'Wait and See'

27 Jan 201717

The band are in the new edition of Rolling Stone (How U2 Got Back To The Joshua Tree) with Edge, Adam and Show Designer Willie Williams all giving interviews. Here are some highlights with links to each interview.

Edge


Are you going to play the album in sequence at the shows?
I believe we will, and I say "believe we will" because that is certainly the working assumption right now. The show might not necessarily start with Track One, Side One, "Where the Streets Have No Name," because we feel like maybe we need to build up to that moment, so we're still in the middle of figuring out exactly how the running order will go, so yes. We will be playing the album in sequence.

I think the two songs the fans are most dying to hear are "Acrobat" and "Drowning Man." They've never been done live. Is there a chance they'll finally be done?
That's very interesting. I didn't know that fans were interested in "Drowning Man." I mean "Acrobat," for sure, I guess. It was one of those kind of more dramatic pieces from Achtung Baby. But that's interesting. I'll take note of that. We always want to listen to our fans because in our experience, music fans are seldom wrong. There's something to what they say, so I'll take note of that. I'm not saying we'll definitely do it, but we're at this wonderful situation where we've got a blank canvas.

Read the whole interview here.

Adam

I imagine one challenge in playing it in sequence is the four most famous songs are the first four. Then there's seven straight that are lesser-known to a mass audience. Doing them all in a row could be a challenge in a stadium. Do you worry about that?
I think we really have to wait and see. I think anyone that's coming to that show clearly knows that record well. What we would need to figure out is whether that's a suite of songs [and] with our new knowledge of 30 years hence we could breathe life into them in a different way, or whether we kind of bundle them together with some other songs that are thematically in keeping with those.

That fans are super psyched to hear "Exit," "Red Hill Mining Town" and "Trip Through Your Wires." These are songs that haven't been played in 30 years, or even ever in one case.
"Trip Through Your Wires" I think we were pretty good at playing during the original Joshua Tree tour. I think "In God's Country" was in that set, but "Red Hill Mining Town" was never played live during that period. It fell into the midtempo malaise and I think we can now figure out ways to get around that.

Do you think Songs of Experience will be out next year? The end of this year?
We all very much feel like it needs to be the end of this year. It's not on any schedule anywhere, anything like that. We're going to get back to that later this year and polish it off and finish it off a bit more. But we think we're there with it. It's not like the switch to do these Joshua Tree shows was because we needed a lot of time. It was just because it's pretty much in the bag. We can still work on it throughout this year, all the little nips and tucks that we want to do. It'll be a pleasure to get out there and play these Joshua Tree songs. In some ways, the experience of playing those Joshua Tree shows and those songs this summer, inevitably, couldn't help [but] have some impact on what that record ultimately becomes when we finish work on it.

Read the whole interview here


Willie Williams, the band's Show Designer has also been talking to the magazine, about how the staging of the tour is coming together.

'What's always been great with U2 is each tour has been a change of canvas. Almost always if we go outdoors we go indoors next, or vice versa, or a totally different approach. That keeps it interesting. I'm really enjoying being in stadiums again. Simplicity is probably the wrong word because it's still a big production, but I think there will be a cleanness about it that will be refreshing after the last one. What's funny is Innocence + Experience looked like a simple gesture, but it was one of the most complicated shows that U2 has ever done. This will be simpler, larger gestures and letting music fill the stadium.'

Read the whole interview here.

Comments
17
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markymo32
Joshua Tree on SACD
Hoping that Joshua Tree gets released on SACD, Blu-Ray Audio, or/and a high resolution 24/192k download for the 30th Anniversary edition.
kent_vandenberg
Dalton Brothers!
We got to see them in Indy on the original tour, and I for one would LOVE to see them again!!! (Soldier Field, 6/3)
mlyczbinski
Acrobat
I'd LOVE to hear Acrobat on that tour.
mark_thompson
Love to Hear
I'd love to hear Drowning Man live.....I've always liked that song from WAR immensely. Please play it sometime!
wendom_earl
POP Anniversary suggestion
Since it's POP's 20th anniversary too I have a suggestion. Why not include one song from POP on the upcoming JT tour? The song? Why PLEASE of course. Play it as the intro to STREETS. A lot of people have probably not heard PLEASE even up till today, and the song fits beautifully (see POPMART). Here's hoping . . .
stephmc
Steph Mc
Missed The Joshua Tree tour as I was a bit young , but now , after all these years and ' experience ' , I'm off to Dublin ! Can't wait to hear EXIT !!
dvdlucs
Cant wait
Hope they go from Joshua Tree and back, no newer songs just a retro tour, I will follow, Gloria, etc..
markymo32
B-sides & Heartland
Hope the guys incorporate a lot of the b-sides of Joshua Tree into the set list. Those are absolutely amazing songs IMO. It should have been a double LP. The song Heartland just seems like it should have been on JT as well. Thank You U2 for making a tour out of the 30th Anniversary of Joshua Tree instead of just a one or two show. Turn those amp to 11 when you roll into Tampa.
JessLee
JessLee
Ultraviolet getting me thru laundry
music4menu
Keeping Me Young
I had the honor to see 7 shows the first time the Joshua Tree Tour came around and now the gods are looking over me and have granted me access to the pearly gates of Vancouver opener (thank you Jason!) Although I am now over 50 - I feel I am younger at a U2 concert. Vancouver and Toronto - 2 more memorable shows coming up! U2 fans are the best!
spanisheyes920
Acting Baby & Joshua Tree
Would love to see So cruel...
mgoughler
A request for something during the shows
I don't know if these are read by the band or not. But, it's worth a shot. Similar to the Zoo T.V. phone calls, I would LOVE to see Bono "Tweet" Trump during each show on this tour. Given the circumstances that inspired this tour.....wow...how awesome would that be?
garyquintana
Counting the days
Imagine Achtung Baby mixed with Joshua Tree. That will be the shit, and then S.O.E coming soon. Damn! Its gonna be a good year for us all that includes U2. See you at the Rose Bowl.
surferdude1
Acrobat
I'd LOVE to hear Acrobat !!!
garyu2
GaryU2 & Son
Seems like yesterday that i traveled to the big smoke to see my heroes perform the joshua tree, it was my first trip away from home and boy was I on cloud nine after seeing these 4 legends do their stuff, supported by The Pretenders and Spear of Destiny it was amazing, I have never missed a note since, just got tickets for London and am going to take my son with me who has been bombarded with U2 music since being in the whom, He will love it, Cant wait, GaryU2
GeorgeZambra
Here She comes.
Here She comes ¡ I believe is going to be a FANTASTIC album. "Songs of Experience" and a AMAZING Tour.
julesabury
Joshua Tree
Really excited about the JT tour. Love the whole album, but can't wait to hear Redhill Mining Town and One Tree Hill. Well, the whole album really!!!!
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