Unreleased New Songs on Tour

[jphelmet]

So, with all the talk of Songs of Ascent and "Every Breaking Wave", what are the odds we get to hear a song or two on tour before the next album is out.

If the band ends up releasing SOA, in November- would they play a couple of the new songs on tour in the US this fall?

I remember that they have played a couple of war songs before they came out, but I don't know of any other instances of playing songs before they were released (not including promotional appearences for the album- but actual u2 concert). Maybe this is a real possibility this time around.

I would think If they do release the album in November (maybe it will be in Spring 2010 and this will be moot), and Every Breaking Wave is the first single that it would make sense to play it at Sept/ Oct shows.

 

[MMP]

Hmmm... I doubt they would do that unless the songs are 99% finished already.

 

[The_acrobat]

U2 are going to have a hard enough time figuring out a setlist with the huge back catalog they have plus the addition of the NLOTH songs. So I doubt they're going to put any new songs in the show until they are released... hopefully ASAP!

 

[uppitycrip]

Besides the Joshua Tree tour where it became obvisous that shows were being recorded (When Rattle and Hum came out, I traded for the shows listed in the liner notes)

New songs are doubtful. Miss Sarajevo took forever to get into setlists...They did not even play Boots at the Inauguration.

psyched about the 30 dollar tixs, That is what I paid on Zoo TV...

Mike R

 

[digitize]

They did not even play Boots at the Inauguration.

There's a good reason for that, I think.

 

[phillyfan26]

They've really never been a band to try out songs on the tour that they haven't released. It's happened very, very rarely, so I have no expectation of that happening on the first two legs of this tour.

My assumption is that the new album comes out between the second leg and third leg, so then you'll get the new material.

 

[Vlad n U 2]

I wish. Near impossible though.

 

[gareth brown]

yeah, would be great if they road-tested songs but they always seem to opt for greatest hits/current album songs/few oldies every set so the oppurtunity to have new songs plastered online in possibly unfinished live form is probably one they'll pass sadly

 

[kingofsorrow]

what are the odds we get to hear a song or two on tour before the next album is out.

 

[zoopop]

There's a good reason for that, I think.

LOL. I don't think "Boots" would have gone over too well at that show. Unless, that old man who was sitting on Letterman during Beautiful Day was near the front.

 

[Popmart Shopper]

On the final leg of Vertigo didnt they play Window In The Skies a couple weeks before U218 was released?

 

[Axver]

I doubt unreleased songs are going to happen, but it's not totally unlikely. Here are all the instances that have happened since the release of Boy:

Boy Tour: I Fall Down and Fire from October both were played, as well as the unreleased Father Is An Elephant and Carry Me Home, and the mini-song The Cry (which forms Is That All?'s musical basis).
October Tour: A Celebration didn't come out until March 1982; U2 were playing it in February.
War Tour: On the Pre-War leg in December 1982, U2 played NYD, SBS, and Surrender before even the lead single was out in January 1983.
JT Tour: When Love Comes To Town was done once, as we've all seen on RAH. Lucille also cropped up now and then, including in the Dalton Brothers sets.
Lovetown: A couple of unreleased songs debuted on Lovetown that U2 have continued to play subsequently. Slow Dancing debuted on 1 December 1989. Before the first studio version was released in late November 1993, it managed to reappear live once in 1990, a few times in 1992, and once more in May 1993. Then She's A Mystery To Me debuted live on 26 December 1989 and it has been played live a few more times over the years and tours; U2's studio version has never been released but the latest full live version, from the Brooklyn Bridge gig in November 2004, was a HTDAAB b-side.
Elevation Tour: An unreleased song called We Love You was played on 6 August 2001 in Antwerp.

I think that's it. There are also a good number of unreleased songs floating around from soundchecks, e.g. My Time Hasn't Come and Move Out from the soundcheck on 25 April 1987.

 

[Axver]

On the final leg of Vertigo didnt they play Window In The Skies a couple weeks before U218 was released?

No. It debuted live on 29 November 2006, after U2:18 was released. We were hoping for it in Melbourne and Auckland (the first Melbourne gig was on the day of U2:18's release in Australia), but it didn't happen.

 

[major_panic]

We were hoping for it .

Well, mainly because we hadn't fully realised how terrible it is, yes.

 

[jphelmet]

the oppurtunity to have new songs plastered online in possibly unfinished live form is probably one they'll pass sadly

while i don't really think its that likely, the fact that they are talking about this next album likes its already done, or really, really close makes its seems at least somewhat plausible.

"every breaking wave" was done, and ready for NLOTH, and they decided to hold it back. If they don't decide to scrap it or rework it, maybe it could be played. Its not a like its a song they just wrote or are still working on (as far as we know). It's not the same as playing songs that they may or may not release or road testing songs they are unsure about.

 

[kramwest1]

Well, mainly because we hadn't fully realised how terrible it is, yes.

BWAHAHAHAHA!!!

I was just going to say that.

WITS was the LAST song I was hoping for in Auckland.


Mark

 

[nirniva]

Well, mainly because we hadn't fully realised how terrible it is, yes.

 

[AtomicBono]

Edge said they want to play Mercy live...

 

[erik_1099]

Didn't some of the Zooropa tracks get played live before it was released?

 

[ZOOTVTOURist]

Didn't some of the Zooropa tracks get played live before it was released?

No, the album "Zooropa" was released in Europe, exactly when the band had their double concert night in Roma's Stadio Flaminio, on July 6th and 7th. On that second night, when the album was fresh in the shops, U2 played "Numb" live for the first time. In a stunning version, by the way, with Bono still singing the "fat lady voice" live on stage. On the other hand, The Edge still had to get used to the main vocals ... Two nights later, U2 rocked Southern Italy in an awesome concert in Napoli's San Paolo – in front of a hot crowd. We got "Numb" again, this time without the B-man on stage, but also a very long snippet of "Daddy's Gonna Pay For Your Crashed Car" including verse and the chorus line as a new center piece of "When Love Comes To Town" on the B-stage. And MacPhisto even sung the "Lemon" line later on during his encore ...

 

[ZOOTVTOURist]

No. It debuted live on 29 November 2006, after U2:18 was released. We were hoping for it in Melbourne and Auckland (the first Melbourne gig was on the day of U2:18's release in Australia), but it didn't happen.

As much as I had loved to hear this tune back then (and I still do so) –the band rewarded us with other nice things in Melbourne & Auckland ...