Joshua tree set list speculation

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Axver said:
Of course, if you're going to bill a tour like this you better fucking do the entire album in order - either front to back or back to front.
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Yeah but this is U2. A band who despite having a 20 year back catalogue to draw on played the same song twice in 2005.

Their set list choices over the years having been mostly rubbish. So anything is possible with this tour. I'd say there's a good chance they will find a way to botch it.
 
1) Desire
2) I Will Follow
3) 11 O'Clock Tick Tock
4) New Year's Day
5) Sunday Bloody Sunday

Bono talks / band introduction

6) New SOE song
7) Bad/40
8) Where The Streets Have No Name
9) I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For
10) With Or Without You
11) Bullet The Blue Sky
12) Running To Stand Still
13) Red Hill Mining Town
14) In God's Country
15) Trip Through Your Wires
16) One Tree Hill
17) Exit
18) Mothers Of The Disappeared

19) The Fly
20) Beautiful Day
21) The Wanderer
22) One
23) Pride

The Wanderer is a longshot, but based on the Johnny Cash tribute performance it doesn't seem like a hard song to do, and I think it fits pretty well thematically with TJT.
 
Maybe they will do the show in two halves. 10-12 songs from the majority of the catalog. Short intermission - then Complete Joshua Tree.

Whatever the case, I'm looking forward to the shows.

It would be cool if they played lesser played R&H songs (God Part II and Hawkmoon) too.. Plus some of the JT and R&H B-sides.

Those alone with JT would make a special and interesting show.

Then like he said in 1989... they can go dream it all up again - go write, re-write, sort out and get right -- the next album.

I won't even call it SOE, as like SOA, it's already changed from its initial inception.
 
After reading the RS interviews of the Edge and now Adam, by Andy Greene (clearly a fan), I have to think that Acrobat gets a serious look at during the rehearsals. Also, in this age of being a liberal, willing to punch out local scum nazi, these lyrics are so very in touch with everything we see now. That punch on a big screen. This song. I have a vision. Television!
 
TinKnight said:
I would put every dollar in my bank account on the odds that there will be no back to front.
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It's a fucking great idea though.

And yes, you're right, like every other excellent setlist idea that anybody has ever posted in Interference, it will never happen.
 
Axver said:
It's a fucking great idea though..
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Is it?

I think opening with Mothers would be dreadfully boring. And then playing 5 songs that people don't know. And then a barrage of JT hits. And then finally we worked up to Streets....

And then what? Play Achtung Baby? Play the hits for an hour? All that build up for a greatest hits show.
 
This would be the PERFECT tour for them to whip out (insert deep cut the band scarcely remembers recording here)!


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TinKnight said:
Is it?

I think opening with Mothers would be dreadfully boring. And then playing 5 songs that people don't know. And then a barrage of JT hits. And then finally we worked up to Streets....

And then what? Play Achtung Baby? Play the hits for an hour? All that build up for a greatest hits show.
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I've never envisaged it as opening a show. Do what everybody's speculating and play a run of old tracks first, with a segue into Mothers after a while. Something like Bad would work. Then the pace builds. Exit will bring the house down even if nobody knows it. One Tree Hill or In God's Country were successful singles (admittedly OTH not in a part of the world being toured - yet) and are considered rarities by virtue of U2's weird blind spot for the b-side of the Joshua Tree rather than actual obscurity. Trip's got energy to keep people entertained. And, essentially, you build to the songs people know best. The anticipation rises as you hit Red Hill and RTSS, starts to release in Bullet, and then you have the big three with Streets closing the main set triumphant. I wish I could remember who originally proposed this because they also noted that RTSS into Bullet would function much like EBW into Bullet on IE.

Do it in order and it has the problem many other full-album shows have - the songs most people come to see are played early and then it's a slow wind-down with interest declining to the end.

So yes, I'd definitely say back to front is sequenced much better for a live setting than front to back, especially if you place the album as the last eleven songs of the main set.
 
Axver said:
I've never envisaged it as opening a show. Do what everybody's speculating and play a run of old tracks first, with a segue into Mothers after a while. Something like Bad would work. Then the pace builds. Exit will bring the house down even if nobody knows it. One Tree Hill or In God's Country were successful singles (admittedly OTH not in a part of the world being toured - yet) and are considered rarities by virtue of U2's weird blind spot for the b-side of the Joshua Tree rather than actual obscurity. Trip's got energy to keep people entertained. And, essentially, you build to the songs people know best. The anticipation rises as you hit Red Hill and RTSS, starts to release in Bullet, and then you have the big three with Streets closing the main set triumphant.
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I got goosebumps just from reading this. It would work perfectly.

They'll go with something stupid instead.


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I've always wondered that too. U2 have no problem cranking out The Electric Co., a song that was not a single nor on a compilation and comes from one of their lesser known albums. But Exit? From their best-selling album and in their best-known live release? OH NO NOBODY WILL KNOW IT.
 
Axver said:
I've always wondered that too. U2 have no problem cranking out The Electric Co., a song that was not a single nor on a compilation and comes from one of their lesser known albums. But Exit? From their best-selling album and in their best-known live release? OH NO NOBODY WILL KNOW IT.
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That may be one of the wisest statements uttered here
 
Rightly or wrongly there's a perception that louder songs will be given more of a chance by a casual crowd. U2's three biggest live songs that weren't singles (or EPs wrt Bad on WAIA) are probably Electric Co., Bullet and UTEOTW, all infectiously energetic even if you've never heard them before. Exit should be OK in this regard.

The other lesser known songs are on one of the best selling albums ever, so let's give the crowd a little credit.
 
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Axver said:
I've never envisaged it as opening a show. Do what everybody's speculating and play a run of old tracks first, with a segue into Mothers after a while. Something like Bad would work. Then the pace builds. Exit will bring the house down even if nobody knows it. One Tree Hill or In God's Country were successful singles (admittedly OTH not in a part of the world being toured - yet) and are considered rarities by virtue of U2's weird blind spot for the b-side of the Joshua Tree rather than actual obscurity. Trip's got energy to keep people entertained. And, essentially, you build to the songs people know best. The anticipation rises as you hit Red Hill and RTSS, starts to release in Bullet, and then you have the big three with Streets closing the main set triumphant. I wish I could remember who originally proposed this because they also noted that RTSS into Bullet would function much like EBW into Bullet on IE.

Do it in order and it has the problem many other full-album shows have - the songs most people come to see are played early and then it's a slow wind-down with interest declining to the end.

So yes, I'd definitely say back to front is sequenced much better for a live setting than front to back, especially if you place the album as the last eleven songs of the main set.
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Yeah, ok, that'd be pretty great.
 
How close to the ie setlist do you think it will Be?

If RTSS, RHMT, IGC, TTYW, OTH, Exit, MOTD replace; Miracle, Iris, Cedarwood, SFS, RBW, Invisible, EBW (TJT replacing SOI)..... then do they keep all the other standards the same- electric co/OOC, Vertigo, IWF, SBS, UTEOTW, EBTTRT, MW, Elevation, Desire/AOH, BTBS, Pride, WOWY, Bad, COBL, BD, Streets, one, ISHFWILF.
That makes a 25 song setlist, and sounds likely, but I feel it's too similar to the recent ie shows, expecially since the plan is to resume that tour eventually with likely similar setlist (swapping SOI tunes for SOE obviously).

Keeping with the era theme, I'd love to hear Hawkmoon, God pt2, Heartland, Van D Land, All Along the Watchtower, Helter Shelter, Silver and gold, Wave of Sorrow, or any other b-side of the time. But considering this is a stadium tour (more of the avg fan that wants to hear the hits), I don't see any of my choices knocking off one of the 'standards' for its spot.
electric Co/OOC, IWF, SBS, Pride, Bad, all help with the story leading up to TJT (not too mention possible addition of NYD too). Streets, Still, WOWY, Bullet will obviously stay for TJT. I feel Vertigo, BD, elevation, One, will be standards at any and every u2 stadium show. So that leaves UTEOTW, EBTTRT, MW, desire/AOH, COBL as songs to knock off for its spot.
I believe desire/AOH will stick around because of the era, and their recent decision to play it last fall ( hopefully at least, we get the Hollywood electric version). Also, I almost included MW, UTEOTW, COBL, in the category of mandatory stadium songs for the band... although in my own opinion COBL could use a rest by now.... but I could see them wanting the thematic link of "when we were young, and arrived in NYC for the very first time". That leaves a super uptempo EBTTRT to be bumped..... and I just can't imagine anything else taking it's spot other than the previously mentioned NYD (or outside chance of Sort of Homecoming)

So in conclusion, although we all want to be surprised by rarities at the shows, I think this tour is different In that we have been told up front of all the rarities we will see (rest of TJT tracks), and we should not expect to see any more than that. Once we accept this, we can still be excited and greatful for what we have coming to us this Tour!
 
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marik said:
So in conclusion, although we all want to be surprised by rarities at the shows, I think this tour is different In that we have been told up front of all the rarities we will see (rest of TJT tracks), and we should not expect to see any more than that. Once we accept this, we can still be excited and greatful for what we have coming to us this Tour!
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Here's that quote from Edge

But I don't think we're going to put a huge emphasis on obscure and little-heard U2 songs. I think there will be a few for sure. We mentioned "Exit," "Trip Through Your Wires," "In God's Country" and "Red Hill Mining Town." I mean, those are four songs. "Red Hill Mining Town" has never been played and the other three are extremely seldom heard. So, there you go. I don't know. I wouldn't rule out B sides.
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He does mention a 'blank canvas' later in the interview but there'll always be pressure to keep lots of those well known songs in, so it's pretty colourful as it is.
 
I'm still under the assumption that this setlist will be a fairly sequential timeline of their career type of setlist; a few pre JT hits leading up to the JT being played in sequence, then the Fly(my hope), and then 90''s 2000's and a few new songs filling the last section. I don't think the last section necessarily has to be in order. And then a closing with 40 on most nights.


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kabigon said:
Here's that quote from Edge



He does mention a 'blank canvas' later in the interview but there'll always be pressure to keep lots of those well known songs in, so it's pretty colourful as it is.
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It's a bit crazy that Edge counts "In God's Country" as a rarity. It was a top fifty single in both the US and UK! At the time that made it their fifth-highest charting single in the US. It's also a much better chart performance than almost anything from the 2000s and 2010s, during which only three singles have done any better.
 
He meant seldom played live I think. Which is sort of true for IGC, I guess, at least full band.
 
Love that song and of course perfect for today. Sadly.

They won't play JT in order. They did with or without you into streets and love to see them do it same way as 1987 with extra verse into streets.

They Aren't going to open show with streets. Or middle of show. Unless they play it twice first and last song which would fine by me.


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clerks said:
Love that song and of course perfect for today. Sadly.

They won't play JT in order. They did with or without you into streets and love to see them do it same way as 1987 with extra verse into streets.

They Aren't going to open show with streets. Or middle of show. Unless they play it twice first and last song which would fine by me.


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Axver said:
This has literally never happened.
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Oh word, you just got Axvered
 
I could see them playing it in sequence but beginning with Bullet - something along these lines:

Vertigo
Out of Control / I Will Follow
Miracle of Joey Ramone
Beautiful Day
City of Blinding Lights / Elevation
Until The End of The World
Pride / New Year's Day
SBS
Zooropa / Miss Sarajevo / The Hands that Built America into JT
Bullet
RTSS
Red Hill
IGC
TTYW
OTH

Encore Break

Exit
Mother
Streets
ISHWILF
WOWY

Perhaps second encore break?
Unforgettable Fire / Kite (wishful thinking)
Bad / One
40

Or maybe they play it backwards...literally backwards...and start with Name No Have Streets The Where.
 
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