We Have Liftoff!

Greensboro, NC -- The U2 360 Tour has officially kicked off in Barcelona, Spain. Unlike the past couple of tours, U2 beginning the tour in Europe, unlike the Vertigo (San Diego), Elevation (Miami), and Popmart (Las Vegas) tours. Thanks to the time zone difference, we're able to obtain the set list at this evening hour since they were probably playing around 3:30 p.m. local time. Here's the list:

Breathe
No Line on the Horizon
Get On Your Boots
Magnificent
Beautiful Day
I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For
Angel of Harlem
In A Little While
Unknown Caller
Unforgettable Fire
City of Blinding Lights
Vertigo
I'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight
Sunday Bloody Sunday
Pride (In The Name of Love)
MLK
Walk On
Where The Streets Have No Name
One
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Ultraviolet
With Or Without You
Moment of Surrender

Let's breakdown the album selection:
Boy: 0
October: 0
War: 1
Unforgettable Fire: 3
Joshua Tree: 3
Rattle & Hum: 1
Achtung Baby: 2
Zooropa: 0
Pop: 0
All That You Can't Leave Behind: 3
How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb: 2
No Line on the Horizon: 7

I'm not sure how much weight you can put into the first set list of a tour. However, what can be derived from here is your skeleton list; those core songs that will be played every night. The core songs usually compose 75% of the list, leaving 25%, or 5-6 songs switched in and out depending on the night. I am surprised that 2/3 of the new album was played, but maybe that's about right compared to other bands with new material. The 2000's (last three albums) dominated the set list. Boy, October, Zooropa, and Pop were all shut out tonight, but we can't rule out that we won't hear "I Will Follow" this summer.

As far as surprises go, the one rarity in the list was "Ultraviolet," with the very catchy chorus of "Baby, baby, baby, light my way" from Achtung Baby. All of the usual suspects were present... "Where The Streets Have No Name," "Pride," "Sunday Bloody Sunday," and "One." "New Year's Day" was the one usual tour song that was expunged. Anyways, let's see if the list changes slightly or dramatically on Thursday night. There are, of course, other important factors of the show, such as how did the band sound? One cannot take into account the commenters and fans' remarks on the web site because they have amateur ears. I'd like to hear a musical expert's take on the show. It couldn't be any worse than the disaster in Las Vegas for the opening of the Popmart tour. Rock on!