(04-06-2005) Bono - 'We almost didn't make this tour' - NME*

[HelloAngel]

FEAR OF HEIGHTS




BONO has revealed all to NME.COM about U2's fears that their VERTIGO world tour wouldn’t get off the ground.

The band kicked off the year-long jaunt in San Diego last week a month late, following the original date being delayed due to a family illness.

And Bono admitted that pre-match nerves on top of that had made that band “sick”. Coming off stage, he said: “It’s still a strange feeling. We were sick with the rehearsals for this tour. We weren’t getting lift-off. If you’d seen the rehearsal show, you wouldn’t believe we would get to San Diego.

“You take all these different elements and try to create something special. And when we got up there, we were lucky and we got it straight away. But, you know, this is a tour we didn’t even know was going to happen. There were many obstacles – there were personal problems and big things to get through so it’s amazing to me we got there at all. We didn’t have much time to rehearse but we wanted to play. I still saw a band with a lot to prove but I also saw a band the most comfortable they have ever been in their skin.”

Bono also explained why the Vertigo setlist included so many songs from the band’s debut ‘Boy’, such as ‘Electric Company’ and ‘An Cat Dubh’: “There is a strong link between those songs and the new album. The first was an ode to innocence and the new one is innocence regained. The first album is becoming a bit of a cult classic for bands like The Killers who talk about it. We thought it was time.”

U2’s world tour hits the UK in June, and Bono promised a few surprises. He said: “We’ll stick with it the way it is for the next few shows. We have other material to get working on. A few surprises to bring as the tour gets on. We tried a few things (on the first night) that didn’t always work. ‘Elevation’ went a bit south and we came off at the corners a few times with ‘The Fly’. You know, I wasn’t sure what we were before, if we were still a rock band. But when I was whacking the tambourine on ‘All Because Of You’, it felt like an old song, like we were back, like we were a rock band again. At times it was a political rally, at time it was a gospel tent, at times it was a Las Vegas show.”

http://nme.com/news/111947.htm

 

[cmullenjr]

kind of going along the lines of why so many old songs...i don't get the set list this tour...

while i have been to 20 u2 shows or so...a lot of times i go with people who haven't been before...and they want to hear the classics, still haven't found, with or without you, bad, etc...

i wish they would dump pride, new year's day and sunday....no one will ever be happy with the set list, but i don't know if u2 does it's fans the best service by playing a bunch of songs that you aren't aware of unless you are a die hard u2 fan.

 

[TheBrazilianFly]

Well, The Fly is fucking perfect now!

 

[Renrut]

Um...Pride, New Year's Day and Sunday are easily as big of hits as Still Haven't Found and WOWY, they're just a little bit older. I think what you're trying to say is you wish they catered to the younger stuff over the old stuff. I'll have you know that U2 is making a very many of us 'old-folk' very very happy with these songs. If you want to have them just jukebox their late 80's and early 90's hits, just buy a good sound system and their 'Best of" album...

 

[kellyahern]

I didn't notice anything wrong with Elevation at the first show . I haven't listened to the bootleg yet, but I thought Elevation was great when I was there!

 

[BAW]

I didn't notice anything wrong with Elevation at the first show . I haven't listened to the bootleg yet, but I thought Elevation was great when I was there!

Same here...I thought it was great! Maybe I was just too caught up in the emotion to notice anything wrong!

 

[babyman]

this is a fantastic statement.............................................that's why u2 is THE BAND

 

[cmullenjr]

renrut-

what i'm saying is that probably 90% of ALL people at a u2 show have not seen u2 before, and a lot of times i'm with those folks, cause my wife and i usually go people who have not been before. when you have so many people who have not been to u2 before, the last thing they want to hear is "an cat dubh" and "electric co." and "stories for boys"

yes, while this might make me, or you happy, it doesn't serve the BULK of the audience.

this argument that i should go by a greatest hits album is ridiculous, when you go to a u2 show i should expect to hear 6-7 songs from the new album, 1-3 from the ATYCLB...and then 10 or so CLASSICS...call them greatest hits if you want, but i would much rather hear still haven't found, bad, with or without, etc etc.

 

[cmullenjr]

WHERE IS BAD!

 

[BonoFox1]

Imay be bias but I too did not notice anything wrong on the SD1
show, I mean yeah there was a few tech difficulties and lost memory of certain lyrics at the dress rehersal, and a few changes were made for the show but I guess Im just thrilled that they are back after nearly 4 years!!!!

I think they were AMAZING last night Staples 1

 

[kellyahern]

Imay be bias but I too did not notice anything wrong on the SD1
show, I mean yeah there was a few tech difficulties and lost memory of certain lyrics at the dress rehersal, and a few changes were made for the show but I guess Im just thrilled that they are back after nearly 4 years!!!!

I think they were AMAZING last night Staples 1

The only reason I noticed The Fly was because when I was singing along, I got confused It was still great though!

 

[Miroslava]

renrut-

what i'm saying is that probably 90% of ALL people at a u2 show have not seen u2 before, and a lot of times i'm with those folks, cause my wife and i usually go people who have not been before. when you have so many people who have not been to u2 before, the last thing they want to hear is "an cat dubh" and "electric co." and "stories for boys"

yes, while this might make me, or you happy, it doesn't serve the BULK of the audience.

this argument that i should go by a greatest hits album is ridiculous, when you go to a u2 show i should expect to hear 6-7 songs from the new album, 1-3 from the ATYCLB...and then 10 or so CLASSICS...call them greatest hits if you want, but i would much rather hear still haven't found, bad, with or without, etc etc.

They sing maybe 20 seconds of Stories for Boys...

 

[djerdap]

I'm really tired of this bull**** about U2 doing songs that aren't recognized by many people... A year ago, everybody complained about how U2 is doing greatest hits set with no variation whatsoever and how there are hidden gems that should be played again. And now we get some excellent tunes from the first album and we get even more complaints.
You see... I look at it this way. You go to a U2 concert. You listen to U2 songs, whether it's an oldie you don't know about or a big mainstream hit. You go and see them play. You will for sure get some hits and so what if you get a few unknown songs to a majority of the audience.
And please... With or Without You should be in the set every night? Have you listened to the versions from the past 10 years? It's offensive to the versions 'til 1993.

 

[cmullenjr]

djerdap-

you make some good points. i'm with all you in this...i hate hearing the same stuff over and over and over...i go to hear them play, and personally, i don't mind the boy stuff it's good.

i just love going to shows with people who haven't seen u2 live before, and on elevation they seemed to stick with the ATYCLB and then songs that were older but even the casual fan would know.

you have to realize, all of us discussing this, and those you say "complained abut how u2 is doing a greatest hits set" represent about .000001 percent of the people going to these shows.

forget WOWY...what do you think about BAD...BAD was a great intro to STREETS last tour, why do you think they aren't playing BAD?

 

[sue4u2]

djerdap.
i just love going to shows with people who haven't seen u2 live before, and on elevation they seemed to stick with the ATYCLB and then songs that were older but even the casual fan would know.

forget WOWY...what do you think about BAD...BAD was a great intro to STREETS last tour, why do you think they aren't playing BAD?

I'm trying to understand how djerdap is not correct in his statement?
From what you are saying you want to hear - New, I think, ATYCLB and then the other greatest hits, which would make this mostly a greatest hits concert...?

Still, I don't mind hearing Bad in any concert.

 

[U2girl91289]

WHERE IS BAD!

thank you!

 

[cmullenjr]

yea, i don't want to keep harping my points... i'm over it.

if there's one notable miss from this tour it's BAD...anybody have any guesses why they did not include it in the set this tour?

also, anybody know if they are checking u2.com id cards when you line up in the fan GA line

 

[ultrraviolette]

Need BAD and Gloria! I love the Boy era stuff and I'm not an "older" fan.

 

[djerdap]

Bad was rehearsed in Vancouver. It will be played sometime in the tour. But I do think it is too hard for Bono to sing every night.

 

[cmullenjr]

thanks for the tip djerdap... i didn't even think of the bono voice angle, that is a pretty vocally intense song.