SPOILERS U2 eXPERIENCE + iNNOCENCE Tour Rehearsals/Soundcheck Thread SPOILERS

[trevgreg]

U2's Stage Director Breaks Down the Band's New Experience + Innocence Tour

Willie Williams on U2's latest set list, their augmented-reality app and why he briefly thought about disarming everyone's phone

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

Were they ever tempted to play no songs off The Joshua Tree to balance out the last tour?


My first thought – and a lot of things with me are provocation – was that we shouldn't do anything from the previous two tours. [Laughs] I have to say, that would have been a little brave. Obviously, we are repeating songs from both of the previous tours. But if a song is there it's because it is part of the storytelling. There isn't the same sense of obligation because we haven't been through town in a long time. It's been quite liberating. Then when there's a point in the show for a classic song, there's kind of double the resonance, actually, because it doesn't feel like you're just trotting it out. Everything is there for a real reason.

 

[digitize]

There's a lot I'm excited for on this setlist, even if it may be a bit SOI/SOE heavy. I'm happy with the decision to not play TJT at all, including Streets - COBL feels like an absolutely worthy replacement to me.

Or maybe I'm too jaded with life in general to want to add setlist complaints to the list.

 

[kabigon]

Maybe COBL will do a little better not being in Streets' shadow in the same show.

 

[CosmoKramer]

Whatever.... ABOY is horrible

ABOY has always been a polarizing song around these parts but the single version is a big upgrade from the album cut and live it has a good amount of energy. I welcome it and look forward to it but will concede that it won’t lite the place on fire.

The “intellectual Tortoise” line I can do without as well as the skyscraper line....yeah, the lyrics are dodgy

 

[YBORCITY]

So reading the last few pages .... Interland has come to grips that

ABOY is much (more better) than Acrobat.... This place NEVER disappoints!

 

[YBORCITY]

By far their best song of the 00's, and probably their best song since Streets.

The ONE thing Nick and I agree on!

 

[Nick66]

The ONE thing Nick and I agree on!

Well if you agree that Carmine's has the best Cuban in Ybor, that will be two.

 

[kabigon]

So reading the last few pages .... Interland has come to grips that

ABOY is much (more better) than Acrobat.... This place NEVER disappoints!

I don't see one person suggesting that

 

[Hewson]

So reading the last few pages .... Interland has come to grips that

ABOY is much (more better) than Acrobat.... This place NEVER disappoints!

But how many people will recognize ABOY?

Will being played on this tour be the best thing to ever happen ABOY?

 

[DeVaul]

Will being played on this tour be the best to ever happen ABOY?

Came for this, leaving satisfied.

 

[Hewson]

I don't see one person suggesting that

Well I did say that it was better than Grace, so by transitive property since we can all agree Grace is better than Acrobat (try typing that with a straight face), then ABOY must be better than Acrobat.

Has the damn tour started yet?

 

[kabigon]

Well I did say that it was better than Grace, so by transitive property since we can all agree Grace is better than Acrobat (try typing that with a straight face), then ABOY must be better than Acrobat.

Has the damn tour started yet?

Song Survivor: Grace vs. that ear-piercing sound at the start of ABOY

 

[Hollow Island]

So, Morleigh's Instagram post today. Not saying this is any kind of spoiler but that would be pretty wild if they broke out Stateless.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BiLNrTEl1Qn/

Also, Soon! That would be wild. There's no way they're playing either of those songs, but since they've supposedly rehearsed things they've never played and Stateless and Soon are relevant...maybe there's a chance. Probably the same odds as Bono wishing Leo "happy birthday" from the stage, but still.

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

Were they ever tempted to play no songs off The Joshua Tree to balance out the last tour?


My first thought – and a lot of things with me are provocation – was that we shouldn't do anything from the previous two tours. [Laughs] I have to say, that would have been a little brave. Obviously, we are repeating songs from both of the previous tours. But if a song is there it's because it is part of the storytelling. There isn't the same sense of obligation because we haven't been through town in a long time. It's been quite liberating. Then when there's a point in the show for a classic song, there's kind of double the resonance, actually, because it doesn't feel like you're just trotting it out. Everything is there for a real reason.

Nobody with any comment on Willie poo pooing the "no Joshua Tree songs" thing? Gonna keep fucking that rehearsal setlist chicken? Ok cool.

 

[kabigon]

I'm still waiting for an official statement by Morleigh's cat

 

[zoocarolina]

Also, Soon! That would be wild. There's no way they're playing either of those songs, but since they've supposedly rehearsed things they've never played and Stateless and Soon are relevant...maybe there's a chance. Probably the same odds as Bono wishing Leo "happy birthday" from the stage, but still.

I was wondering why no one wasn’t talking about this elephant in the room pic, can’t wait for some surprises and Stateless/Soon would be Up there in terms of Scarlet/Mercy on 360!

 

[zoocarolina]

Were they ever tempted to play no songs off The Joshua Tree to balance out the last tour?


My first thought – and a lot of things with me are provocation – was that we shouldn't do anything from the previous two tours. [Laughs] I have to say, that would have been a little brave. Obviously, we are repeating songs from both of the previous tours. But if a song is there it's because it is part of the storytelling. There isn't the same sense of obligation because we haven't been through town in a long time. It's been quite liberating. Then when there's a point in the show for a classic song, there's kind of double the resonance, actually, because it doesn't feel like you're just trotting it out. Everything is there for a real reason.

This sounds like we will be getting a little TJT if I’m reading it right then right?

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

So, Morleigh's Instagram post today. Not saying this is any kind of spoiler but that would be pretty wild if they broke out Stateless.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BiLNrTEl1Qn/

I'm guessing that this is something the arena put down and not some sort of hidden spoiler.

Besides everyone knows Morleigh's spoiler videos contain cats.

 

[prbiker15]

There must be a huge U2 fan working at the BOK Center.

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

There must be a huge U2 fan working at the BOK Center.

Or someone who randomly pulled songs from a list.

 

[kabigon]

That's not the only U2 list that's been randomly pulled from somewhere

 

[trainmaniac]

Willie Williams knows how to reduce expectations...

 

[mtnfox]

I'm guessing that this is something the arena put down and not some sort of hidden spoiler.

Besides everyone knows Morleigh's spoiler videos contain cats.

 

[YBORCITY]

Well if you agree that Carmine's has the best Cuban in Ybor, that will be two.

WOW.... that is 2! Now I'm craving one

 

[Hewson]

I'm still waiting for an official statement by Morleigh's cat

Mefuckin'ow

.

 

[trevgreg]

Nobody with any comment on Willie poo pooing the "no Joshua Tree songs" thing? Gonna keep fucking that rehearsal setlist chicken? Ok cool.

Way past the fact obviously, but the part that stood out to me was the original idea of doing one night with an SOI-focus and playing unreleased songs the second night for the original I&E shows...

Initially, we thought we'd do a tour where we'd do pairs of shows in each city and do a night one and night two where night one was Innocence and night two was Experience. Of course, it became obvious that to do that they'd have to play an enormous amount of unreleased material. A lot of the Experience songs were very much in formation.

In the end, we thought the thing to do was Innocence one year and Experience the next year.

It is kind of interesting to see how these ideas developed a bit over time though. And to answer your original question, I think a lot of us probably assume TJT songs will appear at some point. The only questions will be how often and when, and I don't even know if the band or Willie knows that answer right now.

 

[prbiker15]

[tweet]990984907542417408[/tweet]

 

[Hollow Island]

Williams isn't poo pooing the "no Joshua Tree songs" idea. All he's saying is that they're repeating songs from the last two tours, and there will be classics. They played Sunday Bloody Sunday, Pride, Vertigo, I Will Follow, One and Beautiful Day on the last tour, and they've all been rehearsed, and they're all classics. Can't believe I called Vertigo a classic. I feel sick.

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

Williams isn't poo pooing the "no Joshua Tree songs" idea. All he's saying is that they're repeating songs from the last two tours, and there will be classics. They played Sunday Bloody Sunday, Pride, Vertigo, I Will Follow, One and Beautiful Day on the last tour, and they've all been rehearsed, and they're all classics. Can't believe I called Vertigo a classic. I feel sick.

This is the question he was replying to...

Were they ever tempted to play no songs off*The Joshua Tree*to balance out the last tour?