UVS
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U2:UV Achtung Baby at the Sphere
 Legs (1): 2023-2024
Shows: 40
Tickets:
  1. Originally posted by LostSailor:[..]
    Perhaps Remy can do a poll where we rank Bono's voice during all of U2's tours. We should take an average night's performance of all songs on that tour into consideration. I would think Bono goes to extra lengths to sound as best as possible when they are recording a show for future release.
    It’s a hard thing to rank because some songs sound better on certain tours. The difference with sphere is they weren’t promoting new material. Naturally new songs tend to be more suited to what Bono can do at that time, some exceptions but generally I think that’s true. Bono’s voice on Popmart was a bit up and down yet listen to the pop songs performed on most of that tour and he was singing them great. Zoo tv is often highlighted as one of his best but some of the oldies didn’t have the same power, New Year’s Day and bad are examples where the falsetto was used in place of belting out the notes. The AB songs however he had nailed down on that tour. He could sing the unforgettable fire on TUF tour with some form of control for what is a very difficult song to sing yet a few years later on TJT tour couldn’t get the notes out without a stretch if at all some nights, just listen to the Paris 87 show. City of blinding lights and vertigo as well as elevation and beautiful day I don’t think have ever sounded better than on the vertigo and elevation tours respectively.
  2. Well hes not 30 or 20something. Its unfair to compare that to the 60ish Bono.

    That said..i heard half of AB at Milan IV on E/I and if anythimg I feel he should sing more of 90s material and only most necessary stuff of the 80s.
  3. Originally posted by muzika:Well hes not 30 or 20something. Its unfair to compare that to the 60ish Bono.

    That said..i heard half of AB at Milan IV on E/I and if anythimg I feel he should sing more of 90s material and only most necessary stuff of the 80s.
    It probably is unfair to compare but that’s why it will be better when they release new music and play that live because it will be material that suits his voice now. Atomic city might not have been the strongest song on the set but at least Bono could do it justice. To compliment the new stuff I’d like to hear songs from the first 3 albums, and songs from the 00’s onwards, I think there’s plenty in that category he can sing well still.
  4. He is singing better than ever those last tours. His control is much better, the way he sings the lyrics is much better

    But the power is not there. And he takes care for his voice, and has lost spontaneity.

    I see too much confusion between power and quality of singing. Now technically is much better.

    I like his singing more now, he has learned his craft and sounds great
  5. Originally posted by firebis:He is singing better than ever those last tours. His control is much better, the way he sings the lyrics is much better

    But the power is not there. And he takes care for his voice, and has lost spontaneity.

    I see too much confusion between power and quality of singing. Now technically is much better.

    I like his singing more now, he has learned his craft and sounds great
    He might be doing some better things technique wise but because of his limitations he ends up having to compromise on his technique doing things like whispering the lyrics when he loses control or barely muttering the last words of lines. He really doesn’t have great control at all. He’s trying to have better control but his voice fails him a lot. Listen to love is blindness carefully and you’ll hear he’s really struggling to keep in control. That’s just one of many examples.
  6. I knew my question would result in some interesting posts!
  7. Reading some of the comments on this forum I'm perfectly happy to lack the degree of skill or knowledge to discern that Bono is singing half an octave lower (or whatever), or that Edge is playing a different tone or that Bram is terrible compared to Larry. Having that ability seems to detract immensely from being able to sit back and enjoy the latest iteration of the band you are experiencing. It's like the wine connoisseurs who get off on describing flavours and odours that the rest of us can't detect. I'm the person who thinks wine either tastes good or it doesn't. I'll leave it to others to be more discerning or critical. I'm just going to enjoy each show I see blissfully ignorant of the technical discrepancies.
  8. Originally posted by Sydney_MIke:Reading some of the comments on this forum I'm perfectly happy to lack the degree of skill or knowledge to discern that Bono is singing half an octave lower (or whatever), or that Edge is playing a different tone or that Bram is terrible compared to Larry. Having that ability seems to detract immensely from being able to sit back and enjoy the latest iteration of the band you are experiencing. It's like the wine connoisseurs who get off on describing flavours and odours that the rest of us can't detect. I'm the person who thinks wine either tastes good or it doesn't. I'll leave it to others to be more discerning or critical. I'm just going to enjoy each show I see blissfully ignorant of the technical discrepancies.
    Even though I’ve talked about technical stuff since it came up that’s not really the issue. It’s what I hear with my ears. It’s as clear to me as you describe between a good and bad drink. Bono whispering a lyric to a song because he’s either not able or too lazy to sing it is really sore on the ears. Or doing funny voices when he sings because he’s struggling with the note. There’s a technical side to it all but you don’t need to be able to know what it is or describe it to hear it.
  9. Originally posted by marik:[..]


    I believe the u2songs merch write-up states the original 2023 Sphere book is 100pgs. And I noticed the current u2.com listing description lists it as 107 pg book. This adds up with your comment about 8pgs added. Id think it also means that anyone still getting mailed v1.0 (100pg) book, has an argument to request the 107pg one advertised


    The current U2.com listing shows the 2023 book in the video in the listing. 107 makes no sense, each page has two sides, so it's going to be an even number.

    It was advertised as 100-pages so that's the number we used. But the 2023 book is 108pg excluding covers. I just counted. What they are listing on the site is the 2023 book in my opinion.

    But people are getting both the 2024 book and the 2023 book. Seeing more people say they have gotten the 2024 copy at this point.

    The EU store lists:

    "The definitive visual record of what happens in Vegas…when U2 are playing Sphere.

    A sumptuous, large-format, heavyweight book in which Bono, Edge, Adam and Bram (sitting in for Larry) talk us through the music of U2:UV while artists from Brian Eno to Es Devlin and Willie Williams, reflect on the artworks they’ve created for the show.

    After an immersive night at the show, immerse yourself in the story behind it.

    This is a Pre-Order item expected to ship end of January 2024"

    The US store lists a newer description:

    "The definitive visual record of what happens in Vegas…when U2 are playing Sphere.

    A sumptuous, large-format, heavyweight 107 page book in which Bono, Edge, Adam and Bram (sitting in for Larry) talk us through the music of U2:UV while artists from Brian Eno to Es Devlin and Willie Williams, reflect on the artworks they’ve created for the show.

    After an immersive night at the show, immerse yourself in the story behind it."
  10. Agreed. All I'm saying is it doesn't bother me to the same extent that it seems to do for you or others and I'm thankful for that.
  11. Bono does sing in a more restrained manner nowadays, and he does seem to be trying to control his notes more or stay within his range. Good, at least he's not trying to scream out notes like he did in 87. He still has a great voice, and I'm glad he's still able to utilize it. For me, I like how Bram played. I also love his take on several of the AB songs, which I've already mentioned..and I can't fathom how someone would prefer an acoustic Bono version of So Cruel against the full-band Sphere version, but...hakuna matata 🤣 I have been playing Sphere shows pretty religiously lately and will probably continue to do so. And this is a guitarist, bassist, sometimes drummer and now a budding pianist LOL.
  12. Originally posted by bonoschild:Bono does sing in a more restrained manner nowadays, and he does seem to be trying to control his notes more or stay within his range. Good, at least he's not trying to scream out notes like he did in 87. He still has a great voice, and I'm glad he's still able to utilize it. For me, I like how Bram played. I also love his take on several of the AB songs, which I've already mentioned..and I can't fathom how someone would prefer an acoustic Bono version of So Cruel against the full-band Sphere version, but...hakuna matata 🤣 I have been playing Sphere shows pretty religiously lately and will probably continue to do so. And this is a guitarist, bassist, sometimes drummer and now a budding pianist LOL.
    I was never a fan of Bono going too far in 87 either with the screeching at times but he’s went too far the other way now and at times isn’t even trying to sing he’s just talking through the song and not even well because often it’s too low for him to be able to control. For so cruel it’s just not a great live song, and it’s my least favourite on Achtung Baby anyway but still a good song on the album. At least with Bono’s acoustic zoo tv performance his voice is top notch and it doesn’t drag on, the sphere versions feel too long which again is just the nature of playing that full song live. Moment of surrender for example is longer live but doesn’t feel like it. So cruel is a boring live song.