U2 have embarked on their Innocence + Experience Tour and just five shows in, the rock group has been taking requests from fans, performing rare tracks.
At their Phoenix show on Friday, the group was ready to play "The Sweetest Thing" until Bono brought the performance to a halt, reports Examiner.com. "This guy I met earlier asked us to try "In God's Country,'" Bono said. "Let's try a little of it." As the Edge worked out the chords of a tune he hadn't played in 14 years, Bono looked around the floor for the fan. "Are you the dude?" he said. "Do you know the chords?"
Quickly after, the fan leaped on stage and gave most band members long, bear hugs--drummer Larry Mullen Jr. held up his drumsticks in order to block the excited fan from embracing him. The fan indeed knew the chords, even though Bono stopped him to take a moment to remember the lyrics. The song has been performed multiple times in 2001 and within the 1987 Joshua Tree tour, but since has been amiss during most concerts.
The song didn't seem to come together too well but once it got rolling, the lyrics flooded back. When the special rendition came to a close, the fan bowed down to the band and attempted to join the foursome for "The Sweetest Thing." Bono then escorted the fan off the stage, leaving him with a lifetime of memories.
The setlist remains unknown for the rest of the tour as it constantly sees changes at each stop. In San Jose, Bono made a deal with a fan to play "The Crystal Ballroom" off of Songs of Innocence. "It really is important to do that," he said, notes Rolling Stone. "It'll take us a few weeks to settle things in. It's so great, that song." The setlists are mostly pre-determined, but during encores, track choices are fair game.
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