U2 MSG July 26 NYC Photos Setlist

this is not a rehearsal

miracle of joey ramone, gloria, vertigo, I will follow, iris, cedarwood road, song for someone, sunday bloody sunday, raised by wolves, until the end of the world, [pre-recorded updated mix of “the fly” with visuals updated from the zoo tv tour], invisible, even better than the real thing, mysterious ways, elevation, ordinary love [with lady gaga], every breaking wave, bullet the blue sky, pride, beautiful day, with or without you.

encore: city of blinding lights, where the streets have no name, one.

we're in a place called vertigo.
U2 - Get On Your Boots

so far, after a couple of listens, i hate the new U2 song. How to Dismantle had better songs than the first single "Vertigo," so i'm gonna assume/hope that the rest of No Line on the Horizon has something more legit to offer. -Kenyon

U2: PopMart Live From Mexico City DVD
(Island/Interscope)
filmed: December 3, 1997
release: September 18, 2007
Having already a decade for reflecting upon, U2's PopMart--a step up stage-wise from Zoo TV--was indeed overly over-the-top and ambitious. Despite the criticism the tour and record received (U2 has "lost its way," the tour wasn't quite ready to go yet), Pop and Popmart were an experiment and something different. There was nothing that compared to an enormous LED screen and a huge glittering lemon in which the band is revealed to be inside. You had to see it to believe it. Offering a light statement about consumerism, PopMart was F-U-N and free of political meandering. In Mexico City in particular (this recording has previously been issued on VHS), a good portion of the crowd could barely see, if at all, the actual U2. The place is gigantic. Even so, they seemed to appreciate every last song (unlike the poseurs in New York, who weren't familiar with "Hold Me Thrill Me Kiss Me Kill Me"). The setlist in Mexico (count how many times Bono says "Mexico," it's a lot) is a satisfying assortment, with the bulk coming from The Joshua Tree, Achtung Baby and Pop. There are some surprises, both good and bad--the Edge singing "Sunday Bloody Sunday" solo, Bono forgetting lyrics to "Desire." The rest is brilliant and colorful, making the more "intimate" and "sincere" subsequent tour for All That You Can't Leave Behind look plain. [there is also a two-disc version with unreleased live audio and video, documentaries, a PopMart tour visuals montage, and more].-Kenyon

Until the End of the Show
U2 @Madison Square Garden, November 21, 2005.
Section 218, row B, seat 15.

Main Set: City of Blinding Lights, Vertigo, Elevation, I Will Follow (with additional lyrics towards end), I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For, Beautiful Day, Original of the Species, Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own, Love and Peace or Else, Sunday Bloody Sunday (snippet, "Rock the Casbah"), Bullet the Blue Sky, Miss Sarajevo, Pride, Where the Streets Have No Name, One.

Encore 1: Until the End of the World, Mysterious Ways, With or Without You

Encore 2: The First Time (acoustic), Stuck In a Moment (acoustic), Instant Karma (with Patti Smith), Bad (snippet, "People Have the Power").




This review is a little shorter than the other two shows i went to on this tour (May 18, October 10), because i already wrote all about it and the main set this time was so similar to October 10 in particular. As a result, boring and predictable, I know there's a schedule and routine the band and crew follows and there's only so many songs they can have ready, but come on U2, you have like 300 other songs available. I guess they have to play it safe most of the time as far as what songs to choose. U2 has to cater to the general fans and play the popular and succesful songs. That really is a shame and we wind up hearing a lot of the same stuff. Now there are some songs which i am truly sick of (i already hated "Elevation"). I know there are people there who haven't yet seen U2 on this tour but the band has to know that people are going to multiple shows. Here's some suggestions: New Year's Day, Even Better Than the Real Thing, something from the second side of Joshua Tree, something from Zooropa. Being in section 218, relatively close to the stage but mostly seeing their backs, doesn't help too much. If i was in the "ellipse", i know it would have been a different story and i wouldn't even care what they were playing. Well, at least this time i took photos with a sweet zoom lens.

So after the lame main set (really, i just couldn't get into it much), the band came back for the first encore with the ZOO TV images on the screen to start. I was like, oh no, here we go again with "Zoo Station" and "The Fly". Shit. Then i got the biggest, best surprise of the night: "Until the End of the World" (awesome, only saw them play it once on Zoo TV tour which i barely remember), and "Mysterious Ways." (although "New Year's Day" really is a great transition from "Until"). So by now i was praying for "Bad", and after the acoustic songs and the John Lennon song, we got it. And i think that, along with "Until the End" made my night. oh yea and after reading about the following night at MSG (show cut a little short, no "bad") i am so so glad i went to the first one. sorry guys!

Crowd and seat report: energy level was definitely better and more intense for October 10 (though an earplug in my left ear may have clouded my meter-reading). as usual, the people around me were total deadbeats. hardly moving or dancing or responsive. the guy behind me was a total jerk talking to his girlfriend. i didn't even bother making small talk with the girls to the left of me. aside from the jerk behind me though, it was a good spot because i was at the end of my row (the odds are 1 in 15, yea?), therefore as soon as the arcade fire song came on, i went right in the isle and had plenty of space to dance (very lucky to be at the bottom of the section, with the guardrail in front of me). so, i had a clear view of the stage (see photos).

Notes: Among the snippets, Bono sang a line from the chorus of "Please" somewhere, forgot what song. I'm sure few people caught that. Young boy pulled onstage for "Sunday Bloody Sunday", not sure what to think of that. girl for "With or Without You" worked better. Patti Smith just had to comment about the war. Said there is no reason to be there. Half the crowd booed, half cheered.

Last note: I wore an old long sleeved shirt on which i wrote U2 lyrics and images from achtung baby tour. to my surprise, absolutely no one at the show commented on this. i purposely wrote lesser known lyrics, but come on. yea, i mean COME ON.

U2: beautiful. Cell phones and beer: bad.
(or, love and peace or else I'm going to hurt someone)

U2 at Madison Square Garden, New York, October 10, 2005
-Kenyon Hopkin


You'd think that after three dates in the area in May and two at Madison Square Garden in the past weak would produce less of an energized crowd. With U2, that's just not the case. At least, not for this impressive third gig at MSG. And you'd think that being in section 419, facing the side of the stage, would be a drag. Not so. Not when it's an open stage and you're in Row A!

When they first came on for "City of Blinding Lights" (after the Arcade Fire over the PA got my fists pumping) the crowd was nearly deafening and a lot of the time it was difficult to even hear the music. Several people that posted at u2tours.com said that Bono's voice was a little off. I remember the singer from Keane (who were not bad) even mentioned that his voice wasn't up to par tonite (no one should be pointing that out, cause it only brings attention to it). I really didn't notice any flaw with his voice, but come on people, U2 is playing like 200 shows in a year, so what do you expect. It's amazing that they can play two hours each nite at all.

I was very ecstatic that they started with "City" again, but "Vertigo" and "Elevation" (why they chose to keep this in the set so long is beyond me, that song is weak), was like they were just going through the motions. I know they can't mix up sets TOO MUCH, but I'm just sick of those songs. The next two songs, however, more than made up for this: "I Will Follow" and "Electric Co." Most of the crowd was into "Follow" but (surprise, surprise) only a small percentage even knew "Electric Co." That was the first of a few songs where I was dancing and jumping around while the people around me were sitting down or just standing there like zombies.

"I Still Haven't Found" unexpectedly followed, I've never known of that song coming so early in a set. Then of course the crowd got energized again with "Beautiful Day." "Miracle Drug" slowed it down and again Bono had to dedicate the song to nurses, etc. and then "Sometimes You Can't Make it", which i don't even clearly remember them playing because I was probably sitting and putting my head on the guard rail in front of me. Good time for a break.

Then came the sorta charged-up-with-a-political-message segment with "Love and Peace," "Sunday" and "Bullet the Blue Sky", all which were pretty rocking, with Bono playing a little drum kit on the ramp for "Love and Peace". After "Bulllet" was probably the most unexpected song (for me at least) of the nite: "Miss Sarejevo," a song they recorded under the name "Passengers" with Brian Eno and opera singer Pavorotti. Holy cow! Are you kidding me? I assumed it would be "Running to Stand Still" cause that's what usually comes after "Bullet". The Edge played piano instead of guitar for "Sarejevo" and sadly, most of the crowd didn't know it, and since it's a quiet song, I could hear people talking. As a result at that point, I pretty much hated most everyone there. This was a really special moment, and Bono was even singing Pavorotti's part, wow, impressive.

Favorites "Pride" and "Streets" of course followed and then the so so boring and overrated "One". (I'm pretty sure) just before "One" Bono had the crowd do the thing with the cell phones, which I find pretty ironic since he was talking about how they can do everything including lending support to the ONE campaign and yet here they were annoying the hell out of me with people calling their friends before and during the show (I kid you not, this guy next to me, who thankfully later moved cause he was in the wrong seat, called his friend during Keane like 5 minutes after getting there and says "yea, they're pretty good" and holds the phone up to record some of it to send to him. jerk)

The main set ended, they took a short break, and then the Zoo TV-like images were on the screens. Totally sweet. The best part of the show, second only to start of "City". It's like a new concert is starting, like you're at the Zoo TV tour in 1992. I happen to love "Zoo Station". Of course it's not a "hit", so not as many people are into it. I wish Bono moved around more for the song though as he did in the Zoo TV live from Sydney Australia video. Here he kinda just did the same movements when I saw them May 18, so that was just going through motions there. "The Fly". I'm sorry, that song is very average for U2. Why aren't they playing "Even Better Than the Real Thing" on this tour? That would work so much better, especially earlier in the set. "With or Without You" I was hoping would flow in from a previous song, it doesnt work too well after "Fly".

At that point it was 11:25, and my friend and I decided we needed to catch the 11:42 train (the next was at 1:04, dammit. yea yea I know, it's U2!), so just as they came on for the second encore with "All Because of You", we left, realizing it otherwise would have taken like 30 minutes to get from section 419 to the ground. I really hated to leave, especially after finding out they played "Bad" and "40". However they did play that May 18 so I'm not as upset. Hopefully they will play "Bad" November 21 (I'll be in a 200-level section near the stage). After the show, I was having second thoughts about Nov 21 and I wanted to sell the ticket. (get ready for the rant) I'll tell you why: phones, talking and beer. People, again: YOU PAID GOOD MONEY TO SEE U2, AND HERE YOU ARE DRINKING BEER (and spilling it on people), going to the bathroom or to get more beer (MSG is dumb for selling it) AND TALKING DURING THE SHOW ("yankees are down 2-1!"). I am sure there are bigger fans that deserved tickets more than you and got shut out. You just don't get it, this is one of the best bands and shows you will ever see, and some people appreciate it more than you and want to be incredibly focused and immersed in it. It's a chance/risk you have to take though. I guess my section could have been worse, it wasn't as awful as I am making it sound, it was just typical. I'm trying my luck on Nov 21, because well, U2 is the BOMB and this may be my last chance to see them, particularly at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Oh yea and um, I think I forgot to mention that the lights were pretty cool too.

Main Set: City of Blinding Lights, Vertigo, Elevation, I Will Follow, The Electric Co., I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For (snippet of In a Little While), Beautiful Day (snippet of lou reed song), Miracle Drug, Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own, Love and Peace or Else, Sunday Bloody Sunday, Bullet the Blue Sky, Happy Birthday/Miss Sarajevo, Pride, Where the Streets Have No Name, One (snippet of Ol' Man River.)

Encore 1: Zoo Station, The Fly, With or Without You. Encore 2: All Because of You, Yahweh, Bad, 40

photos and more at U2tours.com

i see the dustcloud disappear without a trace. (U2 setlist spoiler!) by Kenyon Hopkin


i got tickets the day before the show! holy wow! this is much better than star wars opening nite! this review is also at u2tours.com.

lots of great photos at INTERFERENCE


U2 at Continental Airlines Arena, the Meadowlands. May 18, 2005.
===============================================

short version!

favorite moments were: obviously, the minute or so between when the lights went out and the band first came on, the lyrics from "stories for boys" during "vertigo", "zoo station" to start the first encore and "bad" closing the show. none of those i expected. "streets" was awesome too. anytime a band member was walking on the ramp on our side, we were pretty close. i would say those were the moments where i definitely had tears in my eyes i was so ecstatic. oh, and the people who actually sang "40" with me after the show. oh and our seats were freaking sweet!


least favorite moments: people around me not more excited just before the show was going to start, some guy dancing in the aisle to the music on the PA well before the show, holding a beer bottle which i was scared would fling from his hand and hit someone in the head, "elevation" which i don't like at all, very few peopel knowing "the ocean" and sitting down during slow songs, bono talking about social/political stuff, not enough people singing "40" during "bad," and the people who didn't sing it with me after the show.


wierd moments: the local band on stage for "still haven't found" and that deal with the cell phones.


unmoment: no "with or without you"


set list: City of Blinding Lights, Vertigo (snippets from Stories for Boys, Pump It Up), Elevation, Gloria, The Ocean, Beautiful Day, Miracle Drug, Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own, Love and Peace or Else, Sunday Bloody Sunday, Bullet the Blue Sky (snippet from When Johnny Comes Marching Home), Running to Stand Still, Pride, Where the Streets Have No Name,One

first encore:Zoo Station, The Fly, Mysterious Ways
second encore:All Because Of You, Yahweh, I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For, Bad (chorus from 40).