Today, U2 performed their second of two concerts in Chicago. It is worth noting that these two gigs have taken place almost 35 years to the day since U2 visited Chicago on the War Tour for a show on 21 May 1983 and saw the exhibition that inspired The Unforgettable Fire.

Reports from today's soundcheck indicate that the band worked on Red Flag Day, The Ocean, Raised By Wolves, and Until the End of the World.

The soundcheck proved an accurate indication that Red Flag Day would be played. It had been omitted from the past three shows, and slotted into the setlist position occupied last night by Gloria. This is Red Flag Day's fourth live performance to date, and the first time it has been performed without Gloria in the setlist—the three previous times it has been played, Gloria has also been in the setlist.

Raised By Wolves, however, did not make it out of soundcheck. U2 continued with the extended Sunday Bloody Sunday outro leading into Until the End of the World, and tonight Bono recited William Blake's poem Introduction over the start of the song, in the spot where he usually shouts the "comfort me!" ending of the Psalm 23 snippet.

Speaking of Sunday Bloody Sunday, and to build on yesterday's statistic about 1,000 live appearances of any type, today that song achieved its 900th known full performance. Missing and incomplete setlists mean that this number probably under-estimates its total live appearances by roughly 20. In terms of known full performances, it is the third U2 song to reach 900—both Pride and I Will Follow are ahead of it. If Pride remains a regular feature of the nightly setlist for the rest of the year, it will become the first to reach 1,000 known full performances.

Bono, in his Macphisto persona, slipped a little Frank Sinatra into his sinister intro to Acrobat tonight. Macphisto, with a cackle, told the locals that "I will always be with you, Chicago—you are my kind of town".

At the end of the show, as he wrapped up 13, Bono made an allusion to Walk On, dropping in a mention of "home, that's where the hurt is".

The full setlist was:

1. Love Is All We Have Left
2. The Blackout
3. Lights Of Home
4. I Will Follow
5. Red Flag Day
6. Beautiful Day
7. The Ocean
8. Iris (Hold Me Close)
9. Cedarwood Road
10. Sunday Bloody Sunday
11. Introduction (snippet) / Until the End of the World
(Intermission - Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me)
12. Elevation
13. Vertigo / It's Only Rock 'n' Roll (But I Like It) (snippet)
14. Desire Hollywood Mix
15. My Kind Of Town (snippet) / Acrobat
16. You're The Best Thing About Me Full band acoustic
17. Staring at the Sun Bono and Edge acoustic
18. Pride (In the Name of Love)
19. Get Out Of Your Own Way
20. American Soul
21. City of Blinding Lights

encore(s):

22. Women of the World (snippet) / One / Invisible (snippet)
23. Love Is Bigger Than Anything in Its Way
24. 13 (There Is A Light) / Walk On (snippet)

All details for this show including reviews, videos and photos can be found here.

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Posted on May 24, 2018 by Axver