U2's Auckland #1 setlist, 08/11/19
U2 today began the Joshua Tree Tour 2019 at Mount Smart Stadium, Auckland, New Zealand. They could not have begun in a more fitting location: the song One Tree Hill takes its title from the English name for Maungakiekie, a volcanic cone visible from the venue.
The band have been rehearsing here for the past week. We published an overview earlier. There was also a soundcheck today: U2songs reports Every Breaking Wave, Elevation, Even Better Than the Real Thing, Bullet the Blue Sky, and Red Hill Mining Town.
A number of songs have returned after short breaks from the live stage. No song from the Joshua Tree album had been performed since 25 October 2017, except for With or Without You on 16 November 2017. Not one song from the album was played on the band's tour in 2018. Bad and Ultra Violet, likewise, were last performed at that 25 October 2017 show
Sunday Bloody Sunday's performance is its first since 29 September 2018. Every Breaking Wave was last played at a small show on 30 June 2018 for a small audience of radio contest winners; its most recent appearance at a regular tour gig was 7 December 2015. Angel of Harlem is similar: it was last played at a special SiriusXM theatre show on 11 June 2018, and its most recent appearance at a regular tour gig was 28 November 2015.
The other songs in tonight's set were last played on 13 November 2018, U2's most recent previous full band performance.
Before tonight's performance of One Tree Hill, Bono spoke about Greg Carroll, the Māori man who was part of U2's road crew and whose tragic death inspired the song. A photo of Greg appeared on screen at the end.
Visual elements familiar from the Joshua Tree Tour in 2017 are back this year, including the Walter Trump clip before Exit. U2 are again doing the "herstory" women's rights visual feature during Ultra Violet. Tonight the display of famous trailblazing women finally, for the first time, included Kate Sheppard, who led the successful suffragist campaign that made New Zealand the first country in the world to give women the vote in 1893.
U2 were not heard rehearsing One during the previous week, but it was performed. Bono prefaced it with a speech expressing sympathy for the Christchurch terrorist attack of 15 March 2019. He commended the grace with which New Zealanders responded to the tragedy; some survivors were in attendance tonight, and the names of the victims were displayed on screen.
The full setlist was:
- Sunday Bloody Sunday
- New Year's Day
- Bad / America (snippet)
- Pride (In the Name of Love)
- Where the Streets Have No Name / California (There Is No End To Love) (snippet)
- I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For
- With or Without You
- Bullet the Blue Sky / Black Dog (snippet) / America (snippet)
- Running To Stand Still
- Red Hill Mining Town
- In God's Country
- Trip Through Your Wires
- One Tree Hill
- Exit / Wise Blood (snippet) / Eeny Meeny Miny Moe (snippet)
- Mothers Of The Disappeared
- Angel of Harlem
- Elevation
- Rock & Roll (snippet) / Vertigo / It's Only Rock 'n' Roll (But I Like It) (snippet)
- Even Better Than The Real Thing
- Every Breaking Wave
- Beautiful Day
- Ultraviolet (Light My Way)
- Love Is Bigger Than Anything in Its Way
- One / Invisible (snippet)
encore(s):
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