(Hey, before I start, I know most of you are probably already going to do this and I know most of you already know this. Just want to get the party started!!!!!)
This "I challenge you" thread is meant as a place for people to post their hopes and challenges to the band and fans for this show!
This is it! Just over one week before U2 descends upon San Diego along with many fans from all over the planet. Many are going to be flying, bussing, training, and driving from all over the world to this one arena in a few days. One of my concerns is always the audience. I’ve seen shows where the crowd is so loud that I was hard of hearing for days after. I’ve also seen concerts with mediocre crowds and these are nowhere near as special to me. The crowd is a highly emotional element that can destroy a great show and elevate a poor one. Audiences do everything from provide the ambiance to influence the quality of the band’s performance. To make this post short(er) I will summarize by saying that I’m (along with many others) spending a lot of money and traveling a great distance to be there. But, I’ve waited FOUR YEARS for March 28th to roll around and I’m going to do everything in my power to make this the experience of a lifetime. I’m serious. I’m livin’ it up. If I can make one wish for this show, it is that the audience be just ridiculous.
The opening show of any tour is a big night for a band. Michael Cohl, the CEO of the company that was bought out by CCE, and that produced U2s last 3 tours (as well as all the Stones’ tours since the mid-1980s and Pink Floyd’s latest) said in a speech at the Queen’s School of Business that Pop Mart failed for 11 reasons, the second most important of which was that the opening show deserved and got only mediocre reviews. He highlighted that this kind of poor opening night publicity is absolutely detrimental to any tour. That said, we know an audience can influence the band, so let’s make sure we do that and get the people around us to do that. This show will get a lot of media attention and the reviews will be sought by hundreds of thousands of fans around the world. I think it’s important that all of us do our part to ensure that it rocks. Let’s be so loud that we have the band covering their ears and let’s get the rest of the crowd hungry. It’s not hard. It requires low inhibitions and a lot of singing, chanting and plain yelling, whistling and screaming for no reason but that we’re “glad to be alive” and glad to be seeing U2.
Just as the opening show is important to the success of the tour, so is the opening song important to the success of the show. Let’s set the tone early. In the GA line and in the building before the show, get people riled up. This is a party, a festive time, and who knows how many chances we’ll get to do this again? Give it to the band for the whole show, especially during and after the first song. They won’t have played a whole show in front of this many people for a few years so let’s make it absolutely nuts and help them get it started on the right foot! Belt out the songs with all you might. It has often been said that a band’s biggest compliment is when the audience can sing their songs, especially new songs because it makes them feel relevant. I don’t care if it’s Streets or Sometimes. Let’s get involved and force them to involve us. If we deliver, they’ll deliver and we’ll feed off each other till we can’t get any higher. We’re gonna get these guys pumped!
There will surely be an encore. No room for BS here! Don’t let them walk off stage. Don’t let them ignore us! We have to fight against the band’s urge to walk off stage. The louder we are, the harder it will be for them. It’s a contest. Be louder than the person next to you. The message is, “Get back here!!! You’re not getting away that easy!”
The concerts with the best crowds are the ones that I will always remember and cherish. I’m going to have a blast this Monday but I’m going to do everything I can to make this one of the loudest and most raucous shows ever. It’s in our hands. It’s our responsibility. We have a lot of say over what happens in that arena, whether you’re standing right up front or standing (not sitting) in the last row. I challenge you all to do this. Let’s kick some ass!
What are your challenges and hopes for the show? I’ve said my piece. Let’s hear what you all think.
Jon
This "I challenge you" thread is meant as a place for people to post their hopes and challenges to the band and fans for this show!
This is it! Just over one week before U2 descends upon San Diego along with many fans from all over the planet. Many are going to be flying, bussing, training, and driving from all over the world to this one arena in a few days. One of my concerns is always the audience. I’ve seen shows where the crowd is so loud that I was hard of hearing for days after. I’ve also seen concerts with mediocre crowds and these are nowhere near as special to me. The crowd is a highly emotional element that can destroy a great show and elevate a poor one. Audiences do everything from provide the ambiance to influence the quality of the band’s performance. To make this post short(er) I will summarize by saying that I’m (along with many others) spending a lot of money and traveling a great distance to be there. But, I’ve waited FOUR YEARS for March 28th to roll around and I’m going to do everything in my power to make this the experience of a lifetime. I’m serious. I’m livin’ it up. If I can make one wish for this show, it is that the audience be just ridiculous.
The opening show of any tour is a big night for a band. Michael Cohl, the CEO of the company that was bought out by CCE, and that produced U2s last 3 tours (as well as all the Stones’ tours since the mid-1980s and Pink Floyd’s latest) said in a speech at the Queen’s School of Business that Pop Mart failed for 11 reasons, the second most important of which was that the opening show deserved and got only mediocre reviews. He highlighted that this kind of poor opening night publicity is absolutely detrimental to any tour. That said, we know an audience can influence the band, so let’s make sure we do that and get the people around us to do that. This show will get a lot of media attention and the reviews will be sought by hundreds of thousands of fans around the world. I think it’s important that all of us do our part to ensure that it rocks. Let’s be so loud that we have the band covering their ears and let’s get the rest of the crowd hungry. It’s not hard. It requires low inhibitions and a lot of singing, chanting and plain yelling, whistling and screaming for no reason but that we’re “glad to be alive” and glad to be seeing U2.
Just as the opening show is important to the success of the tour, so is the opening song important to the success of the show. Let’s set the tone early. In the GA line and in the building before the show, get people riled up. This is a party, a festive time, and who knows how many chances we’ll get to do this again? Give it to the band for the whole show, especially during and after the first song. They won’t have played a whole show in front of this many people for a few years so let’s make it absolutely nuts and help them get it started on the right foot! Belt out the songs with all you might. It has often been said that a band’s biggest compliment is when the audience can sing their songs, especially new songs because it makes them feel relevant. I don’t care if it’s Streets or Sometimes. Let’s get involved and force them to involve us. If we deliver, they’ll deliver and we’ll feed off each other till we can’t get any higher. We’re gonna get these guys pumped!
There will surely be an encore. No room for BS here! Don’t let them walk off stage. Don’t let them ignore us! We have to fight against the band’s urge to walk off stage. The louder we are, the harder it will be for them. It’s a contest. Be louder than the person next to you. The message is, “Get back here!!! You’re not getting away that easy!”
The concerts with the best crowds are the ones that I will always remember and cherish. I’m going to have a blast this Monday but I’m going to do everything I can to make this one of the loudest and most raucous shows ever. It’s in our hands. It’s our responsibility. We have a lot of say over what happens in that arena, whether you’re standing right up front or standing (not sitting) in the last row. I challenge you all to do this. Let’s kick some ass!
What are your challenges and hopes for the show? I’ve said my piece. Let’s hear what you all think.
Jon
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