind of interesting that the Love Town tour did extend into the 90s. Then the band would go away and resurface with a whole new sound just a few years later.
 
Every year, that goes by, album sales, whats left of them, get more concentrated in the 4th quarter of the year. There is still a Christmas effect, because people still buy gifts for other that they wrap and put around a tree. Most big releases tend to be in the 4th quarter of the year, more so now than at any other time before.

After the release of the Joshua Tree, U2 have only released 3 albums at times other than the 4th quarter of the year:

Zooropa,
POP
NLOTH

All three were not perceived not to be great when it came to sales, and the POP and NLOTH were originally scheduled for a 4th quarter release but the band failed to meet the deadline.

So we'll see what happens. I imagine if the band is simply going to give away the album for free like they did with Songs Of Innocence that there will be a better chance for an early 2018 release.
All three are my favorite albums
 
"Thanks for giving us a great life, check your phones for a surprise, good night!"



"Everybody take out your phones. Go to Settings, then Music, and turn on Automatic Downloads and turn this place into the Milky Way"
 
"Everybody take out your phones. Go to Settings, then Music, and turn on Automatic Downloads and turn this place into the Milky Way"

And Bono could dress like Steve Jobs or Tim Cook

Press a little red button....
 
I know we have all been disappointed and burned before on album delays. But if we look at what's happening, it does seem that the band is actually sticking to a plan.

Video at the beginning of the year saying they will be doing special Joshua Tree shows, and a new album will be coming in 2017.
They do JT dates, and U2.com of all places has confirmed the tour ends in the fall, with definite last date.
We have dates from reputable sources saying a new single in July and another in September.
Another very reputable source confirming the single news and giving a Dec. 1st album release date.
Video company doing promo video shoots.
Bono is consistently talking about a new album coming when singing Little Things at shows.

This is happening folks. doubters be damned.

Sure, that Christmas video was nice...except all we got on SOE is the little things. And 27 years line from Edge. And various rumours.
JT30 kept on growing, and now they end in late October with Adam admitting he has no idea when the album's coming.

My money is on them taking the rest of the year off after all the nostalgia and at best, Dec 1st, refers to a single. We'll see.
 
Sure, that Christmas video was nice...except all we got on SOE is the little things. And 27 years line from Edge. And various rumours.

JT30 kept on growing, and now they end in late October with Adam admitting he has no idea when the album's coming.



My money is on them taking the rest of the year off after all the nostalgia and at best, Dec 1st, refers to a single. We'll see.



Maybe I'm too jaded and negative, but this is exactly how I see it going down as well. I think 2017 belongs solely to JT Tour, it just seems like too much to cram into a relatively small amount of time. But we'll see, I hope I'm wrong. Right now I'm 75% thinking march 2018. But I still hold a little hope.
 
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