Set list:
https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/u2/2018/scottrade-center-st-louis-mo-3ec550b.html (not sure why people are listing Love Is All Have We Left, since it is entirely pre-recorded; I don't consider songs not performed at all part of a set list).
The good:
-Acrobat - while reports online are that they butchered it, I couldn't tell. I was loving it too much. Thrilled I got to see that. I was also really happy that Iris is getting played, as that was an instant favorite from Songs of Innocence and has held up as one of my favorite U2 songs of the 21st century.
-The first 2/3 of the show. While the set list needs some work, the first set worked great for me and the first second set up until Pride was great as well.
-The hits. I know some quibble about them always playing "too many hits," but the hits are what get the crowds into a frenzy, and last night was no exception. After a few new songs to open the show, the crowd was waiting for someone familiar, and went ballistic when Beautiful Day began. Following that up with I Will Follow was great; that one had the energy of the crowd very high.
-The stage set-up. You have to see it (I don't even know how to describe it), but it is very effective for making sure that no matter where you are sitting, a good part of the show will be close to you, as they moved all around from the main stage to playing on the catwalk to playing on the e-stage. The giant LCD screen which hovers over the catwalk, occasionally moving up and down, is something to behold.
The not-so good:
-The political stuff. Yeah, yeah, with U2, you know it is part of the package, but they really beat us over the head with it this time. Not with Bono's chatter, but with the images on the LCD screen. They really went nuts with it late in the show, and by the time that turd that is American Soul was finished, any concert energy I had was sucked out of me and the rest of the show was like crawling to the finish. Bummer to have the concert end on such a down note for me.
-Bono's voice. Sure, he can still pick his spots and belt it out on occasion, but his live voice is a shell of itself. I didn't realize before how much he now relies on a vocal backing track, but it was clear last night. Seems like just about challenging vocal section (and there are a lot in most U2 songs) features a powerful backing track live with him singing along to it. Plus, he was doing that "instead of singing the line like normal, I will wait till halfway through where the vocal line normally is and then have to talk the line really fast to get out of singing it" thing a ton. I stopped trying to sing along because he was always half a line behind where I was.
-Despite losing last year's show on the JT anniversary tour due to the downtown protesting make it unsafe, there was a) no acknowledgement of it from the band last night, and b) nothing extra for us whatsoever. In fact, we got two less songs than Tulsa did on Wednesday. Very poor form, guys.
Overall, I enjoyed the show, but I was hoping to get my ass kicked, rather than just simply enjoying it.