360 Tour is Most Vital Since ZooTV

[pepokiss]

my options:

Party time: MOFO ---> Crazy Tonight (remix) --> Vertigo

ONE: One --> Amazing Grace --> Streets

Rocking time: FEZ/Being Born, NLOTH, GOYB, Magnificent, EBTTRT, Last Night On Earth, UTEOTW --> Breathe

 

[Blue Room]

I think this is a good tour, the band has made some good song selections (IE Unf. Fire, Ultraviolet). Some of the warhorses work well also (ISHFWILF, Streets, One) and a song I was quite honestly was tired of live UTEOTW works very well on this tour.

However, there are some problems with some of the setlist pacing as pointed out. I know the band spends a lot of time thinking about the setlist but it doesn't seem like they point in their usual effort on this tour. Maybe they did (most likely) but it just doesn't seem like it. I like the tour, I think a lot of the song selections are good, the stage is obviously super impressive, the band are performing well. But, the setlist is lacking something and/or pacing. I can't even say exactly what. Setlist wise, the Vertigo tour blows this one away. Maybe some of you are right on this thread, the tour needs a theme or a couple themes to form the setlist.

I hope (but I'm skeptical) with this down time they really put some effort into coming with some different concepts, pacing, songs, etc.

 

[Dr. Lemonseed]

Perhaps the fluidity of setlist for Vertigo was "better" but I just really can't stand the HTDAAB songs (at least compared with NLOTH), which basically boots out that whole tour for me.

As for Elevation, I think the band is playing much better now than for Elevation, although seeing post 9-11 show is probably the eternal epitome of U2 at their powers...

What does it for me this tour is 1. I love the album 2. The staging kicks ass 3. The band, IMO, is really tight (at least they were in Raleigh!) 4. Inclusion of UV and TUF and a few other really beautiful ones.

I would agree that there is a certain cohesion lacking in the sets, that could be remedied by favoring the 90s material a little bit more. IALW really felt out of place.

But there are a few really priceless parts of the set that make up for it for me. And also it feels that the band isn't projecting this air of "we're kings of the world" aggression like they did for Vertigo. It's in a way more relaxed and unpretentious, even though the staging is so much grander.

 

[U2FanPeter]

Didn't the Stones do a worldwide stadium tour in the 90s with Voodoo Lounge and Bridges to Babylon?

U2 are the first worldwide IN-THE-ROUND stadium tour ----> Yes

Not even Madonna has had the guts to pull off something like that.

360 may technically be the first "World tour" to play 100% Stadiums.

Other tours either skipped a major country, only did US/Europe or had a couple shows in non-stadiums.

The Stones tours had arenas in Vegas, New Jersey, MSG or some club shows. Pink Floyd Division Bell had Earl's Court plus only did North America and Europe. MJ History tour comes close, but Mexico City were te only North American shows. 3 Tenors were Stadiums, but only a handful. Popmart played an arena in Perth.

There's lots of threads on this topic on this forum from 18 months ago.

 

[HBK-79]

I am no country fan, but Taylor Swift is the only one since U2 who has even come close to touching that kind of brilliance in their earliest work!

How can you mention U2 and Taylor Swift in the same sentence.

Taylor Swift = teenyboppers

U2 = Everyone else

 

[U2387]

How can you mention U2 and Taylor Swift in the same sentence.

Taylor Swift = teenyboppers

U2 = Everyone else

It wasn't like I equated the two.

I am well aware she is nowhere near U2's league.

However, she is extremely talented, an excellent songwriter and has a much, much better chance than Miley Cyrus and the Jonas Brothers at actually being something more than the latest teen sensation and having a long career.

She is far from the dumbed down, play to the screaming teen masses that she is made out to be.

I work security at concerts, I've suffered through nails on chalkboard Jonas Brothers and Miley shows, rest assured, Taylor Swift is for real.

Not that I would have ever seen her if I hadn't been working, but I will not see a great live performance of well written songs and not give the artist their due respect.

Again, did not mean to suggest she was U2 worthy.

And I do not mean to turn this into a Taylor Swift discussion.....

Don't mind me, continue.........

 

[zoopop]

360 Tour is up & down for me. Moments of brilliance then moments that, as someone else said, seemed forced. Like the band was going through the motions. I've come to open up to the setlist but for the most part its very inconsistent.

This makes no sense at all for a U2 show:

Stuck In A Moment
No Line On The Horizon
Elevation
In A Little While

Sandwich 2 rockers between 2 ballads from ATYCLB????

Simple solution below

No Line On The Horizon
Get On Your Boots
HMTHKMKM
Beautiful Day
I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For
Crazy Tonight
Elevation
Magnificent
Unknown Caller
Until the End of the World
The Unforgettable Fire
City of Blinding Lights
Vertigo
Discotheque
Your Blue Room
New Years Day
MLK
Walk On

One
Where the Streets Have No Name
Breathe

Ultraviolet
With or Without You
Moment of Surrender

 

[corianderstem]

How can you mention U2 and Taylor Swift in the same sentence.

Pssssst .... check your PMs - I need your assistance!

 

[U2girl]

360 may technically be the first "World tour" to play 100% Stadiums.

Popmart (and probably some Stones tours were all stadiums ?) was 100% stadiums worldwide.

 

[pepokiss]

1 giant roofed stadium that you may call "arena" in Australia doesn't make Popmart 99% stadium....

 

[Acrobat51829]

This tour is really no better than those 2. If anything, its weaker. The space theme was kind of developed on the fly and is still far from finished as you pointed out. 360 suffers from confusion- its trying to be all things. Its looking for Elevation's intimacy(5 ATYCLB), Vertigo's politics(long political set, videos, Bono preaching a bit), and Zoo Tv's boldness(stage set, a bunch of new songs right up front.

In trying to be all things, it winds up being next to nothing theme wise.

Agree 100%, well-said. All of the individual components are there - solid album, songs that are playable live, the concept itself (space/universe/etc.), the killer stage, the re-introduction of old songs (UF, UV), intro of new songs (ES, YBR) - but it's yet to be all tied together.

 

[prbiker15]

The Amazing Grace intro to Streets was great to me, but its hard to screw up the intro to streets and it still isn't as good as the Bad-40-Streets, AIWIY-Streets, Running-Streets.

I will agree here. Please-Streets, and Running-Streets were amazing intros, along with Bad/AIWIY-Streets. I thought Pride-Streets was lame during the Vertigo Tour, not much. On 360 I thought Amazing Grace did justice, it was a great intro. I still prefer the 1987-2001 intros though

 

[U2387]

Question for all

In what way, if at all, do we think that, had NLOTH songs been more well known to the public, the 360 setlist would be different?

I think it would have taken the pressure off of U2 to play 4 or 5 new songs right up front when the crowd is guaranteed to be a near-captive audience.

Therefore, in my opinion, I think NLOTH songs would have gone with songs they fit with better and not just mashed at the front without regards to flow.(for example, I never thought the Boots-Magnificent transition would make it past the promo tour, but it did the entire 360 almost).

Not going to make a full set list, but I think NLOTH songs work best like this:

Magnificent(open the show) then run it right into I Will Follow, In God's Country and Beautiful Day. It works best with 80s live classics then you spring a big hit from the 00s to keep the newbie/casuals interested.

No Line On The Horizon: Should be with songs like Ultraviolet, The Fly and Mysterious Ways.

Breathe: Unknown Caller, Until The End of the World belong together.

Boots: Even Better, Mysterious Ways, etc.

Moment of Surrender: Ok where it is, but Bad should make some appearances alongside it in a set.

 

[U2girl]

Breathe needs to be lower, and NLOTH needs to be higher in the set (preferrably opening). The NLOTH songs are fine where they are now, otherwise.

 

[zoopop]

NLOTH (songs) sounded great, just should have had Breathe later in the show.

If U2 wanted to engage the audience they could have done some crazy stage lighting/effects for the NLOTH songs. Sure, ZooTV had 7-9 songs from AB to start the show but they used the stage/effects to the fullest. Crowd was in

 

[U2FanPeter]

1 giant roofed stadium that you may call "arena" in Australia doesn't make Popmart 99% stadium....

For concerts it's capacity is 18,000. Not a "Stadium", especially when Perth has a couple other bigger venues. One "arena" on a 93 date tour makes it 99%. Other tours like a couple Stones tours, Floyd Division Bell and Jacksons 1984 also had Stadiums tours with a couple arena venues were used.

IIRC, it was downgraded venue. There's some news footage of the Perth Popmart on youtube where it shows the arch almost touching the roof and the missing cocktail stick.