Bono says U2 are 'going away now'
U2 ended their eXPERIENCE + iNNOCENCE Tour at the Mercedes-Benz Arena in Berlin last night (13th November) with Bono telling the audience "we’re going away now."
The gig in Berlin was rearranged from the aborted show in September when Bono suffered “a complete loss of voice” just five songs in.
As U2 fan Twitter account @U2gigs notes, Bono – real name Paul Hewson – launched into an ominous speech during last night’s set, saying: “We've been on the road for quite some time, just going on 40 years, and this last 4 years have been really something very special for us. We're going away now..."
> Bono: "we've been on the road for quite some time, just going on 40 years, and this last 4 years have been really something very special for us. We're going away now..." #U2eiTour > > — U2gigs (@u2gigs) November 13, 2018
Despite the tweet sparking fears amongst some U2 fans that this could spell the end of the Irish rock giants, the same account was quick to allay any worries.
"Every tour I've covered, right back to Vertigo, every final gig is the same: mass panic that this is the last gig," they wrote. "Ten bucks says I'll be covering another gig with you folks sometime down the track."
They added: "I will concede that this is the first time the mass panic has at least seemed plausible... U2 won't sit still and they won't break up, and they've got enough years ahead of them to fit in more gigs!"
The eXPERIENCE + iNNOCENCE Tour has taken in 60 shows in North America and Europe since May including shows in Manchester, London, Belfast and a four-night residency at the 3Arena in U2’s native Dublin.
When Foo Fighters were forced to postpone two Canadian gigs in September when Dave Grohl lost his voice, the frontman referenced U2’s abandoned Berlin gig that took place days earlier by joking: “That’s the last time I ever make out with Bono.”
Since their inception in 1976 U2 have sold more than 175 million albums worldwide and their 2009 to 2011 U2 360° Tour still holds the title as the highest grossing tour of all time.
The setlist in Berlin was as follows:
1. The Blackout
2. Lights Of Home
3. I Will Follow
4. Gloria
5. Beautiful Day
6. Dirty Day
7. Zoo Station
8. The Fly
9. Stay (Faraway, So Close!)
10. Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses
11. Elevation
12. Vertigo
13. Even Better Than The Real Thing
14. Acrobat
15. You're The Best Thing About Me
16. Summer Of Love
17. Pride (In the Name of Love)
18. Get Out Of Your Own Way
19. New Year's Day
20. City of Blinding Lights
Encore:
21. One
22. Love Is Bigger Than Anything in Its Way
23. 13 (There Is A Light)