U2start.com | No Line On The Horizon 11 years on.

Originally posted by ahn1991:

Comparing all those songs, Breathe is clearly the weakest. Especially when you compare it to the way CoBL opened those Vertigo Tour shows, Breathe didn't stand a shadow of a chance. I bet people were expecting U2 to open their 360 shows like they opened their Vertigo shows. Lights go down, an extended guitar intro starts up, building up to a climax where Edge and the lighting of the stage let loose.

I think you have a point to an extent but I thought it was very cool starting with Larry banging the drums and then Adam and Edge and then Bono rushing the stage.

iTim

13 years

Well let's put it this way, Breathe was much better as an opener than Stingray...

kezman

13 years

Originally posted by clover68:[..]

i have to completely disagree with this assertion.
Breathe is definetely upper than City Of Blinding Lights both as song and opener .. same thing compared to Elevation.
all this in my opinion of course

No chance! Breathe was a great opener,Larry walking to the drums and getting things going was really cool but Elevation-thats how you start a gig! Even watching the dvds 11 years on you can feel how pumped the crowd were with that opener,totally made the gig.

AidanFormigoni

13 years

In my opinion, as a opener, things work this way: Stingray > Breathe > Blinding Lights

But I'd like to see Breath in the middle of the set. I think it would fit waaaay better than in the begining

IwillFOLLOW

13 years

My dream opening for the 360 tour was:
Intro: Soon (Tape over the PA) and then No Line On the Horizon, I Will Follow, Get On Your Boots, Magnificence, Stand Up Comedy, Until the End..., NYD, Found, ...
White As Snow (Bono & Edge acoustic) or Van Diemans Land (Edge only) and Breathe in the middle set.
Beautiful Day as main set or first encore closer.
And some others things that i might turn around...

ahn1991

13 years

Breathe as a good opener? Seriously? Maybe it's just differing opinions.

I personally love it when U2 opens the show with a high energy song. Mofo, Elevation, CoBL, and Even Better fit the bill quite nicely. Breathe always left something to be desired for me. I could see it working in the middle of a set though.

But yeah, City of Blinding Lights never fails to send shivers down my spine. Best show opener ever, in my opinion.

But regarding Stingray...
It could have worked as an opener if they followed through. By that, I mean they had to eliminate that awkward gap and not lead into Beautiful Day.
When they were using Stingray as the opener, I was hoping they would tie Stingray directly to Edge's guitar intro for Boots (forget the future needs a big kiss thing). The guitar sound and energy level of Stingray was perfect. Boots would have allowed the band to ride the high energy intro and develop it with a high energy song.

But Even Better Than The Real Thing still wins as the best show opener of the tour.

JuJuman

13 years

EBTTRT best show opener, but I really loved Breathe. I think it's a really good song. MOS best song on the album in my opinion. One of their best songs ever - better than anything on HTDAAB, I would say. In my view, the main problem with the 2009 album was that, although there were good songs, there weren't enough of them. Too many uninspired songs. I would have accepted Unknown Caller in an album, but together with songs like Stand up comedy and Crazy tonight, the whole thing falls flat. Crazy tonight worked as a remix up to a point, but the album version isn't really something you can listen to with good consciousness. Stand up comedy is a good rock n roll exercise, but then I'd rather listen to the original - Led Zeppelin - instead. What's the point. A really good B-side, a crap album song.

EDIT: yes, GOYB would have made a good stand alone single. But certainly not a lead single of a major album!

clover68

13 years

applause

take off those songs (Boots too) and No Line is a real great album.
good point for Stand up as a good b-side .. Boots an almost good extemporaneous stand-alone single .. Crazy .. i don't know .. it's crazy that it's the most played song in the tour

ps: Unkown caller is a very good song .. good sequel and finisher plot of Moment .. lyrically talking

aussiemofo

13 years

I still like this album a lot. Maybe its lost its shine a bit. The tracks I loved three years ago I still love. No Line remains one of my all time favourite tracks. But now the tracks I could only tolerate before I dislike and even skip over.

1. No Line 10/10
2. Magnificent 7/10
3. Moment 4/10 (better live)
4. Unknown Caller 6/10
5. Crazy 6/10 - live version is 8/10
6. Boots 3/10
7. Stand Up 5/10
8. Fez 8/10
9. White 4/10
10. Breathe 8/10
11. Cedars 7/10

12. Winter 9/10

kezman

13 years

Yes i agree MOS is better live,but most U2 songs are anyway imo.MOS made the perfect closer for the 360,reminded alot of "40",you sort of left the gig still singing MOS in your head.
I was listening to Unknown Caller on the Dublin bootleg yesterday and turned it up and thought wow this is a fantastic song,why would they drop it altogether?
I'm probably in the minority when i say i still like Stand Up Comedy,not the best song on the album but very much worthy of being in the tracklisting.

patou2

13 years

1. No Line 10/10
2. Magnificent 9/10
3. Moment 9.5/10 (better studio)
4. Unknown Caller 8.5/10
5. Crazy 8.5/10
6. Boots 8/10
7. Stand Up 6.5/10
8. Fez 6.5/10
9. White 7/10
10. Breathe 8/10
11. Cedars 7/10

RUMMY

13 years

As much as they "gave up" on the album during the 2010/2011 legs of the tour, I was glad they kept MoS as a closer - it generally maintains recent tradition (i.e. LiB (along with Can't Help Falling in Love) closed ZooTV, Wake Up Dead Man closed a good number (but not enough) of PopMart shows, Walk On during Elevation, Yahweh/Vertigo for a number of Vertigo tour shows).

No Line On The Horizon 11 years on.

what they said

did you know

you

forums

U2start