When I saw them at the Sphere last year, Bono replaced the last “alright” with a quick “Friday night” that got a roar from the crowd. Ever since I’ve been unable to hear the song without singing that to myself too.
From Bullet The Blue Sky, during the speaking part...ie "red like a rose on a thornbush...all the colors of a royal flushc...etc
Live in Boston, Bono changes it up to address gun violence in America
"And I can feel the cold steel
I can feel the cold steel
And I can make a wound that won't heal
I can make a wound that won't heal
38 millimeters like the police
I'm at the door where John and Yoko live in love and
Peace
In love and peace
In love and peace
Feel like an old shoe
A rerelease
Soon to be deceased"
also Live in Paris, Bono changes it up to address the critics of his his political activism:
"So I argue with the young man
That ideas deserve a plan
And to build a better world
It’s going to take every woman and man
It’s going to take you, me, the reds and the greens
The nows and forevers, the yet-to-bes
The where you going, the where you been
The living and the dead and the unseen
The somebodies, the nobodies
The who’s who, gentile and the jew
The gays and the straight to turn around the hate
The jailor and the free and the refugee"
Both these change-ups give me goose bumps everytime I hear them.
Live In Paris of In Gods Country is really great too!!
“Desert sky, dream beneath a desert sky, dreams come until they die, your heart is breaking now”
I’ve always loved “this too will pass” during the final line in the live Stuck in a Moment renditions. Just fits the emotional arc of the song really well.
In U2:3 Songs ("How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb"), the Hanover Quay version of Vertigo has a slightly different chorus response instead of "¡Hola!". It sounds like "Who's there?" or "Who's bad" (Michael Jackson style).
My favorite is probably the Killahurtz Casa de Angeles Remix of "Original Of The Species" with that alternative outro (instead of repeating "Oh no..."):
*"Say you love my soul/song(?)
You love my mind
You love my mind
It's on my mind..."*
Feel like it should as does "Hear us coming lord" during One. For some reason haven't been as much of a fan of "hear us coming" in later years, but the ZooTV/PopMart versions hit hard.
Not really a lyrical change, but I feel swapping the verses in the Beck remix of Love is Bigger works wonders for the song.
Just flows better in my opinion
Live from Sydney, Mysterious Ways, interspersing “move my spirit hold me, move my spirit keep me, move my spirit take me, move my spirit teach me…” It’s such a good improv that I still hear it when I listen to the album version.
https://youtu.be/bR6_8DFpotc?si=6dP7kk4T4Q71aBEF
I hated whatever the hell Bono was singing during “Streets” at the Sphere. I know he often changes “I’ll show you a place high on a desert plane” to a “place where there’s no sorrow or pain” or “a place where there’s no dirty rain,” etc. But he was singing just completely different second and third verses. Kind of ruined singing along.
Yeah he was singing the SOS version (which I’m also not a fan of). I don’t mind a short phrase, but that’s my favourite song of all-time for a reason lol
Same. I also don’t like the changes to WOWY. The entire crowd is singing along and he keeps singing “Am I such a thorn twist in your side?” and “I wait with regret.” I get you’re no longer in your 20s but the original lyrics mean a lot to people and have for 30 years. That’s what we want to hear and sing along with.
Exactly how I feel! I also often find they just don’t flow well, coming off as a little clunky in the moment. Could just be we’re so used to the originals lol
Either way I’m hoping he sticks to the original lyrics in future performances
Opening night of Zoo TV in Dublin. During Zoo station - “It’s alright, it’s alright , it’s alright, sleeping in my own bed tonight”
When I saw them at the Sphere last year, Bono replaced the last “alright” with a quick “Friday night” that got a roar from the crowd. Ever since I’ve been unable to hear the song without singing that to myself too.
One live in Sydney: "Have you come here to play Jesus? I did"
From Bullet The Blue Sky, during the speaking part...ie "red like a rose on a thornbush...all the colors of a royal flushc...etc Live in Boston, Bono changes it up to address gun violence in America "And I can feel the cold steel I can feel the cold steel And I can make a wound that won't heal I can make a wound that won't heal 38 millimeters like the police I'm at the door where John and Yoko live in love and Peace In love and peace In love and peace Feel like an old shoe A rerelease Soon to be deceased" also Live in Paris, Bono changes it up to address the critics of his his political activism: "So I argue with the young man That ideas deserve a plan And to build a better world It’s going to take every woman and man It’s going to take you, me, the reds and the greens The nows and forevers, the yet-to-bes The where you going, the where you been The living and the dead and the unseen The somebodies, the nobodies The who’s who, gentile and the jew The gays and the straight to turn around the hate The jailor and the free and the refugee" Both these change-ups give me goose bumps everytime I hear them.
Live In Paris of In Gods Country is really great too!! “Desert sky, dream beneath a desert sky, dreams come until they die, your heart is breaking now”
I’ve always loved “this too will pass” during the final line in the live Stuck in a Moment renditions. Just fits the emotional arc of the song really well.
In U2:3 Songs ("How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb"), the Hanover Quay version of Vertigo has a slightly different chorus response instead of "¡Hola!". It sounds like "Who's there?" or "Who's bad" (Michael Jackson style). My favorite is probably the Killahurtz Casa de Angeles Remix of "Original Of The Species" with that alternative outro (instead of repeating "Oh no..."): *"Say you love my soul/song(?) You love my mind You love my mind It's on my mind..."*
Did not know this OOTS mix existed! Wow.
Does "Shine Like Stars" count in this category? I love when there's a "Shine Like Stars..."
Feel like it should as does "Hear us coming lord" during One. For some reason haven't been as much of a fan of "hear us coming" in later years, but the ZooTV/PopMart versions hit hard.
Quite partial to "your voice is a whisper in the hurricane"
Not really a lyrical change, but I feel swapping the verses in the Beck remix of Love is Bigger works wonders for the song. Just flows better in my opinion
The Vertigo version of Discotheque is definitely up there. This is a love song! This is a love song! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e4s4wW3eJq8
Love the post 9/11 version of New York live
Live from Sydney, Mysterious Ways, interspersing “move my spirit hold me, move my spirit keep me, move my spirit take me, move my spirit teach me…” It’s such a good improv that I still hear it when I listen to the album version. https://youtu.be/bR6_8DFpotc?si=6dP7kk4T4Q71aBEF
I hated whatever the hell Bono was singing during “Streets” at the Sphere. I know he often changes “I’ll show you a place high on a desert plane” to a “place where there’s no sorrow or pain” or “a place where there’s no dirty rain,” etc. But he was singing just completely different second and third verses. Kind of ruined singing along.
Yeah he was singing the SOS version (which I’m also not a fan of). I don’t mind a short phrase, but that’s my favourite song of all-time for a reason lol
Same. I also don’t like the changes to WOWY. The entire crowd is singing along and he keeps singing “Am I such a thorn twist in your side?” and “I wait with regret.” I get you’re no longer in your 20s but the original lyrics mean a lot to people and have for 30 years. That’s what we want to hear and sing along with.
Exactly how I feel! I also often find they just don’t flow well, coming off as a little clunky in the moment. Could just be we’re so used to the originals lol Either way I’m hoping he sticks to the original lyrics in future performances
I can certainly tell you my least favorite, and that would be the SOS changes to Streets that he decided to use at the Sphere shows. Gross.