Favorite Live Opener?

[RickFly]

What is everyones favorite live opener song?


examples but not limited to:
I will follow
Out of Control
Gloria
Where the Streets Have no Name
Zoo Station
Mofo
Elevation
City of Blinding Lights
Breath
Even Better than the Real Thing

At this moment it is a tie between Elevation and Even Better than the Real thing from the 360 tour. I love how they reworked the intro and put the slide guitar solo infront.

 

[digitize]

Mofo, by a wide margin. The PopMart opening sequence was spectacular.

Honorable mentions:
Zoo Station
Streets
City of Blinding Lights
Even Better Than the Real Thing
Breathe (yeah, I know I'll be alone on that)

 

[Shawn Bonneau]

Elevation was by far the best I have seen. Love and Peace was pretty good too.

 

[zoopop]

Gotta go w/ Mofo!!

From what I've seen:

Mofo
Real Thing
Zoo Station
Elevation
COBL
Breathe
LPOE
Verigo

 

[Globo14]

For me, it'd probably be a tie between Even Better Than the Real Thing and Zoo Station.

 

[djerdap]

Zoo Station and Mofo.

 

[rennowba]

Got to be zoostation from what ive seen on dvd as ive only been to te vertigo and 360 tours

I was really looking forward to even better then the real thing at glastonbury which i was at but that song turned into the worst u2 song ive heard live. It was defo a one off though as i have the song live on a few bootlegs and u22 and it sounds great.

 

[Blue Room]

Best: Pop Muzik into Mofo sequence.

Honorable mentions for best: Streets and Zoo Station

Not awful and not great but got the job done: EBTTRT, Elevation, COBL

Worst opener: Breathe

 

[lemonfly]

Worst opener: Breathe

Ironic how it sucked the air out of the stadium.

 

[U2360]

My favourite is Even Better Than The Real Thing from the 360 Tour, I thought that was awesome.
Breathe doesn't seem too bad either, to me, the drums are great.
Though I think all of these openers are really good.

 

[Galeongirl]

From what I've seen EBTTRT.

From all time, probably Mofo. Streets is more fun as an encore opener, as it's a high point of a gig for me. Would suck if they peeked so early.

 

[silkensky]

Hawkmoon 269.

They do ethereal beauty so well, and that song, in its live form, is probably the finest example of it. Second place definitely goes to Mofo. Holy fucking cow what a rush of amazing energy, and what an encore opener that could be next tour (hint hint).

Honorable Mentions: 11 O'Clock Tick Tock, Streets, COBL, EBTTRT.

Worst: Stringray + Beautiful Day.

 

[djerdap]

I can't believe I forgot Hawkmoon. In any case, it's the best opener of the 80s concerts.

 

[prbiker15]

1) Pop Muzik + Mofo
2) Zoo Station
3) Space Oddity + Even Better Than The Real Thing
4) City of Blinding Lights

The only opener I've seen live is my 3rd choice - which was freaking incredible. In my opinion, nothing will beat the first two choices, for now. Badass.

 

[trevgreg]

Out of the ones I've seen in person, probably EBTTRT during 360.

Ones I wish I was at: Definitely the Pop Muzik/Mofo intro from PopMart. Elevation at the Elevation shows could've been fun too.

 

[Blue Room]

My favourite is Even Better Than The Real Thing from the 360 Tour, I thought that was awesome.
Breathe doesn't seem too bad either, to me, the drums are great.
Though I think all of these openers are really good.

Oh, I like the song Breathe. It was just an awful opening song. Just meh, should not have opened the show but should have been in the setlist. It was unusual as U2 typically does a good job with the opening song for each tour. 360 did not get it right until EBTTRT became the opener IMO.

 

[lazarus]

Agrees with above on Breathe, but the title track should have been the opener.

Of course, it didn't even stay in the set.

 

[cobl04]

Zoo Station easily, followed by Pop Muzik / Mofo.

Stingray > Beautiful Day was not good.

 

[theu2fly]

Can't get enough of 'Even Better Than The Real Thing' atm...

But for me, it ranks...

1. Streets
2. Zoo Station
3. Even Better Than The Real Thing
4. City Of Blinding Lights
5. Elevation

 

[Axver]

ELEVEN O'CLOCK TICK TOCK

/thread

 

[djerdap]

As a huge fan of 11 O'Clock Tick Tock, I was always underwhelmed by that song as an opener. I believe the encore was always perfect for that song. It seemed like a waste to put it at the beginning of the set, since it does not have the powerful build-up of Hawkmoon, Mofo or Zoo Station. It's more straight-forward at going right into awesomeness, which is why I don't think it worked that well as the opening song.

 

[lazarus]

It's not a fast-paced song, either.

Out of Control makes a lot more sense.

So they weren't opening with anything from TUF on that album's tour? Weird.

 

[LemonMelon]

1. Zoo Station
2. Mofo
3. Hawkmoon 269

Stringray/Beautiful Day was a horrible idea.

 

[Axver]

As a huge fan of 11 O'Clock Tick Tock, I was always underwhelmed by that song as an opener. I believe the encore was always perfect for that song. It seemed like a waste to put it at the beginning of the set, since it does not have the powerful build-up of Hawkmoon, Mofo or Zoo Station. It's more straight-forward at going right into awesomeness, which is why I don't think it worked that well as the opening song.

I've always liked the one-two punch of 11OTT/IWF at most of the UF Tour shows. 11OTT was particularly blistering at the 1984 gigs. Though it was also cool second in 1980-81, when they would start with The Ocean and then suddenly break into 11OTT's opening riff. Just listen to the bootlegs - the crowd would go insane when that riff came in. But I do agree, it was strongest as an encore number.

Despite my earlier post, Hawkmoon 269 is probably my favourite opener ... shame it was only used eight times, while 11OTT held its own for quite a while. Mofo was a pretty great opener too.

So they weren't opening with anything from TUF on that album's tour? Weird.

They opened with MLK once and Wire once. The original plan was to start shows with MLK/UF, but the cheering of the crowd when they came on drowned out MLK and they quickly ditched that plan. So they usually used 11OTT to open.

 

[bono_man2002]

80's: 11OTT
90's: Tie
00's: Elevation
10's: EBTTRT

 

[Vlaco]

As a huge fan of 11 O'Clock Tick Tock, I was always underwhelmed by that song as an opener. I believe the encore was always perfect for that song. It seemed like a waste to put it at the beginning of the set, since it does not have the powerful build-up of Hawkmoon, Mofo or Zoo Station. It's more straight-forward at going right into awesomeness, which is why I don't think it worked that well as the opening song.

What he said

 

[An Cat Gav]

Hawkmoon (wish I was at one of those gigs!), Zoo Station.

I would have added Mofo but I didn't like the Pop Muzic beginning.

 

[dazzledbylight]

Zoo Station
COBL
Breath
EBTTRT

well from my first GA 09 (not for lack of trying either in 05, 01) outer rail (between Bono & Ede)
people got revved up as Breathe's drooms started, then more raved as Edge's razor guitar kicked in and headed up off chart zoom-wise when Bono started singing- so i don't know where this Breath "snoozefest" was occuring?!

 

[Nick66]

1. Zoo Station
2. Elevation
3. COBL

Worst:

MOFO

To be honest though, the first few seconds of a U2 concert, as the lights go down (well, not in Elevation) and the first chords echo out, are always heart racing and adrenaline pumping for me, no matter what the song.

 

[Yahweh_OMG]

Zoo Station and Mofo!!!!!!

90's again.....