U2

After waiting 11 months since buying the tickets I was definitely looking forward to this show.

I wouldn’t necessarily say that U2 are the band that I would most identify with, and whilst I’ve always had an awareness of their music it’s not that I’ve followed them all that closely or that I own all their CDs. That’s not to take away from the fact that I think they have created so many brilliant songs, many of which are real anthems, and that their ability to produce quality music over so many years is quite amazing and, in my opinion anyway, unmatched. Whilst you can always pick a U2 song and they have their own sound, I think they have a great variety in their songs, and they’ve been very effective in changing/evolving to a degree over the years. The thing is that you know they’re going to miss playing more songs that you really want to hear than they actually get to play.

The only other time I’d seen them play was when they toured with B.B. King, back in 1989 I believe. Over the last 15 years or so I have seen plenty of U2 cover bands (sometimes unintentionally because they just happened to be playing at the pub we were at) which included some memorable nights.

When you’re going to a stadium concert there are certain things that aren’t quite the same as at a smaller or enclosed venue, so as long as you realise this you’ll walk away happy. It’s unrealistic to expect a band that can sell out 2 x 70,000 odd tickets in a matter of hours to play a venue other than a stadium. You know the sound isn’t going to be perfect as a sports stadium is simply not designed for concerts and you just can’t feel the bass quite as you like to. You’re not going to see the band members in great detail unless you’re really, really close. You’re at the mercy of the weather. But all those factors can be resolved by watching the DVD anyway!

We didn’t get around to seeing Kayne West who was the support act. We turned up at the stadium around 8pm and got inside with little fuss other than a swipe with the metal detector. We had general admission tickets so we made our way down to the field which was a good experience in itself. I’ve been to Telstra Stadium plenty of times, but not on the playing surface. It’s nice to walk through the tunnel and out onto the field imagining how it would feel running out to a packed stadium as you’re about to play for your country!

We made our way to a good position that was about 20 metres from the ellipse, which is a walkway they have setup that extends into the audience. From what I could judge the stage was about at the goal line (for a rugby league match), and we were a bit closer than the halfway line…we were a short way in front of the line of lights/speaker towers, next to the mixing tent and just off centre. We were really happy with the spot, as we could see the band fairly well, had a great view of the stage and light effects, along with the sense of being right in the middle of the energy generated by the crowd. It doesn’t hurt to be 185cm tall in these situations. We were grateful for a pleasant night and no hint of rain!

The massive lighting rig behind the stage is certainly set up well for a stadium show. It was put to great use with plenty of spectacular effects, and most of the time they had close ups of each of the band members on separate screens at the top corners to the sides of the stage.

What I really wanted from being at the show was just to take it all in. It’s the experience of being amongst the tens of thousands of fans getting right into it and singing in unison about a red guitar on fire, about a place where the streets have no name and that they still haven’t found what they’re looking for. It was hard to tell how it was in the seated sections, but on the “floor” there was plenty of enthusiasm, and that’s where I wanted to be!! I finally learnt my lesson on rock concert reserved seating at the Foo Fighters show last year.

I was awed by the scene when Bono did his make poverty history routine where he got everyone to hold up their mobile phones. I’ve seen it done plenty of times before but not on this scale. Looking back and into the stands was just amazing.

It was easy to get caught up in the excitement for the main part of the show, taking in what the band was doing, what was going on around and just enjoy being amongst it all. A couple of the slower songs later on, including Miss Sarajevo (during which Bono did his best to fill in for Pavarotti) gave me the opportunity to reflect for a moment on the fact that the 4 guys on stage were the people actually responsible for creating all this music that has been heard by hundreds of millions of people around the world, and they were right there in front of me. It’s easy to take for granted what they’ve achieved, but interesting to be standing there with them performing in front of me appreciating what they’ve done. But only for a moment, because then they launched into Pride and Where the Streets Have No Name, and there was no time for reflection any more!!

From my point of view, and that of those around me, it was a great night that was more than worth the price of admission and the wait. I can’t imagine them doing another show of this scale again any time soon if at all, so I’ll look back very satisfied to have experienced it.


This was the set list:

City of Blinding Lights
Vertigo
Elevation
Until the End of the World
New Year’s Day
Beautiful Day
I Still Haven’t found What I’m Looking For
Sometimes
Love and Peace or Else
Sunday Bloody Sunday
Bullet the Blue Sky
Miss Sarajevo
Pride (in the Name of Love)
Where the Streets Have No Name
One
----
Zoo Station
The Fly
With or Without You
---
The Saints are Coming
Desire
Kite


With a bit of luck I’ll get some photos from the night emailed to me in the next day or two so I’ll post a couple if they’re decent.

Next stop: Big Day Out. With 2 out of 3 line up announcements already made there are more bands that I want to see than I could physically fit into the 12 or so hours, which is a shame, but in reality it’s a very, very good thing :)

Now if only I’d been on a dive since I started this thing my blog would be complete! ;)