Your nightmare setlist

[Axver]

Alright, first up, this thread is just a silly game. Don't take it too seriously, folks.

Anyway, let's say you're going to the opening night. You're pumped. What setlist could U2 - within the realms of possibility - play that would totally kill your buzz? What combination of songs would be least interesting to you? An overdose of new songs? A plethora of old warhorses you've heard heaps of times before? Too much emphasis on albums you don't like? Keep it realistic. No random Passengers b-sides or half-baked demos. It could even be a halfway decent setlist compared to some atrocities you could create if you did select those half-baked demos, especially since some universally popular tracks like Streets pretty much have to be there. It should just be a set that fails to deliver the goods for you.

For me, the following qualities would lead to a nightmare set: SOI represented almost solely by its first half; an over-emphasis on 2000s material; lots of acoustic material; a refusal to withdraw tired warhorses that need a rest; poor sequencing; Ultra Violet sticking around; and ignoring the first four albums almost completely.

Take those qualities and we get a set that I found amusing to make, especially when shifting around some songs to wreck what might have otherwise been decent transitions:

1. Volcano
2. Elevation
3. Beautiful Day
4. The Miracle
5. Where the Streets Have No Name
6. Every Breaking Wave (acoustic)
7. Desire (acoustic)
8. Stuck in a Moment (acoustic)
9. Crazy Tonight (acoustic)
10. One (acoustic)
11. Song for Someone (acoustic)
12. Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own (acoustic)
13. I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For (acoustic)
14. Get on Your Boots
15. Ultra Violet
16. California

17. Sunday Bloody Sunday (acoustic)
18. Ordinary Love (acoustic)
19. Pride
20. With or Without You

21. Angel of Harlem
22. In a Little While
23. Cedarwood Road (acoustic)
24. Vertigo

 

[bobsaget77]

1 California (extended Santa Barbara intro)
2 Elevation
3 Volcano/Glastonbury (Snippet)
4 Until The End Of The World
5 Beautiful Day
6 The Miracle (acoustic)
7 Every Breaking Wave (acoustic)
8 Ordinary Love (acoustic)
9 Pride
10 Sunday Bloody Sunday
11 Love and Peace
12 Bono Rant/One
13 Mysterious Ways
14 Desire (acoustic)
15 Wild Honey (Acoustic)
16 Streets
17 Crumbs From Your Table
18 Walk On
Encore
19 Magnificent
20 Stand Up Comedy
21 Vertigo
Encore 2
22 I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For
23 Stuck In A Moment (Acoustic)
24 Song For Someone (Acoustic)



Sent from my iPhone using U2 Interference

 

[LemonMelon]

Axver's list is pretty close to mine, albeit a few need to be swapped out. UV would be by far and away the highlight of that set, so replace it with Original of the Species, replace the gorgeous acoustic version of Stuck with a take of it similar to the cheesy, overblown studio version and replace Angel of Harlem with a dreary acoustic take of Walk On where Bono forgets half the lyrics. The set should also have less songs, just so you feel you really didn't get your money's worth. Now THAT'S a shitty setlist.

Nice touch putting Streets 4th between The Miracle and acoustic EBW. I think Bullet/When Johnny Comes Marching Home would be a nice fit between Sometimes and Still Haven't Found.

1. Volcano
2. Elevation (Edge plays intro riff over and over while the crowd sings most of it, song never really kicks in)
3. The Miracle
4. Where the Streets Have No Name
5. Every Breaking Wave (acoustic)
6. Desire (acoustic)
7. Stuck in a Moment
8. Crazy Tonight (acoustic)
9. One (taped Mary J Blige duet a la Lou Reed Satellite of Love on ZooTV)
10. Song for Someone (acoustic)
11. Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own (acoustic)
12. Bullet the Blue Sky/When Johnny Comes Marching Home
13. I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For (crowd sings everything, Bono does nothing)
14. Get on Your Boots
15. California

16. Sunday Bloody Sunday (acoustic)
17. Ordinary Love (acoustic)
18. Walk On (acoustic, Bono recites lyrics off a sheet of paper and still flubs them badly)

19. Original of the Species
20. In a Little While
21. All Because of You (acoustic)
22. Vertigo

When Peef goes to see them, they play one extra song: Magnificent.

 

[Galeongirl]

Alright, first up, this thread is just a silly game. Don't take it too seriously, folks.

Anyway, let's say you're going to the opening night. You're pumped. What setlist could U2 - within the realms of possibility - play that would totally kill your buzz? What combination of songs would be least interesting to you? An overdose of new songs? A plethora of old warhorses you've heard heaps of times before? Too much emphasis on albums you don't like? Keep it realistic. No random Passengers b-sides or half-baked demos. It could even be a halfway decent setlist compared to some atrocities you could create if you did select those half-baked demos, especially since some universally popular tracks like Streets pretty much have to be there. It should just be a set that fails to deliver the goods for you.

For me, the following qualities would lead to a nightmare set: SOI represented almost solely by its first half; an over-emphasis on 2000s material; lots of acoustic material; a refusal to withdraw tired warhorses that need a rest; poor sequencing; Ultra Violet sticking around; and ignoring the first four albums almost completely.

Take those qualities and we get a set that I found amusing to make, especially when shifting around some songs to wreck what might have otherwise been decent transitions:

1. Volcano
2. Elevation
3. Beautiful Day
4. The Miracle
5. Where the Streets Have No Name
6. Every Breaking Wave (acoustic)
7. Desire (acoustic)
8. Stuck in a Moment (acoustic)
9. Crazy Tonight (acoustic)
10. One (acoustic)
11. Song for Someone (acoustic)
12. Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own (acoustic)
13. I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For (acoustic)
14. Get on Your Boots
15. Ultra Violet
16. California

17. Sunday Bloody Sunday (acoustic)
18. Ordinary Love (acoustic)
19. Pride
20. With or Without You

21. Angel of Harlem
22. In a Little While
23. Cedarwood Road (acoustic)
24. Vertigo

This setlist works for me, pretty much... Just put IALWx2 over Ultra Violet and I'm dead.

My worst nightmare would be a very acoustic set, focussing on the shit part of ATYCLB (ialw, stuck, possibly wild honey and grace as well), focussing on SOI but I guess I can't avoid that one anyway.. not playing any material we haven't heard on the last tour either, and having to hear Pride, AOH and Desire again.


Also, Acoustic Fez-BB. Imagine the horror.

 

[LemonMelon]

There will be no uteri being flung at the band this tour, just bottles of cheap truck stop amphetamines in a desperate attempt to get the band going.

 

[Axver]

1. Volcano
2. Elevation (Edge plays intro riff over and over while the crowd sings most of it, song never really kicks in)
3. The Miracle
4. Where the Streets Have No Name
5. Every Breaking Wave (acoustic)
6. Desire (acoustic)
7. Stuck in a Moment
8. Crazy Tonight (acoustic)
9. One (taped Mary J Blige duet a la Lou Reed Satellite of Love on ZooTV)
10. Song for Someone (acoustic)
11. Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own (acoustic)
12. Bullet the Blue Sky/When Johnny Comes Marching Home
13. I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For (crowd sings everything, Bono does nothing)
14. Get on Your Boots
15. California

16. Sunday Bloody Sunday (acoustic)
17. Ordinary Love (acoustic)
18. Walk On (acoustic, Bono recites lyrics off a sheet of paper and still flubs them badly)

19. Original of the Species
20. In a Little While
21. All Because of You (acoustic)
22. Vertigo

When Peef goes to see them, they play one extra song: Magnificent.

Oh god this is going to keep me awake at night.

The worrying part is how realistic the Streets thing is - they did it rather early at Glasto, and if they thought Pride seguing into Streets on Vertigo was a good idea then they probably think it can be done with The Miracle too.

Not every song can go with every other one, no matter how good they are, but maybe one day we'll get The Fly --> Streets!

 

[Axver]

What if U2 are really, really, REALLY keen on the acoustic thing?

ACOUSTIC MAIN SET
1. The Miracle
2. Desire
3. Vertigo (Edge on banjo)
4. Cedarwood Road
5. Magnificent
6. Pride
7. Song for Someone
8. I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For
9. Every Breaking Wave
10. Stuck in a Moment
11. One (with Mary J. Blige taped duet)
12. Miss Sarajevo (with Pavarotti taped duet)
13. Breathe (with Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu clips)
14. In a Little While (with another bloody astronaut)
15. California
16. Walk On

ELECTRIC ENCORES
17. Get on Your Boots
18. Beautiful Day
19. Where the Streets Have No Name

20. Volcano
21. With or Without You

 

[Galeongirl]

There will be no uteri being flung at the band this tour, just bottles of cheap truck stop amphetamines in a desperate attempt to get the band going.

Yeah, I have no hopes of ever hearing Hawkmoon live at all sadly.

And god, taped One with MJB would be horror. So much horror.
If they plan to play Bullet Vertigo Tour style, that would also be a total snoozefest. Plus nearly shooting flares into his own face on a nightly basis can only go right so many times... which, admittedly, would liven up the song a bit but yeah..

This thread is going to give me nightmares before the tour has even started.

3. Vertigo (Edge on banjo)

YES YES A THOUSAND TIMES YES! I'd enjoy VertiBanjo more than the original!

 

[Kieran McConville]

I'd like to know what's wrong with this band that they can't get their asses in gear and do a full band, full length 'All I Want Is You'. It's always been one of the warhorses sort of but not really, because it never really properly gets played.

On the other hand, we're talking nightmare setlists, so that's a whole other thing.

 

[youarenotimmune]

I'd like to know what's wrong with this band that they can't get their asses in gear and do a full band, full length 'All I Want Is You'. It's always been one of the warhorses sort of but not really, because it never really properly gets played.

On the other hand, we're talking nightmare setlists, so that's a whole other thing.

Yeah, if they played it properly it'd sound like this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j8UAD_JS4jM

The thing about warhorses is they'd sound amazing if U2 just played them properly. With Or Without You and Bullet are still two of their very best songs, but the half-assed performances have really ruined them recently. Bullet got so unbearably bad on the Vertigo tour that I'm really glad they gave it a rest on the 360 tour. Hopefully if it comes back they'll play it properly again.

 

[deep]

to prove they are still relevant
Bono will do about 6 covers of current hits

to make sure something from this tour shows up on social media

 

[Axver]

Unfortunately, Bono will choose songs that are slightly out of date.

1. The Miracle
2. Elevation
3. Call Me Maybe
4. Vertigo
5. Harlem Shake
6. I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For
7. Thrift Shop

And so on.

 

[cobl04]

1 The Miracle
2 Vertigo
3 Volcano
4 Elevation
5 I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For
6 Beautiful Day
7 Song for Someone
8 Desire
9 In a Little While
10 Every Breaking Wave
11 Stuck in a Moment
12 Invisible
13 California
14 City of Blinding Lights
15 Pride
16 Amazing Grace
17 Where the Streets Have No Name

18 Sunday Bloody Sunday
19 Ordinary Love
20 One
21 With or Without You

Something like that.

 

[Kieran McConville]

If they opened a show with 'The Miracle' I think I'd have a decent case for walking out.

 

[Yahweh_OMG]

What if U2 are really, really, REALLY keen on the acoustic thing?

ACOUSTIC MAIN SET
1. The Miracle
2. Desire
3. Vertigo (Edge on banjo)
4. Cedarwood Road
5. Magnificent
6. Pride
7. Song for Someone
8. I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For
9. Every Breaking Wave
10. Stuck in a Moment
11. One (with Mary J. Blige taped duet)
12. Miss Sarajevo (with Pavarotti taped duet)
13. Breathe (with Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu clips)
14. In a Little While (with another bloody astronaut)
15. California
16. Walk On

ELECTRIC ENCORES
17. Get on Your Boots
18. Beautiful Day
19. Where the Streets Have No Name

20. Volcano
21. With or Without You

Remove WTSHNN and add Crazy tonight instead and you reached the lowest we could hear at a U2 concert

 

[Hewson]

1. Song For Someone
2. Elevation
3. The Miracle (of Marky Ramone)
4. Stand Up Comedy
5. California
6. Beautiful Day
7. Crazy Tonight Remix
8. Miracle Drug
9. Peace on Earth

Band strolls to B stage to give those who paid for Red Zone their money's worth

10. Every Breaking Wave (acoustic)
11. Stuck in a Moment (acoustic)
12. Still Haven't Found (acoustic)
13. Staring at the Sun (acoustic)

Band strolls back to main stage and plugs back in, "Are you ready to rock out now?" queries Bono

14. Grace
15. Wild Honey
16. Original of the Species
17. White as Snow
18. Iris
19. Where The Streets Have No Name
20. Pride (In the Name of Love)

Encore Break

21. Ordinary Love
22. With or Without You
23. Yahweh
24. Song For Someone x2

 

[Kieran McConville]

"Are you my mommy?" queries Bono before donning a World War I gas mask and launching into a muffled rendition of Iris.

 

[liamcool]

You want a nightmare? I'll give ya a fuckin' nightmare.|

Also, my friend Violent J. says this is totally the setlist, so yeah, it's realistic. Promise.

MAIN SET
ALL ACOUSTIC GUITARS BECAUSE BONO CAN'T HEAR OR SPELL SO WELL, NONE OF THIS SYNTHESISER OR ELECTROMAGENTIC GEETAR BUSINESS, LARRY CAN PLAY A TAMBOURINE LIKE EVERY GOOD FOLKIE WOULD

1. Where The Streets Have No Name
2. The Electric Co.
3. Discotheque
4. Freedom For My People / Pride (snippet) [1]
5. Zooropa
6. Fez
7. "40"
8. False Prophet
9. Into The Heart
10. Always
11. MLK
12. Some Days Are Better Than Others
13. California (There Is No End To Love) [2]

HEY WHAT DYA KNOW PIANOS ARE ACOUSTIC INSTRUMENTS TOO, GIVE THAT LARRY FELLA A CYMBAL NOW TOO, MAKE SURE THAT NAKED GUY ON ACHTUNG HAS A PIANI TOO

14. Wire
15. Pride (In The Name Of Love) [3]
16. Pride (In The Name Of Love) [4]
17. Every Breaking Wave
18. Pride (In The Name Of Love) [5]


NONE OF THIS PIANO BULLSHIT, GET BACK TO OUR FOLK

19. Salome (Zooromancer Remix)
20. One / Acrobat (snippet) / Fast Cars (snippet) / Call Me Maybe (snippet) / Freaxxx (snippet) [6]
21. Viva Davidoff

ALRIGHT, THE BAND WENT OFF STAGE, AND THEY FOUND THEIR GUITARS WITH ELECTRICITY IN THEM, I GUESS YOU WANT THAT FELLA WITH THE BULL BLOOD INJECTIONS TO PLAY WITH MORE THAN TWO LIMBS TOO, RIGHT. HERE YA GO, THIS IS WHAT WE IN TIPPERARY CALL "FULL BAND V-2"

22. Sixty Seconds In Kingdom Come
23. J. Swallo


[1] This version is the length of a typical version of Bad, except without that echoing guitar nonsense.
[2] Because of the ferocity of the version of Some Days Are Better Than Others, Edge ends up breaking four strings during this song, but can't change guitars because this is authentic folk, man! So 2/3rds of this song are played with a D and a B string.
[3] The band makes it halfway through the first chorus before Edge and Adam fall out of sync with each other.
[4] The band make it three bars into the intro before Edge and Adam fall out of sync with each other.
[5] The band make it to the bridge before falling out of sync with each other. Don't try and recreate guitar delays on two pianos with two musicians who don't really play piano, folks.
[6] Larry moves off drums to play Edge's guitar for the Acrobat snippet. The Acrobat snippet lasts for fourteen seconds.

 

[Axver]

I'd pay to see that, but more in the sense of going out for a night of comedy rather than music.

 

[liamcool]

You didn't see U2's secret gig at the MICF?

 

[Axver]

They cancelled. Bono's still in a coma.

 

[Hewson]

They cancelled. Bono's still in a coma.

I know its serious.

 

[PhilsFan]

When Peef goes to see them, they play one extra song: Magnificent.

I'm avoiding this terrible scenario by not seeing them at all.

 

[Harbinger]

I don't mind an acoustic song or two, or even a full acoustic show IF I know that's what I'm getting; so some of the above setlists don't seem so bad to me in that context.

I think the biggest peeve would be an over-abundance of warhourses, so something like:

1. The Miracle
2. I Will Follow
3. Iris
4. Volcano
5. Elevation
6. Beautiful Day
7. I Still Haven't Found
8. City Of Blinding Lights
9. Vertigo
10. Every Breaking Wave (acoustic)
11. Stuck/Stay (acoustic)
12. Pride
13. Sunday Bloody Sunday
14. California
15. Mysterious Ways
16. Miss Sarajevo
17. In A Little While
18. Song For Someone
19. Where The Streets Have No Name

20. One
21. Sleep Like A Baby Tonight
22. With Or Without You
23. Walk On

 

[Irvine511]

the stage is in the round with a massive, paper-mache volcano in the middle. it's filled with red food dye colored vinegar colored. the audience can smell it.

lights go out. we hear the Jock Jams "are you ready to rumble." flash strobe lights, drama club thunder claps. deep inside the volcano, baking soda falls into the vinegar, it "errupts," like a 5th grade science project. the band emerges on cue.

it's the U2 "about to blow" Volcano Tour 2015

1. Volcano ("hola El Paso! i've got something in you that's about to blow!")
2. Sleep Like A Baby Tonight -- ("every time i clap my hands, another teenager is touched by a priest")
3. Elevation // Call Me Maybe (snippets) (call-and-response, Bono: "I just met you!" Audience: "And this is crazy!")
4. The Playboy Mansion -- ("let's take a trip ... BACK TO THE 90s!")
5. The Miracle (slam poet reading by Clayton, "Cedars of Lebanon" snippets)
6. California (Orchestral version, Modena-style)
7. Song For Someone ("we gave up irony around the turn of the century, but here's someone who nailed it as well back in the 90s," cue Alanis Morissette link-up to harmonize during the chorus)
8. PITNOL (every time he sings "love" the volcano erupts)

(giant piano wheeled out to the b-stage, Bono cracks his knuckles and takes a seat)

9. Grace ("here's a little ditty about a girl I once knew, her name was Grace O'Sullivan, nice girl, didn't change the world much though.")
10. Sweetest Thing
11. Angels Too Tied to the Ground

return to main stage

12. Big Girls Are Best (Rebel Wilson visuals)
13. One Step Closer (Happiness is a Warm Gun snippets)
14. Holy Joe
15. North Star

encore, band in full mime make-up

16. 4th of July (Bono interpretive dance)
17. Promenade
18. Elvis Presley and America
19. Stand Up Comedy

2nd encore

20. The Refugee (The Corrs on backup)
21. Volcano

GOOD NIGHT EL PASO.

 

[bobsaget77]

the stage is in the round with a massive, paper-mache volcano in the middle. it's filled with red food dye colored vinegar colored. the audience can smell it.

lights go out. we hear the Jock Jams "are you ready to rumble." flash strobe lights, drama club thunder claps. deep inside the volcano, baking soda falls into the vinegar, it "errupts," like a 5th grade science project. the band emerges on cue.

it's the U2 "about to blow" Volcano Tour 2015

1. Volcano ("hola El Paso! i've got something in you that's about to blow!")
2. Sleep Like A Baby Tonight -- ("every time i clap my hands, another teenager is touched by a priest")
3. Elevation // Call Me Maybe (snippets) (call-and-response, Bono: "I just met you!" Audience: "And this is crazy!")
4. The Playboy Mansion -- ("let's take a trip ... BACK TO THE 90s!")
5. The Miracle (slam poet reading by Clayton, "Cedars of Lebanon" snippets)
6. California (Orchestral version, Modena-style)
7. Song For Someone ("we gave up irony around the turn of the century, but here's someone who nailed it as well back in the 90s," cue Alanis Morissette link-up to harmonize during the chorus)
8. PITNOL (every time he sings "love" the volcano erupts)

(giant piano wheeled out to the b-stage, Bono cracks his knuckles and takes a seat)

9. Grace ("here's a little ditty about a girl I once knew, her name was Grace O'Sullivan, nice girl, didn't change the world much though.")
10. Sweetest Thing
11. Angels Too Tied to the Ground

return to main stage

12. Big Girls Are Best (Rebel Wilson visuals)
13. One Step Closer (Happiness is a Warm Gun snippets)
14. Holy Joe
15. North Star

encore, band in full mime make-up

16. 4th of July (Bono interpretive dance)
17. Promenade
18. Elvis Presley and America
19. Stand Up Comedy

2nd encore

20. The Refugee (The Corrs on backup)
21. Volcano

GOOD NIGHT EL PASO.

LOL.


Sent from my iPhone using U2 Interference

 

[corianderstem]

GOOD NIGHT EL PASO.

 

[SpiralStaircase]

I know its serious.

 

[BigMacPhisto]

My worst 22 songs...

1-10. SOI (minus California)
11. Lucifer's Hands
12. Invisible
13. Ordinary Love
14. Crumbs From Your Table
15. Unknown Caller
16. White As Snow
17. Winter ('Brothers' version)
18. Glastonbury
19. North Star
20. If You Wear That Velvet Dress
21. Miami
22. Love Rescue Me

 

[Harbinger]

My worst 22 songs... [snipped]

12. Invisible

14. Crumbs From Your Table
15. Unknown Caller

19. North Star
20. If You Wear That Velvet Dress

Those would be high on my list of most-wanted-to see.