I'm with you OP. I log on here every three or four years to basically say the same thing, though I don't quite share the same enthusiasm for the recent material as you do. It's such a shame. The band is sitting on a goldmine catalog of songs that never see the light of day. And differentiating setlists would get me to see multiple shows, even travel to other cities, like with the Dead. Yes, the casuals wouldn't come out in droves, but the diehards would embrace it enthusiastically. And they could make up some of the lost revenue by dropping the enormous, expensive theatrics. Just friggin' play music, ya know?
I'm sure I'll get the usual replies here: "Don't go then" (I won't be), "This band has always been that way, why would you expect them to change now?" (I've changed over thirty-five years of fandom, things do change in life, but somehow they can't?) "The music has to be choreographed to the stage show" (No it doesn't) .
It's all very disappointing. Perhaps they just can't do it. Bono has enough trouble with the lyrics sometimes as it is. Anyway, like I said, just doing my occasional vent therapy here. I know nothing is going to change. Would love to be proved wrong.