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  1. I've actually been thinking a lot about Vertigo lately. I have such mixed feelings about this tour.

    On the one hand, I'm with those who think that this tour marked the band returning to the sort of cringe-worthy, overly earnest displays that they had worked so hard to distance themselves from previously - the Coexist headband, the flags during Streets, the long speech before One, etc. etc. And it didn't break a whole lot of new ground from Elevation as far as stage setup. It's not a tour that I like to revisit often via video or bootleg.

    On the other hand, HTDAAB is the album that made me a fan, and I still am kicking myself that I missed this tour, as I didn't seriously consider wanting to go to a U2 show until early 2006...when the Vertigo Tour had left the continental U.S. already. I remember seeing U23D twice and being blown away, and then having to wait three years until the 360 Tour to finally see them live. And I suppose that in the world we live in today, I'm appreciating more and more of the themes of this tour being "faith over fear" and not "becoming a monster in order to defeat a monster".
  2. The Vertigo tour gets a bad rap and is underrated IMO. Most of the song choices for this tour were great. (IE Zoo Station, The Fly, Electric Co, An Cat Dubh). The band was also playing outstanding. I also think Bono's vocals were WAY better than Elevation. I have always thought his vocals were very raspy on Elevation. Improved for Vertigo.

    I was listening to one of my recordings from Vertigo of Bad last night because of this topic. Bad on the Vertigo tour was simply top notch! My only complaints were Pride into Streets and the Flags on the screen for Streets. Neither worked to me. Minor complaints though.
  3. Originally posted by Blue_Room:

    I was listening to one of my recordings from Vertigo of Bad last night because of this topic. Bad on the Vertigo tour was simply top notch! My only complaints were Pride into Streets and the Flags on the screen for Streets. Neither worked to me. Minor complaints though.


    This was a massive turn off for me. I don't think Streets has ever fully recovered. Throw in Bono's terrible hair and it's a tour I never gave much of a chance. RTSS being slightly over complicated and dropped was also a shame.

    I'll have to grab a decent recording of a show and give it a run through during this down time.
  4. Originally posted by germcevoy:[..]


    This was a massive turn off for me. I don't think Streets has ever fully recovered. Throw in Bono's terrible hair and it's a tour I never gave much of a chance. RTSS being slightly over complicated and dropped was also a shame.

    I'll have to grab a decent recording of a show and give it a run through during this down time.
    Saitama is seriously amazing.

    In all honestly I like the Chicago DVD quite a bit, and I watch the Brooklyn Bridge show once in a while - I really like this period of the band, not gonna lie.
  5. Originally posted by RattleandHum1988:[..]
    Saitama is seriously amazing.

    In all honestly I like the Chicago DVD quite a bit, and I watch the Brooklyn Bridge show once in a while - I really like this period of the band, not gonna lie.
    It was a different show by then time it finished admittedly. I can’t stand the Chicago shoot. It’s just so cold and lifeless. I always remember Yahweh and 40 fondly however.
  6. Originally posted by germcevoy:[..]
    It was a different show by then time it finished admittedly. I can’t stand the Chicago shoot. It’s just so cold and lifeless. I always remember Yahweh and 40 fondly however.
    And the Boy songs!

    But yeah, you're not wrong - especially compared to something like the Slane show. The Slane DVD comes across as almost filmic somehow, I couldn't put it on paper as to why, but it seems like less of a taped live show and more like a movie to me - and I love it for it. I don't think any other U2 concert DVD is like that to me.
  7. Originally posted by RattleandHum1988:[..]
    And the Boy songs!

    But yeah, you're not wrong - especially compared to something like the Slane show. The Slane DVD comes across as almost filmic somehow, I couldn't put it on paper as to why, but it seems like less of a taped live show and more like a movie to me - and I love it for it. I don't think any other U2 concert DVD is like that to me.
    Can’t fault the setlists at all and the level of performances were also quite good. I just never gelled with the tour and have never warmed to it since. An odd one really. COBL and Vertigo sounded good and I love Miracle Drug and Sometimes. Blah. No clue.
  8. Vertigo was both a big thrill and a huge letdown for me. It was the first tour where I felt the band were coasting creatively in a long time (in the same way that Lovetown felt like Joshua Tree Tour Part 2, Vertigo felt like an outdoor version of Elevation to me).

    Also, the band were quite a long way from the narrative structure of the Zoo / PopMart / Elevation tour and the song choices were sometimes a bit loose. The version of Bullet on Vertigo was hella boring and tame.

    On the other hand, Vertigo was a damn good romp if you concentrated on the performances and not the concept. In that respect, bringing back songs like Electric Co, Zoo Station, etc., was a great touch.
  9. Originally posted by markreed:Vertigo was both a big thrill and a huge letdown for me. It was the first tour where I felt the band were coasting creatively in a long time (in the same way that Lovetown felt like Joshua Tree Tour Part 2, Vertigo felt like an outdoor version of Elevation to me).

    Also, the band were quite a long way from the narrative structure of the Zoo / PopMart / Elevation tour and the song choices were sometimes a bit loose. The version of Bullet on Vertigo was hella boring and tame.

    On the other hand, Vertigo was a damn good romp if you concentrated on the performances and not the concept. In that respect, bringing back songs like Electric Co, Zoo Station, etc., was a great touch.
    I love the differences here. With all the making fun of the narrative e+i got, we have someone else saying Vertigo lacked without one! So interesting.
  10. What on Earth was the narrative of the Elevation tour?
  11. No narrative on Elevation I think, but the setlist was 'crafted better'. To me, since 1984 the shows had a well-working Flow, with Bad usually being a first emotional highlight at the end of the first half of the show. They kept that structure for TJT, LT, ZooTV, sorta skipped it for Pop (and then brought Bad back occasionally at that very Spot) and returned to it for Elevation, of course with All I Want Is You taking the Spot and function of Bad from time to time since 1989.

    For me, Vertigo didn't 'flow' very well.

    But my biggest problem with Vertigo is that I can't get Bono's wardrobe in which he performed two of my favourite songs out of my head. And that cringy blindfolding act. Phew. Plus, the screen sucked in the daylight.

    But there's also some very nice memories of the Vertigo Tour... The Electric Co., Miss Sarajevo, the great recording of 'Kite'...
  12. Vertigo was amazing.