jeffwalsh

Why should U2 care about what people have named other illegal bootlegs in the past, though? Seems a bit off to think they'd be like "Oh, damn, someone already took that name... what else can we call it?!"

Awesome performance!

Ticket drops for GA have been happening a day or two before the shows online, so I doubt they are holding any back for the box office. Seems to happen shortly after load-in, since I think they reserve a bit more room for the stage than they will need. So once they set up, they figure out how many more tickets they can sell.

I think we're only going by the section inside the venue, no one need bring a compass. ;-)

South, I believe.

James' catalog is all deep cuts, though, except Laid ;-) Steely Dan just announced a series of shows in NYC and here is the rundown: Steely Dan's Beacon Theatre concerts: October 6 Aja & Hits October 7 Greatest Hits October 9 Gaucho & Hits October 10 The Royal Scam & Hits October 13 Aja & Hits October 14 Greatest Hits October 16 By Popular Demand October 17 "The Most Unforgettable Night of Whatever - Featuring Spectacular Musical Guests, Glorious Tunes and Riffage, and Whatever the Party Calls for!" So that approach would seem to please everyone, except the people who them complain they can't come to NYC or see as many shows as they want, etc. U2 would never do that, but still...

When my friends bail on shows for which I purchased tickets, and replacements aren't found, my friends eat the cost of their unused tickets. ;-)

Two elderly women are at a Catskill mountain resort, and one of 'em says, "Boy, the food at this place is really terrible." The other one says, "Yeah, I know; and such small portions."

Maybe they like playing it?

I think U2 can safely offer this challenge: If they can get everyone on the message board to agree to one set list to play for the duration of the tour, they should agree to play it. ;-)

Sorry , I guess jeff walsh already made this point No worries, GMTA!

My guess is the reason they played Beautiful Day this last time is because they were asked to play something people might know already. So, a TV show is probably not where you're going to get the deep cuts.

I think that is always where the stage was going to be. I think the original plan was for the RZ to be where the catwalk met the e Stage.

Or these are the songs they wanted to play on this tour.

Not the best word choice. ;-)

The issue you're having is that you want a concert, and U2 puts on a show. Bands that do concerts have a static stage, few visual effects, and just normal concert lights, so that they have a lot of flexibility to do whatever they want and switch it up daily. Pearl Jam would be a good example of this, especially when they do multiple dates in one town, they make an effort to dramatically alter the setlists. A few years back, they even did a series of shows where they played their entire catalog, forcing them to play nearly an hour on one night before their opening act just to fit them all in. U2 puts on a show. There is a theme (innocence and experience), a stage that mirrors this iconography, a narrative that the first half represents innocence starting with Bono singing along to the Ramones in his bedroom under a plain white light, walking down the street he grew up on, and these songs have a specific order, and then after the intermission, the narrative shifts to experience. There are different visual effects, lighting cues, and stage effects mapped out for each song. Confetti drops on this song, and even the confetti itself has text that links to the narrative. Light bars are raised throughout the stage on this song. And on and on... So, the idea that they would meticulously craft this experience to specifically raise what they feel (and many other feel) is the level of attention to what it means to put on a compelling live show that raises the bar for others to aim for, and at some point are going to think, "You know... forget all that. Tonight we're going to just play songs the majority of people in the venue aren't familiar with, don't reinforce the theme of the tour or the experience we put together as well as the ones we have selected, and just wing it?" What tour have they ever done that on?! They do bring out random songs here and there, and will continue to do so. But I can't recall a modern U2 tour where they haven't done what you seem to not like. And, I have to say... I remember U2 tours because of it. A tour setlist becomes a form of nostalgia at a later date. I can't even hear Arcade Fire "Wake Up" without wondering when Bono's voice is going to start joining it, as their walk-on music... I love Pearl Jam, too, but their tours don't stand out as much for that reason, as every time around it is just a random bunch of songs. I've been to great shows of theirs, bought the bootlegs, and listen to them. But it's not the same as the craftsmanship that U2 brings to the mix. A lot of the ones that end up acoustic a lot are also picked because they are easy for the audience to sing along to (AN--GEEEEELLL!), so again... it is geared toward crowd unification, not catalog exploration. So, why would anyone be surprised by something the band has been doing consistently from the Zoo TV tour until now?!

A lawyer who doesn't know the definition of adjacent?

Ha! They should do that at every show... ;-)

If you have a GA ticket, you get a wristband...

Of which tour? ;-)

Or making a joke...

You get a ticket with CCE, as you enter it is printed out and handed to you...

Ticketmaster has no knowledge of this stuff. They just put on there what the U2 tour management told them.

Which ones would those be?

Nope, you get a one-time code each year to use in the online shop.