Songs that are being played on the current tour that you're f**king sick of and WHY:

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Why? Why?? Why??? do they insist on playing such a non-stadium mediocre track like "In a Little While" and NOT "The Unforgettable Fire" "Bad" " Every Breaking Wave" (o.k. maybe "Every Breaking Wave" isn't a stadium worthy track but hell, it's a new song and it's great and...it's WAY better than "In a Little While"!!!!

Same reason why they play Elevation instead of The Fly or Even Better than the Real Thing.
 
"Scarlet" is cool but I don't quite get it ?!?! Where's "Tomorrow" instead...or as well??

"Scarlet" replaces "MLK" and it works very well.

MLK was done as a bit of a prayer for Aung San Suu Kyi. Now that she's free, they don't have to do that anymore. Scarlet is more upbeat and is being done as a praise instead of a prayer.

It's perfect.
 
Same reason why they play Elevation instead of The Fly or Even Better than the Real Thing.

I disagree. Elevation really works well in a stadium and everyone in the pit jumps up and down and parties. It's a great moment even though many people here complain about it.
IALW is just. Yawn. Blaaaaaah. Bathroom break. Totally different crowd reaction!
 
I disagree. Elevation really works well in a stadium and everyone in the pit jumps up and down and parties. It's a great moment even though many people here complain about it.
IALW is just. Yawn. Blaaaaaah. Bathroom break. Totally different crowd reaction!

I know Elevation gets the crowd going. But I would think EBTTRT would too.
 
I know Elevation gets the crowd going. But I would think EBTTRT would too.

Sure people would enjoy hearing EBTTRT, but that's not the point. The point is you're comparing Elevation to IALW. Which is a comparison I disagree with. Besides, I doubt EBTTRT has the same effect on a crowd. It's a great song, sure, and I'd love to hear it live. But it doesn't have the "bouncy" quality that Elevation, Vertigo, UTEOTW, and Streets have. Nor does it have the singalong effect that songs like Elevation, Pride and WOWY have. It's just a totally different song.
 
I disagree. Elevation really works well in a stadium and everyone in the pit jumps up and down and parties. It's a great moment even though many people here complain about it.
IALW is just. Yawn. Blaaaaaah. Bathroom break. Totally different crowd reaction!
My thoughts exactly. Elevation, while not the smartest song they've ever written, is awesome to jump around to when you're actually at a show. IALW, on the other hand...
 
Sure people would enjoy hearing EBTTRT, but that's not the point. The point is you're comparing Elevation to IALW. Which is a comparison I disagree with. Besides, I doubt EBTTRT has the same effect on a crowd. It's a great song, sure, and I'd love to hear it live. But it doesn't have the "bouncy" quality that Elevation, Vertigo, UTEOTW, and Streets have. Nor does it have the singalong effect that songs like Elevation, Pride and WOWY have. It's just a totally different song.

OK we just disagree then. I think its just as high energy as Elevation. It definitely got the crowd on their feet on zootv and popmart.

I for one would love to see it return. Hasn't been played live since 2001.
 
I disagree. Elevation really works well in a stadium and everyone in the pit jumps up and down and parties. It's a great moment even though many people here complain about it.
IALW is just. Yawn. Blaaaaaah. Bathroom break. Totally different crowd reaction!

I found the IALW in Glendale last year to be awesome, if only because The Edge effed up the intro... twice :wink:
 
IALW is a great song. It's better than Miss Sar. but both are songs I'd rather not hear live.If you're going to play a ballad, play a ballad.
 
The 2 songs on their own in different places in the set would be fine probably (although Miss S to me is never good anywhere as it just drags the pace down) but having them right next to each other is what makes that part awful. Especially if you have it as...

ISHF -> EBW(or)NS -> Mercy -> IALW -> MS

There's pretty much a 5 song block of mostly mellowed out music, with Mercy shoved inside. Too slow.
 
Other than the "Man takes a rocket ship into the sky, lives on a star..." line its totally out of place. Doesn't fit the stadium feel at all.

Play it a few times. That's fine. Nice space reference. But night after night? Give some other slow song a chance. Running to Stand Still, Staring at the Sun, Trying to Throw Your Arms Around the World, etc.
 
Replace IALW with Stay or Staring At The Sun. Even if they did SATS acoustic, I would enjoy it better than IALW right now.

Then replace Miss Sarajevo with Tryin' To Throw Your Arms Around The World.

I want that song played live so much. Please! PLEAASSSEEEEEE! PLLLLLLEEEEEEEEAAAAAAASSSSSSSSSSEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!

Or ya know, if you feel inspired from my previous comment, swap One for Please and I'll be happy forever.
 
I wish they dropped Beautiful Day and COBL, but they seem to love those f**king songs. I hate and have always hated the two of them. I would also drop Until The End of the World. In this case I like the song, but they have been playing it live for ages and I really would like to hear something else off AB. Acrobat, perhaps?

Looking at the setlists, I'm not happy with the inclusion of so much ATYCLB in detriment of NLOTH material. There's been a tour for that album and they have played many of the songs since, so it would be nice for a change to hear some of the new stuff live. I'd like to hear NLOTH, FBB and COL and why not UC, besides Magnificent and MOS. I could very well do without Crazy and Boots. On the other hand I'm already dribbling at the notion of hearing UV live (I HOPE they don't decide to drop it on the Buenos Aires dates) AND last but not least it's high time they lifted the ban on Pop. Gone, Please, Mofo, LNOE, DYFL should make a comeback, not to mention some of the "real" Zooropa stuff (NOT The First Time).
 
Replace IALW with Stay or Staring At The Sun. Even if they did SATS acoustic, I would enjoy it better than IALW right now.

Then replace Miss Sarajevo with Tryin' To Throw Your Arms Around The World.

I want that song played live so much. Please! PLEAASSSEEEEEE! PLLLLLLEEEEEEEEAAAAAAASSSSSSSSSSEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!

Or ya know, if you feel inspired from my previous comment, swap One for Please and I'll be happy forever.

Agreed.

IALW can stay in the rotation(I love the song) but doesn't need to be there every night.

Miss Sarajevo I am honestly shocked they are keeping it this leg after it already got a full leg. Time to go. Got plenty of time on Vertigo, plenty now on 360.

Trying To Throw Your Arms Around the world is interesting and light hearted and hasn't been played since 1993.

Plus, that girl who had to be taken out of the Sydney DVD because she was underage has got to be of age now, right?

Bring her up for a do over!
 
1 - Return of the Stingray Guitar
2 - Beautiful Day
3 - I Will Follow
4 - Get On Your Boots
5 - No Line On The Horizon [rotate with Magnificent]
6 - Mysterious Ways [rotate w/ Even Better Than The Real Thing]
7 - Elevation <-- cause face it, nothing gets the audience pumped than this
8 - The Fly
9 - I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For
10 - Angel of Harlem
11 - Tryin' To Throw Your Arms Around The World
12 - Stay (Faraway, So Close!) [rotate w/Staring At The Sun]
13 - Mercy
14 - City of Blinding Lights
15 - Vertigo
16 - Crazy Tonight (remix)
17 - Sunday Bloody Sunday
18 - Pride (In The Name of Love) [rotate w/Mothers of the Disappeared]
19 - Kite
20 - One [rotate w/PLEASE]
21 - Where The Streets Have No Name
22 - MOFO
23 - Ultraviolet [rotate w/Acrobat]
24 - With or Without You
25 - Moment of Surrender [rotate w/Bad/All I Want Is You]


I'd be perfectly fine with this. :D
 
1 - Return of the Stingray Guitar
2 - Beautiful Day
3 - I Will Follow
4 - Get On Your Boots
5 - No Line On The Horizon [rotate with Magnificent]
6 - Mysterious Ways [rotate w/ Even Better Than The Real Thing]
7 - Elevation <-- cause face it, nothing gets the audience pumped than this
8 - The Fly
9 - I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For
10 - Angel of Harlem
11 - Tryin' To Throw Your Arms Around The World
12 - Stay (Faraway, So Close!) [rotate w/Staring At The Sun]
13 - Mercy
14 - City of Blinding Lights
15 - Vertigo
16 - Crazy Tonight (remix)
17 - Sunday Bloody Sunday
18 - Pride (In The Name of Love) [rotate w/Mothers of the Disappeared]
19 - Kite
20 - One [rotate w/PLEASE]
21 - Where The Streets Have No Name
22 - MOFO
23 - Ultraviolet [rotate w/Acrobat]
24 - With or Without You
25 - Moment of Surrender [rotate w/Bad/All I Want Is You]


I'd be perfectly fine with this. :D
As would I. This is a really, really good setlist - realistic, but with just the right number of fan favorites to keep diehards satisfied.
 
Edge25, great set list!

Magnificent has definitely been one of the rare U2 songs that does not blow away the studio version in a live setting and it would be a good idea to make its slot a rotating slot.

The rest is good, too:up:

There were stretches on Vertigo where 25 songs was pretty consistent.

Plus, with the added time off between gigs that the 360 production allows, it is more than realistic.

Especially when recording/finishing up new material becomes less of an issue than it has been throughout the tour so far.
 
1 - Return of the Stingray Guitar
2 - Beautiful Day
3 - I Will Follow
4 - Get On Your Boots
5 - No Line On The Horizon [rotate with Magnificent]
6 - Mysterious Ways [rotate w/ Even Better Than The Real Thing]
7 - Elevation <-- cause face it, nothing gets the audience pumped than this
8 - The Fly
9 - I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For
10 - Angel of Harlem
11 - Tryin' To Throw Your Arms Around The World
12 - Stay (Faraway, So Close!) [rotate w/Staring At The Sun]
13 - Mercy
14 - City of Blinding Lights
15 - Vertigo
16 - Crazy Tonight (remix)
17 - Sunday Bloody Sunday
18 - Pride (In The Name of Love) [rotate w/Mothers of the Disappeared]
19 - Kite
20 - One [rotate w/PLEASE]
21 - Where The Streets Have No Name
22 - MOFO
23 - Ultraviolet [rotate w/Acrobat]
24 - With or Without You
25 - Moment of Surrender [rotate w/Bad/All I Want Is You]


I'd be perfectly fine with this. :D

Every fan has their favorites. Some fans get to see more shows that others. Some fans see 10 shows or more per tour. Some might be lucky to see one per tour.

Take 10 fans and ask them for 10 songs that they should play and 10 that they shouldn't and the lists would vary a lot. Or if you asked 10 fans to make a 25 song setlist... again, there would be a lot of variation

Some hate "In A Little While". Others LOVE it. Etc.

So with that much divergence of opinion, I can see why the band tries to use their own instincts. Sometimes they might get it wrong. Mostly they get it right.
 
I have a gut feeling the set list will get another shake up in 2011. Hopefully thats means less ATYCLB songs, more 90s material, and songs from the supposed new album that's coming.
 
The Add / Drop period isn't over yet!

Drop

Miss Sarajevo - Momentum-ending track. Great song, but it's had its day.

Until the End of the World - 18 years is more than enough. Really. Yes, I know it's a great, and Very Important Song™, but it's so very tired. Stuck in a set list you can't it get out of.

With or Without You - What version you get is something of a crapshoot these days. It's either a transcendent moment in the show, or where you feel like you're experiencing U2 by-the-numbers. Maybe I'm biased because the Boston version was so tired, but it can go away. Go listen to Rock's Hottest Ticket, then Live in Paris, then go listen to a version from the last who knows how many years. Then you'll understand why it needs to go.

Walk On - Never seems to sound as good as it did during the Elevation tour. I can't put my finger on it, but it doesn't sound as tight. Bono's inevitable speech breaks up the momentum. Am I a terrible person for suggesting that the snippet of "You'll Never Walk Alone" is better than what comes before it?

Mysterious Ways - Often falls into the "We're obviously playing this because we feel that we've got to" fan service category (see also: WOWY). The arrangement feels less inspired than it ever has.

In a Little While - WHY.

Get on Your Boots - Elevation Part III. And 1/3 as good. Let me in the sound, let me in the sound, let me in the sound... of another song. Please.

Scarlet - Mmm...K. Nice to see you again, but I must be going.

Mercy - I don't care about the crazy war being fought amongst U2 fans over the different lyrics. It just sounds weak. I loved the studio version, but live... not so much.

Sunday Bloody Sunday - Overexposed for a while now. Rapping doesn't help.

Magnificent - REEEEEEEE-PET-I-TIVE... dundundun....

Pride - One song caught, on every tour's set list.... Another Very Important Song™ that we can love, but not see every day.

Add

Gone - I think a lot of people were amazed to see this song vanish as quickly as it did post-Pop. If you asked me as late as the start of the Elevation tour which Pop songs I thought the band would keep playing, I would have said "Gone" and...

Staring at the Sun - Maybe the band is still feeling the sting of not knowing how to play it in Las Vegas 13 years ago? Who knows, but finding a good electric arrangement wold be simply magical. Yes, the acoustic version is fine and I love it on the Please single / Popheart EP, but a full band offers so many possibilities for exploring all kinds of sonic territory. I kind of want to sit U2 down and force them to listen to "Fast Asleep" by Hush Arbors and say "OK! Find that kind of darkness within the song! It's there!"

God Part II - People would go absolutely mental. There's no question about it. Adam could make half the audience kill themselves by playing the bass line for a few seconds between songs and then stopping before starting something else. (Peter Hook used to do this with "Love Will Tear Us Apart" back in the '80s with the goal of making the audience furious) The entire band would have fun with this song. It really gives everyone a chance to shine.

All I Want is You - All I want is this. Where is it? Not some lumbering acoustic version either, pull out a Love Town-level, full-band, we-really-care-about-this-song performance that leaves you hovering somewhere 100' above the nosebleeds.

Discotheque - Kudos to the band for pulling off an amazing new arrangement in Chicago on the Vertigo tour - which they promptly shelved for over half a decade and counting. Not everyone loves this track, but the people who do completely lose their shit when they hear the opening riff or line. It triggers a Pavlovian response of utter ecstasy.

Kite - CMD-C "Kite" CMD-F "Walk On" CMD-V. Oh no, I just printed the alternate lyrics to "Unknown Caller". (may that song never, ever get rebooted)

MoFo - Go listen to the MTV Awards version. Now. Imagine the stadium enveloped in porn guitar and 747 riffs whilst Adam and Larry beat the walls down to dust. (Then ponder why the band made the mystifying choice of doing "Please" at the U.S. MTV Awards instead of this.)

Running to Stand Still - Dropkick "In a Little While" off the stage, sit Edge down at a piano and put this in its place. A "Dirty Old Town" snippet at the end just seals the deal.

The Fly - The Elevation Tour made this song into something better than it had ever been before. Yes, even better than ZooTV. Edge isn't sure if the song holds up. Hint: It does.

Daddy's Gonna Pay For Your Crashed Car - U2 apparently doesn't want to risk the funk explosion this song might trigger if they put some work into it. I understand.

Dirty Day - Might be good once in a while.

Love is Blindness - But I don't see it. Won't you add it, back for me. Squeeze out WOWY, end the concert smartly... with Love is Blindness.
 
there's no need for me to add what i want to see the band play, because it's all unrealistic to expect (from the u2 that's going around today, at least) or simple wishful thinking....besides, it's all been said before on interference.

as for what to drop...well, fuck. miss sarajevo is nice, it's cool to see passengers represented, but it isn't a momentum ending track. it's the gratuitous second bullet to the back of the head of the shows momentum after in a little while.

elevation, boots and vertigo should not be in the same setlist. ever.

some of the other warhorses are now a complete lottery. after the berlin show with jay-z sunday bloody sunday gained new life, however the current radio tehran intro is now a good 18 months out of date.

with or without you was pathetic last year. it had been bad since macphisto started singing it, but the two performances i heard last week were simply superb. i've been a longtime critic of with or without you, but if they keep playing it like that it's okay by me.

pride can be good when used sparingly. sometimes a concert will need a big song that isn't dumb, and pride can fit that bill.

basically, for the warhorses they need to go hard or go home. wonder why nobody complains about i will follow, new year's day or until the end of the world? it's because they still try.

i still think they can get better two night variations too. they have so many popular songs they could probably easily switch out upwards of 10 so-called greatest hits every night and the guy who owns u218 and maybe all that you can't leave behind will go home happy.

but, what really, really enrages me is the fact that they aren't playing no line on the horizon. the title track, probably the most well received of the new songs last year, and it's had one wussed out appearance in 2010. it boggles the mind.

or they could actually give willie williams actual full creative control. i'm sure that guy wants them to play passengers live in its entirety. listen to him.

overall, i think the song choices in 2009 were light years better, whereas the 2010 performances are off the charts.
 
Is it to early to want them to drop Stuck from the setlist? :wink: For hutch or not, it's still the shittiest U2 song they've ever played live IMO.
 
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