EXP
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2018-06-25 - New York
 Tour: Experience and Innocence tour
Songs played: 26
Audio recordings: 3
Videos: 1
  1. Originally posted by Alvin:[..]
    Yesterday it was fully electric, stripped down were just drums.... rest was full power. Jersey was fully stripped down...
    It sounds exactly the same to me both nights. I was wrong though about the Zooropa bits being played every night as they didn’t have beautiful world playing in Tulsa, not sure when exactly the Zooropa sounds came in but it was pretty early on in the tour.
  2. Originally posted by BigGiRL:[..]
    True. And the comparison with ZOO TV has indeed be made, although I wouldn't go so far as to value them equaly.

    Interestingly, the European leg of ZOO TV - and perhaps the Outside Broadcast even more - did incorporated some looseness and relativation. Let's hope the band finds some more inspiration from their own history


    Also the ZOO TV set list was packed with what are now hits. This tour isn’t necessarily as SOE isn’t a patch on Achtung Baby, just no comparison, hence it needs more variety and a few more hits. It must also be boring for the band, but guess they like it that way!
  3. Originally posted by Pauln:[..]


    Also the ZOO TV set list was packed with what are now hits. This tour isn’t necessarily as SOE isn’t a patch on Achtung Baby, just no comparison, hence it needs more variety and a few more hits. It must also be boring for the band, but guess they like it that way!
    I know what you mean, but at the time not all of those songs were considered “hits”. Opening with 7-8 songs in a row from Achtung, their new album at the time, and closing with Ultraviolet and Love is Blindness in the encore...still can’t believe how risky that initially was.

    Anyway...to keep on topic of New York/Newark, I wonder if the band will ever play a venue like MSG again. It seems like they will come back again after a long break, but maybe no more arena tours? One more giant stadium run? A theater/club tour?
  4. Originally posted by Pauln:[..]


    Also the ZOO TV set list was packed with what are now hits. This tour isn’t necessarily as SOE isn’t a patch on Achtung Baby, just no comparison, hence it needs more variety and a few more hits. It must also be boring for the band, but guess they like it that way!
    Yeah, well, my point was not so much about comparing ZOO TV with e+i, but mainly about taking this narrative a bit too serious.
    ZOO TV was in fact already the reflection on themselves as dudes taking things a bit too seriously...

    In short: I applaud the e+i tour concept/narrative, but now it is time to toy with it
  6. Pleas excuse the length of this post, but I really wanted to share my thoughts.

    I had an outstanding experience at the show last night. After being completely underwhelmed by the concert at Nassau Colisieum a few weeks ago (seats behind the stage, disappointed with the flow of the set list, not getting the flow of the narrative) this last show at MSG was amazing.

    I went with one of my best friends, and the biggest U2 fan I know. We talked about the issues this tour has had, including the lack of set list variation and the whole narrative arc, so I had that in mind as we went in. I mentioned that what the band has done with this tour has been to take a Broadway theatrical production on the road. Hence the strict structure of the set list. But, my problem was that I just didn’t get the arc of the narrative — from innocence to experience, and them back to innocence again. My friend agreed, and mentioned that he’d be happy if we got to hear ABOY.

    Getting in to MSG, we had our expectations surprisingly low for a U2 show. We scopes out a spot on the floor close to the rail, and a super nice lady, who was standing right by where one of the books was sitting on the walkway by the giant screen, said that we’d be happy if we stayed near her. Boy, was she right!

    So we staked a spot directly behind the nice lady. The light go down, and as the crowd settled in, so shifting occurred, and a space opened up right in the rail. The nice lady said there was room to move up, so I grabbed that spot right on the rail. That helped make the night so amazing, because at a few point during the show, Bono stood directly in front of my to sing. (I’ll try to post some photos later).

    As the show progressed, I did my best to really follow the flow of the narrative arc. Being that close, it became easier to focus. And this time, I really got it.

    Looking back at the set list, I see Acrobat as the true crux of the show. It is at this point that they transition from experience back to innocence.

    The story begins at home, when Bono and the band are boys. Bono loses his mother, and their neighborhood is rocked by violence and unrest. With the passion and innocence of youth, they form a band, and go out into the world.

    As they explore more and more of the world, they see more, learn more, change more. They gain experience, but lose their innocence. It’s hard not to be affected by all that they’re immersed in.

    This, of course, leads to indulgence, excess, and pushing the limits of what they can handle. On the precipice of losing themselves, they look at themselves in the mirror, and see themselves on the brink.

    How can we they be normal again? The answer: Family. Their wives. Their kids. Each other. They return home. Their new homes, with family and children. Their children, especially, bring them back to the place of innocence. This the return to innocence through the wisdom of experience.

    By the end of the show, they’re taking their message of love back out to the world. I think that’s the overall narrative arc. And it’s so important to them (or Bono, at least) that they’re not chasing up anything.

    So the show is much more of a theatrical, musical experience than a straight ahead rock concert. There will be time for that the next time around (I hope ??). In the meantime, I extraordinarily happy that I experienced this very special show a second time.