HelloAngel
ONE love, blood, life
By Carrie Alison, Chief Editor
2005.03
Before the show can the start, before Larry Mullen Jr. or The Edge can kick-start the night, U2 fans—those passionate, opinionated and most loyal of concertgoers—already have their hopes up to hear certain songs from U2's back catalog: hits like "Sunday, Bloody Sunday" from 1983's "War;" the enthralling showstopper "Bad" (a song considered by many fans to be U2's "Stairway to Heaven") from 1984's "The Unforgettable Fire;" and "Where The Streets Have No Name," a tune that millions of fans believe to be the one song that encompasses the U2 concert experience. The list goes on and on, right down to 2000's worldwide smash "Beautiful Day," a song that was directly responsible for bringing in a new crop of fans with its uplifting message and bright and sunny sound.
On the upcoming Vertigo Tour, however, time allowances must be made to promote the new album, thereby guaranteeing renditions of the singles from "How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb"—"Vertigo," "All Because of You" and "Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own." Next to these songs, and one or two more off of the newest album (tour rehearsal set lists posted on the internet moot that "A Man and A Woman" and "One Step Closer" are in the mix), older songs must arguably pepper the remainder of the nightly set list in order to keep the majority of the audience happy and not wandering off to use the toilet or buy merchandise should a group of lesser known songs be played back-to-back.
"There is only one song on an objective list of songs U2 must play, and that is 'Where the Streets Have No Name,'" said Interference.com member Axver. "Nothing else in the history of live songs has the power to induce such an incredible and unified crowd response as this particular number. The universal emotional impact of 'One' makes its inclusion in an object 'must play' list arguable, but it has not yet reached the heights of 'Where the Streets Have No Name'."
A U2 concert follows a certain formula. The first song is always a barnburner designed to get the crowd on its feet and dancing with abandon (like "Elevation" from U2's 2001 tour). The next few songs (like "Until the End of the World" and "New Year's Day" from previous tours) will then serve to keep this energy flowing only to slow it down a bit, throwing in some mid-tempo songs from the new album and back catalog ("Stuck in a Moment" and "Bad" come to mind) to smooth it out and possibly save some overly excited fans from early exhaustion.
"I would have to say both 'Until the End of the World' and 'Streets,'" said Stargoblue. "To me, they seem to have a culminative effect.'Until the End of the World' seems to act out lyrically and physically as a battle between contradiction in one's own soul—good vs. evil, love vs. hate, darkness vs. light—and 'Streets' seems to be an explosion of the choice—with the bright lights and the laps run around the stage. Gotta have them both. I would be crushed if they weren't played."
Starsgoblue might get her wish, as "Until the End of the World" was the first song U2 chose to perform during its induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in New York City earlier this month. The remainder of that set list featured "Pride (In the Name of Love)," "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" (featuring Bruce Springsteen on guitar and vocals) and recent hit "Vertigo."
The middle part of a U2 gig retains the mid-tempo leanings and allows for older, more popular material to seep in such as the ecstatic and beloved "I Will Follow" off of U2's first album, "Boy." Other older songs known to get stage time on the Elevation Tour were "The Sweetest Thing" and "The Fly," the lead single off of 1991's "Achtung Baby."
"As a 22-year fan of the band who is finally going to get to see them up close this year, I can honestly say that if they did 'I Will Follow' (the song that made me fall in love with them) I would become one with the cosmos," said member Pasionara.
Thankfully, U2 always seems to pull out an older nugget and make it new again, witness "Please" from 1997's "Pop" on the Elevation Tour and "Out of Control" from "Boy" in November at the Brooklyn Bridge concert to the delight of longtime fans and purists alike. According to internet rumors, the Vertigo Tour could find old gem "Gloria" from "October" on the bill again, along with "Staring at the Sun," "Lemon" and "A Celebration," one of U2's rarest tunes that hasn't been played live since the 1983 War Tour.
"One song that has to be played is 'Gloria' —they'd tear the roof down when Larry starts the drum intro to that one," said mirrorballman. "I hope they mix it up with some older songs as well this time. I'm not gonna be unrealistic and mention songs like 'Surrender,' but 'Gloria' should certainly work out! It was played 'til end of the Lovetown Tour and is a song I think every U2 fan would like to hear again"
The Brooklyn Bridge concert was notable for many reasons—it was U2's first big live return to the US since the end of the Elevation Tour in December 2001 and it gave U2 fans a primer on what songs U2 might be playing to the crowds every night during the Vertigo Tour, and what the song arrangements might sound like. Popular songs off of "How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb" like "Miracle Drug" and "City of Blinding Lights" made their live debuts to elated response from the audience. The big surprise of the evening was the full rendition of long-lost B-side "She's a Mystery to Me," a song that also showed up in an early-winter London performance, so perhaps completist fans can look forward to singing the opening line "Darkness falls…" at the top of their lungs to the bemusement of newer fans who might not be familiar with this gem.
Next to long lost favorites and old hits, U2 fans were also quick to mention several past showstoppers like "With or Without You" and "Running to Stand Still" as songs that have to be played. "With or Without You" has been an audience favorite in past tours as it found Bono slow-dancing with female fans on stage, even rolling on the floor with them as witnessed on the Elevation Tour DVD. "Running to Stand Still" has gained a loyal following with its dramatic performance heightened by Bono's accomplished harmonica and riveting stage theatrics in a swath of orange smoke as seen on the ZooTV tour.
"I don't doubt they'll play the classics, but I'd like to see 'Running to Stand Still' back," said U2girl. "It's one of their most beautiful songs, the Joshua Tree Tour version with the piano is beautiful and the ZooTV version is haunting, with the full band playing and 'halleluiah' at the end. Perhaps Bono and Edge can play it on acoustic guitar."
Other songs fans noted that U2 must play include "One," "Pride (In the Name of Love)," "Desire," "Acrobat," "Mofo," "Bad" and "11 O'clock Tick Tock." "Acrobat" has garnered a following so passionate that an online petition has been started demanding that it must be played on the Vertigo Tour since it has never made a live appearance at a U2 concert.
Recently, U2 began a month of rehearsals at the GM Place in Vancouver and, of course, wherever U2 goes, fans follow. Gathering outside the venue on a recent March evening with some friends, Interference.com member Mister MacPhisto listened to a rehearsal that included old requested favorites "Out of Control," frequent concert closer "40," "Bad," "Where the Streets Have No Name," and "Running to Stand Still" along with newer fare such as "Love and Peace or Else" "Yahweh" and "All Because of You."
Yes, there's something in there for all fans—new and old, purist or tourist. With the Vertigo Tour, U2 will no doubt win over millions of hearts again and again as the band has done since first touring the world in the early 1980s.
2005.03
Before the show can the start, before Larry Mullen Jr. or The Edge can kick-start the night, U2 fans—those passionate, opinionated and most loyal of concertgoers—already have their hopes up to hear certain songs from U2's back catalog: hits like "Sunday, Bloody Sunday" from 1983's "War;" the enthralling showstopper "Bad" (a song considered by many fans to be U2's "Stairway to Heaven") from 1984's "The Unforgettable Fire;" and "Where The Streets Have No Name," a tune that millions of fans believe to be the one song that encompasses the U2 concert experience. The list goes on and on, right down to 2000's worldwide smash "Beautiful Day," a song that was directly responsible for bringing in a new crop of fans with its uplifting message and bright and sunny sound.
On the upcoming Vertigo Tour, however, time allowances must be made to promote the new album, thereby guaranteeing renditions of the singles from "How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb"—"Vertigo," "All Because of You" and "Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own." Next to these songs, and one or two more off of the newest album (tour rehearsal set lists posted on the internet moot that "A Man and A Woman" and "One Step Closer" are in the mix), older songs must arguably pepper the remainder of the nightly set list in order to keep the majority of the audience happy and not wandering off to use the toilet or buy merchandise should a group of lesser known songs be played back-to-back.
"There is only one song on an objective list of songs U2 must play, and that is 'Where the Streets Have No Name,'" said Interference.com member Axver. "Nothing else in the history of live songs has the power to induce such an incredible and unified crowd response as this particular number. The universal emotional impact of 'One' makes its inclusion in an object 'must play' list arguable, but it has not yet reached the heights of 'Where the Streets Have No Name'."
A U2 concert follows a certain formula. The first song is always a barnburner designed to get the crowd on its feet and dancing with abandon (like "Elevation" from U2's 2001 tour). The next few songs (like "Until the End of the World" and "New Year's Day" from previous tours) will then serve to keep this energy flowing only to slow it down a bit, throwing in some mid-tempo songs from the new album and back catalog ("Stuck in a Moment" and "Bad" come to mind) to smooth it out and possibly save some overly excited fans from early exhaustion.
"I would have to say both 'Until the End of the World' and 'Streets,'" said Stargoblue. "To me, they seem to have a culminative effect.'Until the End of the World' seems to act out lyrically and physically as a battle between contradiction in one's own soul—good vs. evil, love vs. hate, darkness vs. light—and 'Streets' seems to be an explosion of the choice—with the bright lights and the laps run around the stage. Gotta have them both. I would be crushed if they weren't played."
Starsgoblue might get her wish, as "Until the End of the World" was the first song U2 chose to perform during its induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in New York City earlier this month. The remainder of that set list featured "Pride (In the Name of Love)," "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" (featuring Bruce Springsteen on guitar and vocals) and recent hit "Vertigo."
The middle part of a U2 gig retains the mid-tempo leanings and allows for older, more popular material to seep in such as the ecstatic and beloved "I Will Follow" off of U2's first album, "Boy." Other older songs known to get stage time on the Elevation Tour were "The Sweetest Thing" and "The Fly," the lead single off of 1991's "Achtung Baby."
"As a 22-year fan of the band who is finally going to get to see them up close this year, I can honestly say that if they did 'I Will Follow' (the song that made me fall in love with them) I would become one with the cosmos," said member Pasionara.
Thankfully, U2 always seems to pull out an older nugget and make it new again, witness "Please" from 1997's "Pop" on the Elevation Tour and "Out of Control" from "Boy" in November at the Brooklyn Bridge concert to the delight of longtime fans and purists alike. According to internet rumors, the Vertigo Tour could find old gem "Gloria" from "October" on the bill again, along with "Staring at the Sun," "Lemon" and "A Celebration," one of U2's rarest tunes that hasn't been played live since the 1983 War Tour.
"One song that has to be played is 'Gloria' —they'd tear the roof down when Larry starts the drum intro to that one," said mirrorballman. "I hope they mix it up with some older songs as well this time. I'm not gonna be unrealistic and mention songs like 'Surrender,' but 'Gloria' should certainly work out! It was played 'til end of the Lovetown Tour and is a song I think every U2 fan would like to hear again"
The Brooklyn Bridge concert was notable for many reasons—it was U2's first big live return to the US since the end of the Elevation Tour in December 2001 and it gave U2 fans a primer on what songs U2 might be playing to the crowds every night during the Vertigo Tour, and what the song arrangements might sound like. Popular songs off of "How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb" like "Miracle Drug" and "City of Blinding Lights" made their live debuts to elated response from the audience. The big surprise of the evening was the full rendition of long-lost B-side "She's a Mystery to Me," a song that also showed up in an early-winter London performance, so perhaps completist fans can look forward to singing the opening line "Darkness falls…" at the top of their lungs to the bemusement of newer fans who might not be familiar with this gem.
Next to long lost favorites and old hits, U2 fans were also quick to mention several past showstoppers like "With or Without You" and "Running to Stand Still" as songs that have to be played. "With or Without You" has been an audience favorite in past tours as it found Bono slow-dancing with female fans on stage, even rolling on the floor with them as witnessed on the Elevation Tour DVD. "Running to Stand Still" has gained a loyal following with its dramatic performance heightened by Bono's accomplished harmonica and riveting stage theatrics in a swath of orange smoke as seen on the ZooTV tour.
"I don't doubt they'll play the classics, but I'd like to see 'Running to Stand Still' back," said U2girl. "It's one of their most beautiful songs, the Joshua Tree Tour version with the piano is beautiful and the ZooTV version is haunting, with the full band playing and 'halleluiah' at the end. Perhaps Bono and Edge can play it on acoustic guitar."
Other songs fans noted that U2 must play include "One," "Pride (In the Name of Love)," "Desire," "Acrobat," "Mofo," "Bad" and "11 O'clock Tick Tock." "Acrobat" has garnered a following so passionate that an online petition has been started demanding that it must be played on the Vertigo Tour since it has never made a live appearance at a U2 concert.
Recently, U2 began a month of rehearsals at the GM Place in Vancouver and, of course, wherever U2 goes, fans follow. Gathering outside the venue on a recent March evening with some friends, Interference.com member Mister MacPhisto listened to a rehearsal that included old requested favorites "Out of Control," frequent concert closer "40," "Bad," "Where the Streets Have No Name," and "Running to Stand Still" along with newer fare such as "Love and Peace or Else" "Yahweh" and "All Because of You."
Yes, there's something in there for all fans—new and old, purist or tourist. With the Vertigo Tour, U2 will no doubt win over millions of hearts again and again as the band has done since first touring the world in the early 1980s.
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