Predictions: How much will the set change?

[U2387]

First off, I think it is awesome that we are only a couple of weeks out from rehearsals! August 6 seemed like forever to wait for set list parties and show analysis back at the end of May! Its been too quiet around here recently, probably owing a lot to the disappointment of the cancelled dates and more importantly, concern for Bono's well being.

I would appreciate some feedback from people here ahead of the rehearsals! What do we think the extent of the changes will be, and what will they look like?

It can be anything.

Just some ideas to start with:

-Will the positioning of NLOTH/new songs in the set list change? Some crowds really did not get into 360 until Beautiful Day was played.

-Will the general outline of the set/flow of the set stay the same even with some different songs(example, Breathe replaced by a brand new song up front, UF replaced by ASOH in the same slot, WOWY replaced by Bad in the encore) or will U2 agree with the many people who love 360 but feel its missing something and change up the flow?

-Will there be 1 or 2 songs of new material to road test or more? If more, will they start with a couple then phase the rest in over time?

-Will the emphasis on U2 eras change? It seems Legs 1 and 2 were pre occupied with the 2000s, particularly ATYCLB. Any chance we'll see a better mining of Unforgettable Fire or Joshua Tree or see something other than SBS and NYD from 1980-1983? How about a chance we see anything at all from Pop and Zooropa?

-Relating to performances of songs, any chance we get some rearrangements?

SBS got an overhaul for 360, does it stay like this? I certainly hope so, I'll swap some the singing of the last verse anytime for the same intense guitar, bass and especially drums that we saw on this song in the 1980s!

MLK and Walk On both were stripped way down from previous performances, with an entire verse missing in MLK and a 2nd guitar missing in Walk On. What happens with it now?

How about Mysterious Ways? There was no slide solo and it seems as if Larry has been neutered on this song.

(A note on MLK/Walk On and Mysty Wys, I still greatly enjoyed the performances of these songs on 360, I just felt they did not measure up to previous U2 efforts. Weak is an extremely relative term, and for U2, it just means they were great but not mind blowing out of this world. Even their comparatively clunky MW performances this tour are better than 99% of what other acts can do.)

Does Crazy remix stay?

Does Still Haven't Found keep up the unified, all kick in at the start performances or go back to the drums/bass free first verse?

Would love to hear everyone's thoughts on this and anything else relating to how you think the set list will look when we start up in Turin!

 

[nickoslo]

man now u2 should really reconsider changing setlist beacuse if so many topics about this havent been allready heard than
any way
they should replace havent find with one onther great song grom JT (in gods country??)
drop out acustic stuck an throw in staring at the sun
also replace one with love si blidnes or acrobat
drowning man woud be great
beacuse 360 is more space theme they should do somthing about last night on earth or gone
zooropa guys you know u recorded that do you?
any wayy no atyclb songs at all
i hope for even better than the real thing for this year

they also say they are not jet ready for best of tour...
well, then make this tour the best...

 

[KhanadaRhodes]

these are not predictions, but more requests from me to u2 (as if they'll see this )

- less atyclb, please. there's no reason there should be as many (or nearly as many) songs off a ten year old album as there are from their new(er) album. and please get rid of in a little while.
- no more wowy. the song's just awful these days, it seems to get progressively worse with each tour, and now it's appalling.

 

[U2girl]

3-4 different songs. (some SOA-new, some 90's material).

new opening song like they said...that might be NLOTH. (Breathe isn't opening anymore obviously, and Boots was already used for the DVD)

Either do a proper acoustic set, or drop the single acoustic song (especially coupled with another slow song like I still haven't found...kills the tempo of the show). Didn't work on Elevation and Vertigo, and it doesn't work now.

Why is Elevation played for the 3rd tour in a row? It's fun live, but there are many more guitar/energetic and most importantly BETTER songs to choose from.

 

[Blue Room]

My guess is not much changes. Appears the opening song is going to change, thank the Lord! Otherwise I'm not holding my breath for many more changes. Its going to be more about Bono getting back into the swing of performing with his back for the first couple of weeks versus anything new IMO. Would love to be wrong!

Bring back Electric Co!!! Bring back God Part II and full band Desire!!! Bring back HMTMKMKM, it was a single and its only been done one tour, would fit right in with this tour IMO. I will duck with this one, but play Stand Up Comedy, I actually like the song and think it would be even better live. I don't get the hatred for it by most fans.

Just a few of my requests that will never happen.

 

[KhanadaRhodes]

i can't believe i'm saying this, but i agree with everything everyone's said so far!

 

[mikal]

My guess is not much changes. Appears the opening song is going to change, thank the Lord! Otherwise I'm not holding my breath for many more changes. Its going to be more about Bono getting back into the swing of performing with his back for the first couple of weeks versus anything new IMO. Would love to be wrong!

Bring back Electric Co!!! Bring back God Part II and full band Desire!!! Bring back HMTMKMKM, it was a single and its only been done one tour, would fit right in with this tour IMO. I will duck with this one, but play Stand Up Comedy, I actually like the song and think it would be even better live. I don't get the hatred for it by most fans.

Just a few of my requests that will never happen.

i agree with your requests. Gosh, Mofo would just be wonderful too!

i'm still holding out hope that they'll still try Drowning Man. i was so disappointed when they scrapped it last minute. also, i think they may actually play a new song since they've publically said they were going to.

 

[nielsgov]

I hope they at least try SUC and Fez. And playing a new song would be totally awesome.

 

[mikal]

Fez would be great. I would probably grow irate at a concert if one of the 23 songs was wasted on SUC though.

 

[Mrs. Garrison]

Fez? i dont think thats going to happen....i would almost put money on that.

here are a couple of suggestions i have:

DROP Walk On, MLK, Stuck, Breathe, & the Crazy remix
ADD one or two of these "new songs" we keep hearing about, i was hoping one would be a successful single which would be known but if they haven't released it by now...
REPLACE SBS with NYD or swap them for different shows. Same thing with Mysterious Ways....swap it or replace it with EBTTRT
ADD (in place of the dropped songs) Bad, LNOE / Gone, HMTMKMKM, & something really old off of Boy, like ATAP which would absolutely kill live i think.

Lets see if i can make sense of that w/ a setlist:

GOYB
NEW SONG SUPER MEGA SINGLE*
MW or EBTTRT
Magnificent
Beautiful Day (with IGC snippets & God only knows)
ISHFWILF (stand by me)
NEW SONG**
NLOTH
Bad
IALW
UC
UTEOTW
TUF
COBL
Vertigo
Another Time, Another Place
SBS or NYD
LNOE or Gone
HTMKMKM (with full fireworks /light show from the claw, send the stadium into motherfucking orbit!)

One (amazing grace)
Streets

UV
WOWY
MOS (with the rap)

Hopefully i have kept some of the integrity of the 360 show intact while dropping some of the ATYCLB excess and at the same time adding one PoP song and another non album single from that era to close the main set. I wanted to omit Walk On because it didnt work well for me, plus the mask thing was a bit creepy.

Leave the encores alone, they work fine as is! Leave the snippets in place just as they were in the Rose Bowl, also the MOS rap must stay!! And i really think Boy had to be represented so Another Time Another Place needs to be rocked out here. I dropped "Elevation" even though it is a great live song, i dont think you really need both Vertigo & Elevation in the same setlist. My only problem here is i think we are missing the token acoustic number (i dropped Stuck) that always seems to have a place in the u2 show. I dont know how to rectify that unless the second new song is acoustic or more likely IALW becomes that acoustic song. Not even sure how that would sound really, because the magic of that song off of 360 was how good it sounds in the full band arrangement. But i think it is central to the 360 tour "a man dreams one day to fly..a man takes a rocket ship into the sky" and it must remain.

Anyway i hope people like this *idea* for a setlist change. Of course, you are welcome to tell me im an idiot and disagree completely

 

[corianderstem]

DROP ... the Crazy remix

I've killed men for suggesting less.

 

[Mrs. Garrison]

I've killed men for suggesting less.

I expected as much

Im just not so sure how that song works out in 2011 North America, which means i was sort of discounting this fall. So maybe keep it for the upcoming leg and drop it next year? That probably still gets your goat though...i dunno...maybe they drop Unknown Caller then? My thinking was, they add 2 *new* songs so a couple of the NLOTH songs have to go. GOYB works as the opener, Magnificent is Magnificent, and im totally sold on MOS as the closer. I also like NLOTH the song as it is, so i dont want to get rid of that one.

 

[brooklynmike]

I agree. If they play HMTMKMKM, LNOE or BBTTRT and keep UV, I don't give a SHIT what else they play. lol

But yeah.

Anything off POP would be sweet though.

Except Wake up Dead Man. Great song but boring live.

 

[digitize]

Of course, they'll open with J.Swallow, followed by Another Time, Another Place, A Day Without Me, and Corpse to keep the energy going.

 

[U2387]

Fez? i dont think thats going to happen....i would almost put money on that.

here are a couple of suggestions i have:

DROP Walk On, MLK, Stuck, Breathe, & the Crazy remix
ADD one or two of these "new songs" we keep hearing about, i was hoping one would be a successful single which would be known but if they haven't released it by now...
REPLACE SBS with NYD or swap them for different shows. Same thing with Mysterious Ways....swap it or replace it with EBTTRT
ADD (in place of the dropped songs) Bad, LNOE / Gone, HMTMKMKM, & something really old off of Boy, like ATAP which would absolutely kill live i think.

Lets see if i can make sense of that w/ a setlist:

GOYB
NEW SONG SUPER MEGA SINGLE*
MW or EBTTRT
Magnificent
Beautiful Day (with IGC snippets & God only knows)
ISHFWILF (stand by me)
NEW SONG**
NLOTH
Bad
IALW
UC
UTEOTW
TUF
COBL
Vertigo
Another Time, Another Place
SBS or NYD
LNOE or Gone
HTMKMKM (with full fireworks /light show from the claw, send the stadium into motherfucking orbit!)

One (amazing grace)
Streets

UV
WOWY
MOS (with the rap)

Hopefully i have kept some of the integrity of the 360 show intact while dropping some of the ATYCLB excess and at the same time adding one PoP song and another non album single from that era to close the main set. I wanted to omit Walk On because it didnt work well for me, plus the mask thing was a bit creepy.

Leave the encores alone, they work fine as is! Leave the snippets in place just as they were in the Rose Bowl, also the MOS rap must stay!! And i really think Boy had to be represented so Another Time Another Place needs to be rocked out here. I dropped "Elevation" even though it is a great live song, i dont think you really need both Vertigo & Elevation in the same setlist. My only problem here is i think we are missing the token acoustic number (i dropped Stuck) that always seems to have a place in the u2 show. I dont know how to rectify that unless the second new song is acoustic or more likely IALW becomes that acoustic song. Not even sure how that would sound really, because the magic of that song off of 360 was how good it sounds in the full band arrangement. But i think it is central to the 360 tour "a man dreams one day to fly..a man takes a rocket ship into the sky" and it must remain.

Anyway i hope people like this *idea* for a setlist change. Of course, you are welcome to tell me im an idiot and disagree completely

You're not an idiot, and far from disagreeing completely, I think this is really good!!

I would find a way to keep the Crazy remix but that is a minor detail here. Drop UC for Crazy remix maybe as you suggested, that would make it perfect in my book!

LNOE, Gone and HMTMKMKM are becoming the Holy Trinity so to speak of what we think U2 needs on 360!

I couldn't agree more about Another Time, Another Place, they desperately need an early 80s rocker in there, and when they played other Boy songs on Vertigo, they rocked the house and inspired the young fans to take a look at the back catalog. I was just thinking of that song the other day-awesome, lyrics, emotion, energy, Edge's solo, Adam's underrated bass line, early day Larry's incredible drumming. Its all there with ATAP

For the longest time, I have been bitching about 5 ATYCLB songs and been adamant that it be cut down to 2: BD and Walk On. Well, since listening to some 360 bootlegs and seeing the space chat IALW on the Rose Bowl DVD, I have changed my mind. I think Walk On made the political point it needed to make on legs 1 and 2 and I was glad to see it again, but U2 for whatever reason are really performing IALW very well this tour and you are more than right, what beats "a man dreams one day to fly, a man takes a rocketship into the sky, he lives on a star that's dying in the night....." for fitting the space theme? I have never been a fan of Elevation shaking the windows out of the luxury boxes, then the rocket blast, lift off, then all of a sudden, In A Little While starts, but you fix that quite nicely by placing Bad before it. Bad>>In A Little While or IALW>>Bad would absolutely own!

In A Little While is one of those songs that we often forget just how great it is until we see it on a DVD or hear it in the restaurant.

Good post, thanks for your insight!

 

[U2387]

Jeez, on further examination, U2 has really, really, really overlooked In A Little While.

This great song sits on the bench while Elevation and Stuck get played to death for the 3rd tour in a row.

In A Little While's set list stats make this case perfectly:

Elevation Tour- Promoting ATYCLB, the album the track is on:

Not even a staple.

In fact, it sat out the entire 3rd leg for a cover of What's Going On!

59 of 113 shows for 52% of the shows.

Vertigo Tour:

Edge:Flowers told us we had some song called In A Little While. He suggested we play it together.

Larry: Bollocks, we never did a song called In A Little While!!

Adam: Its on ATYCLB, the album you love because you didn't have to do any work. Even I know that, and I've been listening to jazz and working on the ladies for the past 4 years!

Bono: The Joey Ramone song. Yes, I remember that now. I'll sing it twice, but no more. I love Joey, but I really need my moles digging in holes with souls, so he'll more than understand.

2 of 132 shows for 1.5% of the shows

360 Tour:

12 of 45 for 27% of shows(so far)

Nice incorporation of the song with the theme. If IALW could talk 3 of its ATYCLB friends, Walk On, Elevation and Stuck out of the set list, it would earn a full time staple slot! No reason it shouldn't!

Swap Walk On for In A Little While to go along with the obligatory Beautiful Day and there you have it for ATYCLB!

I can't think of a song more deserving of staple status that has never received it, even on its debut tour, than In A Little While.

 

[Zoo360]

Either open with Magnificent or a new song.

Replace Elevation, BD, IALW, Stuck, ISHFWILF, etc. with:

Hold Me, Thrill Me...
Gone
The Fly
EBTRT
Discotheque
Zooropa
Love is Blindness
Fez Being Born
Life on Distant Planet

Bring back:

Electrical Storm
Your Blue Room

Keep:

Mag
GOYB
Crazy Tonite
COBL
NLOTH
Amazing Grace/WTSHNN
Unknown Caller
MW
MLK
Ultraviolet

Close with either:

Cedars or MoS

 

[The_Edge89]

Going by my wishlist/prediction post, I'd say the general outline of the show will be the same. About 20 songs in the mainset, followed by another 4 or so for the encores. For songs 6-10 we'll have nightly rotations just like the European shows last year, it was an idea that worked and made the show feel fresh to me.
I do think they'll both throw in some new stuff, take out some of the songs from last year and move some of the No Line On The Horizon songs from last year to other spots.

I don't need to repeat what I said in my post so just click that link up there if you're interested in reading more about what I think.

 

[digitize]

Jeez, on further examination, U2 has really, really, really overlooked In A Little While.

This great song sits on the bench while Elevation and Stuck get played to death for the 3rd tour in a row.

Uhh

U2 Pasadena, 2009-10-25, Rose Bowl, 360° Tour - U2 on tour

Overlooked?

 

[U2387]

Uhh

U2 Pasadena, 2009-10-25, Rose Bowl, 360° Tour - U2 on tour

Overlooked?

I am well aware of the fact that it gets some play, but its never been a regular.

I've watched the DVD many times. So what, it made a DVD. So did Dirty Day, so did Please, so did Last Night On Earth.

See my post on IALW statistics for what I was talking about in terms of overlooked.

Elevation, Stuck, New York, Miracle Drug, all have been staples, In A Little While never has been.

BD and In A Little While are the 2 ATYCLB songs that should be 360 staples. The rest, leave it alone except for the occasional Kite.

 

[Mrs. Garrison]

In A Little While is one of those songs that we often forget just how great it is until we see it on a DVD or hear it in the restaurant.

Good post, thanks for your insight!

no problem, thank you as well

 

[brooklynmike]

I'm a huge fan of IALW, but not so much a fan of the space tie in. It's being played very well this tour besides the space stuff.

Elevation Boston DVD was awesome.

 

[monsieur fly]

IALW- is it a pretty, relatively enjoyable soul number? Yes. Is it a classic worthy of a regular slot? In my opinion, no. If you want candidates for 'overlooked' try Dirty Day and Zooropa!

 

[Harry Vest]

Keep : Bad
keep : The Unforgettable Fire
add : Gone
add: Please
add : EXIT
add : Love is Blindness

That would do me just fine. The rest don't matter.

 

[nielsgov]

Vertigo x 17 for the rest of the set then.

 

[intedomine]

I unfortunately have a feeling that U2 will look to drop one or two NLOTH songs, probably Breathe, and maybe NLOTH or Unknown Caller. Moment of Surrender must stay, surely, U2's best song of the 00's, which allows for crowd participation and improvisation, though could be moved to an earlier place in the set.

Elevation may, and should, be scrapped, doesn't add any value to the U2360 set in my opinion, and the glaring lack of early era U2 songs means a song like Out Of Control, Gloria, A Day Without Me, 11 O'Clock Tick Tock or Two Hearts might work well in exchange for Elevation. Acoustic Stuck is also pointless, and could be permanently substituted for a Desire/Angel of Harlem/Stay.

I have a fear that the highlight of the tour, The Unforgettable Fire, will feature less consistently, which would be a shame, because it works so wonderfully.

I also think that Ultraviolet will be dropped, and while I do like it, it's switching with a Mofo/HMTMKMKM/Gone/Fly would compensate those fans who would be most likely to miss it.

 

[RedRocksU2]

IMO, MOS should be taken out (I love the song, but it slows down the performance) and definitely leave UC in the setlist, this song I believe allows for crowd participation more than MOS.

 

[corianderstem]

I'd love to have Unknown Caller stay in, as it's one of my favorites on the album, but I wouldn't be surprised to see it go, if they're going to be dropping NLOTH songs.

I really hope they'd choose to drop a few songs from ATYCLB to make room for new/different songs, rather than dropping songs from the album they're still ostensibly touring to promote.

 

[U2387]

I unfortunately have a feeling that U2 will look to drop one or two NLOTH songs, probably Breathe, and maybe NLOTH or Unknown Caller. Moment of Surrender must stay, surely, U2's best song of the 00's, which allows for crowd participation and improvisation, though could be moved to an earlier place in the set.

Elevation may, and should, be scrapped, doesn't add any value to the U2360 set in my opinion, and the glaring lack of early era U2 songs means a song like Out Of Control, Gloria, A Day Without Me, 11 O'Clock Tick Tock or Two Hearts might work well in exchange for Elevation. Acoustic Stuck is also pointless, and could be permanently substituted for a Desire/Angel of Harlem/Stay.

I have a fear that the highlight of the tour, The Unforgettable Fire, will feature less consistently, which would be a shame, because it works so wonderfully.

I also think that Ultraviolet will be dropped, and while I do like it, it's switching with a Mofo/HMTMKMKM/Gone/Fly would compensate those fans who would be most likely to miss it.

I really do think that either TUF or Ultraviolet will stay. One of them will remain a regular, and I would guess Ultraviolet.

I am not suffering illusions that U2 read and care about the blue crack here, but I think the word is out there enough regarding too many ATYCLB songs. Exchanging them for early 80s material as you suggest would most definitely liven up the set.

I agree 100% about Elevation and acoustic Stuck. Yes, its fun to hear live, even to watch on youtube, but still, when I first saw it pop up on a 360 set list I was thinking "really, guys?" U2 has many better songs to put in its place. Also, you could not be more right about acoustic Stuck being pointless. In Europe, the Desire/Angel of Harlem/Stay/Electrical Storm rotating slot was one of the most vital in the set list. Add Drowning Man in there for this leg and we're golden.

Great post!

 

[corianderstem]

If they drop TUF, they'll have to put in another song that will use the cool screen-expansion to great effect.