Top 10 Songs U2 Should Play Live Again

As fans, we spend a lot of time debating a) which songs U2 should stop playing, and b) which songs they should play live for the first time. I’ve listened recently to a couple old concerts that I haven’t listened to in ages, and heard a whole bunch of songs I’d love to hear again.

So, with that in mind, here’s my list of the Top 10 Songs U2 Should Play Live Again. Any song is eligible, except for songs they played during the Vertigo Tour. (So, “One Tree Hill” is disqualified because it was played a couple times in New Zealand. And “Kite” is out because it was played late in ’06, too.)

1.) Please

2.) Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me

3.) The Unforgettable Fire

4.) Tryin’ To Throw Your Arms Around the World

5.) A Sort of Homecoming

6.) October

7.) Ultraviolet

8.) In God’s Country

9.) Gone

10.) Exit

What would be on YOUR list?

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56 Responses to Top 10 Songs U2 Should Play Live Again

  1. Niterpi February 19, 2008 at 4:58 am #

    i threw a brick
    another time, another place
    in god’s country
    two hearts beat as one
    please
    ultraviolet
    i fall down
    seconds
    mofo
    a sort of homecomming

  2. U2roeli February 19, 2008 at 6:02 am #

    Do you mean played AGAIN, as in only songs that have been played before?
    Because I still don’t understand why they have never played Acrobat live…

  3. bostonguy February 19, 2008 at 6:26 am #

    1) Ultraviolet
    2) A Sort of Homecoming
    3) In God’s Country
    4) Exit
    5) Tomorrow
    6) The UF
    7) Seconds
    8) So Cruel
    9) Do You Feel Loved
    10) MLK

  4. Erika February 19, 2008 at 8:57 am #

    I’d love to hear “Lemon,” but Bono could never get his voice that high again lol.

  5. Jake Robinson February 19, 2008 at 9:46 am #

    Wire
    Last Night on Earth
    Wake Up Dead Man (full band version)
    God Part II
    Acrobat
    Ultraviolet
    Dirty Day
    Do You Feel Loved
    Promenade
    Heartland

  6. Tassoula February 19, 2008 at 9:47 am #

    1. Ultraviolet
    2. The Unforgettable Fire
    3. Electrical Storm
    4. The Refugee
    5. Dirty Day
    6. In God’s Country
    7. 11 O’Clock Tick Tock
    8. Surrender
    9. Stay (Faraway So Close)
    10. A Day Without Me

  7. Rachel February 19, 2008 at 10:09 am #

    I definitely would include Please and Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me.

    Did they play Miss Sarajevo during Vertigo?

    I’d also love to hear A Sort of Homecoming and Gloria.

  8. Nic February 19, 2008 at 10:56 am #

    Wire
    Electrical Storm
    The Sweetest Thing
    The Hands That Built America
    Ultraviolet
    In A Little While
    Surrender
    Exit
    The Unforgettable Fire
    I Threw A Brick Trhough A Window

    But I don’t think Bono can do the Wire whistle anymore :(

  9. m2 February 19, 2008 at 11:07 am #

    Ummm, they never played “Electrical Storm,” so you guys can’t put that on your list. This is songs you’d like to hear AGAIN. :)

  10. Sweetest Thing February 19, 2008 at 12:45 pm #

    1. Sweetest Thing
    2. Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me
    3. Big Girls are Best
    4. Acrobat
    5. Daddy’s Gonna Pay For Your Crashed Car
    6. Exit
    7. So Cruel
    8. Desire
    9. Staring At The Sun
    10. Discotheque

  11. Tara February 19, 2008 at 2:40 pm #

    Gloria was played at a few Vertigo shows but I missed it…
    Out of Control/11 O’clock Tick Tock
    Exit
    In A Little While
    Ultraviolet/Acrobat
    Gone

  12. mschaus February 19, 2008 at 9:12 pm #

    1) Ultraviolet
    2) In God’s Country
    3) Exit
    4) HMTMKMKM
    5) The Wanderer (I think it was played once on TV, but never live, so not sure if that counts)
    6) Gone (may have been played at a few Vertigo shows)
    7) Out of Control
    8) In a Little While
    9) Stand by Me (I liked their cover during the JT tour)
    10) Helter Skelter (ditto on that cover)

  13. jon February 19, 2008 at 10:28 pm #

    1.) Do you feel loved?
    2.) Seconds (they could work it into SBS really easy)
    3.) New York
    4.) All I want is you (they played it once or twice in vertigo, not nearly enough)
    5.) Ultraviolet
    6.) In a Little While
    7.) Helter Skelter
    8.) Please
    9.) Dirty Day
    10.) Zooropa

  14. Candy February 19, 2008 at 10:55 pm #

    Seconds
    I Threw A Brick Through A Window
    11 O’clock Tick Tock
    Twilight
    Boy/Girl
    Ultraviolet
    A Celebration
    Electrical Storm
    Love Is Blindness
    Exit

  15. Spoutnik February 20, 2008 at 4:47 am #

    1)Mofo…using it as the opening of an encore…that would ROCK!!!
    2)Seconds
    3)So cruel
    4)God’s country
    5)Ultraviolet
    6)Desire “Full band”…(Like zootv)
    7)Even better than the real thing
    8)Gloria
    9)Please..Give a rest to “Bullet” and put that one instead
    10)A sort of homecoming

  16. Silvrlvr February 20, 2008 at 8:50 am #

    Love is Blindness. That’s all. (I’m wearing out my iTunes download.)

  17. U2rules February 20, 2008 at 8:53 am #

    Exit (I would do anything to see that live)
    Dirty Day (ditto)
    Please (full band, fading into Streets)
    Desire (full band version, none of that acoustic stuff)
    God Part II
    Hawkmoon 269
    Discotheque (the Vertigo version “This is a love song!” that they only played a few times)
    HMTMKMKM
    Mofo
    The Wanderer (with the “wah, wah, wah, wah, Wandering!” bit)
    and Exit AGAIN! :-)

  18. Fraser February 20, 2008 at 11:28 am #

    1. Please. Give it the full treatment, for the love of all that’s holy. It’s what Bullet should be.
    2. Ultraviolet
    3. Desire
    4. God Part II
    5. Exit, please, please, amazing
    6. Wake Up Dead Man. And sing the whole thing for once, how about?
    7. Electrical Storm would be cool.
    8. Play With or Without You the way you used to, like Rattle and Hum or the early ZooTV shows, before you got scared of singing a really, really sad song and changed the ending. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X0i93JSkYP4
    All other spots given to Please.

  19. Sylvia February 20, 2008 at 2:36 pm #

    1. Ultraviolet - honestly, how can you drop such a great song, for me this song is up there with JT and other songs that are always played
    2. The Unforgettable Fire
    3. Electrical Storm
    4. In God’s Country
    5. Surrender
    6. Stay (Faraway So Close)
    7. A Day Without Me
    8. Like a song
    One I wouldn’t care to see them try singing again is “Dancing Queen” cover. ;)

  20. Cameron February 20, 2008 at 7:26 pm #

    1. Mofo
    2. Gone
    3. Please
    4. Stay
    5. Ultraviolet
    6. Even Better Than The Real Thing
    7. Exit
    8. The Unforgettable Fire
    9. Seconds
    10. Hold Me Thrill Me Kiss Me Kill Me

  21. Sherry February 21, 2008 at 8:21 pm #

    (In no particular order…)

    1. Mofo
    2. A Sort of Homecoming
    3. Wild Honey
    4. Kite
    5. Tomorrow
    6. Unforgettable Fire
    7. Trying to Throw Your Arms Around the World
    8. Zooropa
    9. Hawkmoon 269
    10. Please

  22. cormaxtacy February 22, 2008 at 12:44 am #

    In no particular order

    1. Gone
    2. Please
    3. Even Better Than The Real Thing
    4. Hole Me Thrill Me Kiss Me Kill Me
    5. Ultraviolet
    6. Exit
    7. All I Want is You
    8. Love Is Blindness
    9. Running To Stand Still (they did play this last tour but not when I saw them, play it more often, love that song).
    10. Mercy!

  23. Jack February 28, 2008 at 2:03 am #

    In this particular order

    1 Dirty day
    2 Last night on earth
    4 Hold me, thrill me…
    5 A sort of homecoming
    3 The unforgettable fire
    7 Exit
    8 Another time, another place
    9 I fall down
    10 I threw a brick…
    6 Please

  24. Robert Hay February 28, 2008 at 2:30 am #

    1. Mofo (take out Where the Streets Have No Name and put that one in)
    2. Numb
    3. Daddy’s Gonna Pay For Your Crashed Car (take out Bullet The Blue Sky and put that one in)
    4. Tomorrow
    5. The Electric Co.
    6. A Sort Of Homecoming (the way you hear it on “The Unforgettable Fire”)
    7. I Threw A Brick Through A Window
    8. Ultraviolet (Light My Way)
    9. Trying To Throw Your Arms Around The World
    10. Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me

  25. Joe February 28, 2008 at 3:23 am #

    1. Bad
    2. A Sort of Homecoming
    3. Desire
    4. Exit
    5. Trying to Throw Your Arms Around the World
    6. The Wanderer
    7. Out of Control
    8. Lemon
    9. Silver & Gold
    10. Discotheque

  26. Hedge February 28, 2008 at 3:42 am #

    Trying to throw your arms is on that list - sheesh!
    No thanks!

    I’d like to see…
    Acrobat
    Gone
    UV
    Love Is Blindness - not just that snippet on the last tour but a full band version.
    God Part II
    A Sort of Homecoming also…

  27. donna February 28, 2008 at 4:49 am #

    in no particular order:

    love is blindness
    when i look at the world
    a sort of homecoming
    hold me, thrill me, kiss me, kill me
    if you wear that velvet dress
    exit
    acrobat
    mothers of the disappeared
    in god’s country
    trip through your wires

  28. Chris February 28, 2008 at 5:14 am #

    Songs i’d love to be played live again.

    Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me
    A Sort Of Homecoming
    October
    In Gods Country
    Exit
    Angel Of Harlem
    Seconds
    Surrender
    The Unforgettable Fire
    MLK
    Hawkmoon 269
    So Cruel
    Who’s Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses
    Trying To Throw Your Arms Around The World
    Love Is Blindness
    Ultraviolet
    Zooropa
    Babyface
    Daddy’s Gonna Pay For Your Crashed Car
    Discotheque
    Sweetest Thing

  29. Susan February 28, 2008 at 6:29 am #

    My top choices for songs not played on the Vertigo tour:

    Unforgettable Fire

    Red Hill Mining Town

    In God’s Country

    -take your pick from the October album- I Threw a Brick Through a Window, I Fall Down, October…

    If they could play One Tree Hill in the US, or play An Cat Dubh/Into the Heart, or play BAD at more concerts-I would love it. (I realize these were played some on the Vertigo tour, but not when I saw them!)

  30. James February 28, 2008 at 6:45 am #

    1. ULTRAVIOLET
    2. Even Better Than the Real Thing
    3. One Tree Hill
    4. Trip Through Your Wires
    5. MOFO
    6. Surrender
    7. NUMB
    8. October
    9. Trying to Throw Your Arms Around the World
    10. A really good, way out of left field cover.

  31. brad February 28, 2008 at 6:56 am #

    1- zooropa
    2- a sort of homecoming
    3- so cruel
    4- acrobat
    5- do you feel loved
    6- wire
    7- surrender
    8- your blue room
    9- when i look at the world
    10- sweetest thing

  32. derek February 28, 2008 at 7:13 am #

    1 - hold me, thrill me, kiss me, kill me
    2 - gone
    3 - please
    4 - mofo
    5 - so cruel
    6 - zooropa
    7 - stay (faraway, so close!)
    8 - dirty day
    9 - the ground beneath her feet
    10 - numb (lol)

  33. m2 February 28, 2008 at 8:53 am #

    You guys are funny. This is supposed to be songs you want them to play AGAIN, and you’re tossing out stuff like “Acrobat” and “Red Hill Mining Town” and “When I Look at the World” … they’ve never played those! hehehe. C’mon, now. Stay on topic. :-)

  34. bowieno February 28, 2008 at 8:58 am #

    z00ropa
    acrobat
    I fall down
    Unforgetable Fire
    Exit
    Gone
    ultraviolet
    sweetest thing
    Walk On

  35. Werner February 28, 2008 at 9:08 am #

    1. Zooropa (!!)
    2. Dirty Day
    3. Exit
    4. Ultra Violet
    5. Heartland
    6. Numb
    7. All along the watchtower
    8. Mofo
    9. New York
    10. Hawkmoon 269

  36. ZooTV8 February 28, 2008 at 10:22 am #

    A Man and A Woman
    Hawkmoon 269
    In God’s Country (full electric)
    A Sort of Homecoming
    Dirty Day / Ultra Violet (Light My Way) / Exit medley (a.k.a., The New “Heart of Darkness�? set)
    Surrender
    The Fly/Discotheque/Starring at the Sun/Daddy’s Gonna Pay medley

  37. Mikey February 28, 2008 at 10:43 am #

    I think Bono ought to just lose the stupid sun glasses and go back to Cher… I mean, what was he thinking???

  38. santiago2u February 28, 2008 at 11:31 am #

    :::U2 should re-work some classics according Bono’s deeper-lower voice, just like the musical arrengement of ‘Window in the Skies’.

    1.Please
    2.MoFo
    3.Last Night On Earth
    4.Gone
    5.Dirty Day
    6.Ultraviolet (Light My Way)
    7.Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me
    8.In God’s Country
    9.The Unforgettable Fire
    10.11 O’clock Tick Tock

  39. Jon February 28, 2008 at 12:21 pm #

    1. until the end of the world
    2. 11 o’clock tick tock
    3. ultra violet
    4. the unforgettable fire
    5. a day without me
    6. bad
    7. a day without me
    8. mothers of the disappeared
    9. seconds
    10. love is blindness

  40. Kevin February 28, 2008 at 4:30 pm #

    Hi Everybody - this is really fun -I hope you like this one -

    1. A Sort of homecoming
    2. Surrender
    3. Who’s Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses
    4. Staring at the Sun (acoustic)
    5. Trip Through Your Wires / In God’s Country
    6. Fire

  41. cubfanet February 28, 2008 at 6:12 pm #

    ULTRAVIOLET!!!!
    can I vote for it 10 times!!

  42. Eric February 28, 2008 at 6:49 pm #

    Anything from Rattle and Hum
    Desire
    Angel of Harlem
    All I Want is You
    God pt. 2 (dream on)
    also
    Wake Up Dead Man
    Bad
    Zooropa

  43. Johnno February 28, 2008 at 8:31 pm #

    MOFO
    Acrobat (I don’t care if it hasn’t been done…PLAY IT!!!!)
    Zooropa
    Ultraviolet
    Please
    Gone
    God Part 2
    Hold Me Thrill Me Kiss Me Kill Me

  44. Justin February 29, 2008 at 5:04 pm #

    1. Love is Blindness
    2. Stay (faraway so close)
    3. Zooropa
    4. Ultraviolet (light my way)
    5. Please
    6. Another Tiime, Another Place
    7. Wake Up Deadman (full version)
    8. A Sort of Homecoming
    9. The Unforgettable Fire
    10. Do You Feel Loved

  45. MPG February 29, 2008 at 7:17 pm #

    hmmmm..

    lets see…

    Ultraviolet
    Stay
    A Sort of Homecoming
    Walk On
    Even Better Than the Real Thing
    Hold Me Thrill Me Kiss Me Kill Me
    Lemon
    Unforgettable Fire
    A Celebration
    Out of Control (just cos i kinda miss it)

    now ask me which songs i think U2 should RETIRE….

  46. MPG February 29, 2008 at 7:18 pm #

    heh…i forgot about

    In a Little While

  47. puckfreak March 1, 2008 at 6:37 am #

    Exit
    God Part 2
    Do You Feel Loved
    Walk On (not an acoustic version)
    In God’s Country
    Please
    11 O’clock Tick Tock
    Daddy’s Gonna Pay For Your Crashed Car
    MoFo
    Gone
    Bad (I know that makes 11 but can never get enough of this song live)

  48. Lennu March 1, 2008 at 8:09 am #

    1. A Sort Of Homecoming
    2. MLK
    3. Bad
    4. Until The End Of The World
    5. Ultra Violet
    6. Crumbs From Your Table
    7. Lemon
    8. Please
    9. Wake Up Dead Man
    10. New York

  49. Mike March 1, 2008 at 11:25 am #

    Not in any order…

    1. Miami (this was great live)
    2. Acrobat (not sure if it was ever played)
    3. Holy Joe (played at Pop Tour press conference)
    4. Exit
    5. Love is Blindness
    6. Crumbs
    7. In God’s Country
    8. Unforgettable Fire
    9. The Fly (The Boston version, which was very different from Veritgo)
    10. Surrender (even a new arrangement would rock too)

  50. Mike March 1, 2008 at 11:27 am #

    Ok, maybe Acrobat wasn’t played…sub that for “Won’t get fooled again” Who cover they did in NY

  51. Karl G March 2, 2008 at 5:18 am #

    If they played Unforgettable Fire, , Ultraviolet, then Exit as their main setlist, and then encored with Love Rescue Me, I’d be happy. Aside from Love Rescue Me, it’s encouraging to see the other three show up on so many other top tens. The band really needs to take a look at this list. (IMHO)

  52. James March 2, 2008 at 11:03 pm #

    1. Ultraviolet
    2. Please
    3. When I Look At The World (this was played live, I think in Miami during the Elevation tour, right after Bad)
    4. 11 O’Clock Tick Tock
    5. Another Day
    6. Trevor (Touch)
    7. The Unforgettable Fire
    8. Zooropa
    9. HMTMKMKM
    10. Love Is [Fooking] Blindness

  53. Mark March 3, 2008 at 5:06 am #

    1.A Day Without Me
    2. Stories for Boys
    3. Boy/Girl
    4.Ultra Violet
    5.The Electric Co.
    6.In God’s Country
    7.Tryin’ To Throw Your Arms Around The World
    8.Until the End Of The World
    9. Babyface
    10. 40

  54. Michael March 3, 2008 at 1:05 pm #

    Ultraviolet!!!

  55. u2rodeogirl March 3, 2008 at 11:26 pm #

    1. Definitely MOFO! It’s so great live!
    2. Discoteque
    3. Gone
    4. Please
    5. Electrical Storm (BECAUSE they haven’t played it)
    6. Party Girl
    7. Love is Blindness
    8. Unforgettable Fire
    9. Twilight
    10. And….VELVET DRESS - preferably the jazzy “Jools Holland” type of version with that low sexy Bono voice! Whew!

  56. Chip March 5, 2008 at 4:43 pm #

    1. “The Unforgettable Fire”

    2. “Lemon”

    3. “Do You Feel Loved” (Bono could sing it well now!)

    4. “Last Night on Earth”

    5. “Tomorrow”

    6. “October” (right before “Tomorrow,” as in ’81-’82)

    7. “Please” (full band, not acoustic)

    8. “Like a Song” (Even only being played once counts!)

    9. “A Sort of Homecoming”

    10. “Dirty Day”