Ordinarily I don't read setlists until I see my first show. And you know what the best parts for me were? In 2001, hearing The Fly reincarnated in San Diego. In 2005, hearing Love and Peace open the 3rd Boston show, hearing Out of Control come back, that random playing of Fast Cars when we thought the show was over.... They realllllly don't leave a lot of room for "surprise". Those are kind of lame.
I tend to agree with Daveydave here, but I was this rabid about it on the last two tours, especially because I was going to several shows each tour. But it's not even just the lack of variety within one tour. I've been fortunate (or is it crazy?) enough to see them 32 times since 87, three tours in Europe and all over the US, including every show in Boston. I've heard Pride 32 times, Streets 32 times, WOWY 32 times, One 27 times....and I get excited when they throw me a bone of Out of Control???? Really? I look at my friends who are Springsteen fans and go to multiple shows and they're always rocked by the variety and how he seems to pull the songs out of thin air and
deliver them. He's probably the only one I'd liken to U2 with the catalog and potential to dig deep and make it work. And he does. And U2 doesn't. Why don't they? I think that's what Daveydave is trying to flesh out here. We've heard the excuses: light show, stage production....what about apathy?
What would be so hard about having 6-8 holes in a show with 12-15 possible songs to fit into those holes, rotate them out, play what suits your whim that night and not what's so rehearsed that it's rote? Type up some lyrics for Bono's teleprompter and mix it up!
It's sad, I talked to two Dubliners after Saturday night's Dublin show and they both said "crap, they just phoned that in." I was shocked. Having been to 5 shows in Dublin myself, that is horrifying that they felt that way. Inexcusable actually. Not that they tried and failed but that they didn't even seem to try at all, they threw their hometown crowd what they'd play in Tacoma, Oslo and Anaheim. Pretty sad.
This time I'm seeing two in Boston and that's it. It became obvious to me that that's all I need to say I've seen "the tour" and I certainly don't get rewarded by going the extra mile to see more. I still love them, they're still my favorite band, but maybe as middle age sets in I'm taking a stand and saying enough is enough. The leftover ticket money will buy a nice sectional for my living room.