“I’ve got no self control, Been living like a mole now, Going down, excavation, High and high in the sky, You make me feel like I can fly, So high, Elevation”

I can’t say I object. What are your worst-U2-lyrics-ever picks?

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”

A video of former England striker Alan Shearer has turned up on video sharing site bebo.com. Apparently the clip was posted by Shearer’s daughters Chloe and Hollie. The clip, entitled ‘dad lmao’, shows him whistling and singing along to Elevation.

• Watch the video
• Telegraph article

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

Last night U2 performed again for the Mexican fans, possibly their loudest audience so far. Despite the long queues and cold temperatures the fans have endured over the last few days, Azteca Stadium was full of energy and the band responded in full form. All over the GA field, balloons with the colours of the Mexican flag filled the place.

Concert highlights include Bono pulling one girl to the stage to dance during “Mysterious Ways,” and his adding a “Cielito Lindo” snippet to the end of “Beautiful Day.”

Setlist:

City of Blinding Lights
Vertigo
Elevation
Mysterious Ways
Until the End of the World
New Year’s Day
I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For
Beautiful Day / Cielito Lindo / Norwegian Wood
Original of the Species
Sometimes You Can’t Make it on Your Own
Love and Peace or Else
Sunday Bloody Sunday
Bullet the Blue Sky / The Hands That Build America / When Johnny Comes Marching
Miss Sarajevo
Pride in the Name of Love
Where the Streets Have No Name
One / Unchained Melody
Zoo Station
The Fly
With or Without You
All Because of You
Yahweh
40

At the last concert held in Monterrey, the band dedicated “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m looking For” to the memory of Kirsty MacColl, and Bono addressed the Mexican goverment asking for justice for her. Yesterday, the office of President Vicente Fox made an official statement with the promise of a new investigation of the MacColl case.

Set: City of Blinding Lights / Vertigo / Elevation / Electric Co. / The Ocean / Beautiful Day / Miracle Drug / 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 / Discotheque / The Fly / With or Without You / All Because of You / Fast Cars / Yahweh / 40

Daniel Lanois plays guitar on One, Eddie Vedder joins them near the end for a few bars of Ol’ man river. The ‘Pop Muzik’ intro starts the encore and the screen shows PopMart imagery.

RTE have put the entire interview online. Listen to it in Real Audio, or continue reading. (Unable to record we interpreted our notes taken during the interview.)

• full version
• shortened version

McGuinness took the call, said it was their ‘best ever opening night’ then started to laugh because ‘a half naked man’ had entered his room. Bono took the phone and said that for Gerry Ryan he would go fully ‘nekkid’.

Bono seemed high on energy, a bit delirious, said it had gone ‘fantastic’. He gave a report in a Jack Charlton accent, using football jargon as if he were reporting on an Irish team game, something like ‘the team gave 110%’.

When Gerry Ryan asked how the show looked, Bono began to describe that the singer looked great and that he had come through his fat Elvis period!

When talking about the songs he said that ‘Streets’ had been great, and ‘Elevation’ was crap but that the crowd carried it for them. He commented that one the best things was seeing a newer younger crowd. ‘Very smart young people.’

Ryan asked The Edge if the band had been nervous for their first night, and what had gone through their heads. The Edge said they had been concentrating on what to remember, since there were so many details and so many last minute changes. The band had tried to work out a flow for the concert, and trying to figure out which songs would connect. But at the last rehearsal they did not like the setlist and so they rewrote it, making changes till late in the afternoon before the show. The Edge admitted this way of working was ‘a nightmare’ for the production people, the sound and light engineers and that they were taking a big chance.

Asked what he thought of the result, The Edge whole heartedly said it ‘turned out a strong running order’. Did he like it? ‘I really liked it. I had a great time and there were some really great surprises, little turns of the songs.’

Apparently, ‘Elevation’ had come out ‘arseways’ but ‘it was kinda cool’. Ryan and The Edge then discussed how everyone comes out feeling differently about the shows and whatever might work for some, would be ‘fucking great’ for the other. The Edge then apologised for swearing: ‘Oh sorry, can’t say that.’

Commenting on his bandmates, The Edge thought ‘Larry was amazing. Adam is in great form. Everyone is having a really good time.’ He then told the Irish listeners ‘we miss everyone back home, we can’t wait to show you all what we’ve been up to.’

Paul McGuiness said the band were in a remarkable good mood and that the concert was a ‘great success’, the band set high standards for themselves and since the rehearsals ‘tonight was the first time it all came together.

He seemed a little amused and in awe of the band, joking ‘I don’t understand why anyone would want to be a performer. It’s completely unnatural. I was very proud of them tonight, they are better than ever.’

(Thanks to PL for Bono’s part of the interview)