Tulsa, USA – U2 kicked off the eXPERIENCE & iNNOCENCE tour in Oklahoma with a bang Wednesday. Several milestones that have been widely rumored over the past few weeks were confirmed:
- For the first time since the release of The Joshua Tree, a full length set list did not include a single song from their best-selling work.
- MacPhisto, the devilish altar-ego Bono frequently donned to punk world leaders and mock dictators on the ZooTV tour, returned as a Trump supporter
- Acrobat was played live
Bono played the keyboard during Love is all we have left, as the Augmented Reality app – described positively by fans in attendance – took center stage. The rest of the band took the stage for The Blackout. While much of what’s been rumored in recent weeks did happen, Hold me,Thrill me, Kiss me, Kill me was not performed – though it did play over the PA during the intermission.
The return of MacPhisto has drawn mixed reviews. Bono didn’t dress for the part. Instead, a tablet computer suspended over the stage projected a MacPhisto image over Bono’s face onto the overhead screen. The image appears to bear homage to the original idea of MacPhisto as a Batman villain, but there was no doubt about the message. MacPhisto is reimagined as a white nationalist, uttering statements like The KKK is marching in Charlottesville without their silly uniforms, Truth is dead and When you don’t believe I exist, that’s when I do my best work.
Deep cuts in the set list included Acrobat – the opening lines reimagined as a comment on MacPhistos “Truth is dead” statement – along with Staring at the sun, The ocean and Who’s gonna ride your wild horses. The return of Staring at the sun marks the first time in 13 years that U2 has played any song from their divisive 1997 album POP.
While the Joshua Tree was ignored, warhorses from elsewhere in their catalog were as present as ever. Desire, Sunday Bloody Sunday, I will follow, City of blinding lights, Beautiful Day, Pride, Elevation, Desire, Vertigo, Until the end of the world and One were included.
Of course, the Songs of Experience album featured heavily. Along with aforementioned openers Love is all we have left and Blackout, the St Peters strings version of lights of home was played early on, American Soul, Get out of your own way and an acoustic rendition of You’re The best thing about me were included, and the show ended with Love is bigger than anything in its way and 13/There is a light.
Songs of Innocence was heavily featured, with Iris, Cedarwood Road and Raised by Wolves all featuring.
Next up, St Louis on Friday. TalkU2 doesn’t plan on posting complete set lists or reports from every show; setlist.fm is your friend if you’re that way inclined.
