With or Without You 360 2010

[U2387]

Is it just me or was the Dec 19 2010 version of WOWY one of the best in a very long time? I think that, if it wasn't for the minor variation in the middle of the "my hands are tied verse(the nothing to win and nothing left to lose)," it could be the best of the tour.

I think it's easily the best the first 2 verses and the first 2 sets of "with or without you, with or without you's" have been sung since early Zoo Tv. Maybe even Lovetown!

YouTube - U2 With or Without You @ Perth, Western Australia 19th Dec 2010

I consider this to be one of probably 6 or 8 really great performances of this song in 2010! What a drastic improvement from 2009, when it sounded like Elevation Bono half asleep on sedatives. It was that bad. Consistently!

Just off the top of my head, Moscow, Athens, Vienna and Istanbul were phenomenal!

I'd love to hear what others here think! WOWY was the IALW of 2009 in terms of complaints from interference, I think.

 

[coolian2]

it's woken it's shit up this year.

it was actually unacceptably bad in 2009, but the 2010 versions were all superb. i remember commenting after hearing my first 2010 performance how good it was.

it's not back to where it was before macphisto started to ruin it, but it's right up there.

 

[streets1987]

That was actually a pretty good performance, now if Bono can only do the song like this for the rest of the tour, that would be great and would total change my view about this song being performed live these days (don't forget to put in Shine Like Stars Bono )

 

[U2387]

^^

Shine Like Stars would be very nice!

Done a few times this yr, so we know he remembers it!

Not to be greedy, but Edge could wind up a 2nd solo too, maybe! Like, say on JT and Zoo TV.

It would take up no more time than the current extended outro and 2nd round of "oh, oh, oh's."

 

[Galeongirl]

it's woken it's shit up this year.

it was actually unacceptably bad in 2009, but the 2010 versions were all superb. i remember commenting after hearing my first 2010 performance how good it was.

it's not back to where it was before macphisto started to ruin it, but it's right up there.

^ Pretty much that. I enjoyed WOWY a lot this year, while last year it was pretty meh. Bono's much more into it, less whispering of the words, more singing!

 

[U2387]

^^

GaleonGirl, that says a lot!

I remember you commenting on/reviewing all of the shows you attended in both 2009 and 2010. You're probably as good an authority as any on this, and one of the few here who has witnessed multiple versions in both years.

 

[Galeongirl]

Well there's plenty of other people from Europe I've spoken to who had seen shows both last year and this year, and all of them agreed that this year something happened to Bono. Perhaps it was the back injury rest that revitalised him, or that because of that he felt he needed to spice things up to prove us he's still there... I don't know what it is but damn. There's such a HUGE contrast between last year and this year, it improved so much. In 2009 I was ofcourse super impressed with the shows I saw, but now I look back they don't compare to the shows I saw this year. It's so much more energetic, there's more connections to the crowd and all four of the guys seem in such better spirits. It's like they're finally decided to have fun again! Especially Bono, he seems to be a mix of The Fly and his Pop era self. During Stingray he's the perfect cocky bastard, walking around giving people the finger, then laughing it off, just strutting that walkway like he owns the place(which he does, but you get my point!). And there seems to be much more interaction between the guys as well, simple smiles exchanged, the whole spanking business during Crazy Tonight, mic sharing between Bono and Edge, playing back to back to each other...

I realise this could be taken the wrong way, but I think that back injury was actually a really good thing to happen.

 

[Earnie Shavers]

Definitely a huge, huge, huge improvement. I don't think I've even bothered to have a look at a WOWY video in forever, and watching it from one of the Sydney shows genuinely surprised me.

While you could 'blame' the MacPhisto version, that was a sort of characterised version. Almost a different song. It's really from Popmart on when it was just seemingly about laziness.

 

[Fer Castillo]

Really? I love McPhisto version....

 

[digitize]

Well there's plenty of other people from Europe I've spoken to who had seen shows both last year and this year, and all of them agreed that this year something happened to Bono. Perhaps it was the back injury rest that revitalised him, or that because of that he felt he needed to spice things up to prove us he's still there... I don't know what it is but damn. There's such a HUGE contrast between last year and this year, it improved so much. In 2009 I was ofcourse super impressed with the shows I saw, but now I look back they don't compare to the shows I saw this year. It's so much more energetic, there's more connections to the crowd and all four of the guys seem in such better spirits. It's like they're finally decided to have fun again! Especially Bono, he seems to be a mix of The Fly and his Pop era self. During Stingray he's the perfect cocky bastard, walking around giving people the finger, then laughing it off, just strutting that walkway like he owns the place(which he does, but you get my point!). And there seems to be much more interaction between the guys as well, simple smiles exchanged, the whole spanking business during Crazy Tonight, mic sharing between Bono and Edge, playing back to back to each other...

I realise this could be taken the wrong way, but I think that back injury was actually a really good thing to happen.

I like 2009 360 a lot more than 2010 360.

 

[JoRu]

That is an excellent version of that song. I mean, the whole tour this year has been magnificent but Perth 2, that was something special when it comes to Bono's voice it seems. The improvements with the warhorses this year has been amazing. Songs like One, WOWY and WTSHNN have sounded great this year while there's also been amazing performances of songs like Bad, AIWI, Miss Sarajevo and more.

It's been a good year.

 

[U2387]

Well there's plenty of other people from Europe I've spoken to who had seen shows both last year and this year, and all of them agreed that this year something happened to Bono. Perhaps it was the back injury rest that revitalised him, or that because of that he felt he needed to spice things up to prove us he's still there... I don't know what it is but damn. There's such a HUGE contrast between last year and this year, it improved so much. In 2009 I was ofcourse super impressed with the shows I saw, but now I look back they don't compare to the shows I saw this year. It's so much more energetic, there's more connections to the crowd and all four of the guys seem in such better spirits. It's like they're finally decided to have fun again! Especially Bono, he seems to be a mix of The Fly and his Pop era self. During Stingray he's the perfect cocky bastard, walking around giving people the finger, then laughing it off, just strutting that walkway like he owns the place(which he does, but you get my point!). And there seems to be much more interaction between the guys as well, simple smiles exchanged, the whole spanking business during Crazy Tonight, mic sharing between Bono and Edge, playing back to back to each other...

I realise this could be taken the wrong way, but I think that back injury was actually a really good thing to happen.

Word for word 100% agreement!!

I greatly enjoyed the 2009 shows, but those of us who know U2 best couldn't help but notice something seemed off with all of them. Especially Bono and Edge. Edge almost seemed like something was bothering him.

This increase in energy was noticeable from the 1st time I watched the Stingray video from Turin.

It never let up the entire 2010 tour.

JORU:

That is an excellent version of that song. I mean, the whole tour this year has been magnificent but Perth 2, that was something special when it comes to Bono's voice it seems. The improvements with the warhorses this year has been amazing. Songs like One, WOWY and WTSHNN have sounded great this year while there's also been amazing performances of songs like Bad, AIWI, Miss Sarajevo and more.

It's been a good year.

Also agree word for word.

WOWY is perhaps the best evidence, but One and Streets, already pretty good in 2009, have become much, much better in 2010.

I am loving the effort the band is putting into both songs these days, and also the Berlin/Trabant video for One and the JT video for Streets!

 

[HBK-79]

I've enjoyed WOWY on this tour both last year and this year. As long as Bono keeps doing that throwing-the-steering-wheel-mic-into-the-air bit during the oh oh oh's, I'll be happy. Shine Like Stars needs to be snippeted more often, though.

For the record, I liked the MacPhisto version of WOWY during ZooTV Down Under- mostly because it had a different ambiance with Edge using an E-Bow to mimic the Infinite Guitar sound.

 

[Galeongirl]

I like 2009 360 a lot more than 2010 360.

Have you been to a 2010 show?

 

[U2girl]

The song hasn't been the same ever since Macphisto took over...360 is a bit better compared to Popmart-Elevation-Vertigo, but nowhere near what it used to be; still essentially the same lounge style, lazy vocals.

The song just needs Edge's solo and Bono singing, rather than muttering the words.

The Gerry Ryan tribute version is how they *could* be doing the song justice on tour...

YouTube - U2 With Or Without You Gerry Ryan (Full Version)

 

[U2387]

^^

I think he sings the verses much, much better than the Ryan Tribute in a lot of 2010 versions, Perth being a good example.

I disagree. Bono is not singing lazy/lounge style in 2010. 2009, sure, but it's much, much better this year.

MacPhisto performances were hit and miss for me.

Anyone know when they switched over from this:
YouTube - U2 - With Or Without You (Live from Basel, Switzerland 1993)

To this:
YouTube - U2 - With or Without You - (Live) Zoo TV Live From Sydney 1993

??

I used to just say "macphisto got his hands on this and it hasn't been the same since" but then our friend Digitize posted the Basel video and ever since, I just don't think it's that simple.

 

[coolian2]

presumably they went from the basel version to the sydney version when it started to segue out of lemon.

frankly, vocally it became bad once the macphisto character started singing it, and musically it became boring about 10 seconds after the segue out of lemon.

 

[AndrewCowley]

I must be the only person here who absolutely loves the Zoo TV Sydney version of WOWY. The segue from Lemon is really good. And the way the song builds at the end (albeit not the usual ending) is great. Maybe my view is tainted because I was there at that show.

 

[Axver]

Wish I could get behind this enthusiasm for 2010 WOWY, since I think WOWY at its peak was one of U2's best live songs, but ... I can't. I still think it's a mere shadow of what it used to be. It does sound better than the shonky 2009 versions, but that's like saying Playboy Mansion is better than Miami.

 

[HBK-79]

I apologize if I'm going off topic here a bit.

But since this is a 360/WOWY thread...

When exactly did Bono start hanging his laser jacket on the steering wheel mic at the end of WOWY?

The first time I saw him do it was at the Rose Bowl. I don't think he did it at Cowboys Stadium.

 

[Earnie Shavers]

I must be the only person here who absolutely loves the Zoo TV Sydney version of WOWY. The segue from Lemon is really good. And the way the song builds at the end (albeit not the usual ending) is great. Maybe my view is tainted because I was there at that show.

No, I love it too.

 

[U2girl]

^^

I think he sings the verses much, much better than the Ryan Tribute in a lot of 2010 versions, Perth being a good example.

I disagree. Bono is not singing lazy/lounge style in 2010. 2009, sure, but it's much, much better this year.

MacPhisto performances were hit and miss for me.

Anyone know when they switched over from this:
YouTube - U2 - With Or Without You (Live from Basel, Switzerland 1993)

To this:
YouTube - U2 - With or Without You - (Live) Zoo TV Live From Sydney 1993

??

I used to just say "macphisto got his hands on this and it hasn't been the same since" but then our friend Digitize posted the Basel video and ever since, I just don't think it's that simple.

And I think Gerry Ryan version beats anything I heard on any Macpnhisto-and-beyond WOWY. And while there is a bit of an effort in one of the verses in Perth, 99% is still that same loungy vocal.

 

[Vlaco]

WOWY hasn't been good since 1992 although the Basel 1993 version is not bad (just because of the solo).

 

[Fer Castillo]

I must be the only person here who absolutely loves the Zoo TV Sydney version of WOWY. The segue from Lemon is really good. And the way the song builds at the end (albeit not the usual ending) is great. Maybe my view is tainted because I was there at that show.

I really, really love the Zoo TV Sydney version too. I actually would take it over any of the 360/Vertigo/Elevation/Popmart performances, no doubt. I was amazed to see how Bono sang that song, it gave a sense of passion and desperation, a magnificent performance in my opinion.

 

[Galeongirl]

I apologize if I'm going off topic here a bit.

But since this is a 360/WOWY thread...

When exactly did Bono start hanging his laser jacket on the steering wheel mic at the end of WOWY?

The first time I saw him do it was at the Rose Bowl. I don't think he did it at Cowboys Stadium.

He did it at pretty much every show I think. There's a lot of pics of that.

 

[digitize]

Have you been to a 2010 show?

No, and I will admit some degree of bias. However, I can honestly say that I liked 2009 360 more before I saw a show than I like 2010 360, both off of bootlegs.

 

[Galeongirl]

No, and I will admit some degree of bias. However, I can honestly say that I liked 2009 360 more before I saw a show than I like 2010 360, both off of bootlegs.

Are you going to see shows at any of the next legs? I think if you see it for yourself you can compare it better. Atmosphere doesn't translate that well into bootlegs, it's more of a feeling when you're in teh stadium kinda thing. I'll be interested to hear if you still feel this way after seeing them live again.

 

[digitize]

Are you going to see shows at any of the next legs? I think if you see it for yourself you can compare it better. Atmosphere doesn't translate that well into bootlegs, it's more of a feeling when you're in teh stadium kinda thing. I'll be interested to hear if you still feel this way after seeing them live again.

I may or may not see them this summer, depending on finances and the like (I'm starting college in September - unfortunately, there are more important financial burdens to be dealt with). I agree, though. I would love to see the current incarnation of the show in person. Just because I like the bootlegs and (on paper) setlists of 2009 better doesn't mean that I won't like the 2011 shows. I love seeing U2 regardless. And it will definitely be good to try to stay open-minded and see how I feel after the show.

 

[bonocomet]

I apologize if I'm going off topic here a bit.

But since this is a 360/WOWY thread...

When exactly did Bono start hanging his laser jacket on the steering wheel mic at the end of WOWY?

The first time I saw him do it was at the Rose Bowl. I don't think he did it at Cowboys Stadium.

He did it at pretty much every show I think. There's a lot of pics of that.

Actually, I don't think he did it at the beginning of the tour. I think I remember him actually leaving the stage while still wearing it at the beginning. I also thought it was something he only started doing later in that leg of the tour.

Can't remember exactly which show this is from but he's wearing it here at the end of a show.

However once he started doing it (maybe near the end of the 2009 shows) he's done it ever since.


Also pretty sure Willie Williams mentioned once him not being able to turn off the lasers and having them still shining from the car as he left the stadium, but he might have been joking about that.

 

[digitize]

Bono started hanging up the jacket in Norman, Phoenix, or Las Vegas. There was a discussion about it at the time, if I remember correctly. He wasn't doing it in Houston - I was at that show.