The 1987 song U2 refuse to perform live
U2 have a huge catalogue behind them, and that poses a bigger problem than you might think.
Whenever a band has a vast repertoire of songs, a select few never get to make it to the stage. As much as fans might have a certain connection to one of their favourites, some of the best material is meant to remain a studio creation, only saved for the rarest occasions live and never seeing the light of day beyond the odd gig. Although U2 have made the stage their home, a few songs haven’t been featured on the setlist in years.
That divide between studio and stage often comes down to more than just musical practicality. Some songs carry a weight that doesn’t easily translate into a live setting, whether due to their complexity, tone, or the emotional toll they take on the performers themselves. In those cases, leaving a track off the setlist isn’t a slight against it but a conscious decision to preserve its impact in the environment it was created for.
For a band like U2, whose live shows are built on connection and shared experience, that choice becomes even more significant. Their concerts thrive on collective energy and uplift, so introducing material that disrupts that balance can feel jarring, no matter how strong the song may be on record.
Seeing how many classic songs are from their iconic album The Joshua Tree, one would think that almost every track has found its way into the setlist at some point. Although U2 have been known for playing classics like ‘With Or Without You’ or ‘One Tree Hill’ to death, the song ‘Exit’ had been removed from the set for years for a more sinister reason.
When looking at the lyrics, it’s easy to see Bono pouring his heart out in song, telling the story of a man desperately trying to find some outlet for his angst and some reason to believe what his calling in life truly is. For all of the optimism at the heart of The Joshua Tree, this is a quick change of pace, as Bono reminds the audience of just how the human spirit can sink.
Although it might be fine to listen to the tune in the right headspace, the song became linked to a cold case that the band members couldn’t recover from. A few years after the album’s release, actor Rebecca Schaeffer was killed in her home by John Robert Bardo. Bardo had been stalking Schaeffer for years before and was alleged to have killed her after seeing her performance in the movie End of Innocence, which he interpreted as her falling for another man instead of him.
Although Bardo wasn’t in the right frame of mind when committing the vile act, he admitted on trial that U2’s song played a part in his killing of Schaeffer. Despite having nothing to do with a killer, the lyrics to the song become far more grotesque when taken out of context, especially towards the end, where Bono talks about the rush of adrenaline that comes with the singer having a pistol in his hand.
Even more distressing is the trial footage, where Bardo gets visibly affected by the U2 song. Given U2’s message of the perseverance of the human spirit, the band took it out of their setlist and didn’t bring it out again until it was time to play The Joshua Tree in full for the album’s 25th anniversary.
With years in the rearview, the audience had helped take some of the negative meaning off of the song, responding with their tales of redemption for having found this album when they were younger. Although what that one deranged fan did that night may have been despicable, ‘Exit’ still plays an important role in the story of U2 as a reminder of what the human spirit can do when going in a different direction.
