U2 Should Take A Page From Pink Floyd, Peter Gabriel & So Many Others

[Screwtape2]

Play songs live that you're working on. Seriously, this could gage fan reaction towards those songs and give fans a little peak at where the band might be going. It might even reduce the number of people stalking the band outside Eze. Most importantly though, it would get more people excited about getting the next album. Imagine hearing a working version of HMTMKMKM on the ZooTV tour and how excited the fan base would have been for Pop. It's a win win win.

 

[IanIinTheSky]

HMTMKMKM wasn't on Pop.

 

[Screwtape2]

HMTMKMKM wasn't on Pop.

I'm saying that if fans had heard a working version of HMTMKMKM they would have been more excited for the next album (which was Pop.)

 

[Joey788]

Well, U2 have tried that in the past with the performance of Womanfish and Trip Through Your Wires but it didn't work out well for them at all. U2 always needs time to figure out how to play the songs live. So I don't think they would do a good job by performing a working title before it's finished. But if then again, they have gotten better as a band since then so maybe it can work. History says no, but the beach clips make it look feasible.

 

[david]

they played when love comes to town on the joshua tree tour and it didn't sound that great.

i'd rather hear an awesome and polished song than something rough and unfinished.

 

[LMP]

I wish they'd do a small tour, maybe at clubs and whatnot, and play a 10-15 song set of new songs/forgotten tunes/1 or 2 classics.

Then they'd use that momentum to go back in the studio, polish the new material, release it, practice a nice variety of songs for the new tour (like they did this tour) and play.

I think I'll give Principle Management a call tomorrow afternoon.

 

[kingofsorrow]

i just want to hear drowning man live. anything else is icing.

 

[An Cat Gav]

Play songs live that you're working on. Seriously, this could gage fan reaction towards those songs and give fans a little peak at where the band might be going. It might even reduce the number of people stalking the band outside Eze. Most importantly though, it would get more people excited about getting the next album. Imagine hearing a working version of HMTMKMKM on the ZooTV tour and how excited the fan base would have been for Pop. It's a win win win.

 

[bayou12780]

I wish they'd do a small tour...

Then they'd use that momentum to go back in the studio, polish the new material, release it, ...

along the same lines, how about a "double" cd set - release studio cd - then tour it, record it and release live cd of the same songs.

 

[powerhour24]

I wish they'd do a small tour, maybe at clubs and whatnot, and play a 10-15 song set of new songs/forgotten tunes/1 or 2 classics.

Then they'd use that momentum to go back in the studio, polish the new material, release it, practice a nice variety of songs for the new tour (like they did this tour) and play.

I think I'll give Principle Management a call tomorrow afternoon.

 

[LMP]

along the same lines, how about a "double" cd set - release studio cd - then tour it, record it and release live cd of the same songs.

How about every show is taped on from the soundboard, and U2.com sends them to members for free.

Now that's worth $40

 

[MrBrau1]

Wouldn't that amount to "pandering"?

Ya know, they'd work on songs that get the best reaction, probably the most "U2" sounding tunes.

Then the wild and wacky experimental tunes all the shit-heads here pine for would get the old "heave ho."

 

[Screwtape2]

U2.com sends them to members

There are so many things wrong with this idea.

 

[bayou12780]

How about every show is taped from the soundboard, and U2.com sends them to members for free.

Now that's worth $40

definitely but there's one problem. boner would have to give up the snippets -- too many licensing issues. unless he could just learn to snippet his own damn songs then it would work. that'll be the day.

 

[fandangamoq]

I wish they'd do a small tour, maybe at clubs and whatnot, and play a 10-15 song set of new songs/forgotten tunes/1 or 2 classics.

Then they'd use that momentum to go back in the studio, polish the new material, release it, practice a nice variety of songs for the new tour (like they did this tour) and play.

I think I'll give Principle Management a call tomorrow afternoon.

That's almost identical to the system Radiohead is attempting now. They hit the road with a set of songs that they plan on putting on the album, and working live gives them a new way to work out the kinks. It's not entirely audience driven, but almost like a jam situation where its still important to get a good song.

They were doing large clubs and small theatres last year, and the shows were huge hits. Seems to be working for them

~A.j.~

 

[LMP]

That's almost identical to the system Radiohead is attempting now. They hit the road with a set of songs that they plan on putting on the album, and working live gives them a new way to work out the kinks. It's not entirely audience driven, but almost like a jam situation where its still important to get a good song.

They were doing large clubs and small theatres last year, and the shows were huge hits. Seems to be working for them

~A.j.~

That's exactly who I had in mind.

Wouldn't that amount to "pandering"?

Ya know, they'd work on songs that get the best reaction, probably the most "U2" sounding tunes.

Then the wild and wacky experimental tunes all the shit-heads here pine for would get the old "heave ho."

It all depends I guess. You're probably right about the pandering, but more people complain about "the live version being so much better than the album version" anyway right? Look at City of Blinding Lights.

 

[xaviMF22]

That's almost identical to the system Radiohead is attempting now. They hit the road with a set of songs that they plan on putting on the album, and working live gives them a new way to work out the kinks. It's not entirely audience driven, but almost like a jam situation where its still important to get a good song.


~A.j.~

it has always worked for them...

its because of touring songs earlier that they were able to craft the bends and OK computer..

 

[MrBrau1]

it has always worked for them...

its because of touring songs earlier that they were able to craft the bends and OK computer..

right.

The did what the fans liked.

So much for the notion that RH do what they want and don't care what anyone else thinks.

 

[xaviMF22]

right.

The did what the fans liked.

So much for the notion that RH do what they want and don't care what anyone else thinks.

who the hell thinks RH do what they want... ??

they have more or less always done what the fans want...

 

[U2girl]

We'd just get the complaints out sooner than usual.

 

[ahittle]

Almost every set of U2 songs would have benefited from a a year of playing them every night and figuring out all the nooks and crannies. Great concept, but unfortunately they would never give it a shot.

 

[dietcokeofevil]

Wouldn't that amount to "pandering"?

Ya know, they'd work on songs that get the best reaction, probably the most "U2" sounding tunes.

Then the wild and wacky experimental tunes all the shit-heads here pine for would get the old "heave ho."

Wow. So, according to you I'm a shithead (for wanting the experimental stuff). Nice to meet you.

 

[dietcokeofevil]

Play songs live that you're working on. Seriously, this could gage fan reaction towards those songs and give fans a little peak at where the band might be going. It might even reduce the number of people stalking the band outside Eze. Most importantly though, it would get more people excited about getting the next album. Imagine hearing a working version of HMTMKMKM on the ZooTV tour and how excited the fan base would have been for Pop. It's a win win win.

I've gotta agree with you here.

 

[Utoo]

Antwerp, Elevation Tour.

Song: "We Love You."

Kinda cool, but sounds like crap. Hasn't appeared since, and certainly wouldn't have gotten me excited about HTDAAB if I'd heard it before the album came out.

You can't win. You have people arguing that they don't play enough kernels of history for the fans, and then you have people saying that the fans really deserve setlist slots filled by unpolished music that could essentially be crap.

Hearing works in progress on tour is not going to get a large number of people excited about a forthcoming album....especially if it's going to come out 2-4 years after the tour. HMTMKMKM was everywhere...you couldn't miss it when the song came out. If you think that hearing the single----which was universally available on the radio and played all the time---didn't get people excited for Pop, I don't think that a few thousand people hearing a rough draft of it live at a concert would really have had a shot of energizing the fanbase any more so.

For my own enjoyment, yeah, I'd personally enjoy hearing works in progress. But on the whole, I don't think it'd accomplish what you're saying it would.

 

[intedomine]

Play songs live that you're working on. Seriously, this could gage fan reaction towards those songs and give fans a little peak at where the band might be going. It might even reduce the number of people stalking the band outside Eze. Most importantly though, it would get more people excited about getting the next album. Imagine hearing a working version of HMTMKMKM on the ZooTV tour and how excited the fan base would have been for Pop. It's a win win win.

Good call...

Radiohead played all these new songs live on their tour last year, and are still yet to release an album on which you'd assume that some of those songs will appear.

I haven't heard those songs, but I reckon that audience reaction to those songs would've greatly influenced their efforts in the studio the past 6 or so months.

A short tour of Victoria to make up for our lack of Elevation would be worth doing. A 15 song set, 5 or 6 ATYCLB tracks, 4 to 6 newies and a few classics would be just the tonic....

 

[mandrake]

...or what R.E.M. will be doing later this year and playing a few gigs in Dublin with new songs for their next album. I am really really excited to hear how this will go with their new songs by the way!

 

[Canadiens1131]

Then the wild and wacky experimental tunes all the shit-heads here pine for would get the old "heave ho."

 

[ZOOTVTOURist]

they played when love comes to town on the joshua tree tour and it didn't sound that great.

Couldn't disagree more. The Fort Worth-version is a live gem in U2's stage career. Imagine yourself going to thegig, having BB King as support act - and then listening to both bands playing a song together, dedicated from Bono to one of his idols. The '87 lyrics are strong and so ist the music. And it must have been the same emotion for U2, that integrated snippets in the movie - plus made a little tour out of that moment in '89/'90.

U2 performing "new" songs is something I do love: Take "Lucille", "Slow Dancing" or even the strange "We Love You"-Jam in 2001 - moments, where you hold your breath in the audience. Just as Las Vegas '97, where the whole gig was a giant rehearsal in public (*smile*). And, yes, I would have loved to see "WITS" earlier in the 2006 sets ...

 

[U2girl]

Antwerp, Elevation Tour.

Song: "We Love You."

Kinda cool, but sounds like crap. Hasn't appeared since, and certainly wouldn't have gotten me excited about HTDAAB if I'd heard it before the album came out.

I'd much rather hear a fleshed out in-the-studio song live, than something weak live only NOT to appear anyhwere later. Or worse, being so much better later in the studo that people who heard it live would feel ripped off.

 

[Screwtape2]

Or worse, being so much better later in the studo that people who heard it live would feel ripped off.

Yeah, I'm sure people who saw the band perform a song live that ended up being a great track on a later album would feel ripped off.