Best Intro

[breathe]

What do y think is the best intro song of all u2 tours?
Out of Control (boy,war) I Will Follow (boy,war) Streets (Joshua tree and Lovetown) Zoo Station (Zoo T.V) Mofo (Popmart) Elevation (Elevation) Vertigo (Vertigo) Love and peace (Vertigo) City Of Blinding Lights (Vertigo) Breathe (360) Stingray (360) Real Thing (360)


I think "Real Thing"

 

[corianderstem]

Pop Muzik/Mofo.

Hands down.

Bad. Ass.

 

[digitize]

Pop Muzik/Mofo.

Hands down.

Bad. Ass.

Yep. Without a doubt.

 

[powerhour24]

Pop Muzik/Mofo
Out of Control
City of Blinding Lights

 

[purpleoscar]

I like the early ZOO TV intro 4:00:

‪Intro Zootv Stockholm 11.6.1992‬‏ - YouTube

 

[TheEdge10]

Zoo Station

 

[breathe]

I changed my mind Mofo!

 

[nirniva]

Pop Muzik/Mofo.

Hands down.

Bad. Ass.

We have a winner.

Zoo Station and EBTTRT are also way up there.

 

[prbiker15]

I've only seen one opener live (EBTTRT), the rest on DVD/YouTube - but really:

1) Pop Muzik / Mofo
2) Zoo Station
3) Even Better Than The Real Thing
4) City of Blinding Lights
5) Where The Streets Have No Name

 

[Bonogirl777]

What about "I Could Have Lost You" from ZooTV?
The only openers I've seen are "Breathe" and "Even Better". I really, really love EBTTRT.

 

[IanIinTheSky]

I've only seen one opener live (EBTTRT), the rest on DVD/YouTube - but really:

1) Pop Muzik / Mofo
2) Zoo Station
3) Even Better Than The Real Thing
4) City of Blinding Lights
5) Where The Streets Have No Name

This is my top 5 also.

 

[schnumi]

POP Muzik / MOFO

Nothing touches that. It had a great flow to it so natural. That's what i missed at the 360 show there was so little flow between songs.

 

[4U2Play]

My favorite was Streets opening the Joshua Tree tour.
Made me cry the first time I saw it.

No lights, no fancy stage, no crazy outfits, just four guys on a platform rockin' the Irish kids at Croke Park:

‪U2 Where The Streets Have No Name 1987 World In Action documentary‬‏ - YouTube

 

[Galeongirl]

Pop Muzik/Mofo.

Hands down.

Bad. Ass.

/thread.

 

[Blue Room]

Pop Muzik/Mofo, hands down. Thread over!

Tied for second:
Zoo Station (the Zooropa tour opening sequence version)
Streets (just a great opening song, nothing flashy)
City Of Blinding Lights
Hawkmoon 269

Third:
EBTTRT
Vertigo
Elevation

Fourth:
Out of Control
Gloria
Love And Peace

Fifth:
11 O'Clock Tick Tock (sorry, never thought this was a great opener)
Breathe (mediocre opener)

DEAD LAST:
Stingray into Beautiful Day or Beautiful Day period (worst opener ever, period)

 

[IanIinTheSky]

Pop Muzik/Mofo, hands down. Thread over!

Tied for second:
Zoo Station (the Zooropa tour opening sequence version)
Streets (just a great opening song, nothing flashy)
City Of Blinding Lights
Hawkmoon 269

Third:
EBTTRT
Vertigo
Elevation

Fourth:
Out of Control
Gloria
Love And Peace

Fifth:
11 O'Clock Tick Tock (sorry, never thought this was a great opener)
Breathe (mediocre opener)

DEAD LAST:
Stingray into Beautiful Day or Beautiful Day period (worst opener ever, period)

I actually liked the one time they opened with Beautiful Day on the Elevation tour at Notre Dame, because it had the whole pulsating heartbeat sensation at the beginning, not just Edge playing high notes on his guitar.

 

[Blue Room]

I actually liked the one time they opened with Beautiful Day on the Elevation tour at Notre Dame, because it had the whole pulsating heartbeat sensation at the beginning, not just Edge playing high notes on his guitar.

I was there, and it was OK. Still threw off the pacing of the show IMO. The only cool part at the time was, I wonder what is next vibe which you usually do not have at a U2 show.

They planned to open with Elevation as normal and rehearsed that way in soundcheck that day. It was a last minute change, unusual for U2.

 

[Blue Room]

.

 

[U2girl]

Zoo Station, easily.

A close second is the 360 version of EBTTRT.

Third ... Mofo.

Honourable mention Elevation.

 

[IanIinTheSky]

I was there, and it was OK. Still threw off the pacing of the show IMO. The only cool part at the time was, I wonder what is next vibe which you usually do not have at a U2 show.

They planned to open with Elevation as normal and rehearsed that way in soundcheck that day. It was a last minute change, unusual for U2.

That version of BD opening, was much better than the dead air between Sting Ray and Beautiful Day from 360 tour.

 

[pepokiss]

I liked the Beautiful Day Notre Dame intro... it was the perfect and only way to do it with that song... until they screw it up this tour

‪Beautiful Day (Elevation live from SouthBend)‬‏ - YouTube

 

[Blue Room]

That version of BD opening, was much better than the dead air between Sting Ray and Beautiful Day from 360 tour.

Like I said, it was "ok". Not great, not awful. The B. Day intro this tour was just awful. So I agree, the South Bend opening was better. But I still do not think it was a great opener.

 

[IanIinTheSky]

Like I said, it was "ok". Not great, not awful. The B. Day intro this tour was just awful. So I agree, the South Bend opening was better. But I still do not think it was a great opener.

It got the job done.

 

[Axver]

I Will Follow (boy,war)

I Will Follow is not known to have ever opened a show, despite how often it has been second or third in the setlist over the years.

My top five favourites, in chronological order:

Gloria on October and War
11 O'clock Tick Tock on UF (and some pre-Boy and Boy shows)
Streets on JT and Lovetown
Hawkmoon 269 on Lovetown
Mofo on Popmart

Also quite fond of the use of Bullet The Blue Sky at some JT and Lovetown shows, God Part II twice on Lovetown, Out Of Control on War, etc.

 

[4U2Play]

I forgot how good LAPOE was opening for some of the early Vertigo Tour shows.

Totally off-beat, ominous start, with the darkened room and the searchlights and the jets flying overhead and the "Ooooh Oooooh Oooooohhhhh" intro, ending with Edge's awesome solo, fucking great.

Can't find a decent video of it on YouTube, just this crappy clip from the Denver show:

‪U2 - Love and Peace or Else opens in Denver‬‏ - YouTube

 

[Axver]

Ooh yeah, that was pretty cool. I'm disappointed it got to open only nine shows on the Vertigo Tour.

 

[4U2Play]

Yeah, why did they drop it so early in the tour? Then, opening with Vertigo at every European show? Big mistake, I think.

 

[Galeongirl]

They opened with Vertigo on the EU dates because for COBL they needed it to be dark to have full effects of the confetti and lights. Summer in Europe = dark at 10pm. So they had to start with something else.
No idea why they dropped LAPOE though, that was a great opener.

 

[catlhere]

I saw LAPOE open for Anaheim and thought it was pretty damn good. It had a cool look to it with the guys carrying the searchlights out on stage and panning them around the audience with the jets and that rumbling noise humming in the background. It just had a different feel than most U2 openers. It was sorta dark, ominous, and rough around the edges. I'll admit City was better though, and a more traditional "U2ish" opener. But I'm glad I got to see it. (and Bono's hilarious grooving)

‪U2 - Love And Peace Or Else (Vertigo Anaheim)‬‏ - YouTube

 

[Blue Room]

It got the job done.

barely. Obviously the band did not think it worked either as they never did it again on Elevation.