DRay9911
Rock n' Roll Doggie FOB
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San Jose #2 Setlist Party
- Thread starter prbiker15
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The friendliest place on the web for anyone that follows U2.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
superchuk5
Refugee
I think the space theme got only one song at each show
They did the bare minimum thematically, but it was one helluva visual show
Well the intro song was Major Tom... Bono would call the claw a "spaceship" a few times... In A Little While/Your Blue Room and Beautiful Day all got spaceship type treatments, international space station and all, and they added the alien video thing before the encore.
So they did try to play it up a little... but hea, for the most part the theme of 360 was "holy shit look at how big this thing is"
This is also a theme of Lance's mom.
On the note of the 360 Tour, some thought that went in to the 2009 setlists (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/U2_360°_Tour):
“Bono stated that the setlist was divided into two acts and a coda. The first half, from "Breathe" to "Vertigo", focused on the personal, where Bono "envisages himself as a young man, struggling to find his feet in life and in search of some kind of personal epiphany."[70] The remix version of "I'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight" was created by the music team Fish out of Water as a mashup of previous remixes by Redanka and Dirty South.[93] The "I'll Go Crazy" remix is intended to disorient the audience as the band moves into the second act, "Sunday Bloody Sunday" to the encore, which focuses more on the political aspect of Bono's persona, where he "[wrestles] with the problems of the wider world."[70] The coda, showcased in the encore, displays U2 "at their most raw and vulnerable, stripped to the metaphorical bone.”
I’m quoting Wikipedia because the original source article seems to have vanished (including on the Wikipedia citation itself), but I do remember reading it back in 2009.
Of course, that was the 2009 show... 2010 had an element of “NLOTH flopped now what do we do”, while 2011 had an element of ZooTV 2.0.
“Bono stated that the setlist was divided into two acts and a coda. The first half, from "Breathe" to "Vertigo", focused on the personal, where Bono "envisages himself as a young man, struggling to find his feet in life and in search of some kind of personal epiphany."[70] The remix version of "I'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight" was created by the music team Fish out of Water as a mashup of previous remixes by Redanka and Dirty South.[93] The "I'll Go Crazy" remix is intended to disorient the audience as the band moves into the second act, "Sunday Bloody Sunday" to the encore, which focuses more on the political aspect of Bono's persona, where he "[wrestles] with the problems of the wider world."[70] The coda, showcased in the encore, displays U2 "at their most raw and vulnerable, stripped to the metaphorical bone.”
I’m quoting Wikipedia because the original source article seems to have vanished (including on the Wikipedia citation itself), but I do remember reading it back in 2009.
Of course, that was the 2009 show... 2010 had an element of “NLOTH flopped now what do we do”, while 2011 had an element of ZooTV 2.0.
I saw nine 360 shows and listened to streams of the vast majority of the rest, and this never ever would've occurred to me.
These themes are bullshit.
Thanks for sharing... that sounded pretty bad-ass.... I'm liking their performances so far, I hope it continues to the east coast.
TheGeekyU2Fan
War Child
And then they never played it again. 
MFF0RD9
The Fly
kinda surprised only 1 different song between nights 1 and 2. some different snippets, but still.
I+E had more swaps between consecutive nights at the same venue iirc. 2nd act shouldn't be so set in stone, but what do i know.
I+E had more swaps between consecutive nights at the same venue iirc. 2nd act shouldn't be so set in stone, but what do i know.
superchuk5
Refugee
Thus less pressure to change it up. It makes for less interesting home viewing, but I don't have grounds for complaint if they basically play the same setlist in all the different cities. Each city is a fresh audience.
On the other hand, only 1 song difference between two consecutive shows in the same city is disappointing. It's good to throw some bones to the (I'm gonna guess hundreds of) fans who go on consecutive nights.
tommycharles
War Child
- Joined
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Also, the "personal -> political" flow has been used by JT '87, PopMart, Vertigo, and IE/EI. To the extent that it was also true in '09, it's just U2 in their default setlisting mode.
brooklynmike
Refugee
You’d think, but I’m not sure they have a good track record of switching it up in NY. If my memory is correct they played a total of 47 shows at MSG in 2015 and the only bone they threw was Lady Gaga. Two Hearts Beat as One, Troubles, Lucifer we’re also sprinkled in once.
Chicago and Boston always seem to get the best surprises.
Pop Artist
Rock n' Roll Doggie VIP PASS
You forgot The Roots and Jimmy Fallon one night, and Bruce Springsteen another night.
First 2 Hearts and October in 20+ years, Party Girl, Volcano, Bad, Troubles, All I Want is You w Shine Like Stars, Gaga, Paul Simon, Bruce, 40. It was quite a run.
superchuk5
Refugee
Yeah, the 8 NYC shows may have been the most static longterm engagement of the North America leg. Foreshadowed the Euro leg in a way.
Right... but wouldn't ya know the two shows in that run that I don't go to got Two Hearts, The Troubles and Bruce Springsteen.
Sons. Of. Bitches.
brooklynmike
Refugee
Alright, it’s actually a better sprinkle of surprises than I remember.
I think I’m blacking that MSG run out, still bitter over my bad gamble.
I’d flown out to visit the family for a few days and I saw they were rehearsing Two Hearts and would likely play it that night so I head over to MSG around noon in sweltering heat in search of a ticket. Turned down a ton of scalper tickets, refreshing stub hub every 5 minutes and only seeing nosebleeds for around $280. I ended up in line at the box office pen from 2-9 and not a decent ticket dropped. I finally heard The Miracle start and the line dissolved. Walked away dehydrated, and watching Two Hearts on Periscope in a pizza joint with the last ounce of juice on my phone.
Note to self: when in NY, just buy the damn nosebleed seat.
I think I’m blacking that MSG run out, still bitter over my bad gamble.
I’d flown out to visit the family for a few days and I saw they were rehearsing Two Hearts and would likely play it that night so I head over to MSG around noon in sweltering heat in search of a ticket. Turned down a ton of scalper tickets, refreshing stub hub every 5 minutes and only seeing nosebleeds for around $280. I ended up in line at the box office pen from 2-9 and not a decent ticket dropped. I finally heard The Miracle start and the line dissolved. Walked away dehydrated, and watching Two Hearts on Periscope in a pizza joint with the last ounce of juice on my phone.
Note to self: when in NY, just buy the damn nosebleed seat.
Don't forget ZooTV style Satellite Of Love.
dan_smee
ONE love, blood, life
Chances of a Summer of Love debut w Gaga in NYC?
superchuk5
Refugee
When I say the run was static, I'm thinking of how Elevation, Ordinary Love, Desire, and Angel of Harlem kept showing up. The standard from previous cities was that the e stage would get a new set of songs almost every night.
True, there were some special moments in NYC. Fallon, Gaga, Springsteen. It all counts for something!
In terms of setlist structure, recent tours have definitely been more static than past ones. Elevation and Vertigo, if a city got to a third or fourth night, would have some real curveballs - sometimes in song choice, sometimes in structure. The run of four shows in Chicago in 2001 is instructive. Start here and click through to the next three: U2 Chicago, 2001-05-12, United Center, Elevation Tour - U2 on tour
By the time you get to the fourth you get a wacky ZooTV throwback to open the show that they never did again on that tour.
IE was definitely more static in structure than you'd expect from an arena tour with lots of multiple dates. It had plenty of songs rotating through - the band had more in their repertoire than perhaps ever before. But there were only a tiny number of slots where they'd come in, and the overall structure was rarely altered even a little.
In the past you'd think one of those NY/NJ shows would end up with some show that starts with five totally unexpected songs after Blackout (not necessarily tour debuts or rarities, just songs that are normally elsewhere in the set). But after how static 2015 and 2017 were, perhaps those expectations should be tempered.
By the time you get to the fourth you get a wacky ZooTV throwback to open the show that they never did again on that tour.
IE was definitely more static in structure than you'd expect from an arena tour with lots of multiple dates. It had plenty of songs rotating through - the band had more in their repertoire than perhaps ever before. But there were only a tiny number of slots where they'd come in, and the overall structure was rarely altered even a little.
In the past you'd think one of those NY/NJ shows would end up with some show that starts with five totally unexpected songs after Blackout (not necessarily tour debuts or rarities, just songs that are normally elsewhere in the set). But after how static 2015 and 2017 were, perhaps those expectations should be tempered.
TheGeekyU2Fan
War Child
We've had Magnificent in Amsterdam too.
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