1. The article below is the first in our series called Into The Heart, columns by U2 fans about U2. This one is written by dougadams. Any opinions expressed in this column are those of the individual author. Let us know what you think!

    Is U2 (and are we) Better Off in Arenas?

    Like many people my age (I’m currently 48), U2’s music has served as the soundtrack of my life. The songs have intertwined with my life events to produce, for the most part (sorry, Pop), timeless albums. However, it wasn’t until the Innocence + Experience tour that I achieved what I would call “groupie” status. Everything surrounding the tour seemed intimate and special. “There is no them, there’s only us,” Bono sang – and the boys lived it.

    It was then that I began to take note of the band’s tremendously loyal and fanatical followers. Familiar faces in Phoenix, Denver, Chicago, New York and even Dublin. Had my band become “niche”? The thought seemed absurd, but how many of the tickets sold were to repeat buyers? How many fans went to multiple shows in the same city, like Chicago or New York? Without several new bona fide hits, could U2 ever play to sold-out stadiums again? It was in these GA lines that I proclaimed U2 could no longer do stadiums. It was an argument to fill time, but also one in which I deeply believed.

    And then came U2’s teaser message at Christmas 2016, followed within a few weeks by the announcement of the Joshua Tree Tour 2017. A stadium tour. I was both excited and livid. I typed out phrases like “this is a stunt to fill stadiums” and “just put the album out” more than once on fan forums. But I still bought tickets. Lots of them.

    Now, after ten shows in seven cities (including several in Europe), I still believe the tour was a stunt (or at least it started as a stunt and evolved). An excuse to stall releasing Songs of Experience; a contractual obligation to appease Live Nation; a cash-grab to fill stadiums… whatever. But a stunt nonetheless. However, I managed to put that aside and tell myself all that mattered was hitting the road, seeing the band and the friends I had made on the last tour, getting to experience “side two” of The Joshua Tree and maybe even “Bad,” a song mostly neglected on Innocence + Experience.

    One reason I dreaded stadium shows is that they tend to cater to the casual fans. This tour seems to be aimed at the people who only know the radio songs – people who head to get a beer or the restroom during the latter half of the full-album performance. How absurd, I thought when speaking with first-timers in GA on this tour who had shielded themselves from spoilers, that these people actually think U2 might play something obscure, or at the very least, less mainstream. Many hoped for “Luminous Times,” “Silver and Gold,” or something for the diehards. U2 knows their audience – and they play to them. The audience at stadiums, at least a vast majority, don’t want know what “Heartland” is, and they don’t want to hear it.

    Our largely, but lovably inflexible band changed it up some on i.e. Each night had a “wild card” song in the first four songs, two on the e-stage, plus the promise that the encore might bring something new. “In God’s Country,” “Stuck in a Moment,” “Gloria,” “The Crystal Ballroom,” “Volcano” (sorry Matt McGee) and more were played largely as a result of fan requests/badgering. The immensely popular “shine like stars” coda was even added during “With or Without You” after much cajoling. The band was more relaxed, more casual, and more willing to take risks and cater to us.

    So after the first two legs of the tour, can we truly say U2 is “back?” One could easily argue that once again they have successfully reapplied to be “the best band in the world.” But a quick glance at next month’s U.S. ticket sales might suggest otherwise.

    Sales in cities that have less population than the cherry-picked ones from leg one are decent, but not overwhelming. As of this posting, many cities still have GA left, and most have hundreds if not thousands of seats left. Keep in mind this is a tour that promises and delivers the band’s most popular album and plays the greatest hits from other albums before and after 1987. The stunt certainly worked for the major metropolitan areas of the U.S., but it seems as if the red states (not the [RED] states) still need a new hit or three to come out before they turn out.

    This leaves me and the other groupies in a good news/bad news situation. All rumors seem to indicate we’re finally getting the release of SOE, then going back to arenas in 2018. Back to the more intimate show featuring (hopefully) more us and less them. For my personal wish list, I hope “Bad” will remain a staple like it was on the first two legs of this tour, and perhaps with the new album release a warhorse or two will finally be retired from live performance (my choices: “Vertigo” and “Bullet”).

    The bad news? It seems like my 2015 proclamation might be accurate: Without an absolutely brilliant album or two with charting hits, U2 just can’t sustain a stadium tour for more than a handful of stops. To me, though, that isn’t really bad news. I’ve loved the Joshua Tree Tour 2017 and still have three more stops on leg three. But I definitely feel like a them in a stadium. I’m looking forward to being an us again in an arena. (author website)
  2. I prefer arenas, I can't imagine someone sitting in the worst seats in the stadium experienced the same show I did near the front of ga whereas in an arena the worst seats could still offer a decent view especially with something like the I&E tour which seems to be the perfect indoor set up. As much as I loved the JT show I witnessed (it was my favourite show) I think if I'd seen the same setlist performed indoors that would be another notch up again.
  3. Originally posted by Remy:The article below is the first in our series called Into The Heart, columns by U2 fans about U2. This one is written by dougadams. Any opinions expressed in this column are those of the individual author. Let us know what you think!

    [..]
    Very interesting and intriguing read from someone in your demographic who's seen them on every tour except lovetown and i/e.

    I do think its curious you bring "red" states into the mix. It almost sounds as if its an insinuation that lack of tickets sales in poorly chosen markets has political motivation.

    Being 48 in Atlanta with a family I can't afford to travel around to see 5 shows in 7 nights like I once did, but the fact that Georgia is considered a red state, their lack of booking in a city they once had a love affair with on the last two tours shows that either a) they are completely hands off on booking, b) guy oseary is a tool of a manager, or c) hell... I can't answer c. I do know that Atlanta is one market that there would not be a lack of ticket sales in. New Orleans is anything but red. It's just not their fan base, and frankly, a depressed market. Like St. Louis. But set up a show in Atlanta, and those that did buy tickets in these markets would be travelling to Atlanta. Paul McGuinness got things like this and would have put his two cents in to Live Nation...

    But I digress... after seeing the band go from clubs, to opening for J. Geils Band, to 3,000 seat theaters, when they finally graduated to arenas on UF, I thought "my band is now everyone's band"... Then came JT and I had the fortune of being able to see them indoors at arena and stadium shows... same for Zoo TV. I really can't compare them. Granted, I much prefer the arena setting... but the scale of the stadium shows - especially if you get the tickets you're supposed to - the GA floor kept it real, and intimate.

    I do disagree about U2 not being able to sustain a stadium. They just need to choose better people doing logistics.

    I still think they'd be best served setting up mini residencies in arenas and play off the "if you build it, they will come" mentality. Do 5 nights in Atlanta at Phillips Arena as your Southeastern residency and watch them come. Denver. Chicago. Boston. NYC. Both close enough to people travel to both. Etc...
  4. Originally posted by blueeyedboy:[..]
    Very interesting and intriguing read from someone in your demographic who's seen them on every tour except lovetown and i/e.

    I do think its curious you bring "red" states into the mix. It almost sounds as if its an insinuation that lack of tickets sales in poorly chosen markets has political motivation.

    Being 48 in Atlanta with a family I can't afford to travel around to see 5 shows in 7 nights like I once did, but the fact that Georgia is considered a red state, their lack of booking in a city they once had a love affair with on the last two tours shows that either a) they are completely hands off on booking, b) guy oseary is a tool of a manager, or c) hell... I can't answer c. I do know that Atlanta is one market that there would not be a lack of ticket sales in. New Orleans is anything but red. It's just not their fan base, and frankly, a depressed market. Like St. Louis. But set up a show in Atlanta, and those that did buy tickets in these markets would be travelling to Atlanta. Paul McGuinness got things like this and would have put his two cents in to Live Nation...

    But I digress... after seeing the band go from clubs, to opening for J. Geils Band, to 3,000 seat theaters, when they finally graduated to arenas on UF, I thought "my band is now everyone's band"... Then came JT and I had the fortune of being able to see them indoors at arena and stadium shows... same for Zoo TV. I really can't compare them. Granted, I much prefer the arena setting... but the scale of the stadium shows - especially if you get the tickets you're supposed to - the GA floor kept it real, and intimate.

    I do disagree about U2 not being able to sustain a stadium. They just need to choose better people doing logistics.

    I still think they'd be best served setting up mini residencies in arenas and play off the "if you build it, they will come" mentality. Do 5 nights in Atlanta at Phillips Arena as your Southeastern residency and watch them come. Denver. Chicago. Boston. NYC. Both close enough to people travel to both. Etc...
    Everything you said is SPOT ON. As a fellow southern fan (South Carolina), I couldn't agree more with literally everything you said. I've been a fan for 20 years (I'm 33 years old), and I've seen U2 on every tour since POPMART. However, the majority of those times were in Chicago since Atlanta keeps getting skipped. I talked to Guy Oseary in Seattle in May and he said Atlanta would get a show soon. I'll believe it when I see it. In the meantime, all my savings goes toward travel costs. Plane tickets are not cheap.
  5. Perhaps "red" was a poorly chosen word... could I have said smaller cities? More urban... probably

    as an Indy native (I now live in Colorado), it baffles me why U2 has selected the cities they have for September.
  6. Originally posted by dougadams:Perhaps "red" was a poorly chosen word... could I have said smaller cities? More urban... probably

    as an Indy native (I now live in Colorado), it baffles me why U2 has selected the cities they have for September.
    I agree that the choices for the cities this September don't make sense. The midwestern people are fortunate that both US legs have given them more than enough shows to attend. And I also don't understand the New Orleans and St. Louis shows being a thing. Seeing as how I am limited in where I can get to easily this time around, I'll likely be attending the St. Louis show, but it's not my first choice, by any means. *sigh*
  7. I think the reason the dates won't have all been sell outs is due to the ticket pricing. Over half the tickets at Twickenham were £187 each!! Considering the inflated prices it's pretty impressive they managed to sell both nights out
  8. Originally posted by Kuriboh500:I think the reason the dates won't have all been sell outs is due to the ticket pricing. Over half the tickets at Twickenham were £187 each!! Considering the inflated prices it's pretty impressive they managed to sell both nights out
    The tickets refered to in the article are mostly GA's, which are the cheapest tickets (excluding a few of the very cheap seats which always sell out quickly).
  9. When GA are available that's a big red (no pun intended) flag
  10. Originally posted by bonohero:[..]
    I agree that the choices for the cities this September don't make sense. The midwestern people are fortunate that both US legs have given them more than enough shows to attend. And I also don't understand the New Orleans and St. Louis shows being a thing. Seeing as how I am limited in where I can get to easily this time around, I'll likely be attending the St. Louis show, but it's not my first choice, by any means. *sigh*
    The choice of cities don't exactly resonate U2 crowd, either... being where you are, I'm sure you'd much rather have travelled to Atlanta than New Orleans, St. Louis... or even Louisville for that matter. Am I right? Or for that matter, I remember going to Columbia for Zoo TV Outside Broadcast and couldnt believe how packed and energized that (odd) market was...
  11. You are absolutely right. Huge red flag. Completely missing the mark... and the market.
  12. I'm quite defensive of this tour because seeing them play Running to Stand Still, Red Hill, Exit etc was something I'd never thought I'd see in my life. I wasn't even born until years after joshua tree came out, it was a very special night. It's also worth noting bands of there stature usually wait 3-4 years between tours. This one was barley 2 years after I+e, covering much of the same ground.