Time to Retire Bullet The Blue Sky

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starvinmarvin

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Is anyone else out there disappointed that Bullet The Blue Sky is still in the setlist? I know that even a lot of U2 diehards aren't all that keen on the song, so I can't comprehend why it gets played tour after tour. My objections have nothing to do with the song's politics - the message is actually one of the only good things about the song - but I just can't stand listening to it on a purely musical level.

What do you think?
 
I understand what you're saying about SBS, but at least it still gets the crowd excited. BTBS is an energy killer - even if it is louder than most U@ tracks.
 
To elaborate on the great points made by starvinmarvin

Bullet is the most pedestrian song U2 has ever played live. It's always been a song where people just stand there and go... wow... Bono has a flashlight... wow... Bono has an umberella... wow... And there was nothing wrong with that in the past.

However there are only so many of these songs that U2 can throw on a setlist on this tour and they IMO have spent most of that currency on The Boy Set & A Lot of the stuff from the new album... That IMO is the main reason why the crowd isnt as active during on average during each show... because the balance between sing-alongs and standing-bys is way out of wack.

Drop Bullet, keep SBS.
 
Exactly my point, timothius. The band relies on props - i.e. the spotlight - because the song itself just ain't that great.

I also agree that the balance is out of whack in the setlist. The show starts off great but really really sags in the middle because the band plays too many new songs/ stale songs all in a row. Part of what makes a great show is the pacing, and that just isn't happening on this tour.

Also, I love the Boy album dearly, but songs like An Cat Dubh/Into The Heart just aren't meant for arenas. Smaller venues, certainly, but not a arenas.

Personally I feel pretty disappointed by the setlist. If the band is going to play a lot of unfamiliar tunes, they need to make up for it by extending the show by at least 3 more songs.
 
starvinmarvin said:
Also, I love the Boy album dearly, but songs like An Cat Dubh/Into The Heart just aren't meant for arenas. Smaller venues, certainly, but not a arenas.

Personally I feel pretty disappointed by the setlist. If the band is going to play a lot of unfamiliar tunes, they need to make up for it by extending the show by at least 3 more songs.
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Completely. It bothers me how it is seen as blasphamey to critisise this setlist (or HTDAAB for that matter). Although DrOpp ElaaaavatUNE!@%$!~!1!!!!!111! is considered reasonable.

It totally befuddles me how people can honestly think that Boy songs are going to work as they did back in clubs. But somehow because they're on Boy they are beyond critisism. It's not like theres good material there... Electric Co, Follow and Control are perfectly good songs from that era.

Imagine the uproar if they wanted to do a run of the Joshua Tree and played... Running To Stand Still, Trip Through Your Wires & Mothers of The Dissapeared. It would be like thats great but why didn't you play Streets, WOWY, ISHFWILF & what not.

Imagine how the Boy/HTDAAB lovers would react if they played So Cruel/Tryin To Throw Your Arms around the world & Even Better Than The Real Thing. Somehow its to be applauded for Boy.
 
i just saw the 2 shows in seattle and the 2 in vancouver, and i must say that Bullet is vital. maybe you have just heard the recording, but seeing the show live is something different. the 'political set' is so intense with love + peace, bloody sunday, bullet, running, human rights. i think the set is so intense with the blindfold act bono puts on expecially at the end of bullet with the hands that built america/johnny comes marching bit.
 
marik said:
i just saw the 2 shows in seattle and the 2 in vancouver, and i must say that Bullet is vital. maybe you have just heard the recording, but seeing the show live is something different. the 'political set' is so intense with love + peace, bloody sunday, bullet, running, human rights. i think the set is so intense with the blindfold act bono puts on expecially at the end of bullet with the hands that built america/johnny comes marching bit.
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Its not the political set. The political set is Pride->Streets->One.

If LAPOE->SBS->BTBS is really the political set. What is it's message?
 
timothius said:


Its not the political set. The political set is Pride->Streets->One.

If LAPOE->SBS->BTBS is really the political set. What is it's message?
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both are equally political

and both have a similar message

LAPOE, SBS, and Bullet is about war and religious descrimination

while the Pride, Streets, and One is more poverty and racial discrimination

as for the solo, it's perfect now, the faster ZooTV style solo wouldn't fit the depressing, sombre mood the band is trying to convey in the song this tour... personally, having seen it, on this tour, with Bono in the COEXIST blindfold, and the prisoner of war pose... I could not imagine this tour without it, wouldn't feel complete, it was definitely one of the highlights
 
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BTBS is decrasing in quality!!To me the best version was from Elevation tour or Popmart tour---so much energy there!!
Although i like bono's scenes and performance, i have seen better of him!He is much more static, doesn't spend so much time on the ellipse anymore----you think it's the age???
 
While I personally love Bullet I can understand why people want it dropped from the setlist.

'Bullet' was better on the Elevation tour. I don't know why but it was. It just rocked out more. This time I was just like - "what's that on his forehead, what's that on the screen" and the crowd wasn't too animated during the song.
 
NO.....To title of this thread.

This is one of THE live songs that I want to hear and never have before.


They are never going to do a setlist that will appeal to everybody, you have to live with it. Personally, I'd do away with Mysterious Ways but then, it's not my choice and I'm fine with its inclusion.
 
again the argument for the people going for the very first time? the ones that want it retired seem to be the ones that have gone to EVERY tour, or at least 1 tour, but i ask what about the people who's first time it will be? is it fair that you try to dictate what songs get dropped or what songs get played? i dont think so
 
Thankfully they have added "Running To Stand Still" again. Those two should always be played together.

Having said that, I am a little suprised that they have dropped both WOWY and ISHFWILF but kept Bullet. Those two were insrumental songs in the succes of U2, and although we've heard them a million times (just like Bullet) I think at least one should be a permanent setlist addition (just like Bullet is).
 
I say Bullet is one of U2' s best live songs ever. Top five. I always want to see Bullet. That is blasphemy to take a bathroom break!

That being said, the Vertigo tour is admittedly the weakest version of Bullet. Before it has always had a fantastic guitar solo, a highlight of every show. But his new "deconstructed" solo is not as exciting. I'm fine with always seeing Bullet at every show. I just think they need a more balls to the wall rocking out version!
 
drt4 said:
I say Bullet is one of U2' s best live songs ever. Top five. I always want to see Bullet. That is blasphemy to take a bathroom break!

That being said, the Vertigo tour is admittedly the weakest version of Bullet. Before it has always had a fantastic guitar solo, a highlight of every show. But his new "deconstructed" solo is not as exciting. I'm fine with always seeing Bullet at every show. I just think they need a more balls to the wall rocking out version!
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just because its slow dosent make it a bad solo, it just shows how magic edge is, also as people have said it fits in with the mood of what bono is trying to say
 
Judging by this thread, and by the reactions of U2 fans at the concerts, most fans would like to see BTBS retired - at least for a tour or two. It seems as though most fans who insist the songs must be played live are doing so out of tradition. They are the same fans who insist that any criticism of the setlist (or the band) is way out of line. However, we pay a lot of money for tickets, and if most people are tired of BTBS, then U2 should respect the wishes of the majority. I doubt anyone would really miss the song if were removed from the setlist. At least put the song into rotation from night-to-night...
 
I like BTBS, but I'd definetly prefer to hear something else in place of it, like ISHFWILF. I know many U2 fans on here have said it's overplayed and been done too many times before on tour, but it's a classic and deserves to be brought back.
 
The songs is a complete bore...but if they dropped it the band wouldn't be able to give us the finger on U.S. politics. I don't think the average American fan quite gets this. :eyebrow:

It has gotten old at this point.
 
This thread just doesn't have the intensity of previous ones. I enjoyed last week's "Drop Bullet and/or Elevation from the setlist" thread more. Actually the one from about 3 weeks ago was riveting. And the one from a month ago was amazing. But now, the thread has really become tiresome.

Hmmm...kind of like Bullet. But like the band's decision to keep playing it, I guess we'll just keep bitching about it.
 
paultjr said:
This thread just doesn't have the intensity of previous ones. I enjoyed last week's "Drop Bullet and/or Elevation from the setlist" thread more. Actually the one from about 3 weeks ago was riveting. And the one from a month ago was amazing. But now, the thread has really become tiresome.

Hmmm...kind of like Bullet. But like the band's decision to keep playing it, I guess we'll just keep bitching about it.
Click to expand...

I like your style boy (although I disagree with the content)
 
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