Back out on their incredibly successful The Joshua Tree Tour (which originated back in 2017), U2 have recently traveled across Australia, New Zealand and Asia during the most recent leg of shows.
Although the rock legends had completed an entirely separate tour entitled the Experience + Innocence Tour throughout much of 2018, they decided to revamp The Joshua Tree Tour for a brief run at the end of this year.
Staying true to the original tour, the band structured this most recent run similarly to the first, splitting the main set into two separate acts— the introduction and The Joshua Tree. Obviously, the latter consisted of solely The Joshua Tree tracks, ultimately resulting in a performance of the full album in its entirety.
On the other hand, the former typically included five songs that remained relatively consistent throughout the tour, minus a few one-off changes here and there. In general, “Sunday Bloody Sunday,” “New Year’s Day” and “Pride (In the Name of Love)” found their way to the setlist in every city, including the recent finale at D.Y. Patil Stadium in Mumbai, India.
Considering it was the first time U2 have ever played in India, it’s no surprise that the Ireland natives had a few surprises up their sleeves for the final date of the tour.
Although the set followed the trend of its predecessors, there were a few key songs that were performed only a handful of times since the kickoff in November. In Mumbai those tracks included “I Will Follow,” “Desire” and “Ahimsa,” which made its live debut.
While deeper cuts are always an exciting addition to a set, coupling those songs with surprise guests brings the performance to a whole new level. Featuring live guests for the first time during this tour, U2 welcomed Oasis’s Noel Gallagher and India’s own A.R. Rahman to accompany them for a couple of performances.
At the end of The Joshua Tree set, Bono called on Noel Gallagher to contribute to the 1988 hit and a somewhat frequently-played “Desire.” But that wouldn’t be the last we would hear from the famous guitarist. Gallagher returned to the stage for a final time, performing the 1988 track “One” to end off an eight-song encore, and ultimately the 2019 tour.
However, while Gallagher’s appearance was a pleasant surprise, it was hard to beat the crowd reaction when A.R. Rahman stepped onto stage. Joining the rest of the band, he and his daughters contributed to the live debut of “Ahimsa,” a co-single released just this past month by Rahman and U2. What a seemingly flawless ending to a grand tour.
Check out the full setlist from Mumbai here!
Although U2 have yet to announce any 2020 dates, considering the recent music, we wouldn’t be surprised if there was an announcement in the near future. To keep up-to-date with all things U2, check out their official website!
