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U2 came out swinging after their holiday break at the Sphere. In addition to their Crowded House cover, the band played one of their biggest hits in a surprising move.
U2's “Sweetest [Thing]” setlist change
At the January 26 show, U2 played “Sweetest Thing” as a part of their acoustic set. The acoustic set began with two staples of the Sphere setlists, “All I Want Is You” and “Desire.” The band then played two surprise songs, the aforementioned Crowded House cover of “Don't Dream It's Over,” and “Sweetest Thing.”
This was the first time since October 4, 2017, that the band played the song. They broke it out at the January 26 and 27 shows with Bono playing the keyboard during the song.
Despite being one of the band's signature songs, “Sweetest Thing” is a rarity during live concerts. It made several appearances on the “Elevation” tour in 2001 but wouldn't be played again until 2015. The band then played it a handful of times on the “Innocence + Experience” tour before a one-off appearance in 2017.
Notably, Bono sang the song on both nights in full force. He sang the high falsetto notes in the verses, something he didn't do in the 2017 performance.
“Sweetest Thing” was originally a B-side of U2's Joshua Tree hit, “Where the Streets Have No Name.” They later re-recorded the song for their compilation album, The Best of 1980-1990.
U2 recently resumed their Sphere residency after a holiday break. The band is playing at the new high-tech venue to celebrate their 1991 album, Achtung Baby, by playing it in full. Their shows will conclude on March 2.
