Songs of Surrender - New album discussion - 6

[Headache in a Suitcase]

The only way U2 will have a song of the summer is if the next album is literally called Songs Of Summer.

And while I do think we're still a couple of weeks away from heading anything, I don't think it matters if this comes during August or September.

 

[HansaTonImbiss]

It will be interesting to see. Sounds like the only info we have so far is that stadiums have been booked in 2 or 3 cities. I'd be all over the mixed stadium/arena plan.

Would it look a bit... timid for one of the biggest live rock bands in the world to go with that approach? It could, but I also think I am in an old mindset. I don't think it matters quite as much anymore. Many more artists are touring much more frequently now just for financial reasons, and I don't think the band needs to be locked into a stadium-only tour just for prideful reasons. Heck Springsteen is doing arenas in the US.

I digress. This would probably be the best we could hope for as fans. They could stop in medium markets like Minneapolis, Portland, Columbus, Nashville, Detroit, Atlanta, Tampa, St. Louis, etc... giving more people easier access to see them.

The paradigm of large venue events for anything is totally different now, post COVID. I attend a good number of US sporting events a year and attendance is way down since 2020. They can tell me what they want with ticket sales and announced attendance, fact is there are far fewer butts in seats on a nightly basis. That said, I think a combined tour *could* work if they did it as a shared market deal. Like playing Levi Stadium in Santa Clara instead of both Shoreline/Oracle or Sacramento and SF's arena. One of the major country artists, maybe it was Kenny Chesney, did a similar approach a few years back to great success.

I also think people are more open to a smaller, more intimate venue if it takes away some of the headaches of a huge stadium show (wrangling with 17k people vice 70k) and elevates the sound and experience. The Springsteen shows are electric in a smaller setting, similar to U2. Depending on the content, this could be a way to showcase the reworked sounds with more quality control and focus demand.

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

The paradigm of large venue events for anything is totally different now, post COVID. I attend a good number of US sporting events a year and attendance is way down since 2020. They can tell me what they want with ticket sales and announced attendance, fact is there are far fewer butts in seats on a nightly basis. That said, I think a combined tour *could* work if they did it as a shared market deal. Like playing Levi Stadium in Santa Clara instead of both Shoreline/Oracle or Sacramento and SF's arena. One of the major country artists, maybe it was Kenny Chesney, did a similar approach a few years back to great success.

I also think people are more open to a smaller, more intimate venue if it takes away some of the headaches of a huge stadium show (wrangling with 17k people vice 70k) and elevates the sound and experience. The Springsteen shows are electric in a smaller setting, similar to U2. Depending on the content, this could be a way to showcase the reworked sounds with more quality control and focus demand.

ticket sales for sportsball games are down across the board - some greater than others. it has less to do with the actual virus itself or any sort of fear of catching it and more to do with people still working from home in large numbers. easier to catch a game on a random tuesday when you're already in the city. less people in the office also means less clients to entertain - which means a drop in season tickets. group sales have also plummeted.

concerts and one off events have not seen the same sharp decline as the sportsball.

and regarding the ole' arenas vs. stadiums debate - it's all personal opinion. my favorite U2 and Springsteen shows were both stadium gigs. it also varies from venue to venue - on e/i i saw U2 in two different arenas and the sound was vastly superior at Madison Square Garden vs. Capital One Arena.

 

[DeVaul]

on e/i i saw U2 in two different arenas and the sound was vastly superior at Madison Square Garden vs. Capital One Arena.

I imagine the latter show would’ve sounded better if you had taken the head off

 

[Hewson]

I imagine the latter show would’ve sounded better if you had taken the head off

 

[Rich79]

My list, notionally: LA x3, NYx3, Chicago x2, SF x2, Portland, Denver, Dallas x2, Toronto x2, Vancouver, Seattle, DC x2, Boston x2, Philly, Atlanta x2, Miami x2, Tampa, Nashville, Vegas x2, Phoenix, Minneapolis, Cleveland, Montreal, Charlotte, Detroit.

I wish Cleveland was more of a guarantee. They were here at the tail end of 2005 during Vertigo. Then not again until the JT tour in mid-2017 and skipped us on the ei tour. So, maybe Cleveland again in 2029 at that pace; even though the freaking Zoo TV Trabants are hanging up in the Rock Hall main lobby!

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

I imagine the latter show would’ve sounded better if you had taken the head off

 

[DeVaul]

One of these days I’ll figure out uploading gifs in this friggin app

 

[Registered Dude]

And while I do think we're still a couple of weeks away from heading anything, I don't think it matters if this comes during August or September.

yeah if it's happening this fall we should get some news in the next couple weeks. If not, we're probably getting into Songs of Delay again.

And not the good kind of Edge delay. The "Lillywhite is working with the band" kind of delay.

 

[DeVaul]

yeah if it's happening this fall we should get some news in the next couple weeks. If not, we're probably getting into Songs of Delay again.

And not the good kind of Edge delay. The "Lillywhite is working with the band" kind of delay.

Produced with Tedder love and care, and a Lillywhitewash finish

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

Lots of hit$

 

[Hewson]

Lots of hit$ $hit

Fixed, you had the $ in the wrong spot.

 

[mikal]

Interference shall surrender to delays!

 

[DaveC]

maybe Leona can take a walk down the street and ask her dad for some new info.

 

[mikal]

maybe Leona can take a walk down the street and ask her dad for some new info.

I was going to say. We have an inside source only a few blocks down the road!

 

[DeVaul]

I was going to say. We have an inside source only a few blocks down the road!

See My Dad Road

 

[lazarus]

maybe Leona can take a walk down the street and ask her dad for some new info.

I wasn’t aware that Bono’s illegitimate Chilean child had transitioned.

Good for her.

 

[Hewson]

Phone call from Dublin to Malibu:

Bono: "Edge, Leona is pressing me for album info to post on a message board for the 11 regulars to read"
Edge: "Don't let the bastards grind you down Bono"

 

[DeVaul]

 

[dan_smee]

I was wondering the other day re timing of releases etc whether one of the chapters and therefore songs on SOS will be a new song from forthcoming songs of whatever. Might be an interesting way of pivoting from one release to the next without neutering the marketing of either - they could release the SOS version of the song as an album track with the new package, and then release the single version a short time later as part of new album promo.

 

[Registered Dude]

I was wondering the other day re timing of releases etc whether one of the chapters and therefore songs on SOS will be a new song from forthcoming songs of whatever. Might be an interesting way of pivoting from one release to the next without neutering the marketing of either - they could release the SOS version of the song as an album track with the new package, and then release the single version a short time later as part of new album promo.

this seems too smart for them to pull off

 

[lazarus]

I'd prefer they not preview a new song on a career-retrospective album.

And look what happened with Invisible, which was unceremoniously left off SOI where it belonged, and consequently made that album weaker in its absence.

 

[DeVaul]

I'd prefer they not preview a new song on a career-retrospective album.

And look what happened with Invisible, which was unceremoniously left off SOI where it belonged, and consequently made that album weaker in its absence.

and The Little Things not being played on E+I!

 

[lazarus]

Yep.

In two cases one of the sessions’ best tracks got shafted.

 

[dan_smee]

But in my scenario it is the lead single. So both examples aren’t really relevant. I’d also argue the intent is not to deliver a career retrospective. It’s to provide a companion to Bono’s book which uses u2 songs as chapter titles. That does not preclude him using future/unreleased song titles. I will point to him referring to the book in the press release as being about “one pilgrim’s lack of progress”.

 

[dan_smee]

this seems too smart for them to pull off

I always listen when you post, but I’m not picking up if you are saying absolutely not, or we may be surprised…

 

[dan_smee]

@mikal - I’m interested to know if the “series of events” comments from Adam last year are still on the cards, or if that fell away?

 

[DeVaul]

@mikal - i’m interested to know if the “series of events” comments from adam last year are still on the cards, or if that fell away?

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

 

[dan_smee]

I lol’d