**POSSIBLE SPOILERS** The Joshua Tree Tour 2017 Rehearsal Thread

[BWU2Buffs]

well i like the song (errrehmmmagodit'soterribleyouhasnotasteeeeshutup).

the idea, however, sounds pretty hokey.

my one concern with this tour is that they're so desperate to prove that this tour doesn't make them a "heritage act" (honestly who gives a turkey other than u2girl and redhill... and larry #notonboard) that they bombard the rest of the setlist with, like 99% songs from 2000 on and ignore everything else other than the warriest of war horses.

like when they played the rock hall of fame 25th and had to beat us over the head with vertigo, magnificent, beautiful day, stuck in a moment (although cool duet with jagger on that one) and the fucking black eyed peas. ohhhh look at us we're not dinosaurs. shut up, yes you are.

I've been gone for a bit so apparently not much is new, although a hashtag for Larry's status is interesting.

I'm definitely going to use 'warriest of war horses' in conversation somewhere though being careful how to enunciate "warriest"

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

If they really want to prove this tour doesn't make them a heritage act, then they really should (assuming it's finished - admittedly a big 'if') debut the lead single from SoE. Like a few have suggested, take advantage of the thematic link between SoE and TJT, and use this tour to promote the upcoming album.

they should not give a crap about stupid made up phrases like "heritage act" and just put on the best show they possibly can.

 

[JamietheEdgefan]

they should not give a crap about stupid made up phrases like "heritage act" and just put on the best show they possibly can.

Tbh i'm just searching for an angle that might let us see new music sooner rather than later.

But if they actually are concerned about that sort of thing... a new single would definitely be better than the Black Eyed Peas appearing onstage to duet on Streets

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

Tbh i'm just searching for an angle that might let us see new music sooner rather than later.

But if they actually are concerned about that sort of thing... a new single would definitely be better than the Black Eyed Peas appearing onstage to duet on Streets

larry farting for 5 minutes would be better than bringing the black eyed peas on stage.

 

[Axver]

I just never even imagined Ordinary Love could possibly be in the mix. A song that casuals don't know, that diehards don't exactly care about, and that I had frankly forgotten entirely? When setlist space is already at a premium? Every time I make a possible setlist I find I leave out some obvious big warhorses that you would expect in the mix. So I dread to think what will not make the cut if Ordinary Love does. Who the fuck wants to hear that sack of sanctimonious magic marker crap over, I don't know, UTEOTW or NYD?

 

[trevgreg]

I just never even imagined Ordinary Love could possibly be in the mix. A song that casuals don't know, that five or so diehards that bother to post on Interference don't exactly care about...

Fixed that for you.

All joking aside, all I think about now is the guy who I was standing with outside The Forum for awhile before a show in 2015. He grabbed his iPhone out at one point and proceeded to play both the original and Paul Epworth remixes of Ordinary Love for all of us, happily jamming away the whole time.

Like Headache said, the only weird thing I find out of this so far is the concept behind the video, since it might come across a bit oddly like the Aung San Suu Kyi mask thing. But who knows? And if the song isn't Ordinary Love, I'm sure it'd be some other that some of us on here would find something wrong with. It probably won't get any worse of a reaction than songs that aren't a huge single or live song by them. Certainly not any worse than Your Blue Room, which some of us on here loved that they played live anyway.

 

[womanfish]

I'd still rather have them play a great song that may not go over well with the audience, than a mediocre song that doesn't go over well with the audience.

 

[BEAL]

What they aren't telling you is that they have thousands of Neslon Mandela masks ready

 

[RoKKeR]

This Ordinary Love stuff... it's a fine song, but what?

 

[superchuk5]

There are some very obvious exceptions, but I generally find that one-off songs written for movies aren't an artists' best work. I don't hate Ordinary Love, but I don't exactly love it either. It's like the white bread of U2 songs.

 

[Galeongirl]

Why Ordinary love guys. Why. -.-'

 

[Axver]

Fixed that for you.

Mate, it went down like a lead balloon over on Twitter too! Few songs got a more negative response during the U2gigs live coverage than whenever "Boredinary Love", as I recall some calling it, cropped up in the setlist. I, of course, encouraged the bile. Completely worthless and forgettable song that U2 would make a dreadful mistake reviving. I just don't get why they insist on digging up poorly known stuff suited to smaller venues on their stadium tours. Your Blue Room, yes, was more egregious in that sense, though of course it's also a thousand times the song Ordinary Love even dreams of being. If they want something unusual or obscure to dig up, there are a whole bunch of rare tracks way more suited to stadiums! God Part II, 11 O'clock Tick Tock, Lady With the Spinning Head, Last Night on Earth, Dirty Day, that sort of stuff will go down well with a large audience despite the fact they aren't well known (any more).

 

[ouizy]

Fuck off.

Please tell me this isn't real.

Jesus fucking christ, could these cunts be any more stupid...

Wow - that was my EXACT reaction when I got the email...

Could not have said it any better.

I could list 100 songs I'd like to see the band play - that song would never have even crossed my mind.

 

[coolian2]

I'd settle for Gone.

 

[Mrs. Garrison]

DYFL would be much much better than Ordinary Love, though honestly i don't think OL is a bad song. The idea for the video is somewhat disturbing though.

 

[Axver]

Maybe we should all agree to send them clips singing songs that we actually want the band to play. Like, say, a fucking Pop song.

I vote Mofo, just to get the message across. Or Please, if we're feeling polite.

 

[corianderstem]

Ha, that would be awesome.

 

[BVS]

Maybe we should all agree to send them clips singing songs that we actually want the band to play. Like, say, a fucking Pop song.

I vote Mofo, just to get the message across. Or Please, if we're feeling polite.

Actually if someone got a campaign going and they settle on one song, and they got floods of _______ videos, I wonder if they'd pay attention?

I'd actually send a video in for something like that.

 

[The_acrobat]

I saw OL in Chicago in 2015, and it's like as soon as they started playing it, the audience let out a collective groan. As did I. Not a bad song, but definitely in my bottom tier of U2 song preferences. The band clearly have a boner for this song, however.

 

[trevgreg]

I saw OL in Chicago in 2015, and it's like as soon as they started playing it, the audience let out a collective groan. As did I. Not a bad song, but definitely in my bottom tier of U2 song preferences. The band clearly have a boner for this song, however.

Yet how DARE they play a song the crowd enjoys... like Elevation!!!

Oddly enough, I don't even think Ordinary Love was played that many times on the last tour though.

 

[Iggy Fizz]

I like OL, but agree it would be a very poor choice for the tour. Way too many masterpieces as well as rarities to choose from, which would actually sound great live.

 

[jphelmet]

This news suddenly makes all the songs I was hoping they would skip this time (like elevation, stuck, in a little while) suddenly seem like great choices by comparison. Ordinary Love is complete garbage and should never be played again. I cannnot fathom why they would think that would be a good choice with so few available slots.

 

[trevgreg]

Mate, it went down like a lead balloon over on Twitter too! Few songs got a more negative response during the U2gigs live coverage than whenever "Boredinary Love", as I recall some calling it, cropped up in the setlist. I, of course, encouraged the bile. Completely worthless and forgettable song that U2 would make a dreadful mistake reviving. I just don't get why they insist on digging up poorly known stuff suited to smaller venues on their stadium tours. Your Blue Room, yes, was more egregious in that sense, though of course it's also a thousand times the song Ordinary Love even dreams of being.

I saw it played in Chicago and it didn't really seem to set the room on fire, nor put people to sleep. I'm guessing that's the same reaction a lot of songs they could pick would get anyway. Of course, when they play Elevation at 1/4 of the shows and the crowd goes wild, then that's still somehow bad and treated like it's a set list staple still, but that's another story I guess.

And for all the hate OL gets from a few posters here (or Twitter, as you said), it seems some people are U2.com are in tune with the video idea a bit... and song in general.

YES!! That is cool I will give it a try. Do we have to be wearing clothes?

This will make the day even greater, One of the best songs ever written, has it all!

OH Hell YEAH!

Ordinary Love is such a moving song! Watch for my clip

So some people like the song and some people don't. And that's fine. Pretty sure I can find comments for both sides or ones indifferent, so I don't think there's a wide consensus on this song one way or another.

If they want something unusual or obscure to dig up, there are a whole bunch of rare tracks way more suited to stadiums! God Part II, 11 O'clock Tick Tock, Lady With the Spinning Head, Last Night on Earth, Dirty Day, that sort of stuff will go down well with a large audience despite the fact they aren't well known (any more).

I wouldn't object to this, but I guess we'll see what happens when May comes around. I think Bono said he couldn't do God Part II justice these days, but there's still only 12 songs that we know of that they might play on any given night.

 

[miryclayu2]

If they play BAD or One I am cancelling my membership.

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

Ordinary Love is one of their 10 most played songs on YouTube, the video and tonight show performance have 60+ million views between them.

For comparisons sake... Vertigo has 41 million views. Beautiful Day has 90 million.

More people liked it then people here care to admit, and more people know it then everyone is letting on. It's their most popular song in 10 years.

It's hardly a shock, as lame as the crowd sourced chorus idea may be.

People here don't like it. Okay fine. But this isn't some unknown song.

 

[cobl04]

No, but it is fucking shithouse and not the news I want to hear when I'm flying from Australia to see it.

 

[Hewson]

Ordinary Love is one of their 10 most played songs on YouTube, the video and tonight show performance have 60+ million views between them.

For comparisons sake... Vertigo has 41 million views. Beautiful Day has 90 million.

More people liked it then people here care to admit, and more people know it then everyone is letting on. It's their most popular song in 10 years.

.

Winnie Mandela has viewed it 58,965,342 times on Youtube

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

That's a shame

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

Is this interference wide freak out over one song that may or may not be included in the setlist more stupid, less stupid, or equally stupid to the i+e RedZone freak out?

For fucks sake people.

 

[superchuk5]

Cancel the tour! Give everyone their money back! Retire to the top of a Nordic mountain!




And then, when the name U2 is but a myth, quietly release Songs of Ascent. But there won't be a physical album, because the music was in our hearts all along.