Yeah, I have to agree. Some live version recently (certain songs, ONE can be one of them) are just not sung with passion. WOWOY is one of them. It does irk me a bit because i listen to old bootlegs and you can hear the passion running through those same songs being played now a days. It has to start from somewhere and if Bono is just half-ass singing it, then the rest of the band kinda falls flat. I know they are not perfect and can't be every night but Bono, just sing the songs the right way, please? Study the lyric's and don't change them...
I hate that this is what we're getting on the DVD:
YouTube - U2 rose bowl 2009 with or without you
Is it just me or does Bono only sing like half the lyrics?
See the stone...set in your....eyes?
See the...thorn twist...in uh, your side
I wait....for...???
Sleight of hand, twist of fate
Bed of nails.....makes me wait
And I wait without you
With or without you
Through the storm...reach the shore
Give it all, I want more
And I'm wait...for you
With or without you.
With or without you.
Give yourself away.
Give yourself away.
It gets better once Edge's backing vocals come in, as it actually sounds like
he still enjoys the song somewhat, but it's still a dirge.
Compare that with this performance:
YouTube - U2 - With or without you - Zoo Tv
Technically imperfect, but oh God, so much soul. The arrangement is absolutely brilliant, Edge sending off these beautiful waves of sound, Larry kick starting the song in exactly the right spot, it all sounds full and complete. And Edge's soloing from 4:47 on? Forget about it. At some point, subjective taste goes out the window. This is just way, way better.
I suppose I feel the same way about One, but honestly, I don't think there's any live performance of the song that managed to surpass the album version. That version is too raw and emotional to be matched, especially once it had been played 100+ times.