Re: Re: Re: I love the Elevation tour
LemonMelon said:
What system are you using for your findings? If you're comparing the amount of different songs played, of course Vertigo will come out on top since the tour had an extra two legs. 
To be fair, neither were that exciting setlist-wise (and really, no U2 tour ever is). So let me ask you this; how would it turn out if you took three Vertigo legs and compared them to three Elevation legs? Which would have the higher amount of differentiating songs? (I really have no idea, but I figure you'd have the best clue)
OK, let's compare the three 2005 legs, as it's essentially the same thing: two North American legs and a European leg.
On the first leg, despite Elevation having
twenty-one more shows, it featured only two more songs than Vertigo's first leg did. On the second leg, again, Elevation wins by two songs, but this time, it wins outright as it had just one more show than Vertigo. Then, on the third leg, Vertigo absolutely dominates Elevation with ten more songs, but it had twenty more shows.
So let's compare like leg to like leg. The above comparison obviously holds for Europe: Elevation comes out only just ahead, but Vertigo's Europe stats are helped by four songs being played at Dublin III and only Dublin III. I've always said Vertigo's second leg stank for variety. Anyway, Vertigo's shorter North American leg was the first (29 shows), while Elevation's was the third (30 shows). Elevation comes out four songs ahead. But the really interesting comparison is the longer North American legs: both were fifty shows long, and despite people pointing out that Elevation's fourth night in Chicago puts the fourth and fifth nights of Vertigo NYC to shame, the Vertigo leg blows away the Elevation leg by twelve songs.
In other statistics, Vertigo also comes out ahead: all but one Elevation show was opened by Elevation, while Vertigo's opener varied, at least in 2005. And while Elevation essentially had just one closer (yes, I know Out Of Control closed three and One unexpectedly closed one when Bono left the stage and didn't come back for Walk On), Vertigo's was more variable - in fact, depending upon how you wish to interpret the statistics, Vertigo can be said to hold the record for the most different closers, or at least be tied with Popmart. On average, Vertigo's sets were longer too, especially when you compare any leg of Vertigo to Elevation's third leg, when 20 songs was an achievement. Vertigo also saw the band dig much more deeply into their back catalogue. So I definitely think it wins in terms of setlist variety.
That's a matter of opinion, and I tend to disagree. Compare the Boston DVD vocals to any show from Vertigo leg 1, and it will come out on top.
I couldn't disagree more. Just compare Bad on the Boston DVD to the performance at Boston II on Vertigo. Or compare the Boy songs: Bono was belting out The Electric Co. much more powerfully than he belted out Out Of Control/IWF/11OTT on Elevation.
Come on, Ax; you couldn't possibly tell me that the floundering Bono we heard on leg 1 was anywhere near the level of the MSG, South Bend, or Boston Bono we heard during Elevation. 
I can't listen to most Elevation bootlegs because Bono sounds hoarse. Most Vertigo ones, first to fifth leg, are much more satisfying (though his voice was obviously weakened by the fourth). The floundering on the first leg of Vertigo was lyrically.
Some amazing guitar from Edge too...
Compare Elevation's third leg to Vertigo's. Vertigo's puts Elevation's to shame, except for the five night NYC stand. The only time Elevation does better is when you compare the European legs. Vertigo also had greater song variety.
