U2start.com | What songs won't we hear live again?

U2 have just wrapped up quite a burst of activity, presumably for a while, after three tours!

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Or four tours, if you prefer. Or two, or two and a half, or three and a half, or something.

Over that time, they have performed a great many songs (80 of their own, plus a few covers), including many that haven't seen the light of day in years - or at all. Now, I am quite sure that U2 aren't finished yet and we have, bare minimum, one more major tour with them, and I'd wager more likely two or three. This topic is to discuss the songs that we very likely WON'T be hearing live in concert when our band returns to the stage, and why we thing certain songs will or won't make the cut for setlists yet to come. Of course, U2 are full of surprises even if they aren't full of setlist variation, and any predictions might well end up wrong for some reason or another.

Also, this is specifically targeting songs that U2 have played on the i+e/e+i/TJT touring cycle -- not just any songs from the back catalogue. Yeah, we probably won't hear With a Shout again (unfortunately), but they haven't touched it since 1982... these songs are much fresher.

THE SONGS PLAYED, 2015-2019

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Boy: 4 songs
I Will Follow (i+e, e+i, TJT)
Out of Control (i+e)
The Ocean (e+i)
The Electric Co. (i+e, e+i)

October: 2 songs
Gloria (i+e, e+i, TJT)
October (i+e)

War: 4 songs
Sunday Bloody Sunday (i+e, e+i, TJT)
New Year's Day (i+e, e+i, TJT)
Two Hearts Beat As One (i+e)
"40" (i+e)

The Unforgettable Fire: 5 songs
A Sort of Homecoming (TJT)
Pride (i+e, e+i, TJT)
The Unforgettable Fire (e+i)
Bad (i+e, TJT)
MLK (TJT)

The Joshua Tree: 11 songs
Where the Streets Have No Name (i+e, TJT)
I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For (i+e, TJT)
With Or Without You (i+e, TJT)
Bullet the Blue Sky (i+e, TJT)
Running To Stand Still (TJT)
Red Hill Mining Town (TJT)
In God's Country (i+e, TJT)
Trip Through Your Wires (TJT)
One Tree Hill (TJT)
Exit (TJT)
Mothers of the Disappeared (TJT)

Rattle and Hum: 4 songs
Desire (i+e, TJT, e+i)
Angel of Harlem (i+e, TJT)
When Love Comes To Town (i+e)
All I Want Is You (i+e)

Achtung Baby: 9 songs
Zoo Station (i+e, e+i)
Even Better Than the Real Thing (i+e, e+i, TJT)
One (i+e, e+i, TJT)
Until the End of the World (i+e, e+i)
Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses (e+i)
The Fly (e+i)
Mysterious Ways (i+e, TJT)
Ultra Violet (TJT)
Acrobat (e+i)

Zooropa: 3 songs
Zooropa (i+e)
Stay (e+i)
Dirty Day (e+i)

Pop: 1 song
Staring At the Sun (e+i)

All That You Can't Leave Behind: 3 songs
Beautiful Day (i+e, e+i, TJT)
Stuck In a Moment You Can't Get Out of (i+e, TJT)
Elevation (i+e, e+i, TJT)

How To Dismantle an Atomic Bomb: 4 songs
Vertigo (i+e, e+i, TJT)
Miracle Drug (i+e)
City of Blinding Lights (i+e, e+i)
All Because of You (e+i)

No Line On the Horizon: 1 song
Magnificent (i+e)

Songs of Innocence: 11 songs
The Miracle (i+e)
Every Breaking Wave (i+e, TJT)
California (i+e)
Song For Someone (i+e, e+i)
Iris (i+e, e+i)
Volcano (i+e)
Raised By Wolves (i+e, e+i)
Cedarwood Road (i+e, e+i)
The Troubles (i+e)
Lucifer's Hands (i+e)
The Crystal Ballroom (i+e)

Songs of Experience: 12 songs
Love Is All We Have Left (e+i)
Lights of Home (e+i)
You're the Best Thing About Me (e+i, TJT)
Get Out of Your Own Way (e+i)
American Soul (e+i)
Summer of Love (e+i)
Red Flag Day (e+i)
The Little Things That Give You Away (TJT)
Landlady (e+i)
The Blackout (e+i)
Love Is Bigger Than Anything In Its Way (e+i, TJT)
13 (e+i)

Other Songs: 6 songs
Party Girl (i+e)
Spanish Eyes (i+e, e+i, TJT)
Sweetest Thing (i+e, TJT)
Ordinary Love (i+e)
Invisible (i+e)
Ahimsa (TJT)

So, all 14 studio albums have been represented over the recent tours, and i+e and e+i have really covered a lot of the band's catalogue (only one album totally absent from each)! It's actually pretty interesting to see the band's coverage of a lot of material - half of TUF has made appearance, though two songs were one-offs and one was a rarity, and almost all of Achtung Baby has been played. On the other hand, ATYCLB, so readily touted by many as the band's "third masterpiece" has had a mere three songs played in as many tours.

I'm offering my own song-by-song opinions in a followup post, but I'd love to hear everyone else's too!

My predictions on how the 80 songs U2 have played between 2015-2019 will fare going forward....

Boy:

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I Will Follow (i+e, e+i, TJT) - 100%. There's no question we'll hear this one again, the only song to make every single album tour.

Out of Control (i+e) - 100%. While it's been something of a rarity since the early 80s (barring i+e), there's no way U2 will end their career without playing "their first single" a few more times.

The Ocean (e+i) - 10%. Doubtful, but on e+i and Vertigo before it, it was more of a musical interlude than a song in its own right and therefore I can see a slim chance for it to return.

The Electric Co. (i+e, e+i) - 55%. Really middle of the road here. If we hear a Boy song that's not IWF or OOC, it'll almost definitely be this one. It's energetic and gives Bono a chance to play with snippets, and was a staple for the first several tours of their career. But... how much of Boy are we going to hear again? Playing Boy songs seems really tied to the theme of the album being promoted.

October:

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Gloria (i+e, e+i, TJT) - 90%. After sitting out the entire 1990s and most of the 2000s, apart from the earlier part of Vertigo, this one has suddenly made its way into the setlists of the three most recent tours. I think U2 may have rediscovered what a live classic this is; its return, even just a couple of times, really wouldn't surprise me.

October (i+e) - 15%. Its return in 2015 - much less as a regular - was surprising. It's really short and on piano, which make it a nice interlude or segue song, which might be the only things keeping it a possibility.

War:

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Sunday Bloody Sunday (i+e, e+i, TJT) - 100%. No question.

New Year's Day (i+e, e+i, TJT) - 100%. Again, too much of a classic to leave. I at least would consider it a highlight of both the e+i and TJT setlists, a real testament to its staying power.

Two Hearts Beat As One (i+e) - 1%. They kind of tried to bring it back... but it didn't stick. Two Hearts always was a fantastic live song, but I think i+e was last chance saloon for this one.

"40" (i+e) - 99.5%. U2 really seem to have veered from closing with "40" since the end of the 1980s, despite its almost-mythological status as THE show closer. I'd say it's too iconic to keep away but there is a tiny little doubt... I was blown away they never played on TJT, so maybe.....

The Unforgettable Fire:

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A Sort of Homecoming (TJT) - 5%. Kind of depends on how long they're away for, perhaps? I liked the revitalized version from 2017, and I always kind of wonder why this isn't a Dublin staple, the way that Spanish Eyes is in Spain, but... the fact it didn't stay regularly throughout TJT (EVEN in Dublin!!!) doesn't bode well. Its massive-fan-favourite status might be its saving throw...

Pride (i+e, e+i, TJT) - 100%. Of course. Wouldn't mind it taking a rest, and could honestly kinda see that, but it wouldn't be permanent.

The Unforgettable Fire (e+i) - 70%. An absolute gem of a song, the repeated rehearsal leading to the one-off appearance in 2018 shows it's really on their minds. While I don't expect it to be a regular, I'd be fairly surprised if U2 went the rest of their career without showing this beauty off at least another time or two.

Bad (i+e, TJT) - 100%. There's just no substitute for Bad. Its absence over the whole of e+i took me by surprise.

MLK (TJT) - 30%. It's short and a nice segue song, like October and The Ocean above. The man behind the song is ever-prevalent in U2's minds, so I wouldn't be shocked by another little outing for MLK... but I wouldn't bet on it either.

The Joshua Tree:

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Where the Streets Have No Name (i+e, TJT) - 100%. The greatest song of all time. There's no way around it, nor should there be. It'll be back.

I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For (i+e, TJT) - 100%. Too iconic to go away, but might become a little less frequent...

With Or Without You (i+e, TJT) - 100%. It's staying.

Bullet the Blue Sky (i+e, TJT) - 95%. While I think it is very, very likely to return I can see a slight glimmer of its absence. Do they need it? Its absence wasn't really felt on e+i; they had other songs to do that kind of thing. U2360 managed fine without it too...

Running To Stand Still (TJT) - 20%. Has not had the staying power of the preceding tracks but is a U2 classic, and a favourite of Edge's. I don't really expect its return but would they really end their careers without it...?

Red Hill Mining Town (TJT) - <1%. Sure, they dusted it off after never playing it in 2017 and again in 2019, but I think that's all the showcasing this one's going to get.

In God's Country (i+e, TJT) - 75% in the US Southwest, <5% elsewhere. A regional song - a show in Phoenix has a decent chance of getting it, but beyond that, I can't really see it being likely at all.

Trip Through Your Wires (TJT) - <1%. The band seemed be having a lot of fun with this one, especially this year. That said, I think it's a bit too TJT-y to have a chance outside that setting.

One Tree Hill (TJT) - 99.5% in New Zealand, 5% elsewhere. They'll play this one when and if they return to NZ, but I doubt it'll be heard otherwise. Maybe a slim chance for shows on the anniversary of Greg Carroll's death, like that one in 2011.

Exit (TJT) - <5%. It was a fantastic spectacle this year, and that might just sit with the band enough to really surprise us with it in the future - there was some powerful performance magic there. However... it's an awful slim chance.

Mothers of the Disappeared (TJT) - 95% in Latin America (or perhaps the Middle East/Western Asia, should they ever play there), <1% elsewhere. Never really a live staple. Again, a song too tied to its regional theme to stick around elsewhere.

Rattle and Hum:

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Desire (i+e, TJT, e+i) - 100%. A real rocker when electric, an easy bop when acoustic. It'll stay.

Angel of Harlem (i+e, TJT) - 99%. Easy to play, upbeat, good in a rotational slot.

When Love Comes To Town (i+e) - 1%. Legendary with B.B. King on Lovetown but nothing too special after that, generally speaking. Its return in 2015 was exciting but would it have been played without B.B.'s passing?... the fact this one never stuck in the setlist like Desire or AOH is telling.

All I Want Is You (i+e) - 95%. Frankly, I was shocked this never appeared in 2019. A straightforward classic, never quite a live favourite but a bit too iconic to leave behind, I'd wager.

Achtung Baby:

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I am assuming no Achtung Baby anniversary tour in 2021.

Zoo Station (i+e, e+i) - 40%. Not the most unlikely song to return but after 2018 I see its best hope as a one-off for Berlin, like in 2015.

Even Better Than the Real Thing (i+e, e+i, TJT) - 90%. I'm a little surprised to rank this one so high, but the band seem to have had a real fixation for it since 2011. They like fitting it to a narrative, it seems, so why would they stop now?

One (i+e, e+i, TJT) - 100%. Of course.

Until the End of the World (i+e, e+i) - 100%. Too much of a live favourite to not hear again.

Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses (e+i) - <5%. While on ZooTV it was a powerful, they also clearly didn't quite have a handle on it. I'd say in 2018, they nailed this one. And that's too bad, because it just isn't enough of a classic to stick around, as far as I can see.

The Fly (e+i) - 70%. More likely than not, but I could see 2018 being the end of The Fly.

Mysterious Ways (i+e, TJT) - 100%. While its absence in 2018 and 2019 was actually kind of nice, it won't last. This one is, again, too iconic to disappear.

Ultra Violet (TJT) - 1%. I think they did what they wanted to do with this song on TJT, and it seems like it might be taxing on Bono to perform these days.

Acrobat (e+i) - 10%. Higher than you might expect, but this one has been such a desperate wish of fans for so long, that I could see U2 playing it a few more times, maybe only in the places that didn't get it in 2018. Far-fetched, but I'd say within the realms of possibility.

Zooropa:

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Zooropa (i+e) - <5%. They really did it justice back in 2011, and it was used interestingly in 2015, but what is there for this song to do now?

Stay (e+i) - 85%. Bono's favourite U2 song and a fan favourite as well. Not necessarily an obvious choice but I think it'd be difficult for them to go without it for the rest of their career.

Dirty Day (e+i) - <1%. They brought it back for just a couple of shows in a totally rearranged, part-of-the-narrative way. It's not coming back again.

Pop: 1 song

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Staring At the Sun (e+i) - 50%. I think Pop will have representation going forward, and this song is probably the single most likely candidate. In the stripped-down acoustic style, of course.

All That You Can't Leave Behind:

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Beautiful Day (i+e, e+i, TJT) - 100%. No question.

Stuck In a Moment You Can't Get Out of (i+e, TJT) - 90%. Seems to be an easy enough one for them to trot out for promo events and such, so it'll make its way into the setlists.

Elevation (i+e, e+i, TJT) - 100%. Needs to be dropped. Won't be dropped.

How To Dismantle an Atomic Bomb:

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Vertigo (i+e, e+i, TJT) - 100%. Absolute banger and their last huge hit.

Miracle Drug (i+e) - 10%. Chances are slim but I maintain that Miracle Drug, besides being a total highlight of the Vertigo Tour, ought to have a comeback because it's a great chance for a message about all the anti-vaxxing nonsense. Given how much of Bono's charitable work is tied up in vaccinations for those who need them, this seems like an obvious choice...

City of Blinding Lights (i+e, e+i) - 90%. Can't really see them leaving it out at this stage, though - while it's a great U2 anthem - it wasn't really missed on TJT.

All Because of You (e+i) - <1%. I really think e+i was the last airing for this one.

No Line On the Horizon:

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Magnificent (i+e) - 60%. I imagine it'll crop up again, but then again, perhaps not. If NLOTH gets any representation going forward - and I think it will before the end of their career - it'll be this song and/or Moment of Surrender.

Songs of Innocence:

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The Miracle (i+e) - 65%. They rehearsed it for 2019, so it's on their minds, even in a setlist without the i+e narrative. A pretty straightforward pop rocker, its chances are probably good.

Every Breaking Wave (i+e, TJT) - 100%. Really can't see them leaving this one out, a modern classic. Shame we won't ever get the full band electric version, though.

California (i+e) - 1%. I really thought this would be a hit, or at least a a regional song for CA shows, like Spanish Eyes in Spain. When it wasn't played in San Jose or LA in 2018, I think that hope evaporated. They just don't seem to have the love for this one that it deserves.

Song For Someone (i+e, e+i) - 85%. Pretty good chances, simple enough song and a single.

Iris (i+e, e+i) - <1%. While an excellent live track, I think this song would fall a little flat without a narrative-heavy show.

Volcano (i+e) - <5%. After listening to the recent fan club gift, I realized just how much this song stomped live. Unfortunately, it was pretty rare on the tour for its album so I just don't think it's got a chance; American Soul is a better candidate.

Raised By Wolves (i+e, e+i) - 30%. I really, really hope I am underestimating this, because RBW seems like one of U2's most inspired live songs in ages, and doesn't depend heavily on the heavily-narrative setlist... but they readily dumped it on e+i but kept the slowed-down SBS and the oft-played UTEOTW...

Cedarwood Road (i+e, e+i) - <1%. As with Iris: excellent song, but very depended on the narrative-heavy set.

The Troubles (i+e) - <1%. Troublingly, this one never quite caught, despite being a very, very U2y track. If it didn't have its moment in 2015, it probably won't in the future.

Lucifer's Hands (i+e) - <1%. No way.

The Crystal Ballroom (i+e) - <1%. Despite being one of U2's best songs ever, there just wasn't much drive to play it outside of fan pressure, it seems. It should've been a staple of i+e but wasn't. Its time is, sadly, gone.

Songs of Experience:

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Love Is All We Have Left (e+i) - 25%. Probably not, but simple and short with some really nice lyrics so it's got a decent chance as a segue - into Streets, perhaps....?

Lights of Home (e+i) - 75%. A powerful song with heavy lyrics, and while nobody knows what happens next, the themes of ageing, rebirth, and mortality seem likely things to stay with them...

You're the Best Thing About Me (e+i, TJT) - 99%. Not the greatest live track out of the recent stuff, but poppy, fun, probably about as successful a single as U2 can hope for these days, and another one to add to the pile of "stripped back acoustic rotational slot" fodder.

Get Out of Your Own Way (e+i) - 95%. Seems too overtly U2y to drop.

American Soul (e+i) - 70%. I honestly would be pretty surprised not to see this on future US legs. It worked well live, and we all know how much Bono loves to fly a flag.

Summer of Love (e+i) - <5%. Wasn't exactly a live standout, was it?

Red Flag Day (e+i) - <5%. While it was a good live track, the band seemed to have lost faith in it quite suddenly after really hyping it up; it's probably just been put to bed.

The Little Things That Give You Away (TJT) - 80%. I'd be really surprised to see U2 end without bringing this one back. It's such an obvious U2 + farewell track...

Landlady (e+i) - <1%. Lovely song, but not really one for the arena, much less the stadium...

The Blackout (e+i) - 80%. Seems like such an obvious heavy track to keep around. Political but not too overtly so, maybe a nice opportunity to try things out later...

Love Is Bigger Than Anything In Its Way (e+i, TJT) - 100%. A U2 song if ever there was one; a great opportunity for a singalong and a bit of a moment of unity near the end of a show.

13 (e+i) - <1%. Probably the most narrative-specific song off SOE; low energy and a bit morbid, not really the kind of thing one brings back... It'd make a damn fine snippet, though.

Other Songs:

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Party Girl (i+e) - 90%. It's going to be somebody's birthday eventually.

Spanish Eyes (i+e, e+i, TJT) - 99% in Spain; <1% elsewhere. Too obscure to catch on elsewhere, really, but a bit of a tradition in Spain.

Sweetest Thing (i+e, TJT) - <5%. I'd be pretty surprised, and honestly a bit disappointed, to see this one again. What does it do that other songs don't?

Ordinary Love (i+e) - 25%. Was never quite a live classic - partly by design, if you recall back in 2014 they did mention maybe steering away from playing this one - but it's such a U2-type thing (and is certainly one of the U2 songs I most frequently hear on the radio) that they may not keep away.

Invisible (i+e) - <1%. Nah.

Ahimsa (TJT) - <1%. While U2 have certainly been hyping this one on social media, it seems like such a clear tie-in to their India show that that's that.

Overall, I can't see them dropping any of the warhorses at this stage in their career, but I do think that a lot of the recent songs have pretty decent odds for at least a few outings moving forward.

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