Miss the NLOTH songs? Or not?

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Unknown Caller and No Line are the 2 I miss most, UC in particular.

Would've said I wish they still played Breathe as an opener if it hadn't been for Real Thing turning on the show :drool:
 
More I think of it, NLOTH should have opened.

-Band walks out
-Lights go down (stadium in complete darkness)
-Guitar feedback (like studio version) going off
-Then BAM, lights on everywhere!!

:drool::applaud:

Couldn't agree more. Stingray Guitar was kinda cool, but also kinda weird.
Didn't care for Beautiful Day as the opener. When NLOTH first came out, I thought Breathe would be THE PERFECT song to end the whole show.
"We are people borne of sound
The songs are in our eyes
Gonna wear them like a crown
Walk out, into the sunburst street
Sing your heart out, sing my heart out
I’ve found grace inside a sound
I found grace, it’s all that I found
And I can breathe
Breathe now....."

Fucking perfect.
Oh well. 6.5 weeks til Chicago.
:hyper:
 
it's a sad day for Pop fans everywhere when people are saying they hope a snippet of a song returns :(
 
I still think the problem live w/

-Breathe
-NLOTH
-UC
-Magnificent (version 1)

were the visuals. Based on U2 touring history they've always put interesting visuals/effects with new songs. This always gave the audience a welcome or something to relate too with the song.

Give those songs the effects they deserve with the claw and the crowd would have been more receptive. Heck, Breathe & NLOTH basically had the same visuals working.

I totally agree with this. The claw and stage have been hugely underutilized- especially for U2 standards.

This goes especially for the new songs which could really use the boost considering the singles didn't do so well.

Shit, at least come out on the fuckin ramp and sing these songs with passion instead of just getting through it (Breathe)
 
Most of the NLOTH tracks just don't do anything for me live.

Breathe: Meandering filler. It's all swagger and little substance. It killed the audience's mood and stopped the show's momentum.

Magnificent: Reeeee-pet-i-tive!

UC: The lyrics are still embarrassing. The attempts to spark a sing-along fell flat. Just awkward all-around.

Crazy Tonight: Really fun in the beginning, then goes nowhere for a few minutes, then Bono starts throwing in snippets of better songs people would much rather hear. That's kinda sad. But it's fun in the moment.

Boots: Basically brightly-colored musical sandpaper. I doubt it will live on past this tour. It's a worse song than many of U2's B-Sides. But kinda fun filler.

NLOTH: Doesn't really do anything for me live.

MOS: I like it, but I'm still not sold on it as the final song in the show.
 
Love, love, love MOS as the closer. It's really the perfect ending to the show. All the others kill mood/momentum. I hate HTDAAB but have to admit the songs worked really well live. I have the opposite problem with NLOTH - I mostly like the album but the songs haven't worked great live. And they know it too. Hence the chopping, changing and remixing.
 
lemonfly said:
Love, love, love MOS as the closer. It's really the perfect ending to the show. All the others kill mood/momentum. I hate HTDAAB but have to admit the songs worked really well live. I have the opposite problem with NLOTH - I mostly like the album but the songs haven't worked great live. And they know it too. Hence the chopping, changing and remixing.

Agree with this for the most part
 
I miss Breathe, but I don't think it made that good of an opener and would be better somewhere towards the middle.

NLOTH was amazing and they need to bring it back!

I think they're playing Boots mostly because they want to convince us that it's good. You will listen, and you will like it!! It's actually not that bad live, but having it and Vertigo and Elevation in the same set seems like a lot of the same type of thing. Oh well.

They shouldn't have screwed with Magnificent. If they insist on playing the gelded version, then they should just drop it.

MOS is good.

Unknown Caller was a very unique song, but it was a little odd and probably something that mostly appeals to diehards. I can see why they would not play it that often, but I think it would be a good occasional song.
 
Breathe: should come back AFTER Until The End Of The World, Larry keeping the drums going and make it a short intro, like the album version...

MOS: amazing song, it's one of the best final songs, it's a shame that it could never come back (maybe acoustic?)

GOYB: It just grew in my heart, I love it now

NLOTH: it's a crime that it got axed... should come back, in full. But I would've played NLOTH 2, the "no!!... no.. line!" shouts are great. That's the only problem with NLOTH, the ending. With NLOTH 2, that problem was solved.

CT: high-fucking-light

UC: it's a shame this song never quite catched on... I don't know what happened. But I hated that it was faster than in the album. UC -> TUF was a great combo

Magnificent: That new intro is interesting, but the rest sucks. The original is great. I think THE BEST version is from the Sheffield broadcast.

----

Cedars is the worst song EVER. For me, NLOTH has 10 songs, just that.

SUC could make it, but it could work on an Arena tour. I just see Bono, Edge and Adam
just dancing around with this one

and finally

FEZ/Being Born: I wanted this one to open, but that takes serious commitment, and U2 just doesn't have that anymore. I really can't think that Zoo Station would fire up the crowd, but they kept with it because it was a mean to an end. Zoo TV had a meaning. The 360 Tour doesn't.
 
Breathe and NLOTH should be staples, GOYB should remain a staple for the duration of the tour and never be heard from again (as opposed to Vertigo, which has remained a staple on par with Beautiful Day for whatever reason), and Crazy Tonight should stay in the set, but only as a springboard for Pop tracks. Otherwise, fuck it. The rest should be rotated from now on; as much as I adore MOS and Magnificent, they never really caught fire live.
 
Cedars is the worst song EVER. For me, NLOTH has 10 songs, just that.
It's a great dark song with excellent lyrics and impressive instrumentals imo.

NLOTH: should come back, great song and excellent live.
Magnificent: really like the album version, the live version not so much. One of the few U2 songs which isn't better live.
MOS: beautiful song, took me a while to get it when I got the album. The Wide Awake in Europe version is beautiful (with that echo). Amsterdam II (with a Drowning Man snippet) is amazing too.
UC: I like this one, both the album and live version. Love the Rose Bowl take.
Crazy Tonight: nice pop song, I appreciate the remix although I'd rather hear something from Pop.
SUC: Not a big fan of this one.
Fez-BB: Best song from the album. Would be an awesome opener!
White As Snow: Beautiful song, but I can see why they're not playing it.
Breathe: The album version is good, the Canal+ and Letterman versions are really great. The tour versions didn't live up to my expectations. Would be good to give it another try though.
 
I have no doubt in my mind the band watched footage from their shows and realised NLOTH songs were the weakest links. Bono even came out and said he realised not many people knew the words to Breathe. People seem to forget that the band and even Steve Lillywhite have come out and said the album has failed them.
 
I have no doubt in my mind the band watched footage from their shows and realised NLOTH songs were the weakest links. Bono even came out and said he realised not many people knew the words to Breathe. People seem to forget that the band and even Steve Lillywhite have come out and said the album has failed them.
The All That You Can't Leave Behind songs are the weakest link for me. It's obvious why they play Beautiful Day. Elevation has lots of energy, but the song itself is weak, No Line On The Horizon is a much better song. Stuck and In A Little While put me to sleep and Walk On was a good closer during the Elevation Tour but is nothing special these days.
 
NLOTH - Shame they dropped it, it worked well as an acoustic version as well.

Magnificent - A great song which I agree hasn't totally transferred as well live but the new version isn't engaging at all.

Moment Of Surrender - A good song but i've never felt it's right for the last song. Hard to see where else it would go in the set.

Unknown Caller - A superb song, shame they dropped it for what may be a silly reason of it not getting a singalong.

Crazy Tonight - The remixed version works well. It will stay.

Get On Your Boots - It's in a similar vein as Elevation and Vertigo so it'll reappear time and again despite it being quite a weak song compared to something like Unknown Caller.

Stand Up Comedy - I thought this would get an airing but no, probably right as it's not too great a song.

Fez-Being Born - A fine song, i'm surprised this hasn't been played but U2 history is littered with great songs that rarely or never get played, Electrical Storm, Red Hill Mining Town and Crumbs From Your Table are 3 that spring to mind.

White As Snow - I doubt this would work in the venues they play but I suspect would sound deent n the middle of the set.

Breathe - A good song that never quite caught on as the opener, perhaps the first song in the encore may have been better suited.

Cedars Of Lebanon - A lovely song but like White As Snow most likely wouldn't work in the venues they play.
 
It's a shame that U2 has so many good songs, that never get played live or rarely. "A !an and A woman I'm looking at you.

While I also love AMAAW (one of the greatest of the Bomb album, I think), I'm not sure it would work live. It could get an IALW-effect live, while the song is not that bad, it's too boring live.

But if they don't try, we'll never know. There are LOTS of rare/never played songs that could work absolutely great live (Acrobat!). And when it doesn't work, then drop it.
 
since i consider NLOTH is be one of their greatist recordings, yes- i miss stuff!

Breath- i loved it as an opener, but no way would I take EBTTRT away as the opener now! So breath could be in there some where.

While Magnificant is also a favorite - sometimes i feel it's a little less so than some or the others I could see it going into roation.

NOLTH itself has to be back in !

funny that I have made many a very good mix tape with some fabulous segues....
....I can never seen to to a U2 show very well:huh::lol: which is way i'm not placing the songs like many of you more specifically

I miss UC as well it could of been played at a slightly faster tempo?

I 'd love to hear Fez-Being Born.
Thinking what ever it would be in the line up-- start with the whole Stadium going dark then either a deep red or a deep royal blue starts up o n the Claw as the song begins, then more lights activity as song progresses.

I hated the Crazy Remix for a good while, then finally really liked it a month before I saw it live (2009). Great fun must stay in ( I really like the oriignaL)

I really like BOOTs BUT it could go in order for one of my more fav cuts to be played instead.
THO.... i'd love the "Let me ing somewhere...,.
as a bridge ... between 2 other songs ??

SUC don't know why alot of people really hate this song. Not in my top from this album but i'd really be curious to see what they do with it live. It might increase in appreciation.

MOS-- i love parts of it...but not the whole as much as as Breath, NLOTH, UC, Magnificant, Fez-BB....
some of Bono's vocal styling in there are amazing so it could stay...or rotate....
Not sure if i really like it as the closer tho.

WAS- down on my list

Ceders- low on my list except for that haunting chorus BUT I'm game for giivng it a Live try!
 
I miss NLOTH so badly it hurts.
Unknown Caller can stay out of the set forever, thank you!
I just want Magnificent and Get On Your Boots to be seperated in the set... maybe three or so songs in between them. Not one after the other. I wish they'd play Crazy Tonight in its original album version, but the remix is so cool that I don't really care. Trouble is- I always forget the remixed Crazy is even a song by U2, because it sounds so different...
Moment of Surrender needs to stay. FOREVER!
 
Anticipating that no new Horizon tracks get played live:

4 tracks from a U2 album with no known live version is a new record for the band. Each other album doesn't seem to have more than 1-2 songs that alluded a live take.

Not not entirely certain how many October/War tracks avoided the live treatment, but know it wasn't 4.
 
Anticipating that no new Horizon tracks get played live:

4 tracks from a U2 album with no known live version is a new record for the band. Each other album doesn't seem to have more than 1-2 songs that alluded a live take.

Not not entirely certain how many October/War tracks avoided the live treatment, but know it wasn't 4.

Two tracks from October (Stranger In A Strange Land and Is That All?), three from War (Drowning Man, The Refugee and Red light (not really missing that last one :wink:))


I don't care that much for the NLOTH songs. It was an okay album, but it just can't compete to the albums of the 80s and 90s in my opinion. It's certainly an improvement when you look at Bomb, so I hope their next album will be another improvement.
 
I'm still waiting for SUC. That song begs to be played! I understand that they aren't going to play Cedars or WAS, as they're far too slow to play in a Stadium. But SUC? Fez-BB? Man, those would be perfect!
 
I'm still waiting for SUC. That song begs to be played! I understand that they aren't going to play Cedars or WAS, as they're far too slow to play in a Stadium. But SUC? Fez-BB? Man, those would be perfect!

No one said they can only play Horizon songs in a stadium. Will U2 fans never get to hear those missing 4 songs in any capacity? Maybe a tv/radio show or some online only performance. They did some super slow new songs a couple times at Zoo and Pop stadium shows.
 
I'm still waiting for SUC. That song begs to be played! I understand that they aren't going to play Cedars or WAS, as they're far too slow to play in a Stadium. But SUC? Fez-BB? Man, those would be perfect!
Agreed. SUC always struck me as one of those songs that's okay on record, but which would really come alive on stage.
 
Agreed. SUC always struck me as one of those songs that's okay on record, but which would really come alive on stage.

Have there been SUC signs in the crowd or have the band been asked outside venues/hotels?

Any chance of the missing 4 Horizon live songs being snippeted?
 
I always thought SUC and Fez-Being Born should be performed one after another, in their album order, like Bullet The Blue Sky and Running To Stand Still often were.
 
While I also love AMAAW (one of the greatest of the Bomb album, I think), I'm not sure it would work live. It could get an IALW-effect live, while the song is not that bad, it's too boring live.

But if they don't try, we'll never know. There are LOTS of rare/never played songs that could work absolutely great live (Acrobat!). And when it doesn't work, then drop it.

Possibly. But you did answer yourself, because they wont try, so we'll never know. Its shame really. I've still enjoyed this tour, possibly more so than Vertigo....but eh. I think they played all the good NLOTH tracks, I'm just missing Unknown Caller a hell of a lot, to be honest.
 
After Glasto they may get frisky with the setlist.

ZooTV had them flirt with tracks like So Cruel(full), Mystery Girl, Redemption Song and Edge singing V-D Land. Why can't they do low-key tracks 20 years later?
 
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