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Experience and Innocence tour
 Legs (3): Promo tour, Leg 1: North America, Leg 2: Europe
Shows: 79
  1. Originally posted by Blue_Room:[..]
    Using that logic, they were done after Joshua Tree. So they should have quit then. Now that would have been stupid wouldnt it?!
    Doesn't mean I don't still love this band. Age catches up with us all.
  2. True, but I don't think it is sad. Of course they are not in their prime any longer. Doesn't mean they are not still one of the best live bands out there. Because they are to me.
  3. Originally posted by Blue_Room:[..]
    It is a new tour, they are playing a lot of SOE and the show is different other than one segment. Half of the show was different from what I saw on SOI. You do not like that half that is different and the static setlists. That is way different from most of the show is the same. Yes, if you go multiple nights, but not if you go to one show.

    I didn't go to multiple nights, nor do I really care about "static setlists" like many others do. Setlists for nights that I'm not attending don't bother me whatsoever lol. I find it weird that it does for so many others here.

    And really?

    Here's the show that I saw on this tour:

    Love Is All We Have Left
    The Blackout
    Lights of Home
    I Will Follow / Mother (snippet)
    Gloria / Van Morrison's Gloria (snippet) / Patti Smith's Gloria (snippet)
    Beautiful Day
    The Ocean
    Iris (Hold Me Close)
    Cedarwood Road
    Sunday Bloody Sunday / The Garden of Love (snippet)
    Until The End Of The World / Introduction (snippet)
    (Intermission - Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me)
    Elevation
    Vertigo     / Everything Now (snippet)
    Desire
    Acrobat
    You're The Best Thing About Me
    Staring At The Sun
    Pride (In The Name Of Love)
    Get Out Of Your Own Way
    American Soul
    City Of Blinding Lights

    encore(s):
    Women of the World (snippet) / One / Invisible (snippet)
    Love Is Bigger Than Anything In Its Way
    13 (There Is A Light)

    The bolded ones are ones I had seen on the previous tour, pretty much performed the exact same way. Not to mention all the cool tricks the screen were used for were used the exact same way (apart from some neat stuff at the beginning of this tour). Gloria is in italics because while I didn't see it myself, it was performed lol.

    Almost everything remaining is from the new album, and barely any of them involved the actual stage setup in any kind of meaningful way. Most if not all of those bolded songs should've been replaced with something else, and the show itself (screen/stage) should've been used differently.

    Sure, maybe mathematically the setlist is only "half different". But it's more than just the setlist, and it's more than just numbers, man. Even City of Blinding Lights used the same cool thing to add to its performance.
  4. Originally posted by Blue_Room:[..]


    Not true, third leg JT shows in N. America were not all soldout (they still sold well, a lot of people fit into a stadium even when its not soldout). Also on the SOI tour they planned 6 nights in Chicago, but only did 5 when the 5th show was a SLOW seller. Same for LA.

    Many empty seats for 360 as well, especially in 2011. They all still sold well, but were not sellouts.

    U2 are still one of the biggest live acts out there period. They basically have oversaturated the market in the U.S.and the ticket costs did not help that situation. They still sold very strongly, playing multiple nights in most regions. Most artists play 1 night in an area. If U2 played 1 night in each city or region for SOE they would have been complete sellouts.

    Also, on the vaunted Zoo TV tour, many N. American shows were not sellouts on the Outside Broadcast. I was at the Pontiac show, most of the upper deck of the Silverdome was empty. Still were 35,000 to 40,000 people which is great, but it was nowhere near soldout.

    Just a little perspective here.

    Will they retire. Doubt it. It will take health issues by a member for them to retire. That is the only way there is not another tour. Which could happen, they are human beings and it will be 3-4 years before they tour again. But I think they will probably go 2 more major tours if they stay healthy.


    Thanks for that Blue Room - I didn’t know about the JT30 third leg not selling out.

    Yes - prices too high for the last run of shows and they ballsed up both the marketing and sales of the tour in the US - no differentiation from i&e and an untried (at mega artist level anyway) Verified Fan system certainly didn’t help.

    You’re probably right - health will be the reason it comes to an end. Considering the life they lead they look good - but as Adam said in that recent health and well-being podcast it takes a lot to keep them in that shape - especially Larry for whom it must be especially punishing with repetive strain etc.

    In many ways I hope this band don’t try and soldier on like The Who or the Stones or Mecca for that matter. They’ve achieved way way beyond their wildest dreams - there is realistically nothing left for them left to do apart from a Vegas residency and i hope hope hope they never succomb to that!
  5. Originally posted by RattleandHum1988:[..]

    I didn't go to multiple nights, nor do I really care about "static setlists" like many others do. Setlists for nights that I'm not attending don't bother me whatsoever lol. I find it weird that it does for so many others here.

    And really?

    Here's the show that I saw on this tour:

    Love Is All We Have Left
    The Blackout
    Lights of Home
    I Will Follow / Mother (snippet)
    Gloria / Van Morrison's Gloria (snippet) / Patti Smith's Gloria (snippet)
    Beautiful Day
    The Ocean
    Iris (Hold Me Close)
    Cedarwood Road
    Sunday Bloody Sunday / The Garden of Love (snippet)
    Until The End Of The World / Introduction (snippet)
    (Intermission - Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me)
    Elevation
    Vertigo     / Everything Now (snippet)
    Desire
    Acrobat
    You're The Best Thing About Me
    Staring At The Sun
    Pride (In The Name Of Love)
    Get Out Of Your Own Way
    American Soul
    City Of Blinding Lights

    encore(s):
    Women of the World (snippet) / One / Invisible (snippet)
    Love Is Bigger Than Anything In Its Way
    13 (There Is A Light)

    The bolded ones are ones I had seen on the previous tour, pretty much performed the exact same way. Not to mention all the cool tricks the screen were used for were used the exact same way (apart from some neat stuff at the beginning of this tour). Gloria is in italics because while I didn't see it myself, it was performed lol.

    Almost everything remaining is from the new album, and barely any of them involved the actual stage setup in any kind of meaningful way. Most if not all of those bolded songs should've been replaced with something else, and the show itself (screen/stage) should've been used differently.

    Sure, maybe mathematically the setlist is only "half different". But it's more than just the setlist, and it's more than just numbers, man. Even City of Blinding Lights used the same cool thing to add to its performance.
    You could say similiar things about past tours also. If you do not want to count new material from the album they are touring for, then they are all similiar as well.
    New material is always what is different about each U2 tour (except JT 30 obviously). That is no different.

    I get it, you don't like the current setlist or tour. I enjoyed it. I do not think U2 ripped anyone off by doing it this way.
  6. Man, I also can't believe they did away with the lights on after the bridge in Blackout. A guaranteed full arena cheer during the early shows.

    Summer of Love also crying out for some percussion. Listen to how the hand claps in the first verse just die off as nothing happens with the song. Grgh.
  7. Originally posted by germcevoy:Man, I also can't believe they did away with the lights on after the bridge in Blackout. A guaranteed full arena cheer during the early shows.

    Summer of Love also crying out for some percussion. Listen to how the hand claps in the first verse just die off as nothing happens with the song. Grgh.
    This version should be performed.
  8. I can take little setlist rotation if the set is good but in my opinion it’s just boring. It starts great the blackout - Beautiful day is fine but after that the show suffers. The ocean into Iris is cool but it should have been done back in 2015. Ceaderwood road is just terrible live the album version is incredible but live is just ugh. That version of Sunday Bloody Sunday is atrocious without RBW they should just play normal SBS. I still don’t understand the bands obsession with UTEOTW but I don’t have issuses hearing it. The whole E stage section is great. After that though the whole show is pretty flat COBL replacing Streets is an absolute joke and the show badly needs streets, bad, and little things. I don’t want U2 to take a long break since I know I won’t get to see them for much longer but it might be for the best because they look like they are running out of gas after all these tours in the past 4 or 5 years.
  9. Originally posted by POPmart07:I can take little setlist rotation if the set is good but in my opinion it’s just boring. It starts great the blackout - Beautiful day is fine but after that the show suffers. The ocean into Iris is cool but it should have been done back in 2015. Ceaderwood road is just terrible live the album version is incredible but live is just ugh. That version of Sunday Bloody Sunday is atrocious without RBW they should just play normal SBS. I still don’t understand the bands obsession with UTEOTW but I don’t have issuses hearing it. The whole E stage section is great. After that though the whole show is pretty flat COBL replacing Streets is an absolute joke and the show badly needs streets, bad, and little things. I don’t want U2 to take a long break since I know I won’t get to see them for much longer but it might be for the best because they look like they are running out of gas after all these tours in the past 4 or 5 years.
    I can totally see where you're coming from in regards to the concert itself. The start is brilliant. Cedarwood Road hasn't been as good as 2015, but it's still very good live. Sunday Bloody Sunday should return to how it is usually performed. I really disagree with you on Until The End Of The World - brilliant song. Really good live, it's one of the best parts of the first half of the concert. Don't really think COBL has replaced Streets. It was always going to be performed live whether people wanted it or not.
  10. Originally posted by germcevoy:Man, I also can't believe they did away with the lights on after the bridge in Blackout. A guaranteed full arena cheer during the early shows.

    Summer of Love also crying out for some percussion. Listen to how the hand claps in the first verse just die off as nothing happens with the song. Grgh.
    I'm sure they know what they are doing,they aren't the biggest touring band in history for nothing
  11. After my tour debut I have a very optimistic opinion regarding the band's decisions when it comes to the setlist and the show as a whole.
    It's obviously similar to the IE tour but it's dramatically better mainly because SOE's songs are far superior to SOI's (at least, those that were played on a regular basis). At a point where it's easy to forget that they haven't played any song from the Joshua Tree.
    The only lows of the shows were Sunday Bloody Sunday (yeah, underwhelming version once again) and City of Blinding Lights.
    The rest of the show is so, so, so strong. From all the tours I've seen (since 2005 only) it's certainly the one I enjoyed the most to date because everything matches so well. Don't get me wrong, if I were to define the setlist I would change it a lot (to throw the whole Pop album in there, mainly), but I think the band totally nailed what they were hoping to do: to showcase a well defined narrative and highlight their newest songs. They were not sucessful promoting the new songs on a live setting since the Vertigo tour so this fact alone is quite impressive for 58 years old guys with a huge hits catalog behind them. You may not like the static setlist or their options (I would obviously play Little Things and Landlady / Showman) but you can't argue the success they're having with the new songs. The slots they choose for them are very wise decisions.
    The first half is not the strongest part of the show (partially because that's what we have already seen in 2015) but from the intermission 'til the end is just awesome. The intermission itself is brilliant and is really helping to build the narrative of the impressive segment from Elevation until Acrobat - they've done great things in the past but rarely have they nailed so well to mix songs with a story. The whole E-stage performance is brilliant and I was very impressed by the unplugged version of Best Thing and Summer of Love is just gorgeous.
    Pride - Get Out - New Year's Day could be a classic segment from U2 shows, especially with the new arrangements they came with for Pride and NYD.
    The encore is what makes the difference to me, and that why I say this european leg is probably one of their finest hours: they've crafted a perfect encore, with the right dosage of anticipation, of hope, of despair, of activism ... and symbology. One and Love is Bigger are both huge moments where they easily have the crowd singing along so loud that you can't ignore their power. And 13 is a perfect ending for this 4 years of intense work from the band, leaving the stage with the light bulb on, again. I've never imagined that a 3-songs encore, featuring 2 new ones, could produce such an artistic ending for a rock show. That's my favorite part of the show.
    Really looking forward to see 2 more shows in this tour. They took great risks on the creativity side and they totally won the bet, against the odds.
  12. Well said!!