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On January 10, 1983, U2 released the lead single from their third studio album, War, titled “New Year's Day,” one of their signature songs.
It has remained one of their most popular songs. According to Setlist.fm, it is their seventh most-played song, with 810 known performances to date. It is right in between other classics like “One” (831 times played) and “Bullet the Blue Sky” (791 times played).
From the start, it became one of their most energetic live songs. War is their most political and in-your-face album, which helped gain a bigger audience after their first two albums, Boy and October. Think of the Clash meets Joy Division, and you have 1983 U2.
“New Year's Day' Has gone through several iterations in live concerts. There is no way that the band can match the unreal energy of live performances from 1983—just listen to the Red Rocks performance—but the song's evolution in recent years is noteworthy.
That is why the band's best performance of it is from their 2018 concert in Berlin, Germany. The song was slightly rearranged by the band and brought new life to an old classic.
U2's new “New Year's Day” rendition from 2018
At its core, “New Year's Day” still remains similar to the original album version during U2's 2018 Berlin concert. The major difference is a little break towards the end of the song. The Edge's piano takes over before Adam Clayton comes in with his signature bass part.
For background, they inserted it into the setlist during the European leg of the Experience + Innocence Tour. Originally, “American Soul” directly followed “Get Out of Your Own Way,” just like on Songs of Experience. However, a European audience may not respond to a song called “American Soul” as North America might.
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So, U2 began playing “New Year's Day,” originally written about the Polish Solidarity movement. Instead of Kendrick Lamar reciting his version of the Beatitudes, Bono began spewing his version as the European Union flag was hung behind the band.
Why the 2018 performance had extra emotion
There was an extra layer of emotion in the Berlin performance. Earlier in the tour, Bono lost his voice during a show on September 1, 2018, in Berlin.
They then rescheduled the show for November 13, 2018. It was the final show of U2's Experience + Innocence Tour, and Bono gave it his all on this night. He does an exquisite job with the difficult “Maybe the time is right” middle eight.
As the song concludes, a recording of “Ode to Joy” is played over the PA system, and U2 singer Bono hums along as the band transitions into “City of Blinding Lights.”
This three-part sequence is one of the highlights of U2's Berlin show. That is a high compliment, especially given the Achtung Baby performances earlier in the show.
The emotion and ambition of this new version of U2's “New Year's Day” is what makes it the definitive live rendition. The band has yet to play the song like this in other live concerts since, and they shouldn't.
