Wey hey ehh.
I'd hoped they'd do it, especially for the reason you state, but it's not so surprising. Of the seven post-JT tours that have visited Spain, Spanish Eyes has been played on four of them - only once each. On the Elevation Tour it was done at the one Spanish show, but on ZooTV, 360, and IE there were multiple Spanish shows and it appeared at just one each. I didn't really expect it because the band have been so utterly inflexible with this tour's setlist: a brief opening salvo of hits, the JT album, and then an encore where song choices are dictated by various messages.
And what's worse, soundchecking it and not playing it (Vertigo - it even made the printed set at one show but they did Yahweh instead), or not even soundchecking it? I think I'd prefer to not have the tease.
I'm as guilty (or guiltier) than other fans who complain about this band sometimes...but they can be so infuriating.
The frustrating thing is that a few well-chosen rotations (and digging just a little deeper) would improve this tour dramatically...
One JT b-side per show (rotating between LT, DITH, and WTTW) would be tremendous. Rehearse them so they can nail them (not just - "hey we played it so it's all good"). Other changes that would make a massive difference would be an R&H rotation (Desire Hollywood remix with Heartland for example) and keeping ASOH in the set (or at least play it every third show or so...so they can really deliver it confidently and improve it along with the rest of the set). Just to mention a couple small tweaks that would yield massive benefit.
Now for the big tweak...
Due to the unique arrangement of this tour, I have to say that, IMO, the entire third act (after JT) barring the occasional song - most notably IWF and TLTTGYA - does seem phoned in at times (from video footage, at least). How did Ultraviolet go from revitalized (during 360) to sounding like a tired warhorse? MW should be ditched. I like Edge's new intro and appreciate the idea (of rotating to keep it fresh) but I just don't think it will ever sound vital again. MS goes over like a lead balloon, from what I see. One is in there for the casual fan (I get it) but I would be OK with never seeing another live performance of it.
Blah blah blah.
The bottom line is that, while I initially had reservations about this tour, I found some aspects to really appreciate. I think the opening salvo is often played with fire and I'm loving IGC and Exit. ASOH was, obviously, a welcome addition. RHMT, as I feared, has been neutered but I don't want to get started on that.
Anyway, this is just one fan's opinion and in the grand scheme, no one really cares about it. I just see such potential for greatness if they only took a step back and were willing to be more adventurous and even diligent. They'll never be a "jam band" but they can still operate within their skillset to make it happen.
I do appreciate how well they play the JT songs and it is fun to see / hear some of them live...but that's not enough (for me). I know a lot of folks on here are of the mindset "be happy with getting anything at all" but I disagree. While they're still out there playing live, I want them to be extraordinary.
Bono, himself, has always said that very good is the enemy of great. So I don't buy the "take what you can get" argument. Not as it applies to this band.
