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

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I would play a very different setlist but it seems they are putting on a hell of a show... until the encore. The encore is so weak...
 
So if Horses doesn't show up tonight at SJ #2, it's done, right?

That would be a ridiculously quick exit.

I'm amazed it was ever released as a single considering the way they've treated it since. Dropped from ZooTV partway through, occasionally brought back in weak acoustic versions, and when they finally get it right full electric on Vertigo it only makes a couple appearances. And now this.

:sad:
 
It'd be bad news if it doesn't show up, but not terminal. If it doesn't show up at any of the six shows in SJ/LV/LA, it's cooked for the leg at least. Might get another go in Europe because of 4-date cities.

Or, worse, it will come back acoustic.
 
I'd hope that they also pull something else out they haven't played yet tonight... otherwise we might being for a rather static tour.

i/e had a decent amount of rotation in the front, middle and back of the set (even if they just roatted the same couple of songs in each slot). Right now the only place for rotation is the New Year's Day / Gloria slot.
 
Headache in a Suitcase said:
I'd hope that they also pull something else out they haven't played yet tonight... otherwise we might being for a rather static tour.

i/e had a decent amount of rotation in the front, middle and back of the set (even if they just roatted the same couple of songs in each slot). Right now the only place for rotation is the New Year's Day / Gloria slot.
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I'm sure SATS will rotate.

I'm assuming ABOY will, and that they've got to realise the encore needs a tweak.

Beyond that, yeah, a bit worrying.
 
So with some perspective having been to the St. Louis show & now 3 shows in, I can’t help but see where I’d personally move the setlist around. I don’t typically post these kind of things but it is kinda fun. This is only using songs played or sound checked. I have a whole other dream setlist but I’m trying to keep it real-

My main takeaways:
1) The first half is pretty solid. move GOOYOW up to Beautiful Day spot, separate it from American Soul which would do better with Desire/ political part of set

2) Separate Elevation from Vertigo and move it away from Hold me thrill me intermission. If you watch the video, it’s about the band falling from grace after making a deal with the devil. Elevation doesn’t make sense here. Vertigo or The Fly to open 2nd set.

3) Total shake up of 2nd half. I really like Lights of home as a closer with the uplifting ‘free yourself to be yourself’ outro. The mid-tempo speed seems to slow for opening 1-2-3 punch like Breathe on U2360

In BOLD are song order I changed. Tried to imagine the flow/ transition out of one song into another.


1. Love Is All We Have Left
2. The Blackout
3. Get Out Of Your Own Way
4. Beautiful Day / Many Rivers To Cross (snippet)
5. I Will Follow / Mother (snippet)
6. All Because Of You
7. Gloria (rotate w/ New Year’s Day)
8. The Ocean
9. Iris (Hold Me Close)
10. Cedarwood Road
11. Sunday Bloody Sunday
12. Raised By Wolves / Psalm 23 (snippet)
13. Until the End of the World / Love, Reign O'er Me (snippet)
- (Intermission - Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me)
14. Vertigo
15. The Fly
16. Desire
17. American Soul
18. Acrobat
19. Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses
20. Staring at the Sun acoustic
21. You're The Best Thing About Me acoustic
(rotate SATS or YTBTAM w/ The Showman)
22. City of Blinding Lights
23. Elevation
24. Pride (In the Name of Love)
- encore(s):
25. Love Is Bigger Than Anything in its Way
26. One
27. 13 (There Is A Light)
28. Lights Of Home
 
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I keep hoping they will change the encore as well to something more uplifting and the classic hit sandwich between Love is Bigger and 13 seems like a perfect solution for us out here looking in. But as I think about this...it is Bono's (the and the boys) storytelling that's important here to remember as he said in the beginning of the show. They are keeping to that message more than throwing in an easy crowd pleaser in the encore. It ruins the story telling mojo in their minds I think. ( Bono) "they don't know what you're doing, babe it must be art" :) He seems intent on singing us a lullaby that he wrote to kids to send us off each night. It's a great sentiment :heart: and throwing in BAD or Streets right there kind of kills the thought of closing the chapter in the story book. It doesn't fit. Just trying to see it from his perspective. Just my thoughts.. not that anybody cares. :lol:
 
I keep seeing people tweaking the set, but no on removes American Soul. Is that just because every one is resigned to the fact that they are going to keep it and make it a centerpiece OR do people genuinely like it?
Honest question, it seemed that most really disliked the album version (or maybe I am reading too much of my own hatred of the song into my perception). I still hate that this band has so many great songs, and they play American Soul every night.
 
jphelmet said:
I still hate that this band has so many great songs, and they play American Soul every night.
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American Soul fits the story telling narrative and was also written with the political atmosphere of our current times. IMO. Yes, other classics fit the same vibe like PITNOL and that one works spectacularly goose bump moment for me, plus it's new ( they are promoting the new album) and Kendrick Lamar is on it for the kid appeal. From watching the feeds it looks like people are really in to it live.
 
Jeannieco said:
American Soul fits the story telling narrative and was also written with the political atmosphere of our current times. IMO. Yes, other classics fit the same vibe like PITNOL and that one works spectacularly goose bump moment for me, plus it's new ( they are promoting the new album) and Kendrick Lamar is on it for the kid appeal. From watching the feeds it looks like people are really in to it live.
Click to expand...

I appreciate the narrative arc but hate that storyline trumps the music.
 
jphelmet said:
I keep seeing people tweaking the set, but no on removes American Soul. Is that just because every one is resigned to the fact that they are going to keep it and make it a centerpiece OR do people genuinely like it?
Honest question, it seemed that most really disliked the album version (or maybe I am reading too much of my own hatred of the song into my perception). I still hate that this band has so many great songs, and they play American Soul every night.
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Regardless of how we feel about it, the band clearly likes it so it's unrealistic to suggest they'll drop it. I bet it's gone in Europe though. I don't see how they can spin the lyric "came here looking for American soul" to fit Europe. The SATS-COBL run will probably get a big adjustment.
 
superchuk5 said:
Regardless of how we feel about it, the band clearly likes it so it's unrealistic to suggest they'll drop it. I bet it's gone in Europe though. I don't see how they can spin the lyric "came here looking for American soul" to fit Europe. The SATS-COBL run will probably get a big adjustment.
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Bongolese... " we WENT there looking for American Soul" :lol:
 
Honestly at this point my only change would be to add Streets as the encore opener. That encore looks like it just drains the energy completely, needs some life in it.
 
I was there last night in San Jose. The encore was flat to me. I enjoyed it but it didn't quite hit the spot. If they could drop You're the Best Thing about Me and Staring at the Sun (i like the song but have to cut somewhere) and then add two hits to close the night that would be great. That'll leave people with that feeling that rare bands leave you with. U2 is really good at that as we all know.

It could be something like MLK-Streets or Bad-Streets or Streets-40 or something on those lines. Just need a better close. You could rearrange the set to have 13 and Love is better earlier with One or something. Needs a bigger finish!
 
I think we can all pretty much stop expecting Streets to return.

If they didn't play it in St Louis, where they had every reason to pull it out considering the canceled JT30 show, then there's no reason to them to play it at all.

They do not need Streets to improve the encore. They just need more energy. Obviously Streets would provide that, but so would many other songs they have in their catalog.
 
Moving Vertigo to the encore would be a real simple move to make people energized. In a show with so few "hits", this seems obvious for an encore. Why they keep insisting to put One as an encore song is beyond me. It could easily be fit in with Staring at the Sun.
 
So my thought on the closing songs and having energy is that it doesn’t have to be a high-octane song like Elevation, Electric Co or Vertigo, but at least have some heft on The Edge’s side of things. For example, arguably their best tour was ZooTV, so look at the last 5 songs on ZooTV Sydney Leg 5
-Daddy’s gonna pay
-Lemon
-With or without you
-Love is blindness
-Can’t help falling in love with you

3 of those were new(er) songs, 1 classic mid tempo and Daddy’s gonna pay was the only uptempo song. it’s possible to move parts around with the current i/e songs and maybe add in Red Flag Day as encore opener and you’ve got a nice closing set. Something like this:

Red Flag Day
Love is bigger...
One
13
Lights of Home
 
Amiarockstar said:
If they could drop You're the Best Thing about Me and Staring at the Sun (i like the song but have to cut somewhere) and then add two hits to close the night that would be great. That'll leave people with that feeling that rare bands leave you with. U2 is really good at that as we all know.
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WHAT?!?! Did you actually just suggest they play "HITS"?!?!? And actually suggest they play stuff that the crowd might actually LIKE or RECOGNIZE?!?!? Do you know where you're posting buddy?????

:D
 
Lol. It's not for me but for the general audience (casual fans) and the show itself. It was a great show no doubt but people were sitting for the newer songs and dancing and screaming for the hits.

Although my own classics suggestions like Promenade, Heartland, I Fall Down, 11 O'Clock Tick Tock, Tomorrow, Drowning Man and So Cruel would also be snoozers for the general audience except for maybe 11 O'Clock.
 
I would be interested in seeing U2 do a show purely of singles and/or songs that have become classic live cuts at some point.

Without even touching the last two albums I just went through their catalog and pulled out 52 songs. They could easily put together two unique sets with just their material from 1980 to 2004.

Sure it would be them literally turning into the "u2 jukebox" they said they never wanted to be,but shit... when you really lay out all of their better known songs it's an impressive group of tunes.
 
Acrobat was fucking blistering. Worth the price of the ticket alone.

The stretch from Elevation to Acrobat was fucking amazing. We were two feet from the e-stage and they basically played to us.

Great hearing Staring at the Sun again.

I like The Best Thing, but that acoustic version was too bland. I dislike American Soul and meh on Get Out if Your Own Way, but they both sounded surprisingly good.

I Will Follow and Gloria were awesome.

Would love to see New Years Day take the place of All Because of You. Or, The Fly, but that ain’t gonna happen.

I’m hoping they rethink The Blackout opening. The song’s got the balls to open but it seemed flat for some reason.

Love is a bigger was solid but overall, the encore could use an energy boost. Wild Horses would be welcome.

Overall, great show. On my way out the door for round two now.
 
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