The history of U2 v. Discography Thread: Songs of Innocence

[King Postwhore]

Very cool!

[Beautiful Agony]

That is pretty cool that one of their five Cali shows this week was at a small club like that.  I wish more popular bands would do something like that once in a while, just for the hell of it.

They were supposed to play a show for the radio station KROQ out in LA in November or December of last year (can't remember what month it was) then Bono had that bike accident  so this was the make up show.

[KevShmev]

Anyone else catch the Paris show on HBO?   Say what you want about U2, but them letting Eagles of Death Metal come out and finish the show alone was a freaking awesome gesture.  No one does moments in rock like this better than U2.

Start 20:37
01   The Miracle (Of Joey Ramone)
02   Vertigo
03  I Will Follow
04   Iris (Hold Me Close)
05   Cedarwood Road
06   Song For Someone
07   Sunday Bloody Sunday
08   Raised By Wolves
09   Until The End Of The World

(Intermission: The Fly)

10   Invisible
11   Even Better Than The Real Thing
12   Mysterious Ways 
13   Elevation 
14   Every Breaking Wave
15   October
16   Bullet The Blue Sky
17   Zooropa
18   Where The Streets Have No Name
19   Pride (In The Name Of Love)
20   With Or Without You

encore(s):

21   City Of Blinding Lights
22   Beautiful Day
23   Mother And Child Reunion
24   Bad
25   One
26   People Have The Power (With the Eagles Of Death Metal)
End 23:00

27   I Love You All The Time (Eagles Of Death Metal without U2!)
End 23:05

[Stadler]

No one does moments in rock like this better than U2.

Word on this.  There is a lot to be said about Bono, some good some bad, but as a group, they are perhaps the most self-aware major group active today.   I love those subtle, and sometimes not so subtle homages they make to the role of music in our lives and the role of artists in the greater scheme of things.  Their penchant for playing free shows, and small club shows is legend, and cool, but their penchant for statements like the one above, and events like the rooftop gig a couple years ago that - despite Bono's heart-stopping leans over the edge of the building - are the things that bring a cohesiveness to music's place in history and current events, and not just U2's place in it.   

I've long said that Bruce Springsteen is the voice of America (love him, like him or hate him, it's very hard to deny that "The Rising" was the definitive statement on America post-9/11, and there were more than a few people literally waiting to see what his reaction was going to be) and I kind of think that U2 fills that role for the world.   

[King Postwhore]

I need to see this.  I saw the highlights and it was goosebumps but what really got me was seeing the lead singer from TEODM in front of the venue of the shootings they were at crying.  It made me well up and it was hard not to cry.

[hefdaddy42]

Yeah, I need to catch this.

[KevShmev]

I will admit that seeing Bono sing Bad without the full power of his voice anymore is a bit of a gut punch, but Edge could play that lead for 20 minutes and the crowd would be into it the whole time.  Such a great tune. 

[King Postwhore]

At least I got to see him sing that in 1985.   2 days after that was Triumph Thunder 7 tour. Hell of  3 days.

[Kotowboy]

I will admit that seeing Bono sing Bad without the full power of his voice anymore is a bit of a gut punch, but Edge could play that lead for 20 minutes and the crowd would be into it the whole time.  Such a great tune. 

U2 are 40 next year.

I wonder if they'll play 40 live

[KevShmev]

At least I got to see him sing that in 1985.   2 days after that was Triumph Thunder 7 tour. Hell of  3 days.

Remind me to punch you in the ribs.

[King Postwhore]

 

The lasting memory of that show was the encore"40". One by one each member left the stage and we were singing "How long...." with Bono until he left the stage and we sang for 5 minutes until the house lights came on.

[KevShmev]

I think I remember reading that that was the norm back in the day, them ending with "40" and them leaving the stage one by one while the crowd kept singing.

What's really baffling is how they gave up on The Troubles live.  It was played opening night of the tour and then only again three more times the entire tour (looked it up at a U2 site).  Bummer, since that is one of the true standouts from Songs of Innocence, along with Iris, Every Breaking Wave (which they do play the better arrangement live, with just Edge on piano and Bono singing) and (from the bonus disc) The Crystal Ballroom.

[King Postwhore]

I watched it last night. I love the walkway between the screen that the,band can play there.  Very cool concepts.

[KevShmev]

I've read quite a few reviews online from fans who've said that while it looks cool on TV or from afar, a lot of seats have obstructed views because of the way it is set up.  I guess they figure they had do something cool with the arena shows after dialing it back following 360, but it sounds like they didn't think it totally through from a "fans in the arena" perspective.

[King Postwhore]

Ah that sucks.  I'm listening to No Line.. right now a I realy do like this album a lot.  I now it's not a popular choice but it clicks with me.

[KevShmev]

I like that record, outside of a few bland songs and one bad one, but the sound of it is just so annoying; it's smothered to oblivion.  Magnificent, Unknown Caller and Fez/Being Born are all songs, however, that I still listen to quite a bit when I revisit U2. 

[Stadler]

The lasting memory of that show was the encore"40". One by one each member left the stage and we were singing "How long...." with Bono until he left the stage and we sang for 5 minutes until the house lights came on.

I've done that multiple times (my first show was the arena leg of The Joshua Tree tour; watching Bono from the third row yell "Outside is America... outside is HARTFORD CONNECTICUT!" gives me chills to this day, 30 years later.  I know, you had to be there.  But you had to be there!!

[King Postwhore]

I got to see the War tour as a 15 year old and The Unforgettable Fire tour as a 17 year old. Bono was like a preacher on that stage. I was willing to give him all my money if he asked those nights.

[Stadler]

I think the thing that many don't recognize is that live, it had a real power to it.  I watch some of the videos (Live Aid is an example, though Live Aid was a watershed performance for them on many levels) and it wasn't NEARLY as cheesy or sanctimonious in person as it sometimes comes off in the videos.  For all his nonsense (if you think it that) off stage, the man is a charismatic rock star, and seeing him in the day was an experience I won't soon forget. 

[King Postwhore]

Watching his inductions for musicians in the RRHF  (Bob Marley as an example) is mind blowing.  He can captive any crowd.

[KevShmev]

All so true.  When my younger brother and I went to see them on the 360 tour, it was so neat the way they came to the stage.  Bowie's Space Oddity played while the big video screens showed them walking to the stage, and then eventually the camera panned over while the band passed one by one, with Bono being last, and when he passed by the camera, he smiled and gave the peace signal, and the whole crowd roared. Even my brother, who likes U2 even though he thinks Bono is a major pompous ass, smiled and thought that was a great little moment.