WOWY - what happened ?

[MissVelvetDress_75]

I will not shed a tear if WOWY is dropped. Bono's voice is struggling with it and it is making actually quite unbearable for me to listen to, to the point I am cringing when he tries to hit the high notes.

Yes, I went there.

 

[lauramullen]

Me neither. I have heard it so many times and would like to hear something else

 

[SBU2]

After Zoo Tv....I feel that is when Bono stopped putting effort into songs.

I dont agree with this. I would say after the elevation tour. Look at WOWY, Bad, beautiful day on the elevation tour. So much passion going through his voice. Nowadays for these odd songs he is just singing them, just the lyrics, not much passion. Bad still sounds good, but WOWY and BD sound no where near as good as they did in 01. Wowy lacks passion, and BD sounds to thin nowadays.

 

[digitize]

I dont agree with this. I would say after the elevation tour. Look at WOWY, Bad, beautiful day on the elevation tour. So much passion going through his voice. Nowadays for these odd songs he is just singing them, just the lyrics, not much passion. Bad still sounds good, but WOWY and BD sound no where near as good as they did in 01. Wowy lacks passion, and BD sounds to thin nowadays.

In exchange for:

YouTube - U2 London 2009-08-15 Bad
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R_XYrcuZGog
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a0fV3nInkqA

 

[Moser]

I would drop With or Without You to hear a live Luminous Times.

 

[Morgoth321]

I think instead of doing Stuck or Walk On acoustically (both of which sound very thin), WOWY could stand some reinvention in the acoustic format.

Has WOWY ever been performed any other way than the basic album arrangement, such as acoustically? Presumably the 'otherworldly' nature of the song comes from the infinite guitar(?) effects, so would it sound too sparse without this?

 

[AndrewCowley]

Has WOWY ever been performed any other way than the basic album arrangement, such as acoustically? Presumably the 'otherworldly' nature of the song comes from the infinite guitar(?) effects, so would it sound too sparse without this?

U2's acoustic arrangements are totally boring. That isn't the solution.

 

[zwervers2]

Has WOWY ever been performed any other way than the basic album arrangement, such as acoustically? Presumably the 'otherworldly' nature of the song comes from the infinite guitar(?) effects, so would it sound too sparse without this?

It would suck beyond belief and no, they have never done it.

 

[Morgoth321]

Yeah, I suspect that if WOWY was performed acoustically, it would sound terrible - especially if Bono tried for the high notes and his voice would die on him. He would sound horribly exposed.

 

[Aygo]

In exchange for:

YouTube - U2 London 2009-08-15 Bad
YouTube - U2 Milan 2009-07-07 Ultra Violet (Light My Way)
YouTube - U2 London 2009-08-15 The Unforgettable Fire (FOS version)

That version of "Bad" is almost painful to listen to. It almost feels like a sacrifice for Bono.

 

[ZOOTVTOURist]

As written here a zillion times before by myself, Axver & others WOWY is now only a shadow of its former self, at best an achingly nostalgic echo of what it used to be. Being a magical tune in the 80ies, it was performed with passion, conviction and 2 guitars. Take this (exceptional) performance as an example:

YouTube - U2 - With Or Without You DVD (Live From Paris)

During ZOO TV you still had this driving force, the desparation, the restless spirit, especially during the indoor legs and 'Outside Broadcast'. From then on it become more and more, what it it today: a part of a very choreographed part of the 'show' (not a 'concert' anymore in the classical sense). The start still was a genious one – the MirrorBall man and MacPhisto carrying the tune (and so the show) home. Very impressive, but though still holding high levels with 'Shine Like Stars' and great guitar effects, it started to lose its original standing.

This uncertainty surrounding the tune became more obvious and damaging in 1997/98 when the tune was tried with different drum and rhythm backing sounds; Bono's degrading voice tried to find a new, fresher approach to sing this tune, to give it a new meaning. The 'dance with girls' performances were there, where 10 years before, you had the singer with his acoustic guitar in the darkness and a single spotlight. And the mass chorus singalong now became the defining moment, losing more and more of the tune's subtle message of loss, rage and despair.

The crowd pleaser unfortunately became a "we have to play" in the 2000s – with WOWY being a staple also in 2001, finally put to sleep for some of the late US shows (and so for the better: What's Goin' On was exactly the feeling, that the only repetitive WOWY simply had lost ...). Even worse the (management?) decision to reinsert the tune from the 2nd leg on in the Vertigo setlists, just to play the crowd please – but only with a very few versions breaking some new ground for it (e.g. Manchester, Melbourne).

The low point of course is the tour de farce we have now: WOWY being part of the rather depressive "Funeral Blues" encore, with Bono fooling around the hanging mic, losing lines, missing them, trying to croon them with a new attitude, only to release the mass chorus. A musical sacrilege, you could call this. Just give the song a rest, friends, it does need it: Stop slaughtering the tune more and more ...

 

[Salome]

The 'dance with girls' performances were there, where 10 years before, you had the singer with his acoustic guitar in the darkness and a single spotlight. And the mass chorus singalong now became the defining moment, losing more and more of the tune's subtle message of loss, rage and despair.

to me nothing is as symbolic for With or Without You as Bono singing the song lying on stage with a gushing fan next to him

 

[Jdelbove]

i feel the song was pretty good on the vertigo tour much better than elevation and 100 times better then now - the milan version is terrible however as bono voice was shot. But listen to some of the 5th leg versions from 06 particulary the japan shows the song sounded great and bono never sang it better - i dont know how he has not be able to transition those 06 versions to the current tour. Its frustrating as he clearly has the ability to sing the song and give it justice (as at moments on 360 during the song he sounds great - he hits the liiives and 1st oooohooos well) but he misses lines or whatever and every version comes out flawed it seems like he is not trying

 

[LyricalDrug]

How can they NOT play a hit that shot to number one in America? C'mon, they're not that naive. The band plays with as much fire on this song as they ever have, and even if Bono's vocal is a bit more hushed, he lets the audience do a lot of the singing (see, e.g., Cardiff youtube clip posted by U2006) so that more than makes up for it. If it ain't broke, don't fix it!

 

[The John Tree]

I'll be honest with you here: I totally prefer Bono's voice now to 1987. In that clip from the Paris concert released during the JT tour, sometimes Bono's voice sounds like it's going off the rails (see: "my hands are tied...").

 

[Hallucination]

I don't really mind how Bono sings it nowadays. The crowd often times fills in for him so it's ok I think. I do think WOWY live should always include the "We'll shine like stars" at the ending cause it's such a great climax to the song. I also really think The Edge should do something new and wild with this song. Or at the very least bring back the solo he used in this performance
YouTube - U2 - With or without you - Zoo Tv

 

[The John Tree]

Hallucination - totally agree about the "shine like stars" coda. Disagree about the Edge solo.

As a musician, my favorite all-time Edge moment is the end of With or Without You when, instead of choosing to end the song with a big, dramatic guitar solo like most guitarists would, he chooses to simply, and tastefully, let it fade with those shimmering chords.

 

[Hallucination]

Hallucination - totally agree about the "shine like stars" coda. Disagree about the Edge solo.

As a musician, my favorite all-time Edge moment is the end of With or Without You when, instead of choosing to end the song with a big, dramatic guitar solo like most guitarists would, he chooses to simply, and tastefully, let it fade with those shimmering chords.

Haha we've all heard that before. Straight from Edges mouth why he did that on the Making of the Joshua Tree. I understand if you like the subtle ending with no solo(I do as well) but I think live is a place to change things up from the versions we hear on radio everyday. The first time I heard that version the solo caught me so off guard and I was like "whoa!!!" I think it's fantastic and it's done so tastefully. It is part of the song. It's not a big dramatic guitar solo that most guitarists would do. Its' done totally in The Edge's style and I think it compliments the song amazingly well. But of course to each their own. But I'm almost positive there are many, many other musicians in the crowd on any given night who would totally love to hear a rare Edge guitar solo that's not on the album. It honestly breaths life into the song.

 

[ZooMacPhisto800]

I reckon they're playing WOWY more because they feel like they have to, not because they (or at least Bono) want to, hence the lack of passion in the song. Which is just ridiculous, given how many crowd-pleasers U2 have in their catalogue. They don't have to play WOWY, or anything else for that matter. Put it out to pasture, U2, and don't play it again until you're really, truly feeling it.

I have a post that matches this exact sentiment somewhere...

 

[blake]

He (bono) hits notes and phrases in other songs these days that show he could do it justice. It just seems they don't feel impassioned to play it.

 

[ZooMacPhisto800]

He (bono) hits notes and phrases in other songs these days that show he could do it justice. It just seems they don't feel impassioned to play it.

Meanwhile the fans are singing their hearts out... it's just a huge existential disconnect.

 

[bigjohn2441]

bono stopped playing guitar and edge stopped soloing. it's that simple.

 

[U2387]

I don't know, but with the way it sounds now, time to drop it.

Bono I just don't understand. Sing it like he did in Japan 2006, complete with shine like stars and Edge add the zoo tv solo and its perfect with not much more work.

Ultimately, like others say, this needs a rest. They gave Bullet a leg off, SBS and Bad have taken extensive rest. UF was a staple for the mid-late 80s then forgotten about for a while.

Ultraviolet/Moment of Surrender/Love is Blindness
Ultraviolet/full band Stay/Moment of Surrender/40(snippet)

That is how you do the encore, 1 of 2 ways.

 

[nielsgov]

They should drop it because it sucks live.

 

[bigjohn2441]

In exchange for:

YouTube - U2 London 2009-08-15 Bad

wow, bono playing guitar on BAD?!?!?!

pretty cool him and edge jamming to the "solo"

am i the only one that hates this new marching in place thing bono does?

 

[elevated_u2_fan]

am i the only one that hates this new marching in place thing bono does?

new?

 

[U2opra]

I certainly agree with that WOWY seems stale. But also doesn't seem to help is you have UV and MOS before and after that right now, which are played vastly superior, making WOWY seem even more 'boring'. So many other songs could benefit being between UV and MOS and the LED suit...

 

[bizkitgto]

WOWY seems stale, especially when your encore consists of: UV->WOWY->MOS......WOWY totally takes the wind out of the encore, replace it with Gone and never play it again!

 

[Bruce]

WOWY seems stale, especially when your encore consists of: UV->WOWY->MOS......WOWY totally takes the wind out of the encore, replace it with Gone and never play it again!

So your saying that U2 should never again play it's most recognizable that they have ever written?

 

[Bruce]

WOWY seems stale, especially when your encore consists of: UV->WOWY->MOS......WOWY totally takes the wind out of the encore, replace it with Gone and never play it again!

In my opinion With or WIthout is U2's staple song kind of like Born to Run is to Springsteen and Satisfaction is to the Stones. I couldnt imagine going to a show and not hearing it played.