Your I+E show suggestions ('if I were U2/Willie Williams thread')

[Moser]

Encore starts with MOFO. It's more relevant than ever. Replace SBS with Please. Remove an acoustic song and play Last Night on Earth.

Where did When Loves Come to Town go?

COBL and Beautiful Day really need to get tossed. No one cares whether or not songs won you Grammys. Because of those damn awards, we always have to listen to these staples.

More War material. New Year's Day. Surrender. Two Hearts Beat as One.

Fast-paced An Cat Dubh is burning to be played here.

 

[malchik_petya]

Lemon as the 2nd 'cage' song
Divide the screen in 4 sectors and alternate between pre-recorded shots of them recreating some parts of the video - 'Man walking', 'Man running' and live shots (like they do now on EBTTRT), but again with captions - 'Man singing', 'Man playing hi-hat'.
A bit cheesy, but could be cool
Or just create new graphics inspired by the 'grid' background and add some random stuff floating in and out

Then somehow segue 'midnight is where the day begins' with the start of Discotheque. Reveal the mirorrballs and 'da-da-tada-da-da-tada-da-da-ta-dadada' (*that's the riff*)

 

[hibricc]

Not really a recommendation, but something I would laugh my ass off to see.... Install Electric Co as the last pre-Iris slot. Attach a ladder inside the cage, and let Bono climb to the top for the Send In The Clowns break. Run footage of the Red Rocks crowd on the screens while he sings atop the cage. Stick a white flag up there for him to wave around. (It's all about surrender, right?)

Cheesy and nostalgic? You bet.

 

[Earth_Angel]

Having not attended a concert yet (like never, ever) and knowing I will love every second of the two I have tickets for in Chicago…..I might still offer, how about 2 completely different set-lists as they were originally being touted when the tickets were offered for sale in December. I think they've got the material to do it…..

 

[jphelmet]

Could easily make two distinct sets without a little more rotation. Could continue to add in older song in slot 2 & 4 throughout tour. Still Have the theme/narrative without having 1st set being static.

Night One // Night Two

The Miracle (Of Joey Ramone)
Electric Co. // Gloria // Out of Control
Vertigo
Mofo
I Will Follow // Electric Co.
Iris (Hold Me Close) //
Cedarwood Road
Song For Someone
Sunday Bloody Sunday // Please
Raised By Wolves // Like A Song
Until The End Of The World
(Intermission)

Invisible //
Discotheque // Zoo Station
Mysterious Ways // The Fly
Crystal Ballroom // Lucifer's Hands // (Rotating new song)
Stay // In God's Country
Every Breaking Wave (Full Band)
Bullet The Blue Sky // Bad
Pride (In The Name Of Love) // Running to Stand Still
Beautiful Day // New Year's Day
With Or Without You
Moment of Surrender // Love Is Blindness

Encore(s):
One //Beautiful Day
Bad // All I Want is You
Where The Streets Have No Name
40

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

I actually think they're blowing it by not using the screen for the first few songs.

I get the whole "hey we just did the biggest stage in history and now we're opening to just a light bulb" thing, but generally it seems like a wasted opportunity...

 

[The_acrobat]

To me the most mystifying thing about the setlists on this tour is the fact that "California" has only been played twice on the whole tour. This seems like a no-brainer song from the new album to be played. Not every night, but every other night. Maybe to be rotated with Volcano during the the encore.

 

[U2FanPeter]

Lemon as the 2nd 'cage' song

Who's the singer? Been a while since we've heard Bono's falsetto for more than few lines of any song and it's usually pretty rough vocally.

 

[Outsider]

I think 'Like a song ' would fit so well on this tour


Sent from my iPhone using U2 Interference

 

[Chrisedge]

I didn't know Willie Williams had so much to do with the setlists.

 

[Chizip]

Lasers, 3D projections and holograms

Oh yeah, and that "sound flashlight" they promised us years ago

 

[trevgreg]

I actually think they're blowing it by not using the screen for the first few songs.

I get the whole "hey we just did the biggest stage in history and now we're opening to just a light bulb" thing, but generally it seems like a wasted opportunity...

It's not like it isn't being put to use for the rest of the songs though.

 

[brooklynmike]

Oh yeah, and that "sound flashlight" they promised us years ago

Yeah, what ever happened to that? Something about sending sound to specific seats or something. I think that was around the Vertigo days.

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

It's not like it isn't being put to use for the rest of the songs though.

Is it being used for Miracle, Electric Co, Out of Control, Vertigo, etc.?

 

[trevgreg]

Is it being used for Miracle, Electric Co, Out of Control, Vertigo, etc.?

No, but that's what they were sort of aiming at with the theme of the show, right? Then it's turned on and used for the rest of the 20 songs or so...

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

Right... But what I'm saying is that aim is silly

 

[trevgreg]

I sort of hear ya now. Personally, I guess the use of the screen a few songs in makes sense to me. Have the first four songs be about the band playing on stage, doing their thing. Then Bono says hello to the crowd and acknowledges the screen in an “oh, btw, we have this here”-type of way that finally puts it to use.

I suppose the lightbulb thing could be silly to some or they could have some big bombastic intro putting the screen to use immediately… but maybe that’s what they wanted to avoid after doing it for all of 360?

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

They could just flash it in synch with the guitar riffs at the start of the song, and the have it display video of the band... Doesn't have to be anything special.

I just find it weird that they let this big, obstructing thing just sit there for 4 songs before they actually start using it

 

[corianderstem]

I think it's even weirder that they only use those white light bars for one song in the encore.

can't make them turn red for Streets? Then throw another song in after COBL.

I mean, they're not blinding enough to be a LITERAL BLINDING LIGHT, so it makes no sense to use them for just one song. They're cool, though.

 

[hibricc]

I think it's even weirder that they only use those white light bars for one song in the encore.

can't make them turn red for Streets? Then throw another song in after COBL.

I mean, they're not blinding enough to be a LITERAL BLINDING LIGHT, so it makes no sense to use them for just one song. They're cool, though.

Willie spoke about these light bars in detail in part 3 of that Live Design interview:

The signature fixture is a caged fluorescent strip, inspired by the kind you might find in an underpass or dodgy public toilets. At first, I was insistent on using real fluorescent strips but was eventually talked out of it due to the accompanying RF nightmares. In the end, I agreed to go with cool white LED facsimiles but only on condition that each unit was one circuit only and that they weren’t able to change color.

My programmer/operators, Alex Murphy and Sparky Risk, have spent forever building manual chases to simulate random fluorescent tube flicker and non-linear strobe effects. Sparky has done me proud in his embracing of manual bump-button strobe hits that feel like lighting time travel. It all feels vastly more organic and human than anything you’d ever get out of an effects engine.

 

[corianderstem]

That's cool. But why only one song?!? They spent "forever building ...." what a waste to use them for just one song, then.

 

[U2FanPeter]

Here's how to massively improve the 23 song setlist with only some very minor tweaks with songs already publically played in 2015. It also makes it far easier to hit 40 unique songs in markets with 4 shows and 50 unique songs for cities with 8 shows. Cities with only 2 shows are guaranteed 6 song changes, just like they did at Vancouver 2015 and fulfilling the "each night a different feel" description they promised in 2014.

The only massive change is the band putting WOWY/Vertigo in rotation to be played at least once in every city, justlike the compromise they did with One/Found. WOWY has skipped shows before, Vertigo is without fancy production and the BOMB album is represented with COBL nightly.

Every show needs one hardcore bait song(non album track or rarely played since 90's) in the wild card slots or Tick Tock as the 2nd song.

The 2 wild card slots should NEVER be repeated in a city. Montreal got 2 Stucks and LA got 2 Harlems.

Ramone
E-Co / Control / Tick Tock
Vertigo / Volcano / California / Elevation
Follow
Iris
Cedarwood
Someone
Sunday
Wolves
End World
----------------
Invisible
Better
M-Ways
(wild card)
(wild card)
Wave
Bullet
Hands-Pride
B-Day
WOWY / Bad / Troubles /All I Want
-----------------
COBL
Streets
One / Found / 40 / WOWY

 

[Edge_Orchestra]

Move Beautiful Day to open the encore (or the second encore song after COBL). Add The Troubles in its main set spot.

(Ideally, they could rotate some of the "warhorses," but I'm assuming they like the songs chosen, so other than "mix it up," this is my one realistic suggestion.)

Yep.

I'm all for their taking a page out of Bruce and Pearl Jam's playbook and mixing it up a bit more. I get that part of the reason they don't is due to 'production elements'. But they could sort that out.

I'd add - Just because Rattle And Hum and Pop didn't sell Joshua Tree numbers, stop ignoring them. There are some good songs worth playing from time to time.

Please (if even a long snippet) would work with SBS and Raised By Wolves. And they have never played "God Part II" or "Hawkmoon 269" in the US or outside of the Love Town tour.

I'm not unhappy w/the show. I think they have it right for the most part. But they could add a bit of variety (as mentioned above).

 

[malchik_petya]

Who's the singer? Been a while since we've heard Bono's falsetto for more than few lines of any song and it's usually pretty rough vocally.

I've addressed that somewhere in another thread. He could have tried to sing it lower and it might still sound cool as a whole because the song is so great in itself (my opinion). But I can't be sure because they never tried it and doubt they would.

 

[U2FanPeter]

I've addressed that somewhere in another thread. He could have tried to sing it lower and it might still sound cool as a whole because the song is so great in itself (my opinion). But I can't be sure because they never tried it and doubt they would.

Do you have any recent examples of Bono doing normal singing versions of songs that had Falsetto on the studio version? Fly is a partial example.

 

[nitebusnitebus]

I think it's even weirder that they only use those white light bars for one song in the encore.

can't make them turn red for Streets? Then throw another song in after COBL.

I mean, they're not blinding enough to be a LITERAL BLINDING LIGHT, so it makes no sense to use them for just one song. They're cool, though.

I see them working for Reach Me Now, lighting up bit by bit as each piano note comes in

that song needs to open either the show or encore pretty desperately, really missed opportunity happening there.

and I really think the lightbulb thing is barely used, especially with Bono entering on the e-stage. kind of defeats the point of the way the show starts.

 

[U2FanPeter]

I see them working for Reach Me Now, lighting up bit by bit as each piano note comes in

that song needs to open either the show or encore pretty desperately, really missed opportunity happening there.

and I really think the lightbulb thing is barely used, especially with Bono entering on the e-stage. kind of defeats the point of the way the show starts.

The stage level light bars are used for couple other songs when they are left flat.

 

[corianderstem]

Oh, I didn't realize that. BUT STILL.

 

[JUSTinPUSHPLAY]

Alright here we go

I think there should be more lightbulbs hanging from the ceiling during The Miracle, and they should be swaying chaotically back-and-forth. Lightbulbs go red during Vertigo. Main set needs an extra song or two, New Year's Day before Sunday bloody Sunday, and California after Vertigo. the intermission should be edge in the screen doing numb. Into the fly as the first song of the set. Streets should be in the main set before Pride. Opens with Bono on the e stage and him making the sprint to the main stage just as the drums kick in. And they should utilize the lights for city of blinding lights for the entire encore. Seems like a waste of a really good set piece to just have it appear for five minutes. Beyond that though, I just think the show should be a few songs longer given that there's no opening act and it's supposed to be kind of an evening with U2.

 

[U2FanPeter]

I think there should be more lightbulbs hanging from the ceiling during The Miracle, and they should be swaying chaotically back-and-forth.

Hasn't U2 current production ripped off NIN's production enough already? Not to mention a major tour from 7 years ago.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PGOf5qbttWc
Swinging bulbs get going about 45 seconds into the clip.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tcyeRHx6dXA
1:03 in this clip

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2tQHVVfW3dM
1:05 mark in this video from the 2nd tour leg that changed the effect to have the swinging bulb only appear on the screen.