The 20th anniversary re-release of The Joshua Tree has just happened or is on the immediate horizon, depending upon what part of the world you live in. Otherwise, however, all seemed quiet on the U2 front, especially with regards to concert appearances. Rumours of U2 playing 21 concerts at London's O2 Arena next year have been swiftly debunked. U2 have sprung a London surprise on us, though. Last Friday night, the 23rd of November, Bono and Edge appeared at Union Chapel in Islington, London, for an appearance as part of Mencap's Little Noise Sessions.

Recently, U2.com featured a clip of Bono singing along to Wave Of Sorrow (Birdland), a rarity made public for the first time on the Joshua Tree re-release, and some fans wondered if Bono's evident enthusiasm for the track would lead to U2 performing the song live. However, given U2's track record of rarely playing b-sides, let alone other rarities, since the start of the 1990s, this was considered idle speculation. So to considerable surprise, Bono and Edge did in fact debut Wave Of Sorrow live. In addition, Zooropa's Stay (Faraway, So Close!) was performed for the first time in over six years - it last made a live setlist on 25 November 2001 in New York during the Elevation Tour.

The full setlist was:

Stay (Faraway, So Close!)
Desire / Need You Tonight (snippet) / Never Tear Us Apart (snippet)
Like A Rolling Stone (snippet) / Angel Of Harlem
Wave Of Sorrow (Birdland)

For more details about the concert, please see the NME's article "U2 Play Surprise Gig in London".

Posted on November 24, 2007 by Axver