U2.Com 2012 Membership Package.

[miryclay]

Listening to this CD won't conjure up any shows like listening to U22 will....

[dagobah]

A setlist is an approximation of an actual concert whereas a mix would just be random songs put together ad hoc.

miryclay, wasn't the U22 two-CD set just random songs put together ad hoc (what you call a mix)?
If so, then your other post about the Edge's Picks CD doesn't make sense to me.
your other post:
I suppose this set is just going to be a mix and not like setlist like U22.

[Aaron]

Listening to this CD won't conjure up any shows like listening to U22 will....

I don't know.  Seems some care is being taken to make it have some flow.  The opening track is "Breathe" which opened all of the 2009 shows. The closing track is "40" - where else would that fit?  Guess it'll depend on how it's mixed from there, but not really enough songs to make it feel like a full show I'm sure.

But then again U22 didn't feel like a full and proper show to me either.  Most of the highlights of the 360 experience for me were left out in favor of something that felt more like a Zoo TV set.  Without "Crazy", "Vertigo" and "Boots" it didn't feel like a 360 set list.  Same with the missing "Unknown Caller", and "NLOTH". 

[PatrickM]

According to atu2 on twitter, the first copy has been delivered in Los Angeles. Quite amazing as I was expecting it to be released on mid-march... However the setlist has not been revealed yet.

I totally agree with Aaron here. Even U22 doesn't really feel like a U2360º tour and I still think they're trying to mantain a certain order on the Edge's picks setlist. For me U2hmtmkmkm's prediction is pretty spot on -- although I would put Angel of Harlem between Electrical Storm and In a Little While. Actually this is the most questionable spot as they would never play four slow-to-mid-tempo in a row such as Stuck in a Moment, Electrical Storm, In a Little While and Miss Sarajevo -- even AOH is not really an uptempo song. It was quite surprising for me they let Desire and Pride out as they would fit this spot perfectly.

[PatrickM]

The setlist:

1. Breathe - Stadio San Siro, Milan, 8th July 2009
2. I Will Follow - Stade Roi Baudouin, Brussels, 22nd Sept 2010
3. Get On Your Boots - Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, 20th Sept 2009
4. New Year's Day - Croke Park, Dublin, 27th July 2009
5. Electrical Storm - Stadio San Siro, Milan, 8th July 2009
6. Stuck in a Moment - Estadio Azteca, Mexico City, 11th May 2011
7. Your Blue Room - Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, 23rd Sept 2009
8. Vertigo - Subiaco Oval, Perth, 18th December 2010
9. Crazy Tonight - Stade De France, Paris, 11th July, 2009
10. Sunday Bloody Sunday - Vanderbilt Stadium, Nashville, 2nd July 2011
11. Scarlet - Vanderbilt Stadium, Nashville, 2nd July 2011
12. In A Little While - Estadio Morumbi, Sao Paulo, 9th April 2011
13. Miss Sarajevo - Estadio Unico De La Plata, Buenos Aires, 30th March 2011
14. Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me - Estadio Nacional, Santiago, 25th March 2011
15. "40" - Magnetic Hill Music Festival, Moncton, 30 July 2011

[miryclay]

Wow, I spoke too soon yesterday. How can any fan complain about this. Both U22 and FTGU & EP are massively great releases. Care was taken in design, song sequence, location and spirit of the the tour. If fans aren't happy about this, I don't know what to say. And this is much better than PJ who release every show. Consciese is the word that comes to mind.

What EP feels like is when Led Zeppelin released their second Box set in 1993. The linear notes described the release as "not merely the best of the rest" but "the rest of the best"

Well done U2.

[miryclay]

I would also predict that 360 as an era is totally done as of Dec 2012.

[George]

I suppose the "big" news here is that we get (as it's the first time they're released live):

5. Electrical Storm - Stadio San Siro, Milan, 8th July 2009 (though not quite news as we knew we were getting it)
7. Your Blue Room - Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, 23rd Sept 2009
11. Scarlet - Vanderbilt Stadium, Nashville, 2nd July 2011

We also didn't have live 360 versions of:

2. I Will Follow - Stade Roi Baudouin, Brussels, 22nd Sept 2010 (well, we did have Glastonbury)
4. New Year's Day - Croke Park, Dublin, 27th July 2009
13. Miss Sarajevo - Estadio Unico De La Plata, Buenos Aires, 30th March 2011
14. Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me - Estadio Nacional, Santiago, 25th March 2011
15. "40" - Magnetic Hill Music Festival, Moncton, 30 July 2011

These have already been seen on the Rose Bowl DVD (and who doesn't rip the audio?), so I'm not excited about them:

1. Breathe - Stadio San Siro, Milan, 8th July 2009
3. Get On Your Boots - Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, 20th Sept 2009
6. Stuck in a Moment - Estadio Azteca, Mexico City, 11th May 2011
8. Vertigo - Subiaco Oval, Perth, 18th December 2010
12. In A Little While - Estadio Morumbi, Sao Paulo, 9th April 2011

And finally, these last two have already been released twice in 360 live form!

9. Crazy Tonight - Stade De France, Paris, 11th July, 2009 (Rose Bowl and Artificial Horizon/Wide Awake In Europe)
10. Sunday Bloody Sunday - Vanderbilt Stadium, Nashville, 2nd July 2011 (Rose Bowl and Duals/Holiday Download)

What does this mean?  I'm hoping to still see as bonus downloads:

• Mothers Of The Disappeared
• Angel Of Harlem
• Party Girl

If we get those, then we'll have a copy of every previously released U2 track that was performed in full on the 360 tour.  I'll let you guess which of these I'd like to see most.

[miryclay]

tracks 5,7,11 are the only tracks of significance for this U2 fan.

Does anyone else think it is odd that they didn't release Stingray?

[George]

tracks 5,7,11 are the only tracks of significance for this U2 fan.

Does anyone else think it is odd that they didn't release Stingray?

I'm sure that, based on my post just previously, you gather  that those tracks, too, are the only ones I'm really interested in.

I, too, think not releasing Stingray, never mind the others, is odd.  They were obviously willing to release it as it was voted on.

As for the other new tracks, North Star, Mercy, Glastonbury, and Every Breaking Wave (and heck, even the once-performed Boy Falls From The Sky), I think it'd be really classy to put them out as a downloadable EP.  I mean, it's not as if by doing so that they might lose future sales.  Honestly, if those tracks were on Edge's Picks, then I'd have a skyload more respect for Mr. The Edge's ability to pick tracks.

[PatrickM]

Guys, allow me to disagree. Quite often I think U2 fans are really harsh on U2.com releases (I totally agree though on the criticisms for their lousy service). It is also well-known the comparisons among U2 and Pearl Jam or REMs official sites. I have never been a PJ fan but I took part on REMs fan club during a couple of years. Both bands fan-club-only releases are basically singles -- 2/3 tracks -- whereas U2 put often a double CD, with over 20 songs. Ok, I take it that most of them are live recordings and not never-released-before tracks but even then I feel U2 deliver regularly a quite honest fan-club gift (exception made to that disaster called Duals).

Regarding the 'new' tracks, I've read a couple of months ago they would appear as bonus tracks for a possible 'The Best of 2000-2010'. Another option would be to release a 12' single on a Record Store Day or something like that -- my favorite option, BTW.

[miryclay]

It seems to be the 'party line' that no new material will be released. Which is odd because it is not like their aren't many orphaned songs over the years to go around.   

EP picks really does close out the era of 360 IMHO. The rare live tracks needed to be released in proper form.
These live tracks have been splattered over numerous releases so that has been fun too. I too would like to see a Best Of 00-10 but I don't think it is really the time to revisit at the moment. There is no need to re-hash BOMB and NLOTH A-sides again. Maybe they could release another album and then later a Best OF 06-16

MiryClay

[George]

Patrick,

Don't get me wrong - this package is great (along with U22)!  However, as good as some things can be, it doesn't mean that they're perfect, and I certainly believe that third releases of 360 versions of Crazy or Sunday Bloody Sunday would be met with great happiness amongst fans if they were replaced with Mothers of the Disappeared and others.

I do, however, consider all U2.com fanclub releases right up to Medium, Rare, and Remastered to be useless.  They merely rehashed previously released material (albeit usually video-only material but that is easily ripped): that's not a bonus in my mind.  In fact, as retched as Duals was, at least it and Artificial Horizon actually included previously unreleased material!

[miryclay]

The fanclub content meets different criteria than commercial releases. U2 and other big bands have changed their approach to fanclub material because now it more acceptable to bombard your audience than it was in the past. If you look at Bob Dylans bootleg series it is similar in its goals.

Make proper audio copies of stuff that is highly circulated. I for one thought the Slane release was fantastic and valuable. It is also worth noting that certain countries don't get access to certain material.

Maybe next could be an off year.   

[Aaron]

I'm sad "Mothers of the Disappeared" didn't make the list. For me that moment in Istanbul when I first heard it live was an amazing moment on the tour for me. When I was a kid I used to walk around the park dreaming of getting out of the town I grew up in and the Joshua Tree was always on repeat back then.  So hearing "Mothers" first in Istanbul and again in the rain in Zurich was special for me.  I'll cross my fingers and hope for a download.  :-)

4. New Year's Day - Croke Park, Dublin, 27th July 2009

This was one of those really pumped up moments for me.  They hadn't been playing "New Year's Day" often at this point, so when they broke it out in Dublin it really was a fun time, and I hope I wasn't singing so loud that you can hear me on this lol.  :-)  Good times.  So if they couldn't put on "Mothers" it makes me glad they did this.

I'm really happy with the last two fan club gifts.  New released material instead of repacking older released material.  The book alone is valued at 39.95 in Canada, so a $40.00 membership?  That means I'm just taking what I would spend on the book anyway and putting it into the fan club.  That's a great deal. 

If they are looking toward an album next year, I'm betting this will be the end of the 360 material as well.  Well with the exception of some possible b-sides on the first single released from the new album.