U2 Faces the Music About New Songs at Concerts
At the two U2 shows I saw last week in New Jersey, I was stunned by how few in the audience were familiar with the band’s new songs. I felt … sad? disturbed? … something like that … at the end of the show when Bono was singing “Moment of Surrender” and you could see people leaving in droves so they could beat traffic. Bono could clearly see this happening, and I wondered if it bothered him. (If I was a singer, it would probably piss me off something fierce to see that.)
Well, it looks like U2, or at least Bono, is facing the music. In the new issue of Rolling Stone magazine, Bono talks about how the new songs are being received in concert:
“I walk out and sing (album track) ‘Breathe’ every night to a lot of people who don’t know it. They’re great songs live, and I think it’s a great album. I think it will be seen as ‘Gosh, one of their more challenging albums.’”
That comes from this blog post on Reuters.com, and it also says that, in the Rolling Stone article, Bono, Adam, and Larry all feel that “Get On Your Boots” was the wrong choice for NLOTH’s first single, but Edge thinks it was right.
Here’s hoping the whole article is as interesting as some of the nuggets in the Reuters blog post.
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You’re right — people just don’t know these songs. In Toronto, I sat next to some friendly guys who hadn’t heard of Breathe, Magnificent, or NLOTH, and kept asking me, “Is this new?” By contrast, they got got very excited when Elevation and Streets were played.
I personally adore the Crazy remix live, and think it’s one of the best things in this tour, but as crowd pleasers, the other NLOTH songs are falling short.
I loved NLOTH, but it feels, to me, like less of a mainstream (Achtung/Joshua) type album and moreso and album that will take a long time to grow on people.
I was fortunate enough to have listened to the album many, many times prior the show to know all the words to all the songs.. I knew all the words, and it sucked when they didn’t play Unknown Caller at one of the NJ shows and I was really looking forward to hearing White As Snow and didn’t get to hear that.
But, then again, theres people who go to these shows to see the staple songs, to see Streets, to see Pride, to see SBS, and they just sit idly while songs like Your Blue Room and Ultraviolet play.
Songs like that are awesome for the hardcore fans because they’re not what you commonly hear at U2 shows.. you’ll pretty much always be able to hear Pride or SBS at a U2 show, how often are we going to hear the songs coming off of NLOTH? I think that it sucks that they’re not catching on because most of them are incredible live.
I’m guessing I’m part of the minority of hardcore fans that don’t really like the I’ll go crazy remix..well, I like it, but I don’t want to hear that, I want to hear the song off the record. I LOVE I’ll Go Crazy off of the record, and wanted to hear THAT song live, not some remix- save that for another tour. Remix something else… better yet, just play Discotheque if you want the nightclub effect for one of your songs.
I love U2. I love to love U2. But, these new songs? meh. They’re soulless. Magnificent & Boots barely make the cut as OK vs their other work. The music shows promise at times, but the lyrics are incapable of touching someone deeply throughout. Throw in being ’sponsored’ by blackberry, and frankly who can care?
Like a commenter above I say the Crazy remix was the most interesting of the new material in concert.
Sorry guys, No Line is a bummer. I’d have killed for some Pop or more Achtung.
The Reuters blog post also quotes Bono saying “Look, sometimes our audience isn’t as groovy as we’d like,” Bono said. (Rolling Stone said he was smiling as he said that.) “People are not sure about the club side of U2. They want ‘Vertigo,’” the big crowd-pleasing single from the band’s previous album “How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb.”
Let’s see…for PopMart, people anticipated the club side of U2. Heck, there was a 40-foot discoball lemon! There is nothing about NLOTH (with the exception of Magnificent - which was dubbed in the studio as the French Disco song) that would make one think it’s a clubbing album. Sure, every single has had clubbing remixes, but there was nothing in the pre-tour promotion that would indicate you’re going to a club…especially when the stage is trying to be described as a spaceship…or is it a claw…or is it a claw spaceship…etc. The PopMart stage had more understanding of kitsch than trying to describe this alien looking stage.
Sure, people say that great art allows for debate and discussion, so I suppose this tour is full of great art. And, with 80k people seeing your show, there’s no way you’ll please all the people sort of thing…but when you’re trying to take people through your 23 songs in any given night, and you throw in songs or remixes that don’t quite fit right, no amount of pushing or pulling will make it fit. It doesn’t matter if you’re groovy or not, you know in your soul that something doesn’t fit right.
To me, a U2 concert is the best thing on the planet no matter if it’s good or not - and I’ve seen some doozies where the band just weren’t on their game. This is different - they’re playing the songs so well, so it’s not a matter of them not knowing how to perform. It’s a matter of trying to put a stiletto heel on an elephant…the shoe (or in this case, the songs) don’t fit as nicely as you’d like.
Other odd thing - they’re selling a concert tshirt with a line from “Stand Up Comedy” and yet they’re not performing that song.
What I find to be interesting is that Bono is publicly discussing this topic. I am looking forward to reading the whole RS story too.
I feel like the whole “not getting the club side” of U2 is a red herring here because a majority of the crowd at every show I was at LIKES the Crazy remix.
While it depresses me to see some people in the crowd not appreciating all of the other new songs, what depresses me more is seeing these same people go apesh*t over a song like Vertigo. I mean, if your audience prefers Vertigo and Elevation to something like Magnificent or The Unforgettable Fire, I’d say you have an audience with pretty bad taste in music. Or to put it more kindly, you have an audience filled with very casual fans.
I only hope the band doesn’t go in the studio trying to please these lowest common denominator fans for the next album, because I was hoping the *next* one would be the challenging one…
This isn’t (and can’t possibly be) surprising . . . for a few reasons.
First of all, the new album just hasn’t caught on with radio; no one’s hearing the songs. I remember hearing “Magnificent” and “I”ll Go Crazy” a few times, here and there, when the singles first came out, but nothing since. And the truth is that these aren’t radio songs. They’re kind of slow, the mix is dense and even a little muddy when it’s compressed, the songs are actually quite long, and they lack the either the big-picture melodies or the dynamism of recent big U2 radio songs (like City of Blinding Lights or Beautiful Day). They’re great songs, but I honestly think there are no (as in zero) singles on the new album. It’s like Zooropa, singles-wise.
Second, there’s the raw fact that no one’s buying albums now - and the music marketplace is more fractured. Sales have been slow, in part because it’s just hard to be Really Big now. And, let’s face it, U2 are older now. They don’t have the shock of the new on their side. That they’re doing this well at this point in their career is really incredible. PopMart was twelve years ago!
I think, given reality, this tour is a massive success. I saw my show from the inner circle, and had a great time singing along to Unknown Caller and Unforgettable Fire and Ultraviolet with the other fans. The encore in particular was transporting; all the songs were beautifully played. I look at the show from a glass-half-full point-of-view: what other band, nowadays, could pack 80,000 into a stadium, and put on these kinds of shows, filled primarily with songs from the last few years? If only some of those thousands know the words to the dense, long, winding, measured songs on the new album, that’s fine - at least U2 are still producing those songs.
I think the fact is that there are certain constraints placed on U2 at this point, especially in stadiums. It certainly seems that they’re planning on being productive and innovative for a long while to come - so my hope is that their next album and next tour are smaller-scale and lean towards the darker and more experimental side of their catalogue. PopMart is still my favorite U2 tour . . . .
I’m just hoping there isn’t negative impact in terms of their approach to Songs of Ascent - I’d like to hear it as they planned to approach it, not as something mutated to appease superficial interests.
2nd potential negative is a retreat further into the same old setlist. Already bummed that Gavin, McG or whoever talked them out of *at least once* trying Drowning Man. Seriously also *love* to see them drop any song that they played more than four times on the previous tour for the rest of this tour, or maybe just consign them to a rotating block of 5 or 6 songs.
Anyway just because they had a great new set design and wanted to play stadiums does not mean this was the album to do so with. It could be, but not with an audience that won’t invest time in the album before the tour. Would we even have a re-release coming up of Unforgettable Fire if people hadn’t spent time with that album? Hell, haven’t they even dumbed down the video for that song on tour at this point?
Best time ever for Passengers II.
I’m glad U2 (except Edge) realize that “Boots” was not a good first single for NLOTH. Hopefully they’ll release something more unique and/or experimental as a first single when the next album comes out.
It’s kinda sad that people at U2 shows are so unfamiliar with the new songs. But I guess it’s good that casual fans are going to see U2, even if it bums out the older fans.
I find this topic slightly (though not completely) odd, in that so much of it should be expected
1) ITS A STADIUM TOUR!!!!
Someone here mentioned that it is sad that the majority of your audience dont know your songs except former hits, and this means the audience is filled with casual fans. Sorry, but to me, this is true of ANY large venue, even Arenas, but far more so for stadium gigs. This is expected.
I remember the difference between ZooTV indoor, and ZooTV outdoor. Indoor the atmosphere was greater. The size of the audience is about 1/4 of the stadium. It was far more packed with real fans. The Outdoor show, as well as Popmart was loaded with casual fans. NO BAND, no matter how popular, is going to have a majority of “real” fans in a large stadium gig.
2) It is a new album
FOR EVERY CONCERT I HAVE BEEN TO, regardless of the band, The audience ALWAYS gets more initial excitement at the recognition for the older songs. 1 or 2 of the newer songs might get equal reaction but never any more (the end reaction tends to vary). The newer songs that do get big reactions is always the singles. This was true for really popular bands as well as small bands. This was the case at every concert I have ever been to - PopMart, Elevation, Vertigo, Arcade Fire, Duran Duran, Depeche Mode, Black Rebel Motorcyle Club, VHS or Beta, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Radiohead, even Block Party and Franz Ferdinand.
Even with ZooTV, Until The End Of The World, WHo’s Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses, Trying to Throw Your Arms Around The World, and Ultraviolet did not get anywhere near the initial recogniton reaction nor end reaction of Still Have Found, Angel Of Harlem etc. By the end of Until The End of the world and also later in the tour, this had evolved into a clear favorite of the new songs, but it sill didnt get the reaction of the older hits.
Now this being said. The album also does not lend itself to the typical causal crowd pleaser. I love the album and think its much more layered and nuanced then the majority of thier work, but it definitely does not have the direct raw appeal of say, Elevation, I Will Follow, SBS, etc. NLOTH is a much more introspective and meditative album (for the most part). I am not saying that one is better than the other. I personally need both, and alot inbetween and elsewhere as well. BUT seeing that this is a stadium gig which automatically indicates a higher percentage of casual fans, I see no surprise that the audience doesnt seem to know or react as strong as the old songs. I am actually surprised at how much reaction I am hearing at the end of many of the songs. It was more than I expected given the circumstances
Yeah, the DC crowd didn’t know the new songs, but at least nearly everyone in our section stood for practically the whole concert. You could see a little excitement for, and some recognition of, “Magnificent.” There was seemingly no recognition of “Crazy” thanks to the remix, but the crowd did really seem to enjoy it. Respect was shown for “Breathe,” “Boots,” and “Surrender,” but little else.
I’ll add that while there seemed to be a good level of interest in the first three songs (all from NLOTH), the difference from the opening chord of “Mysterious Ways” was overwhelming. It was only then that I realized that the first three songs had mostly only been respected.
I’m not sure why U2 didn’t try the alternating songs two-by-two like they did in East Rutherford. That seems to me to be the best way to go, in America at least.
thanks for that quote matt, I’m glad Bono mentioned this.
I’m happy to see that they are still playing so many songs from NLOTH even though they know the stadium doesn’t recognize these songs as well. I hope they will continue to do this even in the smaller cities in the US.
I hope they don’t resort to the POPMART tour where immediately after Mofo they would jump into I Will Follow to make sure to please the audiences.
I like the fact that the first 3 songs have been off of NLOTH… except NY#2, so we’ll see how long this lasts!
I also feel it just makes the band have to kick a bit harder!
PS I really wish they would play Fez/Being Born to open one of the encores, but I realize how unlikely that is to happen… but it would sound so cool!
I am interested to hear what song the rest of the band would have chosen as a first single over Boots. Because as the A&R man famously said in that Tom Petty song, “I don’t hear a single.” NLOTH is an interesting album in that it’s not what I expected (which would have been more soulful pop along the lines of ATYCLB). It’s interesting, but it’s not particularly good. It makes Atomic Bomb seem appealing.
As Bono has often said, “Two crap albums and you’re out.” I think this should be amended to “Two crap albums and global megatours, and we’ll keep you around.” As the posts above alluded to, the challenges of a big stadium show are universal and not limited to U2.
I highly recommend that everyone read the recent New Yorker story on the music industry’s relationship to touring. Here’s an abstract: http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2009/08/10/090810fa_fact_seabrook
Personally, I think Moment of Surrender is not a good song to end the show with. It goes on long and drones, and I’ll admit that we got up during it and made our way to the exits. I saw the Elevation tour and Walk On was a terrific closer; they could have chosen something better.
Of course, I’m torn about the new album as well though. Breathe is really good and the more I hear it, the more I like it, and I think Magnificent is top-10 all time. Get on Your Boots though, to me, is horrible, and I find the lyrics in Unknown Caller to be ridiculous. I was disappointed that these failed to move me at all. All in all, the uniquely amazing thing about seeing U2 is that it is transcendent; you come out feeling like a different person than when you went in. I didn’t feel it this time around. Just imagine closing the show instead with White as Snow into Bad and 40…
I tend to agree with so many of these comments. NLOTH is a great album and I really enjoy the music, but it isn’t really a “Stadium” performance album. BUT, I do think there are songs on there that can work well in a stadium setting to really light people up, but most of those songs are not currently being played. I think Magnificent is outstanding as is, but look at the title track. In its current slot as the second in the show, it slows down the pace… it is more of a lower key, reflective song, not a big “jump up and down song”. Now I thought the band had nailed it… Along with my version of NLOTH came the “No Line on the Horizon Version 2″ which had a faster beat, and far stronger guitar. That,to me is a much better version of the song for a stadium tour. To me… its the perfect opening song that could be extended out and really generate excitement as the band hits the stage. But they don’t use it. As someone said.. Stand-Up comedy.. great song.. could be very high energy, but it’s not played, while Unknown Caller is. Fez/Being born has all sorts of Stadium “high-energy” potential if done right, but its not played. So in other words, it’s not necessarily the album, its that the songs with the best potential for stadium success are currently not being played, while songs rife with potential and excitement are not. They are currently not playing anywhere near me this tour and I only hope they soon announce more US tour dates, and by next April - June when they are rumored to be doing more US dates, they will have taken some chances with new songs and made the tour more stadium friendly WITH the new album, not without it.
From what I’ve been reading over many months, it seems to me that reaction to NLOTH and to the new songs in concert is almost 50-50 pro and against. However, I attended both shows at Giants Stadium, and I must have been sitting somewhere else, because everyone around me was singing the new songs. On 9/24 I was in the nosebleed 300’s section and there were a lot of younger people who knew the lyrics to the new stuff. I was in the 100’s on 9/25 and the same thing occurred. I did not like NLOTH when I first heard it. I really love it now, since I’ve listened to it for months on my commute back and forth to work. I felt the same way about POP and now that’s one of my favorite albums. A lot of people don’t buy the new release until after they hear the songs live. I was there with a fan who was unfamiliar with the new stuff, but after hearing it live — really liked the music. As far as people leaving early — Giants Stadium and the whole surrounding area with all of the new construction is a MESS! My friend and his wife had never seen U2 and this was their first concert. They fully intended to see Muse (opening act), but just arrived during U2’s first number. They had been driving around the parking area for 1-1/2 hours due to the traffic and confusing directions given at the complex. They also had to leave 1/2 hour early in order to get home to their babysitter. Since U2 has a lot of older fans, many people did have to leave earlier having heard the horror stories of trying to get home from Giants Stadium. That being said, my friend was in “awe” of the band, and was so happy he and his wife attended on 9/25. Unlike many others, I was able to take off from work on the concert days — so I arrived early with my friends and a packed a cooler. There was no stress for me because I waited for the traffic to leave after the concert. Yes, a lot of fans started leaving before the encores, not just during Moment of Surrender. Personally, I like Boots - no it’s not incredibly original, but it is different for the band. It seems like a light pop song at first — but actually does have a deeper message than it appears to if you really get into it. I like when U2 plays around with their songs that way. And from where I stood, the crowd was really into it too. Fans have been complaining about Moment of Surrender as a big downer at the end. I don’t get it. The people that stayed until the last moment of the show seemed to be into the song. I think it’s a fitting end. However, if you haven’t listened to NLOTH with any serious consideration, it probably doesn’t make sense to you. I thought I would hate the remix of I’ll Go Crazy.. because I do like the original — but the remix was incredible in concert! 9/24 was a great show - but not better than any previous U2 gigs I’ve attended. 9/25 was a brilliant show - Bono’s voice and passion were strong in every song - even when he messed up the lyrics to Stay - the energy at the stadium was high all evening, and the band just plain kicked butt. I do believe it surpassed previous performances I have seen at Giants Stadium and the Garden including Zoo TV (my favorite of all time). Now that’s saying something — but it’s only my opinion. I have been a fan since 1986, and the band has not yet disappointed me.
Oops. Sorry, I got my dates at Giant Stadium wrong. It was Wednesday, 9/23 & Thursday, 9/24 - However, by the time I left each concert - it actually was Thursday AM 9/24 & Friday AM 9/25.
Yeah New York (aka New Jersey) got 2 dates, in the Meadowlands (aka Industrial Wasteland) and Philly got shafted. New York the real New York got a SNL show too.
It’s not that I hate the Meadowlands, I hate the Giant’s, Jets, Everyone that calls Giant’s Stadium New York, and New Yorkers who trash Jersey, but yet there teams are there and they go there for games. How can you hate were your team plays, that’s why NYC isn’t a real football town because they cant just buy the best team each year the way the Yankees do. But the meadowlands sucks because there is no mass public transit there. I live in Philly and to get there without my car I have to take a train to Trenton then a train to NYC, then subway to the bus terminal, then a bus from NYC to the meadowlands. (which is how I was told how to get there by a Giant’s stadium employee) Or take a train to Seacus and another train, and a bus or a taxi the rest of the way. WTF put a NJtransit stop right there, at the stadium. I remember the bus lines after Live Earth they were a couple thousand deep, and people had to wait for hours. No they want you to drive, pay $20-$30 for parking, cause traffic jams before and after events. Burn all that foreign oil. I wonder If Al Gore was thinking about having a environmental concert at one of the least accessible stadiums to public transportation, before picking Giants Stadium.
swfanatic, you are totally right… this isn’t such a live-friendly album, kind of like Zooropa.
But some of the songs off Zooropa are IMO great live U2 songs (Daddy’s gonna pay, Lemon…) I think Dirty Day is one of the best live U2 songs… so it’s really up to U2 to make it work live (and I think they did that with I’ll go Crazy, whereas it would have just been another chill song live. I saw it performed in Barcelona and it was fine, but I remember leaving the show and the remix version was all I could think about!)
Personally, I’m disappointed that NLOTH is not resonating with much of the US fandom. As a long time die-hard and veteran of many U2 shows over the years, I am most excited to hear the songs from the album the tour is promoting. I’ve been to 2 360 shows this tour so far (Chicago 1 and NY 1)—folks in Chicago seemed to get into the new tracks quite a bit more than in NY. Where I was sitting in Giants Stadium, most of the section didn’t even stand up at the beginning of the show—and it was not until Mysterious Ways - Elevation that folks starting getting into it.
Playing 75% of the new album from tour to tour is what has kept U2 relevant. The moment they become a greatest hits touring act (i.e. Rolling Stones), they will hang it up. Only 5 new tracks at FedEx Field—I’d have been really bummed. Not sure what has happened to Unknown Caller—I love it in Chicago 1.
2 more shows left this leg (Dallas, Vegas)—keep it fresh with new tunes, boys!
People are nuts. This is a fan U2 site right? I obviously love the bands back catalogue…but at this stage, new music is much more interesting that the old regulars. Just because everyone knows MySterious Ways…and everyone goes nuts…does not mean its more interesting than Breathe say. I would take a full concert of No Line, rather than the older material.
Also, I have to comment, whatever about the intention of playing in stadiums, the fact is, if your not up the front, it can be a serious buzz kill, when people starting wandering off for beers, or leaving early.
I mean, leaving early! Just because you dont know a song very well…
I would go as far to say that that shows a serious lack of respect to the artists.
Anyway…
Ste
I think that the challenges the band is facing with the crowd in the US can be traced back to their decision to release Get on your Boots as the first single, combined with adjustments they failed to make after that.
(I’m going to make up statistics as I go along to support my claim without doing any research, so please respond and correct my false assumptions!)
Of all the songs that U2 could have released from NLOTH as the first single, boots was probably the worst, least sensible choice they could have made. I think they thought they had another Vertigo on their hands when in reality they had a song that was a bit of a mismash - too scattered for the old school fans, not current enough for the young crowd. Like the song or not, the single was a flop relative to other first singles and did nothing to help the band promote the album.
I think that as a result, the band was playing catch up with the album promotion and even though they got decent exposure with the BBC, Letterman and the Somerville show, they didn’t seem to capture the regional media the same way they had in album and tours gone past.
They could have released Magnificent, Breathe, Crazy tonight or even Moment of Surrender as the first single and they would probably have had more success.
They are playing as many songs off the new album as they did for the Vertigo tour and ZooTV tour - one more than they started the elevation tour with, yet the album is nowhere near as popular.
And probably tying in with Sherry’s post about tour theme, they didn’t seem to know which song to release off the album as their “tour” single. Vertigo, Elevation, Mofo (albeit late to the game) all helped cement the tour - they released a version of Crazy Tonight that is different from the one performed live (Why not release the dance remix as the single video?!?)
Complain all you want about Pop/popmart - at least it had a strong/catchy first single, an album that flows and a tour with a strong theme!
They start and finish the show with songs that are not singles or old staples (not that they haven’t done that before). If they wanted to start with Breathe, that should have been the first single. If they wanted to end with Moment of Surrender, that should have been the second single (Or at the very least they should have played it at some point during their promo tour).
The irony is that on paper there is nothing wrong with the songs in the setlist. But (and here I have strong opinions I know you’ll disagree with) just like the album, which is made up of strong songs and the first single, Boots, which is made up of strong riffs and catchy tunes - there is a complete lack of structure and an apparent lack of planning (As if they all took votes on each part of the song/album/tour/setlist as they went along and never stopped to ask “Does the sum of the parts make sense?”).
Had they released a different song, any song other than boots first, their album might have sold more by now and there is a greater chance that the people in the stands would be into the new stuff.
It feels like they have all the right ingredients, they just haven’t found the right recipe. Thankfully, they get to cook it up fresh each night, so there’s a chance for it to gel with the audience.
I have to agree with Ste and calebu2. I like NLOTH because it is a bit different, and I’ve heard many of the old U2 songs in concert before. When I buy tickets to a U2 concert, I’m not looking at them as an old classic band full of nostalgia — I want and expect something different and fresh. U2 loses older fans with every release, but they always seem to have new younger fans take their place. Leaving the stadium early is rude to the performers (just as hanging out the parking lot is rude to the opening act). However, in the case of Giants Stadium - I don’t blame a lot of the crowd for bailing early. t’s comments pretty much summed it up. Calebu2, I think your assessment makes complete sense. Hopefully, the band is learning or has learned from some of these missteps - and will make things better during the second leg of the tour. Perhaps the new release will be promoted differently. Let’s hope so!
I attended the Milan II show in July which was really fantastic. I had a great time even though I had a seat in the stands. Most of the time I was standing and dancing. The audience was having fun, but I did notice people were not singing the opening 4 songs (NEW songs). However, they did love the I’ll go Crazy Remix and danced and clapped! Then I attended both concerts opening weekend in Chicago. I have just now decided to write about my experience with the Chicago shows. I was tremendously excited about the show’s opening weekend for the North American tour, and because it was my first time for attending an opening show. Unfortunately, I did not have a good experience with attending the shows. My opinion is that the large stadium size venue draws people who do not ordinarily go to U2 concerts as I was surrounded by many people who did not sing the songs except I Still Haven’t Found….. and Sunday Bloody Sunday. In fact the trouble began in the GA line on Saturday. People showing up early in the morning to leave for 4 hours then return for one hour or so then going back to hotel room to shower, apply makeup, change clothes and then waltzing back into line just before security allegedly were going to close the line. Well that didn’t happen as at least 6 people moved in ahead of me to join their “friends” and then I was pushed back and did not get to enter the stadium in the first group. So after being in line since 5:30 am - I was less than happy at all the people cutting line and doing whatever they wanted. Once the show started I was 3 rows behind center stage and of course almost every person had cameras and they were taking photos non-stop. These people were not singing or getting engaged in the music they were simply taking photos. I don’t know how U2 puts up with all the photos… it is almost unacceptable. Again the songs they sang to were I Still Haven’t Found…..and Sunday Bloody Sunday. I did my best to ignore the rude people and watch the concert. U2 were FABULOUS! I sang every song and had a great time just being there and seeing “U2 live,” and loved dancing to the I’ll Go Crazy Remix. So for an opening show I definitely have mixed reviews because of the people. I knew Sunday night would be a different experience because I would be seeing the show from a seat in the Club section. However, I was totally unprepared for the “people.” I have never had such a bad experience at a rock concert in my life. I have been attending concerts for 36 years and no one has ever yelled at me to sit down and stop dancing because I was interfering with their view. I was in shock and very sad. I was so upset with these people behind me that I had tears in my eyes. I was sitting at a U2 concert! I was truly in shock. So my concert was spent sitting in my seat with the clueless people around me sitting like stones. Not singing not moving. There was an occasional rude/obscene shout out directed at Bono from some man four rows behind me who was so disrespectful and low class I wanted to scream. The people directly behind me never said anything to him to stop his ridiculous remarks. Once again I did my best to ignore the people and watched concert. U2 put on a wonderful and even more memorable show. The evening was saved from disaster when they played YOUR BLUE ROOM. I loved it and wanted so much to be in the GA section for that song. That song saved the night for me. However, the people around me left during it for the bathroom/concessions. From my observation these people did not care what song was sung they sat and did not sing. They only stood for I Still Haven’t Found and for Sunday Bloody Sunday. I continued to sit because I was still mad…. Lots of people started leaving after One. What a group of people. Imagine being yelled at to sit down at a rock concert. Bono was right in saying some of their audience wasn’t so “groovy.” They aren’t, and I can say they are rude and disrespectful. I could go on but won’t. Fortunately for me I have two shows left, Las Vegas and Los Angeles. Both shows GA. After the Chicago seating experience, I can’t imagine myself ever sitting again at a U2 show. It is not worth any amount of money…..To sum up this rant - the stadium venues attract many people who are non-fans, so forget about singing new or older songs. They aren’t there to sing - they want to check out U2 after all the publicity of Bono and shout out some rude things and criticize. I will thankfully take any arena show after this.
Before I close I must say this - I attended Zoo TV concert at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles and was on the field - at that time they had folding chairs on the field which I as well as everyone else stood on during the entire concert. It was October 31, 1992 and Larry’s Birthday. The crowd was fun and everyone had a great time at that amazing and UNFORGETTABLE concert. I am hoping for great people at the concerts in Las Vegas and Los Angeles like that one. I know U2 will deliver a great show. I can always count on U2.
@pearls as a Chicagoan, let me be the first to apologize for your experience in the stands. I’ll bet anything those folks weren’t from Chicago.
I attended the 2nd night in Chicago and I thought the show was BRILLIANT! We had GA tickets, but we hung back by the sound booth where we had room to move. The collection of people around us were great. No jerks. Just regular folk and hard cord U2 fans enjoying a great show. The view was perfect. The sound was perfect. The show, as I said, was brilliant! Its too bad you couldn’t have come down to the floor and joined us, we had a great time. I brought a buddy of mine who’s never been to a U2 show before and he was blown away.
As another friend once said after I took them to their first U2 show… I think I just had a religious experience.
As for NLOTH, I love it. I really enjoy the albums pace and the songs. I have to say the Anton Corbijn file (Linear) that accompanies the album on the deluxe edition adds a tremendous visual to the tracks and really brings out the album.
I’ve never been to a U2 show I haven’t loved. This one does have a different vibe, though. I think it’s for several reasons: they are playing huge stadiums and have to play a broad selection from their back catalog; they are older; and the audience is less “dedicated” than the hard-core fans.
I saw them in Dublin (3) and loved the entire experience - it was communal and full of love b/c we were in their hometown. It was a spiritual pilgrimage. Having said that, I was disappointed with Breathe as the opener. But I loved the rest of the set list - especially hearing Stay, Bad, MLK and UF and UV all in one show. I was enthralled by the screen (who isn’t when you first see it?) and the show went by way too fast.
Then I just saw them in Houston last week. A great show with a lot of energy (more than I felt in Dublin) and most people were up and singing/dancing. Breathe was better but I still didn’t love it as the opener. And they dropped Unknown Caller, which I loved in Dublin. They played Your Blue Room - b/c of the space station connection - but most people didn’t appreciate it. Boots turned out to be amazing live.
The band have a lot of confidence in NLOTH and are playing up to 7 songs per show from it. I also happen to really like the album - it is complex in many ways (albeit sometimes a little too much so).
I think I can safely say we’d all like to see them play a lot longer. But 2.25 hours is still a great show.
I don’t want to get too down on the audience but I was a little disappointed to see how rude some fans were to the band and to others. I’ve always prided myself on the fact that U2 fans are the best in the world. Some of the casual fans don’t understand that code. I did not see such behavior in Dublin, btw.
My only sadness is I’m not going to any more shows on this leg of the tour
But I will tune in to the LA webcast and maybe see them when they come back out next year!
The new songs absolutely suck, end of story. I am probably the biggest u2 fan of anybody on this message board, and I did not like one of the new songs. I also went to the show in NJ and I was one of those people walking out at the end to beat the traffic. Until U2 realizes that nobody is interested in them trying to be different and change it, then we are going to have to suffer through these awful songs. Their best work is in the best, so stick to what people fell in love with and play it. I could put together a set list in 5 minutes that would blow their audiences away. Until they change their set lists, I wont be attending another concert. I would rather watch one of their old DVD’s.
Who gives a crap if the mainstream likes the new album or if there is a “radio hit” on the new album. Anyone with ears and any semblance of an understanding of U2’s history and of rock music knows that they still are challenging themselves and their fans and that they are making great music. No Line on the Horizon is an underappreciated album but as most of the critics and most of the die hard U2 fans agree it is a great album. Its murky its tough at times but it is modern day U2 and played as an entire album it is one of their best albums ever and far and away better than 99% of the rubbish albums that bands are putting out. From the title track to Breathe, Magnificent, Fez, Cedars of Lebanon, Moment of Surrender and Unknown Caller this is one of their best line-up of songs on any album of theirs. It will take more time to sink it but it will. This is a classic album by a band that has done everything. Open up your ears and stop trying to make U2 and their music something that you want to hear or that you think it should be and you will see the beauty and brilliance in this album. Sure it would be great to have everyone so oh yay so great but you know what I for one am happy it doesnt have a radio friendly hit and that it is taking time for people to appreciate it. U2 is cool again and they are 50 and have achieved everything. This is the album they wanted to make and there are very few bands that can do that and still sell out stadiums. Viva U2 they are on their way to being the biggest band of all time and to do that you have to fill in all the layers. Knock what you want to but they have it figured out and you are missing out with this new album but in time it will sink in. Thank you U2 for keeping us all so interested. Viva U2!
No offense but you are definitely not one of their biggest fans. Their biggest fans love the new album!