jphelmet
Refugee
It's a rare time to have U2 tour so much recently (if you live in the right part of the world), and to have three different tours in the last 3 years. Each has their strengths and weaknesses. How would you rank the three? High points and low points of each?
I was lucky enough to see all I+E and JT 2x each, and 1x for E+I.
I would put them:
1. I+E the first half of the set was incredible the first go round, and enough big songs to end.
2. JT, Close second. Great to see so many songs I had never seen and long wanted to. If Encore was better it would have been first, or even sequenced different. Not a fan of playing an album in order.
3. E+I Like that they are taking chance to play so many new songs, but song selection from Songs of Experience make it last for me.
Thinking about all three, I think they have been missing on closing of their shows lately. All three tours have really week closings. How hard is it to do Bad-Streets-40?
Innocence and Experience
Strengths
- Like seeing back to back nights with at least some minimal variation.
- The first half of the set from beginning to Until the End of the World was great the first time. RBW-> Until End, was a highlight. I liked the old school opening feel, went well with narrative.
- Electric Co., OOC, Bad,
- Bullet was great version.
- October-Bullet-Zooropa-Streets was a great run, and a highlight. (Makes the closing main set for E+I look all the more ridiculous)
- Enjoyed B-stage looseness, and variation night to night. Cool to see U2 finally loosen up and play some different things throughout the tour. Got to see In God's Country in Phoenix. Night to night seemed like anything was possible at least for a song or two, which is rare for U2.
Weakness
- Closing with One/ Still Haven't Found. Both were pretty tired, and lazy versions. Not a fan of letting the crowd sing the majority of the song.
- The Miracle not a great opening song
- Ordinary Love
- One, still just tired.
- Even Better& Mysterious Ways kept as static songs. Neither were bad, but recycling Even Better from 360 seemed a little tired. Would have helped if they rotated those two on night 2.
The Joshua Tree
Strengths
- A sort of Homecoming (I saw the first two shows) I didn't mind the synth, and was way up there on list for me of songs I had never seen live.
- Exit, One Tree Hill, In God's Country, Mother's of Disappeared were all excellent and a dream come true to see full band versions live.
- The lo-key opening fit the show and was great. The version of SBS was great compared to I+E/E+I, and NYD sounded great.
- Nice to see premier of Little Things, and grew into a great version.
Weakness
- Miss Sarajevo, momentum crusher. Worst moment of the show for sure.
- Red Hill Mining Town, piano + horns= huge disappointment.
- Encore was just weak over all.
- Playing JT in order
- Vidoes during JT was weak overall, and added very little to the show
- Replacing Little Things with The Best Thing
-Ending a show with Sweetest Thing
Experience and Innocence
Strengths
- Acrobat. Never thought I would see it, and was excellent.
- Enjoyed the opening sequence of songs, 1-6 was great. Sequencing, build up not great, but all sounded really good.
- B-stage, with the exception of Best Thing was a real highlight. Most I have enjoyed Elevation since the Elevation tour. Desire had a renewed vitality.
Weaknesses
- Static setlist
- Opening was poor in terms of build up and excitement because the staging is so strange. I thought Blackout sounded great, but the staging was really weak. The video section was weird and you spend way too much time staring at a video screen with almost nothing going on. Reminded me of the misfire, production wise, that Invisible was.
- Rehash of I+E section from Iris to Until the End. The section was fine but it's weird watching the exact same show of three years earlier. Until the End was still good, but missing something without segue from RBW.
- GOOYOW> City of Blinding Lights, worst main set closing section of any U2 show I have seen. City is not terrible but is overplayed right now, and the other two are just bad.
- The encore, and ending with 13. I enjoyed all three songs, but placing those three together to end the show is a weird choice and makes for a weak encore.
I was lucky enough to see all I+E and JT 2x each, and 1x for E+I.
I would put them:
1. I+E the first half of the set was incredible the first go round, and enough big songs to end.
2. JT, Close second. Great to see so many songs I had never seen and long wanted to. If Encore was better it would have been first, or even sequenced different. Not a fan of playing an album in order.
3. E+I Like that they are taking chance to play so many new songs, but song selection from Songs of Experience make it last for me.
Thinking about all three, I think they have been missing on closing of their shows lately. All three tours have really week closings. How hard is it to do Bad-Streets-40?
Innocence and Experience
Strengths
- Like seeing back to back nights with at least some minimal variation.
- The first half of the set from beginning to Until the End of the World was great the first time. RBW-> Until End, was a highlight. I liked the old school opening feel, went well with narrative.
- Electric Co., OOC, Bad,
- Bullet was great version.
- October-Bullet-Zooropa-Streets was a great run, and a highlight. (Makes the closing main set for E+I look all the more ridiculous)
- Enjoyed B-stage looseness, and variation night to night. Cool to see U2 finally loosen up and play some different things throughout the tour. Got to see In God's Country in Phoenix. Night to night seemed like anything was possible at least for a song or two, which is rare for U2.
Weakness
- Closing with One/ Still Haven't Found. Both were pretty tired, and lazy versions. Not a fan of letting the crowd sing the majority of the song.
- The Miracle not a great opening song
- Ordinary Love
- One, still just tired.
- Even Better& Mysterious Ways kept as static songs. Neither were bad, but recycling Even Better from 360 seemed a little tired. Would have helped if they rotated those two on night 2.
The Joshua Tree
Strengths
- A sort of Homecoming (I saw the first two shows) I didn't mind the synth, and was way up there on list for me of songs I had never seen live.
- Exit, One Tree Hill, In God's Country, Mother's of Disappeared were all excellent and a dream come true to see full band versions live.
- The lo-key opening fit the show and was great. The version of SBS was great compared to I+E/E+I, and NYD sounded great.
- Nice to see premier of Little Things, and grew into a great version.
Weakness
- Miss Sarajevo, momentum crusher. Worst moment of the show for sure.
- Red Hill Mining Town, piano + horns= huge disappointment.
- Encore was just weak over all.
- Playing JT in order
- Vidoes during JT was weak overall, and added very little to the show
- Replacing Little Things with The Best Thing
-Ending a show with Sweetest Thing
Experience and Innocence
Strengths
- Acrobat. Never thought I would see it, and was excellent.
- Enjoyed the opening sequence of songs, 1-6 was great. Sequencing, build up not great, but all sounded really good.
- B-stage, with the exception of Best Thing was a real highlight. Most I have enjoyed Elevation since the Elevation tour. Desire had a renewed vitality.
Weaknesses
- Static setlist
- Opening was poor in terms of build up and excitement because the staging is so strange. I thought Blackout sounded great, but the staging was really weak. The video section was weird and you spend way too much time staring at a video screen with almost nothing going on. Reminded me of the misfire, production wise, that Invisible was.
- Rehash of I+E section from Iris to Until the End. The section was fine but it's weird watching the exact same show of three years earlier. Until the End was still good, but missing something without segue from RBW.
- GOOYOW> City of Blinding Lights, worst main set closing section of any U2 show I have seen. City is not terrible but is overplayed right now, and the other two are just bad.
- The encore, and ending with 13. I enjoyed all three songs, but placing those three together to end the show is a weird choice and makes for a weak encore.