U2 Innocence + Experience Tour Night 1
Spoiler – if you don’t want to know anything ahead of seeing them yourself, do not read on.
After four years, U2 finally hit the stage. The first time since the record-breaking 360 Tour ended in Halifax. U2 starts this tour on Canada’s other coast, in Vancouver. It was not without it’s moments of disaster. Some will recall Bono falling off the stage in Miami in 2001 opening night. And after all the physical damage he has done himself, you’d think it was him. Oh no, thank you Edge for taking his spot…
And another view – note Bono’s reaction near the end!
He posted his minor arm injuries for all to see here.
Here’s the setlist (via u2gigs.com):
1.The Miracle (Of Joey Ramone)
2.Out Of Control / Do You Remember Rock ‘n’ Roll Radio? (snippet)
3.Vertigo / God Save The Queen (Sex Pistols) (snippet)
4.I Will Follow
5.Mofo (snippet) / Iris (Hold Me Close)
6.Cedarwood Road
7.Song For Someone
8.Sunday Bloody Sunday
9.Raised By Wolves / Psalm 23 (snippet)
10.Until The End Of The World
(Intermission)
11.Invisible
12.Even Better Than The Real Thing
13.Mysterious Ways / Burning Down The House (snippet) / Young Americans (snippet)
14.Desire
15.Sweetest Thing
16.Every Breaking Wave
17.Bullet The Blue Sky
18.The Hands That Built America (snippet) / Pride (In The Name Of Love)
19.The Troubles
20.With Or Without You
Encore(s):
21.City Of Blinding Lights
22.Beautiful Day / I Remember You (snippet)
23.Mother And Child Reunion (snippet) / Where The Streets Have No Name / California (There Is No End To Love) (snippet) / All You Need Is Love (snippet)
24.I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For / Invisible (snippet)
NOTE: I will update this as I find things. Still missing a couple of songs and audio only for a couple
“The Miracle (Of Joey Ramone)”
“Out of Control”
“Vertigo” audio only so far
“I Will Follow”
“Iris”
“Cedarwood Road”
“Song For Someone”
“Sunday Bloody Sunday”
“Raised By Wolves”
“Until The End Of The World”
“Invisible”
“Even Better Than The Real Thing”
“Mysterious Ways”
“Desire” audio only so far
“Sweetest Thing”
“Every Breaking Wave” audio only so far
“Bullet The Blue Sky”
“The Hands That Built America”
“The Troubles”
“With Or Without You”
“City of Blinding Lights”
“Beautiful Day”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vv7fz48nCog
“Where The Streets Have No Name”
“I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For”
Interesting that there’s not a single song from No Line on the Horizon. Certainly not their best record, but still a couple of goods tracks that didn’t make an appearance on opening night.
Alan,
You will be impressed to know that fans were using Shazaam in the pit to find out the pre-gig PA music.
Then they created a Spotify playlist:
https://open.spotify.com/user/wilatw/playlist/1C1UlHXXZPebn7eAwUMxhL
Many, many references to late 70’s punk in this show.
Hi Alan,
I was at the U2 concert last night, I think we can get excited about U2 again. It was parts ZooTV upgraded, part politics of War, part naivete/heartache of Boy and part acknowledgement of their punk roots. I relived my youth but also accept my passing age like they do.
I thought they melded Innocence and Experience quite well. The graphics and lighting really enhanced the music and Bono was pretty up to form. He can’t sing like he used to but everyone looked fit and healthy and played well. He did hit the notes at points and held his wails and howls.
The sound was muddy and tinny though the new sound system worked well to evenly spread the sound throughout the arena. It balanced out during a powerful Sunday Bloody Sunday that brought tears to my eyes. It got a bit muddy towards the end but I”m hoping to see them again tonight to see if it got worked out and if the set list is any different. I hoped to hear Van Diemans Land, Ground Beneath her Feet and Celebration. Isnt that their first real single?
I was meh about Songs of Innocence and am glad I didn’t delete it because hearing it live really made me understand the theme and the music better. It’s growing on me. It makes me think that if the haters and kids too young to remember a U2 could have given this a chance maybe they would be converts. But it’s hard to expect if they never grew up listening to U2 and went through their various incarnations. You really had to be there to get it. And this isn’t a bad album, just not top U2 but I dont know how they can invent anything newer when they already invented it. They got back to their punk roots like I hoped but I was thinking of less gloss and a bit more raw.
Seeing SOI performed brought more understanding to Bono’s lyrics. I do feel bad that they have to do the Las Vegas greatest hits schick in order to get bums in the seats but those are the crowd pleasers. I hope that they can do a smaller B sides and rarities show at some point.
I forgive them for their transgressions but I don’t think of it that way anymore looking back now. Being U2 is basically the only day job they ever had and one never stops learning or stumbling even many years into a career. My favourite period of U2 is during their least crowdpleasing days. I loved they showed they had a sense of humour but too bad no one really got it.
Soon I hope they can let go and just create for themselves and not for the masses. That’s when they were at their best.
PS they didn’t play any songs from October either and that doesn’t mean it was a bad album.
Ouch!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BW61GZnXIXU