reality check

[lemon_vr6]

Vertigo has had the most setlist variation since Lovetown. Setlists for past tours are widely available on the internet. It's amusing that so many of you do not seem to be aware of the fact that a fixed setlist is par for the course unless there are u2 tours in the last 15 years other than ZooTV, Popmart and Elevation that I am unaware of.

 

[typhoon]

It's good, but it could be better (especially since they have nearly thirty years of back catalogue to mine through at this point), so we bitch.

 

[WildHoneyAlways]

It's amusing that so many of you do not seem to be aware of the fact that a fixed setlist is par for the course unless there are u2 tours in the last 15 years other than ZooTV, Popmart and Elevation that I am unaware of.

No, I do believe many of us are aware. We just expect more from the band.

 

[BigMacPhisto]

I have nothing against the song selection, and I knew months ago that it would have the largest reach of any of their tours, it's just the fixed setlists that get annoying (and yes, I know they're par for U2). They've been mixing it up a lot on the third leg, to the point where I saw like seven or eight songs the second night in the Oakland show that I didn't see the previous night. But c'mon, it was a disgrace when they did the European shows with practically the same setlist every night.

 

[thelaj]

I think the main issue is that U2 want to be the biggest band in the world (and are) and you don't get to that position by playing to a hardcore minority (however vocal that minority is).
I went to see them with 3 friends at Manchester 2 this year, one of whom is a big fan, the other two are casual fans. I would have liked to hear "Tomorrow" "MOFO" "Bass Trap" et al, but it would confuse the concert for the others not so familiar with that, which would in turn give a negative vibe.

I think ZOO Station is a great song, but I felt it tripped the setlist up a bit since a lot of people are unfamiliar with it.

I went to only two concerts this year (my first two) simply because I couldn't afford to go to more. A lot of people will only go to one, and they pay the same money as the hardcore types so they deserve to have a show they can get into, which means "Streets" "Beautiful Day" "Vertigo" "Pride" etc.

The basic point is: if you want to be the biggest band in the word and put on arguably the biggest tour ever seen, you aren't playing for the hardcore minority.

 

[U2girl]

Vertigo has had the most setlist variation since Lovetown. Setlists for past tours are widely available on the internet. It's amusing that so many of you do not seem to be aware of the fact that a fixed setlist is par for the course unless there are u2 tours in the last 15 years other than ZooTV, Popmart and Elevation that I am unaware of.

Interesting - I don't recall near as much complaints over Elevation setlists, and that was a "greatest hits" setlist if U2 ever had one.

The "back catalogue" argument is a bit shaky as U2 has dug into it on this tour pretty well not to mention they rarely play non-hit pre-JT material and Zooropa.
There's also a flip side to this: the less rehearsed/played the material, the worse the performance. (A sort of homecoming last tour, anyone?)