No POP songs???

[Chizip]

You know what though? I've almost always preferred the studio version of One over almost any live version (Zoo TV is the only one I've really "felt").

So I'm not really on the dark side. I'm gray.

i have to agree with ya there, ZooTV is the only live version I've really gotten into

except for the incredible performance at Modena of course

 

[angelordevil]

i'll answer your question, bbbad.

u2 is as safe as ricky henderson en route to second base, circa 1993.

pop wasn't well liked by many inept north americans, and was originally branded as being "bad" by many on this side of the ocean.

and since it's no secret that u2 are avoiding stepping on toes at all costs, they're not gonna play something that might "alienate" their fans.

meanwhile, they continue to insult their fans night after night by playing 'elevation' and 'vertigo' twice.

You're just stoking the flames and looking for a reaction. How about some original thought instead of trying to forge an identity based on complaining?

 

[L03VIk]

There will be other tours! This tour has the focus on innocence and insecurity... so therefore a few Boy songs and so forth...


Maybe they'll play Lemon in Oslo... Last time they were there in 97, the Lemon broke down, and they got stuck in there...

 

[Zoomerang96]

You're just stoking the flames and looking for a reaction. How about some original thought instead of trying to forge an identity based on complaining?

don't tell me i have identity issues.

seriously.

 

[Harry Vest]

"Gone" and "Please" should be rotated somewhat during this tour. They just should.

 

[BBBad11]

Exactly! I mean, right now I'd rather hear A Man And A Woman rather than Pride.

As for the setlist... If you were AT the concert, and it was the ONLY one you were going to (as in my case with the concert in Ottawa), would you really want them to go off and start experimenting with a new setlist, making tons of mistakes, the concert having no flow, and then you being totally disappointed?

All of you people who complain about the setlists are the ones sitting at your computers looking at the setlists from each night, and when WGRYWH comes up you have an episode. You're not there...

For example, you might like to READ that Play Boy Mansion was played... but if you were there, you'd rather hear SBS cause it's a classic. U2 is not trying to make people outside the building happy, they are trying to make the majority of the paying fans happy!

Some hardcore fans go to a dozen shows on a tour and get bored and want Wire and Surrender and LNOE... I go to one, and I want to hear the classics and the new HTDAAB songs. If they throw a few curveballs in that is AWESOME, cause I love those too, but not more than one or two.

Is this an "I am holier than though" posting because you went to one show? Wanna hear SBS? Rent one of any of their tour shows. i wanna hear something new!!!
I am sick of hearing Pride, and Bullet, and Sunday Bloody Sunday, and perhaps even Streets too, every frickin tour! They have many albums to chose from with so many great songs, why play the same ones every night of every tour?
Maybe its time to take a tip from Pearl Jam and play different songs, lesser played songs, more often. Whose gonne ride your wild horses is a step in the right direction, now lets blow it wide open!!!
I wanna hear:
Lemon
Bad
Trying to throw your arms...
So Cruel
Last Night on Earth
Exit
Mothers of the Disappeared
One Tree Hill
Do You Feel Loved?
etc
Don't you think the band must get bored too of playing the same songs all the time? Do you think they even remember how to play songs like Exit or Trying to Throw your Arms live??? Probably not.

 

[DPrinceNY]

Is this an "I am holier than though" posting because you went to one show? Wanna hear SBS? Rent one of any of their tour shows. i wanna hear something new!!!
I am sick of hearing Pride, and Bullet, and Sunday Bloody Sunday, and perhaps even Streets too, every frickin tour! They have many albums to chose from with so many great songs, why play the same ones every night of every tour?
Maybe its time to take a tip from Pearl Jam and play different songs, lesser played songs, more often. Whose gonne ride your wild horses is a step in the right direction, now lets blow it wide open!!!
I wanna hear:
Lemon
Bad
Trying to throw your arms...
So Cruel
Last Night on Earth
Exit
Mothers of the Disappeared
One Tree Hill
Do You Feel Loved?
etc
Don't you think the band must get bored too of playing the same songs all the time? Do you think they even remember how to play songs like Exit or Trying to Throw your Arms live??? Probably not.

why Do You Feel Loved? everyone knows that that song is terrible live. Its one of those u2 songs that are only good in the the studio version.

 

[AtomicBono]

also, why doesn't edge say "listen guys, we've played bullet the blue sky for the last 18 years and it's usually kicked some major ass. but I'm tired of playing the same guitar solo on it that I've worked out for the last 13 years, and it's really not fresh anymore. maybe we can try something else".

go ahead and flame me now.

OFMG U SUK SHUTUP EDGRE PLZY GAYTR BETR DAN U!!?1?11/1

Just kidding

I agree 112%... I LIKE the new version of Bullet, it's GOOD, but that's compared to LOVING the GREAT ZooTv and Popmart versions. I really think they should drop Bullet for Please. Who would complain? Someone I'm sure, but a lot of the casual fans don't even know Bullet, and it seems the majority of the diehards are sick of it. Please on the other hand is BRILLIANT live, not tired, would go well in the political set, and Bono has been quoted semi-recently saying he feels it's one of the best songs they've ever written (then again he also apparently feels Crumbs is the most important song they've ever written?? )...so WHY NOT PLAY IT?

I also agree about Pride, unfortunatley I don't think that will be taken out because of the whole Africa thing... look Bono I understand the whole helping Africa bit, but wouldn't playing a rocking version of Last Night on Earth or Mofo or Discotheque help Africa just as much?

I'm probably the only person in the world that thinks this, but imo GONE would be a brilliant closer.

As for One... I certainly enjoyed it at the show, and I consider it my favourte song ever, but there's something about it that's a little...I don't know, perhaps One needs a break. Which won't happen because of the ONE campaign. I think maybe that's the problem... I kinda feel like he's taken one of the most beautifully personal yet also universal songs he's written into an advertisement for his latest campaign. I believe in the cause, I've joined the ONE campaign (they have to capitalize the word ONE everytime they use it), and I don't mind Bono preaching at shows, but I feel like One has lost its original beauty. Maybe I'm just completely crazy...I'm certainly offtopic!!

 

[Chizip]

no you're not crazy, you're dead on

i think it's great that bono is trying to help the world and all that, but when it forces the band to play weaker setlists to "send a message" at their concerts, thats when it annoys me a bit

 

[JOFO]

there was a time when I would've said one and streets are the only 2 that they have to play at every show.

now not really.

 

[corianderstem]

I'll take your place and at least say that they have to play Streets at every show.

One? Not so much.

 

[Needle_Chill]

Is this an "I am holier than though" posting because you went to one show? Wanna hear SBS? Rent one of any of their tour shows. i wanna hear something new!!!
I am sick of hearing Pride, and Bullet, and Sunday Bloody Sunday, and perhaps even Streets too, every frickin tour! They have many albums to chose from with so many great songs, why play the same ones every night of every tour?
Maybe its time to take a tip from Pearl Jam and play different songs, lesser played songs, more often. Whose gonne ride your wild horses is a step in the right direction, now lets blow it wide open!!!
I wanna hear:
Lemon
Bad
Trying to throw your arms...
So Cruel
Last Night on Earth
Exit
Mothers of the Disappeared
One Tree Hill
Do You Feel Loved?
etc
Don't you think the band must get bored too of playing the same songs all the time? Do you think they even remember how to play songs like Exit or Trying to Throw your Arms live??? Probably not.

I'm not saying I'm any more important as a fan than you are just cause I'm going to one show, that's not my point AT ALL. My point is that my situation is the situation of 80% or more of the fans in the building every night...

U2 knows this, and that's why they don't take the regular songs out of rotation. They leave one or two spots open in the set (like on this tour with a rotation between WGRYWH, AIWIY, ISHFWILF) so that there is some variation.

If you want to hear all the songs you listed there (which is an INCREDIBLY impressive list I'll agree), you'll have to settle for concert DVDs, not me. I'd LOVE to hear the songs you listed, but not at the expense of other songs (SBS, WTSHNN). Maybe if I (and thousands of other fans) were able to travel around and see alot of shows (which is a great thing of you to do as a fan), I'd get to the point where I'd feel the same way as you.

I just don't, and when I hear the opening beat of SBS, I'm not going to worry about the other songs. I'd love to hear them, but I'll just be happy (along with many others) to be in the building hearing songs that I've been dying to hear in person for years.

There's never been a U2 concert here, I'm excited!

No offence whatsoever, and I hope you can complete your list someday!

 

[BBBad11]

No, I agree with you. All I am saying is that tour after tour, show after show, we hear Pride, Bullet, Streets, etc. It wouldn't hurt to give one of the overplayed songs a break once in a while. I'm not saying retire them altogether, just if they played them less often I think there would be less complaining about the setlist.
I am also in Canada and I think its great that Ottawa got a show there finally. My city, Edmonton, was passed by this tour but I am lucky enough to be headed to Europe to see shows there.
I'm sure once I'm there I won't care what they play. I just love the thrill of seeing any band pull out a song they haven't played live for a while and throw it into the setlist. Its a rush and I just wish U2 did it more often.

 

[Sken]

These are the 4 main problems of the Vertigo tour I can tell from reading the various postings and reviews. I personally think the tour is great, but definately has its flaws.

1: Sound Quality - This is without a doubt probably the biggest issue I think. The majority of the negative reviews of actual concert goers has to do with the poor sound quality. Concert may have been great, but they couldnt tell. This applies to both arena and stadium. They really need to resolve this one, maybe by adding more speakers around the venues.

2: Vertigo x 2 - I don't really need to say more on this one.

3: Setlist Variation - This is more of an issue for hardcore fans, but U2 could easily resolve this by adding 5 more songs to their playlist which they rotate in and out.

4: Vertigo theme - I actually still don't know what the Vertigo tour is about. Every tour had its theme, ZooTV was irony, Pop was excessivness, Elevation was about back to basics. Vertigo, well it really doesnt have its own identity, in US it was kinda like Elevation, in Europe its kinda like POP.

Btw, this is not a Vertigo bashing post.

 

[SkeeK]

I'd agree about 100% with Sken. I can't really judge it cause i haven't seen it. But I guess the tour matches the album in that it isn't doing anything new beyond mashing different bits of U2 together and shaving off the edges

 

[Needle_Chill]

No, I agree with you. All I am saying is that tour after tour, show after show, we hear Pride, Bullet, Streets, etc. It wouldn't hurt to give one of the overplayed songs a break once in a while. I'm not saying retire them altogether, just if they played them less often I think there would be less complaining about the setlist.
I am also in Canada and I think its great that Ottawa got a show there finally. My city, Edmonton, was passed by this tour but I am lucky enough to be headed to Europe to see shows there.
I'm sure once I'm there I won't care what they play. I just love the thrill of seeing any band pull out a song they haven't played live for a while and throw it into the setlist. Its a rush and I just wish U2 did it more often.

I can definitely see your point of view. It must be such a rush to hear the songs you've listed over the regular ones you've heard already time after time...

I suppose it'll be the same for me, except instead of the songs you listed I've never even heard the regular songs before so it'll be a rush for me personally.

I can't wait!

Oh yeah, btw, CANADIANS IN THE HOUSE!!!

 

[Zoomerang96]

I'd agree about 100% with Sken. I can't really judge it cause i haven't seen it. But I guess the tour matches the album in that it isn't doing anything new beyond mashing different bits of U2 together and shaving off the edges

yes, well put.

shaving off the edges...a very deep cut indeed.

 

[BigMacPhisto]

"Staring At The Sun" and "Stay" done on acoustic guitars is the easiest thing to setup......I'm shocked that neither has appeared yet.....

 

[AtomicBono]

These are the 4 main problems of the Vertigo tour I can tell from reading the various postings and reviews. I personally think the tour is great, but definately has its flaws.

1: Sound Quality - This is without a doubt probably the biggest issue I think. The majority of the negative reviews of actual concert goers has to do with the poor sound quality. Concert may have been great, but they couldnt tell. This applies to both arena and stadium. They really need to resolve this one, maybe by adding more speakers around the venues.

2: Vertigo x 2 - I don't really need to say more on this one.

3: Setlist Variation - This is more of an issue for hardcore fans, but U2 could easily resolve this by adding 5 more songs to their playlist which they rotate in and out.

4: Vertigo theme - I actually still don't know what the Vertigo tour is about. Every tour had its theme, ZooTV was irony, Pop was excessivness, Elevation was about back to basics. Vertigo, well it really doesnt have its own identity, in US it was kinda like Elevation, in Europe its kinda like POP.

Btw, this is not a Vertigo bashing post.

I have to agree with you there, especially about the theme - what the hell is this tour about? I guess kind of a retrospective back to roots thing (Boy songs, opening and closing with the same song, even the whole Zoo set)...and of course promoting the new album... but I don't know what this tour really is trying to say. Maybe it's not trying to say anything, maybe it's just U2 being U2...and I'm cool with that.

In Europe, kind of like POP...without the POP songs

 

[guill]

I think it's really time to be objective about the reasons why U2 don't play POP songs.

Round 1 PopMart and Elevation eras

Disco played
DYFL never really played
MOFO played
IGWSHA never really played
SATS played
LNOE played
GONE played
MIAMI played
PM never really played
IYWTVD played
Please played
Wake Up played


U2 never play songs that they skipped during the former tour, so adios DYFL, IGWSHA, Playboy and never see you again.

Round 2 u2 never repeat themselves.

They already played acoustic SATS and Dead Man on their last tours, so adios (like Stay, Desire, The ground beneath, ....)

Round 3

Larry refuses to play Discotheque, i'm convinced about it
Adios Discotheque.

Round 4 The Vertigo has its "different moments" : the Bob Hewson part, the War part, the African part, the "remenber Achtung Baby" part and the "Vertigo twice" part.

Mofo is about Bono'mother.
Maybe Gone reminds Bono too much of his Father.
Please is about a conflict, but in the "War part" u2 play two hits SBS and Bullet, and LAPOE to promote their last album.
Velvet dress, LNOE and Miami are just not in the context of the tour...

I would really love to hear Please and Mofo but I think that U2 are just very logic with the idea of the Vertigo tour.

agree, disagree ?

 

[Hawkfire]

The theme of this tour is Let's Make $$$ - Lots of It. And if we can get the soccer moms and those middle America teenagers even better.

Pop and Zooropa are thus discounted because, as Greg Kot aptly put it in the Chicago Trib, U2's "main problem with Pop is that it didn't sell." Sadly, what is selling - albeit not as successfully as you would think for all the constant self-promotion - is this current incarnation of U2, a shadow of their former greatness, giving us watered down AOR made-for-radio, offend nobody, cliche heaven pop songs.

 

[Axver]

The theme of this tour is Let's Make $$$ - Lots of It. And if we can get the soccer moms and those middle America teenagers even better.

Pop and Zooropa are thus discounted because, as Greg Kot aptly put it in the Chicago Trib, U2's "main problem with Pop is that it didn't sell." Sadly, what is selling - albeit not as successfully as you would think for all the constant self-promotion - is this current incarnation of U2, a shadow of their former greatness, giving us watered down AOR made-for-radio, offend nobody, cliche heaven pop songs.

Becuase that's SO why they brought back songs like Electric Co., An Cat Dubh, 40, and Running To Stand Still. Non-singles from 18-25 years ago!

 

[Chizip]

Please is about a conflict, but in the "War part" u2 play two hits SBS and Bullet, and LAPOE to promote their last album.

i wouldnt say Bullet is a "hit," I bet only half the audience at each show knows what it is. if they would just substitute Please in for Bullet I think the set would be so much better

just switch that one song and I'd be in heaven

 

[The OOTS]

Becuase that's SO why they brought back songs like Electric Co., An Cat Dubh, 40, and Running To Stand Still. Non-singles from 18-25 years ago!

Brought back, but already done to death.

Why would it kill them to mix in songs like Seconds, Exit,In Gods' Country, UF, Please, etc, etc?

 

[Axver]

i wouldnt say Bullet is a "hit," I bet only half the audience at each show knows what it is. if they would just substitute Please in for Bullet I think the set would be so much better

just switch that one song and I'd be in heaven

I disagree that the set would be so much better. The transition from Sunday Bloody Sunday to Bullet is absolutely incredible!

If I had my way, they'd just make the set a song longer and put Please between LAPOE and SBS.

 

[Axver]

Brought back, but already done to death.

Wow, you are harsh on the band. I particularly have a hard time seeing how An Cat Dubh has been done to death!

I also think those songs are better than the majority of songs they could choose to play from the nineties. Some Exit or UF would be to die for, though.

Revision for my last post:
LAPOE --> Exit --> Please --> SBS --> Bullet --> RTSS

 

[Blue Room]

Brought back, but already done to death.

Why would it kill them to mix in songs like Seconds, Exit,In Gods' Country, UF, Please, etc, etc?

I personally dont consider songs that havent been done in 18 to 25 years done to death!! Then you list songs that were staples on tours done within the last 18 years!!??? No, your theory is they are not doing the older non single songs YOU want them to. They could play some of the songs you indicated and I GUARANTEE you there would have been someone saying "why cant they delve deeper into their catalog and bring back non single classics like An Cat Dubh and Electric Co". Its a no win situation regardless of what they do.

It might kill U2 to do the songs you mention. Why? Because if the band wanted to do them, they would be! Its that simple. The band thought about doing Please though, and they still may. Exit was a bullshit rumor. UF I would also like to see done, but its tough on Bono's vocals. It has been in the running though the last two tours. I think it will surface again someday. Thing is, my dream song that I thought would never be done again is being played this tour. Electric Co. So its all about perspective and what YOUR personal taste is. There is NO way U2 can satisfy every single fan. They try to satisfy most of the crowd, not 2% of them.

 

[Chizip]

It might kill U2 to do the songs you mention. Why? Because if the band wanted to do them, they would be! Its that simple. The band thought about doing Please though, and they still may. Exit was a bullshit rumor. UF I would also like to see done, but its tough on Bono's vocals. It has been in the running though the last two tours. I think it will surface again someday. Thing is, my dream song that I thought would never be done again is being played this tour. Electric Co. So its all about perspective and what YOUR personal taste is. There is NO way U2 can satisfy every single fan. They try to satisfy most of the crowd, not 2% of them.

well with varied setlists they could satisfy more fans

and around and around we go

 

[WildHoneyAlways]

i wouldnt say Bullet is a "hit," I bet only half the audience at each show knows what it is. if they would just substitute Please in for Bullet I think the set would be so much better

just switch that one song and I'd be in heaven

It is unfathomable (is that a word?) to me that only half the audience knows Bullet. I mean, it's Bullet. How many people at concerts have heard the Joshua Tree?


Annnnnnnnyway, I much rather hear Please too. At this point, if I ever hear Bullet live again it will be too soon. (Did I just write that?)

 

[Blue Room]

well with varied setlists they could satisfy more fans

and around and around we go

See, honestly, I think thats debatable. The only fans that really care about the varied setlists are fans going to more than one show. Lets face it, that is the diehard fans. We make up a small percentage of the total U2 concert going fanbase overall. Then that is also assuming that ALL the diehards are unhappy with the setlists, which isnt true either. So its an even smaller percentage that more varied setlist would really make a huge difference to.

I think setlist variation would be cool, I think they have done some actually. May not be the exact songs some of you want or as much as some would like, but it has been done. Thing is, I had the greatest time of my life on one of their most static tours Popmart. Saw 10 shows and loved all of them. I just get the feeling we have alot of glass is half empty people around here these days.