The problem is the deep cuts on the AB album take up all the allowed deep cut spots in the setlist. If they did an acoustic set of all unknown Zooropa songs, then after that played 4 deep cuts from AB, they’d totally lose the crowd. Hence why even the acoustic set has to be more hits.
If it was 8 hits, a 4 song acoustic set, then 4 more hits, then an encore full of hits, they could get away with this album centric acoustic set in the middle.
As much as I’d prefer a mini set devoted to Zooropa or Pop, it was never gonna happen with this band.
Ok I take back my chagrin at not hanging out with you more at the show
some bro yakked all over the floor before the show even began on night one.
Are there a lot of casuals at these shows that didn’t know they had to sit through Achtung baby songs they never heard of?
For sure, even though I was quite happy in my section of the GA. Very little talking, and there were some enthusiastic fans around me who were going crazy for Acrobat for instance.
In any case, casuals can be as clueless as they were on the JT tour basically. There was one guy standing next to me in '17 in London who was looking bored out of his mind for the majority of the main set and then he went crazy for Elevation. Figures.
After the new year, I hope U2 opens the setlist more. I mean where is it in the rock and roll rulebook that says you must play every song from the "anniversary" album? They don't do that even when touring a new album.
Yes, AB is probably their best and most ground-breaking album, but those songs are far from U2's best songs live. And considering how many in the audience are casual fans, or even just Sphere-curious, U2 could have a much bigger impact, and perhaps prolong their career, which is obviously very important to them, playing a sort of live greatest hits. Pride, Bad, NYD, IWF, SBS, Stay, etc.
No thanks.
The problem is the deep cuts on the AB album take up all the allowed deep cut spots in the setlist. If they did an acoustic set of all unknown Zooropa songs, then after that played 4 deep cuts from AB, they’d totally lose the crowd. Hence why even the acoustic set has to be more hits.
If it was 8 hits, a 4 song acoustic set, then 4 more hits, then an encore full of hits, they could get away with this album centric acoustic set in the middle.
As much as I’d prefer a mini set devoted to Zooropa or Pop, it was never gonna happen with this band.
To be fair, I would be fine with the rest of the set list getting a reshuffle. But AB in its entirety please. The casuals can deal.
No thanks.
Seconded.
Acrobat and Love is Blindness were my two highlights.
Well that's more of an issue with how they've structured the show, by starting with the 7 best known AB songs one right after another, with the five least known sandwiching the acoustic set. I mean, if they were willing to change the order of the album and not even play all 12 songs consecutively, why bother keeping them together in blocks at all? If the deeper cuts were dispersed more, they could get away with more.
But I don't even need the deepest cuts. Zooropa was a pipe dream based on rehearsal reports. The album thing was based off Bono's remarks. I'm totally fine with them doing a 4 song greatest hits set in the middle, would just be a bit more interesting if there was more variety. If they need to do ISHF and Pride and Desire so they can also slot in Stay, that's fine. I just wish they'd actually slot in Stay!
I hope they figure out a better transition into Streets.
What they DO need is to smack Bono upside the head until he stops singing the SOS lyrics instead of the original.