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  1. I was messing around with Excel and decided to throw in some graphics following some conversation about U2 current status, etc.

    I have ranked each album and its respective tour trying to be as objective as humanly possible (for example, I have very fond memories of the Vertigo Tour since it was my first concert, but I objectively know it's not even close to being their best tour); my criteria for ranking the tours has been overall performance, setlist variation, and good shows/dull shows ratio. My criteria for ranking the albums has been purely personal taste.

    As you can see, for me the biggest mismatches are Rattle And Hum vs Lovetown Tour (good album vs incredible tour) and POP vs Popmart (the other way around, almost perfect album VS mediocre tour).

    Agree? Disagree?



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  2. Cool idea!
  3. It's a tricky one, as obviously it's all quite subjective based on ones personal taste.

    Although with your criteria for the tours being based on performance / setlist variation / good-dull shows ratio, then I don't think its a million miles off from how I'd have it.

    I personally loved the Popmart tour, both on my adventures at the time and now looking back, so would have scored it higher. But I can see based on your criteria its fair to say that the setlist was almost rigid throughout with only minor changes once it got in full swing. Same with the I+E tour I guess to a degree.

    For me, I'd bump up HTDAAB + ATYCLB + NLOTH by 1 point I think, and maybe the Vertigo Tour by 1 or even 2 points as there was a lot of setlist variation on that tour, older songs being brought back here and there, covers, duets / collaborations aplenty and whatnot, you really didn't know what you would get on that tour from night to night.

    Despite "40" being one of my favourite songs, I think overall War is probably my least favourite album (even though I actually do like it), so for me I'd score that a bit lower and the tour as well, which was the end of a chapter I guess before the new direction with TUF.

    Lovetown was a good tour with some very enjoyable bootlegs from it, and lots of setlist variation, I'd rate it high for sure. But one striking thing about the tour is it was clear the band were beginning to get a bit bored with both it and themselves at this point - they even said as much and its how we ended up with them pretty much reversing the setlist at at least one of the shows - it came out of boredom, and the whole "dream it all up again" thing - they knew it was time for a change. So in some regards I'd possibly not rate that tour quite as high. Plus it was very shortlived, and me personally I kinda see it as just a bit of an extension to The Joshua Tree tour with the new songs, taking it down under which they didn't get to do with The Joshua Tree obviously.

    I think critics and U2 themselves can often be too harsh on 'Rattle And Hum' - I kinda don't quite see it as an album in its own right like all the others - even though it clearly is to a degree - I kinda just look at it as more of a follow-up companion to The Joshua Tree, if you know what I mean, so for me I'd score it an 8, and maybe bring Lovetown down to a 9 or 8.

    But swings and roundabouts all based on ones taste I suppose.

    I'd imagine most people will have The Joshua Tree / Achtung Baby / Zooropa / Zoo TV at more or less full marks though, it would be interesting to hear if anyone doesn't actually rate those particular albums / tours.
  4. Very good points overall, Chris. Definitely have a point regarding Vertigo Tour's variation, but sometimes Bono's vocals were as poor as they could get (well, maybe not as poor as Popmart, but still). Also, I tend to identify the Vertigo Tour with the mostly poor -setlist wise- European leg, while forgetting all the other great legs (specially 3 and 5)... My fault.

    Thanks for taking the time to argue and expand on your opinion!
  5. Originally posted by LikeASong:Very good points overall, Chris. Definitely have a point regarding Vertigo Tour's variation, but sometimes Bono's vocals were as poor as they could get (well, maybe not as poor as Popmart, but still). Also, I tend to identify the Vertigo Tour with the mostly poor -setlist wise- European leg, while forgetting all the other great legs (specially 3 and 5)... My fault.

    Thanks for taking the time to argue and expand on your opinion!
    Yeah I'd agree on the setlists of the European leg of Vertigo not being quite as amazing and loose as either of the North American legs and elsewhere thereafter, same with 360 too I suppose. I was pretty lucky having caught Dublin 3 on the Vertigo tour for sure and getting to hear An Cat Dubh / Into The Heart, Original Of The Species and 40, but yeah beyond that on the European leg things were quite samey from night to night I suppose, so that's a fair point actually.
  6. Same thing happened with i+e. North America got loads of variation and Europe got basically none (but a better overall set list structure, by far). Which seems odd. Maybe I don't know what I'm talking about but based on charting and general atmosphere, it seems that U2 are probably more popular, or at least more readily embraced by an audience, in Europe
  7. I have to say this is pretty damn spot on for me.

    Apart from NLOTH getting a 7 for the album...more like...2, especially considering how much better the 360 tour was than the album (7-9 isn't a wide enough margin).

    The funny thing about that is as 360 went on and less NLOTH songs were in the setlist, the show got better and better!
  8. Those charts make my eyes cross and it's too early here for me to try to even interpret them.

    If I had to pick favorite tours, it'd be a toss up between War/Unforgettable Fire shows and Zoo TV. Zoo TV for the spectacle and sensory overload, but War and UF for the content... When 11 O'Clock Tick Tock, Seconds, Two Hearts, Surrender and Party Girl were still staples in the sets and War in 3-4,000 seat venues before UF transitioned them into arenas for the 1st time... And there is nothing quite like experiencing Wire, TUF, Homecoming and Bad live and in person in one set...

    As far as albums, that continues to be a revolving list that changes day to day, mood to mood...
  9. Thank you for your list. It's difficult, but this is my list. It's totally different from yours.

    Tours:
    Boy Tour: 6
    October Tour: 6
    War Tour: 7
    The Unforgettable Fire Tour: 8
    The Joshua Tree Tour: 6
    Lovetown: 5
    Zoo TV: 10
    PopMart: 9
    Elevation Tour: 5
    Vertigo Tour: 8
    360 Tour: 8
    Innocence + Experience Tour: 8

    Albums:
    Boy: 6
    October: 6
    War: 8
    The Unforgettable Fire: 9
    The Joshua Tree: 8
    Rattle And Hum: 5
    Achtung Baby: 10
    Zooropa: 9
    Pop: 10
    All That You can't Leave Behind: 8
    How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb: 9
    No Line On The Horizon: 7
    Songs Of Innocence: 8
  10. I've only been to u2 gigs since elevation tour ( when I was 10) but I've listened to plenty of bootlegs and obviously heard the albums so I'll give rating them a go.

    Boy tour 8
    October tour 6
    War tour 7
    The unforgettable fire tour 8
    Joshua tree tour 10
    Love town tour 7
    Zoo to tour 10
    Popmart tour 8
    Elevation tour 9
    Vertigo tour 8
    360 tour 7
    Innocence and experience tour 8

    Boy 8
    October 6
    War 7
    Unforgettable fire 8
    Joshua tree 10
    Rattle and hum 7
    Achtung baby 10
    zooropa 10
    Pop 8
    All that you can't leave behind 9
    How to dismantle an atomic bomb 8
    No line on the horizon 6
    Songs of innocence 8
  11. Boy tour 7
    October tour 6
    War tour 7
    The Unforgettable Fire tour 8
    Joshua tree tour 9
    Lovetown tour 9 (for me another two legs of Joshua Tree tour)
    ZooTV tour 10
    Popmart tour 10
    Elevation tour 8
    Vertigo tour 7
    360 tour 9
    Innocence and Experience tour 8

    Boy 8
    October 6
    War 7
    Unforgettable fire 8
    Joshua tree 9
    Rattle and hum 7
    Achtung baby 9
    Zooropa 10
    Pop 10
    All that you can't leave behind 6
    How to dismantle an atomic bomb 5
    No line on the horizon 8
    Songs of innocence 9
  12. Originally posted by LikeASong:Very good points overall, Chris. Definitely have a point regarding Vertigo Tour's variation, but sometimes Bono's vocals were as poor as they could get (well, maybe not as poor as Popmart, but still). Also, I tend to identify the Vertigo Tour with the mostly poor -setlist wise- European leg, while forgetting all the other great legs (specially 3 and 5)... My fault.

    Thanks for taking the time to argue and expand on your opinion!
    The fact that Gloria & The Ocean played on leg 1 (US) were dropped for leg 2 (EU) and brought back again for leg 3 (US) has always bugged me and An cat dubh & Into the heart were dropped after leg 1. Three of these were played once in Europe and I was lucky enough to see them - An cat dubh, Into the heart & Gloria at Dublin 3.