The 50 most amazing U2 shows: the 2010s
To celebrate U2's rich history we have selected the 50 most amazing U2 shows for you. Based on thousands of show reviews and a mix of performance, recording quality and historic value we guide you through 40 years of unforgettable shows. These are the shows every fan wanted to be at. In this slideshow we highlight the last decade, the 2010s.
2010-08-06 - Turin
2010-08-06 - Turin: The third leg of the 360 tour kicked off in Turin, where U2 went on to do something very special: playing three unreleased pieces of music. A new live intro called Return Of The Stingray Guitar and two complete new songs, North Star and Glastonbury. In modern history it is extremely rare for U2 to play unreleased songs at a concert, something they did in 2001 for the last time (Antwerp with "We Love You"). The show also featured the tour debuts of Miss Sarajevo and Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me. And, as with almost all Italian shows, the energy was there with a very enthusiastic crowd giving U2 everything to put on an amazing performance. The shows in Turin were the best possible outcomes of U2 kicking off this part of their 360 tour.
2011-04-10 - Sao Paulo
2011-04-10 - Sao Paulo: No U2 tour spanned more time than the 360 tour did, and while it went on it also hit almost all possible continents. U2's show in Sao Paulo on 10 April 2011 was one of the highlights of the South American leg of the tour. With a crazy South American audience U2 put on an historic show with the first performance of Zooropa since 1993 (and only its fourth performance ever) and the tour debut of Out Of Control. Bono also included some great snippets such as Helter Skelter during Vertigo. A show rated by Brazilians as one of the very best U2 put on in Brazil with a great setlist and energetic audience, what more could we fans ask for?
2011-06-24 - Glastonbury
"On a beautiful, clear summer's evening evening it would've been a different experience. It wasn't that Live Aid moment." - Adam
2011-06-24 - Glastonbury: For many years U2 has been rumoured to appear on the Glastonbury Festival, before they finally were announced as one of the headliners in 2010. While U2 had to pull out from their 2010 appearance due to Bono's back surgery, they made up on their commitment the year after. U2 played their set in heavy rain and although the performance didn't live up to everyone's expectations it was still a very important show in U2's history, headlining the prestigious festival for the very first time. Setlist-wise, U2 did a very Zoo TV-like show with playing 5 Achtung Baby songs to open the set with many of the original Zoo TV videos and props in the background. U2 also played rare performances of Bad and Out Of Control, which closed the set of 19 songs (of just 3 were not released as a single).
2015-05-28 - Roxy Theatre
2015-05-28 - Roxy Theatre: Just 500 fans attended an off-tour concert of U2 in the Roxy Theatre in Los Angeles, where only contest winners of radio station KROQ were welcome. The Roxy Theatre is a tiny little club-like venue which made it a very special show. To make the show feel even more like on of U2's early career club shows, U2 opened a show with The Ocean for the first time since June 1981. U2 played a 12-song set including 5 songs from their very early days, the most in a show since 1984. In this very intimate setting, U2 proved that they are band that can play any type of venue. Big stadiums, small arenas and small clubs, U2 is a band that can connect with their fans in any setting.
2015-07-02 - Chicago
2015-07-02 - Chicago: When U2 plays multiple shows in a city, fans know that the best chance of a legendary show is to attend the very last one. U2's fifth and final performance in Chicago in 2015 for the Innocence & Experience tour proved these fans right. U2 put on one of their best shows, where they showed they were feeling as comfortable as they could in the early months of the tour. With the tour debut of Gloria and rare performances of California, Ordinary Love and Bad, U2 put on an amazing set that thrilled the fans in the United Center. Ending with a full-band performance of 40 was a very fitting ending to this great show, one of U2's best in 2015.
2015-11-27 - Dublin
2015-11-27 - Dublin: Fans from all over the world travelled to Dublin for U2's homecoming shows of the Innocence & Experience tour in 2015. U2 had to adapt their stage to fit the intimate 3Arena (the former Point Depot) for four legendary shows. The most special one was the third of four. After two days of rest, U2 and the fans were ready to rock and neither failed to impress the other. At several moments during the show, Bono and Edge just looked around trying to understand what was happening while the audience lifted the band higher than before. The show featured great performances of Gloria, New Year's Day, Streets and a very special performance of Bad which lasted longer than most other performances of Bad in 2015 as Bono told a gripping story about a friend and survivor of the Talbot Street bombing referenced to in the song Raised By Wolves.
2015-12-07 - Paris
2015-12-07 - Paris: In the wake of a series of terrorist attacks on Paris U2 had to reschedule two of their four Paris shows, which then became their final shows of the tour year 2015. The Paris shows were all recorded to be released on film in 2016 and events made this film a lot more special than originally expected. U2 put on an amazing performance in front of an emotional audience and invited Eagles of Death Metal (at whose concert 89 people were killed in one of the attacks) on stage at the end of the show to cover People have The Power before handing over their stage to the band to play their own song I Love You All The Time to close the night. The events that made this show go the way went as well as the worldwide release, publicity and broadcast of the show made this one of U2's most impactful, important and historic shows in their career.
2017-07-30 - Amsterdam
2017-07-30 - Amsterdam: Some shows are defined by just one or two songs and the second Amsterdam show in 2017 might be one of those. A Sort Of Homecoming made a surprise appearance early in the set, but the biggest surprise came at the end with I Will Follow ending the show, making the crowd ecstatic. Because I Will Follow is such a popular song among Dutch fans, it made almost the entire stadium jump and party for five minutes straight, creating great scenes. The band on fire, the crowd on fire, two setlist surprises: a great show.
2017-10-25 - Sao Paulo
2017-10-25 - Sao Paulo: The Joshua Tree anniversary tour in 2017 ended with four shows in the Morumbi in Sao Paulo, a unique string of four shows. Thousands of lights lit up the stadium with the band playing their best after almost half a year of touring, playing an amazing Bad, a great Joshua Tree set and an energetic encore. This show is a perfect capture of the Joshua Tree 2017 tour, with most of the songs performed at their best with a passionate South American crowd. And to top it off we're blessed with one of the best audio recordings of the tour to capture all of this to enjoy forever.
2017-11-16 - London
2017-11-16 - London: For years fan fans have expressed their wish for U2 to once play a show with an orchestra for a longer show, and in November 2017 it finally came true. And it didn't disappoint. For the BBC show At The BBC U2 was invited to perform at Abbey Road Studios backed by a 38-member string section on each song, and a choir to join them for some songs. U2 put on amazing performances of Love Is Bigger, All I Want Is You, With Or Without You, Lights of Home and many more. The band was performing amazing and really seemed to enjoy the setting and each others presence. It was an historic night for many reasons and a show that is still on regular repeat with U2 fans, for good reasons.
2018-06-11 - New York
2018-06-11 - New York: Punk band at The Apollo! U2 play a special show for SiriusXM subscribers which is broadcasted two days later. At an historic venue U2 goes back to basics for a crowd of only a few thousand invited fans who are all excited and enthusiastic, bringing the best out of the band who are very high on energy that night. U2 starts with a set of songs that come straight from their early days: I Will Follow, The Electric Co and Out of Control. After a mix of some hits and new songs from the Songs of Experience album U2 is joined by the Sun Ra Arkestra for a throwback to Lovetown, with amazing performances of Angel of Harlem, Desire and a reworked When Love Comes To Town. Memorable performances of Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses and Love Is Bigger Than Anything In Its Way end a special night that many fans still hold very dear to this day for many reasons.
2018-09-30 - Copenhagen
2018-09-30 - Copenhagen: U2 is and was never a jukebox band, a band that would mix up setlists every night and play new songs. So when the band do change something relatively radical on an unexpected moment it stands out. Up until 30 September 2018 the Experience and Innocence tour bore a lot of resemblance to the Innocence and Experience tour as for the setlist and stage. On that day in Copenhagen the tour changed radically, when months of rehearsals resulted in a whole new segment of the show. The "Innocence suite" with songs like Cedarwood Road and Song for Someone made place for the "Zoo TV" segment. The Unforgettable Fire and Stay made their tour debut and Wild Horses returned to the setlist for the second time that year to not go away again. Later in the tour songs like Zoo Station, Dirty Day and The Fly joined this incredible new part of the set. The tour felt entirely different since this day, raising it to the levels of U2's most historic tours. A great night in Copenhagen, with a Kim Larsen-tribute (Danish rock and pop musician, who died earlier that year) at the end of the show with a great vibe and crowd. One for the history books.
2018-11-10 - Dublin
2018-11-10 - Dublin: The changed setlist on the Experience and Innocence tour culminated in its best moments on the fourth and final Dublin show that year. With the support of their home crowd, friends and family, U2 put on a show that went on to become one of their very best. By this time, the Zoo TV segment had evolved and improved, with the introduction of Dirty Day and staples like Zoo Station and The Fly, bringing out the very best of band and crowd. Most of the songs this night were performed to perfection, with The Blackout and Wild Horses sounding as good as possible. Bono's vocals were superb and Landlady was a treat few fans would forget after that night. This historic show is captured in an incredible audio recording which many fans to this day still have on repeat.
2018-11-13 - Berlin
2018-11-13 - Berlin: Only 3 days after the great show in Dublin, U2 ended the Experience and Innocence tour in Berlin, Germany. Just 2 months earlier U2 had to abruptly end their second performance in the German capital as Bono suffered serious vocal problems. And so for the third time (after Lovetown and Innocence and Experience) U2's planned end of the tour in Dublin had to make way for another ending in another country. By the time U2 came back to Berlin the show felt like an entire different tour than the show before, with the addition of songs of which many were born in the city of Berlin during the recordings in the early nineties. This show was not just different, it was a celebration of U2 coming back to Berlin, an hommage to many of the songs that were born in Berlin, a dedication to the city and people of Berlin and an amazing farewell to one of U2's most loved tours in history. Songs like Dirty Day, Wild Horses and Acrobat were performed to perfection, all part of the film that would later be released as part of a U2.com subscribers gift. The crowd was ecstatic, the vibe was emotional yet celebratory and those who were there can do nothing but admit this was one of U2's most important, emotional and historic shows.
2019-11-22 - Sydney
2019-11-22 - Sydney: The Joshua Tree anniversary tour made a triumphant return 2 years after its last show 2 years before, with U2 returning to Australia, New Zealand and Asia after 9 years. The 22nd of November was a special date, with U2 scheduled to perform in Sydney on the anniversary of Michael Hutchence death. The show was full of references with snippets and speeches, making it an emotional show, also for the family and friends of the late Michael Hutchence who were in attendance. The performance of Bad was incredible, ending with an emotional Never Tear Us Apart. And the biggest tribute came at the end with U2 playing Stuck In A Moment, while footage of Michael Hutchence played on the giant screen. The end of special day which started with a lot of rain, which stopped just when U2 entered the stage.
2019-12-05 - Saitama
2019-12-05 - Saitama: U2 returned to Japan for the first time since 2006 and once again visited the city of Saitama, outside of Tokyo. The Saitama Super Arena is an indoor stadium which made the shows in Saitama feel like one of the most intimate shows of the tour. The giant screen just fit inside the arena and brightly lit the ecstatic mostly Japanese crowd. Bono's voice was superb and the band is in top form as the Joshua Tree tour was approaching its final weeks. Highlights of the night included Bad, with a great snippet of The Boxer, and a surprise and great performance of Gloria. This show is captured in amazing audio quality by fans, making this show one that cannot miss in your collection.
2019-12-15 - Mumbai
2019-12-15 - Mumbai: The Joshua Tree 2019 tour played new cities and countries, places where U2 have never been before. The last show of the tour went on to become U2's very first show in India, in the city of Mumbai. A very special place for U2, also given the fact that they promoted it a lot and even recorded the song Ahimsa with Indian singer A.R. Rahman, which they ended up playing together on stage for the first time. A great snippet of Give Peace A Chance was sung during Bad, with the crowd joyfully singing along. The end of something special, one last celebration of The Joshua Tree album and tour A historic show at an historic location, and the last U2 show for at least quite some time.
