A well deserved rest for overplayed warhorses next tour...

[Mauwer]

New Year's Day, for me, could be played every show. They still seem to play/sing that song with a lot of passion. It's always a highlight to me.

Agreed , NYD gets still the band and the crowd going!

Now , Pride , WOWY , One and ISHFWILF really need a break.
They just need to bring back Bad and The Unf.Fire every show next tour!
( those two are classics just like worn down songs like ISHFWILF )
I think LAPOE can replace Bullet on the next tour.

Cheers ,

Mauwer

p.s. Now what would I like to see come back from the Vertigo Tour?
Simple : The Electric Co

 

[TheBrazilianFly]

I would hate to see Bullet go, simply because of the guitar.

Yeah, me too. That song is so unique on their catalogue I think. They have other rock songs but no songs quite like that one, so classic rock and with a guitar solo like that. They have others with the same vibe from Streets and Pride and the vibe from One and With Or Without You but no other song with the sonic boom that Bullet has. I think that's one that I wouldn't let go....

 

[4U2Play]

This is the problem when your favorite band has 100 songs you want to hear live.

I don't expect BTBS will be back, unless WWIII breaks out, but all the others are setlist mainstays that U2 have to play for the casual fans.

The Stones play 'Satisfaction', 'Brown Sugar'. 'Jumpin' Jack Flash' and 'Start Me Up' at every one of their shows, you don't think their ancient fans are sick to death of those songs?

 

[the tourist]

I'd like to hear a new interpretation of some of the old "warhorses." Like a subtle version of With or Without You with Edge on piano and Adam on upright bass (and giving Larry a break).

 

[Morgoth321]

of the "warhorses" the only one that really didn't do it for me last year was One... probably because I was half asleep by the time bono was done with his intro speech.

Brilliant! I heard that Larry was seen checking his watch sometimes - is that true, and is there any evidence (pictures, clips etc) of this? Larry is cool, he just doesn't give a shit, does he?

For me, Streets has to remain in the setlist. It's the most thrillingly transcendent live song I've ever heard in my life. I think that the JT Paris DVD performance - good as it is - was deficient simply because Streets was absent. Unfortunately, if we're being realistic, songs like Hawkmoon 269, Exit, Acrobat etc are never going to be played again / at all, because U2 simply don't play 30+ song setlists, and they do tend to cater for more casual fans. They have so many fans, who have come on board at different times over the years, that there's no way they could ever please everybody. I would assume that they keep on playing songs like Pride, WOWY, BTBS etc because they like performing them? They also don't seem to listen to their back catalogue very much, because there's huge amounts of wonderful songs that would be very welcome in any live show.

My personal dream would be for Hawkmoon to reappear as a show opener, Lovetown-style, but I know that's just not going to happen. The U2 live show seems heavily choreographed on a technical level, so unless they suddenly decide to break out the acoustic guitars and simple floodlighting, spontaneity doesn't seem possible. Edge's guitars and effects are so complex that I think it would difficult to play a song unexpectedly - unless it was something like a stripped down In God's Country. (As I think has already been commented, Bono has such difficulty remembering lyrics that an impromptu performance could potentially end up being embarrassing rather than exciting!)

While I type, I'm listening to an audio rip of the Zoo TV DVD, and Mysterious Ways sounds absolutely amazing with the piano intro and slide guitar solo. Keep that one in the setlist too!

 

[Mac Phisto]

This is a 30-year-old band. Their arena shows from here on out will always celebrate the legacy of the group. A legacy created in large part, by their greatest hits.

They will all be included in the next tour. And the tour after that. And the first farewell tour. Then the second. And finally, the third.

 

[2861U2]

I think Where The Streets Have No Name and New Year's Day are the only two songs that NEED to be played every night. Everything else is rotatable.

Really? I was never that impressed with Streets live. I'd much, MUCH rather hear One than Streets.

 

[the tourist]

Really? I was never that impressed with Streets live. I'd much, MUCH rather hear One than Streets.

One is much better live than it is from the studio. Where The Streets Have No Name is just glorious all the way around.

 

[ahittle]

One is much better live than it is from the studio. Where The Streets Have No Name is just glorious all the way around.

At this point I can take it or leave it live, but I think the album version has a whole lot more shades of emotion than they ever captured live. In concert, a lot of what they do gets worn down to simply cathartic, but the AB One has many more levels and is much more subtle IMO.

 

[dabiggestu2fan]

I know there has been an issue with this song played live in the past (and thus is why they never played it live again) but i would LOVE to see ZOOROPA live! I think that song is amazing and if they could play it right in concert it would be awesome!

 

[MsPurrl]

My 2cents:

Streets should *NEVER* be dropped.

If I could see/hear All I Want Is You done live, I would die happy.

Walk On and Elevation were both amazing at the 10/10/01 show--so passionate, not the watered-down versions we saw during Vertigo.

I would not miss Bullet the Blue Sky nor Mysterious Ways.

Keep Bad (!!) and WOWY.

 

[ZOOTVTOURist]

I'd count at least six slots in the set permanently covered by tunes from the new album (Mercy being one of them ...):

1. New Song
2. New Song
3. New Song
4. New Song
5. New Song
6. New Song

Then I'd go for another 'new' one being played every night (at least for the first weeks ...), at least for the (big) rest of the world, not being in Japan and Hawaii:

7. Window In The Skies

Now, that we have covered one third of all possible setlist slots, we might concentrate on the most delicate matter here in this forum: Which songs to play from the 'Greatest Hits'?
Fixed and, I guess, nearly everybody's expectations are:

8. One (covering the early 90ies, a live anthem)
9. Where The Streets ...(covering TJT, a live anthem)

With these tunes you give also the many, many "one gig only"-freaks, what they want – and only the most bored U2 fans here really BELIEVE, that these tunes might be complete crap, too. They are masterpieces, whatever you will joke about them ...

Also in the 'Greatest Hits' category invade two tunes, that are of more recent date, even when I really don't appreciate one of those (before you ask: the elder):

10. Vertigo
11. Beautiful Day

With these four tracks as 'Greatest Hits' to be played as fixed ones in the set, the tradition tells us, that others might join the family – but we talk about a 'dream list'. So I suggest now, that in addition to the four crowd (and in parts even fan) pleasers, there will be five more slots reserved for 'Greatest Hits'. These will have rotating, topic-related tunes – tunes, that will be played either/or, switched from night to night:

12. The soul, that's dancing:
I Still Haven't Found .../Stuck .../

13. The rocking 'dance' punch:
Even Better.../Mysterious Ways/Lemon/Discotheque/Elevation

14. The political/social protest hymn:
Sunday Bloody Sunday/Bad/Please/Bullet The Blue Sky

15. The big ballad:
With Or Without You/All I Want Is You/Stay/
Staring At The Sun/Sometimes You Can't Make it ...

16. The 'early' rocker:
Out Of Control/I Will Follow/New Year's Day/Pride

Now, after having six slots for new tracks, four fixed 'Greatest Hits' and another five 'Greatest Hits' being varied from night to night (this is enough for the crowd pleasing, friends!), up to six slots for 'obscure songs from U2's past'. These could remain empty, but show some courage. In my dream setlist, U2 decide also to fill them with different surprises from night to night. I fill in my personal requests:

17. The Unforgettable Fire
18. God Part II
19. October or Wave Of Sorrow
20. Dirty Day or Exit
21. Crumbs From Your Table
22. Drowning Man

 

[ZOOTVTOURist]

I'd count at least six slots in the set permanently covered by tunes from the new album (Mercy being one of them ...). Remember, this is not the actual running order, but the general concept, how you find the perfect balance between new tracks, 'Greatest Hits' & warhorses – and tunes, that might be a real treat to rediscover ...:

1. New Song
2. New Song
3. New Song
4. New Song
5. New Song
6. New Song

Then I'd go for another 'new' one being played every night (at least for the first weeks ...), at least for the (big) rest of the world, not being in Japan and Hawaii:

7. Window In The Skies

Now, that we have covered one third of all possible setlist slots, we might concentrate on the most delicate matter here in this forum: Which songs to play from the 'Greatest Hits'?
Fixed and, I guess, nearly everybody's expectations are:

8. One (covering the early 90ies, a live anthem)
9. Where The Streets ...(covering TJT, a live anthem)

With these tunes you give also the many, many "one gig only"-freaks, what they want – and only the most bored U2 fans here really BELIEVE, that these tunes might be complete crap, too. They are masterpieces, whatever you will joke about them ...

Also in the 'Greatest Hits' category invade two tunes, that are of more recent date, even when I really don't appreciate one of those (before you ask: the elder):

10. Vertigo
11. Beautiful Day

With these four tracks as 'Greatest Hits' to be played as fixed ones in the set, the tradition tells us, that others might join the family – but we talk about a 'dream list'. So I suggest now, that in addition to the four crowd (and in parts even fan) pleasers, there will be five more slots reserved for 'Greatest Hits'. These will have rotating, topic-related tunes – tunes, that will be played either/or, switched from night to night:

12. The soul, that's dancing:
I Still Haven't Found .../Stuck .../

13. The rocking 'dance' punch:
Even Better.../Mysterious Ways/Lemon/Discotheque/Elevation

14. The political/social protest hymn:
Sunday Bloody Sunday/Bad/Please/Bullet The Blue Sky/Until The End ...

15. The big ballad:
With Or Without You/All I Want Is You/Stay/
Staring At The Sun/Sometimes You Can't Make it ...

16. The 'early' rocker:
Out Of Control/I Will Follow/New Year's Day/Pride

Now, after having six slots for new tracks, four fixed 'Greatest Hits' and another five 'Greatest Hits' being varied from night to night (this is enough for the crowd pleasing, friends!), up to six slots for 'obscure songs from U2's past'. These could remain empty, but show some courage. In my dream setlist, U2 decide also to fill them with different surprises from night to night. I fill in my personal requests:

17. The Unforgettable Fire
18. God Part II
19. October or Wave Of Sorrow
20. Dirty Day or Exit
21. Crumbs From Your Table
22. Drowning Man

 

[luna_lovegood]

Ditch anything except Streets! And anyway, even if they're over done, everyone still belts them out like the anthems they are! They're still fantastic live! But I agree, that maybe, even if they just got rid of Bullet, the set would have some more room to manouvre...I would love them to play All I Want Is You more, and UltraViolet Light (Light My Way) and God Part II... I'm also praying that they are planning on blowing all our brains out with Mercy live on their next tour....that would literally blow the house down....!!! (boo all you mercy haters out there!)

 

[BonoIsMyMuse]

It wouldn't shock me if WITS never gets played again. I listened to it a lot when it first came out, but over time it's become pretty forgettable. I'd hope that they wouldn't still be treating it like a new song on the next tour, because it wouldn't fit with the new material (if the next album sounds like WITS, they can play whatever they want live, because I doubt I'll be there).

I do understand why setlists remain more or less static. U2 shows are big productions, and there's a lot to coordinate behind the scenes. I do think they could still shake things up, having several possible songs at certain points in the set that could use the same lighting and instruments. It's possible to have familiarity and a routine without it turning into predictability.

 

[the tourist]

but the AB One has many more levels and is much more subtle IMO.

Subtle with its poorly produced guitar tones with over-the-top damnable effect that was once described to me as "pimp music"?

 

[The_Edge89]

Here's a great quote from Bono after the opening night of Zoo TV, and I really would like to see that it happened again this tour if they actually have as brave, great material as they would like us to think.

TV: A lot of the fans we talked to afterwards were wondering why you guys made the decision not to do some of the stuff from the earlier albums?

BONO: Didn't want to.

TV: Had enough of doing that over the years or..?

BONO: Just wasn't what we're feeling like now, you know, we're into Zoo TV.
That's where we're at.

...

BONO: I'm into it, we're into it, and I really think that the real U2 fans, that have been around, they'll be into it.
Might loose some of the pop kids but we don't need them.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ry42AY3efqw&feature=related

I think they can afford to give some of the warhorses a rest every once in a while, they have such a vast catalouge of songs to choose from anyway, and the initial mini-Boy setlist on The Vertigo Tour was a great step in that direction in my opinion.

I just hope they don't save all of the surprises for the 2-3 nights at the same venue concerts where they sometimes felt like mixing it up a little in the past for this tour. Although The Vertigo Tour's standard setlist was pretty mixed up. It went through a couple of changes along the way, and that's great.

 

[ahittle]

Subtle with its poorly produced guitar tones with over-the-top damnable effect that was once described to me as "pimp music"?

Wow.

 

[the tourist]

Wow.

One is my least favourite U2 studio song of the 90s. And that's saying a lot in a decade that has Miami, the Playboy Mansion, Some Days Are Better Than Others, etc.

 

[RavenBlue]

You have to remember. There are still some folks (like me) who still haven't had the opportunity to see U2 live. For me, I'd like to be able to hear most of the staples.. especially Streets, Pride, One, SBS etc when I go my first time. There is also a strong contingent of very, very casual U2.. I don't know if you could even call them fans.. just sort of.. tag-a-longers or something. They go to the show for one reason, to hear the hits. Hits sell tickets. Sad but true.

So as much as I'd love for them to play Wire or Drowning Man or Acrobat.. I really don't think they'll be dropping any of the BIG songs just yet.

At least, not until after my first show. Then they can fiddle around with the setlist

 

[U2387]

I agree, we need more fan favorites resurrected, and mostly, I think they should be the songs people were mentioning. However, no classics need to be dropped, they just need to continue rotating like they did on the Vertigo tour. I got most of the classics in Boston, but not Bad, MW, or NYD. Guess what, I lived, and the show was amazing! Rotating works. In order bring more back, they can drop ABOY, Elevation and Beautiful day and Bullet dont need to be played every night. Window in the skies, saints are coming, alot of vertigo staples can use a rest. Think of how much they brought back in the Vertigo tour just by doing a little rotating and were still able to showcase all the new songs, as they will have to next tour! Rotate a little more, and thats all.