Are you tired of the U2 "classics" being played live?

The friendliest place on the web for anyone that follows U2.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
I just wanted to chime in on this thread...

We all have to remember that we, here at Interference, are members of a dedicated U2 environment and do not in the slighest bit represent the desires of the "average" U2 fan. And while some of us (not me) think it would be great to hear songs such as Acrobat, Exit, Gloria, et al played live, many people who will end up paying large amounts of money to see U2 would be hard-pressed to even tell you what albums these songs are from.

And in response to the people who argue that hearing "classic" U2 songs only on occasion makes these performances special, you must remember that it's really only special for the small percentage of people at that concert who are aware of the abnormal song selection. Many of us here will see 10 or more shows, but far more will not.

I think that Willie Williams put it best when he said that most U2 concert-ticket buyers will only see one show, so there is a need to make that one show as special as possible. As hard as it is, we all need to remember that we here at Interference are by far the minority of U2 fans the world over.

james
 
James U2 said:
I just wanted to chime in on this thread...

We all have to remember that we, here at Interference, are members of a dedicated U2 environment and do not in the slighest bit represent the desires of the "average" U2 fan. And while some of us (not me) think it would be great to hear songs such as Acrobat, Exit, Gloria, et al played live, many people who will end up paying large amounts of money to see U2 would be hard-pressed to even tell you what albums these songs are from.

And in response to the people who argue that hearing "classic" U2 songs only on occasion makes these performances special, you must remember that it's really only special for the small percentage of people at that concert who are aware of the abnormal song selection. Many of us here will see 10 or more shows, but far more will not.

I think that Willie Williams put it best when he said that most U2 concert-ticket buyers will only see one show, so there is a need to make that one show as special as possible. As hard as it is, we all need to remember that we here at Interference are by far the minority of U2 fans the world over.

james

:applaud:
 
flameandthefire said:


Yeah! I agree 100%!

I disagree 100%

At Earl's Court and Slane 'Bullet' took my breath away more than any other song. And it was the song that I was (beforehand) LEAST excited about in the setlist.
 
here's a sample of the last tour list:

Elevation
Beautiful Day
Until the End of the World
New Year's Day
Out of Control
Sunday Bloody Sunday
When Will I See You Again/Stuck In a Moment
Kite
Angel of Harlem
People Get Ready
Staring at the Sun
Bad / 40
Where the Streets Have No Name
I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For
Pride*

Encore(s):
Bullet the Blue Sky
What's Going On
New York
With or Without You
One
Peace on Earth / Walk On

Here's one a few days later:

Elevation
Beautiful Day
Until the End of the World
New Year's Day
I Will Follow
Sunday Bloody Sunday
Wake Up Dead Man
Stuck in a Moment
Kite
Desire
Stay
All I Want Is You
Where the Streets Have No Name
I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For
Pride (In The Name of Love)

Encore(s):
Bullet the Blue Sky
What's Going On
New York
One
Peace On Earth / Walk On

------------
Study the two for a moment. U2 is very smart about all this. They do 9 or 10 bigger hits. They then do 7 or 8 new songs. Also smart for a band who wants to stay relevant. Problem? This only leaves room for 3 or 4 others. Not the fault of the band, but as their career moves on more and more songs are left unplayed and forgotten. (Most bands wish they had this problem.) You also have to remember that Beautiful Day will be the new "permanent hit" that gets added to tour rotation. They did fix this issue of "hits vs. the new" a bit by rotating a one or two big hits from show to show. Notice how desire flops for Angel of Harlem on these two lists.

I think they could try a bit more of this:

Pride or ISHFWILF
NYD or IWF
WOWY or ONE
Desire or AOH
Mysterious Ways or EBTTRT

This could free up one more spot, hey, maybe even two.
Let's say a casual fan gets:

Beautiful Day
New Year's Day
Sunday Bloody Sunday
Desire
Mysterious Ways
Where the Streets Have No Name
Pride (In The Name of Love)
One

....Could they possibly be sad with that?
...and the band then makes room for Ultraviolet or Running to Stand Still!!!!!
 
Jim said:


I disagree 100%

At Earl's Court and Slane 'Bullet' took my breath away more than any other song. And it was the song that I was (beforehand) LEAST excited about in the setlist.

Listen, I don't know how long you've been a fan of U2, but after reading your comment I don't think you can relate to us veteran fans. Let me tell you something.. I've seen/heard about 100 U2 gigs and I've had enough of Bullet The Blue Sky for a while because it's played on every f*king gig. I want to hear something else for a change!

Let's face it - the fact is that there's only a limited number of songs on the setlist. It's time to "sacrifice" Bullet The Blue Sky so another great song can enter the setlist!
 
tkramer said:
I stand by my notion that Bullet has had it's turn on the last 5 tours...

I completely agree!

I've never really liked "Bullet", live or not. The only time I found it at least somewhat enjoyable was during the PopMart tour when U2 "funked" up the song. They added a great new beat and guitars that seemed to bring the song to life (at least to my ears). But they dropped that sound for the Elevation tour. And after hearing it on so many tours, I'd love to see it retired.

Trouble is, if the new album does have heavier, rocking tracks, "Bullet" might blend in perfectly with them.

Regarding your earlier comment, tkramer, with all the electronics, sometimes U2 is locked into songs more. For example, ZOO TV was far more rigid because the electronics had to be cued up perfectly. As that tour will be 13 years old by the time the new tour starts, I'm sure the advances in electronics will give U2 a lot more room. Still, they will have to deal with some of that, which may lock in a few songs. But overall, I think you are right. And I like your idea of flip-flopping songs on a given night, especially when U2 perform several shows in one city.

Of course, there's a disadvantage too. During the three PopMart shows in Chicago in '97, U2 did mix up the set list some. And a friend of mine who saw one show complained that they didn't play a favorite song of hers. However, U2 did play it the next night and she was ticked. So for people only seeing one show, U2 has no choice but to include as many "classics" as they can.

Getting back to retiring songs...

Lot of people want "Pride" retired, but this is my all time favorite song - and one of U2's most popular. Unless U2 themselves are sick of it, I really can't see it being retired.
 
its a catch 22:

they are a legendary band with a catalogue of music (that makes most bands seem like they are auditioning for a high school talent show) with hit after hit.

but.....

they are getting much older, as is their lead singer who can't belt it out like he used to, so they can't play a 44 song setlist ala Bruce Springsteen. But they continue to make new music...
 
Love them of course but I wouldn't mind if Bullet and NYD were switched out for some older songs. That said, Bullet will probably be around forever as it's McGuinness' favourite U2 live song!
 
Bullet is one of the best live songs that U2 plays.. but I have to say that on Elevation tour it sounded a little bit worne out..like they were playing it without the hart....
The best bullet was on Zooeuropa leg of ZOOTV tour - when flaming swastikas rose up behind Bono on all of the screens - fantastic...

PRIDe and ISHF - drop it, drop it, drop it.. I hear pride on zootv, popmart and (sadly) on elevation tour and it realy gets boring - there is no soul in playing that song, even the crowd isn't singing along any more...
 
flameandthefire said:


Listen, I don't know how long you've been a fan of U2, but after reading your comment I don't think you can relate to us veteran fans. Let me tell you something.. I've seen/heard about 100 U2 gigs and I've had enough of Bullet The Blue Sky for a while because it's played on every f*king gig. I want to hear something else for a change!

Let's face it - the fact is that there's only a limited number of songs on the setlist. It's time to "sacrifice" Bullet The Blue Sky so another great song can enter the setlist!

dude, you dont have to be so mean. just because somebody hasnt been as priveledged as you to see 100 'f*cking' gigs doesnt mean their opinion deserves a "let me tell you something"

if i could have seen ONE gig in my life i would be happy but i havent. not because im a casual fan or because i just didnt try. NO by the time i was old enough to even go to a concert the tickets sold out too fast and i couldnt go. so to go to one concert this next time around would thrill the fucking pants off me whether i hear bullet or not.
 
James U2 said:
I just wanted to chime in on this thread...

We all have to remember that we, here at Interference, are members of a dedicated U2 environment and do not in the slighest bit represent the desires of the "average" U2 fan. And while some of us (not me) think it would be great to hear songs such as Acrobat, Exit, Gloria, et al played live, many people who will end up paying large amounts of money to see U2 would be hard-pressed to even tell you what albums these songs are from.

And in response to the people who argue that hearing "classic" U2 songs only on occasion makes these performances special, you must remember that it's really only special for the small percentage of people at that concert who are aware of the abnormal song selection. Many of us here will see 10 or more shows, but far more will not.

I think that Willie Williams put it best when he said that most U2 concert-ticket buyers will only see one show, so there is a need to make that one show as special as possible. As hard as it is, we all need to remember that we here at Interference are by far the minority of U2 fans the world over.

james

Exactly! Very well put. :applaud:

There are songs I "personally" wouldnt mind being dropped and songs that would blow my mind if they played. But they are not playing for the diehards as you have indicated. U2 has such a large audience that MOST of the crowd is the casual fan. They came to hear the familiar songs and/or the new album. On Elevation I felt U2 threw us diehards a few bones and I think its great that they did that. I think we may get some of the same this tour. Even Edge said in one of his threads there are songs that have to be done. Imagine you are going to your first and only U2 show and Where The Streets Have No Name was not played!!

I went to my first Cure show this summer. My favorite song by them is Pictures Of You. The diehards are probebly sick of it. But it was what I wanted to hear the most. Well, my show was about the only one of the tour they didnt play it. I was disappointed, still a decent show. But I really wanted to hear them play that song.
 
Last edited:
Listen, I don't know how long you've been a fan of U2, but after reading your comment I don't think you can relate to us veteran fans. Let me tell you something.. I've seen/heard about 100 U2 gigs and I've had enough of Bullet The Blue Sky for a while because it's played on every f*king gig. I want to hear something else for a change!

Let's face it - the fact is that there's only a limited number of songs on the setlist. It's time to "sacrifice" Bullet The Blue Sky so another great song can enter the setlist! [/B]

Amen
 
innocent_eyes said:
I think the guy who walked out of elevation was a wanker who couldn't spot great music if it craped on his forehead.

Why waste a ticket, give the band a chance to at least play 7-8 songs...some people...This is the kinda complaint I would expect from a stones, aerosmith, or ac/dc concert, certainly not U2.

Exactly, also that person was not only a wanker but had no idea or concept that they were touring for a new record hence, new tunes off that record. Hey deserved to walk out, one less fucktard in the audience.
 
Some of the comments in this thread really aggravate me. Believe it or not, U2 aren't out to satisfy the "I WANT to hear this" desires of a few diehard fans. Guess what? YOU chose to buy the concert ticket or trade for the bootleg. If you don't want to hear something, you can quite easily not buy a ticket or trade bootlegs.

Just go and enjoy the bloody concert. It's U2. Who cares what they play? It's going to be good regardless.

Edit: 'Diehard fans' once read 'casual fans'. Oops, bad typo.
 
Last edited:
Axver said:
Some of the comments in this thread really aggravate me. Believe it or not, U2 aren't out to satisfy the "I WANT to hear this" desires of a few casual fans. Guess what? YOU chose to buy the concert ticket or trade for the bootleg. If you don't want to hear something, you can quite easily not buy a ticket or trade bootlegs.

Just go and enjoy the bloody concert. It's U2. Who cares what they play? It's going to be good regardless.

if they tried to satisfy everybody they would combust. its impossible. i would sit and listen to them play a britney spears song if i could.
:D especially if bono does the little dance moves
:reject: ahem sorry. forgot im not in pleba.
what i was saying,
i agree with axver. dont whine because you dont get everything the way you like it. if thats what you want
go to burger king
*snicker*
 
I personally could do without New Year's Day, Pride, and Angel of Harlem. Also, unless Bono's voice is in top form again, I'd drop WOWY.

That's just my preference and we all have them.
 
bullet MUST be played at every u2 show! it's one of their most powerful live songs, plus they find a way to modify/recontextualize it for every tour. also, i think a u2 show must have streets and until the end of the world to be complete.

u2 has enough hits that they don't need to play all of them at every show to appease the casual concert-goer. sure, someone might not get to hear say, pride, at a show, but if they get one, sunday bloody sunday, and with or without you, they'll probably go home happy.

hopefully u2 can toss in a few nightly surprises for all the geeks out there too
 
I would like to see the following take an extended vacation:

BTBS
Pride (they don't have that fiery passion with it anymore)
SBS (tired sounding)
WOWY - it's a great song but i'm just not into it like i used to
Still Haven't Found

Nothing from ATYCLB except for Kite
 
EvolutionMonkey said:
I would like to see the following take an extended vacation:

BTBS
Pride (they don't have that fiery passion with it anymore)
SBS (tired sounding)
WOWY - it's a great song but i'm just not into it like i used to
Still Haven't Found

Nothing from ATYCLB except for Kite


No, no, no, no! At least you didn't tag UTEOTW up there too...sheesh.
 
Id keep Bullet. And Pride, as it wasnt played at the only gig ive been too! I agree with the possibility of WOWY being dropped...his voice seems to struggle for most of it. (Perhaps if he wasnt laying down singing it he might have a better chance!)
ISFWILF wasnt played either at my gig....i think(?) Christ, was there any classics??!! Im gonna check the setlist again. Ciao:wink:
 
it would be pretty nice if before u2 finish touring for good (hopefully in a very long time :D) that they maybe do a tour were they play a full album per show. I think that would be great, they could start on boy on the first show then work to their last one. Then go to another place and do the same per night.

Proberly be really cheesy or something but I thought it'd be cool :p
 
Back
Top Bottom