"Acrobat" Live: U2's Biggest Mistake

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discothequeLP

discothequeLP

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I've just listened to those ZooTV soundchecks from 1992 and I've just realized that Acrobat is probably the best song of the 1990s. I mean, on the album it was fuckin' great, i almost cried the first time i heard it. then listening too the ZooTV soundchecks, i mean, even just that dinky little Bono-Edge version (pretty much a "b-stage acoustic" jam) was amazing. People in the crowd even started cheering. Why the HELL have U2 not tried this song?! I mean, just an acoustic version and it could possibly their best live song. EVERYONE wants the band to play it, EVERYONE is dying to hear it live. Imagine what the audience would do?! It would be the highlight of every show. I heard Bono's quote about meditating in a tree or some other BS like that, and I thought, Bono, just try the damn song. Everyone would love you guys for it!
 
It's one of my favorite tunes. I'd love a live version. The record version sounds live. It's the band in their most raw state: singer, guitar player, bass player, drummer. Limited overdubs. Brilliant.
 
I think I would sell my soul to hear Acrobat played live. :drool: That was probably the only disappointing part of Zoo TV. I remember coming away from the concert and wishing like hell they had played that one. To this day I still wish they had.
 
There was a Rolling Stone news article before the outdoor leg of the ZooTV tour in the US. It had a description of the stage and mentioned U2 adding Acrobat AND God Pt 2 to their setlist. I still remember it.
 
I would melt if they played that song live. It's in my top three U2 songs ever. I don't think they will though. They would have done it by now and maybe it's not recognized enough.
 
MrBrau1 said:
There was a Rolling Stone news article before the outdoor leg of the ZooTV tour in the US. It had a description of the stage and mentioned U2 adding Acrobat AND God Pt 2 to their setlist. I still remember it.
Click to expand...

They were foolish not to do that.
 
u2valleygirl said:
I would melt if they played that song live. It's in my top three U2 songs ever. I don't think they will though. They would have done it by now and maybe it's not recognized enough.
Click to expand...

That's true. It wasn't done on ZooTV so it has no chance of being done now. In any case, while we fanatics would go completely nuts with delirious joy, the casual fans would turn to each other, ask "what is this?" and sit down. U2 have to consider the fact they are playing to a diverse audience.
 
Axver said:
U2 have to consider the fact they are playing to a diverse audience.
Click to expand...

Oh I beg to differ.

When I saw Elevation in 2001, I was only a casual U2 fan. Two songs songs that I had never heard U2 play before that night:

Wake Up Dead Man
Stay (Faraway, So Close!)

I loved them.

Just because the casual fan doesn't know the song doesn't mean that they're going to sit down and not pay attention to it. If it's Acrobat, they'll love it. ;)
 
discothequeLP said:
I've just listened to those ZooTV soundchecks from 1992 and I've just realized that Acrobat is probably the best song of the 1990s. I mean, on the album it was fuckin' great, i almost cried the first time i heard it. then listening too the ZooTV soundchecks, i mean, even just that dinky little Bono-Edge version (pretty much a "b-stage acoustic" jam) was amazing. People in the crowd even started cheering. Why the HELL have U2 not tried this song?! I mean, just an acoustic version and it could possibly their best live song. EVERYONE wants the band to play it, EVERYONE is dying to hear it live. Imagine what the audience would do?! It would be the highlight of every show. I heard Bono's quote about meditating in a tree or some other BS like that, and I thought, Bono, just try the damn song. Everyone would love you guys for it!
Click to expand...

The band rehearsed for a week at Hershey Stadium in Hershey PA. I heard them play Acrobat on multiple nights from the parking lot. Hershey Stadium is not like a real stadium that you normally think of. Its basically just two sets of bleachers which together hold about 15,000 people. You could see the stage and everything from the parking lot and if it had not been for the tarps they put over the high fences, you could have seen the band rehearse as well. Last night before the concert they put on in Hershey, much of the covering over the fence was torn down and we got to see the whole 3 hour rehearsal.
 
Re: Re: "Acrobat" Live: U2's Biggest Mistake

STING2 said:


The band rehearsed for a week at Hershey Stadium in Hershey PA. I heard them play Acrobat on multiple nights from the parking lot. Hershey Stadium is not like a real stadium that you normally think of. Its basically just two sets of bleachers which together hold about 15,000 people. You could see the stage and everything from the parking lot and if it had not been for the tarps they put over the high fences, you could have seen the band rehearse as well. Last night before the concert they put on in Hershey, much of the covering over the fence was torn down and we got to see the whole 3 hour rehearsal.
Click to expand...

That is sweet.
 
Axver said:
U2 have to consider the fact they are playing to a diverse audience.
Click to expand...
Big deal. Ever looked at Pearl Jam's set lists? They have a similar audience to U2 I'd say. A mixture of hard core fans and casuals who know a few radio songs only. Yet Pearl Jam mix up their set lists so much. I wish U2 would do that. One thing that helps with Pearl Jam is they play longer shows than U2. Maybe U2 need to extend their shows to 30 songs like Pearl Jam which would then let them suit everybody. It just seems that on every U2 tour we the hard code fans are forced to be of the view "yeah but what about all the casuals who would sit down, get bored etc... during this song or that song". Can we have one tour that really suits the people going out to see multiple shows? Please!
 
One of my friends said they don't play it for the same reason they didn't play One Tree Hill, something about Bono's voice getting messed up because of the notes....I love that song, maybe they could play it as the last song so it doesn't even matter if his voice gets messed up
 
I think Bullet The Blue Sky is a very raw song when performed live, and they always pull it off well. Acrobat and BTBS fall into the same category for me :shrug:
Even if we only hear it a few nights, it would be good to see how it would come together.
 
well... during Bullet on the POP MART tour... I actually SAT DOWN :reject:... literally

I just got up to se the cartoon plane throwing the bomb... :wink:

In Pop Mart, Bullet was quite boring


ACROBAT LIVE :drool:
 
pepokiss said:
well... during Bullet on the POP MART tour... I actually SAT DOWN :reject:... literally

I just got up to se the cartoon plane throwing the bomb... :wink:

In Pop Mart, Bullet was quite boring
Click to expand...

Even with his tight red t-shirt and funny umbrella?!


:wink:
 
Not playing Acrobat live is just a minor quibble. How can it be the BIGGEST mistake?

Bigger than the mistake that was POP?

Bigger than the U2.com presale fiasco?

Bigger than Clayton's drug bust?

Bigger than Clayton's missed gig?

Bigger than the Elevation Boston events that led to the sitdown protest?

If not playing live songs are a mistake for you, I'd even rank their omissions of Heartland, Red Hill Mining Town, and When I Look At The World much higher than Acrobat.

I hope we all get things in perspective before quickly calling them BIGGEST mistakes.

Cheers,

J
 
jick said:


Bigger than the mistake that was POP?

Bigger than the U2.com presale fiasco?

Bigger than Clayton's drug bust?

Bigger than Clayton's missed gig?
Click to expand...


the inevitable JICK response... :|


MOFO... :rockon:

Acrobat/Mofo :drool: :rockon: (love the smiley)


Bigger than the Elevation Boston events that led to the sitdown protest?
Click to expand...

what's that? :scratch:
 
zooroper said:
have they ever played do you feel loved? live? wonder how that one sounds.
Click to expand...

Yeah they have. Look for boots from early in the Popmart tour. I've got DYFL on 2 boot dvds--from Edmonton and Las Vegas.

I have to say it sounds pretty damn good. It's a lot more stripped down than the album version and I can't figure out why they quit playing it.
 
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