Joshua Tree Tour 2017 - Rumors & General Discussion II

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My shows are Wednesday and Friday.......I hope U2 doesn't drop ASOH :sad:


I know the back 2 back changes things for them but still....just a little nervous.
 
at 31 years old i will shell out around $200 any and every time U2 comes to tampa. At my age, most of the artist i LOVED growing up are dead. The newer music is typically subpar or barely music. The only other folks i saw coming to Tampa lately that im intetested in are too much ( andrea bocelli, paul mccartney, etc.) Or the quality of their music doesnt match the price.. ( green day, beyonce, kanye west etc). U2 could come and half ass it and STILL be worth the $175 i paid for my ticket. I could nit pick about the fact that Guns and Roses played for about 3 hours... or I could compare U2's stage show to metallicas this year... but the simple fact is that i have NEVER been disappointed with ANY u2 show. Ive always been as excited AFTER the show as I was BEFORE the show. I havent been to a great concert Since Macklemore at the USF sundome and im just insanely HYPE to see this. I will cherish it, because times are teaching us that theres no guarantee they will ever even come back.
 
at 31 years old i will shell out around $200 any and every time U2 comes to tampa. At my age, most of the artist i LOVED growing up are dead. The newer music is typically subpar or barely music. The only other folks i saw coming to Tampa lately that im intetested in are too much ( andrea bocelli, paul mccartney, etc.) Or the quality of their music doesnt match the price.. ( green day, beyonce, kanye west etc). U2 could come and half ass it and STILL be worth the $175 i paid for my ticket. I could nit pick about the fact that Guns and Roses played for about 3 hours... or I could compare U2's stage show to metallicas this year... but the simple fact is that i have NEVER been disappointed with ANY u2 show. Ive always been as excited AFTER the show as I was BEFORE the show. I havent been to a great concert Since Macklemore at the USF sundome and im just insanely HYPE to see this. I will cherish it, because times are teaching us that theres no guarantee they will ever even come back.

Amen. And go to a Guns 'n Roses message board sometimes... they'll nitpick the three hours they're given and how such and such can be revolved with this or that song every night. Sort of like here. :wink:
 
Looking forward to the live album from this tour, "Songs of Obligation."
 
After seeing the 2nd Rose Bowl show, I really don't understand all the talk of decline and low energy here. There was so much of it that I was almost a little nervous coming in to the show. I came in not in the best mood- I've been in a general funk recently and 4 days alone, even on vacation gets to you. I was all ready to say "they've lost it, they're no longer the U2 I know" and resign myself to the fact that the spectacular shows are in the past.

I thought they were EXCELLENT! Band sounded great. High energy on the opening trio especially. The tuned down NYD wasn't as noticeable as I thought it would be. All of JT was brilliant. Bono turned in amazing vocals throughout and as others said, they've clearly listened to the studio versions of all of those songs.

Opening the encore was a better place for MS and Bad was unbelievably good. As we're Ultraviolet and One.

Little Things actually blew me away! Edge's work in that is Kite/AIWIY territory. Just shouldn't be a closer.

My only legitimate complaint is the length. I'll dock them a few points for brevity but that's it. I'm not worried about U2 , regardless of what the naysayers say, I know what I saw and heard last night!

As for personal preference, which I don't confuse with objective evaluations of performance:

-I'd like the sound to be louder. 360 hit much harder . It wasn't quiet by any means, but not U2 loud like I'm used to. Part of the reason I like them.

-Keep ASOH

-Set needs Out of Control, Gloria , IWF or Electric Co every night. That era needs at least a song at a nostalgia show and I don't care how much they got played on I&E they always go down great.
 
After seeing the first two shows, any wonkiness and perceived "low energy" in Vancouver was easily brushed off by assuming first night jitters.

Even as much as I had a complete blast at the Seattle show, it still felt to me like there was something a little funky about the performance, like they weren't 100% comfortable.

But now seeing the reviews coming in, either they have settled into the groove a bit more, or I was just way off in my perception. Thrilled about it, either way.
 
From my brief look at the Roger Waters rehearsal, he may have the more politically effective show. U2 could change a few things to make the theme more unified and relevant, and really have a devastatingly impactful show. But they need to play less nice. The stakes are high enough, make everyone present take notice.
 
Have a ticket to see Roger Waters and after view his rehearsal it is now being sold. Not a huge fan of Trump but he is the President of the United States and that position demands respect imho. I find the images used by Roger Waters to be disgusting. I go to a concert to have fun. U2 make their political views known but do it without the disgusting imagery used by Waters. They have class, and hopefully never go down that road.
 
Have a ticket to see Roger Waters and after view his rehearsal it is now being sold. Not a huge fan of Trump but he is the President of the United States and that position demands respect imho. I find the images used by Roger Waters to be disgusting. I go to a concert to have fun. U2 make their political views known but do it without the disgusting imagery used by Waters. They have class, and hopefully never go down that road.

I disagree that HE deserves respect. The office, yes. But you don't have to respect a serial lying, racist, misogynistic sexual predator. You just don't.

I do think that U2 do their political activism in more positive way, which i appreciate. Celebrate diversity, celebrate bold, strong, world-changing women, and that in itself is a slap in Trumps face.
 
Yeah, I don't see anything 'disgusting' about the images. If the man himself doesn't respect the office, why should we be 'demanded' so?
 
He's not American, first of all. So he isn't required to respect the President.. Not that I even believe Americans are. Second, he's Roger friggin Waters.. I doubt he is worried about offending anyone. In fact, you are probably the person he is trying to offend. He is a legendary artist, with a political edge, which makes him who he is in some regard. I understand your point about just wanting to be entertained, but pink Floyd were not simply juggling clowns for your amusement.
 
How do you know that i am probably the person Roger Waters is trying to offend? His message does not offend me at all. His images on screen are just not what i would call pleasant viewing. Dildo.penis Buddha..They just seem more personal than political to me. Thanks for informing me that Floyd are "not simply juggling clowns" for my amusement. I am fulyl aware of who Pink Floyd were and what they stood for. Although I was only 14 at the time, I have been an avid fan since Live at Pompeii.
 
I think that all that I am trying to say is that I prefer that (as womanfish said) U2 do their political activism in more positive way
 
well Roger Waters doesn't do anything in a positive way, so why would his activism suddenly be different? And even he doesn't got to a Roger Waters show for fun. He is 100 percent cynicism and negativity.

Anyway, a dildo.penis.buddha is far less offensive than an image of Trump himself...

back on topic!

I've been watching videos and the band look like they're having a lot of fun, Adam in particular. During New Year's Day in Santa Clara he was beaming and looked like he was about to crack up, then he drew Bono's attention to something in the crowd (I think). Any idea what it was? It would be nice if the sets were longer but given the amount of rarities (and their quality!!!!) and the amazing visuals this is a pretty incredible tour.
 
I think that all that I am trying to say is that I prefer that (as womanfish said) U2 do their political activism in more positive way

Fair enough. I love U2, but I think their efforts to please the masses are what keep them a notch below Pink Floyd in terms of message and artistic integrity. Don't get me wrong, it's more an admiration of Floyd than a knock on U2. They have much in common, namely intelligent commentary on the world and just generally giving a damn. They differ, imo, in that while Waters messages are often cynical critiques about all that is ducked up in the world, U2 rallies for change. I think Floyd never felt that to be their job. They highlight, not preach.
 
I was at Rose Bowl 1 and was overwhelmed. I built it up to be the largest thing going in my life (and I am currently in the process of buying a new home, selling my old one, and moving, as well as a major shake up at work), and it lived up to it.

Is everything perfect? No. Is a rock show ever supposed to be? I suppose Roger Waters can do The Wall to perfection with 700 musicians and a script, but I don't want perfection.

As for setlists...I am getting the fucking Joshua Tree. This insane discussion about how they should add a song from Pop only people on a message board love or do more B sides in a show if 75,000 people is ridiculous, and I think people know it...they just like to bitch. They rehearsed this show, it probably has a couple of options tops, and yeah, they are making a load of money.

But in my mind, they delivered. Bono's vocals on RHMT were stunning. They breathed life into side B and convinced the largely casual LA crowd to come with them. I think Bono was even a little taken aback at how well RHMT worked and is working. And then they made the place shake with Beautiful Day and Elevation. And while not favorites, I could see the point...the floor was hopping and it even made me like those songs for a moment. We get Ultraviolet with the down 2 verses and up final and people are mad that it is like the album. So they tried to make that into a feminist anthem somehow with some awkward text...it was still an amazing song. We got Bad. We got some really good songs. And the centerpiece, the Joshua Tree, was amazing. I am not sure what more people want, or more pointedly, why people think a rock show for 75,000 people should be tailored to what they want rather than the masses, no matter how uninformed they may be in the beauty of random B sides...
 
I am not sure what more people want, or more pointedly, why people think a rock show for 75,000 people should be tailored to what they want rather than the masses, no matter how uninformed they may be in the beauty of random B sides...

I've said it a few times on here at the @U2 forum, but that's just about every band message board out there. If it's not this, it's going to be something else. And even then, it shouldn't really affect us unless we're literally going to every show or watching/listening to bootlegs and YouTube videos non-stop. Even if they play so-and-so out of the blue, there's a good chance that most of us might watch a clip of it on YouTube once or twice before becoming bored of it.

I do wonder if this would've been the exact same thing if we had this message board in the, say, ZooTV era.
 
I've said it a few times on here at the @U2 forum, but that's just about every band message board out there. If it's not this, it's going to be something else. And even then, it shouldn't really affect us unless we're literally going to every show or watching/listening to bootlegs and YouTube videos non-stop. Even if they play so-and-so out of the blue, there's a good chance that most of us might watch a clip of it on YouTube once or twice before becoming bored of it.

I do wonder if this would've been the exact same thing if we had this message board in the, say, ZooTV era.

You are 100% right. But I still like to see pushback from people to that insanity.

Nothing is good enough or pleasing in the instant social media era. I am not a curmudgeon that dismisses all new things, and there is plenty of positive from the time we live in (those YouTube clips, being able to tune in to virtually every show via Periscope). But the constant negative, trolling, etc will always be.

This band is a band of 50 year olds, and people are cracking on Bono for being out of breath after his rather involved Exit performance or running around the stage? His vocals are near perfect, so who cares if he needs some time on a cycling machine? It won't be 1987...anyone who wants that is missing the point, which is in some ways this band is much better than then, and pulling off a pretty amazing performance, even if it is at the barrel of the evil LiveNation. I saw joy on the stage, moments of "oh shit, that worked" (most notably after RHMT), and also some really focused demeanor from a band working their ass off to deliver to a stadium crowd. If it wasn't all smiles and grins, it was because of focus...they used to lose it sometimes in these big shows back in the 80s. They don't anymore...they are better at it.
 
You are 100% right. But I still like to see pushback from people to that insanity.

Nothing is good enough or pleasing in the instant social media era. I am not a curmudgeon that dismisses all new things, and there is plenty of positive from the time we live in (those YouTube clips, being able to tune in to virtually every show via Periscope). But the constant negative, trolling, etc will always be.

This band is a band of 50 year olds, and people are cracking on Bono for being out of breath after his rather involved Exit performance or running around the stage? His vocals are near perfect, so who cares if he needs some time on a cycling machine? It won't be 1987...anyone who wants that is missing the point, which is in some ways this band is much better than then, and pulling off a pretty amazing performance, even if it is at the barrel of the evil LiveNation. I saw joy on the stage, moments of "oh shit, that worked" (most notably after RHMT), and also some really focused demeanor from a band working their ass off to deliver to a stadium crowd. If it wasn't all smiles and grins, it was because of focus...they used to lose it sometimes in these big shows back in the 80s. They don't anymore...they are better at it.
Here's one problem with that...

Springsteen, Jagger, McCartney... they're all in phenomenal shape. It's what has allowed them to continue performing live at a high level into their 60s and 70s.

Bono being in worse and worse shape each passing tour does not bode well for the future of the band beyond the next couple of years.

That's my concern with his condition. I'm sure the shows are phenomenal. Is like to see a lot more beyond this tour and the next.
 
Not a huge fan of Trump but he is the President of the United States and that position demands respect imho.
:no: Wow...no. That's not how it works at all.

I was at Rose Bowl 1 and was overwhelmed.
This. It was just two hours of me being a huge ball of emotions.
Here's one problem with that...

Springsteen, Jagger, McCartney... they're all in phenomenal shape. It's what has allowed them to continue performing live at a high level into their 60s and 70s.

Bono being in worse and worse shape each passing tour does not bode well for the future of the band beyond the next couple of years.

That's my concern with his condition. I'm sure the shows are phenomenal. Is like to see a lot more beyond this tour and the next.

Bono seemed fine in person. I haven't been paying as much attention to this part of the forum lately, is there something that everyone keeps grabbing onto about how terribly Bono is doing? He seemed to be more active than I'd seen him in a bit.
 
I wish I had appreciated it more in the moment. I was finding little issues with everything without seeing the big picture. I listened to the bootleg from my show and it's absolutely incredible. Next time I see them, I'm just going to enjoy what I got, because it's U2: I'm going to love it regardless. Like someone on here said, one day it'll just be records and memories. I can't be wasting my time on nitpicking.
 
Yeah, that's what my money's on. Plus they've always played stadiums there right? No trouble filling them up. Not sure if there's appropriate arenas throughout South America anyway, does anyone know?

Edit: Argentina arenas up to 15,000, Brazil up to 20,000, Chile up to 16,000, Columbia up to 25,000 & Peru up to 20,000.
 
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Here's one problem with that...

Springsteen, Jagger, McCartney... they're all in phenomenal shape. It's what has allowed them to continue performing live at a high level into their 60s and 70s.

Bono being in worse and worse shape each passing tour does not bode well for the future of the band beyond the next couple of years.

That's my concern with his condition. I'm sure the shows are phenomenal. Is like to see a lot more beyond this tour and the next.

Yeah...when was the last time Jagger and Macca did 75 shows in the span of few months, ie the first legs of I/E tour ? The latter moves far less than Bono on stage. And while certainly Bruce's lenghty shows are admirable, I think he is more or less up there re: stage movement*. Pretty sure none of them had major surgeries though.

I thought people were saying 360 was the last go-around, and here we are.... :shrug: I'm more concerned about the disinterest they exhibited in Vancouver, and not just talking about the vocals. If even touring can't get you excited, hang it up.

*comparing 360 Bono to River tour 2016 Bruce and 2013 McCartney. Not yet seen present-day U2 on tour.
 
Yeah...when was the last time Jagger and Macca did 75 shows in the span of few months, ie the first legs of I/E tour ? The latter moves far less than Bono on stage. And while certainly Bruce's lenghty shows are admirable, I think he is more or less up there re: stage movement*. Pretty sure none of them had major surgeries though.

I thought people were saying 360 was the last go-around, and here we are.... :shrug: I'm more concerned about the disinterest they exhibited in Vancouver, and not just talking about the vocals. If even touring can't get you excited, hang it up.

*comparing 360 Bono to River tour 2016 Bruce and 2013 McCartney. Not yet seen present-day U2 on tour.

Ohhhh you. Bono just turned 57.

When Jagger was 57,the Stones did 117 shows in under a year's time. Bigger Bang's 157 shows came when Jagger was 63.

McCartney did 91 shows on Out There and is on 70 and counting on One on One... Over 70 years old on each tour.

And, uh, did you really just compare Springsteen's stage movement (he's 10 years older than Bono, btw) to Bono's? Really? That's but even with an acknowledgement.

And the point was that those acts were, and in the case of Macca and Bruce are, able to continue touring at a high level as they approach 70 because they keep themselves in incredible shape. That Bono gets in worse and worse shape with each passing tour does not bode well.
 
Yeah...when was the last time Jagger and Macca did 75 shows in the span of few months, ie the first legs of I/E tour ? The latter moves far less than Bono on stage. And while certainly Bruce's lenghty shows are admirable, I think he is more or less up there re: stage movement*. Pretty sure none of them had major surgeries though.

.

Well that "few" months was 7 months, 76 shows in 7 months isn't terribly daunting, it averages 11 shows a month.
And as for Macca, last time I saw him, dude didn't leave the stage for 3 solid hours. His band took a couple of breaks and he played a couple songs solo on piano.
So maybe he doesn't run around, but he performs 3 hours with no break.

As Headache said, there is a dedication to staying in shape that some artists have and some just don't.
 
Can't a man be old and tired and not get attacked for it? Poor Bono.

I laid on my couch for six hours straight yesterday playing Pokémon and eating gummy worms and I'm only in my 30s.
 
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