Where's the damned new U2 album? Part III

[U2girl]

4 of their last 6 tours have been a mix of arenas and stadiums.

No. They tend to swing more to playing stadiums after Zoo TV but a worldwide arena tour might be a welcome change after 360.

360 and Popmart = all stadiums.

Elevation - vast majority of shows inarenas with a handful of stadium gigs (Slane 2x likely due to demand, Torino and I think the Waldbuhne venue in Germany).

Zoo TV did start in arenas for 2 legs (band were timid how AB would go over) but ultimately ended up playing a comfortable majority of shows in stadiums. Now this was a tour that worked much better in stadiums.

Vertigo was arguably the one true mixed tour, and even then they didn't mix it up during each tour legs; US all arenas/ROW all stadiums. Though with the sucess of Vertigo why they didn't go to US stadiums is a mystery...

Lovetown - arenas.

 

[Globo14]

Why they went to the effort to design a stage for 3 stadium sized shows I don't know.

It is indeed logistically interesting, but watching both the Slane Castle and Boston DVDs, you can tell that the outdoor stage was pretty basic and heavily based off of the arena setup.

 

[The_acrobat]

Joshua Tree 2nd and 3rd legs is the only real example of them touring a stadium and arena configuration simultaneously on a large scale, and I guess it was a logistical nightmare. Zoo TV and Vertigo kept their arena shows on entirely seperate legs from their stadium shows. Lovetown and Elevation were 95% arenas, with a handful of stadiums thrown in. Popmart and 360 were of course all stadiums.

Pretty much every other large scale band does stadiums and arenas simultaneously. Bruce, Madonna, Bon Jovi, Stones, it can't be that hard. With something like Popmart or 360, yes it would be hard, but productions like Elevation and Vertigo wouldn't have been that hard. Not sure what was so hard about the Joshua Tree tour. There was little more than lights and a PA system, and a large canvas backdrop for the outdoor shows.

 

[Mount Temple]

People don't rip NLOTH because of Fez. They rip it because of Crazy Tonight, Get on Your Boots and Stand Up Comedy.

This is what I enjoy about this site. I wish I had joined earlier. It is fun to read and participate in good natured discussions and debates with fellow U2 fans. Not just any fans, but ones who have a full knowledge of the band.

So after re-listening to all three albums of the 2000's. I have to agree with much that has been said on these posts.

I my earlier comments I talked about NLOTH as a "more alternative album" although PhilsFan is very right about: Crazy Tonight and Boots being a reason for "ragging". It seems the guys were not fully prepared to go all out in more experimentation as some tracks like "Crazy Tonight" would suggest.

Here is my breakdown:

-No Line On The Horizon
- Magnificent (musically and sonically like Pride part 2)
-Moment Of Surrender (fave song on the whole album: a pure classic!)
-Unknown Caller
-Fez Being Born
-White As Snow
-Breathe
-Cedars Of Lebanon.

These tracks above solidified a real enjoyment of the album as a whole and the fact that this many years on : U2 are still making exciting music unlike many of their contemporaries of the late 70's and early 80', who have packed it in or fallen into serious writer's block.

I still really do enjoy "Crazy Tonight", "Boots" and "Stand Up Comedy" as part and parcel of the whole NLOTH experience. So although the 2000's produced three albums of great quality music overall. Nobody is perfect, so I am fully prepared to accept less than classic material from a band of this age and their rich and historical body of work.

Thank you U2 for all the songs and I look forward to whatever music you release next. I am up for the ride.

 

[digitize]

Welcome to Interference, Mount Temple.

Also, everyone is forgetting that PopMart was not 100% a stadium tour. It had one solitary arena show, in Perth. 360 is the only true all-stadium tour that U2 have done, if one wishes to be overly pedantic.

 

[The_acrobat]

The unfortunate thing about NLOTH is that they chickened out, and it shows. You can really hear the Moroccan/Arabic undertones running through the album. Even "Crazy Tonight" and "Stand Up Comedy" you can use your imagination and hear their beginnings before they Lilly-whitewashed them. There was an earlier version of Magnificent which had more of this going on sonically, and it was certainly more interesting. Toss in "Winter" and "Every breaking wave", and toss off "GOYB", and keep the Moroccan vibe going and it probably would've been a more cohesive album.

Who knows, maybe the songs were just not very good before Lillywhite came along. NLOTH was never going to be a successful album anyway, following ATYCLB and HTDAAB the general public was due for a backlash and withdrawal (like previously with R&H and Pop). They should've taken this opportunity to make a truly unique and interesting album that they wanted to make, rather than worrying about HITZ!

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

Joshua Tree 2nd and 3rd legs is the only real example of them touring a stadium and arena configuration simultaneously on a large scale, and I guess it was a logistical nightmare. Zoo TV and Vertigo kept their arena shows on entirely seperate legs from their stadium shows. Lovetown and Elevation were 95% arenas, with a handful of stadiums thrown in. Popmart and 360 were of course all stadiums.

Pretty much every other large scale band does stadiums and arenas simultaneously. Bruce, Madonna, Bon Jovi, Stones, it can't be that hard. With something like Popmart or 360, yes it would be hard, but productions like Elevation and Vertigo wouldn't have been that hard. Not sure what was so hard about the Joshua Tree tour. There was little more than lights and a PA system, and a large canvas backdrop for the outdoor shows.

It was another time... getting the sound right on big concert shows wasn't as perfected as it is now... stage technology wasn't as advanced as it is now... bono's hairline wasn't as recessed as it is now. Lots of things were different.

It would be much easier to do now a days. If the Stones can put their "floating stage" from bigger bang in MSG one night and Giants Stadium the next, anything can be done.

If they had a desire to do it that way, U2 easily could. The question is would they want to.

 

[The_acrobat]

Welcome to Interference, Mount Temple.

Also, everyone is forgetting that PopMart was not 100% a stadium tour. It had one solitary arena show, in Perth. 360 is the only true all-stadium tour that U2 have done, if one wishes to be overly pedantic.

lol quite true, and highly unusual that they played that arena on Popmart. Never understood that.

Also Vertigo Japan was 3 arena shows, though they crammed the stadium set in there.

Also, Lovetown played 6 stadium shows, 4 in New Zealand, and 2 in Tokyo. 23 arena shows in Australia could've become like 8 stadium shows and saved them a boatload of time and energy.

Unforgettable Fire tour also had 2 stadium shows, Dublin Croke Park and Milton Keynes Bowl outside of London. Although they were more or less festivals with U2 headlining.

 

[Axver]

It was 26 years ago, but to this day they mostly stick to either arenas or stadiums during a tour.

And you're suggesting that's more due to a quote about the JT Tour that probably nobody involved even remembers saying, rather than to cater to the perceived demand at the time?

 

[youarenotimmune]

I hope they go on Conan to promote the new album

 

[The_acrobat]

I hope they go on Conan to promote the new album

I think they'll still probably do the standard Talk Shows/SNL circuit for this album, but it just won't be the overkill that the last album was. They gotta get the word out. Back in the 80s and 90s they didn't do these shows because they had MTV promoting them all the time. They kind of beat us over the head with NLOTH's promotion.

For some strange reason while the band were in NYC for Popmart, Bono and Larry only appeared on Letterman. Seems strange that the whole band wouldn't perform on the show, especially to give the struggling POP album a little shot in the arm.

 

[purpleoscar]

They should do a From the basement set for the new album.

Spoiler

Only cool bands like Radiohead do this

 

[subnet]

I think the album will be so good MTV will pre-empt their regularly scheduled reality tv show to air the first video.

Well, maybe MTV2. But people will take notice.

 

[The_acrobat]

They should do a From the basement set for the new album.

Spoiler

Only cool bands like Radiohead do this

I think NLOTH would've been a really cool album for U2 to do this. Set up in that beautiful building in Morocco and perform the whole album in it's entirety. This is a great idea. I love Radiohead's Basement session videos... they're such a great group of musicians.

 

[ChargedVT]

If the first single really is coming next month we'll no doubt hear of a video being shot for it in the coming weeks. Unless it's just a performance video of them playing the song in a studio, which I think they should avoid.
They are really keeping a tight lid on this. We dont even have any confirmed song titles, and that was something we used to always get months before.

 

[dabiggestu2fan]

If the first single really is coming next month we'll no doubt hear of a video being shot for it in the coming weeks. Unless it's just a performance video of them playing the song in a studio, which I think they should avoid.
They are really keeping a tight lid on this. We dont even have any confirmed song titles, and that was something we used to always get months before.

This is so much better! This way we don't hear crappy beach clips or crazy hype about how this album is their best ever etc etc. Without setting the expectations super high, why not let the music itself do the talking? The beach clips were great BUT because of their muffled sound and waves etc I think a lot of us expected the songs to be much more then they were. Also while I enjoyed the short video clips that U2 posted from time to time on the last album, a lot of those sounds did not make the album or if they did they were very different. This will be the first U2 album in a LONG time in which I will listen the first time without having any idea whatsoever how it will sound like. I love it! But I am sure the hype machine will start up anytime now, I don't think Bono can honestly keep so tight lipped for so long! Something is ganna give and he will say something even if the band members don't want him to!

 

[Mount Temple]

The unfortunate thing about NLOTH is that they chickened out, and it shows. You can really hear the Moroccan/Arabic undertones running through the album. Even "Crazy Tonight" and "Stand Up Comedy" you can use your imagination and hear their beginnings before they Lilly-whitewashed them. There was an earlier version of Magnificent which had more of this going on sonically, and it was certainly more interesting. Toss in "Winter" and "Every breaking wave", and toss off "GOYB", and keep the Moroccan vibe going and it probably would've been a more cohesive album.

Who knows, maybe the songs were just not very good before Lillywhite came along. NLOTH was never going to be a successful album anyway, following ATYCLB and HTDAAB the general public was due for a backlash and withdrawal (like previously with R&H and Pop). They should've taken this opportunity to make a truly unique and interesting album that they wanted to make, rather than worrying about HITZ!

Well said The_Acrobat well said. I feel like shaking my maracas to that very idea.

 

[youarenotimmune]

They should do a From the basement set for the new album.

That'd be great!

What'd be even better would be to perform the new album in its entirety in a club. I really enjoyed the Irving Plaza promo gig for ATYCLB. It'd be nine kinds of awesome if they performed the entire new album for a small, devoted group of fans in a similar setting!

 

[standrums]

Am I missing something here? Has some concrete news been announced then?

 

[purpleoscar]

That'd be great!

What'd be even better would be to perform the new album in its entirety in a club. I really enjoyed the Irving Plaza promo gig for ATYCLB. It'd be nine kinds of awesome if they performed the entire new album for a small, devoted group of fans in a similar setting!

What I like about it is that it gets you on YouTube forever and is the equivalent of Bono's goal to get people to listen to them just for the quality of the music and the performance.

Eg
http://youtu.be/RnS_sdBfy5w

 

[Super Yo]

Am I missing something here? Has some concrete news been announced then?

No. We're still waiting.

 

[AcrobatU2Pop]

I'm still thinking that we'll hear some concrete news regarding the first single in the last week of August. If we're all sitting around wondering where the news is in the first week of September, the album isn't coming in 2013.

 

[chrissybaby]

If we're all sitting around wondering where the news is in the first week of September, the album isn't coming in 2013.

This.

 

[ChargedVT]

Agree with the above. But I don't think they'll just leave us hanging for the rest of the year without any sort of info. If there's a delay I'm sure that, like last time, there will be another vague phrase about diving for oysters and finding pearls that will make it sound like the band are absolutely on fire.

 

[last unicorn]

Steve Lillywhite has tweeted earlier today that he's on the plane travelling to Nice airport. You know what that may mean and who he might be meeting in France, but who knows, maybe it's nothing.

 

[AcrobatU2Pop]

steve lillywhite has tweeted earlier today that he's on the plane travelling to nice airport. You know what that may mean and who he might be meeting in france, but who knows, maybe it's nothing.

noooooo!!!!!!!

 

[bono_212]

Dun dun da duuuuunnnnnnn

 

[AcrobatU2Pop]

What do you all think the "delay" announcment will sound like this time around?

Bono: Recording this album is so full of life that we just don't want to kill it yet.

Bono: 2013 just didn't feel like our year.

 

[purpleoscar]

What do you all think the "delay" announcment will sound like this time around?

Bono: Recording this album is so full of life that we just don't want to kill it yet.

Bono: 2013 just didn't feel like our year.

Steve said it could go two ways. Probably he's going to move it into the second way.

 

[Globo14]

What do you all think the "delay" announcment will sound like this time around?

Bono: Recording this album is so full of life that we just don't want to kill it yet.

Bono: 2013 just didn't feel like our year.

Bono: We're lost in the music.

Oh wait.