No rehearsals on 21/06; wrap-up of the last few days
U2 have rested today, Sunday 21/06, and not rehearsed in Barcelona. So let's summarise the first few days of rehearsals.
Firstly, the tally of songs played by album:
Boy: 0
October: 0
War: 2 (Sunday Bloody Sunday, Drowning Man)
The Unforgettable Fire: 4 (Pride, The Unforgettable Fire, Bad, MLK)
The Joshua Tree: 3 (Where The Streets Have No Name, I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For, With Or Without You)
Rattle And Hum: 1 (Angel Of Harlem)
Achtung Baby: 3 (Even Better Than The Real Thing, One, Ultra Violet)
Zooropa: 0
Pop: 0
All That You Can't Leave Behind: 4 (Beautiful Day, Elevation, Walk On, In A Little While)
How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb: 2 (Vertigo, City Of Blinding Lights)
No Line On The Horizon: 7 (No Line On The Horizon, Magnificent, Moment Of Surrender, Unknown Caller, Crazy Tonight, Get On Your Boots, Breathe)
Total: 26
The band have mainly focused on their 1980s and 2000s material. Only three songs from one 1990s album have been rehearsed so far - and only Ultra Violet has been rehearsed on multiple days. Speaking of which, the band have dug up some rarities: Ultra Violet, not played live since 28 August 1993; The Unforgettable Fire, not played live since 6 January 1990; Drowning Man, never before played live in full. Plus there is In A Little While, played only twice on the Vertigo Tour, and Even Better Than The Real Thing, a song last performed on 9 June 2001 and apparently this time rehearsed in the style of the Perfecto Mix. In terms of re-interpreting songs, the band have worked on an acoustic version of Sunday Bloody Sunday.
As far as setlist structure goes, the band have rehearsed an intro with both Magnificent and Breathe. Looks like, as per usual, a song from the new album will open the setlist. A new song may also have the closing slot - it appears U2 have been trying out Moment Of Surrender for that position. Additionally, a lengthy and interesting article from the Irish Independent mentions that "Mullen talks about an extended acoustic set in the middle, about revisiting songs from Achtung Baby and never-before-played gems from early in their career". However, that was back on Monday 15/06, and as the article goes on to say, it is only over the course of rehearsals on the actual stage that the band will be able to hone the setlist structure and song selection.
Approximately only a week to go now until the tour begins. The band will naturally continue rehearsals this week, so stay tuned for news - and let's hope for some more exciting surprises.
Firstly, the tally of songs played by album:
Boy: 0
October: 0
War: 2 (Sunday Bloody Sunday, Drowning Man)
The Unforgettable Fire: 4 (Pride, The Unforgettable Fire, Bad, MLK)
The Joshua Tree: 3 (Where The Streets Have No Name, I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For, With Or Without You)
Rattle And Hum: 1 (Angel Of Harlem)
Achtung Baby: 3 (Even Better Than The Real Thing, One, Ultra Violet)
Zooropa: 0
Pop: 0
All That You Can't Leave Behind: 4 (Beautiful Day, Elevation, Walk On, In A Little While)
How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb: 2 (Vertigo, City Of Blinding Lights)
No Line On The Horizon: 7 (No Line On The Horizon, Magnificent, Moment Of Surrender, Unknown Caller, Crazy Tonight, Get On Your Boots, Breathe)
Total: 26
The band have mainly focused on their 1980s and 2000s material. Only three songs from one 1990s album have been rehearsed so far - and only Ultra Violet has been rehearsed on multiple days. Speaking of which, the band have dug up some rarities: Ultra Violet, not played live since 28 August 1993; The Unforgettable Fire, not played live since 6 January 1990; Drowning Man, never before played live in full. Plus there is In A Little While, played only twice on the Vertigo Tour, and Even Better Than The Real Thing, a song last performed on 9 June 2001 and apparently this time rehearsed in the style of the Perfecto Mix. In terms of re-interpreting songs, the band have worked on an acoustic version of Sunday Bloody Sunday.
As far as setlist structure goes, the band have rehearsed an intro with both Magnificent and Breathe. Looks like, as per usual, a song from the new album will open the setlist. A new song may also have the closing slot - it appears U2 have been trying out Moment Of Surrender for that position. Additionally, a lengthy and interesting article from the Irish Independent mentions that "Mullen talks about an extended acoustic set in the middle, about revisiting songs from Achtung Baby and never-before-played gems from early in their career". However, that was back on Monday 15/06, and as the article goes on to say, it is only over the course of rehearsals on the actual stage that the band will be able to hone the setlist structure and song selection.
Approximately only a week to go now until the tour begins. The band will naturally continue rehearsals this week, so stay tuned for news - and let's hope for some more exciting surprises.
Posted on by Axver