U2 said that they tour on the strenth of their new album. The proudly boasted how they are not like the Stones who are a tribute band of sorts. Now U2 have taken that path. Before they had the balls to play all those obscure Boy songs, and mix it up with all their new songs. The current leg of the tour has totally done away with the Boy songs and Miracle Drug. The last installment only featured 3 HTDAAB songs, all of which were commercially released singles. The rest of their setlist are mostly commercially released singles, or songs that have appeared on either of the Best Ofs or U218. Have U2 really turned out into a band that just blurts out greatest hits to sound like some jukebox? The current setlists seem to indicate so. I hope this is not going to be the trend for the years to come.
..and I thought they said they'd never be their own tribute band...
- Thread starter jarvis
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corianderstem
Blue Crack Distributor
U2 has only themselves to blame. What are they thinking, writing so many songs that become hits? 
Yeah, they could mix it up more, yeah they could throw a bone to the die-hards once in a while, but really, they've disadvantaged themselves by having so many huge songs over such a long period of time.
Yeah, they could mix it up more, yeah they could throw a bone to the die-hards once in a while, but really, they've disadvantaged themselves by having so many huge songs over such a long period of time.
ultravioletluvv
Refugee
corianderstem said:U2 has only themselves to blame. What are they thinking, writing so many songs that become hits?
Yeah, they could mix it up more, yeah they could throw a bone to the die-hards once in a while, but really, they've disadvantaged themselves by having so many huge songs over such a long period of time.
I agree with this. And as much as I love it when they mix it up, If I only get to see them for 2 hours every few years or so, I'd much rather see the great songs performed, than the lesser songs like MD or LAPOE (only my opinion).
namkcuR
ONE love, blood, life
They just played One Tree Hill two nights in a row. This fact renders all other complaints about the setlists on this leg null and void.
dazzlingamy
Refugee
Do you not think that say.... 30,000 out of the 50,000 are not REALLY fans of u2, they may just have the best ofs and not even know half of u2's albums, and that the reason u2 plays all their 'hits' is because for most of the audience thats all they know.
What 'average fan' wants to sit and hear a setlist fill with obscure b-sides and album tracks they don't know, then hear the greats like Streets, one SBS, Beautiful Day etc...
Why you have enough money to demand a one on one show, THEN you can get all the weirdy songs you want
What 'average fan' wants to sit and hear a setlist fill with obscure b-sides and album tracks they don't know, then hear the greats like Streets, one SBS, Beautiful Day etc...
Why you have enough money to demand a one on one show, THEN you can get all the weirdy songs you want
AtomicBono
ONE love, blood, life
YAH U2 SUX I HAIT DEM
silvrlvr
Refugee
It's an interesting argument.
I want to hear whatever sounds freshest and what the band enjoys playing most. If that's Streets and Elevation, great. If it's Saints, great. If Bono wants to bring Tony Bennett on stage some night and sing, "I Wanna Be Around," that's just fine with me.
What I don't want them to do is phone it in. Not ever.
I want to hear whatever sounds freshest and what the band enjoys playing most. If that's Streets and Elevation, great. If it's Saints, great. If Bono wants to bring Tony Bennett on stage some night and sing, "I Wanna Be Around," that's just fine with me.
What I don't want them to do is phone it in. Not ever.
yea... kite, party girl and one tree hill were all huuuuuge commercial smashes.
look... they haven't been to australia and new zealand since ZooTV... let's give 'em a break, ha? down under didn't get popmart or elevation, remember.
look... they haven't been to australia and new zealand since ZooTV... let's give 'em a break, ha? down under didn't get popmart or elevation, remember.
Pero
Refugee
that's true about the setlists.
one tree hill was only played for that occasion i believe and will be for any next show there.
but it's also true that they weren't there for so long so give 'em a break.
question:
Would you like U2 to play on vertigo tour 22 songs from boy and october on one show?(i'm going a little extreme on this)
one tree hill was only played for that occasion i believe and will be for any next show there.
but it's also true that they weren't there for so long so give 'em a break.
question:
Would you like U2 to play on vertigo tour 22 songs from boy and october on one show?(i'm going a little extreme on this)
powerhour24
ONE love, blood, life
They mix it up enough, after so many shows and legs of the Vertigo Tour, you're obviously not going to see the same amount of Bomb songs now that it's 2 years old.
BVS
Blue Crack Supplier
They are playing parts of the country that don't get U2 every tour, plus they got Saints, Windows, One Tree Hill...
What else do you want? I think this forum has become a parody of itself.
What else do you want? I think this forum has become a parody of itself.
Clawgrabber
War Child
Hmm, let's see here...
The Saints Are Coming
Kite
Window In The Skies
One Tree Hill
Until The End Of The World
Bad
Zoo Station
Party Girl
The First Time
Not to mention playing a song from PASSENGERS
Miss Sarajevo
As well as the triumphant return of
Walk On (I don't care if it was a single or not, complaining that they are bringing back songs not really played full band for 5 years is looking a gifthorse in the mouth. I saw Vertigo 6 times in the states and would have killed to see ANY of these songs, especially Walk On.)
The fact that they have played Window, One Tree Hill, and Bad in the same show now makes any complaining pointless and idiotic.
Yeah, surprise, they're gonna play SBS and ONE also, but I guarantee that if you only saw U2 once in your life and they didn't play those songs you'd be upset. Just like I was upset when Nine Inch Nails didn't play The Perfect Drug and We're In This Together, and Weezer didn't play Only In Dreams.
This is the most they have mixed up their setlists since 1990. I really don't understand the complaining. Yeah, Miracle Drug would be nice, but they've played it a lot already. A LOT.
I really don't get it. I would have stolen gold from fort knox to see BAD, WINDOW and ONE TREE (EFFING) HILL performed at the same show.
Seriously.
The Saints Are Coming
Kite
Window In The Skies
One Tree Hill
Until The End Of The World
Bad
Zoo Station
Party Girl
The First Time
Not to mention playing a song from PASSENGERS
Miss Sarajevo
As well as the triumphant return of
Walk On (I don't care if it was a single or not, complaining that they are bringing back songs not really played full band for 5 years is looking a gifthorse in the mouth. I saw Vertigo 6 times in the states and would have killed to see ANY of these songs, especially Walk On.)
The fact that they have played Window, One Tree Hill, and Bad in the same show now makes any complaining pointless and idiotic.
Yeah, surprise, they're gonna play SBS and ONE also, but I guarantee that if you only saw U2 once in your life and they didn't play those songs you'd be upset. Just like I was upset when Nine Inch Nails didn't play The Perfect Drug and We're In This Together, and Weezer didn't play Only In Dreams.
This is the most they have mixed up their setlists since 1990. I really don't understand the complaining. Yeah, Miracle Drug would be nice, but they've played it a lot already. A LOT.
I really don't get it. I would have stolen gold from fort knox to see BAD, WINDOW and ONE TREE (EFFING) HILL performed at the same show.
Seriously.
BonoVoxSupastar said:
and pero what was you saying about one tree hill only being played for NZ? well japan got it aswell,
plus isnt it strange, that even on the 1st leg we got some of the worst reviews of the tour? and also people still bitched about setlists?
Popmartijn
Blue Crack Supplier
Headache in a Suitcase said:
Just a wee tiny bit of a correction here, U2 did tour there for Popmart. But indeed, not for Elevation. Hence the increase of ATYCLB songs.
BTW, just for everyone's information, here's the breakdown of the first Tokyo show:
New songs: 2
HTDAAB: 3
ATYCLB: 3
Passengers: 1
Achtung Baby: 3
R&H: 1
The Joshua Tree: 5
The Unforgettable Fire: 2
War: 1
Boy: 1
Indeed, it could have a higher emphasis on HTDAAB (and less on The Joshua Tree), but it seems like a reasonable representation.
Niceman
Rock n' Roll Doggie VIP PASS
It is disapointing to see U2 touring the "greatest hits." At least it's the end of a long tour. Hopefully when the next one starts up they'll be re-energized about the new material.
JCOSTER
ONE love, blood, life
AtomicBono said:
coolian2
Blue Crack Supplier
Popmartijn said:
Generally speaking it has been a very reasonable breakdown between ATYCLB/HTDAAB/New stuff and old stuff.
The count for JT has been bumped up by One Tree Hill, which is a rarity and may as well be a new song.
david
ONE love, blood, life
Well, I guess they don't really care about promoting HTDAAB since it's been 2 years now since it was released?
I'd rather have a greatest hits show with more of the back catalog represented than a bunch of sub par HTDAAB filler. I certainly won't be sad if Miracle Drug, ABOY, Yahweh, etc. are retired forever. I won't miss them.
But I don't really care what they play anyway. I'd pay for a ticket just to hear them play Vertigo 23 times in a row, and I hate Vertigo.
But I don't really care what they play anyway. I'd pay for a ticket just to hear them play Vertigo 23 times in a row, and I hate Vertigo.
ultravioletluvv
Refugee
mads said:
My thoughts exactly. (Except I really do believe it's time to retire Bullet)
coolian2
Blue Crack Supplier
mads said:
Vertigo 23
PopFly
War Child
This is kind of a silly criticism given that it's coming at the end of U2's most setlist-churning tour of all time. We've heard something from EVERY album during the tour, loads of songs that hadn't been played in literally decades, as well as all but two songs from Atomic Bomb (plus Fast Cars, which in fantasy world, replaced One Step Closer on the main disc). To quote the Zooropa intro, what do you want?
Mirrorball Man
War Child
PopFly said:
Lemon ;-)
Snowlock
Refugee
If they were their own cover band, they'd have just run through U2:18 entirely. Plus as said earlier a) they haven't been down that way in a long time and b) Bomb isn't the newest album anymore so they shouldn't be playing 7 songs from it. I'm surprised Love & Peace is gone though. Miracle Drug? Meh. They weren't even playing that for much of the 3rd leg, were they?
I wonder if Hawaii will get One Tree Hill and Window In The Skies.
I wish they'd break up the Streets, One, Pride trio.
I wonder if Hawaii will get One Tree Hill and Window In The Skies.
I wish they'd break up the Streets, One, Pride trio.
Mauwer
War Child
Snowlock said:
Me too , and for the next tour they should leave out Pride
and One.Cheers ,
Mauwer
phillyfan26
Blue Crack Supplier
- Joined
- May 7, 2006
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- 30,343
Yeah, so pretty much this thread was just owned.
My beef is not with the Vertigo Tour in general. It has been a great tour. But it is with the current state of the Vertigo Tour, or this most recent leg. Before the tour started, they talked about the album giving them "11 reasons to hit the road" - and they've played a lot of songs from HTDAAB. And then they talked about how they realized it was so closely related to Boy that they just needed to put in some Boy material. The fans and the media and everyone may not have been too please with a lot of obscure songs in the setlist, but they all respected U2's "balls" not to do a greatest hits tour. This was the HTDAAB tour. Ever since they hit Australia, they have repackaged it into a "Greatest Hits" tour with HTDAAB stage setup/design/props. But upon further reflection, I realized that their current album is U218 and not HTDAAB, so it is only fair they play more hits and discard the insignificant HTDAAB songs. But they should have called it the U218 tour or something like that. And they are no longer the same band who boldly declared that they will never be a greatest hits jukebox. They have just become one now. Not that I am complaining, I actually prefer it that way. But I'm just making an observation. And all of their old songs aren't as fresh anymore - none of the Vertigo Tour versions of the old songs are their definitive versions except perhaps for Miss Sarajevo. I guess they are showing their age now.
Earnie Shavers
Rock n' Roll Doggie VIP PASS
Two things:
1) Are you in Australia/NZ/Japan/Hawaii or did you attend/are attending any of those shows?
2) If you were wandering past the U2 dressing room as they discussed that nights setlist, and heard Bono say "How about we drop The Fly for All Because of You?" would you think he'd lost his mind? I would. The only thing U2 have played on the Vertigo tour that IMO could be replaced by All Because of You or Miracle Drug is perhaps the Zoo baby voice at the start of the encore. It's the only thing that passes through that PA that is not infinitely better than those two songs.
1) Are you in Australia/NZ/Japan/Hawaii or did you attend/are attending any of those shows?
2) If you were wandering past the U2 dressing room as they discussed that nights setlist, and heard Bono say "How about we drop The Fly for All Because of You?" would you think he'd lost his mind? I would. The only thing U2 have played on the Vertigo tour that IMO could be replaced by All Because of You or Miracle Drug is perhaps the Zoo baby voice at the start of the encore. It's the only thing that passes through that PA that is not infinitely better than those two songs.
They're playing the exact same hits they're playing every tour, and all of the songs (not counting Desire and obviously the new songs WITS and Saints) off U2:18 have appeared previously on Vertigo tour. And Bomb songs have been getting less play post leg 3.
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