***SPOILERS*** U2 eXPERIENCE + iNNOCENCE Tour - Rehearsals/Soundcheck Thread #2

[Headache in a Suitcase]

Interesting, I thought it got a lot more crowded around the e stage.

Can you see the screen well from there?

At the start of the show everyone pushes to the main stage, or at least did on i/e... maybe it'll be different with everyone knowing that the band starts on the ramp.

But I could easily get to that spot 20 minutes or so before show time without issue.

And yes, you can see the screen from there

 

[corianderstem]

Hmmm, maybe I'll try that for one of the two shows. I'm not lining up, but going when the doors open (or a little before) to grab a back rail spot to lean on.

 

[Iggy Fizz]

have there been any reports of the line crazies complaining that they spent several days in queue and the band did not honor them by starting on the main stage? would love to see that.

 

[cbradfly1]

I have been around here bashing Acrobat and it's supporters but after watching the youtube vids, it works well. Edge and the Les Paul sound fantastic. I was wrong .

 

[superchuk5]

The setlist seemed to get a better reception in the setlist party. Maybe we're all just jaded and bitter

 

[cbradfly1]

The setlist seemed to get a better reception in the setlist party. Maybe we're all just jaded and bitter

I'm sure of that.

I was ok with the rehearsal's and leaving Joshua Tree behind. Just wasn't a fan of Acrobat but as usual they pulled it off. Never doubt this band.

 

[Axver]

His point is that a lot of people like Breathe and think it is a fantastic live tune, even if you do not. Lots of people care about that song and would love to see it appear in the live set. In the 360 concerts that I intended, Breathe soared and the crowd, even the many "casual" fans, loved it. You're letting your own very obvious bias get in the way here.

Huh? Breathe was a notoriously dud opener - not only was it dropped rapidly, but it was not even included in the official release of the concert that it opened.

Heartland would be an absolute MONSTER live

I'd be fucking keen beyond measure to hear Heartland live, it's one of my top three U2 songs. Though "monster" suggests to be a song like HMTMKMKM or Gone or UTEOTW, not Heartland!

Much as I love God Pt2 and wish I could have seen a performance back in '89, I can't ever see them playing it again due to the now long dated topical nature of some of the lyrics (Lennon/Goldman book).

Yeah it's a shame it's probably not coming back. One of Adam's finest hours, for one thing. It was apparently considered in 1992 for the Outside Broadcast leg of ZooTV, but obviously didn't even make it to the final Hershey rehearsals.

That's not the point I'm trying to make though. I actually probably dislike All Because Of You more than most U2 fans. I don't really rate HTDAAB, and it's probably my least favourable song from the album.

There'd be a lot of people not particularly clamouring to see Wire live, me included, though I would certainly be pretty ecstatic that they plucked it out from the wilderness and whacked it in a set out of the blue.

It gives us hope that the forgotten songs that we may personally have a penchant for, may actually be revived.

I said Wire because I've been surprised just how often that one comes up as a request. It's a personal favourite of mine but it's not one I'd expect to be as commonly requested as it is.

I'd say that post-Popmart there's always been hope that the forgotten songs might be dredged up. Until then, if a song vanished, it was probably done for. But then with Out of Control and 11 O'clock Tick Tock on Elevation, a whole bunch of tunes like The Electric Co., The Ocean, and An Cat Dubh on Vertigo, and subsequent ridiculousness, be it Scarlet or Acrobat, it really does seem any tour will have at least a couple of massive rarities. It's just a shame that that group of rarities remains very small each tour, so the chances of any individual song are slim.

 

[theu2fly]

Best Thing has got to go, or be thrown in after Staring at the Sun, terrible transition from Acrobat.

 

[cbradfly1]

I wish they would play "A Celebration." Maybe "Fast Cars."

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

The MacPhisto appearance does seem like it should probably go on for one more song. They should switch to a different intermission song and rotate The Fly and Hold Me Thrill Me after Acrobat.

Bossa nova Best Thing can come after that.

 

[Axver]

Honestly, the Macphisto thing made me wince. That was a particular moment in 1993, one that only the most hardcore American fans would recognise. I never understood the desire of so many people to have him revived now that Bono is an awkward old man who is far from the satirical and sarcastic character of Macphisto. His character in Exit last year worked better.

 

[DeVaul]

a rockier Best Thing should follow Beautiful Day and lead into I Will Follow (why am I walking away... if you walk away)

 

[cbradfly1]

The MacPhisto appearance does seem like it should probably go on for one more song. They should switch to a different intermission song and rotate The Fly and Hold Me Thrill Me after Acrobat.

Bossa nova Best Thing can come after that.

Yeah. It does seem wasted on one song. Would rather a full band Best Thing. Not sure what the thinking is there.

 

[cbradfly1]

Honestly, the Macphisto thing made me wince. That was a particular moment in 1993, one that only the most hardcore American fans would recognise. I never understood the desire of so many people to have him revived now that Bono is an awkward old man who is far from the satirical and sarcastic character of Macphisto. His character in Exit last year worked better.

I think his character with the more sinister look is a tip to the current climate here.

 

[corianderstem]

Someone on Twitter talked about MacP being an extension of Shadow Man, as if Shadow Man was a free-floating evil who could inhabit anyone.

OMG LIKE BOB FROM TWIN PEAKS.

"WHERE'S BONO? WHERE'S BONO????"

 

[PennyLanePHINS]

If Staring at the Sun is played at two more shows, it'll be the most times any song from Pop has been fully performed since Elevation Tour?

Not counting Discotheque extended snippet at 360.

 

[DeVaul]

MacPhisto seems like it needs more darkness before transitioning to the brighter fare.

HMTMKMKM - Acrobat - Desire - The Showman - Vertigo - SATS

 

[Axver]

If Staring at the Sun is played at two more shows, it'll be the most times any song from Pop has been fully performed since Elevation Tour?

Not counting Discotheque extended snippet at 360.

That's right.

Indeed, if you count SATS at that charity event in 2011, it only needs one more performance. 2x Discotheque on the Vertigo Tour, 1x SATS off-tour, and now this.

 

[PennyLanePHINS]

I know the middle is meant to be the same, but I feel like "Little Things," "Love is Bigger" or "Landlady" could swap in for Song for Someone.

 

[RoKKeR]

Uh oh guys, there's an official Spotify playlist: https://open.spotify.com/user/u2_in...PNPgAOmBthVJDmOXjQE?si=A-tRlcfJQi6-L5cylifgVA

Think this means the setlist will never change!

 

[dan_smee]

Someone on Twitter talked about MacP being an extension of Shadow Man, as if Shadow Man was a free-floating evil who could inhabit anyone.

OMG LIKE BOB FROM TWIN PEAKS.

"WHERE'S BONO? WHERE'S BONO????"

Mind. Blown.

 

[Rachel D.]

Honestly, the Macphisto thing made me wince. That was a particular moment in 1993, one that only the most hardcore American fans would recognise. I never understood the desire of so many people to have him revived now that Bono is an awkward old man who is far from the satirical and sarcastic character of Macphisto. His character in Exit last year worked better.

I was wondering last night during that part of the show how many people actually understand what is happening and who this character is. Some looked a little confused.

 

[prbiker15]

Uh oh guys, there's an official Spotify playlist: https://open.spotify.com/user/u2_in...PNPgAOmBthVJDmOXjQE?si=A-tRlcfJQi6-L5cylifgVA

Think this means the setlist will never change!

Maybe, we'll see...

 

[theu2fly]

Uh oh guys, there's an official Spotify playlist: https://open.spotify.com/user/u2_in...PNPgAOmBthVJDmOXjQE?si=A-tRlcfJQi6-L5cylifgVA

Think this means the setlist will never change!

They can't play the same bloody setlist on night 2 in a city.

Perhaps they'll do some MINOR song swaps.

 

[intedomine]

I know the middle is meant to be the same, but I feel like "Little Things," "Love is Bigger" or "Landlady" could swap in for Song for Someone.

No need for Song for Someone when 13 is featured, surely?

The set is missing another SOE song I think. Alternate Little Things and Landlady in place of Sing for Someone perhaps.

 

[trainmaniac]

Landlady, Little Things, Showman, Summer of Love, Red Flag Day... amazing SOE tunes missing on the live show. A bit like with SOI, where we didn't get Reach Me Now or SLABT or proper versions of Troubles, Crystal Ballroom..
I like current setlist but I think they are always playing the weaker part of their albuns... SOI and SOE. Exception made to Blackout, LOH, Cedarwood and RBW

 

[SpaceBoy]

Good show, thought it was probably one of the best rehearsed-sounding tour openers in a while, setlist wrinkles aside.

Acrobat

The heck's up with the rejigging of Iris, though? Their (or Edge's, most likely) proclivity over the last few tours for "fixing" songs through weird structural edits irks me, man.

 

[LemonMelon]

Landlady would not go down well live IMO. Red Flag Day, on the other hand...

And The Showman seems a natural choice for the loose "acoustic" section.

 

[lazarus]

Yeah, not every great song belongs in a live set.

Landlady is one.

The First Time is too, but for some reason they didn’t understand that.

 

[d.darroch]

The heck's up with the rejigging of Iris, though? Their (or Edge's, most likely) proclivity over the last few tours for "fixing" songs through weird structural edits irks me, man.

I've always thought Iris was a nice song, but there was one thing stopping me from loving it, or thinking it was one of the stronger songs off SoI.

"Something in your eyes
Took a thousand years to get here
Something in your eyes
Took a thousand years, a thousand years"

I think they could be some of Bono's worst lyrics since, well, "A mole digging in a hole"! The fact that they came just as the song was just building grated me even more.

Now that these lyrics are an afterthought, right at the end of the song, that's an improvement in my book.