Create A Greatest Hits Style Tour Setlist

[Headache in a Suitcase]

I'm going to give the no-repeats-over-two-nights thing a go. We all know U2 would never shake it up like this, but let's see what it would look like if they did. Obviously I need to cast the net a bit more broadly than just the Best Ofs/U2:18, because that's not enough songs, but sticking with songs that have been live staples or made a dent in the charts. I have also allowed each set one relatively prominent post-HTDAAB song.

Arrows indicate potential segues.

NIGHT ONE
(This night gets a serious political sequence in the middle. The songs beforehand, SYCMIOYO/Stuck/Stay, could be seen as a personal segment, the general theme being about the personal being political. It could be an acoustic section but hell no - could get too slow anyway, without the likes of Stuck being full band. And I must admit I love the ending - 11OTT seems to be seguing into The Ocean like the old days, Bono sings a few lines, and then in comes the red screen and Streets kicks the show out of the park.)

1. Beautiful Day
2. Out of Control
3. Two Hearts Beat As One
4. Sunday Bloody Sunday
5. Until the End of the World -->
6. Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses
7. Desire
8. Staring at the Sun
9. Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own
10. Stuck in a Moment
11. Stay
12. Please -->
13. Miss Sarajevo -->
14. The Unforgettable Fire
15. I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For -->
16. All I Want Is You
17. Mysterious Ways
18. The Fly

19. Gone
20. Magnificent
21. When Love Comes to Town
22. Vertigo
23. The Electric Co.
24. 11 O'clock Tick Tock (with The Ocean outro) -->
25. Where the Streets Have No Name

NIGHT TWO
(Without Streets, the big segue is in the main set: One's outro leads into The First Time, which then provides a transition into WOWY as the highest point of the night. But the encore is where I think the action is. I struggled to think of how to fit in Numb, but it works here as part of a nineties encore segment, essentially as Edge providing a commentary on the period. Play HMTMKMKM/EBTTRT out on a b-stage, then fade into Edge doing Numb while the rest of the band go back to the main stage, and then blend an "I feel numb/too much is not enough" Edge outro with Bono singing to him that he can reach, but he can't grab it, etc. The alternative is to open the encore with Numb and use it as an introductory piece for the nineties songs. And, after the nineties excess, Electrical Storm is a bit of a cleanser before concluding with Bad/40 as the ultimate finale to any two-night stand.)

1. Elevation
2. I Will Follow
3. Gloria
4. In God's Country
5. Bullet the Blue Sky -->
6. Running to Stand Still -->
7. New Year's Day
8. Last Night on Earth
9. Angel of Harlem
10. Sweetest Thing
11. Every Breaking Wave
12. City of Blinding Lights
13. Lemon
14. One -->
15. The First Time -->
16. With or Without You
17. Pride
18. Walk On

19. Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me
20. Even Better Than the Real Thing -->
21. Numb -->
22. Discotheque
23. Electrical Storm
24. Bad -->
25. 40

It was only after I had listed about 44-45 songs that I felt my inclusions were starting to push the limits. 49-50 was an executive decision - Please and LNOE were singles that charted in the UK top ten, so I took them ahead of The Hands That Built America and Window in the Skies, despite those two being on major comps. By this point there's also possibly a case for Boots, but, in the spirit of taking executive decisions, "fuck that shit".

Anyway, I would pay many dollarydoos for these shows.

I'd fly to Australia to see this shit

 

[Axver]

Best Of doesn't equal an automatic "greatest hit." And that's coming from someone who loves Gone. The First Time and October are on the Best Ofs and neither qualifies, either.

All great songs, though.

Let's be honest, "best of" and "greatest hits" are used synonymously, even if we can draw subtle distinctions of what they ought to mean.

October is a hidden track so it wouldn't count (I still remember thinking it was just some funny little coda of AIWIY rather than its own song), but the band backing The First Time to be on the Best Of certainly broadened its exposure considerably. People knew it when I saw the band play it at a stadium show in 2006.

At the end of the day, for a "greatest hits" tour, I'd suggest anything on the Best Ofs and U2:18 is fair game, as is most of JT/AB, and some other select cuts. Those select cuts vary by country too, in that it's not a greatest hits set in New Zealand without One Tree Hill (literally their most successful single there), and in Australia you can go nuts with basically anything from Rattle and Hum. Hell, I'm amazed they've never tried their cover of Everlasting Love in Australia or the Netherlands. It was top ten in the Netherlands and I've heard it in the shops in Australia a lot.

 

[Axver]

I'd fly to Australia to see this shit

Not sure you'll get in the door though after I beat your arse in our pre-show fight.

 

[DeVaul]

Let's be honest, "best of" and "greatest hits" are used synonymously, even if we can draw subtle distinctions of what they ought to mean.



October is a hidden track so it wouldn't count (I still remember thinking it was just some funny little coda of AIWIY rather than its own song), but the band backing The First Time to be on the Best Of certainly broadened its exposure considerably. People knew it when I saw the band play it at a stadium show in 2006.



At the end of the day, for a "greatest hits" tour, I'd suggest anything on the Best Ofs and U2:18 is fair game, as is most of JT/AB, and some other select cuts. Those select cuts vary by country too, in that it's not a greatest hits set in New Zealand without One Tree Hill (literally their most successful single there), and in Australia you can go nuts with basically anything from Rattle and Hum. Hell, I'm amazed they've never tried their cover of Everlasting Love in Australia or the Netherlands. It was top ten in the Netherlands and I've heard it in the shops in Australia a lot.

That's fair. And I think popular covers are valid for inclusion.
Enjoy "Window in the Skies."

 

[Axver]

That's fair. And I think popular covers are valid for inclusion.
Enjoy "Window in the Skies."

I honestly do wonder how Window in the Skies would go if U2 played it live today. U2:18 is the go-to comp now, but you never see it mentioned. The new tracks on the two Best Ofs got their share of attention, especially Sweetest Thing, but WITS? I suppose it did reach number one in Canada and the Netherlands, and top five in Ireland and the UK, so it might go down well.

 

[DeVaul]

Probably better than Get Out.

 

[YBORCITY]

I'd fly to Australia to see this shit

You won't need to mate...it's as if the band forgot there's even an Australia... Its like a mythical place called Narnia (no offense DMB fans).

 

[dan_smee]

I would try and keep some classic positioning of certain songs - song in pairs as they were in their heyday, some positioned because that is where they sit best.

I’d also like to see a progression of 80s, 90s and 00s mini sets with an epic encore. They could do the intermission video thing to put some social context on each set. Second night would be billed as more for the die-hards.

Night 1

— Intro video - Reagan, Thatcher, Irish violence, MLK getting shot into the red screen —
01 Where the Streets Have No Name
02 I Will Follow
03 With or Without You
04 Sunday Bloody Sunday
05 October
06 New Year’s Day
07 Pride
08 All I Want Is You
— Intermission video - Berlin Wall falling into ZooTV intro —
09 Zoo Station
10 The Fly
11 EBTTRT
12 Discotheque
13 Mysterious Ways
14 Miss Sarajevo
15 Please
16 Until the End of the World
— Intermission video - 9/11, London Bombing, Syrian Refugees into Influx mix—
17 Elevation
18 Beautiful Day
19 Vertigo
20 COBL
21 Every Breaking Wave
22 Magnificent
23 Stuck in a Moment
24 The Little Things That Give You Away
— Intermission video - herstory, LGBTI, hope, love —
25 One
26 Love is Bigger
27 Bad
28 40

Night 2

— Intro video - Reagan, Thatcher, Irish violence, MLK getting shot —
01 Where the Streets Have No Name
02 11 O’Clock, Tick Tock
03 Still Haven’t Found
04 Gloria
05 MLK
06 Bullet the Blue Sky
07 Running to Stand Still
08 All I Want Is You
— Intermission video - Berlin Wall falling —
09 Zoo Station
10 The Fly
11 HMTMKMKM
12 Zooropa
13 Gone
14 Stay
15 Please
16 Until the End of the World
— Intermission video - 9/11, London Bombing, Syrian Refugees —
17 Elevation
18 Beautiful Day
19 Vertigo
20 Miracle Drug
21 Every Breaking Wave
22 Moment of Surrender
23 Walk On
24 The Little Things That Give You Away
— Intermission video - herstory, LGBTI, hope, love —
25 One
26 Love is Bigger
27 Bad
28 Out of Control

 

[Axver]

Definitely some good ideas in there, Dan, even if you broke Headache's 25 song rule.

And yeah, I like the idea of keeping some of the classic pairings. That's why I went with UTEOTW/WGRYWH and Bullet/RTSS rotating in my two-night sets. There's actually a fair bit of rotation going on in my paired sets where they could use the same lighting, though it's not immediately obvious with the complete lack of repetition.

 

[TinKnight]

probably better than get out.

100%

 

[Gzusfrk]

These are all great lists, what possibilities!!!

One thing I might do, and maybe for selfish reason is have them open with SBS, simply because as a teen in the US, that was U2's first brush with mainstream MTV with Red Rocks being shown at strange hours, but what a magical introduction to the band. Opening with it would crush IMO.

Also, I'd love to see A Celebration somehow sneak in, not much of a hit, but one of their first videos and a single, though long forgotten.

Also, was You Made Me the Thief of Your Heart by Sinead a hit? Brilliant song, and typically great 90's Bono writing.

 

[dan_smee]

Definitely some good ideas in there, Dan, even if you broke Headache's 25 song rule.

And yeah, I like the idea of keeping some of the classic pairings. That's why I went with UTEOTW/WGRYWH and Bullet/RTSS rotating in my two-night sets. There's actually a fair bit of rotation going on in my paired sets where they could use the same lighting, though it's not immediately obvious with the complete lack of repetition.

Yeah I know, but I would certainly hope if they did do a tour like this that would push their longest setlist mark, so I thought 28 was reasonable. If it’s 25, I’d lop out a song each from the decades sets.

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

You'd hope, but let's be real... it would start at 28 and be 23 within a month

 

[YBORCITY]

These are all excellent set lists... Sometimes I complain about war horses but in the correct sequence they could work...Might open first night with streets and for some reason HMTMKMKM would kick off night 2

 

[ChurchBay]

1. I Will Follow
2. Beautiful Day
3. Even Better Than The Real Thing
4. Elevation
5. The Unforgettable Fire
6. Until The End Of The World
7. New Year's Day
8. Stay
9. Stuck In A Moment
10. Mysterious Ways
11. The Fly

(intermission)
12. Please
13. Bullet The Blue Sky
14. Bad
15. October (seguing into...)
16. Where The Streets Have No Name
17. Angel Of Harlem
18. One

19. Vertigo
20. Pride (In The Name Of Love)
21. Gone
22. City of Blinding Lights
23. Walk On
24. With Or Without You
25. 40

Great thread with great setlist ideas - so much harder and more time consuming than you'd think. Made the tough decision to not include Sunday Bloody Sunday or I Still Haven't Found. I originally put them in the space of Gone and City of Blinding Lights but I felt those two would work better in a show and follow each other well. Also when trying to construct playlists on itunes I've always found One to be a tough song to place so the jury's out whether it works in this setlist. Angel Of Harlem sounds invigorating after the high of Streets which I think is well introduced by October.

 

[popacrobat]

Even Better Than The Real Thing
Out of Control
Sunday Bloody Sunday
New Year's Day

-- cool down, Bono band introduction --

I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For
Desire
Beautiful Day
Angel of Harlem
Stay
Until the End of the World
Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses
Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me

-- intermission, Elevation influx --

Elevation
Discotheque
Mysterious Ways
Stuck in a Moment
Every Breaking Wave
With or Without You
City of Blinding Lights
One
All I Want is You

-- encore bullshit --

Lights of Home
Where the Streets Have No Name
40
Vertigo


***

Couple things here -- I think they've nailed the greatest hits part of i/e e/i, but they should mix it up a bit more. Every Breaking Wave would 100% be full band in this scenario.

Lights of Home may not fit the original criteria, but I think the chanting at the end could segue nicely into Streets, and it's my favorite song off of SOE, so whatever. Right now, it fits better toward the end of a concert than it does the second song performed of the night anyway.

40 - > Vertigo was a real treat and probably the best ending to a concert I've seen them do (New Jersey in 2005), so I borrowed that from there.

there are plenty of songs I left off, (Bad, Please, others) but I guess I had in my mind what something realistic could look like on a nightly basis for the band.

 

[mofo82]

Even Better Than The Real Thing
Out of Control
Sunday Bloody Sunday
New Year's Day

-- cool down, Bono band introduction --

I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For
Desire
Beautiful Day
Angel of Harlem
Stay
Until the End of the World
Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses
Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me

-- intermission, Elevation influx --

Elevation
Discotheque
Mysterious Ways
Stuck in a Moment
Every Breaking Wave
With or Without You
City of Blinding Lights
One
All I Want is You

-- encore bullshit --

Lights of Home
Where the Streets Have No Name
40
Vertigo

I really like your setlist popacrobat, and Vertigo at the end is fun. Since you mentioned Bad, I messed around a little with your ending set to keep you at 25 songs. I feel on the current e/i tour LOH should be at the end, even very final so I like you putting it at the end.


- - -
22) Lights of Home (Bono continues free yourself to be yourself vocals —> keyboard intro Bad)
23) Bad/40 snippet (ala Elevation Boston) segue —>
24) Streets

25) Vertigo (long outro ala Vertigo & e/i tours)

 

[popacrobat]

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

Ah I forgot about 40 into Vertigo at that meadowlands show. That was way back when playing vertigo twice seemed like an impromptu kinda thing and not totally lame.

That was also the show where drunk Paul McGuiness gave me and Tony from UF a pair of wristbands to "go in the heart" (uhh wrong tour guy) and gave us the wrong damn wristbands.


Good times good times.

 

[mofo82]

I couldn’t resist trying. I had to step away a few times and come back to where I liked a single setlist as if it were the defining Greatest Hits style show. Really tried for the ebbs & flows like they go for. Great thread Headache!

Every album is represented
—> means segue into next song

1. Even Better than the Real Thing (U2360 version)
2. Beautiful Day
3. I Will Follow
4. Elevation
5. Gloria
6. Sunday Bloody Sunday
7. One/ Hear us coming Lord
8. The Blackout
9. Raised by Wolves —>
10. Until the End of the World —>
11. New Year’s Day
- - - Intermission/ video - - -
12. Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me
13. Vertigo w/ extended outro —>
14. The Fly
15. Desire
16. Bullet the Blue Sky
17. Staring at the Sun
18. Stay (Faraway, So Close)
19. The Unforgettable Fire
20. Please
21. Pride
22. With or Without You
- - - Encore break- - -
23. Moment of Surrender
24. Bad/ 40 outro (like Elevation Boston 2001) —>
25. Where the Streets Have No Name

The nerd in me did an album count too:
AB: 4
TJT: 3
TUF: 3
ATYCLB: 2
War: 2
Boy: 1
October: 1
SOE: 1
SOI: 1
Bomb: 1
R&H: 1
Pop: 11
Zooropa: 1
NLOTH: 1
Best of 1990-2000: 1

 

[mofo82]

I stumbled upon combining the awesome segues from i/e of RBW—>End of the world with the End of the world—>NYD segue from ZooTV into one major 3-song cluster. I would die if we ever really got that. They played 2 of 3 of them in STL this year but dropped RBW. Close

 

[mofo82]

Ooops, Pop was supposed to be 2. You know 11 was an error cus U2 would never play 11 pop songs in one show none the less 2. Sad truth

 

[Axver]

I felt like making one more. This one includes a "fan service" segment in the middle where they can rotate some obscurities. And I've made a point of putting some recent songs in the encore as a way for the band to say "we're still active". So as well as being a greatest hits tour, diehards get thrown some bones and the band get to tell themselves their new stuff is still relevant.

1. Desire
2. Mysterious Ways
3. Elevation
4. Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me
5. Bullet the Blue Sky -->
6. Running to Stand Still -->
7. The Unforgettable Fire
8. Stay
9. All I Want Is You
--- rarities set ---
10. A Sort of Homecoming / Kite / Hawkmoon 269
11. Do You Feel Loved / Spanish Eyes / Two Hearts Beat As One
12. Drowning Man / Love Is Blindness / Twilight
--- back to the main game ---
13. Beautiful Day
14. With or Without You -->
15. Where the Streets Have No Name
16. Pride
17. Vertigo
18. The Fly

19. The Blackout
20. I Will Follow
21. New Year's Day
22. Every Breaking Wave
23. Love Is Bigger Than Anything in Its Way
24. One
25. Bad

 

[Axver]

Ooops, Pop was supposed to be 2. You know 11 was an error cus U2 would never play 11 pop songs in one show none the less 2. Sad truth

Welcome to U2's GREATEST POP HITS world tour!

1. Discotheque
2. Elevation
3. Do You Feel Loved
4. Mysterious Ways
5. If You Wear That Velvet Dress
6. With Or Without You
7. Beautiful Day
8. If God Will Send His Angels
9. Stay
10. Playboy Mansion
11. I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For
12. Staring at the Sun
13. Miami
14. Bullet the Blue Sky
15. Please
16. Where the Streets Have No Name
17. Pride

18. Gone
19. Until the End of the World
20. New Year's Day
21. Last Night on Earth

22. Mofo
23. Lemon
24. I Will Follow
25. Vertigo

Or if you don't live in a country where Lemon was a top five hit (i.e. not in Australia), then put in EBTTRT at 23rd. But I do like that second encore giving a "Bono's mum died" run of songs infinitely better than anything they've done recently.

 

[kabigon]

Elevation
The Fly
Even Better Than The Real Thing
Mysterious Ways
One
Until the End of the World
New Year's Day
Beautiful Day
I Will Follow
Gloria
Angel of Harlem
Stay (Faraway, So Close!)
Staring at the Sun
All I Want is You
Where the Streets Have No Name
Pride (In the Name of Love)

Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me
Vertigo
Desire
With or Without You

11 O'Clock Tick Tock
Bad
40

 

[Eamon696]

I Will Follow
Out of Control
Vertigo
Elevation
Desire
Mysterious Ways
Magnificent

Cedarwood Road
Sunday Bloody Sunday
New Year's Day
Please
Hands That Built America
Bullet the Blue Sky
Pride
Invisible
Where the Streets Have No Name

Encore (I)
City of Blinding Lights
Beautiful Day
I Still Haven't Found What I'm looking For
Bad

Encore (II)
One
Love is Bigger Than Anything In It's Way
With or Without You
40

I tried to feature the biggest hits, while still attempting to give a wide array of songs from the various eras of the band their moment to shine.

 

[FlamingRudy]

Farewell Tour. Not the setlist I would want, but a possible one.

Out of Control
I will follow
Gloria / 11 o'Clock
Sunday bloody sunday
ISHFWILF
One
UTEOTW
New Years Day
Mysterious Ways / EBTTRT
Elevation
Blackout / Invisible
COBL
All I want is you / RTSS
Bullet
Pride
Bad
Streets

HMTMKMKM / Discotheque
The Fly
Vertigo
WOWY

B Day
Walk on / Kite

40

 

[Hollow Island]

The Ocean/11 O'clock Tick Tock
I Will Follow
Gloria
Sunday Bloody Sunday
New Year's Day
Two Hearts
Pride
Bad
Streets
ISHF
WOWY
Bullet
Desire
All I Want Is You

One
Until the End of the World
The Fly
Real Thing
Hold Me
Discotheque
Beautiful Day
Elevation
Vertigo
COBL
40

 

[Partyslammer]

Basically a three-act show (1st half, second half, encores) with options for alternates. Any of the entire sections could be switched in running order.

The Fly (2001 version)
Desire (1989 no BS version)
Two Hearts *or* New Years Day
God's Country *or* Stranger In A Strange Land
No Line On The Horizon *or* A Sort Of Homecoming
I Will Follow
Gloria
Until The End Of The World
-Break-
MLK
Pride
Seconds
Bullet The Blue Sky
When I Look At The World *or* Wake Up Dead Man
Numb *or* Down All The Days
Love Is All We Have Left
Gone *or* Surrender *or* I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For
Kite *or* One Tree Hill *or* All I Want Is You
Bad
Where The Streets Have No Name
+encore+
Discotheque (2001 intro version) *or* Lemon
Mysterious Ways *or* Mercy
Beautiful Day
+encore+
One
Out Of Control
Vertigo
40