Bono's vocal on One

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monsieur fly

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How is it sounding in your view? I'm not overly impressed from what I have seen on youtube. For some reason he has taken to singing behind the melody which jars badly. I first noticed him doing this on the Chicago DVD. I love the song and would like to see it stay in the setlist but only if he sings it "straight." Perhaps though it boils down to the fact they've played the song so many times- it's interesting that Bono has been giving (arguably) his best vocals on UF and UV, both of which have not appeared for some time. An anorak's topic maybe, but I'd be interested to read some views.

PS- On the whole, I have been very impressed with Bono's voice so far- the best since '93 in my book but One is an exception.
 
The same thing has happened with beautiful day since 2001, he as sang it so many times now, he just sings it casually, but if you look back at slane, how much passion was there, go to say though the letterman performance was first class!
 
SexyBootsU2 said:
The same thing has happened with beautiful day since 2001, he as sang it so many times now, he just sings it casually, but if you look back at slane, how much passion was there, go to say though the letterman performance was first class!
Click to expand...

BD was best in the 5th leg of Vertigo. 2006-11-30 Tokyo, best version ever.
 
He's just going through the motions on a lot of the older songs now.
 
Now... would he go through the motions on... MOFO?

For some reason, though, there are a few warhorses that, for whatever reason, Bono still bothers to sing well... Streets, NYD, and UTEOTW are prime examples. I think SBS also sounds a lot better vocally this tour. The Fly had kind of a going-through-the-motions rolling mumble of a vocal on the Vertigo Tour, but that fit the song very well.
 
Although I honestly think that One sounds a lot better this tour than last tour. Nothing beats PopMart, though.
 
One >> unchained melody on ZOO was untouchable.

I love ONE, its my favorite song ever so I still like to see it live. But yes, it has sounded really running-through-the motions so far...
 
They haven't done One well since PopMart, and that's because Bono sounds so out of it.
 
^ For me, no live version has beatten and recreated the atosphere of the studio track, but anyway, this version gets closer to it and U2 should play "One" like this. Always.
 
Sergiodino said:
what about this one?

YouTube - U2 - One (Live from Rehearsals, 1991)
Click to expand...

Thanks for sharing.

This gets an honorable mention for me as it most nearly captures the studio version.

I can't quite give it a thumbs up though for three reasons: lack of passion, botched / uncertain ending, truncated words periodically throughout at the end of sentences.

However, it is highly refreshing to hear this song when it was still fresh for the band and not so stale. Cool to see them work at it and not dial it in!

I did forgot one other version. The only time I know of where U2 (full band at a proper U2 concert / appearance) came within a inch of nailing it live. Tellingly, it was after a long break from playing it live pre-Elevation tour. Edge nails the solo at the end and Bono turns in an inspired performance for once!

Here goes:
YouTube - U2 - One (Live at Brit Awards 2001 London)

P.S. To those of you who watched all of the various performances...it feels great to know there are others who are just as sick as I am!

;]
 
The Popmart Mexico performance, when Bono is audibly fighting tears as he sings, is also one of the few post-'93 performances that moves me. It's a beautiful delivery.
"One" is the song that got me into U2. It still strikes me to this day as the most powerful and extraordinary thing they have ever recorded in the studio. Live, it lost something many years ago. But having said that, and having seen them play it in person five times, it's a song that still comes over beautifully when the audience carry it. No bootleg or DVD adequately captures the experience of being in the midst of tens of thousands of people singing along with Bono. My favorite performance of Pearl Jam's "Black" is one where Eddie lets the crowd sing the climactic part (Benaroya Hall, '03)... and these days I think of One in the same terms.
 
bgmckinney said:
The Popmart Mexico performance, when Bono is audibly fighting tears as he sings, is also one of the few post-'93 performances that moves me. It's a beautiful delivery.
Click to expand...

I'm going to have to agree, the Popmart Mexico performance is far and away my favorite version of this song.
 
bgmckinney said:
The Popmart Mexico performance, when Bono is audibly fighting tears as he sings, is also one of the few post-'93 performances that moves me. It's a beautiful delivery.
"One" is the song that got me into U2. It still strikes me to this day as the most powerful and extraordinary thing they have ever recorded in the studio. Live, it lost something many years ago. But having said that, and having seen them play it in person five times, it's a song that still comes over beautifully when the audience carry it. No bootleg or DVD adequately captures the experience of being in the midst of tens of thousands of people singing along with Bono. My favorite performance of Pearl Jam's "Black" is one where Eddie lets the crowd sing the climactic part (Benaroya Hall, '03)... and these days I think of One in the same terms.
Click to expand...


The Black from Benaroya might be in the top 10 live performances of any song ever played...imagine being in that crowd and singing that
 
the band really nailed One at the 12/5/00 Irving Plaza elevation promo show in NYC. That was also the first snippets of walk on live during the outro, brilliant.
 
I agree with lots of posts on this.
One is a very difficult song to get anywhere near as good as the original studio version.

Some one said on here after the kcuf up in Barcelona that any idiot with hands could play One.

I think not !!!

The intro alone is very difficult to get right. I have played it thousands of times and it still dont sound right!!!

Mexico is a great version, Live8 2005 was pretty good too I seem to remember. I love the 91 rehearsal version I remember seeing that on Top O f The Pops and been blown away.

The brits was great also. BTW that same show had an awesome version of Untill The End Of The World with Bono doing the best Love Love Love bit I have ever heard. Fantastic!!!

I love One and they can play it every time I see them as far as Im concerned.
But please just play the song don't use it as a soapbox!!

As far as im aware the song is about relationship breakdown not Africa or poverty.
 
What about ZooTV Tacoma version..that's my favourite, it's mind blowing, at least regarding the vocals...
 
bgmckinney said:
The Popmart Mexico performance, when Bono is audibly fighting tears as he sings, is also one of the few post-'93 performances that moves me. It's a beautiful delivery.
"One" is the song that got me into U2. It still strikes me to this day as the most powerful and extraordinary thing they have ever recorded in the studio. Live, it lost something many years ago. But having said that, and having seen them play it in person five times, it's a song that still comes over beautifully when the audience carry it. No bootleg or DVD adequately captures the experience of being in the midst of tens of thousands of people singing along with Bono. My favorite performance of Pearl Jam's "Black" is one where Eddie lets the crowd sing the climactic part (Benaroya Hall, '03)... and these days I think of One in the same terms.
Click to expand...

I sincerely respect your feeling on this and appreciate the emotive performances as well.

I would also like to apologize if I stated my opinion as fact. It is perhaps that hazard of listening to *a lot* of live U2!
 
God, that J.J. Shankar killed that version. It sounded like a cat from hell being slaughtered. Painful.
 
Yeah, I have to agree. Some live version recently (certain songs, ONE can be one of them) are just not sung with passion. WOWOY is one of them. It does irk me a bit because i listen to old bootlegs and you can hear the passion running through those same songs being played now a days. It has to start from somewhere and if Bono is just half-ass singing it, then the rest of the band kinda falls flat. I know they are not perfect and can't be every night but Bono, just sing the songs the right way, please? Study the lyric's and don't change them... :wave:
 
-Zoo Tv was obviously the best.

-Every performance linked on here is very good, but every tour since Popmart shares a common link with regard to performances of ONE: It is usually ok, sometimes good, sometimes great, but the great are scattered throughout many shows as opposed to consistent.

-I think the number of great performances has declined every tour. Vertigo and 360 especially have some slack to pick up. Even on Pop and Elevation when Bono's voice was not doing so great, they seem to, as a collective whole, "get it right" or "nail it" a little more often.

-360 Zagreb with Unchained Melody and hear us coming was pretty good as far as this tour goes, but Bono is still behind the melody and does not really pick up in passion until the end.

-SBS and Streets are classics that can sound good when sung a little differently, IMHO. Streets for example sounded spectacular on leg 5 Vertigo, still sounds great on 360, but Bono sings it nowhere the deep voice 1987-89 performances. SBS similar. While I thought it was lacking on Elevation and to a lesser extent Vertigo, 360 Bono is putting some passion and energy behind it. It is not sung like it was in the War days, but is closer to 1983 than any tour since. Especially the first "how long must we sing this song" in Brandenburg. Even played differently and with passion, SBS sounds great.

-I think ONE, unlike SBS, Streets or even NYD and Still Haven't Found, does for some reason have to be sung and played pretty close to the original studio design to sound good. This is pretty exceptional for U2 classics, as I think even WOWY sounded great for a majority of Zoo TV, though it took a different form.
 
Also:

That Brit Awards performance was AWESOME!!

Haven't seen it in a couple years...wow

The crowd always reacts well to U2 at these kind of events, but you can tell at the end of this performance that every one in the building agreed. I've never really heard the end of One get that kind of reception at any various gig they played it at. Usually ends on kind of a somber note , with a clap and a few cheers response.
 
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