Vertigo Tour v 360 Tour

[Jdelbove]

which tour do u think has been better based solely on the 1st legs (as we haven't seen all of the 360 legs yet)

I think the songs on NLOTH are better than HTDAAB and have translated just as well live but look at how interesting the 1st leg of the Vertigo tour. Bono was singing as well as he is now the band was as tight or tighter and they are now playing songs like the Electric Co/ A Cat Dub/ In to the heart/ Gloria and I think city of blinding lights was a far superior opener over breath - Pluss the vertigo tour had great flow its had the whole hard triple song (love and peace into SBS into BTBS) and the Africa section (pride/ streets/ one) and later the Actung section (zoo station/ the fly/ mysterious wasy) - I just think these three sections worked very well. The 3600 tour doesnt have this same flow at all I feel.

Obliviously the 360 stage is great but I feel that the vertigo shows were better in some ways especially in terms of flow and those boy era songs they brought back and breathed new life into

 

[Blue Room]

which tour do u think has been better based solely on the 1st legs (as we haven't seen all of the 360 legs yet)

I think the songs on NLOTH are better than HTDAAB and have translated just as well live but look at how interesting the 1st leg of the Vertigo tour. Bono was singing as well as he is now the band was as tight or tighter and they are now playing songs like the Electric Co/ A Cat Dub/ In to the heart/ Gloria and I think city of blinding lights was a far superior opener over breath - Pluss the vertigo tour had great flow its had the whole hard triple song (love and peace into SBS into BTBS) and the Africa section (pride/ streets/ one) and later the Actung section (zoo station/ the fly/ mysterious wasy) - I just think these three sections worked very well. The 3600 tour doesnt have this same flow at all I feel.

Obliviously the 360 stage is great but I feel that the vertigo shows were better in some ways especially in terms of flow and those boy era songs they brought back and breathed new life into

Haven't seen a 360 show yet so its sort of hard to really gauge it yet. But based on what I know and have heard I sort of agree with you. I think the setlists so far were better on Vertigo. The staging on 360 obviously is what is impressive and I think the band are performing well and appear to be having fun.

I like the 360 setlist, I just don't think its their greatest ever and could be improved fairly easily. Breathe needs to be moved from the opener, that alone would improve it tremendously. Still looking forward to it and I'm sure I will like it.

 

[Shawn Bonneau]

GOYB would make a better opener with the cool loop beforehand and the lights come up as Edge starts the riff. Breathe would make a better encore opener.

SMB

 

[zuropa_fit]

^ not sure it really answers the OP's question but I agree.

 

[djerdap]

Vertigo all the way. Better setlists, more rocking performances, generally a darker atmosphere to it, more great and unexpected comebacks (although it's amazing to see Unforgettable Fire and Ultra Violet back) and that ZooTV encore to top it all.

 

[Roland of Gilead]

I have not seen a 360 yet, but I have been listening to a few 1st leg shows almost daily. Based solely on audio, I absolutely love the 4 song opener from the new album. Incredibly strong for an opener. I guess I am one of a few that like kick start of Breathe at the beginning?
I can finally start enjoying Streets again. The Vertigo tour really put it off for me with the message and African flag show getting tagged with Streets. Personally, Streets is such a powerful spiritual moment of the live show. I enjoy it immensely for personal reasons. There is no other way I can explain this other than saying this is a "phone call to God" moment for me. MLK-Walk On-Never Walk Alone (snippet)-Streets The Aung San Suu Kyi message into MLK/Walk On is pretty good, but by the time the Never Walk Alone snippet starts, I feel that connection again. The same one I felt during the Elevation tour. Streets is back to that glory of transending me.
I think Vertigo may have the edge for offering better old songs. Even when you consider leg 1 versus leg 1 of each tour, Vertigo was amazing with the Boy trilogy and Gloria. Zoo Station or Ultra Violet? I don't know. That is about as near as prefect trade off for me. Both are great. The Unforgettable Fire or The Cry/Electric Co.? I am a huge Unforgettable Fire fan, but this no contest really. The Boy triliogy moment is likely the best thing U2 did live this decade for this fan. Even the Stories For Boys snippet on the end of Vertigo was an instant classic moment. Boy and Bomb really worked well on the V tour.
The least enjoyable new songs on 360 for me are still quite fun. Crazy Tonight (remix) and Boots sound pretty good live. Vertigo had a real dud live in Miracle Drug. That song just couldn't take off and would obviously be dropped completely in later legs. So far, I have yet to hear a worse live translation for a new song on 360.
I expect 360 to remain 90% unchanged for the 2nd leg. It won't be until the 3rd leg with SoA that some significant changes to the setlist start to happen.
I have no thoughts on the visual because I have managed to avoid youtube to this point.

 

[djparky]

You have to see it, to get a feel for the flow of the show- I'm not sure you can get that from reading set lists and listening to bootlegs- it took me a couple of shows to understand it- but i thought it flowed well as a show and it does have (to me anyway) several different "sections" to it

I love the opening sequence of songs- quite brave given the albums modest sales- sometimes Breathe worked, other nights it didn't... seems to depend on the audience

the Vertigo tour was a throw back to the earlier tours which I think is why they dusted off some of the older songs (and why we had Vertigo twice in the show)

they've resurrected MLK, Unforgetable Fire, Ultraviolet and Bad on this tour which is pretty good

visually it's way better than Vertigo or Elevation- it's a shame that our annoying Health & Safety mafia always insist on 10.30pm curfews, alot of the visual impact is lost when it's daylight

 

[Roland of Gilead]

Bad is hardly "resurrected." 8 times over 29 dates on leg 1 of V, compared to 5 times over 25 dates on 360. If anything, it has become slightly more rare.

But I know you're right about the importance of the visual. I am dying to see it!

 

[KUEFC09U2]

360 by far, much better show IMO, for the people who are already pre-judging setlists etc without even seeing a show, at least wait until you see it in person.

and again, why do we always have to put things up against eachother? why cant we just enjoy it for what it is? without having to go back to previous tours.

 

[mikal]

You have to see it, to get a feel for the flow of the show- I'm not sure you can get that from reading set lists and listening to bootlegs- it took me a couple of shows to understand it- but i thought it flowed well as a show and it does have (to me anyway) several different "sections" to it

I love the opening sequence of songs- quite brave given the albums modest sales- sometimes Breathe worked, other nights it didn't... seems to depend on the audience

the Vertigo tour was a throw back to the earlier tours which I think is why they dusted off some of the older songs (and why we had Vertigo twice in the show)

they've resurrected MLK, Unforgetable Fire, Ultraviolet and Bad on this tour which is pretty good

visually it's way better than Vertigo or Elevation- it's a shame that our annoying Health & Safety mafia always insist on 10.30pm curfews, alot of the visual impact is lost when it's daylight

sweet. thank you for the insight!

 

[Shawn Bonneau]

I like this setlist a lot better. But, I liked a lot of what Vertigo had to offer as well

SMB

 

[wtonis]

U2 360!!! Definately better than Vertigo (my score 5 x Vertigo, 3 x U2360 so far) ......not that Vertigo was bad, it rocked too, but overall perfomance in 360 is more complete.......

 

[I Move in Mysterious Ways]

I'll see 360 in another week, so I guess I'll be able to better compare then. I saw Vertigo 7 times. Of those, I saw 2 top-notch, classic shows -- the types of performances that have made U2 legendary. I saw 3 very good to near-great shows. I also saw a couple of subpar ones.

While, in general, I loved the show, I was left with the impression that the Vertigo Tour kind of struggled to find itself. If there was supposed to be a theme to that show, I think it got muddled early on.

 

[Axver]

I'd say Vertigo is definitively better than 360. The only level on which 360 is superior is the staging, and at the end of the day staging is just a bonus on top of the music and not that big a deal. Nothing I saw on 360 was on the same level as what I saw in Boston in 2005 or Auckland in 2006.

 

[U2girl]

Haven't seen Vertigo but that set didn't really work outside of the Boy/Africa/War/Zoo TV trilogies, the rest was a bad mix of new and hit songs. Personally I think a lot of it was too much about revisiting the past, ie doing an inferior Zoo TV encore (luckily they didn't do the Pop encore too), ending with 40 yet again and politically charged Bono, again inferior to the 80's version.

360 set works better as a whole, they only need to take out the "acoustic song spot" they've been determined to use since Elevation tour and the set could really do without MLK.
But it's not over yet, and who knows what the next tour legs will bring in the setlist.

 

[digitize]

How is it possible to gauge this after only one leg?

Where just first legs are concerned, I'd probably go for 360... I'll take NLOTH over Bomb any day, and strongly prefer TUF and Ultraviolet to ACD/ITH and Electric Co. The only thing I really miss from Vertigo is The Fly.

 

[ZOOTVTOURist]

Nothing I saw on 360 was on the same level as what I saw in Boston in 2005 or Auckland in 2006.

Exactly, apart from "The Unforgettable Fire" – which has been the highlight of the concert for me. A great performance, that is on the same level as what happened during Vertigo. In summary, 360 is the 'weakest' tour, I ever witnessed by U2. So far however ...

 

[last unicorn]

I loved Vertigo, I love 360, but I guess at this point I'd say I love 360 more. I'm totally in awe of the stage and the show, and I also like the set, especially the songs they brought back. The biggest plus for me is perhaps Bono's voice. It was great most of the time during the Vertigo tour, especially the last leg, but so far I'd say the 360 tour is full of voice hightlights, he just seems to be great on a nightly basis. I don't think I have to make a decision here because I love every U2 tour, but at the moment I'd say 360, I've had so many great moments at the concerts and I really think its an amazing, magical show. Despite all the lights and effects I feel that they have absolutely brought the music back into the center with this tour, really literally speaking. I'd also say 360 for band chemistry, the band being relaxed and in good form and so on. I'm really excited about the US leg, even though I can't go, I want to see it develop.

 

[Salome]

I thought the setlist worked better than on any other tour I've seen them

 

[The John Tree]

Haven't seen a show yet, but based off the youtube clips and setlists, I'll say this:

Vertigo definitely seemed to have more of a theme and a few different emotional threads running through the set. This helped the show feel like it was about something, instead of "Look how big this stage is!!! Check out this hit!!!"

That said, in terms of performance, the band has never been in better shape than they are right now. I think Bono's voice is his strongest now since the Zoo days, and the band is playing so tight.

Also, the staging is so cool, and even the band's performance and latest album seem to suggest a sense of adventure and "otherness" that was missing during the Vertigo tour, which is a point of time that i was worried that the band was turning bland.

It seems that, with a few tweaks to the set, this could easily be the band's best tour. They just need to find a few threads and create a type of narrative to the show that accommodates the new album, the current times, and the massive staging.

This show has potential. It just needs to be worked a little more.

 

[cdparky]

Bad is hardly "resurrected." 8 times over 29 dates on leg 1 of V, compared to 5 times over 25 dates on 360. If anything, it has become slightly more rare.

But I know you're right about the importance of the visual. I am dying to see it!

Without wishing to nitpick...Bad was only played once in Europe on Vertigo so in relative terms it has been resurrected

Back to the OP, hard to pick between the 2 tours. Vertigo will always hold a special place for me as it took me to Dublin, Boston & New York each for the first time to see U2 and was where I really jumped in to the multiple shows idea. 360 took me to Barcelona for an opening night, another great weekend in Dublin and the stunning Wembley shows. Thorughly enjoyed both tours, I really couldn't rate one above the other

 

[last unicorn]

So glad they're playing Bad in Europe. And about the UF love on this tour.

I also think they look better, style and all

 

[cdparky]

So glad they're playing Bad in Europe. And about the UF love on this tour.

I also think they look better, style and all

Bad & UF

 

[jerryseinfeld]

I think the setlist was much better on Vertigo - really rockin the whole way through. 360 is amazing - i love the new songs, but it completely loses momentum after crazy tonight. SBS/Pride/MLK/Walk on - is a little bit of a downer. Streets is great, and they really need to keep mysterious ways after One to get the crowd going again. Noone seems to know what is going on in the final encore - especially MOS, which i love on the album but needs to find a different place in the setlist. I think they should move Magnificent at the start of the final encore as well. The main problem with 360 is the flow of the setlist - the stage and band are the best ever (after zoo tv of course!) 360 will be much better than Vertigo when people get to know the new album better (because it seems at this stage not many people do - maybe they will after xmas) and the band put some more rockin songs towards the end of the setlist.

 

[mama cass]

i saw both and overall loved 360 best! but i think that was mainly down to the whole concert experience itself (Vertigo was hellish logistics-wise for me but 360 was fantastic and i'm sure that made the whole experience more positive this time)

although i reckon 360, keeping the NLOTH songs along with UF and UV, plus Vertigo's sweet Achtung Baby segment, ZooStation, The Fly, maybe with Until the End of the World thrown in as well, along with the intensity of I Will Follow + Electric Co, would make 360 supremely awesome...

 

[mo786]

Vertigo had a better stage setup IMO.

360 has better selist in all areas.

 

[BVS]

Vertigo had a better stage setup IMO.

WHAAAAAAAATTTTT?

The claw is our master!!!

 

[Yahweh_OMG]

I was just thinking about that yesterday.... I think Vertigo was better.
Better setlist, rocked harder.
Voice is =
Stage is better on 360°

Overall, so far, Vertigo wins even though I prefer NLOTH as an album!

 

[LoveTownTourist]

Best Tour best Visuals best Stage Design only on ZOO TV

Best Setlists only on Vertigo Tour played everything from the first to the last Album.

Now 360 is trying only with a little mix of visuals and greatest hits and a high stage design to capture the eyes of the visiotors. The songs are only in the second row.

And the musical aspect of the band is not there, there is no slogan like on Zoo TV or even on Popmart now we have only see the stage and see the Band from different angels.....poor concept

 

[last unicorn]

No, I feel the 360 tour isn't about visuals or special effects, the only thing that's really "big" here is the stage. Apart from that, the music is in the center. And it's not a greatest hits show at all. Vertigo leg 5 was, but 360 relies heavily on new material. That, plus rarities they brought back, plus some more atmospheric songs, plus some classics they simply have to play = great show. Of course there are always things they can do better, like make even more use of the 360 degrees concept and shake the setlist up more, but they still have time to do so with a new leg coming.

Personally, I like the tours where it's about the band, the music, the crowd interaction and communication and not so much about the visual effects. For this tour, I think they found a good balance between effects and music.