@SeattleB I hope you folk can listen! Would do it myself but my phone sucks, having trouble getting Twitter to work, hence the test tweets.
@MarsGirl75 So do I! I’ve championed Scarlet’s merits for years and I’m stunned they’re actually playing it.
@Rodneuson Think it’s around 2,000-2,500.
One of my mates just joined the Melbourne queue. #397 at 9:30am.
This is another test from Ax.
@tallyanddaisy I presume he’ll be on around 7:30. I haven’t actually seen stage times for the show anywhere, though.
Tip of the Claw is now visible outside Etihad.
@MarsGirl75 Almost 9am, 1 December. :)
@Opti_maX Or so you think! Prove it’s not an illusion. ;)
Test from Ax. Nothing to see here.
@u2wanderer Yeah, listening to Dublin 3’s soundcheck is how I heard Drowning Man and Electrical Storm. Wonder if any surprises left…
Welcome follower #4000.
@u2wanderer Heh. I’m hoping they’ll do a soundcheck…
Took some more photos tonight of the stage taking shape in Melbourne: http://u2.gs/hE #u2360melbourne
Snippetwatch, Auckland 1: Anthem in UTEOTW, Get Up Stand Up in SBS, brief All You Need Is Love in Streets.
Watch as I show up at 3pm and get almost as good a spot as they do.
Apparently five people already in the queue here in Melbourne. Saw one woman already there YESTERDAY. Madness.
@chocbudda Stage times depend somewhat on local curfews, so it can be hard to say.
@u2pinstripes Think they had a couple of other US ones wrong too. They’ve said Anaheim and Pasadena gigs are in LA before.
@JohnnyVOXX @popartist61 @u2_news Well yes, but it’s written as if the gigs are in BA the city. No mention of La Plata the city at all!
For the record, U2.com is wrong about the location of the Argentina show. It’s not in Buenos Aires itself, but the nearby city La Plata.
So why no Chile in today’s Sth Am announcement? Rumour is it’ll be announced tomorrow. Or next Monday. We’ll see…
Short article with dates, our tour archive links and pre-sale dates for upcoming South American shows: http://u2.gs/hD
Here is the U2 in Sao Paulo announcement from U2.com http://u2.gs/hC
Buenos Aires, March 30th, 2011 confirmed by U2.com: http://u2.gs/hB
U2, Sao Paolo, April 9th, 2011 seems to be official according to this article: http://u2.gs/hA
Now here’s a treat. Photos from inside Etihad Stadium, Melbourne, submitted by Butler, a rigger: http://u2.gs/hz #u2360melbourne
@FernandoDante I think so, but I’m not sure. God I hope this announcement happens. I’m very confident in the source. Fingers crossed!
@golden254 Yes, they want to announce all three countries at once.
Saw a few other folk peeking into Etihad today. If you were there and saw a blonde couple, I was the guy with the big bloody camera.
@ac_83 I saw her, but didn’t think anybody could be THAT insane.
I went down to Etihad again today. Photos of progress on the stage construction in Melbourne: http://u2.gs/hy #u2360melbourne
OK people, I know we’ve had a lot of failed rumours, but: South America announcement probably today/tomorrow-ish. I’m serious.
@EBTTReal_KS I guess they might show some snips rather than full songs. Can’t see it here in Europe at all.
About 7 minutes from CBS 60 minutes can be seen Online here: http://u2.gs/hx
I’m really happy for Axver to finally see some 360° shows live this year after doing so many live sets on the computer for us. Matt
A great photo set from Auckland 2 by Ayaz Asif: http://u2.gs/hw #u2360auckland
@gimp2u23 Are you coming over to Melbourne then? Wouldn’t mind shouting you a drink in thanks for your Auckland rehearsal reports.
I’ll be in the city again tomorrow, so I might go have another look around if I’ve the time. And if the weather stays dry!
Here we go, photos of the stage under construction in Melbourne: http://u2.gs/hv #u2360melbourne
It’s hard to see into Etihad, unfortunately. Got to have dinner and do a couple of things; should have photos up in a couple of hours or so!
@atu2 Absolutely!
Stage is well under construction at Etihad Stadium here in Melbourne. Will post some photos later!
Two more One Tree Hill clips from Auckland. Night 1 http://u2.gs/ht Night 2 http://u2.gs/hu Thanks to Glen #u2360auckland
@ZooPony here is one http://www.youtube.com/w…
Hi folks, Ax here. Very pleased HMTMKMKM was done tonight. I added some comments to the Auckland 2 article: http://u2.gs/nz2 #u2360auckland
Here is the complete Auckland 2nd show setlist http://u2.gs/nz2 #u2360auckland
Have to do some work now. Check the @atu2 setlist tweet list for live updates http://bit.ly/9Fiue3 I’ll catch up later #u2360 auckland
Elevation, Until The End Of The World #u2360auckland
juliefairey If I can hear the U2 concert from my house, almost a 9 km drive away, I suspect it is too damn loud.
Magnificent, Mysterious Ways #u2360auckland
Get On Your Boots #u2360auckland
New Years Day now #u2360auckland
Second Auckland show started with Stingray Guitar and Beautiful Day #u2360auckland
Hi folks, Ax here. Sorry, I can’t do a live set for tonight’s show, sorry. Not sure if Matt can. We’ll have the full set at the end!
Excellent photo set from Auckland show by Ayaz Asif http://u2.gs/hr #u2360auckland
@Matkin22 I’ll have to ask Matt if there’s a way we can easily account for timezones…
@Matkin22 Because the site’s clock is on European time. I think in 2009, it was calling NA shows “yesterday” while I was doing the live set!
One Tree Hill in HD from Auckland: http://u2.gs/hq #u2360auckland #u2
Fun fact: Scarlet has become just the 2nd October song to be played since 1990. Gloria was done 19 times in 2005.
@Drea104 On UF, they did Brick and I Fall Down. So this is the first time an October song other than Gloria/October has been done since ’85.
@llootsteen39 Great. Thanks :)
Scarlet clip from first Auckland show: http://u2.gs/hp (via @@llootsteen39) #u2360auckland
@llootsteen39 Haven’t found anything myself so far. I’m sure something will appear soon :)
@coolian2 Thanks. Has been added to the setlist.
One Tree Hill clip from Auckland 1st show: http://u2.gs/hn #u2360auckland
So, that’s all for tonight. Full Auckland 1 setlist here: http://u2.gs/nz1 Thanks primarily to @BigBlue02 for details! #u2360auckland
24th and presumably last is Moment Of Surrender. #u2360auckland
Woah, WOWY had Shine Like Stars! #u2360auckland
Crank yer Kiwi music in honour of tonight’s show. The Chills, Split Enz, The Bats, Straitjacket Fits, Nocturnal Projections, etc. - go ooon!
Perhaps U2 are just blowing out the cobwebs and focused on OTH/Scarlet, and Boy Falls/Mercy will show up tomorrow somewhere? #u2360auckland
Odds looking bad for Boy Falls From The Sky, despite how much it was rehearsed. #u2360auckland
23rd is With Or Without You. #u2360auckland
22nd song of the night and first song of the second encore is… Ultra Violet. #u2360auckland
Streets had the Amazing Grace intro snippet. #u2360auckland
Thanks to @atu2 to tipping me off that the ’81 gig with Scarlet had been dated wrong for years! October remaster liner notes contain gold.
Bit of a correction: Scarlet’s first and only previous performance was 1981-09-03, some 29 years, 2 months, and 22 days ago. #u2360auckland
21st song of the night is Streets.
@atu2 Just went to check the liner notes, and :headdesk:, wish I’d looked sooner now!
@atu2 Huh! What’s the source? I never did check the liner notes for the October remaster deluxe edition to see how they credited it there…
1st song of the encore, 20th song of the night is One. #u2360auckland
Walk On has the You’ll Never Walk Alone snip. Now over to Bishop Tutu. #u2360auckland
@atu2 Where’d you get those dates for Scarlet? Pimm says 1981-10-14…
19th is Walk On. #u2360auckland
The Ocean’s record for longest gap between performances? Shattered. 29 years, 1 month, 11 days between drinks for Scarlet. #u2360auckland
From what @BigBlue02 tweeted Jay-Z rapped on Scarlet and ruined it … #u2360auckland
18th is SCARLET! Tour debut, and only its SECOND LIVE PERFORMANCE EVER. First was 1981-10-14. #u2360auckland
Tonight is the second time Jay-Z has joined U2 for SBS. First was at the Brandenburg Gate, 2009-11-05. #u2360auckland
Via @BigBlue02, Jay-Z’s guesting in SBS.
17th is Sunday Bloody Sunday. Crazy Tonight had the Relax and Two Tribes snippets. Thanks @BigBlue02! #u2360auckland
Time for some very appropriate L&P to accompany the setlistery. Glad I can find this in Australia now!
So apart from OTH/Pride, this has been a standard European leg set so far. Wonder if Boy Falls will make it in at all? #u2360auckland
16th is Crazy Tonight. #u2360auckland
15th is Vertigo. #u2360auckland
14th is City Of Blinding Lights. #u2360auckland
13th is Miss Sarajevo, as you’d expect after IALW. U2, we heard this in 06. How about UF? That was last done down here in 89! #u2360auckland
#u2360auckland 12th is In A Little While, sod it.
#u2360auckland Eleventh is Pride, huh.
#u2360auckland Names of the 29 miners who died in the Pike River disaster are being displayed on screen during One Tree Hill.
#u2360auckland Dear U2, Melbourne wants to hear One Tree Hill too!
#u2360auckland About time U2’s best song made it into the setlist. (Actually, in studio, I rate A Sort Of Homecoming higher.)
#u2360auckland Tenth is ONE TREE HILL! Woohoo! Tour debut, last played 30 November 2006.
#u2360auckland Yep, ninth is I Still Haven’t Found.
#u2360auckland Bono’s speechifying now, so presumably I Still Haven’t Found is up next.
#u2360auckland Eighth is Until The End Of The World. Setlist is business as usual so far.
#u2360auckland Sixth is Mysterious Ways, seventh is Elevation. Thanks again @BigBlue02!
#u2360auckland Well, if getting setlist info is going to be a bit of a mission tonight, time to crack out the wine!
#u2360auckland Thanks to @BigBlue02 for the latest setlist update, as my own source seems to have fallen through a bit.
#u2360auckland Fourth is Boots and fifth is Magnificent.
#u2360auckland Here’s our mainpage article for today’s gig, where I am posting the full set: http://u2.gs/nz1
#u2360auckland I Will Follow is third in the set.
Usual opening duo: Return Of The Stingray Guitar, then Beautiful Day.
#u2360auckland Here we go, Space Oddity over the PA.
Mexican wave doing the rounds at Mt Smart now. U2 will be on soon. #u2360auckland
@Dagsy69 All previous 360 Tour support acts have had only 30 or 45 minutes. Same goes for basically every U2 headline show ever, actually.
@u2fanz Neither of us are there tonight, alas.
@jdt_76 God I wish. It’s a pain the way things work now.
Jay-Z is done in Auckland now. Is it just me, or was that quite a long support set?
For the record, I predict One Tree Hill in 1 of the 2 mid-set rotating slots after ISHF, and Scarlet into Walk On, just like they rehearsed.
I think the big question tonight is: will they play Scarlet or will it get Drowning Manned?
Support act Jay-Z on in Auckland now. (I was meant to tweet this about 20 minutes ago but apparently didn’t hit Enter. Ooops!)
Reportedly, U2’s crew soundchecked Bad today.
@mduchek They did! TTTYAATW appeared during their rehearsals in Turin prior to this year’s European leg.
@brosnackd unfortunately none of us is in Auckland.
Here is my clip from the last One Tree Hill performance in NZ back in 2006: http://u2.gs/hm cams were not that good back then #u2360auckland
Here is audio of Scarlet from Mt Smart rehearsal: http://u2.gs/hk #u2360auckland
Details of today’s rehearsals in Auckland: http://u2.gs/hj
Rehearsal ended with Boy Falls From The Sky again and Edge doing Streets’ intro.
The band have now rehearsed both One Tree Hill and Ultra Violet.
Some rehearsals happening now. End of IALW/Miss S/Boy Falls/COBL/Vertigo/Crazy Tonight so far.
Word is that some rehearsals have already happened in Auckland today. Unconfirmed: Jay-Z guest rap in Scarlet. Say it isn’t so!
An update summarising current rumours of U2 in South America next year: http://u2.gs/hi
@atu2 …letter of the word! Compare “abbreviation”/”abbrev.” to “mount”/”mt”. So a lot of people even here write “Mt.” incorrectly!
@atu2 You’ll find most people don’t understand this rule, since we DO use a full stop when the last letter of the abbrev. is not the last…
@u2wanderer e.g. some UK dictionaries recognise “-ize” as well as “-ise”. Down here, “-ise” remains the only correct form of the suffix.
@u2wanderer I’ve even noticed some US English features being accepted by UK dictionaries lately. Aus/NZ are last hold-outs in some cases.
@atu2 Haha, I see both Matt and I are on the ball today. Didn’t notice he’d replied before me.
@atu2 Because only US English uses a full stop when abbreviating “Mount” to “Mt”. Could explain further but Twitter’s character limit blows.
@atu2 Good question. Stumbled over this 4 years ago in Auckland. Ericsson Stadium was more clear ;-)
@Rodneuson There are merch stands inside the venue for seat and GA areas and in the Red Zones (small ones). Sometimes outside of the venue.
@thijst That is in fact the sole live performance of Scarlet that I mean. There may not have been a studio audience, but we still count it.
@danbakes I’d hope so, but maybe not if they want to rest a day and stay fresh for the two gigs? Guess we’ll see what happens!
danbakes http://youtu.be/0NtoCN9K… & http://youtu.be/Fw3ENgVv… - U2 sound rehearsing tonight. One Tree Hill! Amazing. PUMPED. @U2gigs
Our summary of this evening’s U2 rehearsal has now been fully updated: http://u2.gs/hh
Crew are boarding their bus, definitely it’s all over for tonight. Thanks so much especially to @gimp2u23 for all his reports tonight!
Seems the band’s rehearsal tonight could be heard clearly around nearby suburbs - got comments from Ellerslie, Remuera.
Simon reports that the stage lights are still on, but nothing’s happening.
Looks like proceedings might indeed be over in Auckland, as Bono seemed to indicate. Nothing’s been played yet after BFFTS.
@Matkin22 Hey now, I actually like Unknown Caller!
Boy Falls From The Sky was preceded by a lengthy jam.
So Bono’s asked the band if they want to play BFFTS and then pack it in for the night. 14th is consequently Boy Falls From The Sky.
@u2fanz Nope, thank god.
gimp2u23 Could be stumps here in Auckland…. Bono said they would call it a night soon….
After IALW is Miss Sarajevo as usual. I’m worried Aus/Kiwi audiences will miss out on UF, like we missed out on Elec Co. and Gloria in 2006.
Surprised some of you haven’t heard about the Pike River mine disaster. Is the world over mining disasters post-Chile?
@Matkin22 Permission so very much granted.
Hey, U2? You made up for missing us in 2001 back on Vertigo! Can we have some more NLOTH songs please, rather than ATYCLB?
Ugh, In A Little While lives on, slotting in at 12th. It is preceded by recording of Neil Armstong moon landing quote.
Bono mentions the Pike River Miners before OTH. U2 stop about a third of the way through the song and restart it.
For those of you just tuning in now, here’s our mainpage article with details of what U2 have rehearsed so far today: http://u2.gs/hh
Here it is! One Tree Hill slots in at eleventh in the rehearsal setlist.
@golden254 This is just a rehearsal. The actual gigs are on the 25th and 26th.
Tenth is Mercy!
UTEOTW was largely instrumental. Ninth is I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For.
Now they’re onto Until The End Of The World, with Bono yelling “is this rock ‘n’ roll?” at the start like in the old days.
Seventh is Elevation.
gimp2u23 Edge a horrific few chords in magnificent much to the amusement of the 13 of us standing at gate C!!
Sixth is Mysterious Ways.
Fifth is Magnificent.
Fourth is Get On Your Boots.
One Tree Hill snippet at the end of Beautiful Day, now they’re onto I Will Follow.
Should add that they’ve got all the lights and smoke going for this rehearsal.
After Stingray Guitar is Beautiful Day, as on the European leg.
As you might expect after Space Oddity, now they’re playing Stingray Guitar.
Space Oddity now playing over the PA at Mt Smart.
Now at Mt Smart Stadium, @gimp2u23 reports some guitar sounds and a few keys, but not much else.
No new reports from Mt Smart, all is still quiet. Will the band do another rehearsal session or is that it for today? We’ll see.
@hjwallace1 It’s a bit early - right now it’s 7:40pm in Auckland.
I also have to take a break in proceedings. I’ll be back in about half an hour to let you know if anything more has happened in Auckland.
Via @gimp2u23, looks like they’re taking a break in proceedings now.
Summary of today’s rehearsals thus far, will keep article updated as more happens: http://u2.gs/hh
@AmosBudd5086 Perhaps, but you’re a fool for confusing “your” and “you’re”.
Make that an instrumental Boy Falls From The Sky with the PA turned right down now.
Bit more lowkey soundchecking now, riff from Boy Falls From The Sky.
@Matkin22 In a very, very good way. Fuck off, IALW.
@madism40 Yep, like in Coimbra!
@Matkin22 That’d shit all over IALW/Miss S!
@Matkin22 I was sarcastically thinking of a clunky segue into Scarlet mid-UTEOTW from that Anthem snippet. ;)
@Matkin22 And with MOS would be too much slow stuff; MOS already loses some of the audience. Knowing U2, it’ll probably be with UTEOTW!
Now they’re doing the unreleased song Boy Falls From The Sky.
@Matkin22 That’s what I’m wondering! Before Walk On?
@U2Trivia i.e. he’s improvising extra lyrics around the main refrain.
U2 have only ever done Scarlet live once before, on 14 October 1981. Let’s hope they actually do this at a gig and don’t Drowning Man it.
Can confirm they’re doing Scarlet and Bono’s improvising a bit. Thanks to Ian on Interference.
Conflicting reports from stadium, they’re doing either Rejoice or Scarlet. Suspect latter. Either way, holy fucking shit!
Scratch that - confirmed! Bono’s there, full band One Tree Hill now!
Bono may be there. Simon thinks he heard him singing OTH’s outro away from the mics, but cannot confirm.
Full instrumental performance of One Tree Hill. Thanks to @gimp2u23 for his reports so far; here is his vantage point: http://u2.gs/hg