Setlist Discussion Part II - Spoilers Allowed, Enter At Your Own Risk

[Headache in a Suitcase]

this is one of those you had to be there moments isn't it?

Spoiler

oh wait [emoji38]



solid outing here gents, pure gold

 

[dan_smee]

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.

I’d prefer them go hard on all the AB stuff, then the acoustic set, then the hits. Could probably do the album rotation, or something like:

Zoo Station
The Fly
EBTTRT
MW
TTTYAATW
UV
Acrobat
So Cruel
UTEOTW
WGRYWH
One
Love is Blindness

Acoustic hits
3 of AIWIY/SHF/Pride/AOH/Desire/Walk On

Deeper cuts full band
3 of Discotheque/Please/The Wanderer/Gone/Zooropa/Stay

Hits as is (but fix the vertigo > streets mess)

If it was album/era rotation, 5 tracks from each of

Boy/October (early years): OOC, IWF, SFB (sos), October, Tick Tock

TUF: Pride, ASOH, Promenade, Bad, MLK

TJT/RAH: AIWIY, SHF, Desire, AOH, LRM

Zooropa/Pop: Zooropa, Discotheque, Please, Stay, The Wanderer

ATYCLB/HTDAAB/NLOTH: COBL, SYCMIOYO, Walk On, Stuck, Magnificent

Songs of: EBW, LOH, The Miracle, Love is Bigger, Little Things

 

[Irvine511]

All I Want is (to) Poo

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

An Pants Donn / That's Not A Fart

 

[DaveC]

U2 - Live out the Rear in Las Vegass

1. Poo Station

 

[lazarus]

Stuck in a Movement You Can't Get Out Of

A Room At The Shartbreak Hotel

Lavatory Rescue Me

 

[2861U2]

Slow Stool

Atomic Shitty

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

Get Out Your Poops

 

[gvox]

View attachment 14048

Ok I take back my chagrin at not hanging out with you more at the show

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

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.

 

[LuckyNumber7]

some bro yakked all over the floor before the show even began on night one.

Getting back at me for telling them all about the concert diaper I see.

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

I warned you not to drink the entire case of White Claws.

 

[Gonna Run 2 U]

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?

 

[djerdap]

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.

 

[david]

Weird, you’d think Achtung Baby was a good enough album to even draw in the casuals.

 

[The_acrobat]

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.

My friend that went with me to the JT17 Indy show was the same way. From SBS thru BTBS he was going crazy because it was all songs he knew. Then comes side 2 of JT, and he was bored. Then the encore comes, with the early 2000s triplets, and he was super excited again

 

[Maroon Bells]

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.

 

[Miroslava]

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.

 

[Miroslava]

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.

 

[rosephile]

No thanks.

I was thinking "no, don't give them ideas!"

 

[DomCobb]

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.

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!

 

[Irvine511]

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.

Hearing the second side of AB live was literally something I’ve been hoping for since … 1992. The Zooropa Dublin August ‘93 was my most cherished bootleg, especially that version of UV, and I loved the Arms/World from that show, despite or perhaps because of Naomi Campbell.

So Cruel and LIB were my Vegas highlights for that exact reason.

 

[djerdap]

No thanks.

Seconded.

And AB songs are some of their best live songs, including the deep cuts. Acrobat and Love is Blindness were my two highlights.

 

[Miroslava]

Seconded.
Acrobat and Love is Blindness were my two highlights.

Yessssssssssssssssssssssssssss

 

[david]

I hope they figure out a better transition into Streets.

 

[Maroon Bells]

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 thought given Stay's meaning, the fact that it was written on the ZooTV tour, and its connection to Sinatra, it might fit in well thematically. I suspect we'll here it in the '24 shows, if not sooner.

 

[dstalksalot]

I hope they figure out a better transition into Streets.

I've been thinking about this a lot, cause this hit me weird at first too ....but, it really is brilliant what they/he is doing thematically in that transition.....I just wish there was more of MOS to hit the theme home.....but it is there.

Think about it from a lyrical/ spiritual POV:


We're at a place called Vertigo (¿dónde está?)
Lights go down, and all I know
Is that you give me something
I can feel your love teaching me how
Your love is teaching me how
How to kneel
Kneel
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah

Transition into Moment of Surrender

At the moment of surrender
I folded to my knees

Transition into Streets.... transcendence...hope....heaven

I see what Bono is doing there.

 

[RoKKeR]

If I was tinkering with the set I’d definitely put one of the AB bangers in the 2nd AB set to spice it up a bit more, cause it’s definitely top heavy at the moment. But damn some of those deeper cut tunes were the best of the show for me, Love Is Blindness in particular was such a treat to hear live. The visual for it was so cool and Edge absolutely shredded the solo.

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

They don't need a better transition into Streets.

Streets is strong enough to stand on its own.

What they DO need is to smack Bono upside the head until he stops singing the SOS lyrics instead of the original.

 

[Miroslava]

What they DO need is to smack Bono upside the head until he stops singing the SOS lyrics instead of the original.