I am curious if you guys have been to the shows, or are just listening to the boots.
Maybe you have or havent. But I think its whole different issue when you experience these songs ‘Live’. Keep in mind that the shows are designed and directed for the live performance. Not for a bootleg.
I was at the Anaheim show Saturday and from what I am hearing, it might be the best so far. (not hard since we have only 4?)
From the moment I heard COBL I thought, this will open the shows on tour..and I love that song and couldn’t wait.
But…
LAPOE brought down the house. It has a great build up, and an agitated anxiety about that may not come through on the cd, or even the bootleg, but live is was kick ass!
Bono was psycho and standing with arm raised, peace sign raised high singing ‘we need Love and Peace’ was a fitting start to the show.
Playing Vertigo second is fantastic, its too fast to start the show. You need that build up, then the way the drums kick in right after LAPOE dies down, is so sweet. For the those who have’nt seen the show yet, the visuals will blow you away. Form now on when I hear that song I will always here bono and 24,000 +/- people yelling “uno, dos, tres, catorce!” then that guitar with those lights…wow!
Elevation ROCKED!!!!..everyone was going crazy!!! The lighting effects we awesome!
After Electric Co. the rest of the songs from ‘Boy’ were a welcome break in the action, but no one lost interest.
COBl was great!..the screens images were beautiful, was edge’s voice too high?...maybe, frankly I could not tell BECAUSE OF THE 24,000 voices screaming “oh you look so….”
Beautiful Day, some one said it, never sounded or looked better.
Nice speech about the Pontiff, Bono is funny, everyone has a good laugh, then stunning versions of miracle, and sometimes…gorgeous…but no ‘unplugged take a break get intimate moment…which I know people like, but it would not fit well into this show’
Just when were getting warm and fuzzy and hugging each other, the ‘War’ songs NYD, SBS, and BTBS were vicious!, yes we may have tired of SBS, but when we hear it live, we all go nuts. They rocked, the blue fighter jets on BTBS were fantastic! When I think of that song, I will not think of Edges guitar blues, or Bono messing up lyrics…I will think of the overall combination of lights, music, and Bono’s non-verbal commentary of the state of the world.
RTSS was so great, it was like the campfire song after the battle, it fits so well here!!!!
ZOO Station, I never thought I would ever here this song live, I am so glad they played it, and guess what...it rocked,..the lights, all digi-crazy!...So techni-rock. Edge and Bono, slowly make ing there way to the far end of the eclipse, Edge with that same walk he used on Zoo TV….again, do I like Bono’s words, not more than the original, but again, what do I rmemebr from the moment, the entire screaming “ZOO STATION!!!
The Fly was always, and still is about the visuals! And Oh those visuals!..even if the screens couldn’t keep up and started fading out …I still will remember “its your world you can change it”.
People actually had to catch there breath after this jam!
MW, was great, funny and loud. A nice end to the set, with funny dance moves and visuals, and I think bon likes hearing 24,000 people sing “its alright..its all-right!”
Pride was stunning, again, crowd interaction was sooo beautiful!!!..everyone singing, and yes a good segue into what came after.
A lot of talk about streets, and how weak it is, and how weak the intro is. My personal favorite was the psalm106 inttro, but that was from another time. U2 was crawling out of what many thought was a tomb. They did it with class, humbleness,and beautiful music. Elevation was about lifting spirits, very introspective. For that I was glad to see it right up against the heart on the floor. This is U2 in 2005!
This is no comeback story. Bono said it ..Holy ground, proving ground. That was the holy ground, this is the proving ground. Streets was about the world, yes focusing on Africa, but it was looking outside of ourselves. This is obviously the theme throughtout here. And when the flags came down and the into started, the place went ballistic. Streets blew the roof off the place! In terms of community sing along, and energy, might have been the highlight of the show.
One, awesome, emotional, ABOY fantastic, Yahweh and 40 were beautiful, the yearning in Bono’s voice. It was incredible.
And I saw all this from the cheapseats, in front of the stage, across the arena, where almost everyone stood up the whole show!
Its just my opinion, but after seeing this thing in person, songs like Out of control, Walk on, Desire, with or without you, and even the venerable Bad, just would not fit in very well.
I expect the songlist to change quite often, but I think the general design is incredible. Well done boys!
Sorry for the long post.
