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

[KUEFC09U2]

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.

I don't see U2's version as ripping of at all, they have used the idea of playing behind (or inside the screen) but made it even better?, and they don't even do this for the whole show!, and by your reckoning everyone has ripped off U2 by using video screens in the first place


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[usceltic]

We all have things we would like to see done differently. U2 know what they are doing,most of the time, and I'm sure the shows are fantastic. Can't wait to see them in MSG. In saying that I would love it if the first four songs were. Miracle, Electric Co, Tick Tock, I Will Follow. Maybe rotate Out Of Control in every other night. Start the second set with Vertigo. Uno dos tres catorce then bang that screen just lights up!!!!!!. Oh and from a totally selfish point of view that won't happen, Bad and 40 every night.

 

[Hallucination]

Things I would change while keeping the casual fans in mind as to not absolutely kill the vibe of the live show the way some of these suggestions would do

- Go back to Baby I Love You / Beat on the Brat
- California would be played each night right before WTSHNN
- Bono would stop talking before Streets
- Discotheque would open the encore OR be played after EBTTRT on the e stage ala the encore set on Popmart
- Invisible needs a new presentation. With the band not visible and a huge amount of playback half the crowd doesn't even realize the band has started playing again.
- Drop ISHFWILF completely and relegate Pride to every other show alternating with New Year's Day
- Alternate WOWOY and All I Want is You
- Drop COBL and play Bad in it's place
- Add Crystal Ballroom to the e stage
- Add Exit to the set after Cedarwood Road maybe.
- Find a new way to close the show. Maybe end it with Streets. U2 doesn't always have to end on a slow song. Ending the shows like this would be fun.

Discotheque
Ultraviolet
California
Where the Streets have No Name

 

[Hallucination]

California after Vertigo.

That was absolutely horrible placement for California when they did it in Vancouver. It didn't work at all.

 

[Hallucination]

Start the second set with Vertigo. Uno dos tres catorce then bang that screen just lights up!!!!!!

That would actually be pretty awesome. They could have some chaotic lighting on the screen as the intro begins, the intro could be a bit extended like it was on 360 tour and then like you said "Uno! Dos! Tres! Catorce!!!" and that massive screen explodes into a mass of strobbing light. That would be amazing and the crowd would definitely be woken back up after the "intermission"

 

[Axver]

I think the thing that's annoying me most at this stage is that over the period of a month, U2 played 41 songs live, yet 18 songs were unchanged at every show and a 19th, COBL, missed two shows before becoming a permanent fixture. The other 22 songs compete for 4-5 slots per night. In fact, once you take out the fixed rotations of Electric Co./Out Of Control and ISHFWILF/One/40, you have 17 songs competing for 2-3 slots. We know there are further songs the band have rehearsed and are yet to play, seemingly only because they can't quite figure out where to put them. This is a terrible use of rehearsals.

So basically:

1. The first set is fairly fixed because of its strong thematic content, but they need to realise the theme can be sustained even with a bit of extra rotation.
2. The second set is really problematic. The theme is not half as strongly maintained, and turns into "let's squeeze in a bunch of hits" by the end. They could go nuts on rotations if they wanted to. Make EBTTRT/MW rotate, if nothing else.
3. The encore is an afterthought at the moment. Make it 4-5 songs and end on an upbeat number. This is the first U2 tour since UF that has not had at least one new song as a regular member of the encore. Bring a new song and an old upbeat classic into the encore and it will probably be much better.
4. NO SPEECH BEFORE STREETS. Whatever segues into it should be seamless. Give the speech afterwards. Mother and Child Reunion can lead into another song if it's that important for it to follow the speech. The whole experience of another song being perfectly paired with Streets to create a kind of euphoric experience is something U2 nailed 1992-2001 and have lost since.
5. You know, why not have two rotational E stage sets, with one in the first set? Follow Song for Someone with a couple of early songs on the E stage, to draw on that theme of when Bono would sit in his bedroom and write songs.

 

[brooklynmike]

4. NO SPEECH BEFORE STREETS. Whatever segues into it should be seamless. Give the speech afterwards. Mother and Child Reunion can lead into another song if it's that important for it to follow the speech. The whole experience of another song being perfectly paired with Streets to create a kind of euphoric experience is something U2 nailed 1992-2001 and have lost since.

Absolutely this. I chalk all the rest up to laziness.

 

[U2FanPeter]

I don't see U2's version as ripping of at all, they have used the idea of playing behind (or inside the screen) but made it even better?, and they don't even do this for the whole show!, and by your reckoning everyone has ripped off U2 by using video screens in the first place

Real time video screens have been used at rock shows since 1969/1970. Zeppelin used a big video screen behind them at UK gigs in the 1975/1979. Many of the visual ideas used on ZOOTV were taken from a Talking Heads tour nearly a decade earlier.

Anyone who thinks U2's current production doesn't owe a huge debt to NIN is in denial, especially the visuals on Invisible, though u2 have put s small spin on things. As for " U2 making it better", you should see the clips of Reznor controlling the screen visuals with his onstage movements.

"..to at least have proof when U2 rips us off next year that we did it first.."
-Trent Reznor

BTW, Trent is apparently a big U2 fan.

 

[U2FanPeter]

In fact, once you take out the fixed rotations of Electric Co./Out Of Control and ISHFWILF/One/40, you have 17 songs competing for 2-3 slots.

If you count the stuff they haven't played publically yet, it's upwards of 40 non-regular songs competing for 2-3 slots.

And they still repeat songs in the "wildcard slots" by playing "Stuck" twice in Montreal and "Harlem" twice in LA.

 

[PopFly]

I've generally been very pleased with the setlists and the show presentation thus far, though of course, I've got a few suggestions. New additions in capital letters....

1. The Miracle
2. Out Of Control/Electric Co./11 O'CLOCK TICK TOCK (these three in rotation)
3. Vertigo
4. I Will Follow
5. Iris
6. Cedarwood Road
7. Song For Someone
8. Sunday Bloody Sunday
9. Raised By Wolves
10. THE TROUBLES
11. Until The End Of The World

1. Invisible
2. THE FLY/DISCOTHEQUE/EVEN BETTER THAN THE REAL THING
3. Mysterious Ways
4. Rotating Song #1
5. Rotating Song #2...I love the idea of making these two slots essentially totally open from night to night, preferably two songs from albums that aren't given much shine throughout the rest of the show (i.e. Rattle & Hum, ATYCLB, Pop) or tie one of the new songs (California, Crystal Ballroom, Volcano) together with a popular oldie (Desire, Sweetest Thing). Maybe on the ISWILF off-nights you can toss In God's Country in here, or on the Bad off-nights you can throw in A Sort Of Homecoming or Promenade.
6. THIS IS WHERE YOU CAN REACH ME NOW or SLEEP LIKE A BABY TONIGHT...either fit thematically as we move into the 'darker' portion of the set (Reach with the soldier/war tie-in to Bullet, Sleep with the idea of being taken advantage of)
7. Bullet The Blue Sky
8. Pride
9. Beautiful Day
10. Bad OR I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For
11. With Or Without You

1. NEW YEAR'S DAY/City Of Blinding Lights....if it's a matter of lighting up those pole things, they can sync just as well with the opening piano notes of NYD as they can with the piano notes of COBL
2. Every Breaking Wave
3. Where The Streets Have No Name
4. Bad or ISHWILF or 40 or ALL I WANT IS YOU

 

[Yahweh_OMG]

- Add 2 POP songs, 1 of October, 1 of TUF
- Drop 2 Warhorses (ISHFWILF, Pride or Mysterious Ways)
- Never end the show with ISHFWILF or One
- Stop talking before Streets
- Rotate NYD with SBS
- Play Bad more often
- Close with The Troubles with extended solo

The rest is fine, SOI songs look great, visuals as well. The first 5 songs are the ones I'm looking forward to the most..... Miracle, Electric co, Vertigo, I will follow, Iris..... WOW!!!!

 

[U2freakboy]

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.

Totally agree. It needs to be played more often, if not every night. This is Where You Can Reach Me Now also needs to make an appearance asap. Perhaps since they will have had a week off after Montreal, we will see even more set list changes.


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[BWU2Buffs]

I think the thing that's annoying me most at this stage is that over the period of a month, U2 played 41 songs live, yet 18 songs were unchanged at every show and a 19th, COBL, missed two shows before becoming a permanent fixture. The other 22 songs compete for 4-5 slots per night. In fact, once you take out the fixed rotations of Electric Co./Out Of Control and ISHFWILF/One/40, you have 17 songs competing for 2-3 slots. We know there are further songs the band have rehearsed and are yet to play, seemingly only because they can't quite figure out where to put them. This is a terrible use of rehearsals.

I'm sorry, I've not been out here much lately but this made me giggle just a weensy bit.

I get your point on rehearsal time, but I suspect that if Larry or some other band member is not complaining about the time efficiency of rehearsals and getting songs into the set after rehearsing them, I'm not sure someone on a message board should either.

Rinse and repeat, U2 is not a jam band and will (likely) continue to play mostly the same set list despite the desire of some long-time fans.

It is what it is folks; and what it is still dang good.

 

[Axver]

What I'm getting at is what's the point of rehearsing 41+ songs when you're basically not going to play half of them? The old excuses for them not playing more material don't hold, because they've rehearsed it all and they seem to want to play it. They just ... haven't, much. They've got past problems with rehearsals, and nothing to do with the staging or production is holding them back. It's weird.

 

[Salome]

I don't think U2 rehearses 41+ songs with the aim of playing all of them at least once during the tour.

It's more in line with how they have operated for the last 750 years to pick 30 out of those that they think work best, slot 20 in every night and fiddle around with the rest.

Except for the 90s of course, when the setlists were even less flexible.

 

[Axver]

The band have not just rehearsed, but performed, an unprecedented number of songs (41 performed, approximately another 20 rehearsed but yet to be played). It's strange that 19 are played every night, while 22 more have been played at less than half the shows and another ~20 are yet to appear. That's not normally how this band operates. On a first leg, they'll rotate through a few, and a couple more will have been rehearsed but miss out on performance, but they don't have 20 in a meagre rotation and 20 more up their sleeve ready to go but without a place.

The point is that they need to be a bit more flexible with the set so that they can actually get through all the material they've 1. rehearsed and 2. clearly want to play.

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

Why would a band have to be a "jam band" in order to rotate their setlist?

 

[brooklynmike]

Why would a band have to be a "jam band" in order to rotate their setlist?

Tss... I prefer a "jelly band" myself.

They could mix it up more but it'll be acoustic. I think they're just fucking lazy in the way that they don't want to put a bunch of time and effort in to nail a "non-hitz" song and have it fall flat. Edge's comments hinted at that in the interview a few days after "Hollywood Bono" did Sweetest Thing with them.

 

[U2387]

-The first 4 songs take the roof off the place. Don't mess with those too much. I agree with those who've said they should add here. Would it really kill them, with an intermission and no opener to do: The Miracle/Out Of Control/Vertigo/Electric Co/ I Will Follow?

I would fix The Miracle/OOC combo in stone as the transition just works so unbelievably well. Electric Co should be played 4th and rotated with Gloria, 11 Tick Tock and Two Hearts.

Also, i am perfectly fine with the screen not being used for the first 4 songs. Love the screen, the technological advances in just a few years are nothing short of stunning. However, the minimalism of the bulb is the whole point of the opening and I wouldn't change it. Shows you right off the bat how much energy U2 can create without props. This is badly needed after 360 and the SOI release backlash.

-Replace the Bullet/Hands/Pride transition. Just listen to the Vancouver rehearsals where this new Bullet first surfaced. Hands is an awkward transition and has no business being a staple. The live debut of One Step Closer should occur in Europe. Bullet should go right into Running To Standstill, which should be dedicated to the victims of the Charleston church massacre for the rest of the American tour.

-RTSS should segue to Streets and as was already suggested, the Aids speech can come before or even during Pride, which should be moved to the encore.

-Keep rotating in songs like Bad/All I Want Is You/The Troubles before WOWY.

 

[kabigon]

-RTSS should segue to Streets and as was already suggested, the Aids speech can come before or even during Pride, which should be moved to the encore.

Echoing what others have observed..

Streets used to segue from the desperation / yearning of RTSS, Please, and Bad / AIWIY. It was the light at the end of a dark tunnel.

Then in 2005, Pride / Bonowaffle (snippet) took over. We've only had cold starts and non-U2 snippet segues from 360 onwards, still with Bonowaffle (snippet). It's sad that Streets hasn't had a decent segue in 10+ years.

COBL and Streets shouldn't be in the encore together. Move / drop one of them, and focus the encore around the other one.

 

[U2387]

Echoing what others have observed..

Streets used to segue from the desperation / yearning of RTSS, Please, and Bad / AIWIY. It was the light at the end of a dark tunnel.

Then in 2005, Pride / Bonowaffle (snippet) took over. We've only had cold starts and non-U2 snippet segues from 360 onwards, still with Bonowaffle (snippet). It's sad that Streets hasn't had a decent segue in 10+ years.

COBL and Streets shouldn't be in the encore together. Move / drop one of them, and focus the encore around the other one.

I agree with your observations on Vertigo Tour Streets.

However, I wouldn't drop COBL and definitely wouldn't drop Streets.

They could find a song besides Miracle Drug to rotate with COBL for sure.

Also, though I didn't think Amazing Grace or Hallelujah were terrible on 360, they certainly were not in the same league as what you mentioned.(Bad, AIWIY, Please).

I did however, think Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow was an excellent way to introduce Streets. I saw it in person and it worked.

2011 had some of the best performances of the song ever.