This is becoming a "Greatest Hits" tour

[jarvis]

In an earlier interview when the tour just started, Adam mentioned that they needed to give the Joshua Tree Tour songs a rest and their mood of the moment was Boy. Now, they have changed their setlist dramatically, getting rid of the Boy songs (Electric Co, An Cat Dubh/Into The Heart) and have added Joshua Tree songs into the mix (WOWY, Still Haven't Found). Thrown in ocassional acoustic versions of The First Time (it's in the best of 1990-2000) or the full band All I Want Is You or even the new nightly staple of Miss Sarajevo (Best of 1990-2000) -- and subtract non-singles like Miracle Drug, Yahweh, and Running To Stand Stilll -- then you got yourself a recipe for a Greatest Hits Tour. And you thought they'd never want themselves to be a nostalgia act. But perhaps its because they are playing in regions that they hardly play on, hence the need to showcase their greatest hits. If only I could read what was in U2's mind....

very truly yours,

jarvis

 

[Axver]

Yes, they're playing Fast Cars, Zoo Station, and Mothers Of The Disappeared. Huge successes! Definitely a greatest hits tour.

I think the tour is a bit hits-heavy, especially with the reappearance of WOWY and ISHFWILF and the disappearance of Boy/October material, but I wouldn't label it a Greatest Hits tour. I was more concerned about it being Greatest Hits-y at the end of the third leg than I am now.

 

[bcrt2000]

I think one of the biggest problems is that half of the tour, they spend in North America, and in North America, about 50% of the crowd are just casual fans (usually people who were fans of U2 during the JT/AB era). Now, the problem with that is the casual fans only recognize the hits, and they hate the experimental stuff; theres quite a few of them that I know who haven't even listened to HTDAAB because they thought U2 is trying to be too commercial.

So, U2 needs to keep in the hits for the casual fan.

 

[walkon11]

In an earlier interview when the tour just started, Adam mentioned that they needed to give the Joshua Tree Tour songs a rest and their mood of the moment was Boy. Now, they have changed their setlist dramatically, getting rid of the Boy songs (Electric Co, An Cat Dubh/Into The Heart) and have added Joshua Tree songs into the mix (WOWY, Still Haven't Found). Thrown in ocassional acoustic versions of The First Time (it's in the best of 1990-2000) or the full band All I Want Is You or even the new nightly staple of Miss Sarajevo (Best of 1990-2000) -- and subtract non-singles like Miracle Drug, Yahweh, and Running To Stand Stilll -- then you got yourself a recipe for a Greatest Hits Tour. And you thought they'd never want themselves to be a nostalgia act. But perhaps its because they are playing in regions that they hardly play on, hence the need to showcase their greatest hits. If only I could read what was in U2's mind....

very truly yours,

jarvis

I laugh when you list The First Time and Miss Sarajevo as "greatest hits"...

I think Axver covered the rest pretty well.

 

[sniggirb]

Well come one, they have to play the big hits. Its just something that has to be done. And throw in a few random songs for the hard core fans and everybody is happy. Casual, and hardcore fans.
If the crowd likes WOWY and ISHFWILF better than An Cat Dubh and Electric Co. then go ahead and play those songs.

 

[zoopop]

Well, there playing in places that haven't seen them in nearly 10 years. Hits are going to be played. I applaud U2 for the most part of the tour though. They really have resurfaced some old songs to be heard again and kept it pretty fresh for the diehards. At least they haven't crossed that line of doing what the Stones do everynight.


3 gurantees in life:

Birth
Death
And the Stones playing:

Satisfaction
Brown Sugar
Jumpin Jack Flash
Sympathy For The Devil
You Can't Always Get What You Want
Start Me Up
Its Only Rock N Roll
Honkey Tonk Women
Tumbling Dice
Miss You

AT EVERY SHOW!!

 

[Blue Room]

Well, there playing in places that haven't seen them in nearly 10 years. Hits are going to be played. I applaud U2 for the most part of the tour though. They really have resurfaced some old songs to be heard again and kept it pretty fresh for the diehards. At least they haven't crossed that line of doing what the Stones do everynight.


3 gurantees in life:

Birth
Death
And the Stones playing:

Satisfaction
Brown Sugar
Jumpin Jack Flash
Sympathy For The Devil
You Can't Always Get What You Want
Start Me Up
Its Only Rock N Roll
Honkey Tonk Women
Tumbling Dice
Miss You

AT EVERY SHOW!!

Interesting, I have seen the Stones 3 times (Voodoo Lounge, Bridges and the tour in 2002 cant remember what it was called). Out of those three, Sympathy For The Devil, You Cant Always Get What You Want, Tumbling Dice and Miss You were NOT played at all three. In fact, Miss You and Tumbling Dice were only done at one of the three I saw. I actually was disappointed when Sympathy wasnt done at my first Stones show. Which I'm sure is what alot of the crowd would feel like at U2 if they didnt do Streets or other big hit staple.

Every U2 tour is going to qualify as a greatest hits tour. They have too many songs that ALOT of people love. Its a testament really to the quality of the recording work they have done.

Its the same old threads. No matter what they play someone is going to be unhappy about it.

 

[Nisse]

Well, there playing in places that haven't seen them in nearly 10 years. Hits are going to be played. I applaud U2 for the most part of the tour though. They really have resurfaced some old songs to be heard again and kept it pretty fresh for the diehards. At least they haven't crossed that line of doing what the Stones do everynight.


3 gurantees in life:

Birth
Death
And the Stones playing:

Satisfaction
Brown Sugar
Jumpin Jack Flash
Sympathy For The Devil
You Can't Always Get What You Want
Start Me Up
Its Only Rock N Roll
Honkey Tonk Women
Tumbling Dice
Miss You

AT EVERY SHOW!!

I heard Rolling Stones agreed to not play some of those songs in China because of censorship

 

[JMScoopy]

poor U2, they could play every song from every album every night, and fans would still bitch.

 

[Axver]

poor U2, they could play every song from every album every night, and fans would still bitch.

Too much damn Achtung!

 

[theu2fly]

City of Blinding Lights
Vertigo
Elevation
Until The End of the World
New Year’s Day
Still Haven’t Found What I'm Looking For
Beautiful Day
The First Time
Sometimes You Can't Make it On Your Own
Love and Peace
Sunday Bloody Sunday
Bullet The Blue Sky
Miss Sarajevo
Pride in the Name of Love
Where the Streets have no Name
One

Zoo Station
The Fly
Mysterious Ways
With or Without You
Mothers of the Disappeared

Original of the Species
All I Want is You

Let's spot the 'greatest hits', shall we?

With Or Without You
One
Mysterious Ways
I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For
Where The Streets Have No Name
Sunday Bloody Sunday
New Year's Day

Those are the greatest hits... the rest is just new material. Learn it.

 

[Axver]

Pride and AIWIY aren't greatest hits?

 

[theu2fly]

Pride and AIWIY aren't greatest hits?

Oops on Pride!

AIWIY may have been a single on Rattle and Hum, but when I think back to 'greatest hits' I don't think of that song being a greatest hit, more people would want to hear Bad, than AIWIY.

 

[doubleU]

Yes, they're playing Fast Cars, Zoo Station, and Mothers Of The Disappeared. Huge successes! Definitely a greatest hits tour.

Voice of reason.

 

[JCOSTER]

They would have to play for 5 hours in order to satisfy everyones dream setlist including mine.

 

[katiebu21]

And you thought they'd never want themselves to be a nostalgia act.

IMO the only way U2 will ever become a "Greatest Hits" act is if their new material isn't good anymore.

There have been many great hits played on this tour. There are sooooo many amazing songs people want to hear that it's impossible to please everyone. Someone, somewhere will always have something to bitch about.


Oh and Axver....there can never be too much Achtung!

 

[God Part III]

The First Time, Zoo Station and Mothers of the Disappeared was played at the last show. I wouldn't call it a "greatest hits tour" just yet.

 

[Axver]

Oops on Pride!

AIWIY may have been a single on Rattle and Hum, but when I think back to 'greatest hits' I don't think of that song being a greatest hit, more people would want to hear Bad, than AIWIY.

Maybe it depends where you're from, but people here are just as likely to know AIWIY as they are to know the JT big three, and definitely more likely to know it than Bad.

I believe AIWIY was a pretty successful single in its day (and its b-sides did well for themselves!), and if I remember correctly, it also got coupled to some famous movie.

 

[J_NP]

Well at least here in Brazil , according to the crowd´s answer , AIWIY is pretty much one of their greatest hits. People went crazy with it when started , like with streets or pride . Actually people here went crazy with every song anyway .

 

[indy81]

Isn't the real problem that they're playing significantly less of the new album compared to previous legs? Five songs compared to 7-8. Kind of a drag...

 

[thelaj]

I agree with this, the number of NEW songs as opposed to "past non-classics" is the issue to me.

I personally think there should be double the number of songs from a new album compared to any other.

Vertigo
COBL
SYCMIOYO
LAPOE
----------
ABOY
Yahweh
Miracle Drug
OOTS
----------
CFYT
Fast Cars

Everpresent>Rotating>Rare

It seems to me that they are choosing ONE from the middle group instead of 2 or 3 which is really cutting down on Bomb songs.

 

[Mauwer]

Maybe it depends where you're from, but people here are just as likely to know AIWIY as they are to know the JT big three, and definitely more likely to know it than Bad.

I believe AIWIY was a pretty successful single in its day (and its b-sides did well for themselves!), and if I remember correctly, it also got coupled to some famous movie.

Totally agree with Axver.

In the Netherlands AIWIY was success as well.
First for AIWIY itself.
And around the time they were here for the Love Town tour , the single became a success again because of the b-side cover of Everlasting Love.

Cheers ,

Mauwer

 

[Mirrorball Man]

Zoo station makes the difference for me. But that's love for you....

 

[U2girl]

7 Boy songs, Gloria, 40, Running to stand still, Mothers of the dissappeared, Zoo station, Who's gonna ride your wild horses, Love is blindness, First time, Miss Sarajevo.

Smash hits.

 

[indy81]

7 Boy songs, Gloria, 40, Running to stand still, Mothers of the dissappeared, Zoo station, Who's gonna ride your wild horses, Love is blindness, First time, Miss Sarajevo.

Smash hits.

Except only 2-3 of those 16 songs are currently regulars in the set.

 

[LMP]

Maybe it depends where you're from, but people here are just as likely to know AIWIY as they are to know the JT big three, and definitely more likely to know it than Bad.

I believe AIWIY was a pretty successful single in its day (and its b-sides did well for themselves!), and if I remember correctly, it also got coupled to some famous movie.

It was played in almost all its entirety in 'Reality Bites' w/ Winona Ryder and Ethan Hawke.

Most of my friends know AIWIY from the scene in that movie, so that's pretty good.

 

[1stepcloser]

I think they've got the balance just about right at the moment. When i go to a U2 concert i want to hear stuff like WOWY, NYD and the fly. It's what has made them the band they are today.