June 24th Dublin - Croke Park

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No, I wont be posting any review cause I didn't get a ticket. I hope it lashes rains & there's a big power failure..... Ha, ha, ha. I hope they arrive on stage drunk & miss every note.

No sour grapes here.

On a more truthful note I got a ticket for Hampden next Tuesday so I'll actually get to see them before they play Croke Park.
 
RABIDLAMB said:
No, I wont be posting any review cause I didn't get a ticket. I hope it lashes rains & there's a big power failure..... Ha, ha, ha. I hope they arrive on stage drunk & miss every note.

No sour grapes here.

On a more truthful note I got a ticket for Hampden next Tuesday so I'll actually get to see them before they play Croke Park.

no need for sour grapes, man-----you can still be at the venue: there would surely be some extra tickets available--lots of people/fans do that before the show,

Cheers
 
You can betcha that if I was in Dublin and didn't get tickets for the shows, I'd still be out there near Croke Park "listening" to the concert. That's one of the great things about an outdoor concert!! :)
 
I got my dose of Verigo last Tuesday night in Hampden Park, Glasgow. There was no rooms in any hotels though so I had to sleep rough in Buchanann Bust Station until 4:45am when I got a bus back to Prestwick Airport.

Gig was worth it for Elevation (teasing intro), City of Blinding Lights (amazing visuals), Zoo Station (respect), The Fly (total respect) & Yahweh (acoustic version better than original).

Couldn't stand Bono's sermons though during the middle of the gig (coexist part). I want to be entertained & not told what I know already.

Hope Croker is better. They should bring the fun back, like Slane.
 
IT rocked, but hope it rocks even better tonight when I am on the pitch. Vertigo one started off sounded a bit dodgy but it was fixed quickly enough.
I didn't feel the 'magic' I usually feel at U2, and I am praying that that is because I was so far away from them. tonight will be different!!!

dont get me wrong, it was still brilliant last night...
 
I did feel the magic for sure! I was at the barrier at one of the smaller stages at the end of the ramp. My god, it was brilliant! Brilliant crowd, brilliant stadium, brilliant band... I can't write a decent review now... More later!
 
Unbelievably good concert.

The whole stadium stood for the entire concert. Atmosphere was electric.
 
I arrived at about 7am at Cork City airport to find that Darren (Mullen4Prez) was already there since about 6! We checked in to the flights and took off at about half 8, then we arrived in Dublin City Ireland at half 9 (after being deliberatly soaked by Darren during the flight) to be greeted by my Dad (Moon Turns Red) saying to us "Welcome to Dublin City Ireland, like all cities it has its good and it has its bad..." Me and Darren just started laughing and we headed to my Dads house, we had the Atomic Bomb blaring in the car and then watched some DVDs of U2. We caught the AirCoach to Croker at about 4, Darren got a bit worried after a dude chased him flashing over €100 at him for his ticket, but obviously I wasn't gonna let Darren ruin his chance to see U2 for the first time, but he just walked away anyway, we went straight to our seats and saw the stage, we had pretty good seats. After walking around for a while and begging a security guard to escort Darren down to the pitch so he could by us T-Shirts that were sold out in all the other stalls; The Radiators came on, there wasn't that many people in their seats, but the GA was getting crowded, we watched The Radiators but I don't remember much as I had to explain to Darren about 17 times who The Radiators were, he wasn't impressed! We had another walk about and I bought a key-ring & badges. We went back to our seats to find sitting a few rows infront of us... The Radiators, we talked to them and told them that we enjoyed their set (Darren licked some major ass) and I asked Steve Averil about graphic design etc. as its what I want to do when I leave school. Darren however asked: "What is Larry like?", Steve signed our ticket stubs and Snow Patrol came out. I have their latest album Final Straw and have listened to it before, I was never captured by them but their performance today was really exciting. Then after their set and the long wait Bono, Adam, Larry & The Edge came out on stage and saluted the fans first for a few minutes before kicking into Vertigo, it was a good performance no Stories For Boys at the end though, then I saw Dallas pass The Edge his Explorer and knew that it had to be I Will Follow, which it was, it seemed a bit dead for I Will Follow but they picked it up with beautiful performances of The Electric Co & Elevation which was then followed by New Years Day with Adam going full out on the bass, a really good performance I must say, Darren was singing every word to everysong and wasn't letting his first U2 gig go by without making it worth while, Beautiful Day was next and the crowd got really into this, I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For came after which was the first time I've heard it from this tour and I must say I'm impressed. Next came Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses not always a strong live track but this was unbelievable, when the bootleg is up, listen to it and as Bono said it was the best that they have ever played it, the crowd erupted when current single City Of Blinding Lights was played next and was followed by other Atomic Bomb tracks Miracle Drug, Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own and the fast paced Love & Peace Or Else, before Miracle Drug Bono talked about how this was for the scientists, the doctors, the nurses... especially the nurses, and the Crumlin Childrens Hospital who had people in the attendance, Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own brought Darren to tears as well as Bono himself, the live recordings of it hasn't sounded to good, but I learned tonight that recordings just don't do the song justice, it was beautiful to watch and see. Love & Peace was a favourite among the fans which lead into brilliant versions of Sunday Bloody Sunday & Bullet The Blue Sky in which Bono acted as an Iraqi hostage. Bono changed the lyrics to Running To Stand Still saying "I see seven towers, oh wait no, they've been knocked down, you gotta cry..." and dedicated the song to Aun San Sukyi who celebrated her birthday this week in prison, he sang Happy Birthday and a verse from Walk On the song he wrote for her in 2000. Pride was next up and again the crowd singing the "Oh Oh Oh Oh's" throughout the song, and then singing Where The Streets Have No Name which would of being louder than Bono, if he didn't have hundreds of amps around the ground. He said the usual "One" speech before One but also talked on The Special Olympics opening ceromony where U2 played 2 songs at Croke Park 2 years ago, during One all the phones came out and Bruce lowered the lights and the scene cannot be put into words. Fans started leaving during the Encore but ran back once Zoo Station started, Zoo Station & The Fly were visually the best songs of the night, with shades of ZooTV popping up during both songs which also sounded really good. With Or Without You closed this set, and fans once again started to leave and once again rushed back when U2 took the stage to play good versions of new songs All Because Of You, Yahweh & Vertigo which included a snippet of Thin Lizzy's classis: Jailbreak. Bono also told us that we wern't having Spanish lessons tonight but we were having Irish lessons and instead of the "unos, dos, tres, catorce" he said it in Irish "a haon, a do, a trí, a ceather deag" which he needed Larry Mullen to help him with, he changed to the lyrics around to apologise to the local resisidents for going 10 minutes past their 11 O'Clock curfew. It was only my second U2 concert, and my first was the U2 Go Home Slane gig, which would be very hard to beat but tonight I have to say Vertigo Tour is better than the Elevation Tour, and maybe because the boys returned to Dublin City Ireland.
 
Bono changed the lyrics to Running To Stand Still saying "I see seven towers, oh wait no, they've been knocked down, you gotta cry..."

Is that really what he sang??

From where we were seated, we couldn't always understand what he said or sang but I really thought he sang 'I see 7 towers, but they knocked one down' or something like that :wink:

I guess we'll have to wait for the boot to know exactly what he all said.

I couldn't understand everything he said to those ppl in the upper tier with the banner either. As a matter of fact, it took me a while to see the spotlight was on them (we were seated below them, to their rightside so we couldn't read there sign)
Later I found out it said "welcome home boys, we'll see you next month in Rome" and he said something about Rome.

Oh, and did you also miss the 'Everyone 'intro?? It was like wtf, are they on stage already??:wink:

I have to say, I was a bit distracted because there was someone sitting in front of me who caught my full attention.
Just minutes before the Wake up song started, a bunch of ppl were taking their seats in the row in front of us.
I didn't really pay attention to them untill I saw that one particular face and I was like, t-t-that f-f-face,whoa, I know that face :wink:
Yes, there was Guggi and his whole family taking seats.:ohmy:
I couldn't believe why on earth he would come and sit over there while he could be right in front of the stage (or in the vip space).
So I watched him and kept an eye on the stage, when Wake up started , we all got standing up (Guggi included), crowd was going into a frenzy, then he sat back down before the song was halfway :scratch:
so I thought, well yeah, he still has time untill the Everyones come along.
But the song ended and he was still sitting down, and before I knew it, the band was already onstage! No Everyones!!!

I really enjoyed the show, although we couldn't see much of what was going on on the stage (luckily we have the big screens eh), we got a lot of songs that we missed in Brussels (I will follow,WOWY,Wild horses) so that was great. the only song I also would have wanted to hear live once was All I want is you, but they played that on the second night. :(
But I'm not complaining, I had a great time in Dubs, wished it could've lasted longer but all things come to an end, even good ones :wink:
 
and I forgot to mention that it didn't come as a surprise they inserted the Rain song again :wink:
Larry stayed dry for the biggest part of the show.
Although it was only drizzle coming down, the others must have been soaked at the end of the show.
 
Croke 1

amazing show, what a day, what a night. My brother and I got to the gates at 10am and started queuing with several hundred other people, a couple of hours later we were let in to the grounds whereby we started queueing again- only this time we were told that all of us were in the pit by the stage..

sometime after that (lost track of time) we were let in and strolled across to the front GA bit. All this time it had been raining on and off (the heatwave having deserted Dublin).

Radiators were ok, Snow Patrol suprised me by being really good (not a fan of SP) and then... finally.... 11 hours after we got to the venue U2 came on stage

The next 2 hours are a blur of jumping up and down, singing, waving my arms about, punching the air and clapping- the whole thing was just brilliant- from start to finish- the opening songs- Vertigo, I will follow, Electric Co, Elevation, Beautiul Day, New Years Day, Still haven't found just got the whole crowd on it's feet and me leaping about.

it's difficult to put into words but at some point during the show I felt like I'd just experienced something so intense- only once before have I had that feeling at a concert but it was there on Friday night

The fact that it was dark early (due to the rain) meant that the light show worked better, and being down at the front made it feel like being in a small arena. I don't know how the show played further back but from where I was it looked and sounded great.. as for the setlist.. perfect mix in my book of old and new with plenty of crowd pleasers, and the replay of Vertigo at the end- wow everyone seemed to be jumping up and down to it

totally knackered by the end of it and spent most of Saturday in something of a daze but it was worth the 11 hours we spent getting to see it,. Even better was going in to see them again on Saturday.

I'm sure there will be the usual bitching about the set list but for me it worked brilliantly
 
Ok.
Here's my review.

I was there on thursday to get a glimpse of the stage... It hyped me, it was much more huge than I thought it would be... At that time already 15-20 fans had been lining up outside Croker. At that point I said to my father (who took me to Ireland and would also attend the concert) that we would probably need to get there a bit early to get a decent spot... We agreed to leave our B&B at 9am.... We'd be there 10. Of course, on the way home from Dublin the same day, the radioguy who held the U2marathon (another thing that hyped me) said that "100's of fans have joined the queue, so get there early..." I then convinced my father to leave at 6am... so we would be there from 7.

So we got there at 7:30 or something. About 150 people ahead of us. We stood there for 1 hour so, and the queue moved up... No real system, people ran, and I think I got to be 20 spaces further than I should be... some Irishmen behind me got even further up the line. We stood there until... well... 11:30 or something. Again, the queue moved, this time to the stadium grounds... A bit unorganized again, and some of the very early ones were put back in line... Too bad really. Anyway, about 2 they soundchecked. I heard bits of Mysterious Ways, Original Of The Species (of course they weren't played), City Of Blinding Lights, Love And Peace Or Else. Some time later Bono came and they did a full soundcheck of Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses. Made the wait a bit shorter ;)

About 4, maybe 3:30, we were let into the stadium gorunds... Again, people who were in front were surpassed by the people who didn't care about what the security guards said, and ran up to the bomb shelter. My father and I too ran, at this time we were amongst the first 100 people, and we got ourself an amazing spot by Adam's catwalk, in the bomb shelter, 3 metres from the stage. Incredible.

We met a nice guy from Pasadena there, and some Italian folks. My first time actually meeting other fans, which was very nice.

The Radiators came on about 6, and they were hilarious because it was these old guys, 50+ maybe, playing sucky rock music. Entertaining anyway, but too loud and noisy.

Snow Patrol however were great. I liked a couple of their songs very much, and he told us to "enjoy U2". I certianly would.

About 8:30 the whole stadium was filled. Everyone was just waiting for the band, and the crowd made waves that went around the stadium 8 or 9 times. The spirit of people was so high at this point.

Rain... we don't mind ;)

And then they played that "Wake Up" song...
Everyone sang along at that point already, and my anticipation killed me. I waited for the song to end, but right in the middle, suddenly they just stood there, the music stopped, and Bono said: "Larry Mullen" and he started Vertigo's drum beat.

It had begun.
I screamed, cried and danced, jumped, clapped, I can't believe that I had so much energy in my body after 13 hours of wait.
I Will Follow was a great surprise. Everyone in the crowd was into it. I was the same as during Vertigo.
I jumped for joy, and the smile of my face was so broad I still feel an ache when I smile :D
However it was The Electric Co. that really started the show foor me. No The Cry opening, and I was a bit let down, but I didn't care as soon as the first chorus came on. This is top 20 U2 in my book. WOW.
When he sang the Smashing Punpkins snippet it'd already become a classic part of the song, and I sang along there also.
Right after this Elevation, I liked the tease-the-crowd thing he did.... But it wasn't that special. I still jumped, sang and clapped though.

New Year's Day was beautiful. "This is Adam Clayton's song" Bono said, and sure it was. He walked down the catwalk and looked at the crowd, and I think it was because of my huge smile he noticed me... We exchanged glances for several seconds, and he did the "frowny smile". New Year's Day. So beautiful. Tears in my eyes at that point.
Beautiful Day continued my melancholy. Might have been the single highlight of the first set. Wow. It was the first song to get me into U2. Hearing this, at my first ever concert... I had come full circle.

I still haven't found a liking for I Still Haven't Foudn What I'm Looking For, but the crowd's response was great. There was truly something special about the singalong. And the crowd just kept on going when the song was finished. It was great, and at that time I thought to myself that I didn't care what they played, just as long as they played something.

THEN CAME WILD HORSES. I mean, sure, Beautiful and New Year's Day were amazing, but I mean, that song... THAT SONG... Achtung Baby is my favourite album, and Wild Horses sure is amongst my favourite songs... And this version was better than anything I've ever heard. Oh my. I was crying when it ended, it was so beautiful.

On to the next highlight: City of Blinding Lights
It's now my favourite song from the album. I mean WOW. I couldn't singalong though, I had wretched my voice so much during the first couple of songs, Beautiful Day especially, so I skipped the "oh you look so beautiful part". Sort of a let down, as this was the only time Bono walked down to the lower part of the stage and really communicated with the bomb shelter.
But it was a highlight no matter what. And the screen blew me away. I was on cloud nine.

On to Miracle Drug. A song I had a certain skepticism about, but it worked out really great for me. The heartbeat thingy worked really well, and Bono talked about Rome after having the spotlight light up a banner some fans had. It was great.

Sometimes and Love and Peace were the "lowlights" for me, I mean, I sang along, having slightly recovered my voice, but no jumping or dancing.
It was good, but I mean, not the songs that really get me going. I was nice that I had a break though, because I went nuts during Sunday Bloody Sunday.

When Bono sang: "oooooh oh ooohh..." and we were to repeat it back to him, he was 2-3 metres away from me, and I was in total ecstasy (is that how you spell it?). The rock-highlight of the main set, together with Electric Co. My voice was ok for this, and I was just blown away. Never had I heard it with such power.
On to Bullet The Blue Sky. I have changed my mind about it leaving the setlist... STAY ON IT. Damnit. The song was amazing. Edge nailed the solo totally.
When Bono sang The Hands That Built America... I was mesmerized. The screen was awesome... Adam was really cool during this song also. Total succes.

Running To Stand Still: AMAZING. The stadium went totally silent, just singing along to the "halalaladeeday" parts. But it felt great.
When Bono sang Walk On everyone in the bomb shelter sang along. I think he noticed how much we miss it!

On to Pride. It was great, but as most of you others I think the song felt old. But you know, singing along to Pride for the first time is something special.

Streets. I knew it was coming. Of course, but nothing had prepared me for what I felt. I get shivers as I write this. It was THAT good. I never liked the studio version, but live, it binds the whole crowd together.
Everyone was into it. OH MY. I jumped higher than I ever had. I sang louder than I ever had. Wow. Wowowowow. Nothing can express what I felt there.
WOW.

Onto One. This was... I think the highlight of the show for me. I mean, when I hear one I relate it to a lot of things, and let's just say my eyes were filled with tears. The whole stadium was lit up by the phones, and it looked so great. Now it was Bono's turn to say "wow" (referring to the lights).
At the end of this song everyone was so emotional.
And at the end of the main set I was, well, I had had the greatest night of my life.
I had expected by 10 minutes for the encore break, but they were back in 2 minutes (or maybe it just felt like 2 minutes, I dunno!) Anyway, Zoo Station is one of my favourite songs of theirs. It is just great. I mean, nothing comes close to Edge's guitar during Zoo Station. Bono walked down on our side this time, he glanced down on us, I got eye contact very briefly, but Adam and Larry were much more fun.
Anyway, it didn't burst my bubble, it was Zoo Station and it was great. I'm unable to describe how rocking great it was. Especially when The Fly followed suit.
I mean, those two songs, I don't know what went on but the band just nailed it. Wow. It made up for Until The End Of The World not appearing. Edge's solo got great cheers from the bomb shelter (all I know of is the bomb shelter, I very seldomly looked other places than the stage!). At one point Adam brought on the drums too early, so that the band were forced to alter the ending a bit. But no matter. I was shocked by the greatness.

With Or Without You was a surprise. I had expected Mysterious Ways, it'd been soundchecked earlier.
But at that point I didn't care at all. With Or Without You was one of the first songs I heard. I mean, it was great, totally great, although the "shine like stars" verse would've been welcome!

All Because of You was also a big surprise. I had the theory that if Vertigo appeared twice All Because of You couldn't appear in the encores anylonger. Well, I was wrong and we got ourselves and extra song. That was just great. A lot of jumping and shouting, and I was amazed I still had energy enough to follow suit.

Yahweh was great, the visuals were very good, but I never cared for the song THAT much. However it was nice getting a little break again, so that I could go totally nuts when they played Vertigo again. Sure, I would've loved 40, but this was nearly as good. I mean, we jumped and sang and clapped more than we had done during the entire show I think.
I would've loved Stories For Boys, but instead he sang a song I didn't know :p
No matter though, he did the "hello hello" and made us answer back, it was great. When it ended I was... walking out on high, very melancholy-alike, this was my first U2 concert remember. It truly had been one of the very very greatest nights of my life, and it certainly felt like the band felt the same way.
 
amazing show, great concert!!!
Too bad people who were going to other 2 shows say it was not as good as second, third...Hey, i only came for one concert and i am very happy cos u2 delivered the greatest show for me!
 
Thanks for the reviews!!

Greety, I was thinking of you guys all evening , I'm happy for you that you got to experience Dublin! :)
 
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