Best/Worst crowds

[Lemonfix]

I thought Stadium shows didn't do GA because insurance and some cities having an outright ban until several years ago(Salt Lake City, Cincinnati) Plus Woodstock 1999.

How come u2 didn't go all GA for US stadium shows in 87/92/97 when they did in Europe?

GA was frowned upon in US arenas/stadiums for many years because of some trampling deaths that happened at a GA show in the 1970's (to be specific, at a who show in Cincinnati). These deaths were less the fault of having GA than they were of an arena staff that had no idea what they were doing.

GA has made a comeback in the last decade with no serious problems, which is great, imho.

 

[Celticfc]

Wrong.

U2 Tokyo in 2006 was intense, at least in the front rows. Constant pushing, shoving and angling to get two inches closer to the stage by all 3000 fans in the front GA section.

We were on the front rail all three nights, and I think I needed hip surgery afterwards.

Check out my videoclip - notice how shaky it is? That's because all those "bad" Japanese fans were busy jumping up and down (let the video load, then scroll to the end at 18:30 when they do "Vertigo" - I pan back towards the crowd so you can see what I'm talking about):

U2 Tokyo 3 (Live) - Saitama Super Arena - December 4, 2006 | Free Videos - Watch Online Videos - Guide | Veoh


Best U2 crowd I've experienced was Edinburgh in August 1987 at Murrayfield.

Every single person there wore a U2 shirt of some sort, all the opening acts were booed (except for the Pogues), and then the entire crowd sang along to every word without pushing and shoving up front.

Worst U2 crowd was Monterrey, Mexico in 2006 - very quiet and reserved, even Bono made some comments about it from the stage, it was a bit embarrassing

I was at that show in Edinburgh. 3 of my fav bands on one bill. U2, The Mission and The Pogues.
I remember toothbrushes being thown on stage for Shane Macgowan.

 

[Celticfc]

Don't forget the Glasgow shows - the atmosphere can be pretty special with lots of Irish fans over + there's a lot of Celtic fans there....

I suggest everyone download the Glasgow Barras shows from the UF tour.

Best bootlegs by far. Crowd singing, Bono throwing buckets of water over the crowd, Celtic fans singing and its a small venue as well which adds to the atmosphere.

 

[BoMac]

Montreal was nuts. Just really, really loud. Hawaii had great energy because it was a special trip/night.

I agree. I saw both Montreal shows during the first leg of Elevation and the crowd was nuts. The first night they were so loud it was deafening, wall of noise kind of thing.

My ears were ringing for days from the crowd noise alone

Montreal... no comparison.

I've heard that Montreal is the best crowd in the world for a U2 concert.

Montreal crowds, in general for U2 and non-U2 concerts are amazing!!!

Isn't Montreal considered typically the best crowd of North America?

I remember seeing U2 in Montreal on the second leg of the tour and Bono went to the back of the stage during a song to check the decibel reading and said it was the loudest of the tour (he has a tendency to exaggerate but I saw 9 shows that tour and it took the cake!)

I could see them doing a DVD there some day

^ just check out the decibel level at a UFC event in Montreal

crazy Canucks in Montreal

The answer is obviously Montreal.

Montreal was definitely the best in my experience.

Without a doubt Montreal. And not just for U2, but for concerts in general. At many of the shows I've seen, the artists have commented at how loud the crowd gets.

 

[Dalton]

Best crowds are people who don't block others' views with cameras or by waving their arms and are quite during the songs. They actually place the music ahead of the ego-centric desire to make their presence known.

Bad crowds are people who can't shut up and sing and scream and wave their arms and have no respect for others' equal right to enjoy the music in all its subtlety.

I agree. And you know what's worse? It's always those damned Jews who are waiving their arms and singing. They act like they own the place ... which they probably do.

Fuckin' Zionist media.

 

[Sicy]

That easy access to the bathrooms was the best.

<---- "other member"

Sorry I got lazy and didnt feel like typing out LarryMullen's POPAngel

 

[LarryMullen's POPAngel]

Without a doubt Montreal. And not just for U2, but for concerts in general. At many of the shows I've seen, the artists have commented at how loud the crowd gets.

Sorry I got lazy and didnt feel like typing out LarryMullen's POPAngel

No worries!

 

[ladywithspinninghead]

Without a doubt Montreal. And not just for U2, but for concerts in general. At many of the shows I've seen, the artists have commented at how loud the crowd gets.

I'll reiterate they're the loudest as far as cheering and applause but one thing I did notice was that they didn't sing very much, compared to some other cities.
Still great though!

As for the Calgary show, I don't remember the crowd but I met Bono that day and made it into the heart for my first Elevation show so it has special memories for me.

 

[gareth brown]

the only Montreal crowd i've seen is on a Men Without Hats concert film. Pretty crazy crowd! They go nuts considering the band is SORT of tight but there's mistakes everywhere and Ivan's singing goes WAAAAY off sometimes....

it's been said in other threads but the Cardiff crowd at Vertigo was fantastic. It's partly an issue that leads me to want to get tickets to two gigs just in case one crowd is really shit and ruins my night

 

[4U2Play]

4U2Play,
It's nice to hear that . I have heard some bootlegs from past tours (LoveTown, Zoo Tv, Popmart) where Muldfeld would probably be more comfortable since you can hear people clapping at the end of a song. Check out any PopMart boot and listen to the crowd during PopMuzik. There's another Zoo TV boot out there where you can hear two fans screaming their lungs out, its funny. I'll say that during Streets people got a bit more wild in that boot. Maybe things have changed . Other bands like KISS, Metallica, Guns and Roses, etc. Have said before that Japanese crowds can be challenging since they tend to be more reserved compared to western crowds. I'll have to watch the video at home tonight because they block certain sites here in the office . I've went to some Japanese band shows in Shibuyah Kohkaido and Ibaraki, Mito, etc. I felt those crowds were a bit more wild BACK THEN but hey, things can change so its good to hear that you enjoyed the show with a crowd that got wild.

Yeah, I think you're generally correct about Japanese rock fans being rather reserved during concerts, I experienced it myself at a 1988 Prince concert in Osaka... Prince's final words to us were something like, "Osaka.. come out with your soul". He was busting his ass up there and got a very tepid response from the crowd, which was in all reserved seating, so he must've been frustrated.

However, for the three U2 Tokyo gigs in 2006, the opposite was true, at least in the GA. It reminded me of some of the rowdy UF Tour shows I saw back in 84-85, we were packed in like sardines and had to fight to keep our positions.

I never judge a crowd based on bootlegs or videos. Watching the Elevation DVD, you'd think the Boston crowd was comatose, which I'm sure it wasn't.

Also, most Japanese U2 fans probably don't speak much English, so singing along is not something they do with the gusto of the Dutch or Scots. Japan's lack of "football culture" might also have something to do with the lack of singalongs, I reckon.

 

[mama cass]

He complained that people in seats were woooo-hoooooing at the Toronto Radiohead show. A nice dvd at home, maybe?

oh man i had GA for Radiohead once - i thought i was gonna die!
fantastic gig!

 

[mama cass]

I remember toothbrushes being thown on stage for Shane Macgowan.

OMG! roflmfao!!!

 

[smileymbcastard]

yeah in Toronto in 2005 we booed the opening act the poor guy had to say at least i am opening for u2. that made us laugh and boo even louder

 

[ZooMacPhisto800]

I'll reiterate they're the loudest as far as cheering and applause but one thing I did notice was that they didn't sing very much, compared to some other cities.
Still great though!

As for the Calgary show, I don't remember the crowd but I met Bono that day and made it into the heart for my first Elevation show so it has special memories for me.

Are you kidding?

Just one example, MTL crowd sang an entire verse of IHFWILF without Bono at all...

 

[4U2Play]

Just one example, MTL crowd sang an entire verse of IHFWILF without Bono at all...

That's great, but the question is, did the Montreal fans sing well?

It's not cool if you sing loudly and off-key

 

[subnet]

yeah in Toronto in 2005 we booed the opening act the poor guy had to say at least i am opening for u2. that made us laugh and boo even louder

was that the dashboard confessionals?

 

[cmaly]

The worst place to see a U2 show, hands down, is Kansas City. ZOO TV didn't sell out... PopMart had wretched sales... and ELEVATION couldn't sell out Kemper Arena. U2 should avoid KC at all costs (the video for Last Night On Earth was terrible too-- a KC shoot).

The best, hands down, Chicago. Their May 2001 run of Elevation shows were the best performances I have ever witnessed.

 

[ZooMacPhisto800]

That's great, but the question is, did the Montreal fans sing well?

It's not cool if you sing loudly and off-key

Listen to the boot, it'll bring a tear to your eye. As in a tear of joy... you might even think you were there for a moment.

 

[U2FanPeter]

The worst place to see a U2 show, hands down, is Kansas City. ZOO TV didn't sell out... PopMart had wretched sales... and ELEVATION couldn't sell out Kemper Arena. U2 should avoid KC at all costs (the video for Last Night On Earth was terrible too-- a KC shoot).

I think KC was near the home of William S. Burroughs. Not sure how long he was friends with the band before he died in 1998(?)

 

[U2FanPeter]

The silly thing about it is that U2 probably had NOTHING to do with it and it was more of the DVD production guys that wanted to have cute people in the front row or whatever happened. Still, those fans took it against Bono, Larry, Edge, and Adam.

McGuiness was outside watching selection process. He then tried to placate them by handing out one of the overstock Elevation t-shirt that wasn't selling at the merch table to those that were upset.

Not one of their finer moments. Although, those INSIDE the heart that were crying and sat down during the show should have been booted from the arena IMHO. Edge made a comment around that show about a "caravan of fans" seeing every show from the pit and they wanted something else for the DVD.

U2 and their management are very wary of appealing to a youthful audience. ths is part of the reason they have DVDs with quick edits and music videos that are lit to hide any wrinkles.

 

[ladywithspinninghead]

Are you kidding?

Just one example, MTL crowd sang an entire verse of IHFWILF without Bono at all...

Well, I don't think I was at that show.

I've only seen U2 twice in Montreal but I do recall the show back in Nov. 05 and thinking at the time the crowd didn't sing along all that much.
Perhaps it was a one-off! I'll have to go listen to my bootleg...I'm willing to admit I'm wrong!

 

[ladywithspinninghead]

That's great, but the question is, did the Montreal fans sing well?

It's not cool if you sing loudly and off-key

Yeah, and with that French accent too

 

[hilaryh33]

Have been anybody from this forum on concert in Poland (Vertigo tour). I'd like to show you something...

YouTube - U2 - New Year's Day (Live From Chorzow, July 2005)

Check it out
As you probably know New Year's day had been written for 'Solidarnosc' which is from Poland. When Bono started singing it all people on stadium make one big polsih national flag (red and white). I am not saying that polish crowd is the best but it's really worth to see.

Hope you enjoy it!

 

[4U2Play]

Listen to the boot, it'll bring a tear to your eye. As in a tear of joy... you might even think you were there for a moment.

Montreal U2 fans love patting themselves on the back, that we know, but I will give the boot a listen anyway, though I can't imagine crying with joy listening to U2 songs sung with French accents

 

[4U2Play]

As you probably know New Year's day had been written for 'Solidarnosc' which is from Poland. When Bono started singing it all people on stadium make one big polsih national flag (red and white). I am not saying that polish crowd is the best but it's really worth to see.

Yeah, that's the one show I'm most looking forward to attending. The Polish U2 fans are already planning something bigger and better this time

 

[daveydave]

My ears were ringing for days from the crowd noise alone

Bostonian here...Must say the loudest I've ever heard was the first show on Elevation in Montreal 3rd Leg (10-12?). My ears were ringing for days from the audience and not necessarily the PA's. Loudest I've ever heard Boston was 6/9/01 - which was almost as loud as Montreal.

Montreal, are you always that damn loud? Is it the fact that there are like 5 levels in the Molson (or whatever it is called today) that made it so loud? You rocked!

 

[4U2Play]

Loudest U2 show I've experienced was at the Frankfurt Festhalle during ZooTV 1992.

That had as much to do with the huge GA floor and very echoey acoustics as with the cheering Germans.

Mexico City 2006 fans were also deafening, but again, mainly because there were 71,000 of them there, and because Azteca Stadium has a big overhang which traps the noise inside.

 

[ZooMacPhisto800]

Have been anybody from this forum on concert in Poland (Vertigo tour). I'd like to show you something...

YouTube - U2 - New Year's Day (Live From Chorzow, July 2005)

Check it out
As you probably know New Year's day had been written for 'Solidarnosc' which is from Poland. When Bono started singing it all people on stadium make one big polsih national flag (red and white). I am not saying that polish crowd is the best but it's really worth to see.

Hope you enjoy it!

Kocham Polska...

I was so lucky to have a chance to live in Poland for a bit, beautiful country with beautiful people. I love seeing the pride of the Poles.

I always wanted to see a video of New Years Day in Poland from the PopMart Tour... showed slides of Lech Walesa etc. (apparently he wasn't that popular in Poland at the time), but I could never find one.

Anyway, Kocham Polska.

 

[tryan101]

Have been anybody from this forum on concert in Poland (Vertigo tour). I'd like to show you something...

YouTube - U2 - New Year's Day (Live From Chorzow, July 2005)

Check it out
As you probably know New Year's day had been written for 'Solidarnosc' which is from Poland. When Bono started singing it all people on stadium make one big polsih national flag (red and white). I am not saying that polish crowd is the best but it's really worth to see.

Hope you enjoy it!

thanks for that. its always been one of my faves, and in the context, GREAT!

 

[kafrun]

Just one example, MTL crowd sang an entire verse of IHFWILF without Bono at all...

Yes It's been a while since I've listened to that boot, but I remember the crowd clearly singing the entire verse. Very cool!