I'll just stick my 2 cents in and say that while I loved Zoo TV dearly, liked Pop Mart, and have really enjoyed Elevation and Vertigo....there is nothing I've ever seen in my life to match the Joshua Tree tour. Part of that is they were supporting my favorite album, that's a given. But, there were no bells and whistles, no giant screens, nothing...just the band an incredible set list, and I was abosultely fucking mesmerized. That show literally changed my life...not drastically, but it did alter it. That's saying something.
Anyone that has read any post by me knows my love of the band is strong, so I do not attend a Vertigo show and compare and contrast it with a past tour's presentation and then let that determine my enjoyment. I love seeing the band under any circumstance I'm lucky enough to see them under. But, I have seen them on 5 tours, over 30 shows in total, and I know what I enjoyed best, and it was the show that happened to have the least amount of production attached to it.
I do appreciate, though, the bands attempts to make it more than just the music....and Zoo TV was a great example of this....Popmart much less so, IMO. Elevation and Vertigo are a good mix of that intimate vibe but still providing the audience with visuals and colors, etc.
I cannot say I got fucked, though, I saw the band 9 fucking times.....I'm supposed to think I got fucked because there's a bigger stage or screen or whatever over in Europe. I know this thread was semi-tongue in cheek to start with, but, still, a lot of people are agreeing with the sentiment, even people that did not go to a show!
We did not get fucked, we got blessed with another U2 tour. We should consider ourselves lucky.