1. Originally posted by MattG:Each and every time I've seen U2 (12 since 2009) they've played a song I've never heard them do before. I was just looking at my past U2 setlists and realized this.

    Would you say this is the case for you? Do you generally get SOMETHING new each time you see the band? Or have you seen them enough times now that it's all repeats?
    Yes, every time I've seen them, I've got SOMETHING new each time.

    It also helps that I've only seen them once, but at least I've never got twice the same song


    [edit] damn, that's not true... I got Vertigo repeated [/edit]
  2. Originally posted by Bloodraven:[..]
    Yes, every time I've seen them, I've got SOMETHING new each time.

    It also helps that I've only seen them once, but at least I've never got twice the same song


    [edit] damn, that's not true... I got Vertigo repeated [/edit]
    hahaha, I was just going to tell you about Vertigo
  3. I'd like to see the band bring One back into the front half of the set. By the time they get around to it in the encores Bono is short of breath and can't do it justice anymore. First half might solve that
  4. Just a random thought - Do you think Bullet the blue sky will be played ever again?

    I think of Red Flag Day as a modern day Sunday Bloody Sunday

    I think of American Soul as a modern day Bullet the blue sky.

    RFD and SBS have been used in the same setlist. But I think Bullet and AS are too similar, both basically have the same message. So in future tours and performances, will we see Bullet dropped in favour for AS, seeing how its their latest music and they want to push that more? Or can they both survive in the same setlist?
  5. All Because of You sounds like a demo on this tour
  6. Originally posted by dylbagz:I'd like to see the band bring One back into the front half of the set. By the time they get around to it in the encores Bono is short of breath and can't do it justice anymore. First half might solve that
    Anything would be better than having the encore start with a speech before playing One. Love the Women of the World video but the follow-up just drags.
  7. U2's career = a Universe

    Stay with me here. You know how it's impossible to really grasp how big the universe is? How one could never look at the entire thing, actually understand and feel its size and think "wow". We only see numbers on a sheet, or hear an explanation to how big the universe really is. And although we can say "wow", it's unfathomable. We all know it.

    Once in a while, there'll be a moment. Bono will say something, I'll see a video, there'll be a song, whatever it is - when I can actually see U2's career, start to present, and I'm touched. I can't help but fight back tears. An example is the song Love is Bigger, and how once I found out the lyrics were about/for his son, my interpretation of them led to this feeling.

    "The door is open to go through,
    If I could I would come too,
    But the path is made by you,
    As you're walking, start singing and stop talking"

    Bono knows exactly what his son his feeling, or at least has an idea, because he's walked the path before. It's as though Bono is talking to his younger self, which is a recurring theme all over SOE (and part of the reason I adore it). "If I could I would come too." Perhaps that line means "I would join you my son, to walk that path with you, but you have to walk it alone" but I also interpret it as "If I could do this all again, I would. But I know I can't. All I can do is help you on your own path, because mine is near completion."

    There's just a feeling I get when I'm able to think of U2's entire career in the span of a second. I can picture them as poor, young, wandering spirits at the ages of 14-16, not knowing what their lives would hold. I can take that notion and blast it with The Joshua Tree, and think "these kids made this music". And so on and so forth. I think the feeling is as simple as, I'm so happy for these guys.

    I hear Bono say "We're a band from Dublin, Ireland. We're called U2, this is our first single. We hope you like it." and I just get FUCKING JITTERS, MAN! It's so easy to look at the guys now and see them for how they are, but when you can see them for all they've been, it's just fucking magical the journey they've been on, and that they've taken their listeners and fans on.

    That's it.
  8. Thanks Alex!
  9. Great post!
  10. Originally posted by RattleandHum1988:U2's career = a Universe

    Stay with me here. You know how it's impossible to really grasp how big the universe is? How one could never look at the entire thing, actually understand and feel its size and think "wow". We only see numbers on a sheet, or hear an explanation to how big the universe really is. And although we can say "wow", it's unfathomable. We all know it.

    Once in a while, there'll be a moment. Bono will say something, I'll see a video, there'll be a song, whatever it is - when I can actually see U2's career, start to present, and I'm touched. I can't help but fight back tears. An example is the song Love is Bigger, and how once I found out the lyrics were about/for his son, my interpretation of them led to this feeling.

    "The door is open to go through,
    If I could I would come too,
    But the path is made by you,
    As you're walking, start singing and stop talking"

    Bono knows exactly what his son his feeling, or at least has an idea, because he's walked the path before. It's as though Bono is talking to his younger self, which is a recurring theme all over SOE (and part of the reason I adore it). "If I could I would come too." Perhaps that line means "I would join you my son, to walk that path with you, but you have to walk it alone" but I also interpret it as "If I could do this all again, I would. But I know I can't. All I can do is help you on your own path, because mine is near completion."

    There's just a feeling I get when I'm able to think of U2's entire career in the span of a second. I can picture them as poor, young, wandering spirits at the ages of 14-16, not knowing what their lives would hold. I can take that notion and blast it with The Joshua Tree, and think "these kids made this music". And so on and so forth. I think the feeling is as simple as, I'm so happy for these guys.

    I hear Bono say "We're a band from Dublin, Ireland. We're called U2, this is our first single. We hope you like it." and I just get FUCKING JITTERS, MAN! It's so easy to look at the guys now and see them for how they are, but when you can see them for all they've been, it's just fucking magical the journey they've been on, and that they've taken their listeners and fans on.

    That's it.


    This x infinity
  11. It seems that nowadays we have to bow to this word called "narrative" that justifies every decision about setlists and stage productions. Like Adam would say in the Rattle and Hum movie, I think that's b.s.
    First, I am on the side that I don't want a U2 show (or any rock show for this matter) to become a representation of Otello. I'd rather go to a theater or read a book if I want to see "narrative".
    "But Cesar, a U2 show has always been about narrative, at least since the 90s." Well, ok, but doesn't the band realize that they can tell a story and still spice up the setlist for the thousand of fans that are following them from a distance? In all the more than 200 songs from their catalog, do they always have to use the same 24 songs to tell a story? Is Gloria the only song they have about Innocence? Is SBS the only political Irish song in their repertoire?
    U2 always were very ambitious. I'd imagine they want to keep up with the times and realize that with internet, cell phones and social media every one knows what they're playing every night and that there are thousand of fans that follow them from Periscopes and mixlrs. It's not the 90s anymore. Why don't they say: "We want the whole cake, give a kick ass show for the people attending, give enough hits for the casuals and offer 1 miserable slot for surprise and spontaneity, so that everyone can be pleased, reporters give glowing reviews and the word on U2 fan sites is that we have to tune in to every show because anything can happen. Why not have it all???
    Rant over.
  12. I'd love to see them bring hawkmoon back next tour