SPOILERS U2 eXPERIENCE + iNNOCENCE Tour Rehearsals/Soundcheck Thread SPOILERS

[Axver]

I wonder during which song Bono will invite a fan on stage. I doubt that he will drop that habit. Some more filming maybe like in 2015? I really doubt they will use that wheel we saw in a picture...

Maybe that wheel will have all eleven JT songs on it, and they'll get somebody up to spin it each night, and by some freaky coincidence every single time it'll land on ISHFWILF and the crowd member gets to be part of some lame fan chorus on stage.

Or maybe it'll be the Ordinary Love video clip chorus! Ooh goody!

 

[BVS]

Not sure of the exact show but it probably was Seattle as I remember hearing about it very early on in the tour.



It made me laugh because I could totally picture Bono doing that!

In other words, George just fell for another joke and thought it was real.

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

Today we will pick a random fan from the audience to pick a song from Edge's beanie.


Okay what's your name? Amp? Ok Amp, pick a song. In A Little While. Okay Edge, play the blues.

 

[superchuk5]

Maybe that wheel will have all eleven JT songs on it, and they'll get somebody up to spin it each night, and by some freaky coincidence every single time it'll land on ISHFWILF and the crowd member gets to be part of some lame fan chorus on stage.

Or maybe it'll be the Ordinary Love video clip chorus! Ooh goody!

What is this wheel?

 

[RoKKeR]

I always thought ending on a low key tune was an odd way to close a show. Yes 40 works when the crowd joins in but it still wasn’t a blood pumping moment. When they do the surprise “I will Follow” or “out of control” type song, people leave with an extra pep in their step. It’s a good way to close out.

I always thought closing with Streets would have been interesting.

Agreed. When they closed with I Will Follow at the Rose Bowl show I went to last year the place was buzzing immediately when they walked off. When they close with slower stuff it just... ends. Hell even MOS- which I love- was an odd choice for this reason.

I think I'm ok with the first half being roughly the same... Blackout will be a great opener and it will use all of the great staging from the first tour. The second half I'm concerned about, and put Streets in!

 

[Jim]

Exactly.

yes, thank you.

 

[Jim]

I agree that the majority will recognize it, but probably in the vein of "this sounds familiar" but know it word for word like we do? Nope.

I think a lot of people on this site lose sight of the fact that the vast majority of fans are not obsessed super fans as we are. Nearly every person I know who is a fan has at one time or another listened to Achtung or TJT, but I would say a good chunk of the casual fan base rarely listens to full albums. Especially in the era of music streaming. Of the group of 8 that I went to JT30 with, only 2 of us had regularly listened to anything other than the "big 3." From where I was on the floor, this seemed to be the overall feeling in the stadium as there was a huge lull in fan enthusiasm after side A. Not to say people didn't enjoy it or that it wasn't great, but people were clearly less familiar with every songs after Bullet. It would be the same--even more so considering Achtung wasn't quite as huge as TJT--for the deeper cuts off of Achtung Baby. This was a huge album yes, but huge nearly 3 decades ago.

To say that people who are shelling out $350 per ticket won't be familiar with every song off of Achtung Baby? Totally plausible. U2 shows are an event--a must see act. A lot of people going will be casual "greatest hits" fans, spouses and other people just going to see what the fuss is about.

UV got a great reaction on 360 because it was absolutely stunning visually, theatrically and sounded killer. Not to mention it is a pretty catchy/poppy chorus. The pulled out all stops and it was one of the absolute highlights of the show. If U2 are able to pull the same off with Acrobat, I would be thrilled. I'll be pumped to hear it live regardless how it is received by the crowd.

In reality, anyone who claims without reservation that Acrobat will be widely recognized or barely recognizable to the average fan is completely talking out of their ass. Unless somehow I missed the study that came out polling U2 concert goers about their listening habits, patterns, or knowledge of non singles cuts.

Hell, my own girlfriend of 4 years, who I thought I had "trained" well when it came to U2 and converted into a fan didn't recognize COBL or Bad (BAD!!) when we saw the band in Chicago 2015.

I agree - expect the unexpected otherwise it's worthless

 

[prbiker15]

So I don't think there will be any rehearsals tonight or tomorrow - Bono's in Dallas with Dubya.

 

[BigMacPhisto]

Seems like the rehearsal from last night is basically what the show happens to be except I don't think it includes a 2 or 3 song B-stage section. Desire, Vertigo, The Showman and You're The Best Thing About Me all appeared where that section would likely be and then were cut from the show runthrough last night. So, I would say that they are the current b-side pool. Acrobat, The Fly and Horses are all possibilities as well when the band feels like it and/or feels they have those songs up to speed.

It's nice that "Iris" made it's way back because that's the best song from SOI. Unfortunately, the studio version was absolute garbage, but the live version was a tour highlight. Looks like the entire six song "Let's revisit our youth" from the last tour has returned.

HMTMKMKM is likely going to be played within the screen a la Invisible/EBTTRT.

It was easy to see Pride/American Soul/City lining up, but didn't expect Get Out Of Your Own Way to also be there.

Crazy that the potential regular set that most nights will be built on has zero songs from Joshua Tree and one good live song from Achtung Baby (One does not count).



This section is where they will win back people whose interest wanes with the "new" numbers being played:

“Until the End of the World”
“Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me”
“Elevation”
"(B-Stage songs)"
“Staring at the Sun”
“Pride (In the Name of Love)”


But then what's after that is pretty dismal. Only "City" seems to redeem a painfully dull final third. 10 songs from the thoroughly mediocre last two LPs is pretty crazy.

 

[superchuk5]

So I don't think there will be any rehearsals tonight or tomorrow - Bono's in Dallas with Dubya.

Any idea when they'll be back / when they move to Tulsa?

 

[prbiker15]

Well, the arena that they're rehearsing in now is free until a Kygo concert (ha!) on May 1st. Tulsa's BOK Center is free after a Judas Priest concert on April 26th. I could see them loading out and moving to Tulsa sometime next week.

 

[superchuk5]

I wonder if there will be some kind of preview article. Like how NYT did a piece before the 2015 opening night in Vancouver.

That would be the kind of platform where we could get some clarity on the whole JT situation. If they were really sticking to that, it would be in the article (although I imagine it would be bad marketing for the cities that didn't just get JT shows).

 

[blueskies]

I always thought ending on a low key tune was an odd way to close a show. Yes 40 works when the crowd joins in but it still wasn’t a blood pumping moment. When they do the surprise “I will Follow” or “out of control” type song, people leave with an extra pep in their step. It’s a good way to close out.

I always thought closing with Streets would have been interesting.

Absolutely disagree. When the entire arena in 2015 sang along to 40, continuing after the band left, even in the hallways, that was pretty damn magical.

Well, the arena that they're rehearsing in now is free until a Kygo concert (ha!) on May 1st. Tulsa's BOK Center is free after a Judas Priest concert on April 26th. I could see them loading out and moving to Tulsa sometime next week.

I would assume U2 to move in as early as possible, so april 27th. That will leave them 5 days for rehearsal in Tulsa. Which in turn means that they will move out of the venue in Laval on the 25th.

 

[lmerrin]

I think it's right to leave TJT off this tour. Those songs need to rest because Bono has been singing them (and a lot of classics like Bad, SBS, Pride, etc.) for a long time with a lot of apathy.

A good setlist in my opinion would be something like this (some rare tracks and bringing Pop and NLOTH back):

SET 1

Love Is All We Have Left (only Bono)
The Blackout
Lights Of Home
You're The Best Thing About Me
Get Out Of Your Own Way
Beautiful Day
Gone
Last Night On Earth
Until The End Of The World
Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses
Acrobat
Hold Me Thrill Me Kiss Me Kill Me

SET 2
Raised By Wolves
Cedarwood Road
In A Little While
Staring At The Sun
No Line On The Horizon
Breathe
Mysterious Ways (long version)
Dirty Day

ENCORE

Hawkmoon 269
American Soul
Every Breaking Wave (full band)
Love Is Bigger Than Anything In Its Way
13 (There Is A Light)

 

[rennowba]

That set list would be aimed at a very small minority

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

I think it's right to leave TJT off this tour. Those songs need to rest because Bono has been singing them (and a lot of classics like Bad, SBS, Pride, etc.) for a long time with a lot of apathy.

A good setlist in my opinion would be something like this (some rare tracks and bringing Pop and NLOTH back):

SET 1

Love Is All We Have Left (only Bono)
The Blackout
Lights Of Home
You're The Best Thing About Me
Get Out Of Your Own Way
Beautiful Day
Gone
Last Night On Earth
Until The End Of The World
Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses
Acrobat
Hold Me Thrill Me Kiss Me Kill Me

SET 2
Raised By Wolves
Cedarwood Road
In A Little While
Staring At The Sun
No Line On The Horizon
Breathe
Mysterious Ways (long version)
Dirty Day

ENCORE

Hawkmoon 269
American Soul
Every Breaking Wave (full band)
Love Is Bigger Than Anything In Its Way
13 (There Is A Light)

This show would be phenomenal for us, and awful for everyone else.

 

[lmerrin]

That set list would be aimed at a very small minority

I know

 

[U2freakboy]

I’m ok with this set list. The Joshua Tree Songs need a break. Even most of the casual fans have heard them live a few times at this point. If I have any complaint, it’s the absence of a few of the better songs on this album — Red Flag Day, Summer of Love and Little Things.

I do think the set list reveals the next single, Love is Bigger. If Summer of Love or Red Flag were in the running, certainly they would be playing them.

 

[AiRMaRcI9o0]

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bhyq9kchJFQ/?hl=en&taken-by=u2

First glimpse of the "augmented reality" visuals?

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bhyq9kchJFQ/?hl=en&taken-by=u2

First glimpse of the "augmented reality" visuals?

Did they take this down already or is my phone just fucked up?


Edit - wifi was fucked up, it's still there.

That's not augmented reality. Those are spotlights.

If you want to see a first glimpse of augmented reality, check out the tour trailer. They snuck it in there.

It's also something that in person you'd only be able to see by using your phone.

 

[The_acrobat]

It’s funny how Bono went from yelling at someone for being on their phone during a Vertigo concert to making phones an essential part of the show!

 

[blueskies]

Did they take this down already or is my phone just fucked up?


Edit - wifi was fucked up, it's still there.

That's not augmented reality. Those are spotlights.

If you want to see a first glimpse of augmented reality, check out the tour trailer. They snuck it in there.

It's also something that in person you'd only be able to see by using your phone.

Not really. What we saw in the promo picture from Live Nation would be holograms, and those can absolutely be seen without a phone. Don't know if at the time those pictures were published someone posted this on here, but you could imagine something like what Eric Prydz did:

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

Not really. What we saw in the promo picture from Live Nation would be holograms, and those can absolutely be seen without a phone. Don't know if at the time those pictures were published someone posted this on here, but you could imagine something like what Eric Prydz did:

A hologram is not augmented reality.

They didn't say they were using holograms. They said they were using AR.

AR can not be seen by the naked eye - thus the name.

 

[blueskies]

A hologram is not augmented reality.

They didn't say they were using holograms. They said they were using AR.

AR can not be seen by the naked eye - thus the name.

Nope, holograms (i.e. projections) are AR (unlike VR which would not take place in the arena without any device).
In case you haven't read this, it's quite interesting:
u2songs | #U2eiTour & Augmented Reality: The latest and greatest in software, hardware, and menswear |

And the promotional pictures showing young Bono projected in the air beside the screen are quite explicit actually.

 

[nbelcik]

I’m ok with this set list. The Joshua Tree Songs need a break. Even most of the casual fans have heard them live a few times at this point. If I have any complaint, it’s the absence of a few of the better songs on this album — Red Flag Day, Summer of Love and Little Things.

I do think the set list reveals the next single, Love is Bigger. If Summer of Love or Red Flag were in the running, certainly they would be playing them.

I'll never understand why they feel the JT songs need to take a break because they played them every night last year, but not apply that logic to SBS, Pride, Beautiful Day, Vertigo, Elevation, and other songs they've been rehearsing that were played last year.

 

[U2freakboy]

I'll never understand why they feel the JT songs need to take a break because they played them every night last year, but not apply that logic to SBS, Pride, Beautiful Day, Vertigo, Elevation, and other songs they've been rehearsing that were played last year.

I wouldn’t panic. I would bet Streets shows up many nights on this tour.

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

Nope, holograms (i.e. projections) are AR (unlike VR which would not take place in the arena without any device).
In case you haven't read this, it's quite interesting:
u2songs | #U2eiTour & Augmented Reality: The latest and greatest in software, hardware, and menswear |

And the promotional pictures showing young Bono projected in the air beside the screen are quite explicit actually.

AR is placing images in the users field of view. VR is replacing the entire world, and this would never be used in a typical concert setting.

Projected AR is still projected on something, despite what that link says.



Holograms have also 100% been used in major concerts before... so I doubt they'd be hyping it up if that's what they were going with.

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

 

[blueskies]

AR is placing images in the users field of view. VR is replacing the entire world, and this would never be used in a typical concert setting.

Projected AR is still projected on something, despite what that link says.



Holograms have also 100% been used in major concerts before... so I doubt they'd be hyping it up if that's what they were going with.

Yes, it has been used before. But I do find the images quite explicit. Also using phones or glasses or whatever other "device" in a concert setting just doesn't make any sense, even for seats.

Anyway, I didn't want to go so far off topic I'm excited to see what they will use either way. Considering taking a seat for the first time in my life just for that (just once, the rest will be GA )

Back to setlist: I'm slightly (actually very) annoyed by this Iris video they posted. Now bragging about playing a song that's been played every single night of the i+e tour? WTF?

 

[TheGeekyU2Fan]

I think it's right to leave TJT off this tour. Those songs need to rest because Bono has been singing them (and a lot of classics like Bad, SBS, Pride, etc.) for a long time with a lot of apathy.

A good setlist in my opinion would be something like this (some rare tracks and bringing Pop and NLOTH back):

SET 1

Love Is All We Have Left (only Bono)
The Blackout
Lights Of Home
You're The Best Thing About Me
Get Out Of Your Own Way
Beautiful Day
Gone
Last Night On Earth
Until The End Of The World
Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses
Acrobat
Hold Me Thrill Me Kiss Me Kill Me

SET 2
Raised By Wolves
Cedarwood Road
In A Little While
Staring At The Sun
No Line On The Horizon
Breathe
Mysterious Ways (long version)
Dirty Day

ENCORE

Hawkmoon 269
American Soul
Every Breaking Wave (full band)
Love Is Bigger Than Anything In Its Way
13 (There Is A Light)

This would be the best setlist for me. Now THIS is a setlist.