|
 |
|
|
|
|
"[I]t sounds kind of boring, but you really make a lot better use of the day if you're not staying up till 4 o'clock in the morning." -- Adam |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
"[I]t sounds kind of boring, but you really make a lot better use of the day if you're not staying up till 4 o'clock in the morning." -- Adam |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
 |
 |
What Could U2's Next Tour Be Like?
@U2,
September 29, 2011
Now that the U2 360 tour is in the record books and the band and fans alike have moved on to other aspects of their lives, the obvious question is … what's next?
It's well known that U2 like to reinvent themselves, both musically with their studio albums and through their live performances. After 30-plus years of touring, performing gigs both great and small, it seems as though U2 have done it all in terms of their live act. But they continue to surprise us, and likely themselves, as they demonstrated on the epic 360 tour. We know the band members feel strongly about topping their previous achievements and they focus on remaining relevant as they advance in their musical journey. As much as we'd like U2 to return to the road next year, we know that's unlikely to happen. So, until U2 has a new album and supporting tour, fans pass the time by talking about what we think should happen next. Speculation among fans runs the gamut. Will U2 simplify their concerts again, hearkening back to performances in their early days and through the 1980s? Will they put on another global stadium tour? How about returning to arenas, a venue where they are quite comfortable and can still reach a lot of fans? Will they experiment with the club scene to create a more intimate atmosphere? Maybe we'll see a greatest hits tour, or catch them at more festivals. Will they do something altogether different, such as producing an online-only experience and playing songs on request, or perhaps performing a single album straight through? A look at our forum, a poll of the @U2 staff, and a review of what the band members themselves have said present some very interesting scenarios of what could lie ahead. First, it's widely agreed that we have not seen the last of U2's tours. Forum member markreed suggests that the band has another 12 to 15 years to tour. With eight years left on their contract with Live Nation, that prediction seems realistic. However, there are varying opinions on the venues the band should play, and even more widely varying opinions on the music they should play. The Venue Hands down, most fans prefer to see U2 in an arena (a sentiment validated in the 2010 @U2 fan survey). It is more intimate than a stadium, the sound is better, you don't have to worry about the weather and there are fewer people to deal with. Some people would like another stadium tour because it's easy to get tickets, and they like the outdoor atmosphere. Others suggest a mix of stadiums and arenas, like we saw on the Vertigo tour. Our staffer Scott Calhoun offers a unique idea: U2 should create an inflatable dome, customized for excellent sound quality and the ability to project images on the inner walls of the dome. This touring circus approach might be similar to Cirque du Soleil. Of course, Bono would be the ringmaster and they would have to play "Acrobat" and "Who's Going to Ride Your Wild Horses." Timing and Frequency U2 set the bar high for themselves by taking their show to 7 million fans during their two-year tour. We got used to the idea that we could easily see them in person or follow them online throughout the tour. It was like they were always "there." Forum member The Wanderer suggests a Jimmy Buffet approach to touring by playing eight to 10 shows per continent on an annual tour. They could play Europe for a month and then North America for a month, then mix in stops on other continents such as South America and Australia on alternating years. Break out the Claw - it is paid for, after all! Staffer Sherry Lawrence predicts the band may revisit the idea of scheduling breaks in between a certain number of shows, so their downtime factors into the schedule. After all, they're not getting any younger! The Set List Probably the most hotly debated item of any tour is the set list. Assuming the band will tour to support a new album, what additional songs should make an appearance? There are as many opinions as fans: Some people, including @U2 staffer Joe Hebert, call for full-on set list reform. "Get rid of the tired old warhorses from the list. There is only one song that fits the 'must play' requirement for me and that is 'Streets.' Nothing else is mandatory in the set list. OK, 'Bad' as well." The 360 tour began with a lot of songs from The Unforgettable Fire and No Line On The Horizon, along with standard war horse songs. As the tour progressed, the band dropped NLOTH songs in favor of more music from Achtung Baby and numerous rarities. Forum member spooked1oo predicts the band will play "Love Is Blindness," "Please," "If God Will Send His Angels," "Twilight," "Love Comes Tumbling," "Heartland" and "Seconds," among others. Other forum predictions include "Bullet The Blue Sky," "Get On Your Boots," "Magnificent," "Crazy" remix and "Moment Of Surrender." Consensus in this thread shows that Pop songs will make an appearance, including "Gone," "Please" and "Discotheque," which was played only twice on the last two tours. Staffer Jill Marino would like to see the return of more NLOTH material. "Who cares if no one knows these older/newer songs that well? A U2 show is for the fans, not for people who bought a ticket to say they only went so they could say they saw U2. So bring on the classics/rarities and No Line back into the set!" Joe Hebert suggests that the band prepare two different set lists, starting with a core group of 12 songs that appear on both lists, then adding 15 songs for set list A and 15 for set list B. The band should pick 10 songs from either A or B, he suggests, for a total of 22 songs. The band responded very positively to set list changes at the end of the 360 tour, so why not go forward with that concept? Of course, the band would have to commit to major rehearsal time to pull off this approach. What U2 Say Band members also have talked about future plans. Recently, Bono said it would be a while before U2 returns to the public arena. After the grueling 360 tour, the guys are taking a much-needed rest to recharge before they return to the studio. Bono has said Pop songs will reappear on the next tour, along with more rare songs. In an interview with Rolling Stone magazine this summer, Adam and Edge voiced their opinions. "I imagine everyone will get away from this tour and get a bit of breathing space, then in two or three years time, they'll be able to do it again," Adam said. "You have the same set of questions: 'Do you want to play in a stadium?' 'No, we don't want to play in a stadium.' 'Do you want to play in an arena?' 'Yeah, we like playing in arenas.' 'But if you play in arenas, it will take you this long to get around the world, if you play in stadiums, you can do it over a couple of summers,' and the debate will start." "I say it will be a while before anyone wants to think about it, but I'm sure the next time we go out, it will be quite different," Edge said. "That, I'm pretty confident about it, but what that might be, there really is no clue at this point." U2 have talked about new albums numerous times through the 360 tour, offering album names and performing songs like "North Star." It's unlikely those will materialize on a new album. And history tells us a tour will not begin until a new album is released. Adam insists the band has many more albums in it. "There's a mythology within music is that you have to be young to create it. As musicians, I think we're getting better. As a band we are getting better. We're better at editing ourselves and performing so we're in a much better place than we were when we made those early records." My favorite interpretation of what should happen next is provided by our own @U2 cartoonist Kelly Eddington. One thing all fans can agree on: We await the next album and ensuing tour with great anticipation! We'll take any tour as long as it's NOT a farewell tour! Come back soon, boys! We miss you already. (c) @U2/Myers, 2011.
|
|
|
||||||
|
||||||||
