Skipping Songs?

[AndrewCowley]

I am listening to a bootleg of Zoo TV June 15th from Holland and mid way through Desire Bono calls out "No Violet" a number of times and sure enough they skip Ultraviolet (Light My Way) and go straight to WOWY. Anybody know the story behind this? I've listened to 100's of bootlegs and I can't remembering hearing anything like this before. And given U2's use of fixed setlists it would be easy to know if they skipped songs often and I don't believe they do.

BTW I love these indoor Zoo TV shows. There's something about them. Might be the "newness" of Zoo TV compared to the outdoor shows when things started to get a little stale.

 

[Screwtape2]

You're right it is rare that U2 skips a song. Usually it is because of fatigue which is probably why they skipped Ultraviolet in Hollland. I love that Holland bootleg. I have to disagree with you about the indoor shows being better than outdoor shows. The best legs on the tour were the first and the last. Nothing beats the Australian shows near the end of the tour. The Adelaide show is the best ZooTV show in my opinion. It is so good.

 

[discothequeLP]

there was also that Vertigo show (in Boston i think) where WoWY was scheduled, but Adam wanted to play Out of Control instead

 

[Screwtape2]

There was concert on the Elevation Tour, I think in Manchester where the band didn't play Walk On.

 

[AndrewCowley]

Hmm... so they have done this on a few occasions. Have to wonder why... it's not like they play long shows.

Regarding the indoor Zoo TV shows... to me they are more fun than the outdoor shows. More impromptu and less staged. By the time Zoo TV went into outdoor mode Bono was starting to say the same things each night. Don't get me wrong, I love all Zoo TV shows... probably my favourite tour. And yes I was there in Sydney 93 and I know how great that was.

 

[Axver]

there was also that Vertigo show (in Boston i think) where WoWY was scheduled, but Adam wanted to play Out of Control instead

Actually, you got that around the wrong way a bit. At the end of UTEOTW, Adam started to play the WOWY bass line as per the original set, but Bono called for Out Of Control. Edge and Larry reacted, but Adam was in his own world ...

There was concert on the Elevation Tour, I think in Manchester where the band didn't play Walk On.

Correct. The band had some technical difficulties during One, and Bono just walked off at the end and that was that. Bono was pretty emotional at the time (it was a week before his father died), so I think he just decided he was sick of crap and didn't want to keep going.

As far as the no Violet thing goes, I suppose that was Bono's way of communicating to the other band members and the crew that the song wasn't going to be done. The chopping of songs did happen sometimes on ZooTV; a few times, they didn't do Ultra Violet or Love Is Blindness and there's one show where the encore has just WOWY/LIB, no Desire/UV beforehand.

 

[AndrewCowley]

As far as the no Violet thing goes, I suppose that was Bono's way of communicating to the other band members and the crew that the song wasn't going to be done.

That's not fair! What if Edge, Adam or Larry don't want to play a song? It is an abuse of power from Bono.

 

[Axver]

That's not fair! What if Edge, Adam or Larry don't want to play a song? It is an abuse of power from Bono.

That's what I was thinking, but it's the best speculation I had. Maybe the band decided during the encore break that they didn't want to play Ultra Violet but couldn't get word to the relevant crew, so Bono yelled it out then? Who knows. I'd assume they'd have some way to let all the crew know if they changed the set during the encore break, though ...

 

[AndrewCowley]

Although obviously Edge has always has a mic for backing vocals and in the past Adam and Larry have had mics too (not sure why though). I've seen pictures of Larry wearing a headset with a mic on the UF tour. Anyone know which songs he was meant to have sung backup vocals to?

 

[Ellay]

Complete guess this one, but I know that in some (if not most) countries they have to stop playing by a certain time by law, otherwise they face getting fined.

So if they were running over horrendously, they might consider cutting one of the later songs. During zoo tv, ultra violet was played towards the end, so it's not beyond the realms of possibility that was the reason..

(Another example of them keeping an eye on the clock is during the encore of the vancouver vertigo soundboard boot. - you can hear Edge asking " how are we doing for time?")

 

[AndrewCowley]

(Another example of them keeping an eye on the clock is during the encore of the vancouver vertigo soundboard boot. - you can hear Edge asking " how are we doing for time?")

Wow, so the band themselves worry about time? I had no idea. I'd hope they'd just say "stuff it" and pay the fine. I've heard PJ concerts where Eddie alludes to them playing over time and he doesn't seem to care.

 

[Axver]

Although obviously Edge has always has a mic for backing vocals and in the past Adam and Larry have had mics too (not sure why though). I've seen pictures of Larry wearing a headset with a mic on the UF tour. Anyone know which songs he was meant to have sung backup vocals to?

I don't know about the UF Tour, but on the War Tour, Larry sung on SBS (final refrain) and THBAO. Quite possibly he continued doing that on the UF Tour.

Complete guess this one, but I know that in some (if not most) countries they have to stop playing by a certain time by law, otherwise they face getting fined.

So if they were running over horrendously, they might consider cutting one of the later songs. During zoo tv, ultra violet was played towards the end, so it's not beyond the realms of possibility that was the reason..

(Another example of them keeping an eye on the clock is during the encore of the vancouver vertigo soundboard boot. - you can hear Edge asking " how are we doing for time?")

I was thinking that could be possible too ...

 

[Screwtape2]

Although obviously Edge has always has a mic for backing vocals and in the past Adam and Larry have had mics too (not sure why though). I've seen pictures of Larry wearing a headset with a mic on the UF tour. Anyone know which songs he was meant to have sung backup vocals to?

Just guessing. Larry might have helped Edge out at the end of Wire. He could have done backing vocals for A Sort Of Homecoming and Indian Summer Sky. Those are my guesses.

 

[blueeyedgirl]

Nothing beats the Australian shows near the end of the tour. The Adelaide show is the best ZooTV show in my opinion. It is so good.

Isn't individual perception a wonderful thing? I was at that Adelaide concert and I thought it sucked!

 

[Screwtape2]

Isn't individual perception a wonderful thing? I was at that Adelaide concert and I thought it sucked!

Really?

 

[Bonochick]

Wow, so the band themselves worry about time? I had no idea. I'd hope they'd just say "stuff it" and pay the fine.

When a band plays late though, it's not just about paying a fine. It's inconsiderate to the people working at the venue. Don't you hate it when you get stuck working late?

 

[CTU2fan]

When I saw Zoo in Hartford they skipped LiB, and I think that might well have been a time issue, there was some trouble with tix, people were sold fake tix by scalpers and allowed to enter with them, then of course when there were 2 folks with tix for one seat it caused trouble. Anyway the show didn't get off until 10PM or so, so it was pushing midnight by the time they played WoWY...Bono just said "Good night, I'm sorry" and off they went...

 

[Liesje]

That's not fair! What if Edge, Adam or Larry don't want to play a song? It is an abuse of power from Bono.

True, but I'd rather have Bono make an executive decision than suffer listening to him try to sing WGRYWH when he didn't feel up to it

 

[tpsglick2424]

I think i know the reason why they didnt play UV that night, it was because the show might of ran late and when you're playing a stadium or an arena there is something called a cerfew and it means that the show HAS to end at a certain time and it can't go later unless you have to pay the owner of the stadium or arena extra because you passed cerfew time...It's happend with some bands that they didn't play a certain song because the show was running too late and they didn't want to pay extra money..

 

[tpsglick2424]

When I saw Zoo in Hartford they skipped LiB, and I think that might well have been a time issue, there was some trouble with tix, people were sold fake tix by scalpers and allowed to enter with them, then of course when there were 2 folks with tix for one seat it caused trouble. Anyway the show didn't get off until 10PM or so, so it was pushing midnight by the time they played WoWY...Bono just said "Good night, I'm sorry" and off they went...

I don't know any band who play that late...Well the stones one night in Chicago was 2 hours late! but they did play the set...

 

[tpsglick2424]

When a band plays late though, it's not just about paying a fine. It's inconsiderate to the people working at the venue. Don't you hate it when you get stuck working late?

Oh sorry I didn't see your post until i did mine..

triple post

 

[cobl04]

I thought this thread was about which songs on an album that you skip. I usually skip Love Rescue Me on Rattle & Hum. It's so slow compared to the rest of the album.

But back to the topic, wow I never knew they did that sorta thing. I always wondered what Out of Control would sound like with a With or Without You base line...

And the fine thing, as if you wouldn't pay when you've got the money U2 has.

And Axver, if there's ever a U2 catogory on a music show, like Spicks and Specks (yeah!), you are my lifeline. Damn that's a lot of knowledge.

 

[Lemonfix]

I am listening to a bootleg of Zoo TV June 15th from Holland and mid way through Desire Bono calls out "No Violet" a number of times and sure enough they skip Ultraviolet (Light My Way) and go straight to WOWY.

haha, I have had that version if Desire forever and I never knew what he meant by shouting that. You learn something everyday.

Also, I don't know if it's necessarily selfish of Bono, or any singer, to make the decision to skip a song in the set. Voices are different from musical instruments--if a guitar breaks a string there will be another one on hand, but a burnt-out voice could ruin the whole show.

 

[Screwtape2]

Re: Re: Skipping Songs?

but a burnt-out voice could ruin the whole show.

As could a drumstick lodged in the singer's back.

 

[cobl04]

^ Which almost happened during the BWBW snippet in Electric Co on Chicago.

 

[blueeyedgirl]

Really?

Yep, I just felt U2 were phoning in their performance that night. I saw them in Sydney at the infamous Adam-less show and I thought they were firing more that night, possibly to make up for the absence of their bass player.

But everyone gets something different out of shows.

 

[Screwtape2]

Yep, I just felt U2 were phoning in their performance that night. I saw them in Sydney at the infamous Adam-less show and I thought they were firing more that night, possibly to make up for the absence of their bass player.

But everyone gets something different out of shows.

Alot of my opinion of it comes from how good I thought the MacPhisto set was. I'm wondering, the guy MacPhisto called was a football/soccer player, was he like the David Beckham of Australia?

 

[blueeyedgirl]

Is Graham Cornes the Beckham of Australia? Noooo, he was more like a coach of the Z-grade Nebraska league, seriously when he came up on the screen my friends and I all cringed, this was the best "celebrity" they could find!

 

[bono_man2002]

Ithis was the best "celebrity" they could find!

It was after all South Australia

 

[Screwtape2]

Is Graham Cornes the Beckham of Australia? Noooo, he was more like a coach of the Z-grade Nebraska league, seriously when he came up on the screen my friends and I all cringed, this was the best "celebrity" they could find!

Thanks for the info!