MERGED - > Opening night issues/ Bono's Outburst - What do you make of this?

[chazman151]

Just for Bono's outburst, I'm not gonna wear that silly mask he wants me to

 

[HCL]

Wow people like to gripe. I'd happily attend u2's worse show ever. And I'd bet it would be better than tons of other shows I've seen.

Exactly.

I see Interference is a teacup and somebody ordered a storm.

Omgzzz!!1!! U2 playdz 0nE?!??/!1

last night, i instructed my wife on how to set up our new dvd player. someone should start a thread about it and say that i beat her up.

Only if I can call the thread "Why Did Mikal LIE About Instructing His Wife On How To Set Up The DVD Player?"

or "i am ABSOLUTELY REPULSED by mikal's actions".

Please, no one locks this thread, it's the funniest one around.

 

[Anji]

Oh Did you see what Edge did there!? Years of Bono forgetting the words, Edge wanted to get in on the act and forget the melody

 

[cmaly]

Edge should have stopped Bono during Crazy Tonight... now THAT was dreadful.

 

[Hewson]

Outburst? Seriously?

Really...an outburst usually involves anger, say like Edgie at the end of this diddy:

YouTube - U2 - Gone live from Boston


or like Mikal belittling his wife and infant child after being unable to watch his beloved Super Bowl XXXI DVD.

 

[Swan269]

Now we should be glad they didn't start in the US! They get better as they go... always do.

 

[Swan269]

does that really qualify as an outburst?

no wasn't that bad...no worse than bono trying to get adams attention for that night in boston for 'out of control'

 

[mikal]

or like Mikal belittling his wife and infant child after being unable to watch his beloved Super Bowl XXXI DVD.

sad thing is it's true.

 

[Partyslammer]

A few things.

First off, to the person who complained about the opening night in San Diego for the Vertigo tour, I personally thought the band was in really good form and played very solid for most of that show despite a couple pretty minor flubs ("40" for example). I caught 4 of the first 6 shows that first leg including opening night for that tour and frankly I think that was the best start from a musical performance standpoint of any U2 tour since the Lovetown tour.

Regarding some of the very shaky performances from this tour's opening night, while I don't think it ranks up there with the first Popmart show in '97 in Las Vegas, considering how much and how intense rehearsals have been the past month, at times the band (especially during "One") looked pretty amateurish on that stage especially for their 30 years worth of experience. It's certainly not the end of the world, the tour or "One" being played live and as the tour progresses, things will tighten up and this will be forgotten.

My only real concern is u2 is a band that for better or worse *needs* to play constantly or rust quickly sets in. The Vertigo tour is a good example where the first 2- 3 weeks intense run of shows really seasoned the band quickly to the point they were playing near or at the peak of their abilities very early in the tour.

The very long breaks between shows undoubtably means it's likely going to take a lot longer than past tours to get a live groove down where they're playing an entire set with confidence.

Lastly, I'm a bit bummed they appear to have shelved "Drowning Man" at least in the short term. The snippets of the rehearsals of the song indicate they really worked hard to make the performance something special. Maybe they feel the setlist as it stands is challenging enough as it is to a stadium audience with many classic old warhorse tunes not being included this time around.

T.B.

 

[fishlips]

Sounded to me like Bono's the one who messed up, and he was just trying to alert Edge to go back to the start of the verse in order to get back on track.

What I find amusing is that of all their songs, this is the one that grinds to a halt? I'm sure they'll soon be laughing about it - if not today, then once the performances hit their stride.

 

[david]

That's what they get for trying to play a song they rehearsed for the night before. They should have played A Room at the Heartbreak Hotel, or Boomerange II. OMG repetitive setlists!!!

*/end crappy attitude of someone who just reads setlists on the internet and complains about lack of variety in setlists*

 

[financeguy]

Or you can say, I was there the night Bono fell off stage, the night Eddie started the wrong song, or the night a bug flew into Fiona's mouth(ok that had nothing to do with opening night but it was hilarious)...

Rock bands are human, part of the magic comes from the humanity; it's a little different than the symphony or a play(although I've seen my fair share of mistakes in those as well). The difference being the mistakes in the latter two overshadow.

What did those paying the priciest tickets miss out on tonight?

You know, your casual and rude dismissal of anyone that says anything remotely critical of U2 is getting really tiresome.

BTW, of the limited amount I've seen on Youtube, I liked the performances, but I'm not going to dismiss the comments of someone that was actually there.

Fortunately, U2 themselves do not have the same casual attitude as some of their 'fans', and I have no doubt will work on the areas for improvement.

It's downright insulting to say that people in this time of economic hardship shouldn't expect high standards of the bands they pay to see.

 

[monsieur fly]

It's complete disasters like that rendition of One which make U2 an inferior live act to Queen in my view (though still great). At Rock In Rio, Freddie Mercury roared the band into the middle eight a verse too early but they just picked up seamlessly from the bassline and went into the next verse- in fact on the face of it no mistake was actually made. For some reason U2 seem very shaky on occasions and can't seem to improvise their way out without a big fuss. I'm sure they'll be fine but there really is no excuse for this, 1st night or not- they've had enough time to rehearse.

 

[telephone88]

I was there front row GA. Bono had earpiece problems for some duration of the show (notably during the Unknown Caller solo) and again during One. I heard him mention pitch problems to Willie then he and Edge lost earpiece communication so Bono had to resort to speaking to him over the mic, it all went tit over arse, Bono asked them to stop for a sec and on they went. . . Thats how I saw it from a few yards away

 

[BVS]

You know, your casual and rude dismissal of anyone that says anything remotely critical of U2 is getting really tiresome.

Rude dismissal? Is this one of those days where you're just looking to pick a fight? It's not going to happen.

 

[BVS]

It's complete disasters like that rendition of One which make U2 an inferior live act to Queen in my view (though still great).

Queen had plenty of fights on stage and screw ups... We just didn't have youtube back then.

 

[zoocarolina]

Once I heard the aud again, it wasn't that bad, I thought Bono was actually quite gentlemenly about the whole thing. Nit pick if you ask me, 95% of the show is great and we likt to bitch about the 5%, I guess that's why we're hardcore motherfers!!!!

 

[ZooMacPhisto800]

Some people feel they need to help Bono et al across the street like they're little old ladies...


Seriously, I don't think U2 got much out of that set either. If U2 only occasionally sang WOWY, I think it'd be a more powerful experience... right now, I find I sing my heart out, and it's all "been there, done that" for the band. Who writes these setlists? I wonder if all members have input... I wonder if we'll one day read an autobiography that says Adam dictated what would be in the sets... he was impossible to work with.

 

[luna_lovegood]

I see Interference is a teacup and somebody ordered a storm.

I'd say its more like U2 is the shit and Interference is the fan

 

[coach]

Listening to the bootleg, during One Bono had some IEM issues during the second chorus, so he says to go back to the second verse. Edge continues on the third verse, so when they get to the second chorus for the second time edge is playing the "love is a temple" bit and that just throws everything off.Even after bono counts them back in you can hear terry in the keyboards being somewhere completely different and he just gets dropped from the mix.

 

[Rob33]

It's complete disasters like that rendition of One which make U2 an inferior live act to Queen in my view (though still great). At Rock In Rio, Freddie Mercury roared the band into the middle eight a verse too early but they just picked up seamlessly from the bassline and went into the next verse- in fact on the face of it no mistake was actually made. For some reason U2 seem very shaky on occasions and can't seem to improvise their way out without a big fuss. I'm sure they'll be fine but there really is no excuse for this, 1st night or not- they've had enough time to rehearse.

ummmm....

Fucking up on One opening night has nothing to do with U2 being an inferior live act to Queen....

 

[bazza]

there was humor in it...plus they'd argue all the time behind the scenes like most close friends do

 

[smuts]

I opened this thread expecting to find that Bono had marched up to Edge, screamed and swore at him over the screw up then smashed up his Gibson..........

 

[Axver]

I opened this thread expecting to find that Bono had marched up to Edge, screamed and swore at him over the screw up then smashed up his Gibson..........

Now that would've been entertainment!

 

[monsieur fly]

ummmm....

Fucking up on One opening night has nothing to do with U2 being an inferior live act to Queen....

Yes it does because that simply wouldn't happen with Queen. Bands should not treat 1st nights as effective rehearsals- people have paid for those tickets.

 

[monsieur fly]

Queen had plenty of fights on stage and screw ups... We just didn't have youtube back then.

One near fight- at the San Remo festival in 1984, which Freddie broke up and that was entirely unconnected with the performance. I have read up on Queen's touring history quite closely and they never had the problems U2 seem to have. Songs did not break down on first nights because they had rehearsed properly beforehand- that's why they were so good at Live Aid.

 

[BVS]

One near fight- at the San Remo festival in 1984, which Freddie broke up and that was entirely unconnected with the performance. I have read up on Queen's touring history quite closely and they never had the problems U2 seem to have. Songs did not break down on first nights because they had rehearsed properly beforehand- that's why they were so good at Live Aid.

I'm sorry but the idea that you are comparing Freddie having to break up a fight to this is laughable. I too have read a lot about Queen, and opening night or not they had restarts and they had fights.

 

[monsieur fly]

I'm sorry but the idea that you are comparing Freddie having to break up a fight to this is laughable. I too have read a lot about Queen, and opening night or not they had restarts and they had fights.

San Remo was the most famous fight-that's all I am saying. I assume it was the one to which you were referring. The point I am making is that other bands do not invariably have these moments on 1st nights. I get really tired of reading posts from people who think all of this is somehow excusable. It plainly isn't. I can understand if the performances lacked a bit of tightness on a first night but outright mistakes are not good enough.

 

[BVS]

San Remo was the most famous fight-that's all I am saying. I assume it was the one to which you were referring. The point I am making is that other bands do not invariably have these moments on 1st nights. I get really tired of reading posts from people who think all of this is somehow excusable. It plainly isn't. I can understand if the performances lacked a bit of tightness on a first night but outright mistakes are not good enough.

I've heard of Queen and Zepelin having nights like this and I've seen PJ, Radiohead, Ryan Adams(even sober), James, and REM have little mistakes like this... It happens they are not machines. It's not an excuse it's just human. I find it odd that you think bands don't make mistakes.

According to your line of thinking Guns N Roses is the worse band in the world.

 

[Hewson]

I have read up on Queen's touring history quite closely and they never had the problems U2 seem to have. .

So you figure back in the pre-internet days, every minute detail about every Queen concert was put into print so you could read about it 30 years later?
You don't think maybe there were mistakes that went unreported because Joe Fan didn't have a forum to tell the rest of the world like he has today?
How many of the perfect Queen shows did you attend?