coolian2
Blue Crack Supplier
but wasn't that interesting though? didn't it make the show that much better?
Alternative View of the 360 Tour
- Thread starter kohoutek
- Start date
The friendliest place on the web for anyone that follows U2.
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If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
corianderstem
Blue Crack Distributor
Oh, I dig it when they screw up. I like seeing that they're human.
I completely do not understand people who get pissed off when the band screws up and bitch that the show was ruined (which I've seen happen on the site).
I completely do not understand people who get pissed off when the band screws up and bitch that the show was ruined (which I've seen happen on the site).
coolian2
Blue Crack Supplier
oh yeah. i'm not saying a few screw ups ruin the show, not at all. it's a good laugh. but i wouldn't go to a show wanting to see them screw up.
DubbalinGirl
The Fly
- Joined
- Oct 31, 2004
- Messages
- 140
Sure, for those hundred or so that got to touch him
No different than the maybe 200-300 lining the catwalk in a stadium that seats 80,000...
I think 1 or 2 recent posts have mentioned not caring about seeing the band. WTF?!? Just being in the crowd and dancing around is a party, not a concert. I'm not going to say one experience is more valid than the other, but, to me, seeing the band perform is an integral part of the concert. I'm not paying to go to a rave.
corianderstem
Blue Crack Distributor
Seriously - if you don't want to see the band, what's the point? Stay home and crank up one of the live DVDs.
Sure, for those hundred or so that got to touch him
In a big show, people who don't participate in something like that but can see it can still get a thrill from it, and it does make it more intimate. For example, it used to be thrilling to see Bono pull a kid on stage (now it's become routine; still exciting, but not quite as charming as the first time you experience it). Bono throwing the mic to a fan, and trusting him, to sing "People Get Ready" was an increasingly rare spontaneous moment and did make, I think, everyone feel connected to what was going on.
beau99
The Fly
This.
I hate going to a concert and seeing it look as if it was overly rehearsed. Screw-ups make the band look human and not like robots.
BVS
Blue Crack Supplier
But I wasn't the one claiming one was more "intimate" than the other...
What did you do pre 91, were you just blessed enough to get close seats for every concert?
Um, you do realize the 'People Get Ready' thing was not spontaneous, right?
And someone said earlier that Bruce does this all the time this tour, so I'm not really seeing your point.
It's only thrilling when you THOUGHT is was spontaneous? Maybe stay out of the tour sections of message boards.
But I wasn't the one claiming one was more "intimate" than the other...
What did you do pre 91, were you just blessed enough to get close seats for every concert?
Um, you do realize the 'People Get Ready' thing was not spontaneous, right?
And someone said earlier that Bruce does this all the time this tour, so I'm not really seeing your point.
It's only thrilling when you THOUGHT is was spontaneous? Maybe stay out of the tour sections of message boards.
1985, the whole arena was GA. I went to the floor and got dang close to the stage. But I'm 5' 9", not 5' 2" like my ladies (I sound like a pimp), so no problem seeing. Also, all that was required to get that close was to line up with everyone else maybe 30 minutes before doors opened.
In 1987, tickets were damn hard to come by. I was working in a record store, but we didn't have our Ticketmaster terminal, yet. I had to work the day they went on sale, but somehow good ole Mom grabbed pretty good seats for us over the phone (luck o' the Irish?). The seats were mid arena, lower level, about 5 rows from the floor. Incomparable view compared to my premium arena seats this past Saturday.
In 1992, the local Ticketmaster outlets handed out numbered tickets then did a random drawing - that determined place in line to buy tickets. I ended up near the end and got nosebleeds in the arena, but still had a better view, and was closer, than my premium fanclub seats Saturday night.
As for the People Get Ready thing not being spontaneous, I attended the show with 2 veterans of this tour. 1 attended DC and Charlottesville. 1 attended Barcelona, Chicago, DC, and Charlottesville. According to them, Bono didn't throw a mic to anyone at those shows.
I can't argue with you re: Bruce's crowd surfing not being spontaneous. Well, I can, but I'd be wrong. You're right about spontenaity being a matter of perception (I don't mind a little staged spontenaity). I'm going to guess that maybe 10K out of 60K at Saturday's show had never seen U2 and had never seen a DVD. Maybe it's more than that. For them, pulling the kid on stage probably seemed spontaneous. I still enjoyed it. I was happy for the kid (he didn't seem like he wanted to run as fast as Bono, though
).And, yeah, you're right about staying away from message boards. I stayed out of here for the most part since just before June 30th. Started treading lightly a couple weeks ago to get a sense of how the view from my seats might be and what the RZ experiences had been like.
beau99
The Fly
In my case, this will be my first U2 show, and I'll be happy just knowing I'm there, as I never thought I would get a chance to see them live.
I would have been pleased with just a nosebleed ticket, but had enough money (which is rare) to get a better one this once.
coolian2
Blue Crack Supplier
rubbish. a concert is a party.
beau99
The Fly
I've got a bunch of their DVDs and watch them on occasion; however, it's not the same. U2 is my favorite band, and I want to experience it live, just once.
Any further concerts will be a bonus to me.
OK, to a degree, yes (as an American who speaks American and not English, I am legally obliged to concede to the superior use of proper English words such as "rubbish" by at least partially agreeing with the user of said word). It's how far you want to take it. Do I want to go with friends and/or family and have a shared experience? Yes. Do I like to toss a few back in the process? Sure. Do I like to toss a few more back afterward and talk about the shared experience, sometimes while not wearing trousers? Absolutely. OK, I made that last bit up. Of course we don't toss a few more back.
But I do notice a lot of people getting piss drunk at concerts. If it's an artist who's work I don't care about, I'd probably be all for it, except then I wouldn't be at the concert in the first place. I find these people to be amusing at the least and highly irritating if not dangerous at worst. I also go to concerts where people spend the whole time drinking (OK), not watching the band (?!?), and... TALKING TO EACH OTHER. The whole time. That is something I will never get.
If a concert's a party with a good band playing, fine, but the point of a party, really, is the party itself (i.e. talking to other people and having a good time with them - which is why, in fact, I like "conversation level" music at parties, not blaring). To the degree a concert is a party, the main focus of that party is meant to be the band playing music. Watch it. Listen to it. Soak it in. Feel the vibe. That's what you do.
I hope you have a great time and a view that is satisfactory to you, and that the band really brings it at your show.
beau99
The Fly
^ Thanks, I hope so too.
blueeyedgirl
Rock n' Roll Doggie ALL ACCESS
I'm in Australia and obviously haven't seen U2 this tour yet. I'm not overjoyed knowing it will be another stadium tour, again (this will make 4 tours now) and I know I am ancient enough now to probably give GA a miss this time around. I will be studying the seat plan very carefully!!! God stadium shows suck! 
OK I am officially jealous of this. I was lucky enough to see the Buckstar playing a couple of years ago in a club with about a hundred people. Now that was one of the nights of my life
subnet
New Yorker
i saw a bunch of empty seats in that bruce springsteen youtube vid - what gives?
i'm not a huge fan of bruce, but from what i've seen, his shows have a lot of very long outros, almost down-time moments, lacksidasical singing.....
imagine U2 playing 3 hours because they play 5 minute extended bridges for each song....no thanks.....
i'm not a huge fan of bruce, but from what i've seen, his shows have a lot of very long outros, almost down-time moments, lacksidasical singing.....
imagine U2 playing 3 hours because they play 5 minute extended bridges for each song....no thanks.....
Liesje
Blue Crack Addict
Buying the wrong tickets, not waiting in line for a great spot, being too short, people getting too drunk....what does any of this have to do with U2?
corianderstem
Blue Crack Distributor
Didn't you know? It's all Bono's fault.
BVS
Blue Crack Supplier
Didn't you know? It's all Bono's fault.
Plus everytime he claps some poor kid dies... the guy should just never really leave the house, he causes so many problems for all of us.
The point I made in my original post: the GA setup on the field, the tiny size and position of their stage, their under-utilization of the outside ramp, and their lack of working the crowd by moving around (like Mick, Keith, and Ronnie in their 60s) results in the band being more isoloated from the audience, which is the exact opposite of how this tour was sold. It's not "intimacy on a grand scale"; it's "a bigger better video screen that even more people can pay money to see".
I love U2. I love U2 live. I go see LOTS of bands. Lots in clubs, a fair number in arenas and sheds, and the odd stadium show (ok, only 3 of those so far). I love live music. Hence I love "concerts". As someone pointed out, U2 360 is not a "concert"; the claw is the show. I enjoy a stage show/innovative visuals, but I am primarily there to see/hear the band peform live. To the degree U2 360 is a concert, it sucks.
I addressed everything except the drunk people, I believe.
Though I've always believed GA brings out the worst in people, it works in clubs, and it can even work on the floor of an arena. It's does not work for seeing a band perform live music (and I'm not talking about on the mother of all TVs) on a football field (except for the few who have the luxury of being about to wait in line for 12 +/- hours and/or are tall).
blueeyedgirl
Rock n' Roll Doggie ALL ACCESS
Well when it comes to stadium shows, it has everything to do with seeing U2, in Australia at least. Every tour that I've seen them since Lovetown has been in a stadium situation. And a stadium show necessitates more jumping through hoops if you will than does an arena or theatre show. Either you pay less for GA, and be physically fit and able to do all the lining up if you want to see them up close, or you fork out for seats, and hope to non-specific God that you were early or lucky enough to get good seats.
It's a lot of bullshit to just see a band. I will do it for U2, cos it's U2
but I don't do for anyone else (ie Pearl Jam are here next month, but I ain't seeing them at a football oval.... ).
It's a lot of bullshit to just see a band. I will do it for U2, cos it's U2
Pearl Jam is worth just as much effort as U2 if not more because if in their fan club they usually always give great seats to members. Never been more then 15 rows back.......
U will be sorry if u miss them.
coolian2
Blue Crack Supplier
funny, i thought pearl jam were playing stadiums down here.
also, u2 is u2. they're not springsteen, they're not pearl jam, they're not wilco, they're not radiohead. they're pretty predictable. get used to it.
also, u2 is u2. they're not springsteen, they're not pearl jam, they're not wilco, they're not radiohead. they're pretty predictable. get used to it.
Well when it comes to stadium shows, it has everything to do with seeing U2, in Australia at least. Every tour that I've seen them since Lovetown has been in a stadium situation. And a stadium show necessitates more jumping through hoops if you will than does an arena or theatre show. Either you pay less for GA, and be physically fit and able to do all the lining up if you want to see them up close, or you fork out for seats, and hope to non-specific God that you were early or lucky enough to get good seats.
It's a lot of bullshit to just see a band. I will do it for U2, cos it's U2
It is that. Meanwhile, are you insinuating that we're out of shape?
None of us have ever been athletes, but we're all in pretty good condition and plenty strong enough. It's just that my wife and daughters decided to be short people.
Liesje
Blue Crack Addict
Then....just don't do it?
Grass is always greener.....over here people are always whining that they want big stadium shows and we usually only get arenas....
Now I've only seen stadium shows for two tours, but I actually jumped through a lot less hoops. Didn't spend nearly as much time in line, that's for sure. Personally I prefer arenas but the Chicago 2 show last month (in the stadium) may be my favorite show experience ever, and I spent about 10 minutes total in the GA line, lol.
Liesje
Blue Crack Addict
You keep saying this but you can get into the pit until 6pm or later at most of these shows. The only "wait" involved would be waiting for whatever GA line is still outside to finish filing in. We waited less than a half hour and pit spots were still available.
