Partyslammer
War Child
- Joined
- Feb 10, 2005
- Messages
- 661
Setlist:
01.Love And Peace Or Else
02. Vertigo (with "Storys for boys" verse)
03. Elevation
04. Electric Co. (with "I Can see for miles" verse )
05. An Cat Dubh
06. Into The Heart
07. City Of Blinding Lights
08. Beautiful Day (with "Blackbird" verse)
09. Miracle Drug
10. Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own
11. New Year's Day
12. Sunday Bloody Sunday
13. Bullet The Blue Sky (with Hands that built America verse)
14. Running To Stand Still
02. (Human Rights Video – much shorter than SD)
15. Zoo Station
16. The Fly
17. Mysterious Ways
(encore)
18. Pride (In The Name Of Love)
19. Where The Streets Have No Name
20. One
(encore)
21. All Because Of You
22. Yahweh
23. 40
A little background about getting the tickets. I hadn’t planned on seeing more than the San Diego 3/28 and Staples 4/6 show but after San Diego’s really good show and seeing they’re mixing up the sets fairly well, I decided on a whim to get tickets for tonight’s show at The Pond around Thursday. A few eBay GA auctions were out of my range and agencies were still asking very high prices. After losing a “Buy It Now” auction for a pair as I was paying for it, I gave up and not more than 5 minutes later the phone rings and one ticket broker had decided to sell at my price and me and my friend were in for tonight.
We got to the Pond about 7:00pm and I had worked out a plan to possibly increase our chances to get in the Ellipse. Basically, we’d space about 5-7 people between us as we went in figuring the odds of one of us getting lucky would be a bit better as it seems one in about 12 – 15 people on average get lucky on the laptop ticket scan to get in the Ellipse. Turned out there was no line to get as they must have quickly let in and moved whoever had been waiting in the line when the doors first opened. Compared to San Diego when it took almost 45 minutes to get in at about the same arrival time, this was a pleasant surprise. So my buddy went in first and I kind of hung outside the entrance “fiddling” with a pair of binoculars I thought we’d need standing outside the ellipse. Well, Bingo!. My buddy got “Vertigo” on the laptop screen when the scenned his ticket and he frantically waved at me to haul ass inside as a small group of people who were hanging out looking for a single GA Ellipse winner to get them in were virtually begging him with money and so on to pick one of them to get in with him.
So we both get out Ellipse wristbands and casually made our way to the floor and inside the Ellipse barricade and staked out a spot directly in front of The Edge’s mic stand and monitors. At this point, I have to say unless you absolutely must be right in front of Bono’s spot leaning on the rail at center stage either inside the Ellipse or outside the tip of it, there’s simply no reason to get to the show any earlier then a couple hours. People were very slowly streaming in and getting positions only 2-3 people back from the stage as late as 8:30, only 15 minutes before showtime. It seemed right as the lights went out for the show to start, the Ellipse filled up very quickly but there was never a crush up front at any time throughout the show and it was probably the most comfortable time I’ve ever spent at a concert where I was basically within an arm’s reach of the band.
The long wait before U2 came on was frankly not helped with opening band “Kings of Leon’s” really boring set. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a band with less charisma on stage than these guys. At times, the arena was so quite, it could have been the band playing in a garage to a couple friends.
The show started with “Love and Peace or Else,” and while it seemed to be a bit better opener than “City of Blinding Lights,” I still feel it’s not a good choice if the band is looking for a song off the new album to open most shows. “Vertigo” however is a perfect choice to play in the 2nd spot (or even open the show – hint, hint) and the show took off from there for several songs until things slowed down for “An Cat Dubh/Into The Heart” which works a lot better a few songs deeper in the set than were it was played before. Unfortunately, despite the fact that it again was absolutely nailed by the band, it just doesn’t grab the audience and I’m going to say it’ll probably be dropped after a few more shows or at least show up more infrequently.
Bono pulled a young girl about 8 years old out of the Ellipse on Adam’s side and walked her completely around the ramp as she sweetly waved to the crowd during “City of Blinding Lights.” Bono than told a funny story about meeting The Pope and giving him his “Fly” sunglasses while The Pope gave him a rosary which he hung on his mix stand for the rest of the show which then led into a strong version of “Miracle Drug” and “Sometimes~”
Up ‘til now, the band seemed to be playing well and the show flowing smoothly but it lacked a bit of “Oomph,” due imo, to the somewhat lackluster audience. However, when U2 kicked into what I’d say is one of the all time best performances of what I consider to be a burned out song, “New Years Day,” the whole arena came to life and the show finally seemed to kick into a higher gear which lasted right through the thankfully shortened “Human Right’s Video” and through the “Achtung Baby” trio of songs.
The show wound down with “40” which Bono botched the beginning of by completely forgetting the lyrics and spending a minute getting them from The Edge as he and the band vamped through the beginning of the song ‘til Bono got it together. As a measure of how lackluster the audience was, there was no continued singing of the “How long to sing this song” chorus after Larry left the stage, just some cheers than the house lights came on.
Overall, I’d say tonight was a bit stronger than the opening night show I saw. The band’s playing was universally solid. Rather comically, I saw the same group of songs with the exception of Mysterious Ways tonight, even if the running order was different. The only major gaffs I noticed was Bono screwing up the lyrics at the beginning of Bullet the Blue Sky and 40. His voice was fairly strong through the show.
Songwise, I still think Elevation needs to go, I just do not like the semi-stripped own version they're playing this tour although it works a lot better placed earlier in the set. As I mentioned, NYD as well as SBS were both among the top performances of both songs I’ve seen in decades. “The Fly” is also thankfully starting to come together better mostly because The Edge is just nailing that song consistently and stretching his playing within the song instead of seemingly struggling to master it every night like he was on the last tour. I also think it’s been mentioned but it needs repeating that The Edge is really playing well so far this tour.
Which leads to what it was like watching the entire show about 5 feet from The Edge’s spot on stage. It’s really a completely different experience than being on the floor 50 or more feet away from the stage or up in the loges or nosebleed seats. First and most noticeable is it becomes an almost clublike, intimate atmosphere as you aren’t really aware of the audience at large except when all the house lights are on, just the people directly around you.
The sound mix is a bit different from being outside the Ellipse or in the loges which is really where the PA mixer is trying to get the best sound for. Bono’s voice is a bit harder to make out and Larry’s drums at times had a boomy “slapback” to them from echoing around the arena. But being right in front of The Edge’s amp setup, you get a bit more guitar and it’s easier to make out the nuances of his playing. It was pretty cool watching him just zone out and play large chunks of songs eyes closed, deep in concentration.
There were a few instances were I could see a couple of them knowing they’d played a part of a song exceptionally well or nailed a solo and give each other a glance and a smile. Adam seemed continually bemused by Bono’s hammy acting as he sang or when he blew a lyric. Even Larry, who seems a bit too serious most of the time, cracked a few huge smiles like when Bono came over and stood over his drum kit and remarked “this is what it’s like from Larry eyes.” Stuff you just don't get when seeing the overall "show" futher back from the stage where you can take it all in.
If I was to hear all 4 shows played so far this tour, I’d probably rate this one 4th mostly bacause it was a bit too familiar from the 1st show's set. However, as a live concert experience, tonight will be hard to beat.
T.B.
01.Love And Peace Or Else
02. Vertigo (with "Storys for boys" verse)
03. Elevation
04. Electric Co. (with "I Can see for miles" verse )
05. An Cat Dubh
06. Into The Heart
07. City Of Blinding Lights
08. Beautiful Day (with "Blackbird" verse)
09. Miracle Drug
10. Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own
11. New Year's Day
12. Sunday Bloody Sunday
13. Bullet The Blue Sky (with Hands that built America verse)
14. Running To Stand Still
02. (Human Rights Video – much shorter than SD)
15. Zoo Station
16. The Fly
17. Mysterious Ways
(encore)
18. Pride (In The Name Of Love)
19. Where The Streets Have No Name
20. One
(encore)
21. All Because Of You
22. Yahweh
23. 40
A little background about getting the tickets. I hadn’t planned on seeing more than the San Diego 3/28 and Staples 4/6 show but after San Diego’s really good show and seeing they’re mixing up the sets fairly well, I decided on a whim to get tickets for tonight’s show at The Pond around Thursday. A few eBay GA auctions were out of my range and agencies were still asking very high prices. After losing a “Buy It Now” auction for a pair as I was paying for it, I gave up and not more than 5 minutes later the phone rings and one ticket broker had decided to sell at my price and me and my friend were in for tonight.
We got to the Pond about 7:00pm and I had worked out a plan to possibly increase our chances to get in the Ellipse. Basically, we’d space about 5-7 people between us as we went in figuring the odds of one of us getting lucky would be a bit better as it seems one in about 12 – 15 people on average get lucky on the laptop ticket scan to get in the Ellipse. Turned out there was no line to get as they must have quickly let in and moved whoever had been waiting in the line when the doors first opened. Compared to San Diego when it took almost 45 minutes to get in at about the same arrival time, this was a pleasant surprise. So my buddy went in first and I kind of hung outside the entrance “fiddling” with a pair of binoculars I thought we’d need standing outside the ellipse. Well, Bingo!. My buddy got “Vertigo” on the laptop screen when the scenned his ticket and he frantically waved at me to haul ass inside as a small group of people who were hanging out looking for a single GA Ellipse winner to get them in were virtually begging him with money and so on to pick one of them to get in with him.
So we both get out Ellipse wristbands and casually made our way to the floor and inside the Ellipse barricade and staked out a spot directly in front of The Edge’s mic stand and monitors. At this point, I have to say unless you absolutely must be right in front of Bono’s spot leaning on the rail at center stage either inside the Ellipse or outside the tip of it, there’s simply no reason to get to the show any earlier then a couple hours. People were very slowly streaming in and getting positions only 2-3 people back from the stage as late as 8:30, only 15 minutes before showtime. It seemed right as the lights went out for the show to start, the Ellipse filled up very quickly but there was never a crush up front at any time throughout the show and it was probably the most comfortable time I’ve ever spent at a concert where I was basically within an arm’s reach of the band.
The long wait before U2 came on was frankly not helped with opening band “Kings of Leon’s” really boring set. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a band with less charisma on stage than these guys. At times, the arena was so quite, it could have been the band playing in a garage to a couple friends.
The show started with “Love and Peace or Else,” and while it seemed to be a bit better opener than “City of Blinding Lights,” I still feel it’s not a good choice if the band is looking for a song off the new album to open most shows. “Vertigo” however is a perfect choice to play in the 2nd spot (or even open the show – hint, hint) and the show took off from there for several songs until things slowed down for “An Cat Dubh/Into The Heart” which works a lot better a few songs deeper in the set than were it was played before. Unfortunately, despite the fact that it again was absolutely nailed by the band, it just doesn’t grab the audience and I’m going to say it’ll probably be dropped after a few more shows or at least show up more infrequently.
Bono pulled a young girl about 8 years old out of the Ellipse on Adam’s side and walked her completely around the ramp as she sweetly waved to the crowd during “City of Blinding Lights.” Bono than told a funny story about meeting The Pope and giving him his “Fly” sunglasses while The Pope gave him a rosary which he hung on his mix stand for the rest of the show which then led into a strong version of “Miracle Drug” and “Sometimes~”
Up ‘til now, the band seemed to be playing well and the show flowing smoothly but it lacked a bit of “Oomph,” due imo, to the somewhat lackluster audience. However, when U2 kicked into what I’d say is one of the all time best performances of what I consider to be a burned out song, “New Years Day,” the whole arena came to life and the show finally seemed to kick into a higher gear which lasted right through the thankfully shortened “Human Right’s Video” and through the “Achtung Baby” trio of songs.
The show wound down with “40” which Bono botched the beginning of by completely forgetting the lyrics and spending a minute getting them from The Edge as he and the band vamped through the beginning of the song ‘til Bono got it together. As a measure of how lackluster the audience was, there was no continued singing of the “How long to sing this song” chorus after Larry left the stage, just some cheers than the house lights came on.
Overall, I’d say tonight was a bit stronger than the opening night show I saw. The band’s playing was universally solid. Rather comically, I saw the same group of songs with the exception of Mysterious Ways tonight, even if the running order was different. The only major gaffs I noticed was Bono screwing up the lyrics at the beginning of Bullet the Blue Sky and 40. His voice was fairly strong through the show.
Songwise, I still think Elevation needs to go, I just do not like the semi-stripped own version they're playing this tour although it works a lot better placed earlier in the set. As I mentioned, NYD as well as SBS were both among the top performances of both songs I’ve seen in decades. “The Fly” is also thankfully starting to come together better mostly because The Edge is just nailing that song consistently and stretching his playing within the song instead of seemingly struggling to master it every night like he was on the last tour. I also think it’s been mentioned but it needs repeating that The Edge is really playing well so far this tour.
Which leads to what it was like watching the entire show about 5 feet from The Edge’s spot on stage. It’s really a completely different experience than being on the floor 50 or more feet away from the stage or up in the loges or nosebleed seats. First and most noticeable is it becomes an almost clublike, intimate atmosphere as you aren’t really aware of the audience at large except when all the house lights are on, just the people directly around you.
The sound mix is a bit different from being outside the Ellipse or in the loges which is really where the PA mixer is trying to get the best sound for. Bono’s voice is a bit harder to make out and Larry’s drums at times had a boomy “slapback” to them from echoing around the arena. But being right in front of The Edge’s amp setup, you get a bit more guitar and it’s easier to make out the nuances of his playing. It was pretty cool watching him just zone out and play large chunks of songs eyes closed, deep in concentration.
There were a few instances were I could see a couple of them knowing they’d played a part of a song exceptionally well or nailed a solo and give each other a glance and a smile. Adam seemed continually bemused by Bono’s hammy acting as he sang or when he blew a lyric. Even Larry, who seems a bit too serious most of the time, cracked a few huge smiles like when Bono came over and stood over his drum kit and remarked “this is what it’s like from Larry eyes.” Stuff you just don't get when seeing the overall "show" futher back from the stage where you can take it all in.
If I was to hear all 4 shows played so far this tour, I’d probably rate this one 4th mostly bacause it was a bit too familiar from the 1st show's set. However, as a live concert experience, tonight will be hard to beat.
T.B.
Nice Review
Thats what I was talking about.
