Which staples should be dropped?

[last unicorn]

^ I doubt they will see this

And why should they? The band should play what they want and what they feel should work fine. The people demanding these songs to be dropped are only a small percentage of concert goers.

 

[gvox]

I'll tell you when Bullet the Blue Sky should be dropped: when it loses it's relevance.

In other words: not in the remotely forseeable future.

It's unfortunate, but it's a statement that needs to be repeated over and over and over

BECAUSE WE'RE NOT GETTING IT, ARE WE??

 

[gvox]

thanks for running the poll ... let's hope the band sees this and gets the message.

Personally I hope they see this and play every single last song, just to piss this minority off.

Well ok, drop Elevation, Until the End and Mysterious Ways. Elevation has had it and the other two bore me to be honest.

 

[catlhere]

Oops, I didn't pay attention and only voted for the one song I wanted to drop most. DUR! I picked Bullet The Blue Sky because even though it fit on the last tour, it was just kinda slow and boring after hearing it so many times, and it hasn't been great since TJT tour. (yeah i dont like the zootv version so what)

If I had read the poll closely I would have also chosen
Sunday Bloody Sunday - especially if they're gonna play it slower than the original, gross.
New Year's Day - I've had enough of it
Pride - If Bono can pull off some of the notes again, then it can stay
Beautiful Day - They'll probably play this one at every concert anyway, but I don't care if it went away
Elevation - we don't even need this song anymore with other rockers like goyb and vertigo which is even more recent

 

[phillyfan26]

I'll tell you when Bullet the Blue Sky should be dropped: when it loses it's relevance.

In other words: not in the remotely forseeable future.

It's unfortunate, but it's a statement that needs to be repeated over and over and over

BECAUSE WE'RE NOT GETTING IT, ARE WE??

I honestly can't even remember what the point of it was this time around. He lit firecrackers, wore a bandanna ... don't know what the point was.

I think every song should be dropped when they're playing it at a low quality. Bullet fits that criteria. It's slow, Edge's solo is watered down, Bono sounds bored.

 

[mackemlad]

Interesting and predictable stats there.

My thoughts are

U2 are so intent on not becoming a greatest hits touring band by releasing new albums that are a still relevant in the time that they are released.

However, if you take away the current album songs on each tour that is exactly what you are left with a greatest hits tour.

It is sad when you think they play tired versions of songs such as With Or Without You and leave songs like Electrical storm un played.

Surely it would make sense to drop some of the staples and freshen things up a bit.

 

[solarpe]

One needs to stay because it is largely considered their best song... a band needs to perform their best song!

The Fly kicks ass period, it stays!

New Years day, Sunday Bloody Sunday, Bullet the Blue Sky and Streets all stay because they define U2 and are played very well live imho.

Still Haven't Found and With or Without are tired, Elevation is McDonald's, Beautiful Day's 15 minutes are up, Pride sounds a bit dated and I Will Follow is cool but should step aside for a bit.

 

[Axver]

One needs to stay because it is largely considered their best song... a band needs to perform their best song!

People are idiots. U2 shouldn't cater to the tastes of idiots.

 

[The Sad Punk]

One needs to stay because it is largely considered their best song... a band needs to perform their best song!

The fact that Q said it was the best song of all time pretty much explains everything.

Q. (they're always wrong)

 

[Galeongirl]

One needs to stay because it is largely considered their best song... a band needs to perform their best song!

One needs to go because it's U2's most overrated song. A band needs to stop play overrated mediocre songs.

 

[gump]

I would only keep Streets, UTEOTW, the Fly and Beautiful Day. Even if these were gone I wouldn't miss them.

 

[solarpe]

One needs to go because it's U2's most overrated song. A band needs to stop play overrated mediocre songs.

well you are entitled to your opinion, but to say it's a "mediocre" song is a bit strange to me. Was it overplayed to death? Yes... but if I haven't heard it in a while, it still gives me goosebumps. Furthermore, I think many fans would be disappointed if they didn't play it. (Including myself)

Let's face it, U2 are an aging anthem band... Sure they are still making fantastic and relevant music, but for the most part, when you go to a concert you are looking for a trip down memory lane so to speak. My point is that if you omit all the overplayed hits of the past, you will have a far less impactful show.

 

[monsieur fly]

well you are entitled to your opinion, but to say it's a "mediocre" song is a bit strange to me. Was it overplayed to death? Yes... but if I haven't heard it in a while, it still gives me goosebumps. Furthermore, I think many fans would be disappointed if they didn't play it. (Including myself)

Let's face it, U2 are an aging anthem band... Sure they are still making fantastic and relevant music, but for the most part, when you go to a concert you are looking for a trip down memory lane so to speak. My point is that if you omit all the overplayed hits of the past, you will have a far less impactful show.

Dear goodness this is rum defeatism! U2 are not the Stones you know.

 

[believer75]

Dear goodness this is rum defeatism! U2 are not the Stones you know.

No, they are not...they are better no offense to the Stones, though.

 

[edgeplaytheblue]

most of them ... too many song I heard too much in the past 20 years

 

[corianderstem]

I'll tell you when Bullet the Blue Sky should be dropped: when it loses it's relevance.

In other words: not in the remotely forseeable future.

It's unfortunate, but it's a statement that needs to be repeated over and over and over

BECAUSE WE'RE NOT GETTING IT, ARE WE??

Barf.

I realize these are "message" songs. I realize they are often very relevant to what's going on in the world.

But if U2 ever decides they have to keep playing a song because its message is so very, very important to hear and we're just not getting it, the U2 concert has turned into a big "shame on you" lecture.

No thank you.

 

[gvox]

Barf.

I realize these are "message" songs. I realize they are often very relevant to what's going on in the world.

But if U2 ever decides they have to keep playing a song because its message is so very, very important to hear and we're just not getting it, the U2 concert has turned into a big "shame on you" lecture.
.

I'm sure Bono does it intentionally just to bug Americans.

At any rate, I don't buy the shame on you bit, Bono's been calling out on issues since day 1. He shamed an entire set of right wingers into throwing some support behind debt relief. Why should he stop now?

 

[corianderstem]

That's okay. I could use a new bathroom break section.

 

[MikeyJB]

Since these shows will be my first U2 gigs I'd quite like to see all of the polled songs. However, I reckon Elevation should definitely be dropped since its been a staple of the last 2 tours. I don't reckon The Fly will be so prominant this tour, but I reckon we'lll hear all of them at some point. I just hope they play Sunday Bloody Sunday at the Sheffield gig which I'm going to with my Dad otherwise he will moan about it lol.

 

[God Part III]

I Will Follow - Keep it. If you switch it with The Electric Co. or Gloria, I'm ok with that.

Sunday Bloody Sunday - Keeper, it's awesome and it sounds very different from the rest of the songs.

New Year's Day - It's a classic, like Streets.

Pride - Overplayed, the band sound dull when they play it.

Where The Streets Have No Name - UNTOUCHABLE. A U2 concert is not a U2 concert without Streets.

I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For - Meh.

With Or Without You - I prefer One.

Bullet The Blue Sky - Overplayed.

One - I'm on the fence here. If they don't play it, I won't be mad.

Until The End Of The World - how is this a staple? It was played 3 or 4 times on the European leg of Vertigo, in total maybe less than a third of last tour's show. I saw U2 four times in 2005, I didn't hear this song once and it's really one of their greatest songs. Keep it.

The Fly I didn't like the Vertigo version as good as the Elevation one. Zoo Station was better.

Mysterious Ways - Not really a staple either. Play it 50/50, like last time. Also, I didn't hear this one either.

Beautiful Day - Classic. All post-2000 fans love this one. (I should think)

Elevation - Boring.

 

[LemonMelon]

Pride, WOWY, One, Elevation (especially if they're going to play it like they did on Vertigo with the hour-long intro ).

Mysterious Ways was oddly flaccid (the most damning adjective one could use to describe the song) last tour, but could be revitalized when surrounded by tracks like NLOTH and Breathe. Bullet was a flat-out embarrassment, but that was the first time I've ever felt that way about it. Beautiful Day is consistently awesome and always superior to the album version, so I do hope they keep it around. Every song I didn't name is either extremely enjoyable to me or not something I consider a staple in the first place.

 

[U2girl]

IWF - still good even if it pops up on every tour.
SBS - if it works as a part of a set, otherwise no.
NYD - certainly aged well but I don't care either way.
Pride - Bono's got his vocals back but it's too slow.
Streets - this isn't getting dropped.
Still haven't found... - maybe with a different arrangement.
WOWY... - see Still haven't found. I'm surprised Bono doesn't sing this better with his new found voice.
Bullet... - a keeper. At least they keep trying new things with this one.
One... - never worked that well live.
UTEOTW - a keeper. their best live song for me.
The fly... - give it a break after two tours in a row.
MW - keep it. Fun live, and like Bullet, different each tour.
BD... see One.
Elevation... two tours is enough.

 

[DRay9911]

sweet jesus, i could spend a week over at the u2gigs site....and probably still not go through it all.

-dan

 

[d.darroch]

Please get rid of "I Still Haven't Found blah, blah, blah.......". I really don't like this song, there's soooo many better U2 songs out there!

I also voted out Bullet The Blue Sky, the solo is great, but I think it's time to move on.

Pride, old tired, gone...

Mysterious Ways, maybe very occasionally play it.

Elevation, isn't Vertigo the new Elevation (get the crowd going). I'm not a big fan of either, maybe play one, or the other, but not both.

Sunday Bloody Sunday, ok maybe it's times up. But for me, one of the last times I saw it live was at Slane, when Bono was discussing the Omagh bombings, spine tingling, something I won't forget. Also by the time Vertigo reached Sydney I thought the 'Coexist' message was much more refined than what I saw in either the US (from the Chicago DVD), & in South America (U23D). For me the "Jesus, Jew, Muhammad, it's true..... all sons of Abraham" was one of the moments of the Vertigo Sydney shows, loved it. Obviously this message is still very, very relevant. So, if it's done right, keep it.

 

[cobl04]

The ones I voted for:

Sunday Bloody Sunday - unless Bono can find the passion again, I wouldn't be shattered to see it go. The Coexist thing kinda sucked in my opinion (always pops into my head - really hope the band doesn't read to much here ).

I Will Follow - it's definitely fun, and does always sounds fresh, but I wouldn't mind seeing a similarly-veined song performed in its place.

Bullet the Blue Sky - it was pretty woeful on the last tour. The ZooTV version, and to a lesser extent Elevation versions had serious power. But Edge simply plucked on Vertigo, and Johnny/America snippets could put the keenest of fans to sleep.

Beautiful Day - We've probably heard it enough times... it'd serve well as a 25%er on this tour I think.

Elevation - see Axver.

Painful to see comments about WOWY, etc, which I still think is incredible live. One, yeah I probably wouldn't miss it a great deal, perhaps even Pride.

But the thing to remember is -- these are the songs which turn the night into magic for a lot of people, and in the one concert I went to it was right up there. Yeah, the best version of Pride was made in 1984, but man, I want it to be played at every concert I see.

And who are the five who voted for Streets!

 

[U2fan05]

How can anyone even consider dropping Streets? Drop the drawn out intro yes, Bad or All I want is you intro yes, dropping it no

 

[The Sad Punk]

How can anyone even consider dropping Streets?

Because they have a lot of better songs and I never liked it that much and this is my choice.

Where The Streets Have No Name
monsieur fly, rastacruz, Slopsy, The Sad Punk, U2Fan101
5
3.36%

~~*bros and sizs in arms*~~

 

[rastacruz]

I went to a Popmart show where Bad and Sunday Bloody Sunday were left out but they did a karaoke version of Daydream Believer. After that debacle, I realized that no song is sacred.

Streets and Bullet are really good songs and great live, but I've seen them played at every show I've been to since the Joshua Tree tour and I wouldn't mind if they were left out for some other Joshua Tree, or older, songs.

 

[bonoschild2009]

Streets and Bullet are really good songs and great live, but I've seen them played at every show I've been to since the Joshua Tree tour and I wouldn't mind if they were left out for some other Joshua Tree, or older, songs.

I wouldn't mind if ALL the polled songs were dropped- how many songs have been played at EVERY show for the last two, three or four tours??? I do love most of these polled songs, but the band has such an extensive catalogue....Shake things up!!!!! Personally, I still want to see 'I Threw A Brick..."

 

[intedomine]

Bullet's gotta go. A great live moment, but it needs a good rest.

I Will Follow, End Of World, The Fly and Elevation are also very droppable - dropping these would free up some room to satisfy the hardcores with some surprise packets