U2 opened its North American iNNOCENCE + eXPERIENCE Tour in Tulsa, Okla., last night, debuting a number of songs off its latest album Songs of Experience — as well as, at long last, fan favorite “Acrobat,” the one song of 1991’s Achtung Baby the band never had played live. See video here.
The surviving members of The Smithereens took to the stage in Red Bank, N.J., last night to pay tribute to their fallen bandleader, Pat DiNizio — performing a marathon set that found the band’s members joined by special guests Steven Van Zandt, Dave Davies of The Kinks, Marshal Crenshaw, Ted Leo, and more.
Michael Stipe returned to the concert stage Sunday night, performing a short set — he covered songs by Nat King Cole, Ringo Starr and the Velvet Underground — during the Pathway to Paris climate event at New York City’s Carnegie Hall on Sunday. Watch the full performance right here.
Morrissey’s tour opener in Portland, Ore., this week featured at least one major setlist surprise: the singer’s first-ever live performance of “I Started Something I Couldn’t Finish,” the second single off The Smiths’ posthumously released final album Strangeways, Here We Come. Watch that performance here.
This past week saw pioneering British synthpop group Heaven 17 do something it never had done before: perform a live concert in the United States. Specifically, Martyn Ware and Glenn Gregory brought their live show to New York City’s Highline Ballroom on Wednesday night. Check out the setlist and video.
The Sisters of Mercy opened their month-long European tour with a two-night stand at London’s Roundhouse on Friday and Saturday nights, offering setlists that traded in the band’s most well-known material and some rarities, including covers of Mission of Burma and Link Wray, and rare performances of two 1984 singles.
New Order had promised that its performances with a 12-member synthesizer ensemble at the Manchester International Festival would not bear much resemblance to the band’s normal live set, and, with tonight’s opening of the 5-concert run, the legendary act delivered on its pledge. See full setlist and video here.
U2 opened its The Joshua Tree 2017 global stadium tour in Vancouver, B.C., last night, a performance that not only saw the band playing its classic 1987 album in its entirety but also debuting a new song and digging up a rarely played fan favorite in The Unforgettable Fire’s “A Sort of Homecoming.”
Depeche Mode tonight opened its Global Spirit Tour with a 22-song set in Stockholm that saw the group perform five songs on their new album Spirit, bring back “Everything Counts” after more than a decade and debut an understated cover of David Bowie’s “Heroes.” See the full setlist and video here.
Daniel Ash and Kevin Haskins debuted their new project Poptone on Thursday night with the first of two performances at a Los Angeles studio, playing, as expected, an 18-song set heavy on their short-lived early ’80s post-Bauhaus project Tones on Tail. We’ve got the full setlist and a selection of live video.
Midnight Oil formally opened its Great Circle 2017 World Tour in Sydney on Thursday night, playing a 29-song set that balanced the reunited band’s best-known hits with the unexpected — including a near-complete performance of 1978’s Head Injuries. See the full setlist and some fan-shot video.
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