The 2019 iteration of The Joshua Tree Tour is the current concert tour by Irish rock band U2. The tour is in support of the 1987 hit album The Joshua Tree. After visiting Europe, North America and Latin America in 2017 (the 30th Anniversary of The Joshua Tree), the tour continues in 2019 with a series of fifteen shows across Oceania and Asia. The TTG Team attended the first of two nights at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
The show was opened by Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds, consisting of three members of the final iteration of Oasis. Despite the rain, the former Oasis frontman did an excellent job of warming up the crowd, playing an eleven song setlist consisting of a mixture of Oasis classics and selection of songs from the elder Gallagher’s post-Oasis discography. In between songs Gallagher kept the crowd engaged with some trademark English banter before closing with a cover of “All You Need Is Love.”
U2’s setlist consisted of an exceptional selection of songs from the band’s long career. The first five songs of the night were drawn from the bands pre-Joshua Tree discography. This was followed by The Joshua Tree album played in its entirety. An eight song encore closed out the night with a selection from the band’s post-Joshua Tree modern hits.
22/11/2019, SETLIST
- Sunday Bloody Sunday
- I Will Follow
- New Year’s Day
- Bad
- Pride (In the Name of Love)
The Joshua Tree
- Where the Street’s Have No Names
- I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For
- With or Without You
- Bullet the Blue Sky
- Running To Stand Still
- Red Hill Mining Town
- In God’s Country
- Trip Through Your Wires
- One Tree Hill
- Exit
- Mother’s of the Disappeared
- Angels of Harlem
Encore
- Elevation
- Vertigo
- Even Better Than the Real Thing
- Every Breaking Wave
- Beautiful Day
- Ultraviolet (Light My Way)
- Stuck in a Moment You Can’t Get Out Of
- One
Setlist courtesy of Setlist.fm
The first five songs of the show were played on the Joshua Tree shaped B-stage that extended into the crowd. Seeing classics like “Sunday Bloody Sunday” and “New Years Day” played live more than made up for the price of admission, however not using any of the massive concert screen made it difficult to see the band from our position in the general admission standing section.
The show continued as the screen lit up bright red, signalling the beginning of the Joshua Tree segment of the show. All the classics from the album were played as well as the rest of the tracks from the hit album. This tour offered fans an excellent opportunity to see the lesser played songs from the legendary album played live. This segment of the show was brilliantly accompanied by imagery from the band’s Joshua Tree era displayed across the tours massive screen – the largest ever used for a concert.
An eight song encore closed out the night with a selection of songs from the band’s post-Joshua Tree discography. “Stuck in a Moment You Can’t Get Out Of” was the undeniable highlight of the night as the band paid tribute to INXS frontman Michael Hutchence, close friend of lead singer Bono. The night’s show coincidently marked twenty-two years since Hutchence’s untimely death, making the tribute even more moving.
We highly recommend the 2019 iteration of The Joshua Tree Tour – a rare opportunity to see one of the greatest albums of the 20th century played live in its entirety. The tour is set to conclude after a series of shows across Asia. Check out the official U2 website for tour details and all the latest news on the band.
