Spoiler alert! U2 announced tour dates to support their new album Songs of Innocence months ago, but the details of the shows themselves on the Innocence and Experience remained secret – until now.
The band rehearsed their show with the complete setup at the Rogers Arena in Vancouver, where the tour kicks off May 14, and Jon Pareles of the New York Times attended the rehearsal for a new interview. In the feature story, U2 reveal many of the most unique details the tour will offer fans, many of which they are attempting for the first time.
Because they couldn’t measure the success of Songs of Innocence with fans by album sales, the band remain uncertain as to how the new songs will go over live. “On May 14 we’re going to find out if the album worked and if the experiment worked,” Bono says. “If people know those words and feel those songs, then the experiment was right.”
One of the most artful and ambitious aspects of the show will be the “divider”, a wide walkway that at the midpoint of the show separates the two sides of the crowd and joins two stages at opposite ends of the arena. San Jose’s SAP Center previews the stage setup in its seating chart. Bono says the divide is setting up for the breaking of the barrier in the second half of the show: “When we undo that division, we’ve got to really glue them together.”
GLASGOW, SCOTLAND – NOVEMBER 09: Bono of U2 performs on stage during the MTV EMA’s 2014 at The Hydro on November 9, 2014 in Glasgow, Scotland. (Photo by Samir Hussein/Getty Images for MTV)
What else can you expect from U2’s live shows on the Innocence and Experience tour? Here are some of the most interesting details revealed in the new interview.
Three different stages: Spanning nearly the entire floor
of the arena, the tour features a rectangular stage that lights up like an “i” for “innocence” and a smaller, circular stage that lights up like an “e” for “experience”. Connecting them is the aforementioned “divider” walkway, which Bono says will create a barrier in the first half that breaks down in the second. Speaking of that…
of the arena, the tour features a rectangular stage that lights up like an “i” for “innocence” and a smaller, circular stage that lights up like an “e” for “experience”. Connecting them is the aforementioned “divider” walkway, which Bono says will create a barrier in the first half that breaks down in the second. Speaking of that…
Two halves with an intermission: For the first time, U2 will have an intermission in between two sets instead of one giant show. The “innocence”-themed first half will be a static setlist, while the “experience”-themed second half will be more varied.
“On May 14 we’re going to find out if the album worked and if the experiment worked…If people know those words and feel those songs, then the experiment was right.”
– Bono, on the U2 ‘Innocence and Experience’ tour
The same show for two nights: With most of U2’s dates spanning two nights, the original plan was to play two completely different shows – but that has been abandoned in favor of a single show performed twice with a few variants. The band feared they would leave out setlist staples on certain nights and potentially leaving some fans feeling they got the “second-best” show. Now, everyone gets mostly the same set.
Speakers on the ceiling: U2 have moved their sound system to the rafters, placing “an oval of 12-speaker arrays” that sends the sound down toward the fans below. The innovative system creates a consistent sound throughout the arena, rather than different sounds depending on your seating arrangement. If successful, the setup could prove influential for other bands in later shows.
No guitar from Bono: The frontman admitted he is still recovering from his injuries sustained in a nasty bike accident. He still can’t move certain parts of his injured hand, and can’t play guitar as a result. But he looked at the rest of the band and said “They don’t seem to mind” with a wry smirk.
certain parts of his injured hand, and can’t play guitar as a result. But he looked at the rest of the band and said “They don’t seem to mind” with a wry smirk.
The band starts out illuminated by a single light bulb: Mirroring Bono’s beginnings as a songwriter, the band will begin the show lit up by just one swinging bulb, which will add to the mystery of the early performances.
New songs from Songs of Experience: Since the second half of the show is to be the “experience” part of the set, at least one or two new songs from the upcoming Songs of Experience could be featured. The band wouldn’t confirm this, but there is a “mobile studio setup” backstage where they have been working on the album while prepping for the tour. So it’s highly possible that they use the tour to debut brand new songs.
that they use the tour to debut brand new songs.
