U2...play one of these songs!

[dal975]

Acrobat
The Unforgettable Fire
A Sort Of Homecoming
Red Hill Mining Town
Drowning Man
Two Hearts Beat As one
Like A song
Heartland
Wire
When I Look At The World
I Fall Down
Is that All?

just do it...
i think some of us would sleep easier.
any others?

 

[Vlad n U 2]

Acrobat

I hope they play it on the next tour, gotta love the acrobat solo, so brutal and very underrated.

 

[pepokiss]

maybe TUF, 2s, and Heartland... the rest, no chance

 

[Vlad n U 2]

And I said I want more DISCOTHEQUE'S!... *slams fist on table*

Where is my Discotheque???

 

[hasin73]

Acrobat

Please

DISCOTHEQUE

Who's gonna ride your wild horses

 

[Vlad n U 2]

Acrobat

Please

DISCOTHEQUE

Who's gonna ride your wild horses

I'd like Please to be on there, but not acoustic.

I'm not too sure about WGRYWH though.

 

[europop2005]

PLEASE U2, I feel like a DROWNING MAN, every time you play something thats LIKE A SONG i want to hear, its come down to the WIRE and I FALL DOWN and get on my knees to make you play them. IS THAT ALL anyone can ask for???? If you do, it'll feel perfect, like my LAST NIGHT ON EARTH.

 

[Vlad n U 2]

PLEASE U2, I feel like a DROWNING MAN, every time you play something thats LIKE A SONG i want to hear, its come down to the WIRE and I FALL DOWN and get on my knees to make you play them. IS THAT ALL anyone can ask for???? If you do, it'll feel perfect, like my LAST NIGHT ON EARTH.

Thats quite smart.

 

[hasin73]

PLEASE U2, I feel like a DROWNING MAN, every time you play something thats LIKE A SONG i want to hear, its come down to the WIRE and I FALL DOWN and get on my knees to make you play them. IS THAT ALL anyone can ask for???? If you do, it'll feel perfect, like my LAST NIGHT ON EARTH.

 

[babyman]

just one song



PLEASE

 

[Galeongirl]

MOFO :fuckyeah:

 

[The John Tree]

I think some of the 90s U2 songs don't work so well in the current U2 atmosphere. Those are very dark albums and U2 concerts have come to be a very bright, spiritual place. I'm not sure the emotional torture of the crumbling relationship in "Acrobat" would work next to Vertigo or City of Blinding Lights.

Some of the older tunes would, though.

I'd love to hear "The Unforgettable Fire" but ONLY if they use a tape to use the brass hits. The song sounds so empty without them. It really kills the momentum. When I watched the Paris show on the Joshua Tree Remaster, I was waiting for the Unforgettable Fire, and when the brass hits were omitted, I felt like a deflated balloon.

 

[The_acrobat]

U2 say "certain songs don't fit the theme of the concert" or whatever. Who cares about themes? Just play the damn songs. REM for example, will play an obscure track from the IRS years, then play Losing my religeon, their biggest hit, then play an obscure track from the Monster album or something. Just play the damn songs!

 

[The John Tree]

I disagree. I think a concert is very much about an emotional theme. That's why the Zoo shows worked so well. That's why Elevation worked so well, especially post-9/11 and, in my opinion, it's why Bomb worked so well. All the songs went well together.

I don't think an REM concert is the same. "Radio Free Europe" and "Living Well Is The Best Revenge" and "It's The End of the World..." and "Nightswimming" and "Country Feedback" all could have come from the same album. There's not as big of a sonic leap as there is with U2 songs.

 

[Dwaynematthew89]

I feel that they should play, "Love is Blindness" at least once during the new tour, maybe before the encore or something.

 

[AndrewCowley]

I'd love to hear "The Unforgettable Fire" but ONLY if they use a tape to use the brass hits. The song sounds so empty without them. It really kills the momentum. When I watched the Paris show on the Joshua Tree Remaster, I was waiting for the Unforgettable Fire, and when the brass hits were omitted, I felt like a deflated balloon.

Brass hits? What do you mean?

 

[Axver]

I disagree. I think a concert is very much about an emotional theme. That's why the Zoo shows worked so well. That's why Elevation worked so well, especially post-9/11 and, in my opinion, it's why Bomb worked so well. All the songs went well together.

I think U2 need to move away from the carefully planned themes. We're not going to see a musical here. There is a reason why Lovetown is the band's greatest tour: it was, setlist-wise, simply a celebration of the band's entire eighties catalogue. We need something like that again. If it must be ascribed a theme, then here you go: rocking the fuck out of as much of U2's catalogue as humanly possible. Everybody goes home happy.

 

[The John Tree]

Brass hits? What do you mean?

I said brass and meant string.

The string hits that come in at 3:04.

 

[The John Tree]

I think U2 need to move away from the carefully planned themes. We're not going to see a musical here. There is a reason why Lovetown is the band's greatest tour: it was, setlist-wise, simply a celebration of the band's entire eighties catalogue. We need something like that again. If it must be ascribed a theme, then here you go: rocking the fuck out of as much of U2's catalogue as humanly possible. Everybody goes home happy.

But once again, when you're talking about U2's eighties catalogue, "I Will Follow" doesn't necessarily sound weird next to "Where The Streets Have No Name". "Gloria" can bump up next to "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" and not be too big of a stretch.

"Acrobat" into "Elevation" doesn't really work for me.

There has to be SOME consideration into what type of mood they're setting for the evening.

 

[gherman]

I want to see them do MOFO, Do You Feel Loved, Zooropa, When I Look at the World and Wire

 

[lauramullen]

Two Hearts Beat As One, Ultra Violet, The Unforgettable fire, In God's Country are mine.

 

[Axver]

But once again, when you're talking about U2's eighties catalogue, "I Will Follow" doesn't necessarily sound weird next to "Where The Streets Have No Name". "Gloria" can bump up next to "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" and not be too big of a stretch.

"Acrobat" into "Elevation" doesn't really work for me.

There has to be SOME consideration into what type of mood they're setting for the evening.

And Angel Of Harlem can go into Bullet? I think not. So your point doesn't hold.

I don't think anybody is necessarily suggesting U2 should just play whatever shit without making it cohesive. Of course any good setlist should flow. So let's get from Acrobat to Elevation in three steps. Acrobat --> The Fly --> Mysterious Ways --> Elevation. Done.

 

[Vlad n U 2]

Acrobat --> The Fly --> Mysterious Ways --> Elevation. Done.

This juicy setlist is making me hungry.

 

[Galeongirl]

Streets ---> LIB --> Acrobat could work for me...

 

[Vlad n U 2]

I don't care what they play or what order just as long as they make me happy.

Uhh, better go easy on the vodka.

 

[Axver]

Streets ---> LIB --> Acrobat could work for me...

I'm going to put in a vote here for Streets --> OTH --> Exit --> Acrobat.

 

[The John Tree]

And Angel Of Harlem can go into Bullet? I think not. So your point doesn't hold.

I don't think anybody is necessarily suggesting U2 should just play whatever shit without making it cohesive. Of course any good setlist should flow. So let's get from Acrobat to Elevation in three steps. Acrobat --> The Fly --> Mysterious Ways --> Elevation. Done.

I'm not saying Angel of Harlem can go into Bullet, but your original statement was "just play the damn songs!" while making reference to the fact that REM can just pull out any song one right after the other and make it work. I don't think that works for U2, just like in the example you noted above.

I think your suggestion of Streets into One Tree Hill into Exit into Acrobat works fine. My whole point is that if you're going to have a concert, it needs to mesh well together.

Personally, I would find it hard to come back from Acrobat into anything but Love is Blindness. The show would have to be set up to fit a dark ending, but once again, that's almost a theme, no?

It's just weird to me to imagine a show where I start out with something like City of Blinding Lights, run through something like Beautiful Day, then into Streets, and then Acrobat and...where to go from there? Nowhere but goodnight, in my opinion. It's hard to come back from those darker songs.

I have nothing against the dark ending. Zoo TV was perfect. But it's just...not the vibe U2 have right now.

 

[phommel]

I'd like Please to be on there, but not acoustic.

I'm not too sure about WGRYWH though.

Yes, PLEASE, pleaaassseeee. Never heard this song live and the ones I heard from Popmart were amazing!

I was not impressed by WGRYWH durng Vertigo-tour. Let's do Acrobat!

 

[Vlaco]

I would say WGRYWH at the third Amsterdam show was quite good especially Edge's solo. But the Zoo TV versions were a lot better of course. My favourite one is East Rutherford 18-03-1992.

 

[Axver]

I'm not saying Angel of Harlem can go into Bullet, but your original statement was "just play the damn songs!" while making reference to the fact that REM can just pull out any song one right after the other and make it work. I don't think that works for U2, just like in the example you noted above.

I never said "just play the damn songs", nor did I reference REM. Maybe you should go back and see who made which posts. I never once advocated setlists without cohesion. In fact, I have been one of this forum's biggest advocates of cohesive setlists and have routinely critiqued both the band's setlists and fan custom setlists. Setlists are a passion of mine (or else I wouldn't run U2gigs.com!).

What I have advocated is at least a partial abandonment of grand themes. All four of the last tours have had over-arching themes beyond simply performing U2's music. What I have suggested is a return to Lovetown - celebrating and showcasing U2's music without necessarily striving for a grand theme beyond that. That in no way even implies the song order should lack cohesion, nor that certain segments of the show can't have thematic links.

It's just weird to me to imagine a show where I start out with something like City of Blinding Lights, run through something like Beautiful Day, then into Streets, and then Acrobat and...where to go from there? Nowhere but goodnight, in my opinion. It's hard to come back from those darker songs.

Frankly, it seems to me as if you have very narrow perceptions of what can be done with setlists, and box in what can or can't be done. In any case, I see Acrobat as not being any darker than UTEOTW or The Fly, and those two tracks have worked perfectly well on the last two tours.

And, if I may, I'd like to take up your challenge. It's been months since I've made a gratuitous setlist on here. So the main set is taking your COBL --> BD --> Streets --> Acrobat -->where? challenge, and feel free to discount the encores as they're just off the top of my head to complete the set.

1. City Of Blinding Lights
2. Beautiful Day
3. Angel Of Harlem
4. Desire
5. Vertigo
6. The Electric Co.
7. 11 O'clock Tick Tock
8. Wire
9. The Unforgettable Fire
10. A Sort Of Homecoming
11. Where The Streets Have No Name
12. One Tree Hill
13. Exit
14. Acrobat
15. Until The End Of The World
16. New Year's Day
17. Pride

18. Bullet The Blue Sky
19. Running To Stand Still
20. With Or Without You

21. Gloria
22. Yahweh
23. Bad/40

So there you have it. From a celebratory opening of COBL/BD, the concert logically proceeds to Streets and then Acrobat, almost entirely using songs played on the last two tours (Wire and UF are the only two exceptions), so you can't tell me the song selections don't fit with U2's recent mood. UTEOTW sounds quite sensible after Acrobat, with the wailing guitar coming in over the top as Acrobat grinds to a close, then I just exploit the traditional UTEOTW --> NYD segue used on all of the last four tours, and return to the eighties to exploit the traditional coupling of NYD/Pride as main set closer that ended almost every main set from 1984 to 1990. The show "comes back" from Acrobat very quickly and effortlessly.

An alternative option I had was Acrobat --> UTEOTW --> The Fly --> Mysterious Ways, drawing on how U2 have used the duo of The Fly and MW to both open encores and close main sets on the last two tours. But I think NYD/Pride brings an even more anthemic mood. So there you have it, dark rockers and the hallmarks of U2's recent tours can easily coexist.