"U2 confirm 2013 album"

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nathan1977 said:
In thinking about it, 360 kind of evolved to winding up as the closest to a "pop" tour U2's ever done, didn't it? Crazy Tonight, Mysterious Ways, Beautiful Day, Magnificent, Stuck in a Moment, Real Thing, Still Haven't Found, Elevation, City of Blinding Lights, In a Little While ... half of the nightly set consisted of ten solid pop songs.
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I have no idea what you mean by the word "pop."
 
Niceman said:
I have no idea what you mean by the word "pop."
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I know what you mean since "pop" can cover such a broad range of styles anymore. But some of those songs are indeed better categorized as pop songs than flat out rock songs, not that it really matters. Real Thing is definitely a fucking rock song, but I wouldn't exactly put Stuck in the same league as Want U Back or Gangnam Style, but you'd probably hear it on top 40 pop radio as a "yesterday's favorite" before your local modern rock station...
 
djerdap said:
So now U2 never used "full on rocking sets once they made big", whatever that means. Like the War tour sets with Bono climbing scaffoldings, Larry smashing those drums and Edge being at his most energetic.

Or The Joshua Tree/Lovetown sets with Exit, Bullet, Silver and Gold, God Part II and much heavier and quicker-paced versions of songs that were far more mellow in the studio (One Tree Hill, In God's Country, Trip Through Your Wires, Desire with the shredding solo, Hawkmoon 269). I think ZooTV and Popmart need no explanation. Popmart Leeds, ZooTV Dublin, Lovetown Sydney... Full-on rock and roll gigs as far as U2 is concerned.

Further-on, the first two legs of Elevation with Gone, Bullet, Out of Control and The Fly certainly had their share of U2 rawk. The Boy mini-set, the Zoo encore and even some tracks off The Bomb (Love and Peace was great live) dealt with that on Vertigo.

The 360 was in comparison too mellow. To these ears anyway. One reason is that the Horizon songs, with the exception of the title track, were very flat live and didn't have that energy required. Breathe is a classic example of a song that should have been a great live track but was sabotaged by the asinine idea it could have been an effective opener. Bullet was gone, Mysterious Ways was neutered, I Will Follow and New Year's Day were a relative rarity, Sunday Bloody Sunday was a tired bore, the Achtung rockers were gone until that excellent final leg, with the notable exception of Until the End of the World. That monotonous, shitty Crazy Tonight remix is nowhere near the great Popmart performances it tried to convey. The 2nd half of the show was so devastatingly slow I started to get bored at my concert. Even the more mellow songs had a certain energy at previous tours that made it more involving. Just listen to Walk On on Elevation Tour vs. 360. Streets was never the same after that flag fiasco on the Vertigo tour. One was a dead-beat ever since Popmart. I've already mentioned Mysterious Ways. Etc, etc.

The point is that no one expects to have a U2 gig where every song is rock and roll at its heaviest and most energetic (although wouldn't that be fucking cool). The point is that the balance of the setlist between the more rocking songs, the mid-tempo ones and the ballads was overwhelmingly on the side of the latter two, which seemed even more weird and paradoxical with that monster of a stage.

And I didn't even mention In a Little While.
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I think the "rawk" side gets overhyped. And let's not forget everyone and their mother cheering when arguably their hardest rocker went MIA on 360.

Much heavier "versions" of the JT/Rattle and Hum songs in the brackets sound about the same live/studio except maybe Desire. And they never topped the studio version of that song, to these ears. Anyway...

The most mellow U2 tour need not apply. Elevation tour rocking ? Ok... Vertigo certainly tried, more than the other 00's tours. The last album didn't connect live, but after decades of career can a band really expect to fire up the audiences with new material ? They can only get so many BD and Vertigo type of massive songs.
(I liked Breathe). MW was one of the best moments at the show I saw, as was the title track of NLOTH. I didn't miss IWF or NYD, the classic can have a rest. SBS isn't really the same since Popmart's reinvention, AB does have good rockers, just as long as they don't stack up half the album 20+ years in the setlist at the expense of new material. Crazy tonight is I think exactly what they wanted with Popmart; turning stadium into intimacy.
Pacing of the setlist has been off on every 00's tour (only got it right during 90's tours). Walk on 360 is when it finally got interesting for me. Streets is the most overhyped live U2 song, and lost something after Popmart. One never did anything live for me, also way overhyped re:live shows to these ears. The mix of NLOTH and UF and the heavy synth sound on both albums made for a nice mix on the early legs. The new songs in 2010 were nice but threw the setlist off balance. And 2011 was the tribute act time...and there is no correlation between a huge stage and a rocking setlist. It will depend on the album. Contrast ATYCLB and NLOTH to Bomb and notice the energy of the latter album's tour. Elevation doesn't come close and 360 only managed by importing 20+ year old songs. Frankly, most people would probably laugh at 50+ year olds trying to rock out.

Ah yes, the most comical hatefest of one of their finest songs in this decade. I guess no song gets out alive after replacing a 90's tune in the set.
 
U2girl said:
Much heavier "versions" of the JT/Rattle and Hum songs in the brackets sound about the same live/studio except maybe Desire.
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I stopped reading here. Not worth the time or the effort.
 
U2girl said:
Frankly, most people would probably laugh at 50+ year olds trying to rock out.
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Dearest U2,

I was so embarrassed when you tried to rock on the 360 tour. Whenever you played HMTMKMKM (Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me), I hid my face in my hands and cried, remembering better days when you weren't such embarrassing old men.

Please U2, only play In A Little While so I don't have to remember that you once rocked, and no longer do, being old men and all. Perhaps, instead of moving around under a giant metal claw, you could fly yourselves over the crowd in rocking chairs. Or maybe you shouldn't fly at all, or play music. Just stand there and grow old in front of us, as befits your advancing age. Thank you.

I hope I wrote this letter large enough for you to read, as you are old. It would be easier if I could just email you this request, but you don't have computers. I understand. My great grandparents never did either.

Sincerely,

Your hip young fan LeMel
 
U2 should be a tribute band to other U2 tribute bands. At least then we'll get Lemon and Heartland on a nightly basis.
 
LemonMelon said:
Dearest U2,

I was so embarrassed when you tried to rock on the 360 tour. Whenever you played HMTMKMKM (Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me), I hid my face in my hands and cried, remembering better days when you weren't such embarrassing old men.

Please U2, only play In A Little While so I don't have to remember that you once rocked, and no longer do, being old men and all. Perhaps, instead of moving around under a giant metal claw, you could fly yourselves over the crowd in rocking chairs. Or maybe you shouldn't fly at all, or play music. Just stand there and grow old in front of us, as befits your advancing age. Thank you.

I hope I wrote this letter large enough for you to read, as you are old. It would be easier if I could just email you this request, but you don't have computers. I understand. My great grandparents never did either.

Sincerely,

Your hip young fan LeMel
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This just in: "Maybe, we'll see."
 
Aside from "U2 are recording," what the hell does the rest of that mean?

Strathmore is across the street from Bono and Edge? U2 are recording across the street from Bono and Edge?

What?
 
I don't know if you're being serious but he probably means he's across the street from where U2 are recording.
 
Yeah, it was an actual question, because as it's written it does not read like what you suggest (although I'm sure that's what he means).

Apparently U2 are currently recording at the Canadian Ambassador's residence at Strathmore, right across the road from Bono/Edge

Why, I did not know that the Canadian Ambassador lived across the road from Bono and Edge. :wink:

Punctuation is important, even in your damned tweets, people! Friggin' Twitter.
 
corianderstem said:
Yeah, it was an actual question, because as it's written it does not read like what you suggest (although I'm sure that's what he means).

Apparently U2 are currently recording at the Canadian Ambassador's residence at Strathmore, right across the road from Bono/Edge

Why, I did not know that the Canadian Ambassador lived across the road from Bono and Edge. :wink:

Punctuation is important, even in your damned tweets, people! Friggin' Twitter.
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Sounds like Argo.
 
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