All,
Let me preface this by saying I consider myself somehow blessed, and certainly very fortunate, to have witnessed what in my opinion are some pretty great U2 shows. My first show was St. Patty's Day in Boston on the first leg of the ZooTV tour. I've since added 19 more, including London (Salman Rushdie's presence was stirring, though this was not their best show by any means), Cork and two Dublin shows in 1993.
*The August 28, 1993 show at the RDS is the modern standard (10/10) by which all other U2 shows are measured for me. This gig truly represents the boys at the top of their game.
I've also seen the Vegas and Miami tour openers, and a handful of other shows of note, including the infamous "pizza incident" in Detroit, and that stupid live broadcast with Dana Carvey during the MTV Video Music Awards in 1992.
I'm sure many of you have seen more, and better, shows. But having said all that, I give the band's performance on this tour a 7/10. The score reflects the new material, which is excellent live, and the addition of the old classics on the first leg. I NEVER in my life thought there was a chance EVER that I'd hear them do Electric Co. and An Cat Dubh. The score also reflects the inclusion of the band's worn out stalwarts -- most notably Pride, U2's blanky, of sorts -- and the travesty of subjecting European audiences to the double Vertigo. I mean, come on. It's a good song. But it's not the best, certainly not the best on this album. That iPod commercial made everyone over here in the US sick of it.
Finally, what has finally emerged as another stagnant setlist situation shows me that the band still is out of touch with their core fan base, and is completely convinced that they need to try to please everyone in the arena on any given night, whether they're hardcore U2 fans, casual fans or new blood. I hope that one day, they'll just forget all about production, about rehearsing songs to make them nearly perfect before they debut them, and just freakin' jam. But that's not them, and it's not realistic. They're consumate professionals, borderline perfectionists and savvy businessmen, not to mention bona fide rock stars well into their 40s.
Bottom line: Drop one Vertigo, Pride, Bullet, Streets (which has lost all energy for me), add Crumbs, Electrical Storm and perhaps Gone, mix in a few more oldies like Two Hearts, Fire, Unforgettable Fire, or A Sort of Homecoming, and we've got ourselves one killer tour.