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  1. So, the Joshua Tree 2019 Tour ended yesterday in Mumbai and we don't have a clue about the band's next steps – if there are any steps anytime soon, that is!

    On one hand, they surely are aware of the fact that they are not getting any youger - just like everyone else, so I bet they won't be disappearing for 2/3 years like they traditionally did after ending world tours. This crazy 2014-2019 album/tour/album/tour+tour cycle that is finishing (...or maybe not?) is proof that they're using up the last years of their career in a bit more "hasty" way than we were used to.

    Also, their contract with LiveNation regarding tours and albums allegedly expires in 15 days from now - will they sign another one, or extend the current one? Or maybe they have already signed/extended the contract, and are waiting to 2020 to announce it? Who knows.


    But on the other hand... Well, they sure need some rest, and truly get the Joshua Tree Nostalgia era AND the Innocence+Experience eras over and done with. They need new dreams tonight, as the lyrics to In God's Country say. Maybe not as much as Dream it all up again, but surely they need to move on and think of new albums, new tours, new stage concepts. They have done two pairs of two tours with the same stage and concept (I&E and JT2017 were nearly identical to E&I and JT2019, bar a few changes here and there). As the intro to Numb in the Zoo TV tor said, "You can’t blame them, they want new material. Our stuff’s been repeated too many times. You can’t sell the same thing to the same old crowd forever". It's about time they sit down with and imagine something completely new, both album & tour wise.

    Songs Of Ascent could be understood as the end of the "Songs Of..." trilogy but it can also be something completely new, a full thematic and sound departure from SOI and SOE. And we have been spoiled for years with band members & associates saying how beautiful/atmospherical/profound/different it might end up being, so I doubt they radically change the concept of it. There's a chance that the next album isn't nowhere near Songs Of Ascent (not even in its title) so that can be weighed too.


    There's also the chance that they could opt for a Achtung Baby/Zoo TV revival kind of tour, but after looking back in nostalgia to the Joshua Tree I don't think the band themselves contemplate this option - they kinda paid a 20-year tribute to AB in 2011 anyway. It would be an instant cash-cow, of course, and Livenation's greed might be the only reason why this would be an option. I pray to several gods that they don't do it.


    And of course there's a chance that they might call it a day now. They've been playing together and on the road for 43 years now, and it all must come to an end sometime somehow... Of course this thought always arises whenever any album/tour cycle ends, and there were (unfounded) talks of it after the 3rd Berlin show last year. The super-secret brush with mortality and the ever-growing lack of new ideas (based on the latest 2+2 tours) might be an indicator this option may as well be weighed.


    So...


  2. Hope to see them in tour in 2021
  3. Nice writing Sergio!

    This break is good food for thoughts and thankfully, time for bank accounts to recover. AustralAsia won't see U2 anymore for a long long while.
    If anything whatever they end up doing will inevitably end up being a US and europe thing. Due to overwhelming demand of course.

    I'm with you on hoping its not gonna be another quick cash grab on Live Nation's orders. I'm curious to see what their new deal is gonna be but I guess we all know that they will have another pact with the devil / livenation.

    Praying that ticket prices won't get any more emberassing after seeing Mumbai, and south america last leg there.

    Saying that, the band seem in such good spirits and in decent health on this tour. Which gives a tremendous amount of hope for the future The long wait is gonna start. But not as long as it used to be! Gosh..
  4. 2014-2019 wasn't as crazy as it might look like at first sight.. SOI was already finished and also they said SOE was more or less ready (although they decided to change quite a few things afterwards). So what they did was just approx 200 concerts spreaded over 5 years. It's maybe the fans who need so time off and refill their pockets For 2020 I'm fine with the planned video releases and maybe a few suprise appearances, just a few signs they are still there... I'm quite sure there will be no AB30 tour or something like that..
  5. I think the next Livenation contract might be a bit less demanding on them, perhaps shorter, obviously they would receive less money as a result. But if they know what they can commit to it takes the pressure of them and makes them a bit more in control of the decision making. The next album I think will take as long as it takes which for this band seems to be anything from 3 and a half to 5 years. That would mean the earliest we get a new album is mid 2021 although I don’t think that’s going to happen. The latest perhaps near the end of 2022. That might be a little on the late side so I think very late 2021 or early 2022 with a stadium world tour in 2022 and 2023 visiting everywhere they’ve been over the last few tours. Depending on where things are at with the album and how keen they are to tour again I think this then opens up the door to AB30. If an album will be ready in mid 2021 no need if it’s looking unlikely they might just be tempted. I don’t think livenation could force them into it as it would be the beginning of a new contract and the band won’t be in a pressurised position that they need to meet certain demands by that point so if they do it don’t blame livenation it will be a band decision. As for the new album I don’t think it will be SOA I think it will be the rock album Bono spoke about. But as we know all this is guess work. There’s a few things I’d like the band to prove me wrong with. Getting a new album out sooner. Maybe giving us SOA and the rock album within a short space of time. Who knows, there’s a lot of possibilities.
  6. SOE is 5 years old to them now as most of it was written in 2014 along with SOI but what the intentions of the band are now remains unclear maybe they should take a long break or throw out a few EPs every so often and not tour them,but I don't think they will take too long to resurface as they aren't getting any younger.
  7. Personally, I think they'll take a break - but we'll get an album sooner than we think - but I say that still in the mindset that U2 normally take forever, and the last few years have been an exception to the rule. I say we hear about a new album as early as next year, and we get it late-2021.

    And yes, I could really see them foregoing the tour this time around. That, or they play like a bigger promo-tour - kinda like what Coldplay is doing (or did?) for their latest. A few key shows around the world, and that's it.

    For those hoping for an AB anniversary tour...keeping dreaming out loud lol.
  8. Originally posted by popmarter:SOE is 5 years old to them now as most of it was written in 2014 along with SOI but what the intentions of the band are now remains unclear maybe they should take a long break or throw out a few EPs every so often and not tour them,but I don't think they will take too long to resurface as they aren't getting any younger.
    As was pointed out last night SOE probably wasn’t written in 2014. Danger mouse was involved in almost every song for SOI I’m sure whatever studio work they did back then he would have to be credited on and he wasn’t for SOE so they must have worked on SOE later than that. Or possibly the songs were at a very early stage that they weren’t really anything like the finished product. I think if the album was ready in 2014 or 2015 even they would have released it early 2016 and toured it then. There was no reason to have that year off if the album was near completion.
  9. Some really great posts here and I appreciate the thought that went into them.

    Ever the contrarian, I hope we'll have a brief revival of JT next year. The tour has hit every well inhabited continent except one, Africa, and I see no reason that it should not get that opportunity. The economic argument begins with Dubai. Expo 2020 is the UAE's answer to Qatar's world cup. They are going after every major band in the world as part of the festival. Couple it with a few shows in South Africa, which has hosted artists like Springsteen in recent years, and perhaps Southern Europe - could it happen? Yes. Likely: no.

    Which is a shame because last night, which was my 30th '17- '19 JT show, I noticed some stuff in Exit I hadn't thought of before. I know, I'm slow. That part of the show is high art. I really need to see it again.

    Assuming that's a no go, despite my personal needs , there are a few things that need to be considered, most revolving around age. We talk about the band, but the same is true of the audience. Springsteen is a case in point. I'd guess that his fan base is about 10 years older than U2's. In the last part of his last tour he had to put seats on the fields in the northeastern USA. There was still some GA up front, but limited. As the fan base ages, so does the crew, the creative staff: they need to get on the road fairly soon or the base might be drooling for reasons other than anticipation of the music.

    Oversaturation may be a problem in the States, undersaturation might be a problem elsewhere. You can't ignore entire regions of the world and expect an immediate sell out when you show up. Live Nation's global expansion also is part of the equation. One of the reasons Singapore received two shows is that Live Nation recently acquired one of Singapore's major promoters, have set up Singapore as the companies regional HQ, and wanted to project strength. Whatever happens next I fully expect Asia to remain part of the equation. It's Live Nation's focal point for growth.

    Obviously we await word of the new contract, but baring an offer they can't refuse from Dubai, I expect the following:

    1. Theatrical and DVD releases in 2020 to keep the brand alive;

    2. Albums are a bit of a relic. It wouldn't surprise me to have a single or two released prior to a major album-like release. The key is keeping the brand alive.

    3. Arena tour in 2021 - 22. You'll likely see short bursts like the just concluded tour rather than a multi year effort with short breaks. I don't believe they can wait until '22-'23.

    Then, again, the band could break up, and we'll get to chose from the Bono and friends band, The Edge Project...that's a poor attempt at humour. I hope.

    We have been spoiled. I loved JT so much I don't want it to completely go away. Yet, I'm also excited about what may be left in the creative tank. Provided it doesn't sound anything like Beautiful Day.

    Looking forward to the white puffs of spoke from Live Nation HQ and confirmation of the new contract...and wishing everyone, fans and band, the very best of health. That's pre-requisite number one for anything happening going forward.
  10. They could shift touring strategy to fewer shows, more often. It seems to me that the band were enjoying the 2019 leg of Joshua Tree quite a bit, more so than previous tours. Maybe because they knew this was only going to be a short leg rather than a 9-month - a year tour.

    They can hit up different parts of the world each year and by the time they've come full circle, there will be enough demand again for more shows in the place they started.

    Maybe. I know they probably still want to tour the new album when it comes out.

    2020 will have the JT and EI releases and the Live Nation contract renewal. I know lots of people here dislike Live Nation but it works for the band and they are the most successful live act of the decade with over a billion USD in ticket sales.

    Late 2021 is when I can see an album out, at the earliest. Early 2022 for a tour?
  11. The band enjoyed themselves a lot, they all seemed happy, relaxed and once again they were performing at a high level. They all seemed so happy on and offstage, they truly enjoyed these moments and appreaciated everything & everyone and absorbed all the love from the fans.
    I am very confident that the band is not over. I believe the show will go on. 'Or does it have to?'
    Anton's photoshoot in the pool & the recent Dallas comments on U2's new album are both pointing in the direction of a new album. Honestly, I don't really care what it's gonna end up being. Whether it's SOA or a fuckoff rock n roll album, I'm gonna appreciate and enjoy the hell out of it.
    What I believe / would like to see in the future:
    1. a well deserved rest for the lads in 2020 with DVD / cinema releases and also new album teasers at the end of 2020.
    2. late 2020 is too much to ask for, so maybe early - mid 2021 new album release
    3. world tour spread out in 2 years for the band to be more relaxed and enjoy in - between breaks & also take the time to visit different parts of the world in short periods of time. They could also mix things up with shows being both in arenas & stadiums.
    4. If there's any way they can, I'm sure they will revisit most of the TJT Tour 2019 places. They had an awesome time.
    Whatever the future holds, 'I'm ready, I'm ready for what's next'
  12. Originally posted by deanallison:[..]
    As was pointed out last night SOE probably wasn’t written in 2014. Danger mouse was involved in almost every song for SOI I’m sure whatever studio work they did back then he would have to be credited on and he wasn’t for SOE so they must have worked on SOE later than that. Or possibly the songs were at a very early stage that they weren’t really anything like the finished product. I think if the album was ready in 2014 or 2015 even they would have released it early 2016 and toured it then. There was no reason to have that year off if the album was near completion.
    Bono wrote most of it in 2014 while recovering from his bicycle accident and Dangermouse is credited as one of the 9 producers they may have tinkered with it and brought other producers in to spruce it up but essentially it's a 5 year old record from it's conception hence why I think they will be eager to get new music out in the not too distant future.
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Contribute to the U2 community with uploading photos or by telling us which shows you have visited.
Contribute to the U2 community with uploading photos or by telling us which shows you have visited.