The 40 most amazing U2 shows (part 4)
To celebrate U2's rich history we have selected the 40 most amazing U2 shows for you. Based on thousands of show reviews and a mix of performance, recording quality and historic value we guide you through 40 years of unforgettable shows. These are the shows every fan wanted to be at. In this slideshow we highlight the final 10, spanning from 2005 to 2015.
2006-12-09 - Hawaii
2006-12-09 - Hawaii: After two years of touring U2 went to the tropical island of Hawaii to end the Vertigo Tour, where they played their first concert since 1985. Many fans from all over the world came to Hawaii to witness a very special concert with much more than just U2. Billie Joe Armstrong of Green Day joined for The Saints Are Coming and Eddie Vedder and Mike McCready of Pearl Jam joined for Rockin' In The Free World before U2 ended their tour with All I Want Is You. A fan came on stage to play piano during Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses, which ended up being an improvised version as Bono had hoped the fan could play Angel of Harlem instead. All in all a very special show with the (to this date) last performance of many songs, such as an emotional version of Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own. Bono's voice was superb, the show featured many surprises and everyone was in a great mood. A fitting ending to one of U2's most successful tours.
2009-07-07 - Milan
2009-07-07 - Milan: U2 and Italy is generally a recipe for something special, and the two shows in Milan in the early days of the 360 tour were no exception. The more than enthusiastic Italian audience enlightened the Claw and U2 to put on an amazing performance. Highlights included Breathe, Stand By Me, Unknown Caller, Vertigo, Party Girl, Moment Of Surrender and I Still Haven't Found, which the band had to pause as the crowd were singing along more than loud. As this show took place in the early days of the 360 tour it also featured 7 songs from No Line On The Horizon, something which would prove to be rare later on in the tour. One of the highest rated 360 shows for many reasons, a must in this list of most amazing U2 shows.
2009-08-20 - Sheffield
2009-08-20 - Sheffield: Later in the summer of 2009 U2's 360 tour hit the city of Sheffield for the first time since June 1992. The show was broadcasted over radio and ever since has been one of the most favourite 360 shows among fans. The show featured amazing performances of Ultra Violet, Streets (with a snippet of Gloria) and Crazy Tonight. The band barely made any mistakes and rocked Sheffield for the full duration of the show. A night with a brilliant atmosphere captured in great quality.
2010-08-06 - Turin
2010-08-06 - Turin: The third leg of the 360 tour kicked off in Turin, where U2 went on to do something very special: playing three unreleased pieces of music. A new live intro called Return Of The Stingray Guitar and two complete new songs, North Star and Glastonbury. In modern history it is extremely rare for U2 to play unreleased songs at a concert, something they did in 2001 for the last time (Antwerp with "We Love You"). The show also featured the tour debuts of Miss Sarajevo and Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me. And, as with almost all Italian shows, the energy was there with a very enthusiastic crowd giving U2 everything to put on an amazing performance. The shows in Turin were the best possible outcomes of U2 kicking off this part of their 360 tour.
2011-04-10 - Sao Paulo
2011-04-10 - Sao Paulo: No U2 tour spanned more time than the 360 tour did, and while it went on it also hit almost all possible continents. U2's show in Sao Paulo on 10 April 2011 was one of the highlights of the South American leg of the tour. With a crazy South American audience U2 put on an historic show with the first performance of Zooropa since 1993 (and only its fourth performance ever) and the tour debut of Out Of Control. Bono also included some great snippets such as Helter Skelter during Vertigo. A show rated by Brazilians as one of the very best U2 put on in Brazil with a great setlist and energetic audience, what more could we fans ask for?
2011-06-24 - Glastonbury
"On a beautiful, clear summer's evening evening it would've been a different experience. It wasn't that Live Aid moment." - Adam
2011-06-24 - Glastonbury: For many years U2 has been rumoured to appear on the Glastonbury Festival, before they finally were announced as one of the headliners in 2010. While U2 had to pull out from their 2010 appearance due to Bono's back surgery, they made up on their commitment the year after. U2 played their set in heavy rain and although the performance didn't live up to everyone's expectations it was still a very important show in U2's history, headlining the prestigious festival for the very first time. Setlist-wise, U2 did a very Zoo TV-like show with playing 5 Achtung Baby songs to open the set with many of the original Zoo TV videos and props in the background. U2 also played rare performances of Bad and Out Of Control, which closed the set of 19 songs (of just 3 were not released as a single).
2015-05-28 - Roxy Theatre
2015-05-28 - Roxy Theatre: Just 500 fans attended an off-tour concert of U2 in the Roxy Theatre in Los Angeles, where only contest winners of radio station KROQ were welcome. The Roxy Theatre is a tiny little club-like venue which made it a very special show. To make the show feel even more like on of U2's early career club shows, U2 opened a show with The Ocean for the first time since June 1981. U2 played a 12-song set including 5 songs from their very early days, the most in a show since 1984. In this very intimate setting, U2 proved that they are band that can play any type of venue. Big stadiums, small arenas and small clubs, U2 is a band that can connect with their fans in any setting.
2015-07-02 - Chicago
2015-07-02 - Chicago: When U2 plays multiple shows in a city, fans know that the best chance of a legendary show is to attend the very last one. U2's fifth and final performance in Chicago in 2015 for the Innocence & Experience tour proved these fans right. U2 put on one of their best shows, where they showed they were feeling as comfortable as they could in the early months of the tour. With the tour debut of Gloria and rare performances of California, Ordinary Love and Bad, U2 put on an amazing set that thrilled the fans in the United Center. Ending with a full-band performance of 40 was a very fitting ending to this great show, one of U2's best in 2015.
2015-11-27 - Dublin
2015-11-27 - Dublin: Fans from all over the world travelled to Dublin for U2's homecoming shows of the Innocence & Experience tour in 2015. U2 had to adapt their stage to fit the intimate 3Arena (the former Point Depot) for four legendary shows. The most special one was the third of four. After two days of rest, U2 and the fans were ready to rock and neither failed to impress the other. At several moments during the show, Bono and Edge just looked around trying to understand what was happening while the audience lifted the band higher than before. The show featured great performances of Gloria, New Year's Day, Streets and a very special performance of Bad which lasted longer than most other performances of Bad in 2015 as Bono told a gripping story about a friend and survivor of the Talbot Street bombing referenced to in the song Raised By Wolves.
2015-12-07 - Paris
2015-12-07 - Paris: In the wake of a series of terrorist attacks on Paris U2 had to reschedule two of their four Paris shows, which then became their final shows of the tour year 2015. The Paris shows were all recorded to be released on film in 2016 and events made this film a lot more special than originally expected. U2 put on an amazing performance in front of an emotional audience and invited Eagles of Death Metal (at whose concert 89 people were killed in one of the attacks) on stage at the end of the show to cover People have The Power before handing over their stage to the band to play their own song I Love You All The Time to close the night. The events that made this show go the way went as well as the worldwide release, publicity and broadcast of the show made this one of U2's most impactful, important and historic shows in their career.
