U2's Best Acoustic Performances

[phillyfan26]

What do you think U2's best acoustic performances were? I'll venture this Top Five:

1. Stay (Faraway, So Close!) - ZooTV
2. Staring at the Sun - Popmart
3. Stuck in a Moment You Can't Get Out Of - Vertigo
4. The First Time - Vertigo
5. Party Girl - War

 

[coolian2]

I'm liking your top five.

I'm likely to get shot down, but Acoustic Walk On is eternally listenable.

 

[U2girl]

1. Staring at the sun - any tour
2. Stay - Elevation
3. I still haven't found what I'm looking for - Zoo TV on the third leg
4. First time - Vertigo
5. Angel of Harlem - Zoo TV

Honourable mention - if it counts - Original of the species on Vertigo.

 

[Axver]

"U2's best acoustic performances" is an oxymoron.

 

[Peterrrrr]

Staring At The Sun(1997-07-16 - Rotterdam)
Yaweh
Party Girl(Vertigo Tour) For the fun
Desire(Popmart Mexico)

 

[An Cat Gav]

"U2's best acoustic performances" is an oxymoron.

Sad but true.
Though their acoustic version of Merry Xmas(War is Over) on the Late Late Show in the 80's was pretty damn good.

 

[last unicorn]

U2 accoustic, they should do more of that.
First Time, Wild Horses, Yahweh, Walk on, ....
I love the simple stuff.

 

[ultraviolet92]

stay away far so close is my favourite because it does really show that bono can play guitar.

same with staring at the sun.

i would have to disagree with desire. i think u2 have never really mastered this song. The lovetown versions were preety good but in my opinion it has gone down from there.

... the tacky zootv version with edges guitar on this weirdo effect

.... then the popmart one was preety weak and desire didnt really fit in because its original was so much heavier

i havent seen them play an awesome version of desire

if anyone knows a good performance of the song on youtube i would be interested to see it

 

[coolian2]

"U2's best acoustic performances" is an oxymoron.

To each their own.

There is plenty of acoustic goodness - sure, not as good as full band stuff (what is?(except Walk On)), but it stands up pretty well IMO.

 

[Aygo]

Yahweh [Vertigo]
Desire [Popmart]
Staring At The Sun [Popmart]
All I Want Is You [Omagh]
The First Time [Vertigo]
Stuck In A Moment [Vertigo]

 

[phillyfan26]

"U2's best acoustic performances" is an oxymoron.

Well, ranking things that aren't any good happens on this site too. I figured, why not?

The acoustic set takes away the opportunity to be playing three electric songs, which is bad. Think about how little we really got out of the Elevation Tour sets.

 

[Zoo_Fly]

I'm not sure if it ranks along their best, but I love the acoustic Wild Honey from the Elevation Tour.

 

[CTU2fan]

I also like the acoustic ISHFWILF from Zoo, 1993-05-11 Rotterdam stands out.

And I know it doesn't compare to full-band, but no love for acoustic Please?

 

[U2girl]

Acoustic Please is nice but it doesn't come close to the full band version.

SBS from Popmart, I'll swap ISHFWILF on my list for that. Honourable mention to Who's gonna ride... on Vertigo too. It sounded a lot like the video version, minus the piano.

 

[Blue Room]

1. When Love Comes To Town (Zoo TV)
2. So Cruel (Zoo TV) complete version done in Pontiac
3. The First Time (Vertigo)
4. Stuck In A Moment (Vertigo)
5. Ground Beneath Her Feet (Elevation)

 

[U2girl]

1. Staring at the sun - Popmart
2. Stay - Elevation
3. SBS - Popmart
4. When love comes to town - Zoo TV
5. First time - Vertigo

Does Fast cars count ?

 

[Blue Room]

Was SBS from Popmart really acoustic though? From what I remember Edge didnt play an acoustic guitar for it. Seems like more of a solo version versus an acoustic version. Sort of splitting hairs but I never thought of it as acoustic.

 

[alanah]

U2 accoustic, they should do more of that.
First Time, Wild Horses, Yahweh, Walk on, ....
I love the simple stuff.

I agree with you on that.

 

[alanah]

I also like the acoustic ISHFWILF from Zoo, 1993-05-11 Rotterdam stands out.

And I know it doesn't compare to full-band, but no love for acoustic Please?

Ok, I'd say I like the acoustic Please from the Elevation tour in Austin.
(And I know the entire concert is up on U2torrents).

 

[gman]

Am not the biggest fan of the U2 acoustic songs. All of em sound the same with different words. Give me full versions any day

 

[schnumi]

Was SBS from Popmart really acoustic though? From what I remember Edge didnt play an acoustic guitar for it. Seems like more of a solo version versus an acoustic version. Sort of splitting hairs but I never thought of it as acoustic.

|Nope he used a electrical guitar there.

 

[U2lunatic]

I really like For The First Time on Vertigo tour, and Staring at the Sun(Popmart) is beautiful played acoustic but besides these two songs I can't think of another acoustic performances that I like

 

[pepokiss]

1- Please (Elevation Tour)
2- I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For (Washington DC, ZooTV Tour 92)
3- The Ground Beneath Her Feet (Irving Plaza, 2000)
4- Stuck In A Moment (Vertigo Tour - Conan O'Brian)
5- Mothers Of The Dissapeared (Popmart/Vertigo Tour - Santiago)

 

[Aygo]

Oh yeah, I forgot "The Ground Beneath Her Feet"... I love it acoustically too

 

[TCUFrog]

in god's country from elevation

 

[U2girl]

Was SBS from Popmart really acoustic though? From what I remember Edge didnt play an acoustic guitar for it. Seems like more of a solo version versus an acoustic version. Sort of splitting hairs but I never thought of it as acoustic.

Hmm, okay. Then I say Stuck in a moment acoustic.

 

[last unicorn]

There was a version of SBS from the Clinton Library opening in 2004 which was accoustic and quite interesting. I liked it. I LOVE the accoustic Vertigo verstion of Stuck, e. g. Conan show. Ground beneath her feet accoustic is great, too. First Time from Vertigo and Stay from Elevation. There are some more I can think of, so I disagree that U2 aren't great at doing accoustic stuff. I would love to hear more of that, I like it when they strip down things.

 

[The Disciple]

Personally, I think "One" needs 2 b reinvented on the next tour and played earlier in the set, ala ZOOTv, and played acoustically. Imagine the sing-along!

On a side note, has anybody heart the Interferers acoustic version of COBL? Simply heartbreaking..... beautiful! I'd love 2 hear the U2 vocals over that track!

 

[europop2005]

One
Yahweh
Staring at the Sun
Stuck In A Moment
Angel of Harlem

(and props for Vertigo on a banjo )

 

[ahittle]

Agree about One. It's great live, but for me has lost the melancholy of that original recording. It really is a haunting track, but it's blown up a bit live.

I would love to see some of the late-set prestige songs get reshuffled or re-imagined.