HelloAngel
ONE love, blood, life
By Kenneth Maclellan
2006.11
The recent publication of “U2 by U2” and the imminent release of “U218” show that the band has been revaluating its entire career. The Vertigo tour, similarly, has also had an eye on the past. As well as playing material from “How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb” and its classics, U2 has also been going through its sonic wardrobe and seeing what still fits. Not since the Lovetown tour of 1989 has the set list been as varied as it has on the Vertigo tour. Every album has been represented. The songs selected for revival have ranged from old singles (“Gloria”) to former live favorites (“The Electric Co”) to deep album cuts (“Zoo Station”) to songs that have never been performed live before (“The First Time”). On the fifth and final leg of the Vertigo tour, at least one of the two new “U218” tracks (“The Saints are Coming” or “Window on the Sky”) should make it into the live set. But can we expect U2 to delve further back into its catalogue? Why not? If the band is prepared to bust out “The Ocean” from 1980’s “Boy,” then anything is possible. Below are five golden oldies that could/should make the cut for the final shows that kick off in Brisbane, Australia on November 7.
TWILIGHT
If the snippet of “Stories for Boys” during “Vertigo” counts, then “Twilight” is the only song (out of the first seven) off “Boy” not to be played on this tour. Musically, it would fit the early part of the set well. The song is both ominous and punchy, a close cousin of “11 O’clock Tick Tock,” and would surely go over better with general audiences than the pretty but disengaging combo of “An Cat Dubh/Into The Heart.” The lyrics include the lines “In the shadows boy meets man” and “I lost my way,” and while they were initially about the journey from boyhood to adolescence, they’re also in keeping with the tour’s theme: the return to innocence from the ambiguity of adulthood. Just before “Beautiful Day” would be a nice spot for “Twilight.”
ONE TREE HILL
Why U2 never play any of the last six songs on “The Joshua Tree” regularly, is a mystery to rival Roswell and the Loch Ness monster. Does the band’s copy of the album only have the first five tracks on it? Was the band warned by leading scientists that exposure to the live version of “Exit” after 1989 may literally blow people’s minds? Who knows. But by far the song most likely to make a debut on the final leg of this tour is “One Tree Hill,” which holds a special connection with New Zealand, one of countries the tour it set to take in. The song takes its title from a volcanic hill in Auckland, a favorite place of U2’s late friend and colleague, Greg Carroll, a likeable Maori who worked with the band in the Eighties. He was tragically killed in a road accident during the making of “The Joshua Tree” and “One Tree Hill” was written as a tribute to him and his memory. A performance of this song in his native country would be especially fitting as this year marks the 20th anniversary of his passing.
ULTRA VIOLET (LIGHT MY WAY)
One viewing of the “Zoo TV–Live From Sydney” DVD and its hard not to feel a little envious of those in the Southern Hemisphere for having been treated to such live rarities as “Lemon’ and ‘Dirty Day” in 1993. However, spaces in the set had to be freed up in order to incorporate these songs. One of the tracks that made way for them on the Zoomerang leg was “Ultra Violet (Light My Way).” Indeed, this cut from “Achtung Baby” has not seen a set list since. As U2 has been playing a sizeable chunk of its 1991 album on the Vertigo tour, including “Zoo Station” and “Who’s Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses,” (songs that have also been dormant since Zoo TV) this is an ideal time for an “Ultra Violet” revival. Before the [tour] kicked off March 2005 in San Diego, there were rumors that the song was being considered. It may yet appear. The song would be a perfect replacement for the tired “Mysterious Ways” in the first encore, making for a smoother transition from “The Fly” into “With or Without You.”
YOUR BLUE ROOM
Okay, the odds of this track from the Passengers album debuting at one of the remaining shows is as about as slim as that of U2 playing the “October” album in full, on woodwind instruments, dressed as the characters from “South Park.” But there is a reason why this track should be considered for the final leg: Adam Clayton. One of the most pleasing sights of this tour has been the swagger and joy with which U2’s bassist has performed. The static Adam of the past, puffing on a cigarette in the shadow of Larry Mullen Jr.’s drum-kit is gone. Now, with the problems that blighted his life firmly behind him, he is confident and mobile on stage, able to accept and enjoy the adoration he receives as part of the band. So maybe it’s the right time for him to step up to the microphone and deliver his narration from the end of this track? After all, in the past we’ve had Larry singing Irish pub songs and Edge’s karaoke. And where better to show how far Adam has come in recent years, than the very territories where he was at his lowest?
KITE
While there have been a number of surprise inclusions on the Vertigo tour, “Kite” has to be one of the most surprising omissions. A powerful anthem from “All That You Can’t Leave Behind,” this song seemed to be set for a long gig-life but for some reason it has disappeared from the live show. Perhaps the band feels that “Sometimes You Can’t Make It On Your Own” is a direct and natural replacement for it, or that performing both would be too much of an emotional strain for Bono, as both songs dwell on difficult personal subject matter. Then again, it may not. What ever the reason, this final leg of the tour does give “Kite” the chance to fly once more as the Elevation tour did not stop in Australia, New Zealand or Japan, and it would make sense for U2 to include more material from its massively popular 2000 album. Certainly, “Kite” would not sound out of place in the current live set. The song could come directly before “Sometimes…” where it would pack a mighty emotional punch or as a bridge between “All Because Of You” and “40” in the final encore.
The fifth and final leg of U2’s Vertigo tour launches in Brisbane, Australia November 7, and wraps in Honolulu, Hawaii December 9.
2006.11
The recent publication of “U2 by U2” and the imminent release of “U218” show that the band has been revaluating its entire career. The Vertigo tour, similarly, has also had an eye on the past. As well as playing material from “How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb” and its classics, U2 has also been going through its sonic wardrobe and seeing what still fits. Not since the Lovetown tour of 1989 has the set list been as varied as it has on the Vertigo tour. Every album has been represented. The songs selected for revival have ranged from old singles (“Gloria”) to former live favorites (“The Electric Co”) to deep album cuts (“Zoo Station”) to songs that have never been performed live before (“The First Time”). On the fifth and final leg of the Vertigo tour, at least one of the two new “U218” tracks (“The Saints are Coming” or “Window on the Sky”) should make it into the live set. But can we expect U2 to delve further back into its catalogue? Why not? If the band is prepared to bust out “The Ocean” from 1980’s “Boy,” then anything is possible. Below are five golden oldies that could/should make the cut for the final shows that kick off in Brisbane, Australia on November 7.
TWILIGHT
If the snippet of “Stories for Boys” during “Vertigo” counts, then “Twilight” is the only song (out of the first seven) off “Boy” not to be played on this tour. Musically, it would fit the early part of the set well. The song is both ominous and punchy, a close cousin of “11 O’clock Tick Tock,” and would surely go over better with general audiences than the pretty but disengaging combo of “An Cat Dubh/Into The Heart.” The lyrics include the lines “In the shadows boy meets man” and “I lost my way,” and while they were initially about the journey from boyhood to adolescence, they’re also in keeping with the tour’s theme: the return to innocence from the ambiguity of adulthood. Just before “Beautiful Day” would be a nice spot for “Twilight.”
ONE TREE HILL
Why U2 never play any of the last six songs on “The Joshua Tree” regularly, is a mystery to rival Roswell and the Loch Ness monster. Does the band’s copy of the album only have the first five tracks on it? Was the band warned by leading scientists that exposure to the live version of “Exit” after 1989 may literally blow people’s minds? Who knows. But by far the song most likely to make a debut on the final leg of this tour is “One Tree Hill,” which holds a special connection with New Zealand, one of countries the tour it set to take in. The song takes its title from a volcanic hill in Auckland, a favorite place of U2’s late friend and colleague, Greg Carroll, a likeable Maori who worked with the band in the Eighties. He was tragically killed in a road accident during the making of “The Joshua Tree” and “One Tree Hill” was written as a tribute to him and his memory. A performance of this song in his native country would be especially fitting as this year marks the 20th anniversary of his passing.
ULTRA VIOLET (LIGHT MY WAY)
One viewing of the “Zoo TV–Live From Sydney” DVD and its hard not to feel a little envious of those in the Southern Hemisphere for having been treated to such live rarities as “Lemon’ and ‘Dirty Day” in 1993. However, spaces in the set had to be freed up in order to incorporate these songs. One of the tracks that made way for them on the Zoomerang leg was “Ultra Violet (Light My Way).” Indeed, this cut from “Achtung Baby” has not seen a set list since. As U2 has been playing a sizeable chunk of its 1991 album on the Vertigo tour, including “Zoo Station” and “Who’s Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses,” (songs that have also been dormant since Zoo TV) this is an ideal time for an “Ultra Violet” revival. Before the [tour] kicked off March 2005 in San Diego, there were rumors that the song was being considered. It may yet appear. The song would be a perfect replacement for the tired “Mysterious Ways” in the first encore, making for a smoother transition from “The Fly” into “With or Without You.”
YOUR BLUE ROOM
Okay, the odds of this track from the Passengers album debuting at one of the remaining shows is as about as slim as that of U2 playing the “October” album in full, on woodwind instruments, dressed as the characters from “South Park.” But there is a reason why this track should be considered for the final leg: Adam Clayton. One of the most pleasing sights of this tour has been the swagger and joy with which U2’s bassist has performed. The static Adam of the past, puffing on a cigarette in the shadow of Larry Mullen Jr.’s drum-kit is gone. Now, with the problems that blighted his life firmly behind him, he is confident and mobile on stage, able to accept and enjoy the adoration he receives as part of the band. So maybe it’s the right time for him to step up to the microphone and deliver his narration from the end of this track? After all, in the past we’ve had Larry singing Irish pub songs and Edge’s karaoke. And where better to show how far Adam has come in recent years, than the very territories where he was at his lowest?
KITE
While there have been a number of surprise inclusions on the Vertigo tour, “Kite” has to be one of the most surprising omissions. A powerful anthem from “All That You Can’t Leave Behind,” this song seemed to be set for a long gig-life but for some reason it has disappeared from the live show. Perhaps the band feels that “Sometimes You Can’t Make It On Your Own” is a direct and natural replacement for it, or that performing both would be too much of an emotional strain for Bono, as both songs dwell on difficult personal subject matter. Then again, it may not. What ever the reason, this final leg of the tour does give “Kite” the chance to fly once more as the Elevation tour did not stop in Australia, New Zealand or Japan, and it would make sense for U2 to include more material from its massively popular 2000 album. Certainly, “Kite” would not sound out of place in the current live set. The song could come directly before “Sometimes…” where it would pack a mighty emotional punch or as a bridge between “All Because Of You” and “40” in the final encore.
The fifth and final leg of U2’s Vertigo tour launches in Brisbane, Australia November 7, and wraps in Honolulu, Hawaii December 9.
