U2 Tour 2009: Setlist

[bono_man]

Seeing its so quiet on the new album front, have a stab at a setlist. Go on...you know you want to...

1. New Song (lead single)
2. New Song (2nd Single)
3. Ultra Violet
4. Mysterious Ways
5. One - MLK
6. The Unforgettable Fire
7. Bad
8. Sunday Bloody Sunday
9. New Song
10. New Song
11. New Song (acoustic)
12. Love and Peace (acoustic)
13. Beautiful Day
14. Until the End of the World
15. New Year's Day
16. Out of Control
17. Vertigo
---------------------------------------
18. Streets
19. I Will Follow
20. Still Havent Found
---------------------------------------
21. New Song
22. All I Want Is You

 

[andyuk]

Love & Peace Aucostic? sounds horrible! Kite Aucostic now that sounds good!

 

[Mr. V]

LAPOE would lose everything it has going for it if it was acoustic

I wouldn't put Ultraviolet that early in the set, if at all

The closing of the main set there would really suck, sorry. End with NYD/OOC/Vertigo? no chance. Bring back the Please-Streets segue to finish the main set and launch into some stuff that hasn't been heard for a while in the first encore...

Although it's very hard to say what should be played when and in what order when you don't know what the album is all about...

 

[WITS]

I'd say that if it's a double album then it will take up nearly half of the set list, if it's just the one, then 7 of those songs will fill the gap, Vertigo, Elevation, Gloria and New Years Day has just GOT to be there, I am guessing 40 will end it all, due to the chances of it being played in the past

 

[bono_man]

wow...roasted!

1. I think L&P as a full band, bluesy-style acoustic would work great!

2. Ultra Violet needs to be returned, I think it would work fine early too.

3. I like the ending to the main set, something slightly different to the usual one with Bullet, Streets and Pride. If you want same old, same old though...

 

[corianderstem]

The heart of L&P lies in its bombastic drums and bass. It would be limp with an acoustic arrangement.

 

[Axver]

Due to the volume of material U2 have now, I'm not sure that they necessarily will do as many as 7 songs from the new album on one night. By the later stages of the Vertigo Tour, it seemed they themselves recognised it was untenable - some of the final gigs had only three new songs, a record low for new material on any tour.

It seems U2 started to rotate through more material on Vertigo Tour, and if they want to give a fair account of their entire career, they're going to need to do even more rotation on the upcoming tour. For, say, a 23 set, they should be drawing on a repertoire of 35-40 songs. Classics in particular need to be rotational - someone familiar with radio hits will enjoy either Desire or EBTTRT, Pride or SBS, ISHFWILF or AIWIY, and so on.

Since it's so far out from the tour and the theme and sound of the album is unknown, it's pretty hard to assemble a setlist order. So instead here are my suggestions for what songs they could place in a rotational system.

Boy: I Will Follow, Out Of Control, The Electric Co. (at least one a night)
October: Gloria (every other night), October (before NYD, thus only some nights)
War: Sunday Bloody Sunday and New Year's Day (one or the other), Surrender (every other night), 40 (close some shows)
UF: A Sort Of Homecoming (nightly), Bad (frequently)
JT: Streets (nightly), ISHFWILF and WOWY (one or the other), RTSS and One Tree Hill (sometimes)
RAH: Desire (every other night), AIWIY (every other night, part-time closer), God Part II (sometimes)
Achtung: EBTTRT, UTEOTW, The Fly, MW (rotational for two spots), Love Is Blindness (sometimes, closer)
Zooropa: Stay and The First Time (rotational, not every gig), Dirty Day (sometimes - encore?)
Pop: Gone and LNOE (one or the other)
ATYCLB: Beautiful Day (every gig), Stuck In A Moment and Kite (rotational)
HTDAAB: Vertigo and COBL (every gig), SYCMIOYO (rotational with Stuck and Kite)
New album, assuming 11 songs: 9-10 performed; 3 infrequently, 2-3 various higher degrees of frequency, 4 every gig
Non-album: 11 O'clock Tick Tock (in rotation with Boy/October material), Party Girl and Fast Cars (special occasions/celebrations), HMTMKMKM (sometimes), Wave Of Sorrow (infrequently), Spanish Eyes (in Spain - it seems to be done every second tour and was missed on Vertigo)

Now, admittedly, that's a few songs over my 35-40 suggestion, but it's still not as many songs as were played over the course of the Vertigo Tour. You could make very healthy setlists out of those songs. Lots of well-known live classics, hits, and popular anthems are in the mix, the new stuff is well represented, some live treats are on offer, and there's rarities for the diehards who at the end of the day form the backbone of the band's fanbase.

I'll live in hope.

 

[Joey788]

1. New Song
2. New Song
3. New Song
4. 2 Hearts/Out of Control/Electric Co/Gloria
5. Mysterious Ways/EBTTRT/Discotheque
6. New Song
7. New Year's Day/A Sort of Homecoming/ISHFWILF
8. New Song
9. New Song
10. SYCMIOYO/Kite/Wake Up Dead Man
11. Sunday Bloody Sunday
12. LAPOE/Bullet the Blue Sky/Exit
13. Running to Stand Still/Please/MOTD
14. With or Without You/The First Time/Stay
15. Bad/All I Want Is You/Wave of Sorrow
16. City of Blinding Lights/The Unforgettable Fire
17. Pride (In the Name of Love)/Beautiful Day

18. Where the Streets Have No Name
19. Vertigo
20. The Fly/Gone/One Tree Hill

21. Until the End of the World/Last Night on Earth/God Part 2
22. New Song
23. 40/Love is Blindness/One/Walk On

 

[Mr. V]

3. I like the ending to the main set, something slightly different to the usual one with Bullet, Streets and Pride. If you want same old, same old though...

of course it will be different, but it'd be awful in my opinion. if i'm ever at a U2 concert and they don't play Streets the way it has been recently, i'll kill someone. the best way to involve Streets while making it fresh might involve something like Please/Streets/Mercy to close the main set. but the songs you suggested would be far better early in the set or in an encore.

 

[TheBrazilianFly]

01. New Song
02. Vertigo
03. Two Hearts Beat As One
04. New Song
05. The Unforgettable Fire
06. New Song
07. New Song
08. Silver And Gold
09. New Song
10. Bullet The Blue Sky
11. New Song
12. In God's Country (acoustic)
13. If You Wear That Velvet Dress
14. Ultraviolet (Light My Way)
15. Acrobat

ENCORE I:
16. City Of Blinding Lights
17. Beautiful Day
18. Window In The Skies
19. New Song
20. Walk On

ENCORE II:
21. Angel Of Harlem
22. New Song
23. Kite



And they could still change it around like Surrender instead of Silver And Gold, Gloria instead of Two Hearts, A Sort Of A Homecoming instead of In God's Country, Love Rescue Me instead of Velvet Dress, Electrical Storm instead of Window In The Skies, Desire instead of Angel Of Harlem and so on. And I think no matter how many songs they have U2 will still kep on playing lots of new songs, even if they drop a few they will still play at least 5 of them live I think. I thin it's more than important to them to play lots of new songs live, it's vital.

 

[Rob33]

isn't it nice to love a band with this many brilliant songs?

I would like to see something like this:

1. New Song
2. Vertigo
3. New Song
4. Unforgettable Fire
5. Electric Co.
6. New song
7. New song
8. New song
9. Mofo
10. In God's Country
11. Angel of Harlem
12. Ultraviolet
13. Acrobat
14. New song
15. Wake Up Dead Man (snippet) --->SYCMIOYO
16. Walk on

Encore 1:

17. Beautiful Day/ Bad
18. Running To Stand Still
19. Streets
20. All I Want Is You

Encore II:

21. Kite
22. Love Is Blindness/ One
23. 40

maybe more new songs though, I don't know...

 

[ZOOTVTOURist]

Obviously not in the running, order, I'd count at least six slots in the set permanently covered by tunes from the new album (Mercy being one of them ...):

1. New Song
2. New Song
3. New Song
4. New Song
5. New Song
6. New Song

Then I'd go for another 'new' one being played every night (at least for the first weeks ...), at least for the (big) rest of the world, not being in Japan and Hawaii:

7. Window In The Skies

Now, that we have covered one third of all possible setlist slots, we might concentrate on the most delicate matter here in this forum: Which songs to play from the 'Greatest Hits'?
Fixed and, I guess, nearly everybody's expectations are:

8. One (covering the early 90ies, a live anthem)
9. Where The Streets ...(covering TJT, a live anthem)

With these tunes you give also the many, many "one gig only"-freaks, what they want – and only the most bored U2 fans here really BELIEVE, that these tunes might be complete crap, too. They are masterpieces, whatever you will joke about them ...

Also in the 'Greatest Hits' category invade two tunes, that are of more recent date, even when I really don't appreciate one of those (before you ask: the elder):

10. Vertigo
11. Beautiful Day

With these four tracks as 'Greatest Hits' to be played as fixed ones in the set, the tradition tells us, that others might join the family – but we talk about a 'dream list'. So I suggest now, that in addition to the four crowd (and in parts even fan) pleasers, there will be five more slots reserved for 'Greatest Hits'. These will have rotating, topic-related tunes – tunes, that will be played either/or, switched from night to night:

12. The soul, that's dancing:
I Still Haven't Found .../Stuck .../

13. The rocking 'dance' punch:
Even Better.../Mysterious Ways/Lemon/Discotheque/Elevation

14. The political/social protest hymn:
Sunday Bloody Sunday/Bad/Please/Bullet The Blue Sky

15. The big ballad:
With Or Without You/All I Want Is You/Stay/
Staring At The Sun/Sometimes You Can't Make it ...

16. The 'early' rocker:
Out Of Control/I Will Follow/New Year's Day/Pride

Now, after having six slots for new tracks, four fixed 'Greatest Hits' and another five 'Greatest Hits' being varied from night to night (this is enough for the crowd pleasing, friends!), up to six slots for 'obscure songs from U2's past'. These could remain empty, but show some courage. In my dream setlist, U2 decide also to fill them with different surprises from night to night. I fill in my personal requests:

17. The Unforgettable Fire or A Sort Of Homecoming
18. God Part II
19. October or Wave Of Sorrow
20. Dirty Day or Exit
21. Crumbs From Your Table
22. Drowning Man

 

[dabiggestu2fan]

umm i hope they don't play mercy atleast on any of the shows I plan to attend (that is if they come to my town). Mercy sucks and i don't think it would be a great live song

 

[ZOOTVTOURist]

umm i hope they don't play mercy atleast on any of the shows I plan to attend (that is if they come to my town). Mercy sucks and i don't think it would be a great live song

Yes, and I hope, that they will play it at every gig I attend – because this song is absolutely astonishing and I do think, it will be a great live song. But this is not another "Mercy"-Thread, I hope ...

 

[Rob33]

umm i hope they don't play mercy atleast on any of the shows I plan to attend (that is if they come to my town). Mercy sucks and i don't think it would be a great live song

*attempts to start another Mercy thread*

what?? Mercy is an incredible song, and live it would be turn into one of the great live U2 songs! What is it about Mercy that leads you to believe it won't be great live?!?!

 

[the tourist]

Along the lines of Axver's post:

Boy: The Electric Co. or I Will Follow (one or the other)

October: Gloria (every other night), October (once a week or so)

War: New Year's Day (nightly), Sunday Bloody Sunday or Surrender (one or the other), Two Hearts Beat As One (once a week or so), 40 (closer, once a week or so)

The Unforgettable Fire: Bad, Pride, or The Unforgettable Fire (two of the three), A Sort Of Homecoming (rarely)

The Joshua Tree: Where The Streets Have No Name (nightly), With Or Without You or I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For (one or the other), Exit or One Tree Hill (once a week one is played), Running To Stand Still (like ZooTV, rarely played)

Rattle & Hum: All I Want Is You (every other night, when Bad isn't played), Desire, God Part II, or Angel Of Harlem (once a week apiece)

Achtung Baby: One (nightly), Until The End Of The World or The Fly (one or the other), Love Is Blindness (closer, once a week or so), Mysterious Ways and Ultraviolet (rarely).

Zooropa: Stay (every other night), The First Time (closer, once a week or so), Dirty Day (rarely)

Pop: Last Night On Earth or Wake Up Dead Man (one or the other), Gone (once a week or so)

All That You Can't Leave Behind: Beautiful Day (nightly), Elevation (about once a week or so), Kite (about once a week or so)

How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb: City Of Blinding Lights (nightly), Love and Peace or Else, Vertigo or All Because Of You (two of the three), Yahweh (closer, about once a week), Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own (rarely)

Non-Album: Hold Me Thrill Me Kiss Me Kill Me, The Ground Beneath Her Feet, Window In The Skies, 11 O Clock Tick Tock, Miss Sarajevo, Electrical Storm (one per show, each one once a week)

New Album: New Song 1, New Song 2, New Song 3, New Song 4 (nightly), New Song 5, New Song 6 (one of the two), New Song 7 (closer, once a week or so), New Song 8 (rarely)

 

[Axver]

8. One (covering the early 90ies, a live anthem)
9. Where The Streets ...(covering TJT, a live anthem)

With these tunes you give also the many, many "one gig only"-freaks, what they want – and only the most bored U2 fans here really BELIEVE, that these tunes might be complete crap, too. They are masterpieces, whatever you will joke about them ...

I agree with most of your post, but here I'm going to have to disagree somewhat here. I think it is becoming absolutely imperative that U2 drop One and Streets - not necessarily entirely, but at least removed from every night. I think this is most essential for One, as it has never missed a show since its debut. I know what some people are thinking - this is because I hate One. Not true. If I loved One, I would want it dropped from regular rotation even more passionately. No song should be played at over 500 consecutive shows. It ceases to be fresh, to have the same emotion - it's trotted out every night for no reason other than that's simply what's done to appease the great unwashed masses. It's been flogged off in hundreds of cities worldwide.

I hope the fate that has befallen One never befalls any song I love. I couldn't stand to see One Tree Hill suffer that treatment. I don't mean to say I want it to be exclusive - I wish more people could experience what I experienced in Auckland in 2006. But I don't want it done to the point where it ceases to have meaning, where it becomes a cliche track (how many more jokes do we need about Bono's pre-One speeches?) and you see it on the setlist and think "uh-huh, of course".

Streets is such a transcendent live song that I think it hasn't quite suffered the fate of One just yet, but I fear it's close. U2 considered dropping it for Vertigo, and it might be a good idea to show that nothing is sacred and at least remove it from a few shows. Some people here seem to have this attitude that Streets is the be-all and end-all centrepiece of the live U2 experience. U2 should prove they don't need that song. Nobody wants to see U2 tied to any song. Nobody wants Streets to become a tired cliche.

 

[Axver]

Running To Stand Still (like ZooTV, rarely played)

RTSS was done at every single ZooTV gig. Not sure what you might be thinking of. From JT, Bullet, RTSS, and Streets didn't miss a show (158 gigs including the Hershey and Rotterdam public rehearsals), WOWY was done at all but five, ISHFWILF was done at roughly two thirds, and no other JT songs made an appearance - well, unless you count Spanish Eyes from that era, done at one show in Spain.

 

[the tourist]

RTSS was done at every single ZooTV gig. Not sure what you might be thinking of. From JT, Bullet, RTSS, and Streets didn't miss a show (158 gigs including the Hershey and Rotterdam public rehearsals), WOWY was done at all but five, ISHFWILF was done at roughly two thirds, and no other JT songs made an appearance - well, unless you count Spanish Eyes from that era, done at one show in Spain.

I'm talking about a future tour, and was describing how I'd want them to play it. I'd want them to play it the way they did on ZooTV. I wasn't saying they rarely played in on ZooTV.

 

[Axver]

I'm talking about a future tour, and was describing how I'd want them to play it. I'd want them to play it the way they did on ZooTV. I wasn't saying they rarely played in on ZooTV.

Ooh, gotcha. Since all of the other bracketed comments related to the frequency of play, it didn't even occur to me that you were referring to its sound. I read it like I might have read "Hawkmoon 269 (like Lovetown, very rarely)".

(Though I bloody well hope that if Hawkmoon 269 did come back, it'd be more than very rarely! I'd be desperate to catch it live.)

 

[jphelmet]

I I think it is becoming absolutely imperative that U2 drop One and Streets - not necessarily entirely, but at least removed from every night. I think this is most essential for One, as it has never missed a show since its debut. I know what some people are thinking - this is because I hate One. Not true. If I loved One, I would want it dropped from regular rotation even more passionately. No song should be played at over 500 consecutive shows. It ceases to be fresh, to have the same emotion - it's trotted out every night for no reason other than that's simply what's done to appease the great unwashed masses. It's been flogged off in hundreds of cities worldwide.

they will and should continue to play one. it is the song they are most known for, and 90% of the audience will be upset if they don't. i get the point that no song has to be played, but its not tired or bad. its still a great song, and after seeing played live 25 times i still don't mind hearing it. take the casual fan that has seen the last 4 tours, seen the song 4 times, and still want to hear it. again, they will and should keep playing it.

Some people here seem to have this attitude that Streets is the be-all and end-all centrepiece of the live U2 experience. U2 should prove they don't need that song. Nobody wants to see U2 tied to any song. Nobody wants Streets to become a tired cliche.

streets, with the possible exception of bad, is the be all, end all of the u2 live experience. even with the less than stellar segue on vertigo it was still a highlight and always will be. you get that from people that aren't really fans, citing how wonderful the song is live.

u2 has long since passed the point of being tied to any one song, and nothing they do in their live shows from here on out will change that. the mentality of they need to "prove they don't need this song", is a statement that would only come from someone who studies setlists and acts like it really matters what they play (when it doesn't- it will be a great show regardless of what changes they make to the setlist). no one cares about them proving they "don't need a song", and 90% of the audience wants to hear it. U2 knows this, and will give the fans what they want (even if they means a few diehards will complain that the song is tired).

 

[the tourist]

they will and should continue to play one. it is the song they are most known for, and 90% of the audience will be upset if they don't.

Actually I'd beg to differ as a lot of my non-U2-fanatic friends/casual U2 fan friends have never heard One. They do, however, know Sunday Bloody Sunday, New Year's Day, Pride, With Or Without You, Where The Streets Have No Name, I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For, Mysterious Ways, Beautiful Day, and Vertigo.

Does that mean they should play every single one of those songs at every single one of their shows? Nope.

If I had to make a guess, with only my memory as my research, I would say that the song that most casual U2 fans think U2 is most known for, it would be With Or Without You.

 

[zoopop]

1. New Song (Fast)
2. Gloria
3. New Song (Fast)
4. New Years Day
5. One Tree Hill
6. October
7. Until The End Of The World
8. Sunday Bloody Sunday
9. New Song (Med Tempo)
10. Vertigo
11. I Will Follow
12. New Song (Ballad)
13. One (Acoustic)
14. Unforgettable Fire
15. Bad
16. City Of Blinding Lights
17. New Song (Ballad/Stadium song)
Encore
18. Elevation
19. Mysterious Ways
20. New Song (Rocker)
21. Vertigo
Encore 2
22. Kite
23. Beautiful Day
24. Streets

 

[jphelmet]

Actually I'd beg to differ as a lot of my non-U2-fanatic friends/casual U2 fan friends have never heard One. They do, however, know Sunday Bloody Sunday, New Year's Day, Pride, With Or Without You, Where The Streets Have No Name, I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For, Mysterious Ways, Beautiful Day, and Vertigo.
If I had to make a guess, with only my memory as my research, I would say that the song that most casual U2 fans think U2 is most known for, it would be With Or Without You.

i'll agree wowy might be more well known by older casual fans- those growing up in the 80's, but overall, all ages i would guess one is as popular. i was in high school in the 90's, so all the casual u2 fans i know- one is the favorite. it is consistently the one u2 song in the discussion for all time great song type polls (like q mag or rolling stone, etc.)

if your friends have never heard one then i would not classify them as casual u2 fans, and fairly ignorant music fans in general. you say they know mysterious ways, but don't know the bigger song from the same album? i don't believe that. either that or you don't like one and you are the only way they are exposed to u2.

 

[No spoken words]

Is any of this confirmed???

And by confirmed, I mean not at all confirmed.

 

[ZOOTVTOURist]

I agree with most of your post, but here I'm going to have to disagree somewhat here. I think it is becoming absolutely imperative that U2 drop One and Streets - not necessarily entirely, but at least removed from every night. ...how many more jokes do we need about Bono's pre-One speeches? Streets is such a transcendent live song that I think it hasn't quite suffered the fate of One just yet, but I fear it's close.

Yes, my friend, I do understand your point in U2 'ruining' the tunes by 'overplaying' them as routine elements in their shows. But: U2 have reached this point for "Streets" and "One" long, long ago.
And: My created 'ideal' setlist had the basic idea of a somehow possible, in other words predictable setlist. A setlist for new tracks, the huge part of 'Greatest Hits' consumers – and also the die-hards, who wish for some rarities & surprises.
So: In this frame for a big tour "Streets" and "One" are set in the setlists, every night in every city for every audience on every continent. This is not because I wish so, but any other solution would break with U2's standard principles for concert tours. If they decided to cut out both of these classic U2 anthems from their nightly concerts, it would cause more than an uproar in the fan base or even here in this forum.
Forget your idea, it won't happen ...

 

[the tourist]

i'll agree wowy might be more well known by older casual fans- those growing up in the 80's, but overall, all ages i would guess one is as popular. i was in high school in the 90's, so all the casual u2 fans i know- one is the favorite. it is consistently the one u2 song in the discussion for all time great song type polls (like q mag or rolling stone, etc.)

if your friends have never heard one then i would not classify them as casual u2 fans, and fairly ignorant music fans in general. you say they know mysterious ways, but don't know the bigger song from the same album? i don't believe that. either that or you don't like one and you are the only way they are exposed to u2.

I went to school from 89-02. 90% of my high school friends knew the songs I'd mentioned (besides Vertigo, of course, as it hadn't come out yet). To my knowledge, I was the only one to know that One had been a single, and as far as I know, was the only one to know it'd been a hit. *shrugs* They still play all those other songs on the radio. I've never heard One on the radio. When the local rock station plays "block" weekends where they'll play three or four songs in a row from an artist, when they play U2 it's usually always Sunday Bloody Sunday, New Year's Day, With Or Without You, and I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For.

 

[Scorpionac]

It's too long, but I think it'd work. Slashes indicate alternating songs each night.

Main set:

1. New song
2. New song
3. New song
4. Until the End of the World
5. Beautiful Day
6. October
7. New Year's Day
8. New song
9. Rejoice
10. New song
11. The Unforgettable Fire
12. A Sort of Homecoming
13. One Tree Hill
14. Stay (Faraway, So Close!)
15. Sunday Bloody Sunday
16. Please
17. Love is Blindness
18. Bad
19. Seconds
20. Even Better than the Real Thing
21. Acrobat / Ultraviolet / Dirty Day / Hold Me Thrill Me Kiss Me Kill Me

Encore:

22. Mofo
23. Where the Streets Have No Name
24. City of Blinding Lights

Second encore:

25. Desire / Mysterious Ways
26. Vertigo
27. New song
28. One (acoustic)



I'd like it at least. =D

 

[The Sad Punk]

It doesn't look bad (not as much alternating as their should be), but that would be the worst second encore ever.

 

[thelaj]

U2 | Infinity Tour

01 | New Song
02 | New Song
03 | Beautiful Day
04 | Even Better Than The Real Thing / Mysterious Ways
05 | Until The End of The World / The Fly
06 | New Song
07 | 4th of July / October / The First Time
08 | The Unforgettable Fire / The Electric Co.
09 | Desire / Elevation
10 | New Song
11 | Please
12 | Dirty Day / Bullet The Blue Sky
13 | God Part 2
14 | Gone / Mofo
15 | New Song
16 | Where The Streets Have No Name

17 | City of Blinding Lights
18 | Window in The Skies / Electrical Storm
19 | New Song
20 | Love is Blindness / Love And Peace or Else

21 | Vertigo
22 | Bad / Walk On / Stay
23 | Kite / One / All I Want is You
24 | New Song