PookaMacP
War Child
Boys are Back in Town --> Elevation (Influx Mix) --> Elevation at Slane 1, 25 August 2001, beats every other tour opener I've seen, hands down.
New Album Discussion 1 - Songs of..... - Unreasonable guitar album
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Hewson
Blue Crack Supplier
Yeah, like LaPOE a much more energetic opener than Breathe. Got the crowd going right from the jump.
I heard that the original plan was to open with The Fly.
djerdap
Rock n' Roll Doggie ALL ACCESS
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Regarding One Step Closer, I don't actually mind the song. It just sounds too slight and b-sideish to me, since I don't find the underlying melody to be that interesting. This is coming from someone who is very much a fan of atmospheric, subtle U2, but I feel this was done much, much better in the past (Running to Stand Still, The First Time, Slug, Your Blue Room, Velvet Dress, etc.).
I did listen to Mercy again after a long time... and yeah, that is not going to work out. I may actually put One Step Closer as a... closer instead and get this alternate Bomb over and done with.
As far as openers go, I'm with Headache - Zoo Station at the Sphere was by far the best opener I've seen, not just at a U2 show but possibly in general (at least on par with Pearl Jam's Release at the Arena di Verona, Italy). I wasn't that lucky with U2 openers in the past (daylight Vertigo, Breathe, The Miracle, Sunday Bloody Sunday and The Blackout... I actually liked The Blackout the best as far as opening songs go, even if I'm not a big fan of the track itself).
I did listen to Mercy again after a long time... and yeah, that is not going to work out. I may actually put One Step Closer as a... closer instead and get this alternate Bomb over and done with.
As far as openers go, I'm with Headache - Zoo Station at the Sphere was by far the best opener I've seen, not just at a U2 show but possibly in general (at least on par with Pearl Jam's Release at the Arena di Verona, Italy). I wasn't that lucky with U2 openers in the past (daylight Vertigo, Breathe, The Miracle, Sunday Bloody Sunday and The Blackout... I actually liked The Blackout the best as far as opening songs go, even if I'm not a big fan of the track itself).
Achtung Ya'll
War Child
Yeah man that's a great opener.
Loved WU->Everyone->City *until* you get into City proper. Wake Up to Everyone had such an edge that City just doesn't match with it's over polished sonics. (I like the song... just not so much in that sequence)
Best opener I saw personally was the whole Pop Muzik -> Mofo intro for Pop. Wow what a moment.
Elevation after that.
phanan
Blue Crack Addict
It goes without saying that Zoo Station from the Zoo TV tour was my favorite opener.
Ughh I wish I could have seen a sphere show surrounded by fans. Zoo Station was an awesome opener, but it seemed like hardly anyone in my 400’s section even knew it. So many casuals/tourists there just to see the Sphere.
For me EBTTRT on 360 was by far my favorite opener
For me EBTTRT on 360 was by far my favorite opener
djerdap
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I can imagine 400 section Sphere was quite a different experience than GA.
We were going crazy during Zoo Station down there in the pit.
We were going crazy during Zoo Station down there in the pit.
I mean it was still an awesome experience. Views of the screen and sound quality were amazing and getting to hear all of Achtung. Just didn’t have the same energy I am used to from a U2 show (of course some of that could be because the fan base is getting fucking old haha)
One of the most overrated hacks in music. Just a glorified UFO hunter who stumbled his way into a studio one day. Cosmic cunt
unfortunately accurate
I’d argue the only good things to come out of it were the I+E “Innocence Suite” (before it was pointlessly, lazily repeated for E+I) and the “Stories of Surrender” stage show.
Please let it be out of their system now.
PookaMacP
War Child
I agree - except I might substitute 'the Edge' for 'U2', and add his involvement in the 'It Might Get Loud' film as part of that mid-2000s transformation. His emphasis on "the song" and "the riff" over atmosphere has accelerated since then, peaking with the 'strip-it-back' approach on Songs of Surrender.
mikal
Blue Crack Addict
IMO, one of his best riffs of all time is Vertigo. It's killer. I have musicians that I jam with in their early 20's that drool at that riff. Problem is, The Edge kept trying to recreate that instead of moving onto something different.
Edge had always balanced the catchy riff with a more melodic atmospheric playing.
Once we got Vertigo, which is a hell of a riff. Just fantastic. I remember way back when it came out the song was played on some harder rock stations and the DJ was like....wow...kinda harder stuff from Edge......but back to point, Edge seemed to dive more into this let's try to get a Jimmy Page riff machine, and he's not that level. Edge is in his own world and that's what pulled us all in. He didn't have to be a million notes a second player.
I didn't really like GOYB riff...seemed a little off for some reason. Actually like the song but that riff was not strong enough to carry it. Unlike Disco, really basic yet funky riff that worked.
Now we get piano
Once we got Vertigo, which is a hell of a riff. Just fantastic. I remember way back when it came out the song was played on some harder rock stations and the DJ was like....wow...kinda harder stuff from Edge......but back to point, Edge seemed to dive more into this let's try to get a Jimmy Page riff machine, and he's not that level. Edge is in his own world and that's what pulled us all in. He didn't have to be a million notes a second player.
I didn't really like GOYB riff...seemed a little off for some reason. Actually like the song but that riff was not strong enough to carry it. Unlike Disco, really basic yet funky riff that worked.
Now we get piano
mikal
Blue Crack Addict
Yep. Over time, Vertigo has actually climbed its way up as one of my all time favorite U2 songs. Just a perfect heavy riff, the "Hello Hello" is so damn catchy, and the guitar solo is simple yet so timeless.
Yep. Vertigo crossed over to both hard rock radio stations here and was even one of the top songs in rotation. I doubt either station has played another U2 song before or since. Kind of a wild time and amazing U2 had such another big cultural moment 18 years after Joshua Tree.
Registered Dude
Rock n' Roll Doggie Band-aid
I miss Edge’s rhythm guitar playing. I think they used to build verses or entire tunes around his rhythm parts, more so than riffs or chord progressions worked out on keys. And due to his unique playing the rhythm was the lead guitar part.. songs like I Will Follow, In Gods Country, Until the End of the World, etc.
On the last few records, there’s less of this. Red Flag Day is a nice exception
it was nice that on Songs of Surrender he was forced to play rhythm more often to keep the song afloat
On the last few records, there’s less of this. Red Flag Day is a nice exception
it was nice that on Songs of Surrender he was forced to play rhythm more often to keep the song afloat
pacemaker
Refugee
Morleigh posted that she’s in Vegas and her hotel room has a view of the Sphere.
30th anniversary of Original Soundtracks Vol. 1 residency at The Sphere in 2025 is clearly in the works.
30th anniversary of Original Soundtracks Vol. 1 residency at The Sphere in 2025 is clearly in the works.
pacemaker
Refugee
The songwriting pivot and It Might Get Loud/Rick Rubin/Spiderman condensing Edge’s style down to essentially chords OR riffs has really reshaped his and the band’s style. Not always for worse, but I agree I miss songs being constructed around or informed by a small, interesting idea as opposed to some big, grandiose melody or progression or key change or what have you.
Ya know - I just booked a Vegas trip for January after skipping my annual trip this year.
If they're planning something, they best announce it soon.
But my guess is that it's for the U2:UV movie they're planning on showing at Sphere.
Her hotel is a suite at Wynn, btw. It's the only hotel with that view from that height. They have private elevators for the hoity toity so that they don't have to mingle with the unwashed masses and other various bootlicking rubes.
The band stayed there when they stayed in town. Crew, I believe, was in City Center at the Waldorf.
allaras
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I remember one of the DJs on Alt Nation going on about how he had never heard that riff before and after decades of rock music, Edge was able to create something wholly new.
It really was a fantastic time to be a fan…I remember hearing the song for the first time, sitting in my car on my lunch break just waiting for it to come on and then it hit me.
BigMacPhisto
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In all honesty, I think ATYCLB might be the only better record they’ve done since.
I wonder if they'll release this Sphere movie thing on the one year anniversary of the first show, which is coming up in a month
PookaMacP
War Child
In a slightly different direction, Crystal Ballroom is also a good example of the rhythm-driven song with accompanying understated but brilliant guitar solo. The kind of thing Edge just doesn't do very well anymore - and the music has suffered for it.
Should certainly be a faster turnaround than the Wizard of Oz conversion. They just need to charge normal-ish prices. Music fans showing up for concerts might be curious enough to check out another music-oriented program over Postcards or a non-DSOTM-synced Oz.
djerdap
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The astonishing future of immersive live entertainment
Multimedia show director Willie Williams has helped redefine live entertainment in collaboration with artists ranging from David Bowie to The Rolling Stones. He gives a behind-the-scenes look at his recent epic undertaking — designing and directing the rock band U2’s 40-night residency at the...
Willie Williams talking about the Sphere shows.
Yeah! It was everywhere late 2004. I'd been a casual fan since the Super Bowl performance, but as soon as Vertigo hit, I was hooked! I had HTDAAB on constant rotation for a solid 6 months, and I was non-stop excited from the time my aunt told me about her Vertigo shows in May 2005. She had tickets for my first show in the October run of shows in Boston. I'll always remember this era fondly as the one that made me a super fan!
I was hooked on everything U2 right through the end of the Vertigo Tour and beyond. Little did I know, it would be their last run at the top. They'd kind of always been there when I was paying attention- late 90s to that point. NLOTH landing flat just felt different and we all know the rest.
Just so glad to still have them around in any capacity, never mind back in the "general respect" and even somewhat good cultural graces they've been in with the Sphere.
Vertigo and Beautiful Day, as much as I always liked both , have truly gone way, way up in my U2 song rankings over the years! I kind of tolerated both in say, 2009. One thing about 2000s U2, in hindsight, the general public is basically spot on with their agreed upon bangers: BD, COBL and Vertigo . I can't argue for replacing any of the 3 with something else less well known. (obviously not including Walk On, Elevation, Sometimes or Stuck as they had their own moments/impact unto themselves).
BigMacPhisto
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ATYCLB and HTDAAB are this band's Some Girls and Tattoo You, essentially. Decades on still having a sizable amount of hits including a few worldwide smashes along with massive tours. The records since
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