U2 played a short set in front of students at Fordham University in New York, broadcast live on Good Morning America on Friday, March 6.

Setlist: Get On Your Boots, Magnificent, I’ll Go Crazy If I Don’t Go Crazy Tonight (break) Beautiful Day, Breathe, Vertigo

I’ll go crazy if I don’t go crazy tonight

Beautiful Day

Breathe/Vertigo (fan shot video)

GMA interview

Friday February 27th of 2009 was a brilliant day to be a U2 fan in London. The BBC brought us closer than we’ve ever been before for hours of brilliant coverage. My friend and I won tickets to the Radio 1 Live Lounge in the morning, and stayed until the end of the rooftop gig in the evening.

After waiting out in the cold from 9am we finally got into the BBC Radio Theatre and secured a spot at the front next to Edge. Everything was amazingly organised and fans were led into the theatre in the order in which they had queued up. Take note venues of the world!

First song was Get On Your Boots which was deafeningly loud and will clearly inspire mass pogo-ing on tour – just as Vertigo did last time. As the backdrop was simple lighting, there were no lyrics being flashed on a screen as in previous outings at the Grammys and Brits (something of a bonus!). Bono immediately spotted a pregnant woman in the audience who transfixed him. He gave several shout outs to the lovely Gemma throughout the rest of the set.

Next up was one of the undoubted highlights of the new album – Magnificent – which is also going to be a massive live song. It was like being hit by a wave as Edge’s guitar swam in and out of Bono’s yodelling vocals – ‘only love, only love, can leave such a mark’. Magnificent is already a classic and can stand proudly among U2′s other live monsters like Streets and Bad.

Then a surprise – apparently tracks from 2000 are considered to be ‘vintage’ as Beautiful Day was introduced by Jo Whiley. It sounded much the same as usual, no new motifs from Edge, apart from a fluff when he was distracted by Bono frantically waving his arms. Prior to the song Jo Whiley told the crowd that the band wouldn’t be playing the traditional Live Lounge cover because they had been too busy recently to rehearse something. This was greeted with good natured heckling from the audience so Bono chirped up with the line “I kissed a girl and I liked it”. Then at the end of the song he decided to include the Blackbird snippet – informing Edge by way of lead singer sign language. Edge eventually got the idea and Bono managed to squeeze in his homage to Macca.

Breathe was the final track, not a personal favourite from the album, but the band play it with real passion that helps to sell it live. Bono was so into it that he broke out some air guitar during Edge’s solo!

After the show we spoke to Willie who told us that he’s really excited about the tour and album. The band has had a lot of time to prepare the tour due to the delay in the album release and the staging they have planned is going to be fabulous.

All in all it was a fantastic day, and thank you so much to Radio 1 and the BBC for giving us the opportunity to be so close to The Edge (four feet!).

The short set was broadcast live on BBC digital TV (‘red button’)

“There are some new sounds that could only come from an Eno/Lanois production, which left me with a feeling similar to what I experienced when I heard “The Fly” for the first time. This is NOT a back-to-basics guitar/bass/drums track like “Vertigo” or even “Beautiful Day.” There’s some definite sonic evolution going on here. “

Read his full post at The Music Geek Blog

Bono was so charmed by Kyoto that he brought back three of its residents to Tokyo with him for the final show. During “Mysterious Ways,” Bono invited the three to dance with him on stage. Mouths dropped open when they saw Bono’s guests were geishas (perhaps actually maikos [geishas in training]) in full traditional wardrobe and makeup. Morleigh Steinberg ran alongside the women in the pit, directing them to dance with their fans, to the delight of the audience and Bono, who grinned from ear to ear. At the song’s conclusion, he bowed to them sweetly.

Another highlight of the show was a particularly moving performance of “Sometimes You Can’t Make It on Your Own,” which Bono dedicated to his father and the fathers of his friends Gavin and Guggi, who watched the show from the mix desk.

Setlist
City of Blinding Lights
Vertigo – She Loves You (snippet)
Elevation
Out of Control
I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For – In a Little While (snippet)
Beautiful Day
Angel of Harlem
The First Time
Sometimes You Can’t Make It on Your Own
Bad – Ruby Tuesday (snippet)
Sunday Bloody Sunday
Bullet the Blue Sky – When Johnny Comes Marching Home & Hands That Built America (snippets)
Miss Sarajevo
Pride (In the Name of Love)
Where the Streets Have No Name
One

The Fly
Mysterious Ways
With or Without You

The Saints Are Coming
Window in the Skies
Vertigo (“For us!”)

U2′s first Vertigo tour show in Japan was so special that the band actually took Promo Bono’s advice and performed “Window in the Skies” for the first time live. My human counterpart introduced the song by telling the audience, “If this doesn’t sound good, blame Edge.” The warning turned out to be completely unnecessary, as the song and the Edge sounded fantastic.

Setlist
City of Blinding Lights
Vertigo (She Loves You snippet)
Elevation
I Will Follow
I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For
Beautiful Day (Sgt. Pepper’s & Blackbird snippets)
Window in the Skies
Walk On (Acoustic — dedicated to the oldest Japanese fan club)
Sometimes You Can’t Make It on Your Own
Bad (40 snippet)
Sunday Bloody Sunday (Rock the Casbah snippet)
Bullet the Blue Sky
Miss Sarajevo
Pride (In the Name of Love)
Where the Streets Have No Name
One

The Fly (Satisfaction snippet)
Mysterious Ways
With or Without You
The Saints Are Coming
Angel of Harlem
One Tree Hill

City of Blinding Lights / Vertigo / Elevation / Until The End Of The World / New Years Day / Beautiful Day / Yahweh / Walk On / Sometimes You Can’t Make It On Your Own / Love And Peace Or Else / Sunday Bloody Sunday / Bullet The Blue Sky / Miss Sarajevo / Pride / Where The Streets Have No Name / One / encore: Zoo Station / The Fly / With Or Without You / The Saints Are Coming / Angel Of Harlem / Kite

• Yahoo news: U2 blasts back in Brisbane
• Sydney Morning Herald: A hitch or two, but undoubtedly you know who
• ABC: U2 rocks Brisbane
• The Australian: City sees blinding light as U2 better late than never

Some more details courtesy of various fan lists/forums.

U2 have arrived in Queensland, Australia and set up camp in a reportedly ‘stupid expensive’ hotel on the Gold Coast. While their crew continues to work on getting the venue ready for the show, the band will take a few days to acclimatise. Bono told the press: “I don’t really feel like Bono at the moment, I looked in the mirror and saw a little man with sunken eyes.”

Their Denton interview from March this year is going to be repeated on Monday and the band will appear on Rove on Tuesday night.

The stage in Brisbane is almost fully set up.

We haven’t had any info yet on how GA lines are going to be handled. Aussie fans, we welcome your reports and tips.

• The Daily Telegraph: U2 touch down, in pictures
• The Courier Mail: Bono’s soundcheck
• New.com.au: U2 lands for Vertigo tour
• The Gold Coast bulletin: Still a beautiful day for jetlagged U2
• News.com.au: We will rock you says U2
• The Courier Mail: Another day in paradise

Meanwhile, Billboard publishes the U218singles track list, including the new song ‘Window in the Skies’, and U2place.net has what might be the album sleeve.

“Beautiful Day”
“I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For”
“Pride (In the Name of Love)”
“With or Without You”
“Vertigo”
“New Year’s Day”
“Mysterious Ways”
“Stuck in a Moment You Can’t Get Out Of”
“Where the Streets Have No Name”
“Sweetest Thing”
“Sunday Bloody Sunday”
“One”
“Desire”
“Walk On”
“Elevation”
“Sometimes You Can’t Make It on Your Own”
“The Saints Are Coming”
“Window in the Skies”

Bono brought two girls to the stage, one during “Desire” (she stole a kiss from Bono and The Edge) and one during “Mysterious Ways.” The highlights of the show were during “Pride” and “Where the Streets Have No Name,” when the audience sang louder than Bono. The setlist was full of surprises. Take a look:

City of Blinding Lights
Vertigo
Elevation
Until the End of the World
New Year’s Day
I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For
Beautiful Day / Blackbird
The First Time
Desire
Sometimes You Can’t Make It on Your Own
Love and Peace or Else
Sunday Bloody Sunday
Bullet the Blue Sky / When Johnny Comes Marching Home / The Hands That Built America
Miss Sarajevo
Pride (In the Name of Love)
Where the Streets Have No Name
One
Zoo Station
The Fly
Mysterious Ways
With or Without You
Yahweh
All I Want Is You / Love Rescue Me

Photo slideshow

In the middle of the show, a 12-year-old boy is picked by Bono while singing “Miss Sarajevo.” During “Mysterious Ways” and “With or Without You,” a brunette fan danced with Bono, and she stole a very sensual kiss from him at the end. As he did in Mexico, Bono wore a jacket made with the local flag.

U2 will play again tonight at Sao Paulo, and on Friday will attend the Bahia Carnival by invitation of the Brazilian Minister of Culture Gilberto Gil.

• Photos

• Globo video (concert footage at the end)

Setlist:

City of Blinding Lights
Vertigo
Elevation
Until the End of the World
New Year’s Day
I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For
Beautiful Day
Stuck in a Moment You Can’t Get Out Of (semi-acoustic)
Sometimes You Can’t Make It On Your Own
Love and Peace or Else
Sunday Bloody Sunday
Bullet the Blue Sky
Miss Sarajevo
Pride
Where the Streets Have No Name
One
Zoo Station / Jean Genie
The Fly / Satisfaction
Mysterious Ways
With or Without You
All Because of You / Norwegian Wood
Original of the Species
40