Originally posted by LikeASong:It's a shame we don't have a good recording for 2001-05-13 - Chicago, it's such a different, different show. This is what Pimm said about it:
Major set list shake up, and an odd show altogether. Bono doesn't spend much time on the catwalk, Edge doesn't go there at all, except during the B-stage set. They drop a few songs, they add a few and move Gone to the start of the set. The printed set list for the night said: 'I Will Follow (or) 11 O'clock.' The band opt for I Will Follow. Throughout the show, Bono asks fans to put their signs down, mostly by waving his hand in a downward motion, once actually saying 'put down' during one of the songs.
During Elevation, Bono tries out a new thing during the song's climax, spelling out Elevation. "Sing it! E-L-E-V-A-T-I-O-N-E-L-E-V-A-T-I-O-N-ayayayayayayayaya.' After Beautiful Day, Bono comments, 'Going off tonight, going off.' Then, after Stuck in a Moment, Bono comments: 'We had an extraordinary night last night and I'm gonna be telling every night we play here, I'm gonna be telling them on the streets, I'm gonna be telling the cab drivers, I'm telling room service, I'm telling the lady on the reception that this is truly a great thing for U2 to be in Chicago. This city was very hip to what we were doing on the Pop album and very hip to Popmart and we thank you.' To emphasize the point, the band play three songs off 'Pop' in a row: Gone, Discotheque, and Staring at the Sun.
They play around with New York as well. Bono foregoes wearing a cowboy hat, plays down the show element and the gauze screens don't come down. Unfortunately, the changes seem to put Bono off a bit and he messes up the start of the third verse, sings 'In New York...' again, then starts over. He ends up singing the fourth verse almost a cappella.
While Bono is introducing The Ground Beneath Her Feet, someone throws him a leopard skin hat. "Will somebody remind me if I have the hat on in a few minutes? I might have forgotton certain songs might fit the hat, you know what I am saying? You remind me and you get it back. Is this a hat song?' The Edge doesn't think so, so the hat comes off.
Dancing in front of one of the belly dancers on the first screen at the back of the stage, Bono's cut short when the screen goes down when he's getting totally into it. He puts his hands up, mouths 'Noooo!' then puts his hands on his head, lowering his head - crushed he doesn't get to finish the dance.
Introducing One: 'On our next album is gonna be a tune called Chicago, can tell you that.' He then introduced the band. 'We're having an extraordinary week in Chicago and we are really having such a great time, I would advice people against the later gigs.'
The start of Walk On is a bit messy. The Edge's guitar is malfunctioning and while he tries to fix what's wrong, aided by Dallas Schoo, Bono fills in the gap by singing the following lines: 'Oh, oh, now, think we finally pulled the plug. Oh, now, Edge is having some bad luck. Oh, now, got to put your foot on the switch. Oh, now, sure it's gonna do the trick..."
The Elevation Tour was different at so many levels. And so good except for Bono's voice and... well, the album they were promoting
Bono mentions it during 360 (pretty sure the sole 2011 show) when he reminisces about the stadium and playing Popmart and chicago being the only place they played where they accepted it and “got it” and it “gave the band confidence to move forward.”
Can’t remember the bootleg but even in 1997 in Chicago Bono says during the speech he does before I Still Havent Found something like “thanks for staying with us” and something like they were afraid of being swallowed up by the music industry and drastically changed by making POP in response to that fear. Kind of goes on and just ends it with “you’re all just really fucking cool for being here tonight”