Finally saw the tour last week - NY I & II - so things are a bit more concrete for me now.
During the TONS of down time at both shows, i.e. YBR, NLOTH, TUF (sadly), UC, Walk On, MLK (to only name a few) I tried an experiment and did what others on this board suggested- look around at the crowd and try to determine who are the hardcore types who clamor for Acrobat, RHMT, 11 O'Clock, Exit, etc. - in other words, us. It was really eye opening. I would estimate that people who even HEARD of those songs made up only about 20% of the audience at most. I would say 80% of people all around me - section 320 for NY I and section 130 for NY II - could not have cared less about anything other than the warhorses. I of course don't just base this on how people looked- I based it on body language and behavior during the songs. Both of my sections emptied out by 75% during YBR, Stay, and UC. Others spent the majority of time sitting, chatting and texting, seemingly uninterested in large chunks of both shows. It is easier to explain the section 320 upper deck folks. But the section 130 (edge's side, lower ring) were sitting in $100-$500 seats depending on source of ticket and the impression I got was that they couldn't care less!
To the folks on the floor at the shows, and those true fans on this board, I salute you and I hope you have and continue to have great times at the shows. But this experience drove home to me how much in the minority we are, at least at the Giants Stadium shows.
And MOS is a great song, but it was awfully depressing watching thousands and thousands of people starting to stream out of the stadium during the middle of WOWY both nights. I actually witnessed a brief fight break out as fans bottle-necked the section exit. MOS may be a great closer to a small minority of hardcore fans, but the masses who attend the shows and give U2 a great life neither know it nor care about it whatsoever.
I wonder if the band is aware of the dynamic in the audience during different songs? Do they employ folks to monitor the crowd responses who are actually part of the crowd during the show? Because there is room for alot of improvement - I loved both shows, but I found myself a little depressed by crowd reaction during certain parts, especially the end. It really makes me think that Streets or Bad or even a well-performed WOWY might be the way to close- those are the songs that make the crowd feel good and energetic about U2, and might be a good way to remember them as opposed to something like MOS. Quite frankly, I felt a little embarrassed at how awkwardly the show closed both nights.
I of course only express my opinion and can only base my observations on those in sections near me. I do believe, however, that I got a good cross-section of observations.