Worst u2 performance you seen/heard?

[lazarus]

Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own, from the Grammys 2005. Totally underwhelming. I don't know why they chose to play something so mellow, and they came across as totally boring compared to the other acts. If I remember correctly Bono's vocal was particularly choppy.

And I agree with the person who said The Hands That Built America, from any show. Just not as powerful a song as it was intended to be, and that Academy Awards performance only served to justify the eventual winner, Eminem's Lose Yourself, a far more deserving recording.

 

[doctorwho]

^ I have that... I quite enjoy it.

I can upload the Crumbs disaster tomorrow night when I get home. Bono apologizes for the "interference" during it, and while I was at the show, I couldn't quite hear him clearly so I thought he was talking about our Inteference.

Well, Bono should always apologize for Interference - or perhaps we should apologize to him.

I was at that show too and not sure what happened.

I have three theories:

1. Bono had the song playing in his ear piece so he could sing along too it. Ever notice how much easier it is to sing along with something rather than on your own? So he may have been doing this (instead of reading lyrics from the stage floor ) and somehow, that music was accidentally piped ever so briefly through the sound system.
2. Bono was singing along with himself. This could be done for several reasons. One is that the piped in version was in a different octave or key. Note how many U2 songs have "several Bono's" singing. This could have been the case here as they had the real Bono singing, with the tape of Bono doing his own back-up vocals.
3. Bono was pulling an Ashley Simpson and either flat-out lip-synching or singing along to himself to give the illusion of a fuller voice.

I was there that night, and I know I can dismiss theory #3. It was very clear to me that Bono was not doing any lip-synching or singing with himself. The way Bono sings, anyway, makes it impossible. He often changes words and notes in a song, so having a backing track won't work.

My guess is theory #1. He was indeed singing along with himself, but only he was supposed to hear it. Some how that got broadcast for a split second over the speakers.

Regardless, that overall performance of that song and the performance that night were top notch. So this hardly qualifies as a "worst" performance of anything, IMO.

 

[doctorwho]

Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own, from the Grammys 2005. Totally underwhelming. I don't know why they chose to play something so mellow, and they came across as totally boring compared to the other acts. If I remember correctly Bono's vocal was particularly choppy.

And I agree with the person who said The Hands That Built America, from any show. Just not as powerful a song as it was intended to be, and that Academy Awards performance only served to justify the eventual winner, Eminem's Lose Yourself, a far more deserving recording.

While I concur that "Sometimes..." was a horrid choice for the Grammy's (and they sang shortly after Green Day's rocking performance - it seemed U2 really sucked the energy out of the crowd, which is a rarity), I strongly disagree with "Hands...". I really enjoyed that Oscar night performance and felt it was one of the highlights of the show. Now, was it an Oscar worthy song? Debatable - but clearly the voters felt it wasn't. But the performance was solid.

 

[U2FanPeter]

BAD - Farmclub 2000(available on youtube)

One of the very first performances of the promo tour. Bono had yet to find his Elevation tour voice.

I find it a bit odd that the producers of the series let this song out while there are still 2 extra songs(IWF & Stuck?) plus a 15 minute group interview that have never been seen.

u2fp

 

[amerrydeath]

Here's Crumbs: http://www.you send it.com/transfer.php?action=download&ufid=7987EE6C0EDB08D9

I listened to it again, and it sounds to me like Bono's voice on the very high parts (And you speak/ But I need/ I would believe) is actually broadcast intentionally--it doesn't sound like he can hit them very well.

It was interesting to hear, but I still can't say I liked it very much; it felt out of place and uninspiring. It came across as flat and repetitive, to me (which is basically what I think of the studio version).

 

[U2girl]

Not counting early tour shows like the infamous Vegas Popmart and only looking for TV shows/one time performances I'd pick the Oscar performance of Hands... It didn't work live and Bono's voice sounded shot. (Bill Clinton library piano version though...much better)
That said I haven't heard the "worst U2 performance" according to Ali, Please from MTV awards.

 

[U2FanPeter]

I've never heard anyone who attended Vegas 97 say it was a bad show. It would have been cool solely to be the first people in the world to see that screen used in a rock show.

I doubt a couple falso starts were worse than other technical flubs like MVA's 01 when MTV had a power outage during thier performance. Or Bono completely losing his voice during 2-3 shows. Or Bono throwing his mic at larry in 11/92. Or Bono flagrantly messing up full verses of songs etc...

 

[Bono's Betty]

Here's Crumbs: http://www.you send it.com/transfer.php?action=download&ufid=7987EE6C0EDB08D9

I listened to it again, and it sounds to me like Bono's voice on the very high parts (And you speak/ But I need/ I would believe) is actually broadcast intentionally--it doesn't sound like he can hit them very well.

It was interesting to hear, but I still can't say I liked it very much; it felt out of place and uninspiring. It came across as flat and repetitive, to me (which is basically what I think of the studio version).

Thanks.

That was was pretty bad. At one point "you speak" comes in at the wrong time. Maybe that was Edge? That part does almost sound like a recording though. The "interference" I should say. I really don't think he was lip synching though.

I was at the Minneapolis show when they played it for the first time and it was really good.

 

[Yahweh]

Please was one of the best performances I have seen that was even better then it was done in stadiums.....it really was moving.

 

[Yahweh]

The MTV one im talking about of course

 

[theFly51]

The Fly live from Detroit 1992 was no good to me. Edge sounded real "lazy" with the chorus and Bono seemed to yell more than to sing the song.

Bullet The Blue Sky from the Elevation DVD sounded horrible too...

Wake Up Dead Man fro melevation dvd also...

And New Year's Day from the Chicago performance

 

[Zooropa]

Popmart, Giant's Stadium, May 31st, 1997.

The band had no mojo. Bono had no voice. The crowd cared only for Pride and Streets.

I was at that show, far from their best, but certainly not their worst. Crowd only cared for pride and streets? With all due respect, you must have missed something...

 

[AtomicBono]

vertigo in 5/7/05 in chicago was awful. Bono sounds drunk and it's just bad

Are you serious? That has one of the best versions of Bad I've ever heard! Sounds drunk? whaa?

the only problems with that show were Vertigo, which Bono sang with a weird rhythm, and Miracle Drug, which had some false starts. Bono sounded damn good to me though...

 

[amerrydeath]

Are you serious? That has one of the best versions of Bad I've ever heard! Sounds drunk? whaa?

the only problems with that show were Vertigo, which Bono sang with a weird rhythm, and Miracle Drug, which had some false starts. Bono sounded damn good to me though...

I have that version of Bad and it's terrific... he sounds quite on top of things, in fact!

 

[Peterrrrr]

I have that version of Bad and it's terrific... he sounds quite on top of things, in fact!

2005-12-04 - Boston - Bad He hit high C in Wide Awake

 

[last unicorn]

Can someone upload this Vertigo version of Bad? The song was performed so rarely on the last tour, I'd love to hear it. I have heard the Montreal version with Daniel Lanois, which wasn't bad, but also not overwhelmingly good.

 

[Liesje]

Worst performance I saw/heard live was May 7, 2005. It was still amazing, but the worst of the 9 concerts I've seen.

 

[OpperGoeroe]

Worst performance I saw/heard live was May 7, 2005. It was still amazing, but the worst of the 9 concerts I've seen.

That's the one with the weakest Vertigo so far isn't it? Very bad performance for a U2 show.

 

[Pop Artist]

Also the 3 nights performed in Boston 2001 are far from being even average.

I can't speak for the first two nights, but the last night in Boston was great in atmosphere, spirit and (relative for U2) spontaneity!

Being at Las Vegas Popmart colors my opinion of it because of the excitement and newness of everything although even through those rose-colored glasses I can still say it was pretty rough but (I cringed at Bono caressing the mannequin during Velvet Dress), again, the excitement definitely made it seem better than it was. Listening to it years later, I would say it is the worst show I've seen, there were some pretty dreadful spots!

Second place would go to New Jersey Elevation 10/28/01 - the band was already tired during the New York run, but the last NYC show and the emotional nature of it (plus the aftershow drinking) meant the band was really just dead that next night in New Jersey.

 

[Eliv8]

Listening to it years later, I would say it is the worst show I've seen, there were some pretty dreadful spots!

Shouldnt that be worst shows youve heard?

 

[U2Girl1978]

I was at the 5/7/05 Chicago show and that was not the greatest show I've ever seen. Only because I was up in the bleachers! The other three nights were awesome in my opinion. I blame the director for ruining the DVD. I had to stop watching it after RTSS because it wasn't like the Elevation Boston or Slane DVD.

 

[Matthew_Page2000]

PopMart, Foxboro July 1997. Sound was awful, whole songs, the guitar sound just never reached the upper seats where I was.

I feel your pain but the foxboro PopMart gigs were fantastic if
you were in a good seat. Foxboro is a hideous place to see a live show if you're in one of the acoustic dead zones. I saw the Stones there once
from the stadium seating and the sound was so bad I didn't recognize
one of the songs they were playing. It was Jumping Jack Flash.
Only one of the most recognizable songs in Rock history.

 

[Matthew_Page2000]

Do You Feel Loved Popmart Vegas was pretty brutal, but I would have liked to see them continue to try and rework this song live.

Does that ever sum up the early PopMart gigs. DYFL is the performance from the Vegas show they decided to air a few days later on the ABC A Year in Pop special because it was the best performance they managed opening night. And you call it "brutal." Wow. What's sad is that you're right.

 

[Pop Artist]

Shouldnt that be worst shows youve heard?

Show...I was talking about Las Vegas Popmart - well I guess I was talking about seen and heard!

 

[u2wildhoney]

Show...I was talking about Las Vegas Popmart - well I guess I was talking about seen and heard!

Well, I really don't like the Popmart Mexico DVD-version of one of my favourite U2-songs called WTSHNN..... For me it's soo weird, and don't like the strange atmosphere of it....

 

[JCOSTER]

Thanks.

That was was pretty bad. At one point "you speak" comes in at the wrong time. Maybe that was Edge? That part does almost sound like a recording though. The "interference" I should say. I really don't think he was lip synching though.

I was at the Minneapolis show when they played it for the first time and it was really good.

Saw them do this song at MSG on October and it was quite beautiful.

 

[JCOSTER]

I was at that show, far from their best, but certainly not their worst. Crowd only cared for pride and streets? With all due respect, you must have missed something...

I was there too and had really great seats in the 100 sec on Edges side of the stage. I thought it was great but it didn't move me the way some of U2 shows have.