So, I came up with a challenge/game for all of us here, based on the Canadian band The Tragically Hip. They came up with a very original concept (at least, as far as I know!) for setlist-construction on their last tour ever (in 2016): basically each night they would have a completely different set made up of mini-album suites of 4 songs for each selected record that night.
So, as an example, they would start off each night with 4 songs off one of their most acclaimed albums (in U2's case, it would be like starting with four tunes off AB or TJT), then 4 songs off their latest output (SOE, or even SOI), then 4 off a "wild-card" or rare-outing choice (for U2's standards, like playing something off Pop, Zooropa, or even less popular records like NLOTH), then 4 more off another second-tier classic (War, TUF, Boy?) and finally 4 off one more album. Then, two encores of 3 and 2 songs each off a couple more albums represented there. Therefore, no album gets a spot again on that night's setlist after it's been done.
What really gets my attention is that there are dozens of combinations one could make for each night, while it would also make for a nice representation of more obscure tracks they might not play otherwise.
I'll throw an example to start the game:
ZOO STATION
THE FLY
REAL THING
MYSTERIOUS WAYS
Love Is All We Have Left
Blackout
Red Flag Day
The Little Things That Give You Away
DISCOTHEQUE
MOFO
GONE
PLEASE
Sunday Bloody Sunday
Drowning Man
Two Hearts Beat As One
"40" (segue into>>>)
STREETS
IN GOD'S COUNTRY
ONE TREE HILL
WITH OR WITHOUT YOU
- - - - - - - -
A sort Of Homecoming
Pride
Bad
- - - - - - -
Electric Co.
Out of Control
So let me see if I catch the game. There goes one of my setlist.
I choose to open the show with songs from Joshua Tree and close it with Achtung Baby, which I think were the two most successful albums.
01. Glory Days (Springsteen song as a Intro) / Where the Streets Have No Name
02. I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For
03. With Or Without You
04. Bullet The Blue Sky
05. Sunday Bloody Sunday
06. Surrender
07. Two Hearts Beat as One
08. New Year's Day
09. October
10. Gloria
11. Scarlet
12. Shadows and Tall Trees
13. I Will Follow
14. The Electric Co.
15. Out of Control
16. Vertigo
17. All Because of You
18. City of Blinding Lights
Encore 1:
19. Beautiful Day
20. Elevation
21. Walk On
22. Pride (In the Name of Love)
23. Bad
24. The Unforgettable Fire
Encore 2:
25. Zooropa (Intro) / Zoo Station
26. Even Better Than the Real Thing
27. Mysterious Ways
28. One.
Also you can rotate the setlist and varying the songs. I mean, opened the show with Achtung Baby songs and closed it with songs from the Joshua Tree era. Just something like this:
01. Zooropa (Intro) / Zoo Station
02. Even Better Than the Real Thing
03. Mysterious Ways
04. One / Unchained Melody
05. All I Want Is You
06. Desire
07. Angel of Harlem
08. No Line on the Horizon
09. Magnificent
10. I'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight
11. Discothèque
12. Staring at the Sun
13. Please
14. Sunday Bloody Sunday
15. Surrender
16. New Year's Day
Encore 1:
17. Pride (In the Name of Love)
18. Bad
19. A Sort of Homecoming
20. Cedarwood Road
21. Song for Someone
22. Iris (Hold me Close)
Encore 2:
23. Beat on the Brat (as Intro) / Lights of Home
24. Get Out of Your Own Way
25. You're The Best Thing About Me
26. Spanish Eyes or Sweetest Thing
27. Where the Streets Have No Name
28. With or Without You
Right! Of course, you don't necessarily start with the ssme album every night, that's the point. Though, I did like the strict rule that every record got 4 songs each (except encores, which were shorter), so equal representation.
The Hip "cheated" with their very last show in Kingston and played five songs from Road Apples and Fully Completely - and 30 (!) songs in total. I am going to cheat, too... and yes, I like the hits!
1. Even Better Than The Real Thing
2. The Fly
3. Ultra Violet
4. One
5. Until The End Of The World
6. New Year's Day
7. Two Hearts Beat As One
8. Sunday Bloody Sunday
9. Pride
10. A Sort of Homecoming
11. The Unforgettable Fire
12. Bad
13. Zooropa
14. Lemon
15. Stay
16. The First Time
Encore
17. I Will Follow
18. Twilight
19. The Electric Co.
20. Out of Control
21. God, Pt 2
22. Desire
23. Angel of Harlem
24. All I Want Is You
Encore 1
25. I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For
26. Bullet The Blue Sky
27. Running To Stand Still
28. Where the Streets Have No Name
29. With or Without You
40. '40'
I feel a bit bad that I omitted Pop. I would have liked to sneak in "Gloria" and "11'Clock Tick Tock" in there, too.