Mods: Feel free to cut down this long wined mess down to something half coherent if need be!
So its that time again!
Is it just me or did Leg 3 fly?(my thoughts on Leg 3 follow below, I've included a line for those who would rather not read my long winded opinion of it!
)
What are everyone's hopes for Leg 4?
One Tree Hill and other rarities along those lines resurrected for the Oceania Leg?
Different arrangements of songs they are already playing(slide solo back in MW, album version of Crazy Tonight?)
More new songs debuted?
Time to get rid of any songs?
Anything stand out as in dire need of fixing?
Just some thoughts to spark discussion...... obviously, feel free to add whatever thoughts you want about Leg 4! Any and all thoughts would be greatly appreciated!!
I would like to see them continue what they are doing this leg basically, and I never would have said that at the end of Legs 1 or 2 of 360!!!!! Keep playing new songs, debut a couple more, keep rotating classics like NYD, IWF and Pride in and out, keep rotating songs like UV and MLK, etc.
I think we have a lot to look forward to in the coming weeks and months! As much as I love NLOTH, the album and the legs of the tour that focused on it just didn't work as well as they could have in my opinion! As Bono might say, "I'm ready for what's next!"(and I promise, I still listen to NLOTH front to back at least once per week)
The only thing that really stands out as in dire need of fixing is the ATYCLB overload! Elevation can be dropped, its been played nearly every show since 2001 and its a mediocre by U2 standards song. Walk On has made its point, plus Sui Kyi is being released, so that makes it a good time to drop it for something else. Not a knock on the song, I actually think its top tier U2 or very close to it, but 2 ATYCLB tracks have to go. This for Please or something from JT and Elevation for a new song or something from Pop.
BD and In A Little While are great representatives of ATYCLB 10 years after its release! Plus, IALW, for all the flack it gets here, has the thematic tie in and is actually quite unique as far as U2 songs go. I don't mind it a bit and its never been a nightly staple until now.
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Speaking for myself, Leg 3 met and exceeded all of my expectations if we are talking about the overall show.(of course, specific gripes are still there in spots, but as we know, not every person will be pleased 100% of the time!)
I know this is probably a bold statement, but I can't think of any bigger mid tour improvement than what we've witnessed from 2 to 3 in U2's live history!
-The overall energy of the band was way, way up! Bono running around the stage like the Popmart shadow boxer during the 1st performance of "Stingray" in Torino set that tone right from the beginning! However, I think the real story has been The Edge. Myself and others here who have observed him for much longer than I noticed that there was just something missing from his 2009 performances. To me, personally, seeing 2 shows, it almost felt like he was going through the motions and had something else on his mind. I also think he's dropped a few pounds since last year.
Overall, I think Bono's back injury has helped them to put things into perspective and realize that performing is not a given and any show could be their last.
-The return of I Will Follow and Hold Me Thrill Me has certainly helped with the energy level, as has the debut of 6 unreleased songs! We can argue all we want about whether IWF should get played for the 10 billionth time, but what is undeniable is the fact that the Edge's riff sends the crowd, and The Edge himself, into a frenzy. Just look at him jumping around like a kid in the candy store when they 1st played it in Helsinki! Same for the new songs- we can and have discussed their merits, but what is undeniable is the enjoyment they get from playing them.
The additions plus the minor rotation prove that small changes can make a big difference. MOTD and IWF alone give the set 2 things that it was lacking to a shocking extent for the 1st 2 legs: career balance- U2 didn't form in 1983, and JT album tracks. You don't just neglect most of JT, its as much as a masterpiece as AB, which gets mined every tour!
-The opening 5 is much better, though almost all of us would rather Stingray go somewhere other than BD. In 2009, they made the deadly mistake of opening with 4 obscure NLOTH songs that most of the audience didn't know. I think this sapped their energy level, as U2 feed off the crowd. They are not a band who can afford to have only the die hards in the loop until song #5. BD, NYD, IWF...fire people up early! Though I think NLOTH is almost as good as AB, it was obviously nowhere near as well known as AB was during Zoo TV . U2 were smart to recognize that and stop hitting stadium audiences with 4 NLOTH tracks right out of the gate like they did with AB.
-Rotation is back, and for God's sake, snooze fests like UC(great song, but just didn't cut it), acoustic Desire and acoustic Stuck are gone. MOTD and MLK has been a welcome rotation, same for Hold Me and Ultraviolet. Spanish Eyes was more one off geographic acknowledgement than I remember in 2009. I kept hoping for Miss Sarajevo in Zagreb or In God's Country in the Southwest US, Zoo Station in Berlin or Running To Standstill in Dublin, but not happening in 2009!
In summary, I think they kept almost everything that was good about 2009(save for dramatically cutting down performances of TUF and NLOTH) and tossed almost everything that was not so good(little rotation, acoustic Desire/Stuck, 4 NLOTH to open) all the while improving their performances of each song played. Many to a noticeable level- MW, NYD, WOWY and Walk On come immediately to mind!
So its that time again!
Is it just me or did Leg 3 fly?(my thoughts on Leg 3 follow below, I've included a line for those who would rather not read my long winded opinion of it!
)What are everyone's hopes for Leg 4?
One Tree Hill and other rarities along those lines resurrected for the Oceania Leg?
Different arrangements of songs they are already playing(slide solo back in MW, album version of Crazy Tonight?)
More new songs debuted?
Time to get rid of any songs?
Anything stand out as in dire need of fixing?
Just some thoughts to spark discussion...... obviously, feel free to add whatever thoughts you want about Leg 4! Any and all thoughts would be greatly appreciated!!
I would like to see them continue what they are doing this leg basically, and I never would have said that at the end of Legs 1 or 2 of 360!!!!! Keep playing new songs, debut a couple more, keep rotating classics like NYD, IWF and Pride in and out, keep rotating songs like UV and MLK, etc.
I think we have a lot to look forward to in the coming weeks and months! As much as I love NLOTH, the album and the legs of the tour that focused on it just didn't work as well as they could have in my opinion! As Bono might say, "I'm ready for what's next!"(and I promise, I still listen to NLOTH front to back at least once per week)
The only thing that really stands out as in dire need of fixing is the ATYCLB overload! Elevation can be dropped, its been played nearly every show since 2001 and its a mediocre by U2 standards song. Walk On has made its point, plus Sui Kyi is being released, so that makes it a good time to drop it for something else. Not a knock on the song, I actually think its top tier U2 or very close to it, but 2 ATYCLB tracks have to go. This for Please or something from JT and Elevation for a new song or something from Pop.
BD and In A Little While are great representatives of ATYCLB 10 years after its release! Plus, IALW, for all the flack it gets here, has the thematic tie in and is actually quite unique as far as U2 songs go. I don't mind it a bit and its never been a nightly staple until now.
________________________________________________________________
Speaking for myself, Leg 3 met and exceeded all of my expectations if we are talking about the overall show.(of course, specific gripes are still there in spots, but as we know, not every person will be pleased 100% of the time!)
I know this is probably a bold statement, but I can't think of any bigger mid tour improvement than what we've witnessed from 2 to 3 in U2's live history!
-The overall energy of the band was way, way up! Bono running around the stage like the Popmart shadow boxer during the 1st performance of "Stingray" in Torino set that tone right from the beginning! However, I think the real story has been The Edge. Myself and others here who have observed him for much longer than I noticed that there was just something missing from his 2009 performances. To me, personally, seeing 2 shows, it almost felt like he was going through the motions and had something else on his mind. I also think he's dropped a few pounds since last year.
Overall, I think Bono's back injury has helped them to put things into perspective and realize that performing is not a given and any show could be their last.
-The return of I Will Follow and Hold Me Thrill Me has certainly helped with the energy level, as has the debut of 6 unreleased songs! We can argue all we want about whether IWF should get played for the 10 billionth time, but what is undeniable is the fact that the Edge's riff sends the crowd, and The Edge himself, into a frenzy. Just look at him jumping around like a kid in the candy store when they 1st played it in Helsinki! Same for the new songs- we can and have discussed their merits, but what is undeniable is the enjoyment they get from playing them.
The additions plus the minor rotation prove that small changes can make a big difference. MOTD and IWF alone give the set 2 things that it was lacking to a shocking extent for the 1st 2 legs: career balance- U2 didn't form in 1983, and JT album tracks. You don't just neglect most of JT, its as much as a masterpiece as AB, which gets mined every tour!
-The opening 5 is much better, though almost all of us would rather Stingray go somewhere other than BD. In 2009, they made the deadly mistake of opening with 4 obscure NLOTH songs that most of the audience didn't know. I think this sapped their energy level, as U2 feed off the crowd. They are not a band who can afford to have only the die hards in the loop until song #5. BD, NYD, IWF...fire people up early! Though I think NLOTH is almost as good as AB, it was obviously nowhere near as well known as AB was during Zoo TV . U2 were smart to recognize that and stop hitting stadium audiences with 4 NLOTH tracks right out of the gate like they did with AB.
-Rotation is back, and for God's sake, snooze fests like UC(great song, but just didn't cut it), acoustic Desire and acoustic Stuck are gone. MOTD and MLK has been a welcome rotation, same for Hold Me and Ultraviolet. Spanish Eyes was more one off geographic acknowledgement than I remember in 2009. I kept hoping for Miss Sarajevo in Zagreb or In God's Country in the Southwest US, Zoo Station in Berlin or Running To Standstill in Dublin, but not happening in 2009!
In summary, I think they kept almost everything that was good about 2009(save for dramatically cutting down performances of TUF and NLOTH) and tossed almost everything that was not so good(little rotation, acoustic Desire/Stuck, 4 NLOTH to open) all the while improving their performances of each song played. Many to a noticeable level- MW, NYD, WOWY and Walk On come immediately to mind!
