Photo by Helena Christiansen
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.
You can see fan-shot footage of “Acrobat” — with a creepy MacPhisto intro — below, along with other video selections from the show and the full setlist. U2 had rehearsed “Acrobat” ahead of the stadium leg of 1992’s ZOO TV tour, but the song never made it into the band’s set. Last night’s debut wasn’t a total shock, as fans had heard the song being rehearsed in recent weeks.
Last night’s show also saw performances of several songs not played since the early 2000s, including “All Because of You,” “Staring at the Sun” and “Who’s Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses.” The show also, quite notably, featured no songs from The Joshua Tree, which the band played in full on tour last year.
See that video, and more, below.
Setlist: U2, BOK Center, Tulsa, Oklahoma, 5/2/18
Set 1
1. “Love Is All We Have Left”
2. “The Blackout”
3. “Lights Of Home”
4. “Beautiful Day”
5. “All Because Of You”
6. “I Will Follow”
7. “The Ocean”
8. “Iris (Hold Me Close)”
9. “Cedarwood Road”
10. “Song For Someone”
11. “Sunday Bloody Sunday”
12. “Raised By Wolves”
13. “Until the End of the World”
Set 2
14. “Elevation”
15. “Vertigo”
16. “Desire”
17. “Acrobat”
18. “You’re The Best Thing About Me”
19. “Staring at the Sun”
20. “Pride (In the Name of Love)”
21. “Get Out Of Your Own Way”
22. “American Soul”
23. “City of Blinding Lights”
Encore
24. “Who’s Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses”
25. “One”
26. “Love Is Bigger Than Anything in its Way”
27. “13 (There Is A Light)”
“Acrobat”
“Who’s Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses”
“The Ocean”
“All Because of You”
“Staring at the Sun”
“Love Is All We Have Left”
The Blackout
PREVIOUSLY ON SLICING UP EYEBALLS
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- Watch: U2 resurrects ‘Joshua Tree’ rarities and ‘A Sort of Homecoming,’ debuts new song
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- Milestones: U2’s ‘Joshua Tree’ is 25 today; watch full 1987 ‘Save the Yuppies’ concert
- Milestones: U2’s ZOO TV Tour opened 20 years ago tonight — see news footage
Acrobat is a phenomenal song and I’m shocked they’d never played it live.
Agreed. How is it that they never had it on any set list for the past quarter of a century? Not one?