Now that the European tour is over, it's time for our turn down under. I've been following the setlists in Europe quite closely. It's safe to say that U2 will not tweak their setlist much during the tour. But they did lose a songs from last year's outing, like Unknown Caller and The Unforgettable Fire, though I do hope they bring the latter back. Opener Breathe is now out, replaced by a brand new song called Return Of The Stingray Guitar. But as much as I love to see Breathe open the show, I think Stingray is a pretty kick-ass song, with a very sexy vibe -- it doesn't sound completed, but it provides a nice sorta transition to Beautiful Day. Speaking of new songs, there were quite a few debuts this summer -- North Star, Glastonbury, Every Breaking Wave, Boy Falls From The Sky (from the upcoming Spiderman musical). The big one that got fans all excited is an 2004 outtake called Mercy. It's essentially a U2 epic, possibly the best song the band hasn't released officially.Then there is Miss Sarajevo, which was a staple throughout the entire European leg. Spanish Eyes was played in San Sebastian for the first time since 2001, and another gem Mothers Of The Disappeared made a few rare appearances. In those cities with two nights, the band usually switches between New Year's Day & I Will Follow at the start, and Ultraviolet (Light My Way) & Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me during the encore. Finally, my favorite U2 song Bad made a triumphant return. Somehow I have a good feeling it'll show up pretty often in AU/NZ. Last shows of each leg are always special, so I expect Dec 19 to be no different. I'll be posting setlists from all the ten shows from November onwards.
