Last night at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu Hawaii, U2 performed for 41,000+ fans in a packed house. The same house the Stones were supposed to play but cancelled due to poor ticket sales. Well, it wasn't the Stones *sigh* but it sure was spectacular!
There are threads on this board discussing U2 vs the Stones, who's better, who rules and all that...
[www.iorr.org]

They are two different bands with different styles...and they each have mutual respect for each other. Members of each band have jammed with the other band at times. I have seen each band several times, I've seen the Stones more often but the key differences I see at the shows are:
U2 and their fans have incredible synergy...the crowd feeds off of Bono's energy and relays it back with waving arms, entire crowds singing along. There is some of that at a Stones concert, but not as intense.
The Stones play the same second half of their setlist give or take a song, where U2 changes up their setlist every night to keep it fresh.

Bono and The Edge transcend the audience...it's more than a mere concert, it's a "happening", a spiritual awakening of sorts. A higher plane of awareness is achieved during a U2 event. The band and the audience "become one" giant force of spirit and soul.
I love the Stones but they go through the motions most of the time at their shows where U2 will take you to a new level of consciousness.

U2 played a 27 song setlist and even through in a Stones song..."Satisfaction".
Guess we can't escape the ol' warhorses, even at a U2 concert huh?
The rocker Vertigo literally rocked the house! You could feel the stadium move and shake from teh energy created by the band playing the song and the audience response. Unbelievable.

Bono is on a higher plane of thought than most mere mortals...he is a visionary, a poet and a humanitarian. He shared his profound wisdom in between songs much to the appreciation of his followers. He has cool shades too.

The Edge...he is the driving force of the band...an 8 cylinder engine with all pistons a pumpin' and full throttle.
The Edge creates more sound and tasty licks than Keef, Ronnie and Darryl combined...heck throw in Bill and Brian for that matter too. The Edge is incredible! The powerful force he creates wth his axe (guitar) in unbelievable.
That's another big difference between the U2 and the Stones:
U2 generates a massive wall of glorious sound with only 4 members where only 3 play the instruments the majority of the time. Bono will play an occasional harp (harmonica). The Stones need like 15 people in the band to create a decent live sound. The nod goes to U2 on that one.
U2 fans appreciate the U2 "warhorses" so to speak and never complain where Stones fans are tired of Stones warhorses.
Sunday Bloody Sunday, an old U2 warhorse took on modern meaning when Bono intertwined the Iraq War issue within the song and praised all military service men and woman from all throughout the world who sacrifice for the war.

Another great moment was when Bono pulled a fan from the crowd to play piano on "WIld Horses" (Different WIld Horses song than the one you are thinking of) and the guy jammed heavy!
The crowd went nuts and the guy was overwhelmed he had the once in a lifetime chance to jam with U2 live in concert!
Unbelievable.

Pearl Jam joined U2 on stage for "Keep on Rockin' in the Free World" and Billie Joe Armstrong joined the band for a resounding rendition of "The Saints are coming".
The Stones rule and always ROCK but U2 has the edge lately as they create symbiotic synergy with the entire audience for 2 and a half hours. 7 song encore!

The prehistoric Stones are our looking glass to the past, but U2 is clearly the band for the new ages...even though they've been together for 30 years.
Oh, that's another thing U2 has over the Stones...same four original members for 30 years. The Stones original lineup only lasted for 7 years.
U2 tickets aren't exactly cheap, but $50, $100 & $165 USD price tiers are the magical amount for the band to pack the house.
Maybe the Stones can learn from U2?
God Bless the Rolling Stones! U2 blesses all...
incredibly profound rock n' roll band indeed.
...if only The Edge would do a 2 song set by himself huh? ;-)



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2006-12-11 07:30 by NumberOneStonesFan.

If only you knew the real Bono your hero worship might stop. The band don't change the setlist much and use plenty of behind the scenes people to create the sound your talking about. They go through the motions just like the stones.

NumberOneStonesFan Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Last night at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu Hawaii, U2
> performed for 41,000+ fans in a packed house. The
> same house the Stones were supposed to play but
> cancelled due to poor ticket sales. Well, it
> wasn't the Stones *sigh* but it sure was
> spectacular!
> There are threads on this board discussing U2 vs
> the Stones, who's better, who rules and all
> that...
> [www.iorr.org]
>
> They are two different bands with different
> styles...and they each have mutual respect for
> each other. Members of each band have jammed with
> the other band at times. I have seen each band
> several times, I've seen the Stones more often but
> the key differences I see at the shows are:
> U2 and their fans have incredible synergy...the
> crowd feeds off of Bono's energy and relays it
> back with waving arms, entire crowds singing
> along. There is some of that at a Stones concert,
> but not as intense.
> The Stones play the same second half of their
> setlist give or take a song, where U2 changes up
> their setlist every night to keep it fresh.
>
> Bono and The Edge transcend the audience...it's
> more than a mere concert, it's a "happening", a
> spiritual awakening of sorts. A higher plane of
> awareness is achieved during a U2 event. The band
> and the audience "become one" giant force of
> spirit and soul.
> I love the Stones but they go through the motions
> most of the time at their shows where U2 will take
> you to a new level of consciousness.
>
> U2 played a 27 song setlist and even through in a
> Stones song..."Satisfaction".
> Guess we can't escape the ol' warhorses, even at a
> U2 concert huh?
> The rocker Vertigo literally rocked the house!
> You could feel the stadium move and shake from teh
> energy created by the band playing the song and
> the audience response. Unbelievable.
>
> Bono is on a higher plane of thought than most
> mere mortals...he is a visionary, a poet and a
> humanitarian. He shared his profound wisdom in
> between songs much to the appreciation of his
> followers. He has cool shades too.
>
> The Edge...he is the driving force of the
> band...an 8 cylinder engine with all pistons a
> pumpin' and full throttle.
> The Edge creates more sound and tasty licks than
> Keef, Ronnie and Darryl combined...heck throw in
> Bill and Brian for that matter too. The Edge is
> incredible! The powerful force he creates wth his
> axe (guitar) in unbelievable.
> That's another big difference between the U2 and
> the Stones:
> U2 generates a massive wall of glorious sound with
> only 4 members where only 3 play the instruments
> the majority of the time. Bono will play an
> occasional harp (harmonica). The Stones need like
> 15 people in the band to create a decent live
> sound. The nod goes to U2 on that one.
> U2 fans appreciate the U2 "warhorses" so to speak
> and never complain where Stones fans are tired of
> Stones warhorses.
> Sunday Bloody Sunday, an old U2 warhorse took on
> modern meaning when Bono intertwined the Iraq War
> issue within the song and praised all military
> service men and woman from all throughout the
> world who sacrifice for the war.
>
> Another great moment was when Bono pulled a fan
> from the crowd to play piano on "WIld Horses"
> (Different WIld Horses song than the one you are
> thinking of) and the guy jammed heavy!
> The crowd went nuts and the guy was overwhelmed he
> had the once in a lifetime chance to jam with U2
> live in concert!
> Unbelievable.
>
> Pearl Jam joined U2 on stage for "Keep on Rockin'
> in the Free World" and Billie Joe Armstrong joined
> the band for a resounding rendition of "The Saints
> are coming".
> The Stones rule and always ROCK but U2 has the
> edge lately as they create symbiotic synergy with
> the entire audience for 2 and a half hours. 7 song
> encore!
>
> The prehistoric Stones are our looking glass to
> the past, but U2 is clearly the band for the new
> ages...even though they've been together for 30
> years.
> Oh, that's another thing U2 has over the
> Stones...same four original members for 30 years.
> The Stones original lineup only lasted for 7
> years.
> U2 tickets aren't exactly cheap, but $50, $100 &
> $165 USD price tiers are the magical amount for
> the band to pack the house.
> Maybe the Stones can learn from U2?
> God Bless the Rolling Stones! U2 blesses all...
> incredibly profound rock n' roll band indeed.
> ...if only The Edge would do a 2 song set by
> himself huh? ;-)

thanks for the review, numberoneU2fan

you can't catch me!

Must be Xmas present for their fans.
Clapton was coming their show last monday but didn't show up.

saw 'em in '86. Pulled a guy out of the crowd to play with the band(obviously staged). seen 'em in 02. same shit, different decade. Their act is as stale as a foghat concert. Still like their stuff mainly, but don't come here rahrahing f-ing U2 over the stones! They make as much $$$.If you think they're fan friendly, then you're as gullible as you sound.


Hey, I got a pocketful of "magic" beans. Only 50000 quid,you interested?

It was truly a magical evening with U2...wish you could have experienced it also...

STONES RULE!

I can actually appreciate some of what you're saying, but the bottom line for me is that I only like a tiny handful of their songs, the rest just good old fashionedly do nothing for me. If I liked/loved as large a proportion of U2's stuff as I do the Stones', then for me personally there might be some comparison, but it simply isn't the case. I have consequently never seen U2 in concert, and have no intention of so ever doing.

NumberOneStonesFan Says: Bono is on a higher plane of thought than most mere mortals...he is a visionary, a poet and a humanitarian. He shared his profound wisdom in between songs much to the appreciation of his followers



I say: Bollocks!

When U2 are a bunch of old men over 60, they will go thru the motions as well

J.J.Flash Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> "saw 'em in '86. Pulled a guy out of the crowd to
> play with the band(obviously staged). seen 'em in
> 02. same shit, different decade."

It must have been in 1987, not in 86. They only played about 10 short shows in 86. They do the occasional jam with people from the audience since 1987, but not at every show (they didn't do it on their tours in 89,92,93,97) and it is definetely not staged (or I'd expect some of the resulting music slightly better)! There are only two exceptions from the rule 1)if the guest is famous (like they did it with Bruuuce Springsteen in 87) or 2) if, on a two-nighter, they are so pleased with the result that they repeat in the following night. They even let whole bands on stage to perform a U2cover or their own song. And in LA or SF last year former all-girl u2 cover band "Exit" got on stage for the encore and started "Out of Control" (the U2 song) and halway through it U2 took over. It was the Larry Mullen's birthday so they invited a "party band".
On the Vertigo tour, only three songs have been played in the same running order every night, somewhere in the middle of the set (pride, streets, one). Every other part changed pretty much, and what I liked most, you never knew what to expect for the encore. Even if there was something written down on the setlist, they changed it from time to time.

U2 is also a great live band. Saw 'em on the Zoo TV tour. It was a fun experience.

No need to low rate the Stones though. Given the choice, which one would you go see? Stones, every time.

Nice review, thanks. I also like U2 alot and have nearly all their shows from 1980 up till today on mp3, but to say that they change the setlist ev'ry night...well well....if you go through a Bigger Bang tour vs Vrtigo tour you will see that Stones change a lot more actually

NumberOneStonesFan Wrote:
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> I love the Stones but they go through the motions
> most of the time at their shows where U2 will take
> you to a new level of consciousness.


Would you please change your name this instant Sonny Boy!

A U2 concert may very well be cool because they know how to get to their audience, but how anyone can like that rainbow-hugger music is truly beyond me.
It would be the same if Heino was good to get to his audience. Good performer and music that sucks monkey balls.

JumpingKentFlash

NumberOneStonesFan Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Bono is on a higher plane of thought than most
> mere mortals...he is a visionary, a poet and a
> humanitarian. He shared his profound wisdom in
> between songs much to the appreciation of his
> followers. He has cool shades too.
>

You cannot be serious?

While I enjoy U2's music and concert, Bozo can keep his "profound wisdom" to himself. I trust someone a lot more profound and wise than him.

NumberOneStonesFan Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------


> I love the Stones but they go through the motions
> most of the time at their shows where U2 will take
> you to a new level of consciousness.

Better change your name to NumberOneThousandRollingStonesfan then.
>

>
> Bono is on a higher plane of thought than most
> mere mortals...he is a visionary, a poet and a
> humanitarian. He shared his profound wisdom in
> between songs much to the appreciation of his
> followers. He has cool shades too.
>
Oh, come off it. Bono is Bob Geldof with more musical talent and better manners. His "profound wisdom" was NOT on display when he made an absolutely cringeworthy, sycophantic and utterly asinine speech at the Labour Party Conference a couple of years ago, comparing Blair and Brown to Lennon and McCartney. He's no poet. He's written some great lyrics (The Fly) and a lot of truly execrable ones. He's basically an idiot who very occasionally has a two week holiday with intelligence.

Glad you had a good time though. You love U2. Someone has to.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2006-12-11 16:28 by Nikolai.

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Thanks for the review. I love U2 (my second favorite band). The song 'Wild Horses' is 'Who's going to ride your wild horses'- great song, and not played often.

I wish I was there. Instead of seeing U2 and Pearl Jam I booked a Hawaiian trip to see the Stones-grrr!!!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2006-12-11 17:02 by dougie.

As Liam Gallagher (Who thought he could say anything wise?) said in an interview, which I agreed with: "All those phony charities made by all those phony celebrities. The only one who can do it in my book is Bono because he actually knows something about it". I agree with that.

JumpingKentFlash

The previous time I saw U2 was 25 years ago in a college theater...U2 was labeled as a "New Wave" band back then. I've read alot of great things and also alot of negativity about the band and it had been so long since I had seen them LIVE so I thought I'd check out the show seeing it was just down the road from me.

I saw more positive things at the U2 show and none negative. An incredible show.
I love the Stones and I'll see them anytime, but I see the Stones as a cartoon charicature of themselves nowadays where U2 is still growing musically as well as personally. I was thoroughly impressed.
U2 are zen-like demigods.
I will listen to 9 Stones warhorses any day though...no problem!

zen-like demigods

Bono is on a higher plane of thought than most mere mortals...he is a visionary, a poet and a humanitarian. He shared his profound wisdom in between songs much to the appreciation of his followers

Let me guess, you're an ad writer in real life.

How can anybody take Bono seriously,a person who wears silly sun-glasses while meeting the most important politicians and businessmen in the world.

Also,the guy supported former Bosnian president Alija Izetbegovic who was probably responsible for murdering many innocent people during the war in Bosnia.

I like a lot of U2 stuff though and I'd love to see them in concert.I have nopthing particularly against Bono,I just think that people shouldn't take him as some kind of messiah.

Elmo Lewis Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> zen-like demigods
>
> Bono is on a higher plane of thought than most
> mere mortals...he is a visionary, a poet and a
> humanitarian. He shared his profound wisdom in
> between songs much to the appreciation of his
> followers
>
> Let me guess, you're an ad writer in real life.

Yeah, for toilet cleaner. LOL

JumpingKentFlash Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> As Liam Gallagher (Who thought he could say
> anything wise?) said in an interview, which I
> agreed with: "All those phony charities made by
> all those phony celebrities. The only one who can
> do it in my book is Bono because he actually knows
> something about it". I agree with that.


If you're quoting Liam Gallagher as a witness for the defence, your man's guilty as charged.

>Bono and The Edge transcend the audience...it's more than a mere concert, it's a "happening", a spiritual awakening of sorts


.....thats because of the hypnotic grooves from Achtung Baby that do that...and throw in a few other big hits............but his constant preaching is a bit much at times........

when u2 are over 60 they will also have
fans who can't pull their arms higher than
to the breast -

"U2 fans appreciate the U2 "warhorses" so to speak and never complain where Stones fans are tired of Stones warhorses. "

To be truthful, I wouldn't count a few internet whiners as being representative of Stones fans.

Ah, bless you NumberOneStonesFan for daring to mention The Stones and U2 in the same sentence, that's kicked that "debate" open again!

I now hope that you are not subjected to the same levels of abuse that where dished out when I dared to start a thread a few weeks ago :-)

Thanks for the review, you are clearly someone who enjoys their music.

I think I've bust a button on my trousers....

U2 have a Free View going on now on Direct TV

I have several U2 DVD's and like them all.

The one on Direct TV now is a good one to watch also.

I think Boston 2001 is one of the best-filmed concerts ever...

I think the ZOOTV Sydney show was pinnacle, and I reeeeeeally want it on DVD!