Some choice quotes from Willie regarding the 4th leg

[Popmartijn]

Hello,

When looking at Willie's tour diary entries of the last few days I saw many interesting statements. Let me quote a few:

Regarding the Monterey show:

The gig had its moments (Elevation being one of them) but another ‘problem’ (though in many ways encouraging) is that here it seems the newer U2 material is far more well known than the older. The ‘Boy’ songs didn’t get anything like the usual recognition and my visionary insistence that we put ‘Bad’ into the set created without doubt the low point of the evening.

Regarding the conditions of the shows:

Given the cold and the dark, I think the European show is too slow to get to the spectacular bits. When we were opening in daylight and there was more of a football crowd spirit we could get away with holding back, but here it seems wiser to go in all guns blazing.

[. . .]

We’re going to try the “City of Blinding Lights” opening and focus on newer material. More spectacle, more upbeat, more rock and roll.

So, it seems the basic structure of the shows will change again (as it did with finding out a good running order on the first leg and the transition to stadiums on the second leg). And it also seems like there'll be less chance on old or obscure songs, simply because they do not seem to work.

C ya!


Marty

 

[ramblin rose]

Wow, I never thought Bad could ever create a low point in a show. That's shocking.

 

[djerdap]

Oh.
Crap.
The Electric Co. is the highlight of the tour. Don't delete it, U2!
I hated the Monterrey setlist, but the Mexico City I was amazing. I just hope The Electric Co. to be in there somewhere and than it will be THE SETLIST of the tour.

 

[God Part III]

The Electric Co. is the highlight of the tour, exactly. Disappointing, but at least they're going for something new.

 

[theu2fly]

What are they expecting then, if Boy material doesn't work great, and they play more Achtung Baby material, and Bomb material... with the exception of classics, what is there left to play? B-sides?

 

[pablovi]

One thing they should realize, is that Monterrey is not Mexico city! Great set list! but here in Mexico city there are many more and older U2 fans! so we can appreciate the old stuff.

 

[theu2fly]

I'd say play some AB material, some POP, mixed with Boy/War, and new material;

Material from AB:
-One
-Until The End Of The World
-Even Better Than The Real Thing
-Mysterious Ways
-Zoo Station
-Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses

POP:
-MOFO
-Discotheque
-Gone
-Please
-Staring At The Sun
-Wake Up Deadman

BOY:
-Out Of Control
-I Will Follow
-The Electric Co
-An Cat Dubh / Into The Heart

WAR:
-Sunday Bloody Sunday
-New Year's Day
-40

I think as much as we want older material, as hardcore fans, the band wants what's best for the audience.

 

[Miricale_Drug]

does anyone know what the address of willies blog is on blogspot that someone was putting up for free?

 

[Blue Room]

What are they expecting then, if Boy material doesn't work great, and they play more Achtung Baby material, and Bomb material... with the exception of classics, what is there left to play? B-sides?

ATYCLB, you put that in there they have plenty of songs. Not sure what your even talking about. Even without they still have plenty of songs, U2 has alot of classics.

 

[Blue Room]

It will be interesting to see though if the setlist changes again when they go down under. Those fans are a bit more old school I think. South America I dont think it will matter. Those fans will go nuts regardless of what is played based on how Popmart went down there.

 

[wtonis]

...fact of the matter is that the band has more than 25 years of experience playing crowds.. They certainly feel what communicates well and what communicates less well..
In addition they consider conditions like daylight or the lack of it..

.. IMHO It's good to see the band making changes here and there to keep 'the flow of show' perfect.. At the end of the day, that is all that matters... ... It proves that the band still want to give their best.. up for U2 and the production crew..

 

[zoopop]

I think AB and the JT is being represented a bit too much. Last night Mexico City heard:

Mysterious Ways,
Until the End of the World,
One
Zoo Station,
The Fly,

With or Without You,
Where the Streets Have No Name
Bullet the Blue Sky
I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For

U2 really needs to flip the A-side of the Joshua Tree. Those 4 songs have been played since the JT Tour. Throw in Pride & New Years Day swap the ATYCLB/HTDAAB albums with Pop and we got Popmart all over again.

 

[God Part III]

^^ But is that a bad thing?

 

[zoopop]

^^^Not really, its just the "too much of a good thing" theory. Bring MD back, Gloria, maybe "Fast Cars", and play that out of this world version of "Discotheque" you played on the 3rd leg.

 

[Harry Vest]

BAD creating a low point in the show...that is pure unadulterated HOGWASH!!! I don't care what crowd you're playing to BAD is beyond anyone's "taste" - it is U2's best live song bar none and to even say nonsense like this really makes me question this guy. Does he really know how to read a crowd??? Sure BAD doesn't get the same response as WTSHNN but that does not mean it is a "low point"...really.

 

[KUEFC09U2]

10+ years, 100's of U2 shows, am pretty sure he knows how to read a crowd,

were you even there to say that it wasnt a low point?, he was, and in his opinion it was

and to be fair i wasnt too down hearted they didnt play bad at my show

 

[Harbinger]

It's possible that he was referring more to the position of Bad in the show. While fantastic, Bad is a slow/mid-tempo song, which we've just had two of (OOTS and SYCMIOYO).

I doubt that the Boy songs will entirely disappear. IWF and Electric Co are both rocking songs, and if they're talking about going in with guns blazings, then at least one of these songs makes sense.

That said, however, UTEOTW and MW are both more spectacle songs than the aforementioned Boy numbers, and with the lineup of Monterray songs, they may not have worked as well.

I'd be OK with sacraficing one Boy song for a Pop or Zooropa song, if they want spectacle, do something like Lemon, Daddy's Gonna Pay, Doscotheque, Gone, or Mofo. This would satisfy the fact that the crowd wanted/s newer material and the "hardcore fans'" desire for variety and more obscure/less-frequently played songs.

 

[Lila64]

...fact of the matter is that the band has more than 25 years of experience playing crowds.. They certainly feel what communicates well and what communicates less well..
In addition they consider conditions like daylight or the lack of it..

.. IMHO It's good to see the band making changes here and there to keep 'the flow of show' perfect.. At the end of the day, that is all that matters... ... It proves that the band still want to give their best.. up for U2 and the production crew..

 

[Thora]

Hopefully there will be some different songs added tonight! I love Willie's diary.

 

[STING2]

BAD creating a low point in the show...that is pure unadulterated HOGWASH!!! I don't care what crowd you're playing to BAD is beyond anyone's "taste" - it is U2's best live song bar none and to even say nonsense like this really makes me question this guy. Does he really know how to read a crowd??? Sure BAD doesn't get the same response as WTSHNN but that does not mean it is a "low point"...really.

Willie has worked with U2 on every tour since the WAR tour.

 

[U2FanPeter]

Have there been any interference member reviews of the Mexico shows? Excluding anyone that's employed by the band.

u2fp

 

[TheBrazilianFly]

Wow, I never thought Bad could ever create a low point in a show. That's shocking.

That's exactly what I was thinking.

And I really hope this doesn't mean that we won't see The Electric Co. anymore!

 

[Spinning_head]

I don't like Bad

And I've been a fan since the lads first appeared on RTE - and Bono couldn't mime!

 

[rafmed]

I think they should not take the Monterrey crowd as a parameter as to what to do with the structure of the show.

With all due respect, the fan base there is not big, I was in the 3 Mexico shows, and I can tell the people I was with at the front of the stage listening Bad were having a religious experience, they could have tried it in Mexico City and the band and his staff would have goten another perception.