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Joshua Tree Tour 2017
 Legs (3): Leg 1 - North America, Leg 2 - Europe, Leg 3 - The Americas
Shows: 54
  2. Here's what amuses me. I went in an hour after gates open and still found my happy spot. If I had gone in at 5 when they opened, I still would have likely found just as good as spot as someone who had been there for 24 hours, so it's really all silly crap if you ask me...
  3. Originally posted by ew6655:[..]
    I agree !!! I noticed alot of GA people passing out in crowds being taking away by EMT's is it worth it to be close enough to almost touch the band , I think "NOT"!!!!!


    Especially since most of those people were likely the ones who had been waiting 24 hours and likely weren't hydrated or nourished properly... All that wait to end up missing most of the show anyway...
  4. Originally posted by KieranU2:I remember when I arrived in Dublin for i+e, it was 10pm outside 3 Arena and I literally just got off the airport bus. I couldn't make the gig so I waited outside for people on here to leave the concert. There was this one Scottish guy (I think he was from Glasgow) who was going berserk about queuing systems. It must have been the encore break for the third Dublin gig and people were leaving the concert and starting a queue for Dublin 4. I thought it was the saddest sight. They missed the Bad-One combo that everyone rightfully raved about after the gig and one thing I was particularly pissed off at was there were two Italian girls starting the queuing (as they also couldn't attend the third) with a notebook. Then all the regulars mentioned in the open letter were in the queue made up of passouts from the concert still happening, who had started it and completely disregarded these Italian girls as soon as they went over. I'm not naming names but use your imagination and you'll know who the people in the queue were. There was so many problems with queuing at that gig, I remember speaking to people on here about it on the day who were incensed at queue organisers favouring certain individuals to get them as close to the front as possible. That Scottish guy couldn't have been more correct, as irritating as he was. I don't queue, but it still annoys me that people think it's acceptable to essentially make a fan base contentious.


    And as I mentioned, who anointed these schmucks the official linekeepers anyway? themselves?
  5. Originally posted by MattG:I've been doing a lot of thinking about what U2 could really do with this show to keep the theme and element intact, but just pick better "hits" to surround the show with. I think it's important that from Mothers til the end of the show, all of the songs are really big, popular, stadium songs. I just don't think they're choosing the right ones. Decided to analyze it song by song below, more for my own thoughts, but for sharing as well:

    1. Miss Sarajevo
    This song just needs to go. I "get" it...it's impacting after Mothers, it shows a stark contrast between the part of the country where the streets have no name, and how its own government can oppress. But it's a little too heavy, and doesn't really work. The "America" theme is well-sold enough - they aren't losing anything by replacing this one with a huge stadium rocker.

    Since Ultraviolet was on the table, and now its been replaced with Mysterious Ways (even though both are clearly lyrically in the vein of supporting the women-theme), I don't think Achtung Baby is off limits at all. My pick for encore opener would be Until the End of the World.

    2. Mysterious Ways
    The theme is slightly less strong with Sarajevo not in front of it, but I guess this still works as a tribute to women, like they've been doing. Stadium rocker, everyone knows the words, there aren't any fans up on stage, the slide solo is back...why not? My pick would be to keep it.

    3. One
    Every time I look at a U2 setlist, this is a song I could drop without even batting an eye. But then, every time I hear it live, it knocks me away. They had success rotating it on the last tour, so I think they should be doing the same here instead of just eating up another whole slot with one war-horse. Why not split the slot with another great U2 ballad, capable of filling a stadium with ample opportunity for singalong: All I Want is You?

    4. Beautiful Day & 5. Elevation
    These two need to rotate. Elevation fucking rules in a stadium that huge, but it's definitely a little bit more tired. Beautiful Day is a horrendous arrangement if you ask me, but I like that it at least attempts to be different. I'm not going to put my head up in the clouds and think they'd ever stop playing these songs in stadiums.

    6. The Little Things & 7. I Will Follow
    They need to drop Little Things completely. It doesn't make any sense whatsoever to play 1 hour and 55 minutes of amazing, grandiose rock show, and then play an unreleased song that starts wicked slow in a stadium that holds 70,000+. People are leaving, you say? Go figure! When what's waiting on the other side of that final song is a huge crowd to get out of the stadium, find your parking, what-have-you, why let the only thing standing in your way be a museum full of people standing still as statues listening to a song they've never heard before? I know U2 can "do whatever they want," but you just don't close a stadium show like that. IWF all the way.

    8. Vertigo
    Amazing closer. Glad its finally in the final spot, glad they're doing the reprise...everything about it is great.

    So, with it laid out that way, the only thing this encore needs is a littttttle bit of reorganization, and only two tour debuts, to look more like:

    Until the End of the World
    Elevation / Beautiful Day (rotate)
    Mysterious Ways
    One / All I Want is You (rotate)
    I Will Follow
    Vertigo

    And to me, that already looks a lot better. It's funny how much more appealing Mysterious Ways is (and even Elevation!) when I imagine just coming off the rock-high of UTEOTW.


    Miss Sarajevo needs to go or needs to be performed piano style with Bono doing the opera. After seeing that version live, this version feels incredibly weak.

    I like Mysterious Ways, but I don't get where they put it. Keep it in the set, but don't knock out UV for it.

    One is fine, but they need to play it like they did during IE without the karaoke style. Larry building up the drums towards the end gives the song a really powerful kick that it needs.

    Elevation works really well on this tour, especially with the massive screen. I say they should keep it. Beautiful Day feels lost with this remix. If they want to keep it, play it like they normally would.

    Little Things needs to stay, otherwise the people who complain about U2 being a safe band will never stop bitching. IWF is a nice treat, but not necessary. If they keep it, put it in rotation with Vertigo for a nice finish.
  6. Originally posted by ahn1991:[..]


    Miss Sarajevo needs to go or needs to be performed piano style with Bono doing the opera. After seeing that version live, this version feels incredibly weak.

    I like Mysterious Ways, but I don't get where they put it. Keep it in the set, but don't knock out UV for it.

    One is fine, but they need to play it like they did during IE without the karaoke style. Larry building up the drums towards the end gives the song a really powerful kick that it needs.

    Elevation works really well on this tour, especially with the massive screen. I say they should keep it. Beautiful Day feels lost with this remix. If they want to keep it, play it like they normally would.

    Little Things needs to stay, otherwise the people who complain about U2 being a safe band will never stop bitching. IWF is a nice treat, but not necessary. If they keep it, put it in rotation with Vertigo for a nice finish.
    Agreed with all of this. In particular, love MS and the Syrian refugee imagery - powerful and important message - but didn't like that Bono chose to let the Pavorotti recording do the work instead after seeing him belt it on 360.
  7. Originally posted by KieranU2:I remember when I arrived in Dublin for i+e, it was 10pm outside 3 Arena and I literally just got off the airport bus. I couldn't make the gig so I waited outside for people on here to leave the concert. There was this one Scottish guy (I think he was from Glasgow) who was going berserk about queuing systems. It must have been the encore break for the third Dublin gig and people were leaving the concert and starting a queue for Dublin 4. I thought it was the saddest sight. They missed the Bad-One combo that everyone rightfully raved about after the gig and one thing I was particularly pissed off at was there were two Italian girls starting the queuing (as they also couldn't attend the third) with a notebook. Then all the regulars mentioned in the open letter were in the queue made up of passouts from the concert still happening, who had started it and completely disregarded these Italian girls as soon as they went over. I'm not naming names but use your imagination and you'll know who the people in the queue were. There was so many problems with queuing at that gig, I remember speaking to people on here about it on the day who were incensed at queue organisers favouring certain individuals to get them as close to the front as possible. That Scottish guy couldn't have been more correct, as irritating as he was. I don't queue, but it still annoys me that people think it's acceptable to essentially make a fan base contentious.
    Ha these people need to watch out when they try and bully the wrong person with all this sort of shit... At the MSG shows I saw a guy with a group of 4-5 mates being a bit too cheeky to someone they didn't know. He ended up knocked out on the ground.
  8. Originally posted by ahn1991:[..]


    Miss Sarajevo needs to go or needs to be performed piano style with Bono doing the opera. After seeing that version live, this version feels incredibly weak.

    I like Mysterious Ways, but I don't get where they put it. Keep it in the set, but don't knock out UV for it.

    One is fine, but they need to play it like they did during IE without the karaoke style. Larry building up the drums towards the end gives the song a really powerful kick that it needs.

    Elevation works really well on this tour, especially with the massive screen. I say they should keep it. Beautiful Day feels lost with this remix. If they want to keep it, play it like they normally would.

    Little Things needs to stay, otherwise the people who complain about U2 being a safe band will never stop bitching. IWF is a nice treat, but not necessary. If they keep it, put it in rotation with Vertigo for a nice finish.
    The thing that annoys me most about Little Things is, and I know Bono isn't one to trust, is that Bono himself actually said that it was THE condition to actually do a "nostalgia" tour: perform new songs. It was "the only way" to do this tour. And what does he do after 5 shows? Stopping exactly that.

    Having Little Things as a closer or not is an entirely different discussion. I would opt to play it after The Joshua Tree. Would make a nice contrast: this is the past, now this is the future.
  9. Completely agree with that, Remy! Playing an unreleased song LAST is just such a confusing way to end a show. Everybody's hoping for that one last song that they all know, a big hit, and then the show is over.

    I also think it would work better indoors, where they are able to control a little more "intensity" for the buildup at the end

    It would also be a GREAT segue out of Mothers, if you think about how that ends, and how Little Things starts.
  10. Originally posted by ahn1991:[..]
    Little Things needs to stay, otherwise the people who complain about U2 being a safe band will never stop bitching. IWF is a nice treat, but not necessary. If they keep it, put it in rotation with Vertigo for a nice finish.


    ahn1991 - I'm going to go out on a limb here and guess you haven't seen Little Things performed live in person. It just doesn't work as a closer...in fact it's awful as a closer. I've seen it in both Seattle and Santa Clara and it only served to deflate and confuse the crowd.

    In Seattle it was greeted with polite applause and when U2 followed it with I Will Follow people greeted IWF with relief and ecstatic surprise.

    In Santa Clara Little Things was also greeted with only polite applause, and when U2 said goodnight and left the stage after the song, people sort of looked around and left quietly. It deflated the whole show (this problematic encore didn't help either)... I've seen U2 on every tour since Popmart and it was the worst closing song on any of them.

    Good song, makes sense to end a "nostalgia" tour with a new song in theory, but this song as the closing song is just a dud.

    Really hard to describe unless you've seen it...preparing to eat my words if you HAVE seen it performed live!
  11. Originally posted by MattG:Completely agree with that, Remy! Playing an unreleased song LAST is just such a confusing way to end a show. Everybody's hoping for that one last song that they all know, a big hit, and then the show is over.

    I also think it would work better indoors, where they are able to control a little more "intensity" for the buildup at the end

    It would also be a GREAT segue out of Mothers, if you think about how that ends, and how Little Things starts.
  12. What a pic.